Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Rewrite

ACT ONE, SCENE TWELVE

MINISTRY OF MAGIC, GRAND MEETING ROOM 

The stage is flooded with wizards and witches. They rattle and chatter like all true wizards and witchescan. Amongst them, GINNY, DRACO, and RON. Above them, on a stage, HERMIONE and HARRY. 

HERMIONE: Order. Order. Do I have to conjure silence? (She pulls silence from the crowd using herwand.) Good. Welcome to this Extraordinary General Meeting. I'm so pleased so many of you couldmake it. The wizarding world has been living in peace now for many years. It's twenty-two yearssince we defeated Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts, and I'm delighted to say there is a newgeneration being brought up having known only the slightest conflict. Until now. Harry. 

HARRY: Voldemort's allies have been showing movement for a few months now. We've followed trollsmaking their way across Europe, giants starting to cross the seas, and the werewolves — well, I'mdistressed to say we lost sight of them some weeks ago. We don't know where they're going orwho's encouraged them to move — but we are aware they are moving — and we are concerned whatit might mean. So we're asking — if anyone has seen anything? Felt anything? If you could raise awand, we will hear everyone speak. Professor McGonagall — thank you.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: It did look like the potions stores had been interfered with when we returnedfrom summer break, but not a huge amount of ingredients were missing, some Boomslang skin andlacewing flies, nothing on the Restricted Register. We put it down to Peeves.

HERMIONE: Thank you, Professor. We shall investigate. (She looks around the room.) Nobody else? Fine, and — gravest of all — and this hasn't been the case since Voldemort — Harry's scar is hurting again. 

DRACO: Voldemort is dead, Voldemort is gone. 

HERMIONE: Yes, Draco, Voldemort is dead, but these things all lead us to think that there is a possibility that Voldemort — or some trace of Voldemort — might be back. This gets a reaction. 

HARRY: Now this is difficult but we have to ask it to rule it out. Those of you with a Dark Mark . . . haveyou felt anything? Even a twinge? 

DRACO: Back to being prejudiced against those with a Dark Mark, are we, Potter? 

HERMIONE: No, Draco. Harry is simply trying to — 

DRACO: You know what this is about? Harry just wants his face back in the newspapers again. We've hadrumors of Voldemort coming back from the Daily Prophet once a year every year — 

HARRY: None of those rumors came from me! 

DRACO: Really? Doesn't your wife edit the Daily Prophet? 

GINNY steps towards him, outraged. 

GINNY: The sports pages! 

HERMIONE: Draco. Harry brought this matter to the attention of the Ministry. And I — as Minister for Magic — 

DRACO: A vote you only won because you are his friend. 

RON is held back by GINNY as he charges at DRACO. 

RON: Do you want a smack in the mouth? 

DRACO: Face it — his celebrity impacts upon you all. And how better to get everyone whispering the Potter name again than with (he does an impression of HARRY) "my scar is hurting, my scar is hurting." And do you know what this all means — that the gossipmongers once again have an opportunity to defame my son with these ridiculous rumors about his parentage. 

HARRY: Draco, no one is saying this has anything to do with Olivia . . . 

DRACO: Well, I, for one, think this meeting a sham. And I'm leaving. 

He walks out. Others start to disperse after him. 

HERMIONE: No. That's not the way . . . Come back. We need a strategy.