Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (The M. Clifford MOD)

Act 4: Scene 2

DIAGON ALLEY, WEASLEY'S WIZARD WHEEZES — YEAR 5

The scenery finishes its rotation. It's dusk along Diagon Alley, after hours. The shop lights are on, but the shops look less lively. It's three years later. And a much different time. VOLDEMORT's return is felt by the audience, and a life has already been claimed. There are wanted posters in the windows with the words "MASS BREAKOUT" above the moving images of many violent, expressive faces, including that of BELLATRIX LESTRANGE.

HARRY, RON, and HERMIONE walk along the quiet lane. As HERMIONE moves ahead, the men have a chance to talk.

RON: She looked wonderful, Harry. So full of life. Innocent. But fiery, you know? If I were you I'd be desperate to talk to her. And you controlled yourself.

HARRY: I wouldn't know what to say. "Hello, Ginny. It's me, Harry Potter. We're going to be married when all this nonsense is done."

Beat, they laugh.

I miss my wife, but that wasn't her. Ginny was so much more to me as a woman. She was...

RON: Ginny.

HARRY: Yeah.

HERMIONE comes to a stop. She points to the shop on the corner. The facade looks plain, the windows darkened.

HERMIONE: This is the one. Ninety-three Diagon Alley. Bit plain.

RON: It was an apothecary before they bought the property.

HARRY: You'd never suspect this to be the future home of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

He approaches the front door.

Shall we?

RON: I wouldn't. This is Fred and George we're talking about. (beat) Round back. There's a door.

HERMIONE uses magic to move a rubbish bin and an abandoned vendor cart to reveal a flight of stairs. RON mounts the stairs to the side door. He gets to work on the lock as HARRY and HERMIONE stand by. A wizard passes. They greet him. He growls. RON stows his wand proudly.

Cracked the spell. I mean, it's pretty basic. They were kids at the time.

HERMIONE: Unless they want you to lower your guard, that is.

The façade opens like a book to reveal the interior of the joke shop, as the trio cautiously enters. They are in a storeroom on the second floor. The rooms beyond them are darkened, including everything on the floor below. The storeroom is full of stacked crates and signage covered in plastic sheeting. The wild and colorful details can still be seen, with labels like "DAYDREAM CHARMS", "DECOY DETONATORS", and "EDIBLE DARK MARKS". Hanging from the ceiling is a massive cage full of pinkish fuzzballs, squeaking, bouncing, and whirling in place.

RON: Pygmy Puffs! They stopped breeding them.

HERMIONE: For good reason.

HARRY: They were migrating to the tropics.

HERMIONE (off RON's look): Don't even think about it.

RON shrugs and looks around.

RON: Pretty lax security here, isn't there?

HERMIONE points to the crates across the room. In purple lettering, the word "WonderWitch" flashes at them in exciting bursts.