Act four, scene one

MINISTRY OF MAGIC, GRAND MEETING ROOM

Wizards and witches from all over cram into the grand meeting room. HERMIONE walks onto a hastily made stage. She raises her hand for silence. Silence falls. She’s surprised at the lack of effort it took. She looks around herself.

HERMIONE: Thank you. I’m so pleased so many of you were able to make my — second — Extraordinary General Meeting. I’ve got some things to say — I ask that we deal with questions — and there will be a lot of questions — after I speak.

As many of you know, a body has been found at Hogwarts. His name was Craig Bowker. He was a good boy. We have no firm information who was responsible for the act but yesterday we searched St. Oswald’s. A room there revealed two things — one, a prophecy that promised — the return of darkness — two, written on the ceiling, a proclamation — that the Dark Lord had a — that Voldemort had a child.

The news reverberates around the room.

We don’t know the full details. We’re only just investigating — questioning those with a Death Eater connection... And as yet no record has been found either of the child or of the prophecy — but, it does look like there’s some truth to it. This child was kept hidden from the wizarding world, and now she’s — well now she’s...

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: She? A daughter? He had a daughter?

HERMIONE: Yes. A daughter.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: And is she now in custody?

HARRY: Professor, she did ask for no questions.

HERMIONE: It’s fine, Harry. No, Professor, that’s where this gets worse. I’m afraid we’ve no means of taking her into custody. Or indeed, stopping her doing anything. She’s out of our reach.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: We can’t — look for her?

HERMIONE: We have good reason to believe — she’s hidden herself — in time.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: Of all the reckless stupid things, you kept the Time-Turner even now?

HERMIONE: Professor, I assure you —

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: Shame on you, Hermione Granger.

HERMIONE flinches in the face of the anger.

HARRY: No, she doesn’t deserve that. You have a right to be angry. You all do. But this is not all Hermione’s fault. We don’t know how the witch got hold of the Time-Turner. Whether my son gave it to her.

GINNY: Whether our son gave it her. Or whether it was stolen from him.

GINNY joins HARRY on the stage.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: Your solidarity is admirable, but it doesn’t make your negligence negligible.

DRACO: Then it’s a negligence I too should face.

DRACO walks up to the stage and stands beside GINNY. This is almost a Spartacus moment. There are gasps.

Hermione and Harry have done nothing wrong but try and protect us all. If they’re guilty then I am too.

HERMIONE looks across at her cohort — moved. RON joins them on the stage.

RON: Just to say — I didn’t know about much of it so can’t take responsibility — and I’m pretty sure my kids had nothing to do with it — but if this lot are standing up here then so am I.

GINNY: No one can know where they are — whether they’re together or apart. I trust that our sons will be doing all they can to stop her, but...

HERMIONE: We haven’t given up. We’ve gone to the giants. The trolls. Everyone we can find. The Aurors are out flying, searching, talking to those who know secrets, following those who won’t reveal secrets.

HARRY: But there is one truth we can’t escape: That somewhere in our past a witch is trying to rewrite everything we ever knew — and all we can do is wait — wait for the moment she either succeeds or fails.

PROFESSOR McGONAGALL: And if she succeeds?

HARRY: Then — just like that — most of the people in this room will be gone. We’ll no longer exist and Voldemort will rule again.