HARRY AND GINNY POTTER’S HOUSE, BEDROOM

HARRY wakes suddenly. Breathing deeply in the night.

He waits a moment. Calming himself. And then he feels intense pain in his forehead. In his scar. Around him, Dark Magic moves.

GINNY: Harry . . .

HARRY: It’s fine. Go back to sleep.

GINNY: Lumos.

The room is filled with light from her wand. HARRY looks at her.

A nightmare?

HARRY: Yes.

GINNY: About what?

HARRY: The Dursleys — well, it started there — then it became something else.

Pause. GINNY looks at him — trying to work out where he is.

GINNY: Do you want a Sleeping Draught?

HARRY: No. I’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.

GINNY: You don’t seem fine.

HARRY says nothing.

(Seeing his agitation.) It can’t have been easy — with Amos Diggory.

HARRY: The anger I can cope with, the fact he’s right is harder. Amos lost his son because of me —

GINNY: That doesn’t seem particularly fair on yourself . . .

HARRY: — and there’s nothing I can say — nothing I can say to anyone — unless it’s the wrong thing, of course . . .

GINNY knows what — or rather who — he’s referring to.

GINNY: So that’s what’s upsetting you? The night before Hogwarts, it’s never a good night if you don’t want to go. Giving Al the blanket. It was a nice try.

HARRY: It went pretty badly wrong from there. I said some things, Ginny . . .

GINNY: I heard.

HARRY: And you’re still talking to me?

GINNY: Because I know that when the time is right you’ll say sorry. That you didn’t mean it. That what you said concealed . . . other things. You can be honest with him, Harry . . . That’s all he needs.

HARRY: I just wish he was more like James or Lily.

GINNY (dry): Yeah, maybe don’t be that honest.

HARRY: No, I wouldn’t change a thing about him . . . but I can understand them, and . . .

GINNY: Albus is different and isn’t that a good thing. And he can tell, you know, when you’re putting on your Harry Potter front. He wants to see the real you.

HARRY: “The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”

GINNY looks at him, surprised.

Dumbledore.

GINNY: A strange thing to say to a child.

HARRY: Not when you believe that child will have to die to save the world.

HARRY gasps again — and does all he can not to touch his forehead.

GINNY: Harry. What’s wrong?

HARRY: Fine. I’m fine. I hear you. I’ll try to be —

GINNY: Does your scar hurt?

HARRY: No. No. I’m fine. Now, Nox that and let’s get some sleep.

GINNY: Harry. How long has it been since your scar hurt?

HARRY turns to GINNY, his face says it all.

HARRY: Twenty-two years.