SCENE THREE
#3 Twenty-Four (Lily, Severus, James)
(The interior of 666 Godric's Hollow. The house assembles before our eyes. The front door reemerges as part of the picture and there is some space DOWNSTAGE for the street. UPSTAGE of the front door, particular elements from several rooms in the house appear and arrange themselves according to a conventional floor plan. There are no walls but there are a couple of interior doors dividing rooms, a couple of chairs, the bed from before, which now has a comforter of brooms and Golden Snitches on it, a large sofa, and at the extreme UPSTAGE side, three windows. In the center of it all is a large wardrobe which has a full length mirror on its face. On a small table is a cake with twenty-four candles, a bottle or champagne and two champagne glasses, and a child's cup.
LILY stands at the table with her new lover, SEVERUS SNAPE, sitting nearby. HARRY, her child who is now four, runs in from the direction of the hall. SEVERUS wears trousers, suspenders, no shirt. HARRY wears a white dress shirt, white dress pants, and white dress shoes. LILY wears simple light pink robes. LILY blows out the candles and picks up her approaching son. HE puts his head on her shoulder.)
LILY
(To Severus)
GOT A FEELIN' TWENTY-FOUR
IS GONNA BE A GOOD YEAR…
ESPECIALLY IFYOU AND ME
SEE IT IN TOGETHER.
(LILY puts her son down and he runs to the other end of the table to wait for his piece of cake.)
SEVERUS
(to LILY)
NOW YOU'RE TWENTY-FOUR
YOU'RE READY FOR A NEW YEAR
LET'S MARRY NOW
AND CELEBRATE FOREVER.
LILY
(to SEVERUS)
I HAD NO REASON TO BE OVER-OPTIMISTIC,
BUT SOMEHOW WHEN YOU SMILE
I CAN BRAVE BAD WEATHER.
GOT A FEELIN' TWENTY-FOUR
IS GONNA BE A GOOD YEAR…
ESPECIALLY IF YOU AND ME
SEE IT IN TOGETHER.
SEVERUS
(Simultaneous with above)
TWENTY-FOUR TODAY –
YOUR FUTURE IS WITH ME NOW.
OUR FUTURE IS YOUR FREEDOM.
(At this point, the impatient FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY sticks his finger in the cake and runs off towards the hall and continues into the bedroom. Rolling her eyes, clearly saying "Here we go again," LILY runs after her son.)
NOW YOU'RE TWENTY-FOUR
YOU'RE READY FOR A NEW YEAR.
LET'S MARRY NOW
AND CELEBRATE FOREVER.
LILY
(Simultaneous with above, to FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY)
ONLY TWENTY-FOUR TODAY
AND I'VE SUCH A GROWN-UP SON.
WISH YOUR MUM A HAPPY DAY.
FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY
Happy Birthday, Mum!
(HE hands his mother a flower. SHE smiles, takes it, and proceeds to tuck him into bed.)
LILY
(to FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY)
I HAD NO REASON TO BE OVER-OPTIMISTIC,
BUT SOMEHOW WHEN YOU SMILE
I CAN BRAVE BAD WEATHER.
(LILY kisses FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY goodnight and returns to the living room to SEVERUS.)
LILY, SEVERUS
I HAD NO REASON TO BE OVER-OPTIMISTIC,
BUT SOMEHOW WHEN YOU SMILE
I CAN BRAVE BAD WEATHER.
(INSTRUMENTAL EXTENSION.
Out on the street, JAMES is accompanied by SIRIUS and REMUS. THEY approach the front door of 666 Godric's Hollow. JAMES insists he'll be alright on his own. THEY shake hands and REMUS and SIRIUS glance at each other and reluctantly leave. JAMES is about to knock on the door but reaches into his pocket and produces a house key. HE puts the key in the door. It still fits. He smiles and turns the lock.
Inside the house FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY sleeps and SEVERUS gives LILY her gift. SHE smiles and they kiss passionately.
JAMES enters through the front door and stops dead upon seeing his wife and arch-enemy. LILY glances up from the kiss. SHE pulls away and steps back in shock, firmly guiding SEVERUS out of the way. She slowly crosses to JAMES and reaches out to touch his face. SEVERUS intercedes. HE pushes JAMES back toward the door. JAMES resists.
The commotion awakens FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY. HE runs from his room through the hall and crosses to just next to the sofa.
LILY sees FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY. SHE rushes toward him and spins him around so that he can't see the brewing fight. Inadvertently, she turns him so that he directly faces the mirrored surface of the wardrobe where he watches everything. LILY crosses back to the men. A chair is knocked over.
SEVERUS and JAMES go for each other. LILY tries to separate them. SHE pulls SEVERUS over to the sofa. SEVERUS slaps her aside. HE picks up the fallen chair and rears back to throw it at JAMES. JAMES automatically raises his wand and a blast of green light ensues, hitting SEVERUS and knocking him across the room. HE lies motionless. LILY walks to him, touches him in horror. SHE turns to her husband and stares. Finally she rushes to him and THEY hold each other. They turn to FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY and, as the boy turns to face them with wide eyes and terror on his face, see that HE has witnessed all of this in the mirror. LILY goes to him, placing her hand on his shoulder to calm him, and is at first gentle and concerned. But when JAMES joins in, they build in mountain hysterical desperation.)
LILY
WHAT ABOUT THE BOY?
JAMES
WHAT ABOUT THE BOY?
JAMES, LILY
WHAT ABOUT THE BOY?
HE SAW IT ALL!
(LILY crosses to the sofa, gazing at the body then back at her son and husband. JAMES crosses to his son.)
YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT,
YOU DIDN'T SEE IT,
YOU WON'T SAY NOTHING TO NO ONE
EVER IN YOUR LIFE.
YOU NEVER HEARD IT.
HOW ABSURD IT WILL SEEM WITH OUT ANY PROOF.
(LILY crosses to her son and shoves him down to be level with the body. SHE kneels beside FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY. JAMES paces before the mirror, glancing in it whenever he passes it.)
YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT,
YOU DIDN'T SEE IT,
YOU NEVER HEARD IT, NOT A WORD OF IT.
YOU WON'T SAY NOTHNG TO NO ONE.
NEVER TELL A SOUL.
JAMES
WHAT YOU KNOW.
LILY
WHAT YOU KNOW IS THE TRUTH.
(JAMES crosses to his wife and son.)
JAMES
YOU DIDN'T-
JAMES, LILY
HEAR IT,
YOU DIDN'T SEE IT,
YOU WON'T SAY NOTHING TO NO ONE
EVER IN YOUR LIFE.
YOU NEVER HEARD IT.
(JAMES grabs LILY up roughly.)
JAMES
HOW ABSURD IT'LL
SEEM.
LILY
HOW ABSURD IT'LL
SEEM WITHOUT ANY PROOF.
(LILY kneels back down.)
JAMES
YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT,
YOU DIDN'T SEE IT,
(JAMES kneels on his son's other side)
YOU NEVER HEARD IT, NOT A
WORD OF IT.
LILY
(Staggered, with JAMES)
YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT,
YOU DIDN'T SEE IT,
YOU NEVER HEARD IT, NOT A
WORD.
(THEY have been becoming increasingly strident and now finally lose control, berating and, on the stressed words, roughly shaking little FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY who just stands there and takes it all in.)
JAMES, LILY
YOU WON'T SAY NOTHING TO NO ONE.
NEVER TELL A SOUL
WHAT YOU KNOW IS THE TRUTH.
(A MINISTRY WHISTLE sounds. JAMES and LILY let go of their son and back away from him, calming. THEY turn to each other.)
JAMES
WHAT ABOUT THE BOY?
(MINISTRY WHISTLES sound again.
#4 Amazing Journey (Narrator)
Suddenly, through the front door of 666 Godric's Hollow, MINISTRY LAW ENFORCEMENT are pouring in. THEY surround the POTTERS. One of them urgently approaches the body of SEVERUS. HE kneels by it and confirms that he's dead. LILY bends down to FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY. EVERYONE ELSE stands tense and frozen.)
LILY
Harry. Everything's going to be all right. Do you understand?
(FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY doesn't respond. A MINISTRY OFFICIAL picks up the fallen chair.)
You needn't be afraid, love. Harry? Do you hear me?
(FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY doesn't answer. Another MINISTRY OFFICIAL crosses to JAMES.)
Harry, do you understand Mummy?
(FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY walks to the mirror on the wardrobe. As he looks in the mirror certain elements in the room magically shift, as if the objects are taking on minds of their own, disobedient minds that defy the laws of gravity and space. A chair flies into the air. Doors take on new positions. The view outside the windows becomes scrambled.)
Harry! Harry!
(FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY just stares at the mirror.
The POLICE take JAMES and LILY into separate sides of the house. DOLORES UMBRIDGE sits LILY on the bed and interrogates her. ANOTHER MINISTRY OFFICIAL questions JAMES. MINISTRY MEMBERS mull about everywhere. THEY photograph and cover the body, dust the gun for fingerprints, measure the room and so on. They're joined by REMUS and SIRIUS who are particularly concerned with JAMES. One of the OFFICIALS is sent to guard the door.
HARRY continues to gaze blankly at his own image in the mirror.
From ABOVE, a FIGURE tumbles into the room and lands gracefully on top of the wardrobe – our NARRATOR, in the image of HARRY when he is older. No one n the room is aware of the NARRATOR'S presence.)
NARRATOR
DEAF, DUMB, AND BLIND BOY…
HE'S IN A QUIET VIBRATION LAND.
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS, HIS MUSICAL DREAMS
AIN'T QUITE SO BAD.
FOUR YEARS OLD
WITH THOUGHTS AS BOLD AS THOUGHT CAN BE;
LOVING LIFE AND BECOMING WISE
IN SIMPLICITY.
SICKNESS WILL SURELY TAKE THE MIND
WHERE MINDS CAN'T USUALLY GO.
COME ON THE AMAZING JOURNEY
AND LEARN ALL YOU SHOULD KNOW.
A VAGUE HAZE OF DELIRIUM
SEEPS IN HIS MIND.
SOARING AND FLYING IMAGES BLIND.
I'LL BE YOUR LEADER,
I'LL BE YOUR GUIDE.
ON THE AMAZING JOURNEY, TOGETHER WE'LL RIDE.
(UNCLE VERNON enters through the front door. HE sees the body and searches the house, finally finding his sister-in-law. He tries to embrace LILY, but is held back by MINISTRY MEMBERS. He frantically pulls out a silver flask and has a long drink. He sees FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY staring into the mirror. He walks over to him, kneels, puts his arm around FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY'S shoulder. The NARRATOR has now glided to the floor. HE continues to move unseen about the room.)
NOTHING TO SAY,
NOTHING TO HEAR,
AND NOTHING TO SEE.
EACH SENSATION MAKES A NOTE IN HIS SYMPHONY.
SICKNESS WILL SURELY TAKE THE MIND
WHERE MINDS CAN'T USUALLY GO.
COME ON THE AMAZING JOURNEY
AND LEARN ALL YOU SHOULD KNOW.
HIS EYES ARE THE EYES THAT
TRANSMIT ALL THEY KNOW.
THE TRUTH BURNS SO BRIGHT
IT CAN MELT WINTER SNOW.
A TOWERING FIGURE,
SO BRILLIANT, SO HIGH…
A WHITE SUN BURNING
THE EARTH AND THE SKY.
(The NARRATOR vanishes and the house disassembles.)
END OF SCENE THREE
Wow. That was a long one.
So sorry. Had to add that bitch of a Defense Against the Dark ARts teacher in here somewhere. Promise, this and the next scene are the only cameos she has.
Sofie Christianson: Yes, Voldemort did die. It's not explained, but it can be inferred that it was Dumbledore who actually did it.