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HERMIONE: "I've told Draco again and again -- no one in the Ministry is saying anything about Scorpius. The rumors aren't coming from us."

HARRY, RON, HERMIONE, and GINNY sit, eating together.

GINNY: "He's a mess -- a grieving mess."

HERMIONE: "He's obsessed."

GINNY: "I wrote to him -- after he lost Astoria -- to ask if there's anything we could do. I thought maybe -- as he was such a good friend to Albus -- maybe Scorpius might want to stay over part of the Christmas break or… My owl came back with a letter containing one simple sentence: 'Tell your husband to refute these allegations about my son once and for all.'"

HERMIONE: "Her?"

RON: "And I'm sorry for his loss but when he accuses Hermione of… Well…" (He looks across at HARRY.) "Oi droopy drawers, like I say to her all the time, it could be nothing."

RON: "The trolls could be going to a party, the giants to a wedding, you could be getting bad dreams because you're worried about Albus, and your scar could be hurting because you're getting old."

HARRY: "Getting old? Thanks, mate."

RON: "Honestly, every time I sit down now I make an "ooof" noise. An "ooof." And my feet -- the trouble I'm having with my feet -- I could write songs about the pain my feet give me -- maybe your scar is like that."

Missed.

GINNY: "I'm scared too."

RON: "You never really were one for popularity, were you?"

Hit. A very solid hit.

HERMIONE: "I mean it, Harry, I will not be Cornelius Fudge on this one. I will not stick my head in the sand. And I don't care how unpopular that makes me with Draco Malfoy."

GINNY: "You talk a lot of rubbish."

GINNY: "If you don't behave, Ronald Weasley, I will tell Mum."

HERMIONE: "If some part of Voldemort survived, in whatever form, we need to be prepared. And I'm scared."

RON: "I consider it my speciality. That and my range of Skiving Snackboxes. And my love for all of you. Even Skinny Ginny."

HERMIONE shoots RON a withering look as she aims to hit him but RON jumps out of the way.

RON: "Nothing scares me. Apart from Mum."

RON: "You wouldn't."

GINNY hits RON. RON winces.

Suddenly an owl is in the room. It swoops in low and drops a letter on HARRY's plate.

HARRY opens the letter. Surprised.

HERMIONE: "Bit late for an owl, isn't it?"

HARRY: "It's from Professor McGonagall."

GINNY: "What does it say?"

HARRY's face drops.

HARRY: "Ginny, it's Albus -- Albus and Scorpius -- they never made it to school. They're missing."