Gryffindor Common
Room, late afternoon. Stage wash comes up to reveal the stage.
There is a desk with books, parchment and a quill on it DSL, a
chair CSR and stairs leading to the boys' dorms DSR. GINNY WEASLEY
is sitting at the desk, hard at work. HERMIONE GRANGER enters
USL, looking a bit flustered, as if she has been running. She
is wearing a plum-coloured hooded cloak and carrying a backpack
as well as a large pile of books in her arms.
Sorry I'm late, I just completl–
[She stops, realizing that she
is too late and that HARRY POTTER and RON WEASLEY are not in
the common room. She drops the backpack on the floor and sighs
loudly. GINNY starts to speak to her]
Oh, hi Ginny … uh, just a moment.
[She moves down to the staircase
to the boys' dorms and calls upstairs]
Harry? Ron? Are you up there?
[No answer. She looks around,
disappointed with herself]
Have you seen the boys, Ginny? …
Twenty minutes ago? Oh no … Just Ron? You mean Harry
wasn't with him? … Oh, I wonder where he is … Um,
we were going to go over some spells … Look, did Ron tell
where he was going, or say when he'd be back? … Oh.
[Pause. She picks up her backpack]
Did he seem at all... annoyed
that I wasn't here?
[Sarcastically] Ah, Fantastic.
[She sits down on the chair and
stares into space, then looks up a GINNY who is speaking to
her]
Mmm? Oh, I was just in the library,
I got a bit pre-occupied and lost track of time … Viktor
and I were just talking about things [pause] Don't tell
Ron, alright? He'll get narky at me … Oh yes, he's still
being completely stupid about this whole thing… I just
don't get it. [She shrugs, and continues reading, then looks
at GINNY]
Ginny, why is it so dark in here?
… Well, it's very bad to study in this light, you can't
concentrate, and with that huge Potions assignment, you'll need
all the concentrating you can get. [She lifts her wand]
Lumos!
[Sfx, Lx, Stage wash becomes brighter]
That's better.
[HERMIONE looks at her wand admiringly]
It's amazing isn't it, us being what
we are … oh, you know, magical… I've been at Hogwarts
for nearly four years now and I know I should just be used to
it … oh yes, it's normal, of course it is [pause]
But sometimes I think about it and I find it so hard to believe
[pause] I'm actually a witch! [pause]
What would my life be like if I hadn't
got the letter to come to Hogwarts? If I'd stayed a Muggle?
… Oh, I've just been thinking about it the last couple
of days … It's what I was talking to Viktor about, although
he didn't quite get it. He's been riding around on broomsticks
since before he could even walk [pause] I guess it's
the same for you … Maybe, Harry might understand [pause]
but I doubt it, I mean, he's Harry Potter. He's got books written
about him, every kid in our world knows his name, you can't
get much more magical than he is, and my parents are dentists!
Here I am with my cloak and my wand
and my spell books and, well, I suppose I'm just wondering how
different things would have been if I wasn't here… [Pause]
Oh no, it's not that I'm unhappy!
Not at all! I love it here! I've got such good friends, you,
Harry and Ron and we have such a good time, I mean, we're learning
magic! [pause] Plus, with Harry around we're pretty much
guaranteed at least one adventure every year… Otherwise
they couldn't write books about him! [Pause]
Oh, did I tell you? Professor Moody
told me that I could be an Auror! I could be having adventures
for the rest of my life! Just think, [pulls out wand and
points it at audience Dana Scully-style] "Special Agent
Hermione Granger, Ministry Bureau of Dark Wizard Investigations.
Get off your broomstick and DROP – YOUR – WAND."
[pause] It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Maybe
I could arrest Malfoy one day!!
And speaking of Dark Wizards, you
really should get back to your Potions homework, or Professor
Snape will have your neck… [To herself] I wonder
where the boys are … Oh Ginny! I'm not going to do your
assignment for you! … Well you'll never learn! … Oh
all right, I'll have a look over it. [She walks over to GINNY
at the table and reads over her shoulder, then starts scribbling
on the parchment]
Oh I can't believe Snape's making
you do this! He must be making his curriculum harder; we didn't
cover Dream Potions until this year, of course I could have
done it all last year. [Thinks for a moment] Ok, well
don't forget the Bezoar, but it says eleven key ingredients…
mmm, what's the last one? Oh, it might be in my Ordinary Wizarding
Level Potions book. I'll just get it for you. [She starts
to go to her books, then stops to explain to GINNY]
Yes, I know I'm not sitting my OWL's
until next year, but I've already got my 5th Year books so I'll
be well prepared. It's always better to stay ahead that try
to catch up! [Pause]
I might just practice my Summoning
Charm; it's good exam revision.
[She points her wand to her pile
of books]
Accio Potions Book!
[Sfx, Lx. The book does not move,
she stares the pile of books, completely confused, and tries
again]
Accio Potions Book!
[Sfx, Lx. Nothing happens again,
pause]
Oh dear… [very embarrassed]
Yes I know it's such a simple spell, I can't understand
why it's - Oh! That's right, I put an Anti-Mischief Protection
Charm on my backpack this morning, I forgot that. [Walks
back over to her books on the sofa, then points the wand at
her backpack]
Alohomora!
[Sfx, lx]
[Explaining to GINNY] Well,
that slimy Slytherin Pansy Parkinson was looking very suspicious
yesterday, and you know how much she doesn't like me. I didn't
want to take any chances.
[She takes a large book out of
the backpack, and walks back to GINNY, flicking through it]
I guess the Charm protects it from
other spells too… interesting… I'll have to have a
chat with Professor Flitwick about that. Ah, here we are, Antidotes
for Nightmares -
[She stops as RON walks in]
Ron! And where have you been? …
– Well you should have waited; I must have got here...
two minutes after you'd left, isn't that right Ginn –
[She notices the worried expression
on RON's face and pauses abruptly]
What's wrong? And where's Harry?
[Blackout]
