Harry1 turned to look at Ron and Hermione. Neither of them seemed to have understood what Xenophilius had said either.
“The Deathly Hallows?”
“That’s right,” said Xenophilius. “You haven’t heard of them? I’m not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe. Witness that knuckle-headed young man at your brother’s wedding,” he nodded at Ron, “who attacked me for sporting the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard! Such ignorance. There is nothing Dark about the Hallows – at least not in that crude sense. One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the Quest.”
He stirred several lumps of sugar into his Gurdyroot infusion2 and drank some.
“I’m sorry,” said Harry, “I still don’t really understand.”
To be polite, he took a sip3 from his cup too, and almost gagged: The stuff was quite disgusting, as though someone had liquidized bogey-flavored Every Flavor Beans.
“Well, you see, believers seek the Deathly Hallows,” said Xenophilius, smacking4 his lips in apparent appreciation5 of the Gurdyroot infusion.
“But what are the Deathly Hallows?” asked Hermione.
Xenophilius set aside his empty teacup.
“I assume that you are familiar with ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’?”
Harry said, “No,” but Ron and Hermione both said, “Yes.” Xenophilius nodded gravely.
“Well, well, Mr. Potter, the whole thing starts with ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’… I have a copy somewhere…”
He glanced vaguely6 around the room, at the piles of parchment and books, but Hermione said, “I’ve got a copy, Mr. Lovegood, I’ve got it right here.”
And she pulled out The Tales of Beedle the Bard7 from the small, beaded bag.
“The original?” inquired Xenophilius sharply, and when she nodded, he said, “Well then, why don’t you read it out aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand.”
“Er… all right,” said Hermione nervously9. She opened the book, and Harry saw that the symbol they were investigating headed the top of the page as she gave a little cough, and began to read.
“‘There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding10 road at twilight11 –’“
“Midnight, our mum always told us,“ said Ron, who had stretched out, arms behind his head, to listen. Hermione shot him a look of annoyance12.
“Sorry, I just think it’s a bit spookier if it’s midnight!” said Ron.
“Yeah, because we really need a bit more fear in our lives,” said Harry before he could stop himself. Xenophilius did not seem to be paying much attention, but was staring out of the window at the sky. “Go on, Hermione.”
“In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade13 through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous14 water. They were halfway15 across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded16 figure.“
“‘And Death spoke17 to them –’”
“Sorry,“ interjected Harry, “but Death spoke to them?”
“It’s a fairy tale, Harry!”
“Right, sorry. Go on.”
“‘And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of the three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade18 him.“
“‘So the oldest brother, who was a combative19 man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels21 for its owner, a wand worthy22 of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.”
“‘Then the second brother, who was an arrogant23 man, decided24 that he wanted to humiliate25 Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.”
“‘And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth26 from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly27, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.’”
“Death’s got an Invisibility Cloak?“ Harry interrupted again.
“So he can sneak28 up on people,” said Ron. “Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking… sorry, Hermione.”
“‘Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so talking with wonder of the adventure they had had and admiring Death’s gifts.“
“‘In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.”
“‘The first brother traveled on for a week more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel20 that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible29.”
“‘That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden upon his bed. The thief took the wand and for good measure, slit30 the oldest brother’s throat.”
“‘And so Death took the first brother for his own.”
“‘Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement31 and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.”
“‘Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing32, killed himself so as to truly join her.”
“‘And so Death took the second brother from his own.”
“‘But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained33 a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And the he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.’”
Hermione closed the book. It was a moment or two before Xenophilius seemed to realize that she had stopped reading; then he withdrew his gaze from the window and said: “Well, there you are.”
“Sorry?” said Hermione, sounding confused.
“Those are the Deathly Hallows,” said Xenophilius.
He picked up a quill34 from a packed table at his elbow, and pulled a torn piece of parchment from between more books.
“The Elder Wand,” he said, and drew a straight vertical35 line upon the parchment. “The Resurrection Stone,” he said, and added a circle on top of the line. “The Cloak of Invisibility,” he finished, enclosing both line and circle in a triangle, to make the symbols that so intrigued36 Hermione. “Together,” he said, “the Deathly Hallows.”
“But there’s no mention of the words ‘Deathly Hallows’ in the story,” said Hermione.
“Well, of course not,” said Xenophilius, maddeningly smug. “That is a children’s tale, told to amuse rather than to instruct. Those of us who understand these matters, however, recognize that the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death.”
There was a short silence in which Xenophilius glanced out of the window. Already the sun was low in the sky.
“Luna ought to have enough Plimpies soon,” he said quietly.
“When you say ‘master of Death’ – ”said Ron.
“Master,” said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. “Conqueror. Vanquisher37. Whichever term you prefer.”
“But then… do you mean…” said Hermione slowly, and Harry could tell that she was trying to keep any trace of skepticism out of her voice, “that you believe these objects – these Hallows – really exist?”
Xenophilius raised his eyebrows39 again.
“Well, of course.”
“But,” said Hermione, and Harry could hear her restraint starting to crack, “Mr. Lovegood, how can you possibly believe –?”
“Luna has told me all about you, young lady,” said Xenophilius. “You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded.”
“Perhaps you ought to try on the hat, Hermione,” said Ron, nodding toward the ludicrous headdress. His voice shook with the strain of not laughing.
“Mr. Lovegood,” Hermione began again, “We all know that there are such things as Invisibility Cloaks. They are rare, but they exist. But – ”
“Ah, but the Third Hallow is a true Cloak of Invisibility, Miss Granger! I mean to say, it is not a traveling cloak imbued40 with a Disillusionment Charm, or carrying a Bedazzling Hex, or else woven from Demiguise hair, which will hide one initially41 but fade with the years until it turns opaque42. We are talking about a cloak that really and truly renders the wearer completely invisible, and endures eternally, giving constant and impenetrable concealment43, no matter what spells are cast at it. How many cloaks have you ever seen like that, Miss Granger?”
Hermione opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again, looking more confused than ever. She, Harry and Ron glanced at one another, and Harry knew that they were all thinking the same thing. It so happened that a cloak exactly like the one Xenophilius had just described was in the room with them at that very moment.
“Exactly,” said Xenophilius, as if he had defeated them all in reasoned argument. “None of you have ever seen such a thing. The possessor would be immeasurably rich, would he not?”
He glanced out of the window again. The sky was now tinged44 with the faintest trace of pink.
“All right,” said Hermione, disconcerted. “Say the Cloak existed… what about that stone, Mr. Lovegood? The thing you call the Resurrection Stone?”
“What of it?”
“Well, how can that be real?”
“Prove that is not,” said Xenophilius.
“But that’s – I’m sorry, but that’s completely ridiculous! How can I possibly prove it doesn’t exist? Do you expect me to get hold of – of all the pebbles46 in the world and test them? I mean, you could claim that anything’s real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody’s proved it doesn’t exist!”
“Yes, you could,” said Xenophilius. “I am glad to see that you are opening your mind a little.”
“So the Elder Wand,” said Harry quickly, before Hermione could retort, “you think that exists too?”
“Oh, well, in that case there is endless evidence,” said Xenophilius. “The Elder Wand is the Hallow that is most easily traced, because of the way in which it passes from hand to hand.”
“Which is what?” asked Harry.
“Which is that the possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner, if he is to be truly master of it,” said Xenophilius. “Surely you have heard of the way the wand came to Egbert the Egregious47, after his slaughter48 of Emeric the Evil? Of how Godelot died in his own cellar after his son, Hereward, took the wand from him? Of the dreadful Loxias, who took the wand from Baraabas Deverill, whom he had killed? The bloody49 trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history.”
Harry glanced at Hermione. She was frowning at Xenophilius, but she did not contradict him.
“So where do you think the Elder Wand is now?” asked Ron.
“Alas50, who knows?” said Xenophilius, as he gazed out of the window. “Who knows where the Elder Wand lies hidden? The trail goes cold with Arcus and Livius. Who can say which of them really defeated Loxias, and which took the wand? And who can say who may have defeated them? History, alas, does not tell us.”
There was a pause. Finally Hermione asked stiffly, “Mr. Lovegood, does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?”
Xenophilius looked taken aback as something shifted in Harry’s memory, but he could not locate it. Peverell… he had heard that name before…
“But you have been misleading me, young woman!” said Xenophilius, now sitting up much straighter in his chair and goggling51 at Hermione. “I thought you were new to the Hallows Quest! Many of us Questers believe that the Peverells have everything – everything! – to do with the Hallows!”
“Who are the Peverells?” asked Ron.
“That was the name on the grave with the mark on it, in Godric’s Hollow,” said Hermione, still watching Xenophilius. “Ignotus Peverell.”
“Exactly!” said Xenophilius, his forefinger52 raised pedantically53. “The sign of the Death Hallows on Ignotus’s grave is conclusive54 proof!”
“Of what?” asked Ron.
“Why, that the three brothers in the story were actually the three Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus! That they were the original owners of the Hallows!”
With another glance at the window he got to his feet, picked up the tray, and headed for the spiral staircase.
“You will stay for dinner?” he called, as he vanished downstairs again. “Everybody always requests our recipe for Freshwater Plimply soup.”
“Probably to show the Poisoning Department at St. Mungo’s,” said Ron under his breath.
Harry waited until they could hear Xenophilius moving about in the kitchen downstairs before speaking.
“What do you think?” he asked Hermione.
“Oh, Harry,” she said wearily, “it’s a pile of utter rubbish. This can’t be what the sign really means. This must just be his weird55 take on it. What a waste of time.”
“I s’pose this is the man who brought us Crumple-Horned Snorkacks,” said Ron.
“You didn’t believe it either?” Harry asked him.
“Nah, that story’s just one of those things you tell kids to teach them lessons, isn’t it? ‘Don’t go looking for trouble, don’t go pick fights, don’t go messing around with stuff that’s best left alone! Just keep your head down, mind your own business, and you’ll be okay. Come to think of it,” Ron added, “maybe that story’s why elder wands are supposed to be unlucky.”
“What are you talking about?”
“One of those superstitions56, isn’t it? ‘May-born witches will marry Muggles.’ ‘Jinx by twilight, undone57 by midnight.’ ‘Wand of cider, never prosper58.’ You must have heard them. My mum’s full of them.”
“Harry and I were raised by Muggles,” Hermione reminded him. “We were taught different superstitions.” She sighed deeply as a rather pungent59 smell drifted up from the kitchen. The one good thing about her exasperation60 with Xenophilius was that it seemed to have made her forget that she was annoyed at Ron. “I think you’re right,” she told him. “It’s just a morality tale, it’s obvious which gift is best, which one you’d choose – ”
The three of them spoke at the same time: Hermione said, “the Cloak,” Ron said, “the wand,” and Harry said, “the stone.”
They looked at each other, half surprised, half amused.
“You’re supposed to say the Cloak,” Ron told Hermione, “but you wouldn’t need to be invisible if you had the wand. An unbeatable wand, Hermione, come on!”
“We’ve already got an Invisibility Cloak,” said Harry, “And it’s helped us rather a lot, in case you hadn’t noticed!” said Hermione. “Whereas the wand would be bound to attract trouble–”
“Only if you shouted about it,” argued Ron. “Only if you were prat enough to go dancing around waving it over your head, and singing, ‘I’ve got an unbeatable want, come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.’ As long as you kept your trap shut –”
“Yes, but could you keep your trap shut?” said Hermione, looking skeptical61. “You know the only true thing he said to us was that there have been stories about extra-powerful wands for hundreds of years.”
“There have?” asked Harry.
Hermione looked exasperated62: The expression was so endearingly familiar that Harry and Ron grinned at each other.
“The Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny, they crop up under different names through the centuries, usually in the possession of some Dark wizard who’s boasting about them.
Professor Binns mentioned some of them, but – oh it’s all nonsense. Wands are only as powerful as the wizards who use them. Some wizards just like to boast that theirs are bigger and better than other people’s“
“But how do you know,” said Harry, “that those wants – the Deathstick, and the Wand of Destiny – aren’t the same want, surfacing over the centuries under different names?”
“What if they’re all really the Elder Wand, made by Death?” said Ron. Harry laughed: The strange idea that had occurred to him was after all, ridiculous. His wand, he reminded himself, had been of holly63, not elder, and it had been made by Ollivander, whatever it had done that night Voldemort had pursued him across the skies and if it had been unbeatable, how could it have been broken? “So why would you take the stone?” Ron asked him. “Well, if you could bring people back, we could have Sirius…Mad-Eye…Dumbledore…my parents…” Neither Ron nor Hermione smiled.
“But according to Beedle the Bard, they wouldn’t want to come back, would they?” said Harry, thinking about the tail they had just heard. “I don’t suppose there have been loads of other stories about a stone that can raise the dead, have there?” he asked Hermione. “No,” she replied sadly. “I don’t think anyone except Mr. Lovegood could kid themselves that’s possible. Beedle probably took the idea from the Sorcerer’s Stone; you know, instead of a stone to make you immortal64, a stone to reverse death.” The smell from the kitchen was getting stronger. It was something like burning underpants. Harry wondered whether it would be possible to eat enough of whatever Xenophilius was cooking to spare his feelings.
“What about the Cloak, though?” said Ron slowly. “Don’t you realize, he’s right? I’ve got so used to Harry’s Cloak and how good it is, I never stopped to think. I’ve never heard of one like Harry’s. It’s infallible. We’ve never been spotted65 under it –”
“Of course not – we’re invisible when we’re under it, Ron!”
“But all the stuff he said about other cloaks, and they’re not exactly ten a Kanut, you know, is true! It’s never occurred to me before but I’ve heard stuff about charms wearing off cloaks when they get old, or them being ripped apart by spells so they’ve got holes, Harry’s was owned by his dad, so it’s not exactly new, is it, but it’s just… perfect!”
“Yes, all right, but Ron, the stone…”
As they argued in whispers, Harry moved around the room, only half listening. Reaching the spiral stair, he raised his eyes absently to the next level and was distracted at once. His own face was looking back at him from the ceiling of the room above. After a moment’s bewilderment, he realized that it was not a mirror, but a painting. Curious, he began to clime the stairs.
“Harry, what are you doing? I don’t think you should look around when he’s not here!” But Harry had already reached the next level. Luna had decorated her bedroom ceiling with five beautifully painted faces: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. They were not moving as the portraits at Hogwarts moved, but there was a certain magic about them all the same. Harry thought they breathed. What appeared to be a fine golden chains wove around the pictures linking them together, but after examining them for a minute or so, Harry realized that the chains were actually one work repeated a thousand times in golden ink: friends… friends… friends…
Harry felt a great rush of affection for Luna. He looked around the room. There was a large photograph beside the bed, of a young Luna and a woman who looked very like her. They were hugging. Luna looked rather better-groomed in this picture than Harry had ever seen her in life. The picture was dusty. This struck Harry as slightly odd. He stared around. Something was wrong. The pale blue carpet was also thick with dust. There were no clothes in the wardrobe, whose doors stood ajar. The bed had a cold, unfriendly look, as though it had not been slept in for weeks. A single cobweb stretched over the nearest window across the blood red sky.
“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked as Harry descended66 the staircase, but before he could respond, Xenophilius reached the top of the stairs from the kitchen, now holding a tray laden67 with bowls.
“Mr. Lovegood,” said Harry. “Where’s Luna?”
“Excuse me?”
“Where’s Luna?”
Xenophilius halted on the top step.
“I – I’ve already told you. She is down at the Botions Bridge fishing for Plimpies.”
“So why have you only laid that tray for four?”
Xenophilius tried to speak, but no sound came out. The only noise was the continued chugging of the printing press, and a slight rattle68 from the tray as Xenophilius’s hands shook.
“I don’t think Luna’s been here for weeks.” said Harry. “Her clothes are gone, her bed hasn’t been slept in. Where is she? and why do you keep looking out of the window?”
Xenophilius dropped the tray. The bowls bounced and smashed Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew their wands. Xenophilius froze his hand about to enter his pocket. At that moment the printing press have a huge bank and numerous Quibblers came streaming across the floor from underneath69 the tablecloth70, the press fell silent at last. Hermione stooped down and picked up one of the magazines, her wand still pointing at Mr. Lovegood.
“Harry, look at this” He strode over to her as quickly as he could through all the clutter71.
The front of the Quibbler carried his own picture, emblazoned with the words “Undesirable Number One” and captioned72 with the reward money.
“The Quibbler’s going for a new angle, then?” Harry asked coldly, his mind working very fast. “Is that what you were doing when you went into the garden, Mr. Lovegood?
Sending an owl38 to the Ministry73?“
Xenophilius licked his lips “They took my Luna,” he whispered, “Because of what I’ve been writing. They took my Luna and I don’t know where she is, what they’ve done to her. But they might give her back to me if I – If I–”
“Hand over Harry?” Hermione finished for him.
“No deal.” said Ron flatly. “Get out of the way, we’re leaving.”
Xenophilius looked ghastly, a century old, his lips drawn74 back into a dreadful leer.
“They will be here any moment. I must save Luna. I cannot lose Luna. You must not leave.”
He spread his arms in front of the staircase, and Harry had a sudden vision of his mother doing the same thing in front of his crib.
“Don’t make us hurt you,” Harry said. “Get out of the way, Mr. Lovegood.”
“HARRY!” Hermione screamed.
Figures on broomsticks were flying past the windows. As the three of them looked away from him. Xenophilius drew his wand. Harry realized their mistake just in time. He launched himself sideways, shoving Ron and Hermione out of harm’s way as Xenophilius’s Stunning75 Spell soared across the room and hit the Erumpent horn.
There was a colossal76 explosion. The sound of it seemed to blow the room apart.
Fragments of wood and paper and rubble77 flew in all directions, along with an impenetrable cloud of thick white dust. Harry flew through the air, then crashed to the floor, unable to see as debris78 rained upon him, his arms over his head. He heard Hermione’s scream, Ron’s yell, and a series of sickening metallic79 thuds which told him that Xenophilius had been blasted off his feet and fallen backward down the spiral stairs.
Half buried in rubble, Harry tried to raise himself. He could barely breathe or see for dust.
Half of the ceiling had fall in and the end of Luna’s bead8 was hanging through the hole.
The bust80 of Rowena Ravenclaw lay beside him with half its face missing fragments of torn parchment were floating through the air, and most of the printing press lay on its side, blocking the top of the staircase to the kitchen. Then another white shape moved close by, and Hermione, coated in dust like a second statue, pressed his finger to her lips.
The door downstairs crashed open.
“Didn’t I tell you there was no need to hurry, Travers?” said a rough voice. “Didn’t I tell you this nutter81 was just raving82 as usual?” There was a bang and a scream of pain from Xenophilius.
“No…no…upstairs…Potter!”
“I told you last week Lovegood, we weren’t coming back for anything less than some solid information! Remember last week? When you wanted to swap83 your daughter for that stupid bleeding headdress? And the week before” – Another bang, another squeal84 – “When you thought we’d give her back if you offered us proof there are Cumple” – Bang – “Headed”–bang– “Snorkacks?”
“No – no – I beg of you!” sobbed85 Xenophilius. “It really is Potter, Really!”
“And now it turns out you only called us here to try and blow us up!” roared the Death Eater, and there was a volley of bangs interspersed86 with squeals87 of agony from Xenophilius.
“The place looks like it’s about to fall in, Selwyn,” said a cool second voice, echoing up the mangled88 staircase. “The stairs are completely blocked. Could try clearing it? Might bring the place down.”
“You lying piece of filth89.” shouted the wizard named Selwyn.
“You have never seen Potter in your life, have you? Thought you’d lure90 us here to kill us, did you? And you think you’ll get your girl back like this?”
“I swear…I swear…Potter’s upstairs!”
“Homenum revelio.” said the voice at the foot of the stairs. Harry heard Hermione gasp91, and he had the odd sensation something was swooping92 low over him, immersing his body in its shadow.
“There’s someone up there all right, Selwyn,” said the second man sharply.
“It’s Potter, I tell you, it’s Potter!” sobbed Xenophilius. “Please…please…give me Luna, just let me have Luna…”
“You can have your little girl, Lovegood,” said Selwyn, “if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. But if this is a plot, if it’s a trick, if you’ve got an accomplice93 waiting up there to ambush94 us, we’ll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury.”
Xenophilius gave a wail95 of fear and despair. There were scurryings and scrapings.
Xenophilius was trying to get through the debris on the stairs.
“Come on,” Harry whispered, “we’ve got to get out of here.”
He started to dig himself out under cover of all the noise Xenophilius was making on the staircase. Ron was buried the deepest. Harry and Hermione climbed, as quietly as they could, over all the wreckage96 to where he lay, trying to prise a heavy chest of drawers off his legs. While Xenophilius banging and scraping drew nearer and nearer, Hermione managed to free Ron with the use of a Hover97 Charm.
“All right.” breathed Hermione, as the broken printing press blocking the top of the stairs begin to tremble. Xenophilius was feet away from them. She was still white with dust.
“Do you trust me Harry?”
Harry nodded.
“Okay then.” Hermione whispered. “give me the invisibility Cloak. Ron, you’re going to put it on.”
“Me? But Harry –”
“Please, Ron! Harry, hold on tight to my hand, Ron grab my shoulder.”
Harry held out his left hand. Ron vanished beneath the Cloak. The printing press blocking the stairs was vibrating. Xenophilius was trying to shift it using a Hover Charm. Harry did not know what Hermione was waiting for.
“Hold tight” she whispered. “Hold tight…any second…”
Xenophilius’s paper-white face appeared over the top of the sideboard.
“Obliviate!” cried Hermione, pointing her want first into his face then at the floor beneath them. “Deprimo!”
She had blasted a hole in the sitting room floor. They fell like boulders98. Harry still holding onto her hand for dear life, there was a scream from below, and he glimpsed two men trying to get out of the way as vast quantities of rubble and broken furniture rained all around them from the shattered ceiling. Hermione twisted in midair and thundering of the collapsing99 house rang in Harry’s ears as she dragged him once more into darkness.
哈利转过身来看着罗恩和赫敏。看来他们也都没有理解谢农费里厄斯说了些什么。
“死圣？”
“是的，”谢农费里厄斯说，”你们以前从没听说过他们？我并不感到惊讶。几乎没有巫师相信它。在你哥哥的婚礼上，”他对着罗恩点点头，”那个无知的年轻人，就因为我带着那个著名黑巫师的标记而攻击我！这真是愚蠢的行为。至少在我的眼中，这些圣徒并不黑暗。这个标志只是用来标识自己的身份而已，以便在困难的时候相互能够有个照应。”
他加了几块方糖到他的戈迪根药剂里，喝了几口。
“对不起……”哈利说，”我还是不很明白……”
出于礼貌，哈利也吸了几口，差点没吐出来：这东西真另人作呕，简直就像是一杯液态的妖精味怪味豆。
“这个，你也看见了，信徒们正在寻找死圣。”谢农费里厄斯说，一边咂咂嘴，明显觉得这个戈迪根药剂味道不错。
“但是死圣是什么？”赫敏问道。
谢农费里厄斯把他的空茶杯放到一边。
“我想你们对‘三兄弟的故事’很熟悉吧？”
哈利回答道“不”，但是罗恩和赫敏都说了“是的”，谢农费里厄斯严肃地点点头。
“好吧，好吧，波特先生。这整件事起都源于‘三兄弟的故事’……我这好像有份抄本……”
他的目光略略扫过房间里大堆的羊皮纸和书籍，但是赫敏说道：“我已经有了一份，洛夫古德先生，就在这里。”
说着她从珠绣包里拿出那本《游吟诗人比德的故事》。
“原版？”谢农费里厄斯急切地询问道，当看见赫敏点头时，谢农费里厄斯说：“好吧，那么，为什么你不把它大声的念出来呢？没有比这更好的方法能让我们都听懂了。”
“呃……好吧”赫敏紧张地答应道。她打开那本书，哈利看见他们正在研究的那个标志就位于那页的顶部。赫敏清了清嗓子，开始读道：
“从前有三个兄弟，在黎明时分，沿着一条偏僻蜿蜒的道路旅行——”
“在午夜，我们的妈妈常常讲这样的故事”罗恩边听边伸了个懒腰，把手臂枕在脑袋后面。赫敏厌烦地瞪了他一眼。
“对不起，我只是认为如果是午夜的话或许会显得更加怪异点儿！”罗恩说。
“是啊，因为我们确实需要更多恐惧。”哈利脱口而出。谢农费里厄斯看上去并没怎么注意，只是在凝望着窗外的天空，“继续啊，赫敏”
“三兄弟及时到达了一条河边，这是一条既深又急的河流，无法涉水而过，也无法泅游而过。但是，这三兄弟会魔法，他们仅仅挥动魔杖，就造出了跨越这条河流的大桥。然而，当他们走到一半的时候，他们发现一个戴着兜帽的人挡住了他们的去路。
“死神对他们说话了——”
“对不起，”哈利突然插嘴，“‘死神’对他们说话了？”
“这是个神话故事，哈利！”
“哦，对不起，继续。”
“死神对他们说话了。他生气自己被这三个新的牺牲品愚弄了，因为旅者们通常会溺死在这条河里。但是死神很狡猾。他装作赞扬三兄弟的魔法，而且因为聪明地避开了他，每人都将赢得一件奖品。”
“三兄弟中的老大是个好战的人，他索求一根比任何现存的都要强大的魔杖：一根总能帮助它的主人赢得决斗的魔杖，一根战胜了死神的巫师所应得的魔杖！死神砍下河岸边一棵老树上的枝条，做成了一根魔杖，递给了老大。”
“然后三兄弟中的老二，一个傲慢的人，想要让死神更加丢脸，就要求拥有能把其他人从死神那召唤回来的力量。死神从河岸上捡起一块石头给了老二，告诉他这块石头有着使死者复生的力量。”
“死神又问最小的那个想要的是什么。老三最谦虚而且最聪明，他并不打算信任死神，于是他要求死神给他一件东西使他能够到死神管辖范围之外的地方去。死神只好非常不情愿地把自己的隐形斗篷给了他。”
“从死神那得到了一件隐形衣？”哈利再次打断道。
“所以他可以鬼鬼祟祟地开人们玩笑，”罗恩说，“当他厌烦了一边挥着自己的手臂一边尖叫着追赶他们的时候……呃，对不起，赫敏。”
“然后死神站不再插手，让这三个兄弟继续谈论他们的历险故事和死神的礼物。”
“为了各自的目的，三个兄弟分开了。”
“大哥旅行了一个多星期后，到达了一个偏远的村庄，寻找一位曾经和他吵过架的男巫，自然，以长老魔杖作为武器，他不可能输掉接下来的任何一场决斗。他的敌人倒在了地上，大哥继续前行到达了一个旅店，在那儿他大声底炫耀着自己从死神那得到的这支强有力的魔杖以及这支魔杖怎样使得他天下无敌。”
“就在那个夜晚，当大哥躺下后，另外一个男巫悄悄地潜入他的房间，用酒浸透他的床，这个贼偷走了魔杖。为了保险起见，他割断了大哥的喉咙。”
“所以死神得到了大哥的生命。”
“与此同时，二哥回到了他自己独居的家。在那儿他拿出那块可以召唤死者的石头，把它放在手上转了三次。让他又惊又喜的是，他曾经想要与之成婚却不幸死亡的女孩立刻出现在他的面前。”
“然而她既悲伤又冷漠，还用面纱和他分隔起来。尽管她重回人世，但她并不真正属于那，她在那遭受着痛苦。最终，二哥在无尽的绝望中疯掉了，为了真正地融入她的世界，他自杀了。”
“所以死神又得到了二哥的生命。”
“但是，死神找了很多年，却总也找不到三弟。一直到他老得不行了，他才脱下隐形衣，把衣服留给他的儿子。他像对待老朋友一样地向死神打招呼，很高兴地跟死神走了，他们最后也都一样离开了人世。”
赫敏合上书。过了好一会，谢农费里厄斯才意识到赫敏已经读完了。他收回凝视着窗外的视线，说道：“嗯，你们都知道了吧？”
“什么？”赫敏说，听起来她有些糊涂。
“那些就是死圣。”谢农费里厄斯说。
他从肘边塞满了东西的桌上拿起一支羽毛笔，从书堆中拉出一卷羊皮纸。
“长老魔杖”，他说，在羊皮纸上画了一条直线，“回魂石”，他说着在线上加上了一个圈，“隐形衣”，他最后说道，在圈和线外画了一个三角形把它们围起来，这个符号让赫敏相当感兴趣，“合起来”，他说，“就是死圣”。
“但是故事中没有任何提及死圣的文字”赫敏说。
“这个，当然没有”,谢农费里厄斯说，得意得有点疯狂，这只是一个童话，是为了取悦人而不是进行说教。我们当中了解这个的，就会意识到这古代故事指的就是这三件物品……也就是死圣，无论怎样，如果这三件物品联合起来的话，拥有者就可以主宰死亡。
短暂的沉默中谢农费里厄斯朝窗外瞥了一眼。夕阳几近西沉。
“卢娜应该很快就会钓到大嘴彩球鱼了。”他轻轻地说。
“那怎么解释‘主宰死亡’？”罗恩说。
“主宰”，谢农费里厄斯边说边轻快地挥挥手，“征服、战胜，以任何你喜欢的形式。”
“可是……难道你的意思是……”赫敏慢慢地说着，哈利可以肯定她在尽力使自己的语气中不带有怀疑的意思，”你真的相信这些东西——这些圣物——它们真的存在？”
谢农费里厄斯再次挑起他的眉毛。
“这个，当然，我当然相信。”
“但是”，赫敏说，哈利听得出来她在拼命克制着不让自己大喊起来，“洛夫古德先生，你怎么可能相信呢——？”
“卢娜跟我谈过你，孩子”，谢农费里厄斯说，“在我看来，你并非智力超群，相反的，思路很狭窄、很封闭。”
“也许你应该试试这顶帽子，赫敏，”罗恩说，朝那荒谬的头饰点了点头。他的声音因为拼命憋着笑而有些颤抖。
“洛夫古德先生”，赫敏接着说，“我们都知道这世上有比如隐形衣这样的东西，尽管很罕见，但的确存在，不过——”
“啊，第三件圣物就是一件真正的隐形衣，格兰杰小姐！我的意思是，那不是一件普通的浸透着幻身咒的旅行斗篷，或者是施了一个混淆咒，抑或是其他隐形兽皮毛的编织物，不是那种可以使一个人马上消失但是会逐年褪色直至不再透明的衣服。我们在谈论的是一件真正能使着装者完全消失，彻底隐匿的隐形衣，而且功效持久，无论是什么魔咒都不会对它起作用。你见像这样的隐形衣吗，格兰杰小姐？”
赫敏张开嘴想要回答，然后马上又把嘴合上，看起来比先前更糊涂了。她、哈利和罗恩交换了一个眼神，哈利知道他们都在想同一件事情。刚巧，他们就有一件像谢农费里厄斯刚刚描述的斗篷，就在他们待的在这个房间里。
“确切地说，”谢农费里厄斯说道，就像他刚用非常合理的理由在争论中把他们打败了，“你们中间没有人见过这东西，这东西的拥有者一瞬间就能富起来，难道不是么？”
他又一次把视线移到窗外，天空现在呈现的是一种淡淡的粉色。
“好吧，”赫敏有些惊慌地说，“就算这种斗篷存在，那，那你说的石头呢，洛夫古德先生，那种你管它叫回魂石的东西。
“那东西又怎么了？”
“嗯，那怎么可能是真的呢？”
“那你难道能证明它是假的啊”，谢农费里厄斯有点讽刺。
赫敏看起来很委屈。
“但是那，我很抱歉，但是那确实是很荒谬的！我怎么可能证明它不存在呢？难道你认为我应该收集世界上所有的石头来一一测试吗？我的意思是，难道如果没有人能找到证据证明它不存在，你就可以相信任何事物都是存在的，是这样吗？”
“是的，你可以这样想，”谢农费里厄斯说，“我很高兴你已经稍稍开阔了你的思维了。”
“所以说长老魔杖，”哈利在赫敏反驳之前很快地说道，“你相信它也是存在的？”
“哦，是的，对于长老魔杖，那会有无数的证据”，谢农费里厄斯说，“长老魔杖是最容易最终到的圣物，因为长老魔杖一直代代相传。”
“那又是怎么回事？”哈利问。
“想拥有长老魔杖的人，必须打败它的前任拥有者，只有这样才能真正地得到它”，谢农费里厄斯说，“当然，你肯定已经听说艾格博特是怎样在屠杀了艾玛里克之后得到长老魔杖的，而至于格德罗特在他的儿子——海尔沃德拿走了他的长老魔杖后，死在了他自己的地窖里。而当差劲的罗克西斯，从巴罗巴斯·迪沃瑞尔手中取走魔杖的时候，他又杀死了谁？长老魔杖的血腥记忆贯穿了整部巫师历史。
哈利瞥了一眼赫敏，她正皱着眉头看着谢农费里厄斯，不过没有反驳他。
“那么，你认为长老魔杖现在在哪里呢？”罗恩问。
“唉，这谁知道呢？”谢农费里厄斯凝视着窗外说道，“谁知道它藏在哪儿呢？艾库斯和理韦斯追随着它，但是之后是谁真正打败了罗克西斯而拿走了长老魔杖？而谁又知道后来是什么人再次打败他们呢？历史，唉，它并没有给我们答案。”
大家暂时沉默了下来，最后，赫敏固执地问道，“洛夫古德先生，佩弗利尔家族和死圣有什么关系吗？”
谢农费里厄斯收回了目光，这时哈利的脑海里一道亮光闪过，但是他不知道那到底是什么，佩弗利尔，他曾经听过这个名字。
“你把我搞糊涂了，我年轻的女士！”，谢农费里厄斯挺起脊背直坐在椅子上瞪着赫敏，“我想你一定不了解寻找死圣的事！我们当中的大多数寻找者坚信佩弗利尔家族和死圣关系非常……非常密切！”
“佩弗利尔是谁？”罗恩问。
“那是在一座有标记的墓碑上的名字，在高锥克山谷，”赫敏说，仍然看着谢农费里厄斯，“伊格诺思·佩弗利尔。”
“正确！”，谢农费里厄斯，斯文地竖起食指。”在伊格诺思坟墓上的死圣的记号，这就是一个确凿的证据！”
“那又怎样呢？”罗恩问。
“怎样？故事中的三兄弟就是佩弗利尔家的三兄弟，安通彻、卡德姆斯和伊格诺思！他们是死圣最早的拥有者！”
他又朝窗外瞥了一眼然后站了起来，拣起盘子走向螺旋型的楼梯。
“你们留下来吃晚餐吗？”他叫道，声音随着下楼声渐渐变小，“每个人都想要我们淡水普利姆莱汤的秘方。”
“那些人肯定是想去圣芒戈魔法伤病医院中毒科的”罗恩悄声地说。
哈利一直等到能听见谢农费里厄斯在楼下的厨房里走动的时候才开口说话。
“你怎么看？”他问赫敏。
“哦，哈利，”她有些疲倦地说，“那简直就是一派胡言。这不可能是标记的真正含义。这肯定只是一个和他本人一样怪异的谎言。这太浪费我们时间了！”
“他可能就是那个给我们带来弯角鼾兽的人。”罗恩说。
“你也不相信那个故事吗？”哈利问罗恩。
“看，这只是那些哄小孩的故事中的一个，不是吗？别自找麻烦了，别自讨苦吃，别在那些无用的东西身上浪费时间，最好的办法是别管它们。不要再想这个了，做好自己该做的事，这样就足够了。说到这个，”罗恩补充道，“也许这故事就是长老魔杖被视为不祥的原因。”
“你们在说什么啊？”
“那是一种迷信，不是吗？‘五月份出生的女巫会和麻瓜结婚’‘黎明时候的出现的白虎星，会在午夜毁灭’‘苹果木的魔杖不会好使’你肯定听说过这些，我妈妈整天在念叨。”
“哈利和我都是在麻瓜世界长大的，”赫敏提醒他。“我们知道的迷信适合你不一样的。”她深深地叹了一口气，这是她闻到从厨房传来的一股特别难闻的气味。她对西诺费利的恼怒有一个好处，就是似乎使她忘记了她正在生罗恩的气。“我认为你是对的，”她告诉罗恩，“这不过是个有关道德的寓言，这很明显，哪个是最好的，你会选哪个——”
他们三个同时开口：赫敏说“斗篷，”罗恩说：“魔杖”，哈利说，“石头。”
三个人面面相觑，半是惊奇半是欣喜。
“我就知道你会说斗篷，”罗恩告诉赫敏，“但是如果你有了魔杖你就不需要隐身了。一支不可战胜的魔杖，赫敏，别傻了！”
“我们已经有一件隐形衣了，”哈利说，“它真的帮过我们许多忙，除非你没有注意到！”赫敏接着说，“而魔杖则会给我们带来麻烦的——”
“只有当你大声囔囔，”罗恩争论道，“只有当你蠢到拿着它在头上挥舞着边跳边唱，‘我有一根无敌的魔杖，不怕死的话就过来试试嘛！’它才会给你带来麻烦，只要你闭紧你的嘴巴—”
“是的，但你现在能不能闭紧你的嘴巴？”赫敏说，满脸怀疑的表情。“你知道的，他告诉我们的唯一事实就是数百年来一直流传着许多关于一枝法力无边的魔杖的故事。
“真的有那么多跟魔杖有关的故事吗？”哈利问。
赫敏看起来相当恼火。这个表情是如此熟悉，以至于看起来那么可爱，哈利和罗恩不由得互相咧嘴笑着。
“死亡之杖，命运之杖，几个世纪以来它们一直在以不同的名字出现，通常被那些自吹自擂的黑巫师所占有，宾斯教授提到过他们，但是——这都是无稽之谈。魔杖的力量和使用它的巫师的魔力是一样的。只是有一些巫师喜欢夸耀他们的魔杖比别人的更好，更强。”
“但是你怎么知道，”哈利问，“那些魔杖——死亡之杖，还有命运之杖——不是几个世纪以来以各种不同的名字出现的同一跟魔杖呢？”
“它们会不会真的都是死神做的长老魔杖？”罗恩问。
哈利笑了：罗恩会产生这种奇怪的想法在他看来，十分荒谬。他的魔杖，他提醒自己，是冬青木制的，不是长老魔杖，而且是奥利凡德制做的。不管伏地魔在空中追赶他的那晚它做了什么，如果它是无敌的，又怎么会折断呢？”
“那么，为什么你要选那块石头？”罗恩问他。
“是这样的，如果能让人起死回生，我们可以带回小天狼星，疯眼汉，邓布利多，我的父母……”
罗恩和赫敏都没有笑。
“但是据吟游诗人比德说，他们并不想回来，不是吗？”哈利说着，想到他们刚刚听到的那个故事的结尾。“我不认为别的传说里也有可以令人起死回生的石头，有吗？”他问赫敏。
“没有，”赫敏伤心地回答。“我认为除了洛夫古德先生外，没有人会欺骗自己那是有可能的。比德大概是从魔法石中取得的灵感，你知道。把一块能使你长生不老的石头改成一块能起死回生的石头。”
厨房里的那股怪味儿越来越浓了，有点像是燃烧衣服的味道。哈利很怀疑他们有没有可能不伤害西诺费利的感情去多吃点他煮的东西。
“那隐形衣呢？”罗恩缓缓问道。“你们意识到了吗，他是对的？我已经习惯了哈利的隐形衣和它所带来的好处，但我从来没有停下来好好想一想！我从来没有听说过别人有和哈利一样的这种隐形衣。它很可靠。我们躲在它下面的时候就从没被看见过——”
“当然没有——那时候人们是看不到我们的，罗恩！”
“但是他说的关于其他斗篷的事，它们差不多只值10个纳特，你知道的，是真的！我之前从来没意识到，但是我听说过有的在斗篷变旧的时候，魔力会逐渐消失，或是它们被咒语撕裂后它们会留下洞眼，哈利的那件是他爸爸的，所以不是全新的，但它实在是，太完美了！”
“是，你是对的，但是罗恩，那块石头……”
当他们小声地争论的时候，哈利在房间里走来走去，心不在焉地听着。走到旋转楼梯旁边的时候，哈利不经意地抬眼望向另一层，然后马上被深深吸引住了。
通过上面房间的天花板，他看到自己的脸正回望着他。微微困惑了一下，他意识到这不是镜子，而是一幅画。在好奇心驱使下，哈利开始顺着台阶往上走。
“哈利，你在干什么？我不认为他不在这的时候你可以到处乱走！”
但是哈利已经上到了楼上。卢娜用五幅漂亮的画像装饰她卧室的天花板：哈利，罗恩，赫敏，金妮，以及纳威。它们不像霍格沃茨的那些画像一样会移动，但是它们肯定被施加了同一个魔法。哈利认为它们是会呼吸的。一条精美的金链环绕着把它们连接在一起，但是仔细看了一会，哈利发现它实际上是用金色墨水写了足有几千遍的词：朋友……朋友……朋友……
一阵友情的温暖袭过哈利全身。他环视这间屋子。在床边放着一张巨大的照片，是小卢娜和一个和她长的非常相象的女子。她们相拥在一起。在这张照片里卢娜看起来比哈利以前所见到的卢娜要整洁的多。照片上积满了灰尘。这使哈利开始觉得有点奇怪。他凝视四周。什么东西不对劲。暗淡的蓝色地毯一样积满了厚厚的灰尘。衣橱门微开着，里面没有一件衣服。床看上去冰冷冷的，像是已经有几个礼拜没有人睡过了。一张孤零零的蜘蛛网蒙在最近的那扇窗户上，横越了血红色的天空。
“有什么不对吗？”哈利走下楼梯的时候赫敏问。但在他回答之前，西诺费利出现在通往厨房的楼梯顶端，端着一个放满碗的托盘。
“洛夫古德先生，”哈利说，“卢娜在哪？”
“你说什么？”
“卢娜在哪？”
西诺费利在楼梯最上面的一个台阶上顿住了脚步。
“我——我已经告诉过你们。她在波顿桥下面大嘴彩球鱼。”
“那么你干吗只摆4个盘子？”
西诺费利试着回答，但是一个字也说不出来。唯一的声响是印刷机的轧轧声，以及随着西诺费利双手的颤抖而咔哒作响的盘子。
“我认为卢娜这几个星期以来都不在这里。”哈利说，“她的衣服不见了，她的床没有人睡过。她在哪？还有你为什么一直向着窗外看？”西诺费利失手没拿住托盘。盘子弹起来打碎了。哈利，罗恩，赫敏抽出了他们的魔杖。西诺费利停住了就要伸进口袋的手。在这个时候印刷机一声巨响，无数的唱唱反调从桌布底下冒出来顺着地板飞过来。印刷机终于安静了下来。赫敏弯下腰捡起一份杂志，她的魔杖仍然直指着洛夫古德先生。
“哈利，看这个。”哈利快步跨过所有乱糟糟的东西来到她身边。唱唱反调的封面刊登了他的照片，标注着“最不受欢迎的人”，标题上还写着他的悬赏金额。
“唱唱反调要改变它们的立场了，然后呢？”哈利冷冷的问，大脑飞速运转。“这是不是你去花园时干的事，洛夫古德先生？派一只猫头鹰给魔法部通风报信？”
西诺费利舔舔嘴唇。
“他们带走了我的卢娜，”他轻轻的说，“就因为我写的那些文章。他们带走了我的卢娜，我不知道她在哪，他们会对她做什么。但是他们也许会把她还给我，如果我——如果我——”
“交出哈利？”赫敏帮他说完。
“没办法了，”罗恩冷冷地说，“别挡着我们的路，我们要走了。”
西诺费利脸色惨白，仿佛过了一个世纪。他的嘴角上扬形成了一个邪恶的笑。
“他们马上就会来这里。我必须救卢娜。我不能失去卢娜。你们不许走。”
他站在楼梯前，张开双臂。哈利恍然觉得看见了他的妈妈在他的襁褓前做出了同样的动作。
“别逼我们伤害你，”哈利说道，“让开，洛夫古德先生。”
“哈利！”赫敏尖叫。
一些骑在扫帚上的人影飞掠过窗户。当他们三个把目光从他身上移开的时候，西诺费利拿出了他的魔杖。哈利刚好钻了个空子。他从侧身猛扑过去，把罗恩和赫敏推开。西诺费利发出的昏迷咒激飞过屋子，击中了独角兽的角。
一阵巨大的爆炸，爆炸的冲击波仿佛要把房子吹裂。碎木片，纸片，碎石屑到处乱飞，伴随着一阵难以穿透的厚厚的白色烟尘。哈利飞过天空，坠落在地板上，用手护住脑袋，他没有办法看见东西，因为那些碎片雨点般掉落在他身上。他听见了赫敏的尖叫，罗恩的喊声，一系列使人昏晕的金属的重击告诉哈利西诺费利被爆炸弄得掉下了旋转楼梯。被半埋在碎石碓中，哈利尝试着站起身来，在灰尘中他几乎无法呼吸或是看到什么。天花板大半掉了下来，卢娜那串珠子的尾部从破洞中垂落下来。失去了半张脸的罗伊纳
拉文克劳的半身像倒在他身边。羊皮纸的碎片漂浮在空中，印刷机的大部分机体倒在一边，堵住了通往厨房的路。另一个白色物体挪动着接近。赫敏，被灰尘覆盖着仿佛第二座雕像一般，用手捂着她的嘴。
楼下的房门砰然打开。
“我难道没有告诉过你不用着急吗，特莱维尔？”一个粗鲁的声音说道，“难道我没告诉过你这个疯子只是和平常一样在胡言乱语吗？”一声巨响，传来西诺费利痛苦的尖叫。
“不……不……楼上……波特！”
“我上个星期几告诉过你，洛夫古德，我们不会再为了任何东西回到这里来，除非是确实可靠的消息！记得上个星期吗？还有上上个星期——”又是一声巨响，一声尖叫——“你以为我们就会她回来就因为你能证明有牛鼾——砰——“弯”——砰——“角？”
“不——不——我求求你！”西诺费利哭诉道，“真的是波特，真的！”
“现在你仅仅是把我们找来这想把我们炸掉！”食死徒怒吼着，又是一阵密集的巨响和西诺费利痛苦的尖叫。
“这里像是快要塌了，塞尔温。”另一个冰冷的声音说道，他的声音在破损的楼梯上回荡。“楼梯被完全堵塞了。可以试着把它弄干净？也许会把这房子弄塌了。”
“你这满嘴污秽的家伙。”被称作塞尔温的巫师叫喊，“你这这一生中从没见过波特，有吗？想着你可以把我们引到这来杀了我们，是不是？你以为这样就可以要回你女儿了？”
“我发誓……我发誓……波特就在楼上！”
“通通显形！”楼梯底下有个声音说道。哈利听见赫敏微微喘气。他感到有什么东西突然低低地越过他，把他的身体笼罩在它的阴影之下。
“上面的确有什么东西，塞尔温。”另一个男人急促地说。
“是波特，我告诉过你，是波特！”西诺费利哭诉道，“请……请……把卢娜还我，只是把卢娜还给我……”
“那丫头可以给你，洛夫古德，”塞尔温说，“如果你上楼把哈利
波特给我带下来。但是如果这是个阴谋，如果这是你的小把戏，如果你让你的帮手等在那伏击我们，我们会考虑留一小块你女儿的残骸给你让你好好埋葬。”
西诺费利发出一声恐惧和绝望的哀号。然后是疾步奔走和拆扔碎片的声音。
他在试着从楼梯上的碎片中通过。
“快，”哈利小声说，“我们必须的从这出去。”
他在西诺费利制造的噪音的掩饰下自己爬了出来。罗恩被压得最深。哈利和赫敏尽可能安静地穿过那片废墟爬过去，试图抬起压着罗恩的脚的那个沉重的有很多抽屉的柜子。就在西诺费利发出的声音越来越近的时候，赫敏终于用悬浮魔咒成功地把罗恩解救了出来。
“好了，”赫敏喘着气说，这时，那台堵住楼梯顶部的坏掉的印刷机开始摇动。西诺费利离他们只有一步之遥。她仍然是灰头土脸的。
“你相信我吗，哈利？”
哈利点了点头。
“那好，现在，”赫敏悄声说，“把隐形衣给我，罗恩，你把他穿上。”
“我？但是哈利——”
“拜托了，罗恩！哈利，紧紧抓住我的手，罗恩，抓住我的肩。”
哈利伸出他的左手。罗恩突然消失在隐行衣下面。堵住楼道的印刷机又开始震动。西诺费利正试着用一个悬浮魔咒移动它。哈利不知道赫敏在等着什么。
“抓紧了”，她耳语道，“不管怎样……都要抓紧了。”
西诺费利那张纸一样苍白的脸出现在餐柜的上方。
“一忘皆空！”赫敏叫道，她的魔杖先是指着西诺费利，然后指着他们脚下的地板。她已经在客厅的地板上炸了一个洞。他们就像大石头一样下坠。为了他们珍贵的生命，哈利仍然死死地抓着她的手。这时，从下面传来一一声尖叫，他们瞥见两个男人正极力想要逃跑，那些从被破坏的天花板掉落的碎石和坏掉的家具，它们像雨一样在他们的砸向他们。赫敏在半空中扭转身躯，随着她又一次把哈利拖进黑暗当中，房子倒塌时发出的像打雷似的巨响再次钻进哈利的耳朵。
收听单词发音 |
1
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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infusion
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| n.灌输 | |
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sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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bard
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| n.吟游诗人 | |
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bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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combative
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| adj.好战的；好斗的 | |
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duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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duels
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| n.两男子的决斗( duel的名词复数 )；竞争，斗争 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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humiliate
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| v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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quill
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| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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intrigued
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| adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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vanquisher
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| 征服者，胜利者 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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40
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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initially
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| adv.最初，开始 | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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egregious
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| adj.非常的，过分的 | |
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slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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51
goggling
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| v.睁大眼睛瞪视， （惊讶的）转动眼珠( goggle的现在分词 ) | |
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forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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pedantically
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conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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55
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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56
superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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57
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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58
prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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60
exasperation
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| n.愤慨 | |
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61
skeptical
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| adj.怀疑的，多疑的 | |
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62
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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63
holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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64
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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66
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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67
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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69
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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70
tablecloth
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| n.桌布，台布 | |
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71
clutter
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| n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱 | |
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captioned
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| a.标题项下的； 标题所说的 | |
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73
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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74
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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75
stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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76
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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77
rubble
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| n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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80
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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nutter
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| n.疯子 | |
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82
raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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83
swap
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| n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易 | |
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84
squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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85
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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86
interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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87
squeals
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| n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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88
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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89
filth
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| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
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90
lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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91
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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swooping
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的现在分词 ) | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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94
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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98
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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99
collapsing
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| 压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂 | |
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