Chapter 1 The Boy Who Lived
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.“Little tyke,” chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt — these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.“The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard—”“— yes, their son, Harry—”Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that… but all the same, those people in cloaks…He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.“Sorry,” he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, “Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!”And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw — and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.“Shoo!” said Mr. Dursley loudly.The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:“And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern.” The newscaster allowed himself a grin. “Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?”“Well, Ted,” said the weatherman, “I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight.”Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. “Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?”As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.“No,” she said sharply. “Why?”“Funny stuff on the news,” Mr. Dursley mumbled. “Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…”“So?” snapped Mrs. Dursley.“Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd.”Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name “Potter.” He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, “Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?”“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.“What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?”“Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me.”“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. “Yes, I quite agree.”He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect them…How very wrong he was.Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, “I should have known.”He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.“Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.”He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.“How did you know it was me?” she asked.“My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly.”“You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day,” said Professor McGonagall.“All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here.”Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.“Oh yes, I've celebrating, all right,” she said impatiently. “You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news.” She jerked her head back at the Dursleys’ dark living-room window. “I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense.”“You can't blame them,” said Dumbledore gently. “We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.”“I know that,” said Professor McGonagall irritably. “But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors.”She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. “A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?”“It certainly seems so,” said Dumbledore. “We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?”“A what ?”“A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of.”“No, thank you,” said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. “As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone—”“My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this ‘You-Know-Who’ nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort.” Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. “It all gets so confusing if we keep saying ‘You-Know-Who.’ I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.”“I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. “But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of.”“You flatter me,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Voldemort had powers I will never have.”“Only because you're too — well — noble to use them.”“It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.”Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said “The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?”It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever “everyone” was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.“What they're saying,” she pressed on, “is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead.”Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.“Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…”Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “I know… I know… ” he said heavily.Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. “That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone.”Dumbledore nodded glumly.“It's — it's true ?” faltered Professor McGonagall. “After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?”“We can only guess,” said Dumbledore. “We may never know.”Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, “Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?”“Yes,” said Professor McGonagall. “And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?”“I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now.”“You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here ?” cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. “Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!”“It's the best place for him,” said Dumbledore firmly. “His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter.”“A letter?” repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. “Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!”“Exactly.” said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. “It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?”Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, “Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?” She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.“Hagrid's bringing him.”“You think it — wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?”“I would trust Hagrid with my life,” said Dumbledore.“I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place,” said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, “but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?”A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.“Hagrid,” said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. “At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?”“Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir,” said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. “Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir.”“No problems, were there?”“No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin’ around. He fell asleep as we was flyin’ over Bristol.”Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.“Is that where — ?” whispered Professor McGonagall.“Yes,” said Dumbledore. “He'll have that scar forever.”“Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?”“Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with.”Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys’ house.“Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?” asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.“Shhh!” hissed Professor McGonagall, “You'll wake the Muggles!”“S-s-sorry,” sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. “But I c-c-can't stand it — Lily an’ James dead — an’ poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles—”“Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found,” Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.“Well,” said Dumbledore finally, “that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations.”“Yeah,” said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, “I'll be takin’ Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir.”Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.“I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall,” said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.“Good luck, Harry,” he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours’ time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!”    住在四号普里怀特街的杜斯利先生及夫人，非常骄傲地宣称自己是十分正常的人。但是他们最不希望见到的就是任何奇怪或神秘故事中的人物，因为他们对此总是嗤之以鼻。 　　杜斯利先生是一家叫作格朗宁斯的钻机工厂的老板。他非常肥壮、结实，几乎肥到没有颈根，但却有一把大胡子。杜斯利夫人则非常苗条，一头金发。她的颈根有常人的两倍那么长，这使得她整天伸长脖子透过花园围栏去偷窥邻居家的动静变得非常容易。杜斯利夫妇有个儿子叫做达德里。在他们眼中，这世界上再没有比达德里更棒的男孩了。 　　杜斯利一家几乎有他们想要的一切东西。但是他们也有一个秘密，而且他们最大的担心就是有一天别人会发现这个秘密。如果有人知道关于波特一家的事，他们就会认为自己无法保守这个秘密了。波特夫人是杜斯利夫人的妹妹，但是她们已经有很多年没有见面了、事实上，杜斯利夫人假装她从来没有什么妹妹，因为她的妹妹和那不中用的妹夫没有一丝一毫杜斯利家族的风范。一想到波特一家的到来会招致邻居的议论，杜斯利一家就会浑身发抖。杜斯利一家知道波特夫妇也有一个儿子，只是未曾谋面。这个小男孩也成了杜斯利一家避开波特一家的借口，因为他们不希望听话的达德里与这种小孩混在一起。 　　当杜斯利先生和夫人在灰暗阴沉的星期二早晨醒来时，我们的故事便开始了。 　　虽然外面阴云密布的天空并不能预示着今天一定会有什么离奇古怪的事情发生。 　　杜斯利先生一边哼着小曲一边拿出他最差的领带准备去上班，杜斯利夫人则一边口中叨念着一边把依依呀呀的达德里放到高椅子上去。 　　没有一个人注意到这时有一只巨大的褐色的猫头鹰从窗外掠过。八点半时，杜斯利先生拿起他的公文包去上班。临行前，在杜斯刊夫人的面颊上吻了一下算是告别。他本来要在达德里脸上也亲一口的，但是因为达德里正在发脾气并且把麦片往墙上扔，便只好作罢。"小淘气！"杜斯利先生呵呵大笑地走出门口钻进他的车，倒着车驶出了四号车道。 　　当他驶到街的拐角处时，他发现了第一件不寻常的事情——一只猫在看地图。 　　开始时杜斯利先生并没有感到有什么不妥。到他意识到并猛地转过头去看时，只见那只肥嘟嘟的猫还蹲在那里，可是地图却没有了。天哪，杜斯利先生想，我怎么可能有这种想法呢？ 　　刚才我一定是眼花了。杜斯利先生眨了眨眼，又看了那只猫一眼。 　　那只猫回了他一眼。正在杜斯利先生驶进拐角准备上另一条路时，他又在后视镜里看了一眼那只猫，现在那只猫正在读着"普里怀特街"的路牌——不，它只是朝路牌看而已，猫是不可能会认识任何地图或路牌的。杜斯利先生浑身一抖，想极力摆脱关于那只猫的任何想法。在接下来的路程里，杜斯利想的全都是关于他如何希望得到一大笔钻机的订单之类的事情。 　　就快要到镇上的时候，关于钻机的想法又被其他事情代替了。 　　像往常一样，杜斯利先生的车被卡在塞车长龙中动弹不得，他不曾注意到好像有很多穿着奇怪的人走来走去。他们都穿着披风。杜斯列先生最看不惯穿得稀奇古怪的人——都是年轻人投酷的玩意！他想这也许是某种新的款式吧。他的手指不耐烦地敲击着方向盘，并目又看了看近处一群衣着古怪的人。他们在兴奋地小声谈论着什么，什斯利突然变得很生气，因为他发现他们并不都是年轻小伙子，其中一个穿着祖母绿披风的人居然比他年纪都大，搞什么鬼！ 　　但接着杜斯利先生又不生气了，可能这是一出表演吧——这群人很明显在收集某样东西。是的，肯定是这样。车龙开始移动起来，不久，杜斯利先生就到了格朗宁斯工厂停车场。他的注意力又回到钻机上来了。 　　杜斯利先生喜欢在他九楼的办公室里背靠着墙坐着。如果不这样做的话，他会觉得整个上午都无法集中精神做事。他从来没在大白天见过猫头鹰飞过，但是有人在街上看到了。他们回头指着，目瞪口呆地看着一只接一只的猫头鹰从头顶飞过。 　　还好，杜斯利先生那天早上没见着一只猫头鹰，一切都很正常。他冲五个不同的人发了脾气。他打了几个重要的电话并在电话里嚷了一通。直到午饭时他的心情都还不错，那时他想到自己应该活动活动筋骨了，于是走到面包店给自己买了一个面包圈。 　　他几乎都快忘掉那些穿着被风的人了。但是当他走过面包店隔壁时，那群人又出现了。杜斯利先生生气地瞪了他们一眼。他不知道为什么自己要这样做，可能是那群人让他觉得不妥。那群人还在低声兴奋地谈话，可是这次杜斯利先生没再看到一只募款箱。在他拿着面包往回走又经过他们时，他依稀听到一些他们谈话的内容。 　　"波特一家，没错，我听到的就是这个名字。""一定的，他们的儿子，哈利——" 　　杜斯利先生僵住了。害怕紧紧地攫住了他。他回过头看着那群人想跟他们说些什么，可是又不知道说什么好。 　　他冲过马路，小跑回到办公室。嘱咐他的秘书不要打搅他，然后抓起电话就往家里打。打着打着，他突然改变主意了。他放下电话，抚弄了一下自己的胡子，陷入沉思。不，他太傻了。波特不过是个普通的名字。他肯定不只一个人叫波特并且他的儿子叫做哈利。想到这里，他甚至无法肯定他的侄儿是不是叫哈利。毕竟他从来没见过他。可能他叫哈维尔，又或者叫哈罗德，没有必要再去烦太太了，她一提到她妹妹就要叹气。这也不能怪她，如果杜斯利有个妹妹像她……不管怎么样，那些穿着被风的人…… 　　他觉得整个下午都很难集中精力干活。当他五点钟离开办公室时，甚至担心自己一出门就会撞到什么人似的。 　　"对不起。"他咕哝着，面前站着一个踉踉跄跄的几乎要跌倒的矮老头。几秒钟后，杜斯利先生才发觉这个人穿着一件紫色的披风。他看上去对几乎被撞倒在地毫不介意。相反，他咧开嘴笑，并且用一种让旁人侧目的尖嗓子说话，"不要觉得抱歉，先生，今天没有任何事会惹恼我。只有开心！你知道最后谁离开了吗？像你这样的马格人都应该重视这个开心的日子！"这个老人给了杜斯利先生一个只到腰间的拥抱，然后走开了。 　　杜斯利先生定在了原地。他被一个陌生人拥抱，并且居然被叫作马格人，他被惹火了。他迅速地钻进车内往家赶，希望这一切不过是幻觉——而在这以前他是从来不相信有幻觉存在的。 　　当地驰入四号驰车道时，映入眼帘的第一件东西——这丝毫没有让他心情好转——是他早上看到的那只猫。那只猫现在正在他的花园围墙上。他可以肯定是同一只猫，因为它们的眼睛周围有着一样的花纹。 　　"嘘！"杜斯利先生嚷道。 　那只猫没动。它又是冷冷地看了他一眼。这是一只猫的行为吗？杜斯利先生觉得很迷惑。为了试着让自己振作起来，他走进了房子。他仍然决定对妻子只字不提今天的事。 　　杜斯利夫人则过得十分惬意、舒适。晚饭时她与丈夫谈起邻居与她儿子的不和以及达德里怎样学会了一个新单词"不许！"。杜斯利先生试图像平常一样答话。 　　在把达德里哄上床后，他正好有时间看到晚间新闻的最后一条新闻："各地的鸟类学家均报道全国各地猫头鹰有异常动向。通常猫头鹰在夜间捕食而且白天从不出现，但是这次却有许多地方见到这种鸟在日出后出现。专家们暂时难以解释猫头鹰突然间改变它们睡眠习惯的原因……真是非常奇怪。现在由吉姆。麦高菲来报告天气。 　　吉姆，今晚会有更多猫头鹰出现吗？" 　　"泰德，"天气预报员说道，"这我倒不清楚。但是今天行为异常的不只是猫头鹰。还有肯特郡、约克郡和丹地的人们打电话告诉我并没有出现我昨天预报的阵雨，反而下了一场流星雨，可能人们在提前庆祝髯火节吧——但是髯火节下个星期才到啊！不管怎么样，今晚会有雨，我敢肯定。"杜斯利先生呆在了沙发里。流星雨遍布英国？猫头鹰在白天行动？身穿披风的神秘人处处可见？还有传闻，关于波特一家的传闻…… 　　杜斯利夫人端着两杯咖啡走进卧室。不行，他必须告诉她一些事情。他清了清嗓子，"嗯，帕尤妮亚，你很久没有收到你妹妹的来信了，是吧？"已如他预料的，杜斯利夫人看上去又震惊又生气。毕竟，她通常会当自己从来没有妹妹。 　　"没有。"她生硬地说："怎么了？" 　　"今天的新闻多可笑，"杜斯利先生含糊地说，"猫头鹰……流星雨……还有许多长相滑稽的人在镇上……""那又怎样？"杜斯利夫人打断了他的话。 　　"我只是觉得……可能……这与她的……家庭有关。"杜斯利夫人呷了一口茶，杜斯利先生不知道自己是否还敢告诉她他听到了"波特"这个名字。他尽量使自己好像是很随意地说出："他们的儿子——应该差不多有达德里这么大了，是吧？""我想是吧。"杜斯利夫人生硬地说。 　　"他叫什么名字？是豪伍吗？" 　　"哈利。如果你问起，我要说这是个难听又普通的名字。""哦，是吗？"杜斯利先生说，他的心猛地一沉。"没错，我赞成。"他们上楼去睡觉时杜斯利先生再没有就这件事讲一个字。当杜斯利夫人洗澡时，他蹑手蹑脚地走到卧室窗口往下面的花园看。那只猫居然还在！它望看街拐角处，好像在等谁。 　　他又在想象了？所有的事会不会都跟波特家有关呢？如果是这样的话……如果他们真的有联系——他简直不敢往下想。 　　杜斯利夫妇上了床。杜斯利夫人很快便睡着了，但是杜斯利先生却睡不着，翻来覆去地想着。在他入睡前最后一个稍微安慰的想法是：即便整件事与波特家有关，也并不意味着一定会牵扯到他和他太太。波特家非常清楚他和帕尤妮亚是怎样看待他们的……他觉得他和帕尤妮亚不可能与将来可能发生的事有任何关联。他打了一个呵欠并翻了一个身。不让波特影响到他们的……他真是大错特错。 　　杜斯利先生可能已经忐忑不安地进入了梦乡，可是外面那只在墙上的猫却毫无睡意。它一动不动地坐在那里，眼睛一下也不眨地盯着普里怀特街的拐角处。即使有汽车车门砰地一声关上，两只猫头鹰从头顶飞过，它也不动一下。实际上，直到将近午夜它都没动。 　　这时一个男人出现在猫一直盯住的拐角处，他出现如此突然又无声无息，以至你会认为他是从地下冒出来的，那只猫动了一下尾巴，眯起了双眼。 　　这个人从未在普里怀特街出现过。他又高又瘦，从他那银白色的头发以及长到可以塞进皮带的胡子，可以看出他已经很老了。他穿着长袍，一件拖到地的紫色披风以及一双高跟、带扣的靴于。他耶双半月形眼镜底下的蓝色眼睛炯炯有神。他的鼻子又长又弯，好像被至少扁过两次。这个男人的名字是艾伯斯。丹伯多。 　　艾伯斯。丹伯多没有意识到他的到来是如此的不受欢迎。他急急忙忙地翻着披风找东西。但是他好像并不知道自已被人盯住，这时他猛一抬头，看到一只猫在街的另一头远远地盯着他。不知道为什么，他觉得这场面很好笑。他边笑边喃喃自语："我应该早就知道的。"他发现他要找的东西原来在口袋里。这是一只银色的打火机。 　　他打开它，高高举起来"咔嚓"一声点着，最近的街灯扑的一下灭了。他再点一次，下一盏街灯也灭了。他一共点了十二次，直到最后整条街只剩下远处两盏绿豆大小的灯，原来是那只猫的两只眼睛。如果有任何人此时往窗外看，即使是眼睛圆得像珠子似的杜斯利夫人，她也无法看清楚人行道上有什么东西，丹伯多把打火机收好，径直走到四号门，坐到了墙上那只猫旁边。他没看那只猫，但不久他说话了："很高兴见到你，麦康娜教授。"他转过身去对它微笑，但是那只猫不见了。他在向一个长相严肃的女人微笑，那个女人戴的眼镜的形状与那只猫眼睛周围的花纹一模一样。她也拿着一件绿色的披风，她乌黑的头发被紧紧地扎成一束。她看上去很生气。 　　"你知道我的名字？"她问道。 　　"亲爱的教授，我从未见过一只猫坐得这么老实的。""你也会这样坐的，如果你是成天坐在一面砖石墙上。"麦康娜教授说。 　　"整天？你应该去庆祝才是。我今天来的时候一路上不知道有多少派对和大餐呢。"麦康娜教授不高兴地哼了一声。 　　"没错，每个人都在庆祝。"她不耐烦地说。"你一定认为他们已经很小心了，不是的——即使是马格人都意识到有事发生了，他们还报导出来了。"她回头去看杜斯利夫妇黑呼呼的窗口。"我听到了，成群的猫头鹰……流星雨……他们真是太愚蠢了。人们肯定会注意到的。肯特郡的流星雨——我敢打赌是丹德拉斯。迪哥干的。 　　他从来就爱干没意义的事。""你不能怪他们。"丹伯多缓缓地说。"我们已经几年没有好好庆祝过了。""我知道。"麦康娜教授有点儿生气。"但是没理由搞到连命都丢掉。他们真是太粗心了，包括穿着马格衣服的人，居然大白天在大街上说长道短。"她斜眼膘了丹伯多一眼，好像希望他能说点什么，但是他没开口，于是她继续说："最好是这样，在'那个人'消失的那一天，马格人就知道关于我们的所有事情。我想他是真的离开了，是吗？""一定是的。"丹伯多说。"我们要感激的太多了。你想要来一杯冻柠檬汁吗？""一杯什么？" 　"一杯冻柠檬汁。这是我非常喜欢的一种马格甜品。""不用了，"麦康娜教授冷冷地回答，好像她认为还没到喝什么柠檬汁的时候。 　　"就我看，即使是'那个人'已经离开了……" 　　"亲爱的教授，像你这样聪明的人都会这样称呼他吗？'那个人'这算什么名字——十一年来我一直试着说服人们称呼他的真名：福尔得摩特。"麦康娜教授有点理亏。但正在剥柠檬的艾伯斯。 　　丹伯多好像没留意到。"如果我们老是叫'那个人'就会搞得很混乱。直呼福尔得摩特的名字没有什么好害怕的。""我知道你没有。"麦康娜教授说，听上去半生气半羡慕似的。 　　"但是你不同。每个人都知道你是'那个人——'不对，福尔得摩特——唯一害怕的人。""真是抬举我了。"丹伯多冷静地说，"福尔得摩特拥有我没有的力量。""只是因为你不屑于去用它们罢了。" 　　"还好这是晚上。自从波姆弗雷夫人称赞我的御寒耳罩以来，找就从未脸红过了。"麦康娜教授看了丹伯多一眼说道："猫头鹰在今天的新闻中根本算不了什么。 　　你知道人们怎么说吗？关于他为什么失踪以及是什么制止了他？"很显然麦康娜教授已经谈论到点子上来了，这也是她一整天坐在冰冷僵硬的墙上的真正原因。无论是作为一只猫还是作为一个女人她都从来没有像这样盯过丹伯多。不管别人怎么说，她都不会相信，除非这话是由丹伯多中日说出。可是丹怕多只是拿起了另一只柠檬，一言不发。 　　"他们说，"她接着说，"昨天晚上福尔得摩特在哥里克山谷出现了。他是去找波特一家。流言说莉莉和杰姆斯。波特——他们——他们死了。"丹伯多垂下头去。麦康娜教授则便咽地说。 　　"莉莉和杰姆斯……我不相信……我不愿意相信……喔，艾伯斯。"丹伯多伸出手去拍她的肩膀，"我知道了……我知道了……"他沉重地说。 　　麦康娜教授的声音颤抖地接着说。"我还没有说完。他们说他想要杀死波特的儿子哈利。但是他杀不了那个小男孩，没有人知道其中的原因，但是人们说如果他杀不了哈利·波特，福尔得摩特的力量就会消失——这也是他离开的原因。"丹怕多皱着眉点了一下头。 　　"这是——这是真的吗？"麦康娜教授给结巴巴地说。"毕竟他杀死过……他杀死过那么多人……他居然杀不死一个小男孩？太奇怪了……在所有制止他的事情中……但是现在哈利还活着吗？""我们只能猜测。"丹伯多说，"我们可能永远不会知道。"麦康娜教授掏出她的蕾丝手绢擦了擦镜片后的眼睛。丹伯多深深吸了一口气，并从口袋里掏出一只金表来看。这只表非常奇怪。它有十二根针却一个数字也没有，倒是有一些行星在表的边缘旋转。这对丹伯多来说肯定代表着什么，因为他把表放回口袋后说，"哈格力迟到了。我猜是他告诉你我会在这里的，是吧？""没错，"麦康娜教授说，"我想你并不打算告诉我为什么你会在这里的，是吗？""我是来送哈利到他的姨丈家里的。这是他唯一剩下的亲戚了。""你的意思是——你是说住在这里的这户人家？"麦康娜教授大叫道，跳起来指着四号门。"丹伯多，你一定是弄错了。我整天都注意着他们。这两个人与我们简直有着天壤之别。他们也有个儿子——一我看到那个小孩子一路上都在跟他的妈妈，哭喊着要糖果。哈利·波特要住在这种地方！""这是他最好的归宿，"丹伯多坚决地说。"他的姨丈和姨妈可以在他长大后向他解释所有事情，我已经写了一封信给他们。""一封信？"麦康娜教授教授重复说，坐回到了墙上去。"丹伯多，你真的认为你可以在一封信里解释所有事情吗？人们永远无法理解他！他会变得很出名，成为一个传奇。如果将来的人们把现在命名为波特时代我都不会感到惊讶——将会有关于波特的书出版发行——全世界的每个小孩都会知道他！""一点没错。"丹伯多一边说，一边从他的半月形眼镜看上去。 　　"每个男孩都会为之疯狂。在他还不会走路和说话之前就变得出名，出名是因为一些根本不记得的东西？你知道他会多么有钱吗？当然要他长大之后他才可能明白这些。"麦康娜教授张大了嘴巴，然后又改变主意说道："没错，你说的一点没错。但是，丹伯多，那个男孩怎么来这里呢？"她突然间盯住他的披风，好像认为他可能把波特藏在了那下面。 　　"哈格力会带他来的。" 　　"你觉得把这么重要的事情托付给哈格力，是明智之举吗？""我可以用我的生命担保。"丹伯多说。 　　"我并不是说他没有一副好心肠。"麦康娜教授埋怨地说。"但是你不能否认他太粗心。他经常——那是什么？"一阵低沉的隆隆声打破了周围的寂静。当他们朝街上望去希望找到到蛛丝马迹时，那声音越变越大，最后成了一阵轰鸣声，而且是从他们头顶上发出来的。他们抬头一看，只见空中一架巨大的飞行摩托车缓缓地降落在他们面前的空地上。 　　如果这架飞行摩托车算是巨型的话，那么它跟里面的人比起来简直算不了什么。 　　这个人几乎有常人的两倍那么高，5倍那么宽。 　　他看上去简直不符合常人的想象，而且十分野蛮——长长的像灌木丛似的黑发和胡子遮住了他的大半个脸。他的手有垃圾桶盖那么大，他的那双穿在皮靴里的脚就像两只小海豚。他的巨大的、肌肉发达的手臂上抱着一团毛毯包住的东西。 　　"哈格力，"丹伯多说话了，他的声音听上去像是松了一口气。 　　"你来了，你从哪里搞来这样一辆飞行摩托车的？""我借的，丹伯多教授。"巨人说话了，一边说一边小心翼翼地下了车。"年轻的布莱克爵士借给我的。我已经接到他了。""路上还顺利吧？" 　　"不完全是。我到时房子几乎全被摧毁了，好在我赶在马格人之前救出了他。 　　我们飞过布里斯多的时候他睡得可香了。" 　　丹伯多和麦康娜教授俯下身去看那一团毛毯。毛毯里面，一个男婴正甜甜地睡着。在他前额一簇漆黑的头发底下他们看到一道形状奇特的疤痕，好像一道闪电似的。 　　"这就是……"麦康娜教授小声问道。 　　"是的。"丹伯多说。"他将永远保留那道疤痕。""难道你不能想想法子消掉它吗，丹伯多？" 　　"就算我想到了，我也不会做的。那道疤痕是很有用的。我左膝上有一块伦敦地铁地图。把他给我，哈格力——我们还是快点结束我们的任务吧。"丹伯多接过小哈利，径直向杜斯利家走去。 　　"我可以——我可以同他道别吗？"哈格力问。 　　他弯下他巨大的，毛茸茸的脸，给了哈利一个扎人的、带有威士忌酒味的亲吻。 　　接着他像一只受伤的拘一样哀号了一声。 　　"嘘！"麦康娜教授轻声地说，"你会把马格人吵醒的！""对——对不起！"哈格力呜咽着，掏出一块巨大的肮脏的手绢把自己整个脸部埋了进去。"我——我只是忍不住——莉莉和杰姆斯都死了——可怜的小哈利必须同马格人生活在一起——""没错，这的确让人伤心。可是你要小心，哈格力，不然我们会被发现的。"麦康娜教授低声说道，然后拍了拍哈格力的手臂。 　此时丹伯多正走过花园围墙，向正门走去。他轻轻地把哈利放在台阶上后，从披风里掏出一封信塞在裹着哈利的毛毯内便转身回来。 　　他们三人注视着那团毛毯足足有一分钟。哈格力的肩头不停地抖动着，麦康娜教授生气地瞪着他，丹伯多的眼中则好像马上就会有泪水夺眶而出。 　　"好了，"丹伯多最后说道，"事情办完了，我们可以走了，说不定我们还赶得上庆祝活动呢！""没错，"哈格力轻声地说。"我先要把爵士的车还给他。晚安，丹伯多教授、麦康娜教授。"用短外衣的袖子擦干眼睛后，哈格力跳上飞行摩托车并发动它，只听见一声轰鸣，车子升入空中并且很快地消失在夜色中。 　　"希望我们后会有期，麦康娜教授。"丹伯多说，一边点头示意。麦康娜教授抽动了一下鼻子算是回应。 　　丹伯多转身走向街道。走到拐角时，他掏出那只银色的打火机只点了一下，那十二盏街灯便全部亮起来，照得整条普里怀特街像白昼一样。这时，他看见一只胖胖的猫消失在街道另一头的拐角处。那团毛毯也好好地放在四号门的台阶上。 　　"哈利，祝你好运。"他低声说，接着他跺了一下脚踉，一抖地的披风，便转眼间消失了。 　　微风轻抚着幽静、整洁的普里怀特街，离奇的事情正是在这种环境下发生的。 　　哈利·波特在毛毯里打了个转身，但并没有醒过来，他的小手旁边还放着那封信。 　　他只是这样睡着，并不知道自己原来这样特殊，这么有名。他也不知道几小时后他就会被杜斯利夫人的尖叫惊醒，几个星期后他将被他的表兄达德里又捏又掐……他不知道正在那时，全国的巫师正秘密聚集在一起，举起手中的酒杯默默地说道："为哈利·波特干杯！" 
Chapter 2 The Vanishing Glass
Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys’ front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets — but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.“Up! Get up! Now!”Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.“Up!” she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.His aunt was back outside the door.“Are you up yet?” she demanded.“Nearly,” said Harry.“Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday.”Harry groaned.“What did you say?” his aunt snapped through the door.“Nothing, nothing…”Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.“In the car crash when your parents died,” she had said. “And don't ask questions.”Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.“Comb your hair!” he barked, by way of a morning greeting.About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place.Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.“Thirty-six,” he said, looking up at his mother and father. “That's two less than last year.”“Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy.”“All right, thirty-seven then,” said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, “And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right”Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, “So I'll have thirty… thirty…”“Thirty-nine, sweetums,” said Aunt Petunia.“Oh.” Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. “All right then.”Uncle Vernon chuckled.“Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. ‘Atta boy, Dudley!” He ruffled Dudley's hair.At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.“Bad news, Vernon,” she said. “Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him.” She jerked her head in Harry's direction.Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.“Now what?” said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.“We could phone Marge,” Uncle Vernon suggested.“Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy.”The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.“What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?”“On vacation in Majorca,” snapped Aunt Petunia.“You could just leave me here,” Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.“And come back and find the house in ruins?” she snarled.“I won't blow up the house,” said Harry, but they weren't listening.“I suppose we could take him to the zoo,” said Aunt Petunia slowly, “… and leave him in the car…”“That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…”Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.“Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!” she cried, flinging her arms around him.“I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!” Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. “He always sp-spoils everything!” He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.Just then, the doorbell rang — “Oh, good Lord, they're here!” said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys’ car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.“I'm warning you,” he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, “I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas.”“I'm not going to do anything,” said Harry, “honestly…”But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left “to hide that horrible scar.” Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.“… roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums,” he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.“I had a dream about a motorcycle,” said Harry, remembering suddenly. “It was flying.”Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: “MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!”Dudley and Piers sniggered.“I know they don't,” said Harry. “It was only a dream.”But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.“Make it move,” he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.“Do it again,” Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.“This is boring,” Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.It winked.Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:“I get that all the time.”“I know,” Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. “It must be really annoying.”The snake nodded vigorously.“Where do you come from, anyway?” Harry asked.The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.Boa Constrictor, Brazil.“Was it nice there?”The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. “Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?”As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. “DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!”Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.“Out of the way, you,” he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, “Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo.”The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.“But the glass,” he kept saying, “where did the glass go?”The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, “Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?”Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, “Go — cupboard — stay — no meals,” before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.
自从杜斯利夫妇在他们台阶上发现了他们的侄子以来，十年已经过去了，但是普里怀特街几乎一点都没有改变。太阳照旧从整洁的前花园升起来，照亮了前门上那印有"四号"的铜牌。接着又悄悄地钻进他们的卧室，十年前的一夜正是在这间屋子里杜斯利先生听到那则关于猫头鹰的骇人听闻的新闻。只有壁炉架上的照片还可以证明时光在流逝着。达德里。杜斯利已经不再是个小孩了。现在照片上的男孩结实强壮，要么在骑自行车，要么站立在展览会的花坛边，再不就是与爸爸一同玩电脑游戏，与妈妈亲吻拥抱。这些照片没有一点关于另一个男孩也住在同一栋屋子里的迹象。 　　但是哈利·波特确确实实住在那儿的。他现在正在睡觉，可惜睡不了多久了。 　　他的姨妈帕尤妮亚已经醒来，并且用她的声音制造出当天的第一声噪音。 　　"起床了！快起来！" 　　哈利猛地惊醒。他的姨妈又在敲他的门了。 　　"起床！"她叫道。接着哈利听到她走向厨房的声音，接着是锅子放到炉子上的声音。他打了一个滚，开始回忆昨天晚上做的梦。 　　是个好梦。梦中有一只会飞的摩托车。他有一种奇怪的感觉——他一定做过同样的梦。 　　他的姨妈又来到了门外。 　　"你起来了吗？"她问。 　　"差不多了。"哈利说。 　　"再快一点，我要你去看着烤肉，如果它要是糊了我可要你好看。今天是达德里的生日，我希望一切都是最好的。"哈利哼了一下。 　　"你说什么？"他的姨妈透过门问。 　　"没有，没有……" 　　达德里的生日——他怎么可能忘记呢？哈利慢吞吞地下了床去找袜子。他在床下找到了一只，从里面拉出一只蜘蛛后，又穿到脚上。哈利已经对蜘蛛习惯了。因为楼下的柜橱以及他自己的房间都多的是蜘蛛。 　　他穿好衣服后便走向了厨房。饭桌上全部都是达德里的生日礼物。其中好像有达德里想要的新电脑，更不用提第二台电视机及赛车。为什么达德里会想要一辆赛车，哈利一直想不通。达德里那么肥又不喜欢运动——当然打人除外。达德里最喜欢的拳击对象就是哈利，但是他不能经常抓到哈利，哈利跑得比他快。 　　可能跟长期住在黑黑的柜于里有关系，哈利就他这样年纪的小孩来说，实在是又小又瘦。他经常穿达德里的旧衣服，这使他看上之显得更小更瘦——要知道达德里要比他大四倍啊。哈利长着一张瘦瘦的疙瘩脸，黑黑的头发，亮蓝色的眼睛。他的那幅圆眼镜是用很多胶布粘在一块的，因为达德里总是喜欢打他的鼻子。哈利对自己长相最满意的地方要算前额上那道闪电形状的疤痕了。他从自己记事时开始就已经有这道疤了，他还记得自己问帕尤妮亚的第一个问题就是自己是怎样得到这个疤的。 　　"在你父母死去的那场车祸中。"她是这样回答的。"不要再问任何问题了。"不要问任何问题——这是在杜斯利家平静生活的第一条法则。 　　当哈利翻动烤肉的时候，维能姨丈进了厨房。 　　"梳好你的头发！"他吼叫着，算是早上打招呼的方式。 　　几乎每个星期，维能姨丈都会从报纸中探出头来叫哈利去剪头发。哈利剪头发的次数比他班上所有其他男孩子加起来的还要多。 　　但是无济于事，他的头发还是一如既往地疯长着。 　　达德里和他妈妈走进厨房时，哈利正在煎蛋，达德里简直和他父亲生得一模一样。他有一张大大的，粉红色的脸庞，几乎没有颈根，小小的眼睛，浓密的金色头发柔顺地贴在他肥肥的脑门上。帕尤妮亚姨妈总是说达德里像一个天使——哈利觉得他像一只戴着假发的猪。 　　哈利把煎蛋和烤肉放在几乎没有位置了的饭桌上。此时达德里正在数自己的礼物。他的脸色突然一沉。 　　"三十六件，"他看着他爸爸妈妈说，"比去年少了两件。""宝贝，你忘了数玛各姑姑的礼物了，喏，就在爸爸妈妈送的那件大礼物的下面。""好吧，就算三十七件！"达德里说，他的脸都涨红了。 　　哈利觉得达德里马上要大发雷霆了，于是赶在达德里把桌子掀翻之前狼吞虎咽地吃着盘里的烤肉。 　　帕尤妮亚姨妈显然也觉得气氛不对，马上说："我们等一下出去给你多买两件礼物，你说好不好？两件哦，应该可以了吧？"达德里想了一会，好像想得很辛苦，最后他慢吞吞地说，"那么我会有三十… 　　…三十……" 　　"三十九件，宝贝。"帕尤妮亚姨妈说。 　　"哦，"达德里往后一靠，抓住最近的那件礼物把弄，"那么好吧。"维能姨丈笑了。"小家伙就像他爸爸那样懂得欣赏钱的价值。 　　好样的！"他抚弄着达德里的头发。 　　正在这时电话铃响了，帕尤妮亚姨妈去听电话。哈利和维能姨丈则在一旁看着达德里一件件拆礼物：一辆赛车，一架遥控飞机，一台电影摄影机，几盘新的电脑游戏碟和一台录像机。他正在拆一块金色的腕表时，帕尤妮亚姨妈怒气冲冲地从电话旁走过来了。 　　"坏消息，维能。"她说。"费格太太的腿摔坏了。她不能带他了。"她把头转向哈利的方向。 
　　达德里恐惧地张大了嘴巴，哈利心里却乐开了花。每年达德里生日的时候，爸爸妈妈就会带着他和他的朋友出去冒险乐园，吃汉堡包或者看电影。而每年这个时候，哈利就会被送到两条街之外的费格太太那里去。哈利痛恨这一点。她的房子全是卷心菜的气味，而且费格太太总爱叫他看她养过的猫的照片。 　　"我们打电话问问玛各。"维能姨丈提议。 　　"不要傻了，维能，她讨厌哈利。" 　　杜斯利一家总是这样说哈利，好像他不在场一样——或者他们当他是一只听不懂他们说话的恶心的小虫子。 　　"那么你的朋友怎么样？她叫什么名字来看，帕尤妮亚？""她在马约卡度假呢。"帕尤妮亚姨妈说道。 　　"那我们现在怎么办？"帕尤妮亚姨妈说，一边狠狠地瞪着哈利，好像一切都是他策划出来的。哈利知道他应该为费格太太感到伤心才是，但他提醒自己要整整一年后才会看到白雪、爪子（猫名）它们，这是一件多么不容易的事啊！ 　　"你们可以把我留在这里。"哈利满怀着希望地说。这样就可以看他喜欢的电视节目了，说不定还可以去达德里的电脑上去玩一玩。 　　帕尤妮亚姨妈的表情好像刚刚吞下一只柠檬。 　　"回来后发现房子被洗劫一空？"她喝道。 　　"我不会弄脏房子的。"哈利说，但是他们听不进去。 　　"我们可以带他去动物园。"帕尤妮亚姨妈慢吞吞地说，"然后把他留在车里……""车是新的，不能让他单独坐在车里。" 　　达德里开始嚎啕大哭起来。实际上，他没有真哭，已经很久他都没有真哭过了，但是他知道一旦他苦着脸大哭大闹，他的妈妈就会给他任何想要的东西。 　　"我亲爱的宝贝，不要哭，蚂咪不会让他破坏你的生日的。"她用手臂环住他，心痛地说。 　　"我……不想……他……去！"达德里假装大声抽噎地说。"他总是搞……搞乱所有事。"他边说边在他妈妈的手臂间冲哈利邪邪地笑。 　　这时，门铃响了。"天哪，他们到了！"帕尤妮亚姨妈慌慌张张地说。不一会儿，达德里最好的朋友，皮尔斯。波各斯和他妈妈一块走了进来。皮尔斯是一个皮包骨的、长着一张像老鼠的面孔一样的男孩。在达德里打人的时候，他总是那个把被打的人的手板到背后的那个帮凶。达德里立刻停下来不开口了。 　　半个小时后，不敢相信自己运气的哈利，已经和达德里及皮尔斯一道坐在车的后座，行驶在他有生以来第一次去动物园的路卜了。他的姨丈姨妈想不到其它办法来对付他。但是他们离开之前，维能把哈利拉到一边。 　　"我警告你，"他把自己那张巨大的紫色面庞贴近哈利说，"我在警告你，小子——如果有任何差错，任何——我会把你关在柜子里直到圣诞节。""我不会捣乱的。"哈利说，"我发誓。" 　　维能并不相信他，从来没有人相信过他。 　　问题在于，总有奇怪的事情围绕着哈利发生，就算哈利并没有刻意去制造它们。 　　有一次，帕尤妮亚姨妈厌倦了哈利从剪发店那里回来之后的样子，因为看上去简直像没剪～样。于是她从厨房里拿出一把剪子把他弄得像个秃子。只有前额上的流海没剪，她说要留下来"遮住那难看的疤痕。"达德里嗤笑哈利居然因为想着第二天要上学而失眠——在学校里，达德里已经取笑过哈利大得出奇的衣服以及缠满胶布的眼镜。第二天早上，哈利起床后发现他的头发又长得像没剪前那么长。他因此被关在柜子里一个礼拜。尽管如此，他自己也解释不到为什么他的头发会这么快就长出来。 　　还有一次，帕尤妮亚姨妈强迫他把达德里的一件有着橙色绒球的花色毛衣穿在身上，谁知她越大力把毛衣往哈利头上套，那件毛衣就变得越小。直到最后小到只够一只手掌大的狗穿，哈利是肯定穿不下的了。帕尤妮亚姨妈固执地认为一定是洗过之后毛衣缩水了，多亏了她这样想，哈利才免受惩罚。 　　另一方面，哈利又因为被人发现在学校厨房的屋顶上而苦恼不已。达德里和他的一帮走狗像往常一样追他，可是超出所有人包括哈利本人的意料的是，他坐到了烟囱顶上。达德里夫妇收到哈利的老师一封怒气冲冲的信，告他爬学校的建筑物。 　　可是他当时想的只是跳过厨房门外放着的易拉罐。哈利猜想一定是风把他带到那上面去的。 　　但是今天什么差错都不能出。只要是能去除了学校、他住的柜子以及费格太太充满卷心菜的房间以外的地方，哪怕是同达德里和皮尔斯呆在一起也是值得的。 　　开车时，维能姨丈向帕尤妮亚姨妈抱怨个不停。他喜欢抱怨一起工作的同事。 　　议会、银行和哈利也是他最喜欢抱怨的对象之一。 　　但今天早上，他抱怨的对象是摩托车。 　　"这些年轻人，开摩托车开得像疯子一样。"正当他说这话时，一辆摩托车飞驰而过。 　　"我曾经做过一个关于摩托车的梦，"哈利突然间记起来，"它还会飞呢。"维能姨丈几乎要撞到前面那部车。他从椅子上转过身去大声冲哈利嚷道，"摩托车是不能飞的！"他的脸看上去像一枝长满了胡须的巨大的甜菜根。 　　达德里和皮尔斯扑嗤一笑。 　　"我知道它们不能，"哈利说，"只不过是一个梦罢了。"这时他开始后悔自己说的话了。有件事是比问问题更让杜斯利夫妇讨厌的，那就是谈一些不寻常的东西，不管它是一个梦或者是卡通漫画。他们总是认为他脑子中有一些危险的想法。 　　这是一个天气晴朗的周末，动物园里的人比比皆是。 　　在入口处达德里和皮尔斯买了好大一个朱克力冰淇淋，接着，又不得已给哈利买了另一支便宜的柠檬冰棍，因为在他们争着赶他走之前，那个笑眯眯的推着小车的小贩问哈利需要什么。哈利觉得这还不坏，可以一边吃冰棒一边看大猩猩搔头。 　　那只猩猩简直同达德里生得一模一样，当然除了头上的金发。 　　哈利已经很久没有过一个这么开心的上午了。他小心地与杜斯利一家保持一定距离，好让从午餐时间就开始对这些动物厌烦的达德里和皮尔斯不至于像平时一样，一间就以打他来取乐。他们在动物园一家餐厅吃的饭。达德里又发了一顿脾气，因为他的香蕉船不够大。于是维能姨丈赶紧又帮他买了一只，而让哈利吃掉他吃剩的那只。 　　过了一会儿，哈利觉得，他应该早就知道这种好景不会维持长久。 　　午饭后他们去了爬虫馆。那儿又冷又黑，墙里面镶着有灯的玻璃窗架。玻璃后面，各种各样的蛇在树木和石头上爬来爬去。达德里和皮尔斯很快就发现了那条最大的蛇。这条蛇大得可以绕住维能姨丈的车两圈，并把它抛进一只垃圾桶——但是当时看上去它好像没有这种心情。实际上，它正在熟睡中。 　　达德里把他的鼻子贴在玻璃上盯着那些闪闪发光的卷成一圈圈的东西。 　　"让它动。"达德里哀求着他爸爸。维能姨丈敲了几下玻璃，但是那蛇动也不动一下。 　　"再敲一次，"达德里这回用的是命令的口气。维能姨丈这回用指关节重重地又敲了一阵，可那蛇仍然不动一下。 　　"太没意思了。"达德里南咕着，没趣地走开了。 　　哈利一边在这些大玻璃窗前走着，一边聚精会神地盯着蛇看。 　　他觉得说这些蛇是闷死的话都没有什么可奇怪的——整天一个伴儿都没有，却不停地有无聊的人不厌其烦地用手指敲着玻璃。这甚至比睡在柜子里还要糟糕——睡在柜子里最多只会有帕尤妮亚姨妈过来敲门把你吵醒。 　　这时那只蛇突然睁开了它的眼睛。并且慢慢地，非常缓慢地把头抬到它的眼睛正好可以直视哈利的位置便停了下来。 　　它朝哈利使了一下眼色。 　　哈利愣住了。然后他赶紧转过身去看有没有人在注意他。还好没有。于是他也朝那只蛇使了下眼色。 　　那只蛇把头指向维能姨文和达德里的方向，然后眼睛朝向天花板望了望。哈利马上明白了其中的意思："暧，我总是遭到人们这样的对待。""我知道。"哈利透过玻璃小声地说，虽然他并不能肯定那蛇能不能听见他说话。"一定很讨厌吧。"那只蛇重重地点了一下头。 　　"你到底从哪里来的？"哈利问道。 　　那蛇用尾巴戳了一下玻璃旁边的一块小标签。哈利马上贴过去看。 　　"巴西莽蛇" 　　"巴西这地方怎么样？" 　　那只蛇又用尾巴指了一下那块标签，哈利才发现后面还有字——此动物是在动物园里培育的。"哦，我明白了，原来你从来没有去过巴西？"那蛇摇了摇头。正在这时一阵恐怖的叫声吓得哈利一跳："达德里！杜斯利先生！快来看这只蛇！你肯定不会相信它在干什么！"达德里飞快地跑了起来。 　　"滚开，小子。"达德里一边说一边一拳打在哈利的肋骨上。哈利在毫无防备的情况下重重的摔在水泥地上。接下来发生的事来得太突然以至于没有人看清楚了它是如何发生的——前一秒钟，皮尔斯和达德里还紧紧地趴在玻璃上；后一秒钟，他们就大呼小叫地拼命地往后跑。 　　哈利爬起来，被眼前的情景惊呆了。挡住那条巴西蛇的玻璃窗转眼间消失了。 　　那只巨大的蛇正迅速地舒展开身体，爬到了地上——整个爬虫馆内的人群尖叫着往出口处飞奔。 　　当那条蛇缓缓地滑过哈利脚边时，哈利听到一个低低的，嘶嘶的声音说："我从巴西来的，谢谢你亲爱的。"爬虫馆的管理员顿时吓呆了。 　　"那块玻璃。"他喃喃自语，"那块玻璃哪里去了？"动物园园长亲自给帕尤妮亚姨妈送来一杯浓茶，并且一遍又一遍地赔礼道歉。 　　皮尔斯和达德里说话都给巴了。其实就哈利看来，那条蛇除了戏弄他从他们脚边爬了过去以外，其它什么也没做。不过那时已经是在维能姨丈的车里了。达德里哭诉道那条蛇几乎咬下了他的腿，而皮尔斯则说那蛇想缠住他使他憋气而死。最糟糕的是，皮尔斯居然冷静下来，并且问哈利："你当时跟蛇说了话，是吧，哈利？"维能姨丈等到皮尔斯安全地离开后才开始对哈利发火。他气得连话都快说不出来了。他因为说了几个单词："去——柜子里——呆着——没有饭吃。"接着，他便瘫倒在沙发里了，帕尤妮亚姨妈赶紧跑去给他倒了一大杯白兰地。 　　哈利在黑漆漆的柜子里不知呆了多久。他突然很想要只手表好看看时间，来确定达德里一家到底睡了没有。只是当他们都睡着了，他才可能潜进厨房找一些东西填肚子。 　　哈利已经跟杜斯利一家住在一起有十年了。从他记事开始，从他还是一个婴儿，父母在一场车祸中双双死去开始，他就一直凄惨地活着。他已经记不起来导致父母双亡的那场车祸了。有时，当他在柜子里长时间地拼命回忆时，他就会有一种奇怪的反应：眼前突然闪过一道绿光，而且前额上像火烧一样痛。他猜想这些都是车祸带来的后遗症，虽然他搞不明白那些绿光到底是从哪里来的。他记不住爸爸妈妈的样子。他的姨丈和姨妈从来没有提过他们，当然他们也不许他问问题。房间里更连他们的照片都没有。 　　在哈利小一点的时候，他多么希望一些不认识的人来把他带走，但是从来没有人这样做过，杜斯利家成了他唯一可呆的地方。 　　有时候他会想（可能也是希望）路上的陌生人可能认识他。这些陌生人真是非常奇怪。有一次他同帕尤妮亚姨妈和达德里出去买东西时，一个带着紫色帽子的小人向他鞠了一躬。在问过哈利他是不是认识这个小人以后，他们什么东西都没买就冲出了商店。还有一次，一个穿着绿色衣服长相奇特的老妇人在公共汽车上高兴地冲他挥手。更有一次，一个穿着长长的紫色外套的秃子居然走上前来跟他握手，然后一言不发地走开了。关于这些人最古怪的地方就是每当哈利想好好地把他们看清楚时，他们眨眼间就消失了。 　　在学校，哈利一个朋友都没有。每个人都知道达德里和他的那一帮朋友都讨厌穿着肥大衣服，戴着破烂眼镜的哈利，而他们又不敢得罪达德里和他的一帮朋友。 
Chapter 3 Letters From No One
The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.“They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall,” he told Harry. “Want to come upstairs and practice?”“No, thanks,” said Harry. “The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick.” Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings’ boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.“What's this?” he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.“Your new school uniform,” she said.Harry looked in the bowl again.“Oh,” he said, “I didn't realize it had to be so wet.”“Don't be stupid,” snapped Aunt Petunia. “I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished.”Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.“Get the mail, Dudley,” said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.“Make Harry get it.”“Get the mail, Harry.”“Make Dudley get it.”“Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley.”Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — a letter for Harry.Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives — he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:Mr. H. PotterThe Cupboard under the Stairs4 Privet DriveLittle WhingingSurreyThe envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.“Hurry up, boy!” shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. “What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?” He chuckled at his own joke.Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.“Marge's ill,” he informed Aunt Petunia. “Ate a funny whelk…”“Dad!” said Dudley suddenly. “Dad, Harry's got something!”Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.“That's mine!” said Harry, trying to snatch it back.“Who'd be writing to you?” sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.“P-P-Petunia!” he gasped.Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.“Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!”They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.“I want to read that letter,” he said loudly.“I want to read it,” said Harry furiously, “as it's mine.”“Get out, both of you,” croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.Harry didn't move.“I WANT MY LETTER!” he shouted.“Let me see it!” demanded Dudley.“OUT!” roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.“Vernon,” Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, “look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?”“Watching — spying — might be following us,” muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.“But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want—”Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.“No,” he said finally. “No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…”“But—”“I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?”That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.“Where's my letter?” said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. “Who's writing to me?”“No one. It was addressed to you by mistake,” said Uncle Vernon shortly. “I have burned it.”“It was not a mistake,” said Harry angrily, “it had my cupboard on it.”“SILENCE!” yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.“Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.“Why?” said Harry.“Don't ask questions!” snapped his uncle. “Take this stuff upstairs, now.”The Dursleys’ house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, I don't want him in there… I need that room… make him get out…”Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, “There's another one! ‘Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive — ‘”With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.“Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom,” he wheezed at Harry. “Dudley — go — just go.”Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door —“AAAAARRRGH!”Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something alive!Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.“I want — ” he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.“See,” he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, “if they can't deliver them they'll just give up.”“I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon.”“Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,” said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” as he worked, and jumped at small noises.On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.“Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?” Dudley asked Harry in amazement.On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.“No post on Sundays,” he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, “no damn letters today—”Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one —“Out! OUT!”Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.“That does it,” said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. “I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!”He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.“Shake ‘em off… shake ‘em off,” he would mutter whenever he did this.They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.“'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an ‘undred of these at the front desk.”She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:Mr. H. PotterRoom 17Railview HotelCokeworthHarry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.“I'll take them,” said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.“Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?” Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.“Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?” Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.“It's Monday,” he told his mother. “The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television.”Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.“Found the perfect place!” he said. “Come on! Everyone out!”It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.“Storm forecast for tonight!” said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. “And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!”A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.“I've already got us some rations,” said Uncle Vernon, “so all aboard!”It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.“Could do with some of those letters now, eh?” he said cheerfully.He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes’ time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him — three… two… one…BOOM.The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.
那只巴西莽蛇的逃跑害得哈利受到有史以来最严厉的惩罚。到他被允许从柜子里出来的时候，暑假已经开始了。这时达德里已经弄坏了他的电影摄像机和遥控飞机，并且第一次骑赛车就把正拄着拐杖横穿马路的费格太太撞倒了。 　　哈利庆幸学校已经放假了。可是他仍然逃脱不了达德里那一帮朋友的追打。他们隔一天就来一次。皮尔斯、丹尼斯、麦尔哥和杰姆都是头脑简单的大个子，很显然达德里是最胖最蠢的那个，所以他理所当然地做了头。他们似乎把追着哈利打当成了他们最喜欢的活动。 　　这就是为什么哈利尽可能地长时间在外头闲逛，一心盼望着假期早日结束的原因了。那样他可能还能看到一线生机。九月份到来的时候，哈利就要去上中学了，这也是他一生中第一次不用和达德里呆在一块。达德里去了维能姨丈的母校，斯麦尔丁中学。皮尔斯。波各斯也去了那所学校。哈利则去了斯德伍中学，这是一所当地的综合学校。达德里因此常常取笑哈利。 　　"斯德伍中学的学生第一天就会把你的头塞进马桶里面。"他告诉哈利，"怎么样，你想现在上楼去练习一下吗？""不用了。"哈利说，"我敢说那只马桶没有塞过比你的大头更恶心的东西。"说完他拔腿就跑——万一达德里听出其中的意思他就惨了。 　　七月份里的一天，帕尤妮亚姨妈带达德里去伦敦买他的校服，把哈利留在了费格太太那里。费格太太显得没有平时那么坏。原来是她被她的小猫咪绊倒摔坏了腿，所以不像以前那样疼她的猫了。 　　她让哈利去看电视，并且给了他一块好像放了几年的巧克力蛋糕。 　　那天晚上，达德里拿着他那崭新的校服在客厅里展示。斯麦尔丁中学的男装校服包括一件栗色的燕尾服、橙色的灯笼裤以及一项硬草帽。居然其中还有一根棍子，据说是用来在老师不注意时打人用的。 　　当维能姨丈看着穿着校服的达德里时，他说这是他一生中最骄傲的时候。帕尤妮亚姨妈则喜极而泣，说她简直不敢相信她的达德里已经长成这样一个翩翩美少年了。哈利则尽量不让自己出声，他因为要憋住不笑已经憋到两根胁骨都快断掉了。 　　第二天早上哈利正准备去厨房吃早饭时，突然闻到一股难闻的气味。这味道好像是从洗碗池里发出来的。他走过去一看，只见池子里满是一些看上去脏脏的东西浮在乌黑的水上。 　　"这是什么？"他问帕尤妮亚姨妈。 　　"你的新衣服。"她答道。 　　哈利又往池子里看了一眼。 　　"喔！"他说，"我没想到它们会这么湿。" 　　"别傻了，"帕尤妮亚姨妈没好气地说，"我正在把达德里旧衣服上的乌黑色染到你的校服上。当我弄完后，它看上去就会跟其他孩子的校服一模一样了。"哈利非常怀疑她说的话，但是他知道自己最好别再争辩。他一屁股坐下，为不知道上斯德伍中学第一天自己会是什么样子而犯愁——可能他会像披着大象的皮。 　　这时达德里和维能姨丈走了进来，他们都因为哈利新校服上发出的臭气而皱起了鼻子。维能姨文像往常一样打开了报纸，达德里呼呼地在桌子上敲他那根随身携带的根子。 　　这时只听到邮箱卡搭一声响，伴有信落在门垫上的声音。 　　"达德里，去拿信。"维能姨丈在报纸后说。 　　"让哈利去拿。" 　　"那哈利去拿吧。" 　　"还是达德里去拿吧。" 　　"达德里，用你的棍子打他一下。" 　　哈利为躲开达德里的根子跑去拿信了。一共有三封邮件：一封是维能姨文的妹妹玛各寄来的明信片，她正在怀特岛度假。还有一个灰色的信封，看上去像一张支票——最后一封是给哈利的信。 　　哈利拿起来看，他的心像一条橡皮筋带一样绷地弹了一下。还从来没有人给他写过信。会是谁呢？他没有朋友，没有其他亲人——他也从来不去图书馆，所以他不会收到图书馆的催书单。但是那封信确实是明明白白地写着：色瑞城小威宁镇四号普里怀特街楼梯下的柜子里哈利·波特先生收这信封又重又厚，估计是用羊皮纸写的。用来写地址的墨水是一种奇怪的祖母绿颜色，而且整封信没有邮票。 　　颤抖着打开信封，哈利看到一个盖有纹章的紫色蜡印：一只狮子，一只鹰，一只獾和一条蛇组成了一只大大的字母"H "。 　　"快点啊，"维能姨丈在厨房里大喊，"你在干什么？在拆信里面的炸弹吗？"他自己先被自己开的这个玩笑逗乐了。 　　哈利回到厨房，老盯着他的信看。他递给维能姨文支票以及明信片，坐下来慢慢地开始拆自己黄色的信封。 　　维能姨丈飞快地拆开支票，不耐烦地把它甩在了明信片之上。 　"玛各生病了。"他跟帕尤妮亚姨妈说。"因为吃了不干净的螺。""爸爸，"达德里突然叫道，"哈利居然有信收！"哈利正准备打开那封同样也是用厚厚的羊皮纸写的信。维能姨丈一把从他手中抢了过去。 　　"这是我的信，"哈利试着把它抢回来。 　　"谁会写信给你呢？"维能姨丈冷笑着说，并且用一只手摇晃着把信打开。只看了一眼，他的脸色便由红转绿，比交通指示灯变得还快。他愣住了。不久，他的脸色变成像放久了的粥的灰白色。 　　"帕——帕尤妮亚。"他喘着粗气说。 　　达德里想抢那封信去看，但是维能姨丈把信举得高高的不让他抓到。帕尤妮亚姨妈好奇地拿过去只读了一行字，她就好像要昏过去了一样。她抓住自己的喉咙，发出一阵被什么东西噎住了的声音。 　　"维能！我的天哪——维能！" 　　他们面面相觑，好像忘记了还有哈利和达德里在这间房子里，达德里可不习惯被人忽视。他用棍子在他爸爸的头上猛地敲了一下。 　　"我要看那封信。"他大声地说。 　　"我也要看，"哈利万分焦急地说，"它毕竟是我的信啊。""你们两个通通给我出去。"维能姨丈喝斥道，又把信塞回了信封。 　　哈利不肯动。 　　"把信还给我！"他大叫。 　　"给我看！"达德里也来凑热闹。 　　"出去！"维能姨丈发脾气了。他抓住哈利和儿子几乎是把他们丢了出去，然后砰地一声关上了厨房门。哈利和达德里马上为争夺钥匙孔旁的位置展开了一场激烈而又无声的争斗。 　　"维能，"帕尤妮亚姨妈用一种颤抖的声音说，"看这个地址——他们怎么可能知道他睡在那里？你不觉得他们在时刻注视这间屋子吗？""注视——监视——很有可能在追踪我们。"维能姨丈地嘀咕着。 　　"那我们该怎么办，维能？我们应该写回信吗？告诉他们我们不想——"哈利可以看见维能姨丈闪亮的黑皮鞋在厨房里踱来踱去。 　　"不行，"他终于开口了。"我们不写回信了。如果他们得不到答案……对，这样再好不过了……我们什么也不用做……""可是——" 　　"帕尤妮亚，我们不能让它存在这屋子里！我们不是发过誓在我们收养他的时候，我们将把那些危险的敌意赶走的吗？"当天晚上，在维能姨丈下班后，他破灭荒的第一次拜访了住在柜子里的哈利。 　"我的信在哪里？"维能姨文一钻进柜子哈利就问道，"是谁写过来的？""不知道。是出了错信才会寄给你的。"维能姨丈简短地解释，"我已经把它烧了。""没弄错。"哈利生气地说，"要不他怎么知道我住在柜子里。""别出声！"维能姨丈尖叫道。这时几只蜘蛛从柜子顶上掉落下来。他深深的吸了几口气，强迫自己挤出一丝笑容，看得出来非常勉强。 　　"这样的，哈利，关于这问题。我已经和你的姨妈考虑过了……它对你来说确实是小了一点……我们认为你最好能搬到达德里的第二间卧室去。""为什么？"哈利问。 　　"不要问问题！"维能姨丈打断了他，"赶快收拾你的东西上楼！"杜斯利家一共有四间卧室：一间是杜斯利夫妇住的，一间是给客人住的（通常是维能的妹妹玛各）。剩下的一间是达德里睡觉用的，另一间是给达德里放第一间卧室放不下的玩具的。 　　哈利只用了一趟就把他柜子里的所有东西搬到楼上的房间去了。他坐在床上看着周围的东西。几乎这里所有的东西都是破的：达德里用过一个月的电影摄像机被放在一只小小的玩具坦克上。达德里曾经用这架坦克轧过邻居家的狗。摆在角落的是达德里的第一台电视机，这台电视机是在他最喜爱的电视节目被取消后他一脚踢破的。房间还有一只装过一只鹦鹉的巨大的鸟笼。可惜那只鹦鹉已经被达德里在学校换成了一支汽枪。那支汽枪的前端被折弯了，丢在架子上，可能是达德里一屁股坐在上面弄坏的。其它架于放满了书。它们是整间房子唯一看上去没有被碰过的东西。 　　楼下传来达德里训斥他妈妈的声音："我不想他住在那里…… 　那间房是我的……让他滚出去……"哈利叹了一口气倒在床上。昨天他为了能住上来什么都愿意做。可是他今天宁愿住回他的柜子，只要能把那封信还给他。 　　第二天吃早餐的时候，没有一个人开口说话。达德里太吃惊了。不管他怎样尖叫，怎样用他的棍子使劲地打他的爸爸，故意装病也好，踢他的妈妈也好，甚至把他的宝贝乌龟从温室顶上丢下去，他都没法要回自己的房间。哈利则在想着昨天的这个时候，要是自己在楼下的时候就把信拆了就好了。帕尤妮亚姨妈和维能姨丈则面色阴沉地看着对方。 　　邮件又来的时候，维能姨丈为了从表面上对哈利好一点，叫达德里下去拿信。 　　他们听到达德里一边下楼一边用他的棍子敲打着经过的东西。紧接着只听一声大喊："又来一封信了！四号普里怀特街住在最小间卧室的哈利·波特先生收！"差点要叫出声的维能姨丈唰地一下从椅子上跳起来跑下楼，哈利紧跟在后面。 　　维能姨丈几乎把达德里摔在地上才从他手上抢回那封信，因为哈利从他后面卡住了他的脖子。在这场混战中夹杂了许多棍棒，最后是维能姨丈先站了起来，上气不接下气，手中紧紧抓着哈利的信。 　　"回到你的柜子——我是说，你的卧室去，"他气喘吁吁地对哈利说。"达德里，你也走。"哈利在他新房间里踱来踱去。有人知道他已经搬出了柜子住而目他们好像还知道他没有收到他的第一封信。这意味着他们再试了一次，这一次他确定不能再让他们失望了。他有了一个计划。 　　第二天早上六点，修好的闹钟铃铃地响起来。哈利迅速地把它关掉，静静地穿上衣服。千万别把社斯利一家给吵醒了。他一盏灯都没开便偷偷地下了楼。 　　他打算在这里等邮递员的到来，这样他就可以拿到给他的信了。当他蹑手蹑脚地从大厅向前门走过去的时候，他的心扑通扑通地跳起来。 　　"噢！" 　　哈利被吓得跳得老高——他踩到了门垫上一件又大又软的东西——还是活的。 　　楼上的灯亮了。哈利惊奇地发现刚才那个又大又软的东西居然是维能姨文的脸。 　　维能姨丈为了防止哈利早早地过来拿信，居然在门口用睡袋睡了一夜！他向哈利大叫大喊了几乎半个小时，然后叫他去冲一杯茶。哈利垂头丧气地进了厨房。当他回来的时候，邮件已经到了，正放在维能姨丈的膝盖上。哈利可以看见三封信都是用同样的绿色墨水写的。 　　"我想——"没等他说完，维能姨丈已经当着他的面把信撕了个粉碎。 　　维能姨丈那天没有去上班。他在家准备把那个邮箱钉牢了。 　　"看着吧，"他含着一口钉子对帕尤妮亚姨妈说，"如果他们寄不到他们就会放弃的。""我不认为那行得通，维能。" 　　"喔，这些人想法奇怪得很，帕尤妮亚，他们不像我和你那么想事情。"维能姨丈一边说一边准备把帕尤妮亚姨妈刚刚递给他的水果蛋糕当锤子去敲钉子。 　　星期五那天，至少有十二封信是寄给哈利的。因为它们没法塞在邮箱里，它们被从门底下和边缝处塞了进来，还有几封是从楼下厕所的小窗户处被塞进来的。 　　维能姨丈又没有去上班。在把所有的信都烧掉后，他拿出铁锤和钉子把前门和后门所有的裂缝给钉死了，这样没人可以出得去了。他一边钉一边哼着"踮着腿从郁金香之间走过去"的小曲，而且一听到一点动静就尖跳起来。 　　到了星期六，事情的发展完全失去了控制。二十四封给哈利的信出现在房子里。 　　它们是被卷起来分别藏在二十四只鸡蛋中由送牛奶的人从卧室窗口递给帕尤妮亚姨妈的。在维能姨丈怒气冲冲地向邮局和牛奶场打电话找人投诉的时候，帕尤妮亚姨妈已经用她的食品搅拌器把信搅得粉碎了。 　　"到底是谁这么希望跟你说话呢？"达德里这样好奇地问哈利。 　　星期天早上，维能姨丈终于可以坐在桌旁吃早餐了。他看上去疲惫不堪，但是非常开心。 　　"今天没有信件。"他开心得把应该涂在面包上的蜜糖酱往报纸上涂。"今天没有那些该死的信件——"在他说话的时候，厨房的烟囱一直飕飕作响，接着有什么东西突然掉在了他的后脑勺上。再下来，三十或者四十封信像子弹一样从烟囱里飞了下来。杜斯利一家吓得躲到了一边，哈利趁机跳起来抓到了一封——"出去！给我出去！"维能姨丈把哈利拦腰抱起丢进了客厅。帕尤妮亚姨妈和达德里抱着脸跑出了厨房，维能姨丈砰的一声把门关上了。他们还可以听到那些信通过烟囱掉在墙上和地板上的声音。 　　"就这样办吧，"维能姨丈一边拔下一搓胡子一边尽量平静地说，"我命令你们用五分钟的时间收拾好东西准备离开。我们必须离开这里，只许带几件衣服，不要跟我讲条件！"他看上去十分可怕，因为他的胡子已被拔去了一半，于是没有人敢反抗。十分钟以后，他们已经拆掉被打死的门坐到了车子里，向高速公路开去。达德里在后座上哭哭啼啼，因为刚刚他的爸爸因为他耽误了时间而打了他的头。当时达德里试着把他的电视机、录像机和电脑通通装进旅行袋。 　　他们不停地朝前开着车，帕尤妮亚姨妈都不敢问他们是到哪里去。维能姨丈会不时地来一个急转弯或者朝相反的方向开上好一阵子。 　"甩掉他们……甩掉他们。"维能姨丈自言自语地说。 　他们一整天都没有停下来吃东西或喝一口水。到天黑的时候，达德里开始号啕大哭起来，他一辈子都没有遇到过这么糟糕的一天。他饿极了。他错过了他想看的五档电视节目，他从来没有这么久没去电脑上打游戏了。 　　终于维能姨文在一个大城市郊外的一间看上去破破烂烂的旅馆外停下了车。达德里和哈利同住一个双人间。床上的床单潮湿而且发了霉，但是达德里很快就打起了鼾，可哈利怎么也睡不着。他坐在窗台上，盯着下面一辆辆飞驰而过的车，陷入了沉思…… 　　第二天他们的早餐是发霉的玉米片，冷的罐头马铃薯夹吐司。 　　正要吃完的时候，旅馆的老板走过桌子旁边。 　　"打扰一下，你们中间有一位哈利·波特先生吗？我在前台收到了许多给他的信。"她把信举在手上好让每个人看清那个用绿色墨水写的地址：叩可文斯镇铁路旅馆杜斯利夫人帕尤妮亚姨妈号房间哈利·波特先生收哈利飞快地抓住那封信，可是维能姨丈马上也把他的手抓住了。旅馆老板在一旁呆呆看着。 　　"把它们都给我吧。"维能姨丈快速地起身来跟着老板娘走出了餐厅。 　　"亲爱的，不如我们回家去吧。"几小时后，帕尤妮亚姨妈小心翼翼地提出建议，可是维能姨丈好像听不到她说话，没有人知道他在找什么。他载着他们开进了一片森林的深处，下车看了看，摇了一下头，又回到车里继续开车。同样的情形还发生在一片农田的中央，或者一架吊桥的中间和一座高楼的顶层停车场。 　"爸爸是不是已经疯掉了？"那天下午达德里这样迟钝地问帕尤妮亚姨妈。维能姨丈把车停在海边，把他们都锁在车里然后自己离开了。 　　天下起雨来，巨大的雨滴敲击着车顶。达德里小声地哭起来。 　　"今天是星期一。"他告诉他妈妈，"今天晚上有'巨人哈伯特'看。我想找一个有电视机的地方。"星期一，哈利忽然想起了什么。如果今天是星期——只要有达德里在，他就会知道今天是星期几，达德里是个电视迷——那么明天，星期二便是哈利的第十一个生日了。当然，他的生日也并不代表就一定会开心——去年，杜斯利家送给他一只挂衣架和维能姨丈的一双旧袜子。但是，你不可能天天都过十一岁生日啊。 　　维能姨丈回来了，脸上笑眯眯的。他拎着一只长条的包囊，但是当帕尤妮亚姨妈问他买了什么东西的时候他一个字都没答。 　　"我找到一个绝好的地方！"他叫道，"快来！每个人都出来。"车外非常冷。维能姨丈所指的地方看上去像一片通向大海的岩石群。在岩石的顶部是你所能想象的世界上最小最简陋的棚房，很显然那里没有电视机。 　　"今晚预报会有暴风雨！"维能姨丈一边说一边兴奋地拍着手。 　　"但是这个好心人答应借他的船给我们用！" 　　一个没牙的老头蹒跚地向他们走过来，脸上邪邪地笑着，手指向了漂浮在铁青色的海水之上的一艘旧划船。 　　"我已经给每个人都准备好了食物。"维能姨丈说，"大家快上船吧！"船里冷得像冰窖，冰冷的海水喷涌上来，雨水钻进了他们的脖子，凛冽的北风像鞭子一样抽打着他们的面庞。大概过了几小时他们才到达那片岩石，维能姨丈深一脚浅一脚在前面带路，向那间破旧得几乎要垮掉的破房子走去。 　　房间里更为恐怖，散发出一股浓烈的海藻味。冷风从木头做的墙壁缝间呼啸而入，壁炉又空又潮湿，屋子里面只有两间房子。 　　维能姨丈所准备的食物不过是每人一包薯条和四只香蕉。他打算用空的薯条包装袋来点火，可是袋子冒了一阵烟就灭了。 　　"不如用那些信来点火吧。"他兴奋地说，维能姨丈看上去心情好极了，很显然他认为没有人有可能在暴风雨中把信送到一个孤岛上来。哈利私下里也这么认为，虽然他并不希望事情是这样子。 　　夜晚来临的时候，暴风雨如期而至。巨大的海浪拍打着小木屋的墙壁，破烂的窗户在猛烈的北风中瑟瑟发抖。帕尤妮亚姨妈在第二间房子里找到了一些发霉的毯子，并且给达德里在一张虫蛀过的沙发上铺了一张床。她和维能姨丈在隔壁的房间睡下了。而哈利只能在地板上找一块最软的地方栖身，分配给他的毛毯也是最薄、最烂的那张。 　　接近夜深的时候，暴风雨愈来愈肆虐了。哈利无法入睡，他觉得发抖，在地板上翻来覆去希望找到一个舒适的位置。他肚子饿得咕咕响。半夜的时候，达德里的鼾声被低沉的雷声淹没了。搭在沙发边上的达德里肥肥的手腕上的可以发光的手表清楚地告诉哈利再过十分钟他就要满十一岁了。哈利躺在地上，看着自己的生日一步步临近，心里想着杜斯利一家不会记得他的生日以及那个给他写信的人现在在哪里。 　　只有五分钟了，哈利突然听到外面有一些嘎嘎的声音。他希望不是屋顶要塌下来了，虽然它塌下来自己会暖和一些。只有四分钟了，可能现在杜斯利家的房子里现在堆满了信件，那么我们回去的时候我可能可以偷到一两封看呢。哈利痴痴地想着。 　　还有三分钟。潮浪拍击岩石的声音是那样的吗？还有两分钟。 　　嘎吱嘎吱的声音是从哪里发出来的？是岩石被打落到海里的声音吗？ 　　还有一分钟他就十一岁了。还有三十秒钟……二十秒……十秒——九秒——可能他应该把达德里吵醒——3——2——1——只听一声巨响。 　　整个木屋都颤抖了。哈利直直地坐了起来，盯着门口。有人正在外面敲门。
Chapter 4 The Keeper Of The Keys
BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.“Where's the cannon?” he said stupidly.There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands - now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.“Who's there?” he shouted. “I warn you — I'm armed!”There was a pause. Then —SMASH!The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.“Couldn't make us a cup o’ tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…”He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.“Budge up, yeh great lump,” said the stranger.Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.“An’ here's Harry!” said the giant.Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.“Las’ time I saw you, you was only a baby,” said the giant. “Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes.”Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.“I demand that you leave at once, sir!” he said. “You are breaking and entering!”“Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune,” said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.“Anyway — Harry,” said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, “a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right.”From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, “Who are you?”The giant chuckled.“True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.”He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.“What about that tea then, eh?” he said, rubbing his hands together. “I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind.”His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, “Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley.”The giant chuckled darkly.“Yer great puddin’ of a son don’ need fattenin’ anymore, Dursley, don’ worry.”He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, “I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are.”The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.“Call me Hagrid,” he said, “everyone does. An’ like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o’ course.“Er — no,” said Harry.Hagrid looked shocked.“Sorry,” Harry said quickly.“Sorry ?” barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. “It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin’ yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou’ Hogwarts, fer cryin’ out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?”“All what?” asked Harry.“ALL WHAT?” Hagrid thundered. “Now wait jus’ one second!”He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.“Do you mean ter tell me,” he growled at the Dursleys, “that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin’ abou’ — about ANYTHING?”Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.“I know some things,” he said. “I can, you know, do math and stuff.”But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, “About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents’ world.”“What world?”Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.“DURSLEY!” he boomed.Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like “Mimblewimble.” Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.“But yeh must know about yer mom and dad,” he said. “I mean, they're famous. You're famous.”“What? My — my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?”“Yeh don’ know… yeh don’ know… ” Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.“Yeh don’ know what yeh are ?” he said finally.Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.“Stop!” he commanded. “Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!”A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.“You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An’ you've kept it from him all these years?”“Kept what from me?” said Harry eagerly.“STOP! I FORBID YOU!” yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.“Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh,” said Hagrid. “Harry — yer a wizard.”There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.“I'm a what ?” gasped Harry.“A wizard, o’ course,” said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, “an’ a thumpin’ good ‘un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an’ dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An’ I reckon it's abou’ time yeh read yer letter.”Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRYHeadmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)Dear Mr. Potter,We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.Yours sincerely,Minerva McGonagall,Deputy HeadmistressQuestions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, “What does it mean, they await my owl?”“Gallopin’ Gorgons, that reminds me,” said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl — a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:Dear Professor Dumbledore,Given Harry his letter.Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.HagridHagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.“Where was I?” said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.“He's not going,” he said.Hagrid grunted.“I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him,” he said.“A what?” said Harry, interested.“A Muggle,” said Hagrid, “it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An’ it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o’ the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on.”“We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish,” said Uncle Vernon, “swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!”“You knew ?” said Harry. “You knew I'm a — a wizard?”“Knew!” shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. “Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!”She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.“Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as — abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!”Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, “Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!”“CAR CRASH!” roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. “How could a car crash kill Lily an’ James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin’ his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!”“But why? What happened?” Harry asked urgently.The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.“I never expected this,” he said, in a low, worried voice. “I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin’ hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don’ know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'.”He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.“Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…”He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, “It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows—”“Who?”“Well — I don’ like sayin’ the name if I can help it. No one does.”“Why not?”“Gulpin’ gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…”Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.“Could you write it down?” Harry suggested.“Nah — can't spell it. All right — Voldemort.” Hagrid shuddered. “Don’ make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin’ fer followers. Got ‘em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o’ his power, ‘cause he was gettin’ himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin’ over. ‘Course, some stood up to him — an’ he killed ‘em. Horribly. One o’ the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin’ the school, not jus’ then, anyway.“Now, yer mum an’ dad were as good a witch an’ wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an’ girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get ‘em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin’ ter do with the Dark Side.“Maybe he thought he could persuade ‘em… maybe he just wanted ‘em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an’ — an'—”Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.“Sorry,” he said. “But it's that sad — knew yer mum an’ dad, an’ nicer people yeh couldn't find — anyway…“You-Know-Who killed ‘em. An’ then — an’ this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin’ by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an’ dad an’ yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an’ that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill ‘em, no one except you, an’ he'd killed some o’ the best witches an’ wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts — an’ you was only a baby, an’ you lived.”Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.Hagrid was watching him sadly.“Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…”“Load of old tosh,” said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.“Now, you listen here, boy,” he snarled, “I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured — and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion — asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end—”But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, “I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…”In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.“That's better,” said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.“But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?”“Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin’ more an’ more powerful — why'd he go?“Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin’ his time, like, but I don’ believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of ‘em came outta kinda trances. Don’ reckon they could've done if he was comin’ back.“Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. ‘Cause somethin’ about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin’ goin’ on that night he hadn't counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin’ about you stumped him, all right.”Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?“Hagrid,” he said quietly, “I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard.”To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.“Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?”Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.“See?” said Hagrid. “Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts.”But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.“Haven't I told you he's not going?” he hissed. “He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and—”“If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him,” growled Hagrid. “Stop Lily an’ James Potter's son goin’ ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an’ he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—”“I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!” yelled Uncle Vernon.But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, “NEVER — ” he thundered, ” — INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!”He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.“Shouldn'ta lost me temper,” he said ruefully, “but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do.”He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.“Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts,” he said. “I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an’ get yer letters to yeh an’ stuff — one o’ the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job.”“Why aren't you supposed to do magic?” asked Harry.“Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an’ everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore.”“Why were you expelled?”“It's gettin’ late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow,” said Hagrid loudly. “Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an’ that.”He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.“You can kip under that,” he said. “Don’ mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o’ doormice in one o’ the pockets.”
又是一阵巨响，他又敲了一次。达德里被吵醒了。 　　只听到身后一片哗啦声，维能姨丈冲进了这间房子，手上举着一把步枪，现在他们知道他买的那只长条袋子里的东西是什么了， "谁在外面？"他嚷道，"我警告你——我可是有枪的！"敲门声停住了。突然——轰的一声巨响。 　门被撞开了，撞门的人力气一定很大——门的插销全部脱落了，门直板板地摔在了地上。 　　一个巨人站在门口。他的脸几乎完全被他又长又乱的头发和结成一团的胡子遮住了，但是在那头发下你可以清楚地看到两只乌黑的像甲壳虫一般发光的眼睛。 　　那个巨人勉强地钻进了小屋，他必须弓着背头才不至于碰上天花板。他弯下身去捡起那张破门，轻易地就把它安回到原来的位置。外面的暴风雨好像小了一些。 　　巨人盯着屋子里的人看。 　　"不能给我来一杯茶吗？一路上真是辛苦啊！"他大步地走到达德里睡的沙发旁，达德里已经吓呆住了。 　　"让一下，它也真够大的。"巨人说。 　　达德里尖叫着跑开躲在他妈妈后面，他妈妈此时也吓得蹲在了维能姨丈的背后。 　　"哈利，你原来在这里！"巨人说。 　　哈利抬起头来注视着那张阴森可怕的脸孔，可那双乌黑的眼睛却是充满了笑意。 　　"上一次我看到你的时候，你还是一个婴孩。"巨人说，"你看上去很像你爸爸，不过眼睛长得像你妈妈。"维能姨丈的牙关节发出一阵得得的声音。 　　"我命令你马上离开，先生！"他说。"你是闯进来的！""住嘴，杜斯利。"巨人说道。他跨过沙发，一把抢过维能姨丈手中的枪，像揉橡皮泥一样两下就把它弯成一团，丢到角落里去了。 　　维能姨丈发出了像是田鼠被人踩到时发出的响声。 　　"不管怎样——哈利，"巨人转过身去，"祝你生日快乐。我有东西要送给你——可能有些地方被我压扁了，本过它还是很好吃的。"巨人从他黑色风衣的内口袋里掏出一个稍微压启了一点点的盒子。哈利用颤抖的手指打开了包。里面是一只大大的、用绿色奶油写着"祝哈利生日快乐"的巧克力蛋糕。 　哈利抬起头来看着巨人，他本来想说谢谢你的，可是话到嘴边又被咽下去了，他转而问道："你是谁？"巨人笑了。 　　"差点忘了介绍我自己了。我叫鲁贝斯。哈格力，我是霍格瓦彻城堡的看守员。"他伸出一只巨大的手臂与哈利握手，哈利整个手臂都被他摇动了。 　　"来一杯茶怎么样？"巨人一边搓着手一边说，"我敢说再没有比茶更好的饮料了。"他的目光突然落在除了一个烧焦的薯片包装袋外空无一物的壁炉上。他鼻子里吟了一声，走过去俯下身。没有人知道他在那里搞什么，可是不出一会儿，壁炉里已经噼噼啪啪地看起火来。它把整个潮湿的小屋照得亮晃晃的。哈利也觉得全身暖和起来，好像在洗热水澡一样。 　　巨人一屁股坐在沙发上，结果把沙发给坐塌了。巨人开始把外套里的东西一件件往外掏：一个铜茶壶，一包压扁了的火腿肠，一根拨火律，又一个茶壶，几只有裂口的大杯子和一瓶琥珀状的液体，在泡茶之前他喝了一大口瓶子里的液体。接着整个房间都弥漫着烤火腿肠的香味。巨人在烤火腿肠的时候大家都一言不发，可是当他把一根又大又多汁，微微有些烧焦的火腿肠从火堆上取下来时，达德里开始坐立不安了。可是维能姨丈严厉地说："不要碰他给你的任何东西，达德里。"巨人呵呵地笑起来。 　　"你的肥仔儿子不能够再胖了，杜斯利，不用担心，我不会给他的。"他把火腿肠递给哈利。哈利真是饿坏了，他觉得从来没有吃过这么好吃的东西，他一面吃一面盯着巨人看。最后，他见没人发问，于是自己问了："对不起！我真的很想知道你是谁。"巨人喝了一大口茶，然后用手指抹了抹嘴。 　　"叫我哈格力就行了。"他说，"每个人都是这样叫的。我已经跟你说过了，我是霍格瓦彻城堡的守门员——你会知道关于霍格瓦彻的所有事情的，我向你保证。""喔，我不知道。"哈利说。 　　哈格力看上去很吃惊。 　　"对不起。"哈利很快地说。 　　"对不起？"哈格力大叫道，转过身去看着已经缩成一团的杜斯利一家。"应该说对不起的是他们！我知道你没收到我的信，但是我万万没有想到你连霍格瓦彻都不知道！难道你从来没有想过你父母是从哪里学会这些东西的？""学会什么？"哈利问道。 　　"学会什么？"哈格力烦躁起来，"你等一分钟。"他跳了起来，他气得简直要把整个房子都掀了。杜斯利一家哆嗦着靠着墙站着。 　　"你不要告诉我，"他对杜斯利一家咆哮着，"这个男孩——这个男孩！——对整件事——一无所知！"哈利觉得事情有点过火了。他必须去上学，毕竟他的成绩不差。 　　"我知道一些，"他说，"我可以算数。" 　　巨人只是挥手示意他别再说下去，"我是说关于我们的世界，你的世界，我的世界，也就是你父母的世界。""什么世界？" 　　哈格力看起来都要爆炸了。 　　"杜斯利！"他怒吼道。 　　维能姨丈此时已经脸色苍白，口中喃喃自语着"上帝保佑，上帝保佑……"之类的话。哈格力狠狠的瞪着哈利。 　　"但是至少你应该知道关于你爸爸妈妈的事情。"他说，"我的意思是，他们那么出名，你也是。""什么？我的爸爸妈妈以前很有名，是吗？" 　　"你不知道……你居然不知道……"哈格力用手指摸了摸头发，迷惑地看着哈利。 　　"你不知道你是谁？"他最后问。 　　这时维能姨丈好像突然吃了豹子胆。 　　"住嘴！"他命令道，"不要说了！我不许你告诉那个男孩子任何事情！"哈格力这时眼中的凶光足以让一个比维能姨丈更勇敢的人退缩下来。哈格力说话的时候每个字都透露着愤怒。 　　"你从来没有告诉过他？没有告诉他丹伯多留给他的那封信中写的是什么？我当时也在场！我亲眼看见丹伯多把信留给你，杜斯利！你这么多年来一直是这样瞒住他的？""向我瞒了些什么？"哈利好奇地问。 　　"住口！我警告你！"维能姨丈惊慌地大叫，帕尤妮亚姨妈则害怕地在一旁喘着气。 　"你们通通给我去死吧！"哈格力说，"哈利，你是一个巫师。"顷刻间整间房子都静下来了，只听得见海水和海风呼啸的声音。 　　"我是什么？"哈利也喘着粗气。 　　"没错，你是一个巫师。"哈格力说，又一屁股坐在沙发上，沙发凹陷得更深了。"一个一极棒的巫师，当然如果你再勤加练习的话。有一对这样的爸爸妈妈，你还能成为其他什么人吗？我觉得是时候给你看那封信了。"哈利伸出手去接住那只黄色的信封，上面用绿色墨水清清楚楚地写着：海上岩石里木屋地板上的哈利·波特先生收。他从里面抽出一封信并读道："霍格瓦彻魔法学校校长：艾伯斯。丹伯多（国际巫术联盟协会承认的特级学校） 　　亲爱的波特先生：我们很高兴通知你，你已经被霍格瓦彻魔法学校录取了。请在附件中找到必需的书和仪器的单子。 　　学校将在九月一日开学。你的猫头鹰请不要迟于七月三十一日来学校报到。 　　你忠诚的，米勒娃。麦康娜校长助理"无数的问题在哈利的脑子里像鞭炮一样炸开了花，以至于他不知道先问哪个才好。过了好一阵地才结结巴巴地说，"我的猫头鹰？ 　　这是什么意思？" 　　"我差点把'飞侠'哥根斯给忘了。"哈格力一边说，一边在自己额头上猛拍了一下，那力气足足可以把一辆马车掀翻。接着他从他外套的另外一个口袋里掏出一只猫头鹰——一只真正的、活生生的，长相丑陋的猫头鹰——长长的羽毛和一身羊皮纸似的皮肤。在猫头鹰舌头与牙齿之间衔着一张字迹潦草的字条。哈利是掉过头来读的："爱的丹伯多：我已经把哈利的信给他了，明天带他去买他需要的东西。 　　天气不怎么好，你们要当心。 　　哈格力"哈格力把这张字条卷成一条给了猫头鹰，猫头鹰马上把它衔在嘴里。哈格力打开门，猫头鹰转眼间便消失在暴风雨中。然后他走回来重新坐下，好像这些都是如同打电话一样平常的事情。 　　哈利意识到自己的嘴一直大大地张着，赶紧把它闭拢。 　　"我现在讲到哪里了？"哈格力问。那时维能姨丈依然铁青着脸，看上去非常生气，他一边说一边往火炉旁挪动。 　　"他不能走！" 　　哈格力笑了一声。 　　"我倒想看看像你这样的马格人怎样可以阻止到他。"他说。 　　"像他这样的什么？"哈利好奇地问道。 　　"马格人。"哈格力说，"我们就是这样称呼那些不会魔法的人的。你在这样一个家庭里长大真是不幸，他们是我见过的最坏的马格人。""我们在收养他的时候，我们就发誓我们要消灭他的巫术。"维能姨丈说，"我们不能让他会巫术！真正的巫师！""原来你早就知道了！"哈利说，"你知道我是一个巫师？""没错！"帕尤妮亚姨妈突然尖叫道。"我们当然知道！我的妹妹是那样子，你又怎么可能跟她不一样呢？她也收到过像刚才那样的信，接着她就消失了——去了那所学校——每个假期回来的时候她的口袋都满是蝌料，把每杯茶都弄坏了！我是唯一可以看清楚地是什么人的人——她是一个怪物！可是我的爸爸妈妈，他们却为家里有一个女巫而感到骄傲！ 　　她停下来深深地吸了一口气又接着说，好像她已经憋了很久没说话似的。 　　"接着她在学校里遇到了波特，他们双双离开并且结了婚，然后有了你。当然我知道你会跟她一样，一样的古怪，一样的异常。 　　再然后，她把自己炸死了，我们只好收养了你！"哈利脸色变红了，到他回过神来他赶紧问："炸死的？你告诉我他们是车祸撞死的！""车祸？"哈格力吼道，气得跳得老高，把杜斯利一家又吓到角落里去了。 　　"车祸怎么可能害死莉莉和杰姆斯。波特呢？一派胡言！ 　　哈利·波特居然不知道自己的故事！在我们的世界里每个小孩都知道他的名字！ 　　""到底是怎么回事？"哈利焦急地问道。 　　怒气慢慢地从哈格力的脸上消失了，他看起来非常伤心。 　　"我也没有想到。"他用一种缓慢的低沉的语气说。"当丹伯多告诉我你可能有麻烦时，我并不知道你有多少事情是不知道的。 　　喔，哈利，我不知道应该由我来告诉你——我以为其他人会——你不能一无所知地去霍格瓦彻。"他厌恶地瞪了杜斯利一家一眼。 　　"我将把所有我知道的事都告诉你了，但是记住，我不可能告诉你所有事。这是一个很大的秘密，其中有一部分……"他坐下了，盯着火炉看了一会又接着说。"我想，这是由一个人引起的——你居然不知道他的名字，我们世界里的每一个人都知道——""他是谁？" 　　"我不愿意说这个人的名字，没有人愿意。" 　　"为什么？" 　　"他有一张血盆大口，哈利，人们都害怕他。你叫我怎么形容？ 　　听着，有一个很坏的巫师，像你想象中那么坏，甚至更坏，讲得透顶，他叫作……"哈格力吞了一口口水，说不下去了。 　　"你可以把它写下来吗？"哈利提议。 　　"我不会写，他是——福尔得摩特。"哈格力浑身一抖。"不要让我再说一遍，我们都叫他'那个人'。这个巫师大约在二十年前的现在，开始寻求同党。他当然找到了——有些是害怕他，有些是想得到一些他的力量，因为他可以赋予别人能量。 　　哈利，那些日子真是太可怕了。你不知道谁可以信任，不敢同陌生的巫师过于亲近……可怕的事情发生了。他统治了整个世界，当然有人站起来反抗他——他把他们都杀了。太恐怖了，霍格瓦彻成了唯一一个安全的地方，丹伯多则是'那个人'唯一害怕的人。但是那时几乎没有人敢去那所学校。""你的爸爸妈妈是我所认识的最棒的巫师。他们当时是霍格瓦彻的领袖人物！ 　　可是'那个人'从来没有停止去说服他们加入他的行列……可能他知道他们与丹伯多太接近了，所以无法与黑暗势力沾上边。""可能他认为不能说服他们……可能他只是想除掉他们。人们所知道的是，十年前的万圣节，他突然出现在你们住的村庄里，那时你只有一岁。他到了你家，接着，接着……"哈格力突然掏出一块又脏又大的手帕来提鼻涕，他提鼻子的声音好像吹号角一般。 　　"对不起！"他说，"太令人伤心了——要知道你爸爸妈妈是多么好的人啊——""'那个人'把他们杀了。接着，奇怪的事情发生了——他也想杀了你的。我想他是为了斩草除根吧，或者他只是喜欢杀人。但是他杀不了你。难道你从来没有怀疑过你是怎样得到额头上那块疤痕的吗？那不是一道普通的疤痕，那是一个强大的邪恶的咒语施到你身上时你得到的——它可以保护你的父母和你们的房子。咒语在你身上根本没有起作用，这就是你为什么出名的原因了，哈利。如果他想杀哪个人，那个人一定活不下来，但是你例外。他杀掉了当时最好的几个巫师——麦基伦夫妇，波恩夫妇，普理韦兹夫妇——而你不过是一个婴儿，但是你居然活下来了。"有些东西使得哈利心里一阵绞痛。哈格力的故事已经接近尾声，哈利又一次看到那道绿色亮光，这一次比以前任何一次都要清晰。他还记起了一些他从来没有记起的其它事情——一阵尖利的，阴险的，冷酷的笑声。 　　哈格力伤心地看着他。 　　"我按照丹伯多的命令把你从废墟里救出来，并把你送到这个地方……""骗人的玩艺。"维能姨丈说。哈利突然跳起来，几乎忘了杜斯利一家还在场。 　　维能姨丈很显然已经重拾了他的胆量，他狠狠地瞪着哈格力，拳头紧紧地握着。 　　"听着，"他开口了，"我承认你的确有些与众不同，毕竟我们要承认你赢了那场战斗。至于你的父母，你不必否认他们是怪人。 　　在我眼中，没有了他们这世界会更加美好——他们做过些什么？不过都是些稀奇古怪的事情——正如我所料，我就知道他们不会有好下场——"就在那时，哈格力从沙发上跳了起来，从外衣里掏出了一把粉红色的伞。他把伞像拿剑一样指着维能姨丈说："我警告你，维能——我警告你，你再说一个字的话……"因为害怕被一个大胡子巨人用伞尖刺穿，维能姨丈靠着墙挺直了身体，一个字都不敢说了。 　　"这样最好。"哈格力说。他吸了一口气又重新坐到沙发上去。 　　这回沙发承受不了他的体重，全散了架了。 　　哈利此时有成千上万个问题要问。 　　"最后，我想问，'那个人'到底怎么样了？" 　　"问得好，哈利。他消失了，他消失的那天晚上又试图杀你，这使得你更为出名。最大的谜就是……他变得越来越有威力——为什么他还要离开呢？""有的人说他已经死了。在我看来，他才不会像常人那么轻易地死掉。有的人说他还活着，只是藏起来了，我也不相信。原来在他那边的人回到我们这世界来了。 　　他们中的许多人还做了不少好事。可是很难说如果他回来，他们还会不会继续做好人。""更多人认为他肯定还活着，只不过失去了他的魔力，或者魔力减弱了。因为你身上的某种东西让它们消失的，哈利，那天晚上发生的事情使他没有了魔力——我不知道是什么，也没有人知道——但是一定是你做的。"哈格力热切地又崇拜地看着哈利，可是哈利没有觉得高兴和自豪，相反，他非常肯定一定是弄错了。他是一个巫师？这怎么可能？他一生下来就被达德里欺负，被帕尤妮亚姨妈和维能姨丈虐待，如果他真是巫师，为什么每次他们把他关进柜子的时候，他们没有变成丑陋的癫蛤唤？为什么他能打败世界上最大的恶魔，却总是被达德里像足球一样跟来踢去呢？ 　　"哈格力。"他冷静地说，"我想你是弄错了，我不可能是一个巫师。"出乎他意料的是，哈格力笑了。 　　"不是一个巫师？因为你害怕或生气的时候什么事情也没有发生？"哈利盯着火炉出神。这时他想到了每件令他姨丈和姨妈发脾气的奇怪的事情。 　　他总是使得达德里和他那帮朋友垂头丧气……因为他们在追他的时候总是追不上他……他因为自己那可笑秃头而不敢去上学校时，他的头发又奇迹般地长回来了…… 　　最近一次达德里打他的时候，他不是报复了吗，只是他没真正意识到而已，他不是让那只巴西蟒蛇去代他报了仇吗？ 　　哈利转过脸去笑看着哈格力，发现哈格力也正在笑看着他。 　　"明白了吧？"哈格力说，"哈利·波特怎么可能是一个巫师——你等着，你马上就会在霍格瓦彻出名的。"维能姨丈还想作最后的抗争。 　　"我没告诉过你他是不会去的吗？"他说，"他马上就要去斯德伍中学念书了，他会为此心存感激的。我读过那些信了，他需要的都是一些垃圾——咒语书，魔法棍和——""如果他想去的话，像你这样的马格人是无法阻止他的。"哈格力咆哮着，"你想阻止莉莉和杰姆斯的儿子去霍格瓦彻！你这个疯子。他一出生他的名字就众人皆知了，他将会在世界上最好的魔法学校深造，七年后他就会认不出自己了。他会和他年龄相当的年轻人呆在一起，他会在霍格瓦彻有史以来最好的校长丹伯多手下做事……""我可不想花钱让一些老混蛋教他怎么变魔术！"维能姨丈大叫。 　　他显然是做得太过分了。哈格力抓住他的伞在他头上转了几圈。"听着，"他厉声说，"千万不要在我的面前侮辱丹伯多！"接着哈格力又挥舞着他的伞指向了达德里——只见空中划过一道紫色的闪光。 　　只听一声类似鞭炮的巨响，夹杂着一阵尖厉的响声。下一秒只见达德里手舞足蹈起来，手在屁股后面乱抓着。当他把后背转过来时，哈利看见一条猪尾巴从他裤子里钻了出来。 　　维能姨丈发怒了。他把帕尤妮亚姨妈和达德里拖进了另一间房，他恨恨地看了哈格力一眼就进房砰地一声把门关上了。 　　哈格力低头看着他的伞，一边摸着自己的胡子。 　　"我不应该乱发脾气的。"他后悔地说，"但是不这样他们也不知道教训。我本来想把他变成一只猪的。但是转念一想他本来已经长得够像猪的了，所以才只给他安了一条猪尾巴。"他用他那浓得如同灌木丛一般的眉毛下的眼睛膘了哈利一眼。 　　"如果你不把这件事告诉霍格瓦彻的任何人的话，我会很感激你的。"他说，"严格说来，我不应该施魔法的，我只有在你施了魔法之后才能跟着你施魔法的。 　　我的工作只是把信给你。我喜欢我的这项工作的原因之一是——""为什么你不应该施魔法？"哈利问。 　　"实话告诉你，我原本是霍格瓦彻的居民的，可是在我住到第三年的时候，我被赶出去了，他们折断了我的魔法棒。可是丹伯多让我留下来做了看守员。他真是一个好人。""为什么他们要赶你走？" 　　"天色已经很晚了，可我们还有大把事没做呢。"哈格力大声地说，"我们快到镇上去买你的书和其它东西吧。"他褪下他的厚重的黑大衣丢给哈利。 　　"你可以睡在里面，"他说。"如果里面有东西蠕动的话，你千万不要害怕。 　　因为我在我的口袋里放了几只冬眠的睡鼠。" 
Chapter 5 Diagon Alley
Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.“It was a dream, he told himself firmly. “I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard.”There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.Tap. Tap. Tap.“All right,” Harry mumbled, “I'm getting up.”He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.“Don't do that.”Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.“Hagrid!” said Harry loudly. “There's an owl—”“Pay him,” Hagrid grunted into the sofa.“What?”“He wants payin’ fer deliverin’ the paper. Look in the pockets.”Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.“Give him five Knuts,” said Hagrid sleepily.“Knuts?”“The little bronze ones.”Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.“Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an’ buy all yer stuff fer school.”Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.“Um — Hagrid?”“Mm?” said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.“I haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for me to go and learn magic.”“Don't worry about that,” said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. “D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?”“But if their house was destroyed—”“They didn’ keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards’ bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an’ I wouldn’ say no teh a bit o’ yer birthday cake, neither.”“Wizards have banks ?”“Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins.”Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.“Goblins ?”“Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an’ rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — ‘cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o’ fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business.” Hagrid drew himself up proudly. “He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin’ you — gettin’ things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see.”“Got everythin'? Come on, then.”Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.“How did you get here?” Harry asked, looking around for another boat.“Flew,” said Hagrid.“Flew ?”“Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh.”They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.“Seems a shame ter row, though,” said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. “If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin’ it at Hogwarts?”“Of course not,” said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.“Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?” Harry asked.“Spells — enchantments,” said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. “They say there's dragons guardin’ the high security vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin’ ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat.”Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.“Ministry o’ Magic messin’ things up as usual,” Hagrid muttered, turning the page.“There's a Ministry of Magic?” Harry asked, before he could stop himself.“'Course,” said Hagrid. “They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o’ course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin’ fer advice.”“But what does a Ministry of Magic do ?”“Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an’ wizards up an’ down the country.”“Why?”“Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin’ magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone.”At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, “See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?”“Hagrid,” said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, “did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?”“Well, so they say,” said Hagrid. “Crikey, I'd like a dragon.”“You'd like one?”“Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go.”They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes’ time. Hagrid, who didn't understand “Muggle money,” as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.“Still got yer letter, Harry?” he asked as he counted stitches.Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.“Good,” said Hagrid. “There's a list there of everything yeh need.”Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:HOGWARTS SCHOOL o f WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRYUNIFORMFirst-year students will require:1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tagsCOURSE BOOKSAll students should have a copy of each of the following:The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda GoshawkA History of Magic by Bathilda BagshotMagical Theory by Adalbert WafflingA Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric SwitchOne Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida SporeMagical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius JiggerFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt ScamanderThe Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin TrimbleOTHER EQUIPMENT1 wand1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)1 set of glass or crystal phials1 telescope set1 brass scalesStudents may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toadPARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS“Can we buy all this in London?” Harry wondered aloud.“If yeh know where to go,” said Hagrid.Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.“I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic,” he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.“This is it,” said Hagrid, coming to a halt, “the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place.”It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, “The usual, Hagrid?”“Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business,” said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.“Good Lord,” said the bartender, peering at Harry, “is this — can this be — ?”The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.“Bless my soul,” whispered the old bartender, “Harry Potter… what an honor.”He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.“Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back.”Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.“Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last.”“So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud.”“Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter.”“Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle.”“I've seen you before!” said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. “You bowed to me once in a shop.”“He remembers!” cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. “Did you hear that? He remembers me!” Harry shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.“Professor Quirrell!” said Hagrid. “Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts.”“P-P-Potter,” stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, “c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you.”“What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?”“D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts,” muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. “N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?” He laughed nervously. “You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself.” He looked terrified at the very thought.But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.“Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Harry.”Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.Hagrid grinned at Harry.“Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin’ ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'.”“Is he always that nervous?”“Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin’ outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o’ trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?”Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.“Three up… two across… ” he muttered. “Right, stand back, Harry.”He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.“Welcome,” said Hagrid, “to Diagon Alley.”He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.“Yeah, you'll be needin’ one,” said Hagrid, “but we gotta get yer money first.”Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, “Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…”A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. “Look,” Harry heard one of them say, “the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever — ” There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels’ eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…“Gringotts,” said Hagrid.They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was —“Yeah, that's a goblin,” said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:Enter, stranger, but take heedOf what awaits the sin of greed,For those who take, but do not earn,Must pay most dearly in their turn.So if you seek beneath our floorsA treasure that was never yours,Thief, you have been warned, bewareOf finding more than treasure there.“Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an’ rob it,” said Hagrid.A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.“Morning,” said Hagrid to a free goblin. “We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe.”“You have his key, sir?”“Got it here somewhere,” said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.“Got it,” said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.The goblin looked at it closely.“That seems to be in order.”“An’ I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore,” said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. “It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen.”The goblin read the letter carefully.“Very well,” he said, handing it back to Hagrid, “I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!”Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.“What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?” Harry asked.“Can't tell yeh that,” said Hagrid mysteriously. “Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that.”Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off.At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.“I never know,” Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, “what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?”“Stalagmite's got an ‘m’ in it,” said Hagrid. “An’ don’ ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick.”He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.“All yours,” smiled Hagrid.All Harry's — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.“The gold ones are Galleons,” he explained. “Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o’ terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh.” He turned to Griphook. “Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?”“One speed only,” said Griphook.They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.“Stand back,” said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.“If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there,” said Griphook.“How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?” Harry asked.“About once every ten years,” said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.“Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut,” said Hagrid.One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had.“Might as well get yer uniform,” said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. “Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts.” He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.“Hogwarts, dear?” she said, when Harry started to speak. “Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact.”In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.“Hello,” said the boy, “Hogwarts, too?”“Yes,” said Harry.“My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands,” said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. “Then I'm going to drag them off to took at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow.”Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.“Have you got your own broom?” the boy went on.“No,” said Harry.“Play Quidditch at all?”“No,” Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.“I do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?”“No,” said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.“Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?”“Mmm,” said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.“I say, look at that man!” said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.“That's Hagrid,” said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. “He works at Hogwarts.”“Oh,” said the boy, “I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?”“He's the gamekeeper,” said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.“Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed.”“I think he's brilliant,” said Harry coldly.“Do you?” said the boy, with a slight sneer. “Why is he with you? Where are your parents?”“They're dead,” said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.“Oh, sorry,” said the other, not sounding sorry at all. “But they were our kind, weren't they?”“They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean.”“I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?”But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, “That's you done, my dear,” and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.“Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose,” said the drawling boy.Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).“What's up?” said Hagrid.“Nothing,” Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, “Hagrid, what's Quidditch?”“Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin’ how little yeh know — not knowin’ about Quidditch!”“Don't make me feel worse,” said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.“— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in—”“Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were — he's grown up knowin’ yer name if his parents are wizardin’ folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o’ the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in ‘em in a long line o’ Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!”“So what is Quidditch?”“It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like soccer in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules.”“And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?”“School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o’ duffers, but—”“I bet I'm in Hufflepuff,” said Harry gloomily.“Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin,” said Hagrid darkly. “There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one.”“Vol-, sorry — You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?”“Years an’ years ago,” said Hagrid.They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.“I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.”“I'm not sayin’ that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances,” said Hagrid. “An’ anyway, yeh couldn’ work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level.”Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.“Just yer wand left — A yeah, an’ I still haven't got yeh a birthday present.”Harry felt himself go red.“You don't have to—”“I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at — an’ I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an’ everythin'.”Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.“Don’ mention it,” said Hagrid gruffly. “Don’ expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand.”A magic wand… this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.“Good afternoon,” said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.“Hello,” said Harry awkwardly.“Ah yes,” said the man. “Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter.” It wasn't a question. “You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.”Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.“Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course.”Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.“And that's where…”Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.“I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it,” he said softly. “Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…”He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.“Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?”“It was, sir, yes,” said Hagrid.“Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?” said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.“Er — yes, they did, yes,” said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. “I've still got the pieces, though,” he added brightly.“But you don't use them?” said Mr. Ollivander sharply.“Oh, no, sir,” said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.“Hmmm,” said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. “Well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see.” He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. “Which is your wand arm?”“Er — well, I'm right-handed,” said Harry.“Hold out your arm. That's it.” He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, “Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand.”Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.“That will do,” he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. “Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave.”Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.“Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try—”Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.“No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out.”Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.“Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.”Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, “Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…”He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, “Curious… curious…“Sorry,” said Harry, “but what's curious?”Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.“I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar.”Harry swallowed.“Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great.”Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.“Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves,” he said.He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.“You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet,” said Hagrid.Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.“Everyone thinks I'm special,” he said at last. “All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my parents died.”Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.“Don’ you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an’ that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, ‘smatter of fact.”Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.“Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, ” he said. “First o’ September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me… See yeh soon, Harry.”The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.哈刮第二天早上很早就醒来了，虽然他能感觉到已是天亮了，却仍然把眼睛闭得紧紧的。 　　"那是个梦，"他非常确定地对自己说，"我梦见了一个名叫哈格力的巨人，他告诉我我将进入一所学校学习魔法，当我睁开眼的时候，我便会呆在家中的橱柜里了。"突然，有一阵很响的敲击声。 　　"那是帕尤妮亚姨妈在敲门了。"哈利想。他的心在下沉，但是他仍然紧闭双眼，因为那实在是个太美妙的梦了。 　　啪、啪、啪。 　　"好了，"哈利咕哝着，"我就起来了。" 　　他坐起来，哈格力的大外套从他身上滑落下来。小屋子里立刻充满了阳光，暴风雨已经过去，哈格力自己在一张折叠式的沙发上睡着了，一只猫头鹰用爪子拍打着窗户，嘴里还叨着一份报纸。 　　哈利慢慢爬起来。他感到非常开心，就好像有一只大气球在他体内膨胀似的。 　　他径直走到窗户前面，猛地推开它，窗外那只猫头鹰便扑了进来，把报纸放在了熟睡的哈格力的头上，然后它振动着翅膀，停在地板上，开始啄哈格力的外衣。 　　"不许这样。" 　　哈利尽全力想把猫头鹰赶走，但是猫头鹰粗暴疯狂的用它的尖嘴啄哈利，并且不断地啄着那件外套。 　　"哈格力，"哈利大声叫喊，"这儿有只猫头鹰……""付钱给他。"哈格力在沙发里咕嗜着。 　　"什么？" 　　"他为我们送了报纸所以要拿报酬，看看口袋里。"哈格力外套上几乎全是口袋，但是口袋里——成串的钥匙、金属球、一团团丝线、薄荷糖、荣袋……最后哈利掏出一枚形状怪异的硬币。 　　"给他五克拉。"哈格力睡眠惺松地说。 　　"克拉？" 　"那种青铜色的小硬币。" 　　哈利数出五个小青铜硬币，猫头鹰伸出爪子接住并把硬币放到绑在它身上的羽毛做的小钱袋里，然后就从打开的窗户飞走了。 　　哈格力打了个阿欠，坐起来伸了伸懒腰。 　　"快点准备好，哈利。今天有很多事要做，我们得去伦敦，为你上学买点东西。"哈利摆弄着那些魔术硬币，仔细研究着，他刚刚想到一些事使他觉得体内的那些快乐的气球突然被扎破了。 　　"呃……哈格力？" 　　"嗯？"哈格力应道，他正忙着穿他那只巨大的鞋子。 　　"我一分钱也没有——昨晚你是听到了——维能姨丈他不愿拿钱供我去学法术。""不用担心，"哈格力说，他站起来，抓抓脑袋，"你真的以为你爸妈一点东西都没留给你吗？""但是如果他们的房子都被毁了的话——" 　　"孩子，他们没有把金子放在房子里！现在，我们的第一站就是——魔法师的银行。""魔法师们也有银行？" 　　"只有一家，由恶魔们来经营。" 　"恶魔？" 　　"是的——我得告诉你如果你试着去抢劫它那你一定是疯了。 　　千万别干预那些恶魔，哈利。无论你想保存什么东西，魔法师银行无疑是世界上最安全的地方——也许除了霍格瓦彻。事实上，我们马上就要去，为了丹伯多和霍格瓦彻的任务。"哈格力非常骄傲地站起身。 　　"东西都带齐了吗？跟我来。" 　哈利跟着哈格力出去，来到海边的岩石上，天空十分晴朗，万里无云，海水在阳光下闪着鳞鳞的波光。维能姨丈雇用的小船仍旧停在那里，在船舱的底部还有许多暴雨过后留下的积水。 　　"你是怎么到这儿来的。"哈利一边问道，一边四处张望寻找另一只船。 　　"飞来的。"哈格力答道。 　　"飞？" 　　"是的——不过我们现在得坐船回去，别指望我带着你一起飞。"他们走到船上坐下来准备启航。哈利一直盯着哈格力，琢磨着他飞翔的模样。 　　"不过，划船划得这么慢，还真是让人觉得羞耻。"哈格力说，并向哈利展示了他的另一面，"如果我让这只船的速度稍稍加快一点，你到了霍格瓦彻不会提起吧？""当然不会。"哈利立马答道，他渴望能看见更多的法术。哈格力再一次拿出那把粉红色的雨伞，在船的一侧轻轻敲了两下，船立刻像箭一样飞速驰离陆地。 　　"你为什么会说疯子去打劫恶魔银行？"哈利不解地问。 　　"因为……"哈格力一边说，一边摊开了他的报纸，"他们说有许多龙在看守着那些保险金库，而且你得找出逃跑路线——恶魔银行在格林高斯城下几英里的地方，很深很深的地底下，即使你得手了，在你想方设法出来的时候也会被饿死的。"哈利坐在一边思考这个问题，而哈格力在读他的报纸《先知日报》，哈利从他姨丈那儿知道当人们遇到问题时就会一个人呆在一边，但这的确太困难了，从他出生到现在还从没遇到过这么多的问题。 　　"魔法大臣还是像往常一样将事情搞得一团糟。"哈格力抱怨着，翻开报纸的另一页。 　　"还有魔法大臣？"哈格力脱口而出。 　　"当然了。"哈格力说："他们曾想让丹伯多做魔法大臣，当然，丹伯多从不愿意离开霍格瓦彻，所以没接这项工作，那是个笨手笨脚的家伙，他每天早上都会带着猫头鹰来向丹伯多请教。""但是魔法大臣是做什么的？" 　　"他们的主要职责就是让魔法远离马格人。" 　　"为什么？" 　　"为什么？啊呀，哈利，每个人都想拥有魔法去解决问题呀。"正在这时，小船轻轻地撞上了港口的岸墙，哈格力折起报纸，两人一起登上石阶走进了街道。 　　当他们经过小镇去车站的时候，许多的路人都盯着哈格力看，哈利不怪他们，是因为哈格力是常人的两倍高，而且他总是不停地指着那些极平常的东西——比方说停车计时表，然后大声的说，"看那，哈利，马格人真是异想天开。""哈格力，"哈利气喘吁吁地跑着跟上哈格力，问道："你曾说在恶魔银行有龙，是吗？""他们是这样说的。唉，我都想要一条龙。"哈格力说。 　　"你想要一条龙？" 　　"当我还是小孩子的时候就非常想了——这边走。"他们到达了火车站，五分钟之后就有一班去伦敦的火车。还不懂什么是所谓的马格人钱的哈格力把钱给了哈利，让他去买火车票。 　　火车上更多的人看着哈格力。他一个人就占了两个位子，正坐着编织一种看上去像马戏团帐篷的浅黄色东西。 　　"信还在吗，哈利？"哈格力一边问一边数着他所缝的针数。 　　哈利从口袋里掏出羊皮纸信封。 　　"太好了！"哈格力说，"里面有一张单已经列出了你所需要的东西。"哈利打开前一天晚上他没注意到的第二页纸，读了起来：霍格瓦彻麾法师学校：校服：第一年的新生需要：1.三套简单素色的法衣（黑色）；2.一项朴素的尖项帽（黑色），白天戴；3.一双安全防御手套；4.一件冬天的斗篷（黑色并带有银色的系带）。 　　请注意：所有学生的衣服必须就带有姓名的标签。 　书本：所有的学生都要有下面所列的每一本书。 　《咒语标准》（第一册）米拉达。郭沙克著《魔法历史》巴西尔达。白沙特著《魔法原理》阿达伯特。沃夫林著《初学者变形术入门指导》埃默里克。斯维奇著《一千种魔法植物和菌类》菲里达。斯波尔著《魔法图和魔法药方》阿森尼斯。吉格著《神奇野兽及如何找到它们》纽特。斯卡门德著《黑暗的力量——自我保护指引》昆汀。钱伯尔著其他器具：一根魔法棒，一口大锅（白蜡制品，2号大小） 　　一套玻璃瓶或水晶瓶一副望远镜一架黄铜制的天平学生们也可带一只猫头鹰，一只猫或者一只癞蛤蟆。 　　父母们必须注意第一年的新生是不允许拥有自己的扫帚的。 　　"我们能在伦敦买到所有的这些东西吗？"哈利有点担心。 　　"只要你知道哪儿有这些东西就行了。"哈格力说。 　　哈利以前从未去过伦敦，而哈格力虽然看上去好像知道要去哪，但很明显他很不习惯通过这种极普通的方式去那里。他在地铁的检票处被卡住了，还大声地抱怨座位太小、火车太慢。 　　"我真不明白没有魔法这些马格人如何生活。"他说，此刻他们正在很吃力的爬一座坏了的升降梯，这座升降梯一直通向拥有许多店铺的十分喧闹繁华的街。 　　哈格力的身材如此巨大以致于很容易挤开拥挤的人群，而哈利所要做的就是跟在哈格力的身后，他们路过书店、音乐店、汉堡包店和电影院，但似乎没有一个地方看上去可以卖一根魔法手杖给哈利，这仅仅是一条挤满了普通人的十分平常的街而已。那成堆的魔法金币真的可能会理在这地底下吗？真的有店卖咒语书和魔法扫帚吗？这不会是杜斯利所想出的一个大笑话吧？如果不是哈利知道杜斯利缺乏幽默感的话，他也许真的会这么想，但是，尽管哈格力告诉他的一切是如此的令人难以置信，哈利还是不由自主的相信他。 　　"这就是了。"哈格力说着，直向一个小站走过去，'易漏的大锅'。一个非常有名的地方。 　　其实它是个很小而又肮脏的酒吧。如果不是哈格力指出来，哈利压根儿没注意到它，行色匆匆的人们一眼也没瞧这家小店，他们的目光从街一边的大书店滑到另一边的唱片店，都好像根本看不见"易漏的大锅"似的，事实上，哈利很奇怪地感觉到只有他和哈格力能看见它，但在他提起这之前，哈格力已经拉着他进去了。 　　作为一个很有名的地方，里面实在很昏暗又破旧。九个老年妇女坐在角落里，喝着小杯的雪莉酒。其中的一个正在吸长管烟，一个带着高高帽子的年青男子正在同老酒保聊天。老酒保的头顶光秃秃的，好像一颗肿胀的核桃。当他们俩走进去的时候，闲谈的嗡嗡声立刻停止了，好像每个人都认出哈格力。他们冲着他挥手微笑，那老酒保伸手拿出个玻璃杯，说道："跟以往一样吗，哈格力？""不行，汤姆，我有正事要做。"哈格力说着就用他的大手拍了拍哈利的肩，使他的膝盖都弯曲了。 　　"上帝啊！"酒保盯着哈利，"这是——，难道说是——？"整个"易漏的大锅"突然一下子静了下来。 　　"上帝保佑，"老酒保小声地说，"哈利·波特！真是太高兴了！"他匆匆地从吧台后走出来，冲向哈利，紧紧抓住他的手，眼里满含着泪水。 　　"欢迎回来，哈利·波特，欢迎回来！" 　　哈利不知道说什么才好，每个人都在看着他，那个拿着烟斗的老妇人还在不断地吸烟却没有意识到火已经灭了。哈格力一直站在一旁微笑着。 　　一阵椅子划过地板的声音之后，哈利发现自己正在和"易漏的大锅"里的每一个人握手。 　　"波特先生，我叫罗里斯。克劳福特，不敢相信最终会在这儿遇见您。""太荣幸了，波特先生，见到你我真是感到无比自豪。""一直想和您握手——我都有点手足无措了。""波特先生，见到您我真是有说不出的高兴，我的名字叫迪达拉斯。迪格尔。""我以前见过你！"当迪达拉斯。迪格尔的高帽子由于激动兴奋而掉下来的时候，哈利说道，"你曾经在一家店里向我鞠过躬。""他还记得。"迪达拉斯。迪格尔冲着每个人大叫："你们听见了吗？他还记得我！"哈利不断地和这些人握手——多里斯。克劳福特老是跑回来想多握几次手。 　　一个虚弱的青年男子艰难地向这边走过来，他看上去十分紧张。他的一只眼睛在抽搐着。 　　"这是屈拉教授，哈利，"哈格力说，"屈拉教授将是你在霍格瓦彻学习时的老师。""波——波——波特，"屈拉教授有点口吃，他抓住哈利的手，"无——无法告——告诉你见到你我是多——多么地高——高兴。""您在学校里教哪种魔法呢，屈拉教授？" 　　"防黑巫术课，"屈拉教授说得十分小声，好像他宁愿没提起这回事，"找不到你想要的东西吗？波——波特。"他很紧张地笑了起来。"我猜你将准备好所有需要的工具了。我自己已经买到一本有关吸血鬼的新书。"他说到这点的时候看上去很可怕。 　　但是其他人是不会让屈拉教授占有哈利很长时间的。哈利花了差不多十分钟的时间才摆脱这些人。最后，哈格力设法使自己的声音能很清楚地被大家听到。 　　"我们得继续赶路了——还有许多东西要买，哈利，快点过来。"多里斯。克劳福特最后的一秒钟又和哈利握了握手，哈格力带路走出了酒吧，进到了一个围墙围起来的小院子，在这里面除了一堆垃圾和几丛野草之外什么也没有。 　　哈格力冲着哈利露齿一笑。 　　"我没告诉你吗？你很有名气的，就连屈拉教授见到你都会发抖，尽管他是经常发抖。""他总是那么紧张吗？" 　　"哦，是的，可怜的家伙，他很聪明，当他在学校里学习魔法的时候是非常优秀的，然后他花了一年时间出去积累亲身经验，他们说他在黑森林里遇见了吸血鬼们和一个非常危险难缠的老巫婆——从此以后一切就变样了——他开始害怕学生们，对自己的课题也感到惊恐——我的伞在哪？""吸血鬼？老巫婆？"哈利的脑海中浮现出这些情景，而哈格力却坐在垃圾堆上数着墙上的结块。 　　"向上三块……横移三块……"他小声咕哝着，"对了，向后站，哈利。"他用伞尖对着墙壁敲了三次。 　　他触到的那块砖开始振动——中间部分在剧烈的蠕动着，一个小洞出现了——越变越大——一秒钟之后一个大到足以让哈格力穿过的拱门就摆在了他们面前。这座拱门通向一条由鹅卵石铺成的街道，这条街道弯弯曲曲地向前延伸直到看不见为止。 　　"欢迎来到戴阿宫道。"哈格力说。 　　哈利见此情景已经惊讶到说不出话，哈格力冲他露齿一笑，两人便一起跨入拱门，哈利迅速扭过头，看见身后的那座拱门已经又变成一面坚实的墙。 　　阳光明亮地照在最近的一家店外的成堆的大锅上。上面挂着一幅招牌，写道：大锅——各种尺寸的——铜的、黄铜的、白蜡的。 　　银的——自动——折叠式。 　　"啊哈，你得买一个大锅，但我们首先得拿到你的钱。"哈利真希望自己多长八只眼睛。当他们走在街道上时，他的头不停的向四处转动，想把所有的东西一下子尽收眼底，店铺、铺子外面的东西，以及那些在购物的人们，一个非常丰满的妇女站在药房外，使劲晃动地的脑袋，大声叫卖："蜥蜴肝脏，每盎司十七镰刀币……"一个低沉，柔和的袅叫声从一间昏暗的店铺里传来，那店铺的招牌上写着：猫头鹰出租中心——黄褐色的、红褐色的、全棕色的、棕褐毛的、雪白的，许多年纪与哈利相仿的男孩子把他们的鼻子紧紧压在橱窗上，窗户里面是他们梦寐以求的魔法扫帚。"看哪！"哈利听到其中一个在说："新的'灵光2000'——是最快的。"还有许多店铺卖法衣、望远镜以及哈利以前从未见过的奇怪的银具，橱窗里还堆积着一桶桶的蝙蝠脾脏和鳗鱼眼睛，摇摇欲坠的成堆的咒语书，一卷卷的羊皮纸、药瓶、以及各种各样的球状物。 　　"这就是格林高斯！"哈格力说。 　　他们到了一座雪白色的建筑物前面，这座房子比周围的小店要高出许多。站在泛着光泽的青铜色大门的旁边穿着深红色和金黄色制服的就是——"啊，那就是恶魔了。"哈格力轻声的说，同时跨上白色的石阶向恶魔走过去。那个恶魔大约比哈利矮一个头，他有一张黑黝黝的机灵的面庞，尖尖的胡须，而且哈利注意到他的手指和脚十分长。 　　当他们走进去的时候，恶魔向他们鞠了一躬。现在他们面对着第二扇门了，银色的，上面还刻了一些字：请进，陌生人，但请留心贪婪的后果。 　　对于那些只知索取，不懂付出的人，一定会得到最严厉的报应。 　　所以如果你是来寻找藏在地底下的而不属于你的财富。 　　窃贼，那么你得当心找到比财宝更多的东西。 　"就像我所说的，如果你试着去抢劫它，那真是发疯了。"哈格力说。 　　当他们穿过银门时又有两位恶魔向他们鞠躬。接下来他们就到了一座全部由大理石铺成的大厅，里面大约有一百多个恶魔坐在柜台后面的高脚凳上，潦草地登记帐本、用黄铜天平称硬币重量，通过放大镜仔细研究那些珍贵的石头。通往这一大厅的门多得数不过来，但有更多的恶魔带领人们出入这些门，哈格力和哈利直向柜台走过去。 　　"早上好。"哈格力对一个没事做的恶魔说："我们来从哈利·波特的保险箱里取点钱。""你有钥匙吗？先生？" 　　"就在这的什么地方，"哈格力说着开始把口袋里的东西掏到柜台上，一把把发霉的狗饼干散在恶魔的帐本上，恶魔们连忙捂起鼻子。哈利看到在他们右手边的恶魔们正在称量一堆有炽热的煤炭那么大的红宝石。 　　"这就是了。"哈格力终于找到了那把金色的小钥匙。 　恶魔仔细地看了看钥匙。 　　"好像符合要求。" 　　"我还带来了一封丹伯多教授的信来，"哈格力神气十足地随口说道："是有关于在713号金库里的那个东西。"恶魔仔细地把信看了一遍。 　　"很好。"说着他把信还给了哈格力，"我会派人带你去这两个仓库的。格里霍克！"格里霍克是另一个恶魔，哈格力一次性地把所有的狗饼干又塞回到他的口袋里，然后与哈利一起跟着格里霍克从门口走出。 　　"713号金库里的那个东西到底是什么呀？"哈利问道。 　　"不能告诉你，"哈格力神秘地说："这事得十分保密才行。丹伯多信任我，告诉你就超出了我的职权范围。"格里霍克他们开了门。哈利十分惊讶，他原以为可以看到更多的大理石，但现在他们却身处一条由燃烧着的火把照明的狭窄的石头通道里。这里的通道十分陡峭地向下延伸，地上有些很小的铁路轨道。格里霍克吹了一声口哨，一辆小车便沿着轨道向他们驶来。 　　他们爬上去——哈利显得有些吃力——然后车便开动了。 　　一开始，他们只是穿过一些弯弯曲曲的迷宫似的通道，哈利想尽力记住，转左、转右、转右、转左、交叉，再转右、再转右，但这几乎是不可能的，飞速行驶的小车似乎知道他自己的路似的，因为格里霍克根本没有驾驶它。 　　冷空气呼呼地吹过，刺痛了哈利的眼睛，但他还是尽力睁开眼。有一次，他认为他看见了一团火在小路的尽头就转过去看看是否是一条龙，但是太迟了。他们向更深处驶来，超过了一座地下湖，那里巨大的钟乳石和石笋从天花板上地底下冒出来。 　　"我从不知道钟乳石和石笋有什么不同？"哈利大声地说道，声音盖过了小车发出的噪声。 　　"钟乳石这个单词有个'm '在里面。"哈格力说，"不要问我问题了，我想我是病了。"看上去确实脸色发青。当小车在一扇小门边停下来的时候，哈格力走出来，不得不靠住墙使自己的膝盖停止颤抖。 　　格里霍克打开锁，一阵绿色的烟雾翻滚出来，当它散开之后，哈利已经有点喘不过气来了。房子里面是成堆的金币，一片银币以及大量的青铜币。 　　"全部都是你的了。"哈格力笑着说道。 　　全部都是哈利的——简直无法相信，杜斯利不可能知道这些，否则他们在一眨间的功夫里就把这些从他那里拿走了，他们是不是经常抱怨哈利让他们花了大笔的钱来保存这些财金呢？总之，一直以来就有这么一大笔埋藏在伦敦城下的财富是属于他的。 　　哈格力帮哈利装一些钱到袋子里。 　　"金色的称为帆船币，"他解释道，"17个镰刀币等于一个帆船币，而29个克拉币等于一个镰刀币，简单极了。好了，这些钱来支付两个学期的费用足够了。我们会帮你保存剩下那部分钱的。"他转向格里霍克，"现在请带我们去713号金库，我们能走得再慢点吗？""只有一种速度。"格里霍克说。 　他们继续乘小车往下走，而且速度更快了，当他们呼啸而过一个接一个的拐角时，空气变得越来越冷。他们的小车嘎嘎地越过一座地下山谷，哈利靠向车的一边想看看漆黑的谷底到底有什么东西，但是哈格力拉着他的脖子把他拽了回来。 　　713号金库找不到锁眼。 　　"往后站，"格里霍克很严肃地说，他用一根细长的手指轻轻地敲了一下门就打开了。 　　"除了格里霍克的恶魔之外的任何人如果试着这样做了，他就会被门击中，跌入陷阱里。"格里霍克说。 　　"你们多长时间检查一次是否有人在里面。"哈利问道。 　　"大概十年一次吧。"格里霍克说着，露出一副很狡诈的笑容。 　　哈利确信，一定有什么与众不同的东西隐藏在这间高级密室里，他急切地把身子往前探，盼望着最起码见到一些极好的宝石——虽然在开始他以为这间房是空的。 　　但后来他注意到一个用棕色皮纸包着的肮脏的小包裹躺在地板上，哈格力把它捡了起来收到衣服里去，哈利很想知道包裹里是什么东西，但他也知道还是不问为好。 　　"来吧，回到这可怕的小车上来，在回去的路上不要跟我说话，能把嘴闭上，我会感到好点的。"哈格力说。 　　又一阵狂暴的小车旅程之后，一眨眼功夫他们就站在了格林高斯门外一片阳光灿烂的景象中，一开始哈利都不知道向哪边走，倒并不是说因为他现在拥有～大包的钱，他根本没必要知道多少帆船币等于多少英镑以确定他拥有的比他曾经所拥有的还要多的钱，这些钱也比达德里所有的还要多。 　　"现在也可以买你的衣服了。"哈格力冲着标有"适合各种场合的法衣"字样的服装点了点头，"听着，哈利，如果我离开一会儿去'漏锅'酒吧喝酒，你介不介意？我实在很讨厌那些格林高斯的小车。"他的确看上去脸色很差，好像生病了，所以哈利一个人进了马金夫人的店，有一点点紧张。 　　马金夫人其实是矮胖、和善的女魔法师，一身淡紫色。 　　"亲爱的，是霍格瓦彻学校的吗？"哈利刚要开口说话，马金夫人便说："你会在这里买到很多你需要的东西。事实上，刚刚就有一个青年人在这儿购买学校制服。"在店铺的后面，一个面色苍白的尖脸男孩子站在板凳上，而另一个女魔法师正在缝制他的黑色的长法饱，马金夫人让哈利站到那男孩旁边的板凳上，把一件长法施从他头上套下去，开始把它裁剪到恰当的长度。 　　"嗨！"男孩说道："你也是去霍格瓦彻上学的吗？""是的。"哈利答道。 　　"我爸爸正在隔壁帮我买书而妈妈正在帮我找魔法杖。"男孩说，他的声音显得无精打采，"待会我还要拽着他们去买高速扫帚，找不明白为什么第一年的新生不能拥有他们自己的扫帚，我想，我得设法让爸爸给我买一把扫帚，然后偷偷带去学校。"哈利记起了达德里对他的提醒。 　　"你有自己的扫帚了吗？"男孩继续问道。 　　"没有。"哈利答。 　　"玩过快迪斯没有？" 　　"没有。"哈利很想知道快迪斯是什么东西。 　　"我玩过——爸爸说如果我没被选入飞行队的话，那将是一种耻辱。找得说，我非常同意这种说法，你知道将会住在哪幢房子里吗！""不知道。"哈利此刻感到非常愚蠢。 　　"没关系，每个人都是到了那儿才知道的，不是吗？但我知道我将会待在史林德林，我们全家都曾想着让我住海夫巴夫，我看我得走了，你呢？""哦？"哈利犹豫着，希望他能再说多一点有趣的事情。 　　"我说，看那个人！"男孩突然冲着前窗叫了起来，哈格力站着那里对着哈利露齿而笑，他指指手中两个大冰淇淋表示他没法进去。 　　"那是哈格力。"哈格力说道，他非常高兴因为他终于知道一些那男孩不知道的事了，"他在霍格瓦彻工作。""是吗？"男孩说，"我听说过他，他是一个奴仆，是吗？""他是看守人。"哈利说，他越来越不喜欢这个男孩。 　　"没错
Chapter 6 The Journey From Platform Nine And Three-quarters
Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him — in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic. His school books were very interesting. He lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.“Er — Uncle Vernon?”Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.“Er — I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to — to go to Hogwarts.”Uncle Vernon grunted again.“Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?”Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.“Thank you.”He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.“Funny way to get to a wizards’ school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?”Harry didn't say anything.“Where is this school, anyway?”“I don't know,” said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.“I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock,” he read.His aunt and uncle stared.“Platform what?”“Nine and three-quarters.”“Don't talk rubbish,” said Uncle Vernon. “There is no platform nine and three-quarters.”“It's on my ticket.”“Barking,” said Uncle Vernon, “howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother.”“Why are you going to London?” Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.“Taking Dudley to the hospital,” growled Uncle Vernon. “Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings.”Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes — he'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys’ car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off.They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.“Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine — platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?”He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.“Have a good term,” said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone.He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.“— packed with Muggles, of course—”Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him — and they had an owl.Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.“Now, what's the platform number?” said the boys’ mother.“Nine and three-quarters!” piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, “Mom, can't I go…”“You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first.”What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.“Fred, you next,” the plump woman said.“I'm not Fred, I'm George,” said the boy. “Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?”“Sorry, George, dear.”“Only joking, I am Fred,” said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone — but how had he done it?Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there — and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.There was nothing else for it.“Excuse me,” Harry said to the plump woman.“Hello, dear,” she said. “First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too.”She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.“Yes,” said Harry. “The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to—”“How to get onto the platform?” she said kindly, and Harry nodded.“Not to worry,” she said. “All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron.”“Er — okay,” said Harry.He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble — leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — he wouldn't be able to stop — the cart was out of control — he was a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash —It didn't come… he kept on running… he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts’ Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it.Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, “Gran, I've lost my toad again.”“Oh, Neville,” he heard the old woman sigh.A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.“Give us a look, Lee, go on.”The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.“Want a hand?” It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.“Yes, please,” Harry panted.“Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!”With the twins’ help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.“Thanks,” said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.“What's that?” said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.“Blimey,” said the other twin. “Are you — ?”“He is,” said the first twin. “Aren't you?” he added to Harry.“What?” said Harry.“Harry Potter.” chorused the twins.“Oh, him,” said Harry. “I mean, yes, I am.”The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.“Fred? George? Are you there?”“Coming, Mom.”With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.“Ron, you've got something on your nose.”The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.“Mom — geroff” He wriggled free.“Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?” said one of the twins.“Shut up,” said Ron.“Where's Percy?” said their mother.“He's coming now.”The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.“Can't stay long, Mother,” he said. “I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves—”“Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?” said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. “You should have said something, we had no idea.”“Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it,” said the other twin. “Once—”“Or twice—”“A minute—”“All summer—”“Oh, shut up,” said Percy the Prefect.“How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?” said one of the twins.“Because he's a prefect,” said their mother fondly. “All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there.”She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.“Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — you've blown up a toilet or—”“Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet.”“Great idea though, thanks, Mom.”“It's not funny. And look after Ron.”“Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us.”“Shut up,” said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.“Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?”Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.“You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?”“Who?” “Harry Potter!”Harry heard the little girl's voice.“Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please…”“You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?”“Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there — like lightning.”“Poor dear — no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform.”“Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?”Their mother suddenly became very stern.“I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school.”“All right, keep your hair on.”A whistle sounded.“Hurry up!” their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.“Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls.”“We'll send you a Hogwarts’ toilet seat.”“George!”“Only joking, Mom.”The train began to move. Harry saw the boys’ mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to — but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.“Anyone sitting there?” he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. “Everywhere else is full.”Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.“Hey, Ron.”The twins were back.“Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there.”“Right,” mumbled Ron.“Harry,” said the other twin, “did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then.”“Bye,” said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.“Are you really Harry Potter?” Ron blurted out.Harry nodded.“Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes,” said Ron. “And have you really got — you know…”He pointed at Harry's forehead.Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.“So that's where You-Know-Who — ?”“Yes,” said Harry, “but I can't remember it.”“Nothing?” said Ron eagerly.“Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else.”“Wow,” said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.“Are all your family wizards?” asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.“Er — Yes, I think so,” said Ron. “I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him.”“So you must know loads of magic already.”The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.“I heard you went to live with Muggles,” said Ron. “What are they like?”“Horrible — well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers.”“Five,” said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. “I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat.”Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.“His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff — I mean, I got Scabbers instead.”Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.“… and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort—”Ron gasped.“What?” said Harry.“You said You-Know-Who's name!” said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. “I'd have thought you, of all people—”“I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name,” said Harry, “I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn… I bet,” he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, “I bet I'm the worst in the class.”“You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough.”While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, “Anything off the cart, dears?”Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry — but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.“Hungry, are you?”“Starving,” said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, “She always forgets I don't like corned beef..”“Swap you for one of these,” said Harry, holding up a pasty. “Go on—”“You don't want this, it's all dry,” said Ron. “She hasn't got much time,” he added quickly, “you know, with five of us.”“Go on, have a pasty,” said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).“What are these?” Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. “They're not really frogs, are they?” He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.“No,” said Ron. “But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa.”“What?”“Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy.”Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.“So this is Dumbledore!” said Harry.“Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!” said Ron. “Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks—”Harry turned over his card and read:ALBUS DUMBLEDORECURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTSConsidered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.“He's gone!”“Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day,” said Ron. “He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her… do you want it? You can start collecting.”Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.“Help yourself,” said Harry. “But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos.”“Do they? What, they don't move at all?” Ron sounded amazed. “Weird!”Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.“You want to be careful with those,” Ron warned Harry. “When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once.”Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.“Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts.”They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.“Sorry,” he said, “but have you seen a toad at all?”When they shook their heads, he wailed, “I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!”“He'll turn up,” said Harry.“Yes,” said the boy miserably. “Well, if you see him…”He left.“Don't know why he's so bothered,” said Ron. “If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk.”The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.“He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference,” said Ron in disgust. “I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…”He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.“Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway—”He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one,” she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.“We've already told him we haven't seen it,” said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.“Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then.”She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.“Er — all right.”He cleared his throat.“Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.”He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.“Are you sure that's a real spell?” said the girl. “Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?”She said all this very fast.Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.“I'm Ron Weasley,” Ron muttered.“Harry Potter,” said Harry.“Are you really?” said Hermione. “I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.”“Am I?” said Harry, feeling dazed.“Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me,” said Hermione. “Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon.”And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.“Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it,” said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. “Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud.”“What house are your brothers in?” asked Harry.“Gryffindor,” said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. “Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin.”“That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?”“Yeah,” said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.“You know, I think the ends of Scabbers’ whiskers are a bit lighter,” said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. “So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?”Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.“Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts,” said Ron. “Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles — someone tried to rob a high security vault.”Harry stared.“Really? What happened to them?”“Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. ‘Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it.”Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying “Voldemort” without worrying.“What's your Quidditch team?” Ron asked.“Er — I don't know any.” Harry confessed.“What!” Ron looked dumbfounded. “Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world — ” And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.“Is it true?” he said. “They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?”“Yes,” said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.“Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle,” said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. “And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.”Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.“Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.”He turned back to Harry. “You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.”He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.“I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,” he said coolly.Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.“I'd be careful if I were you, Potter,” he said slowly. “Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you.”Both Harry and Ron stood up.“Say that again,” Ron said, his face as red as his hair.“Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?” Malfoy sneered.“Unless you get out now,” said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.“But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some.”Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle — Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.“What has been going on?” she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.“I think he's been knocked out,” Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. “No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep.”And so he had.“You've met Malfoy before?”Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.“I've heard of his family,” said Ron darkly. “They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side.” He turned to Hermione. “Can we help you with something?”“You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!”“Scabbers has been fighting, not us,” said Ron, scowling at her. “Would you mind leaving while we change?”“All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors,” said Hermione in a sniffy voice. “And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?”Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.A voice echoed through the train: “We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.”Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: “Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! All right there, Harry?”Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.“C'mon, follow me — any more firs’ years? Mind yer step, now! Firs’ years follow me!”Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.“Yeh'll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,” Hagrid called over his shoulder, “jus’ round this bend here.”There was a loud “Oooooh!”The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.“No more'n four to a boat!” Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.“Everyone in?” shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. “Right then — FORWARD!”And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.“Heads down!” yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.“Oy, you there! Is this your toad?” said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.“Trevor!” cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.“Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?”Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.哈利在杜斯利家的最后一个月并不有趣。的确，达德里因害怕哈利，现在甚至不敢与他同处一室了，而帕尤尼亚姨妈和维能姨丈也不再把哈利锁在壁橱里了，他们也没有强迫哈利干活或者对他呼呼喝喝的。——其实，他们压根儿就没再跟他说过话。他们对哈利是既愤慨又恐惧，因而不得不对他视而不见。尽管这种待遇与之前相比已是大有改善，但过不多久就已经显得十分沉闷了。 　　哈利寸步不离房间，终日与他的猫头鹰朋友的为伴。他给它取名叫海维，这名字是从一本叫《魔法探究》的书里来的。哈利总爱躺在床上，捧着他那些引人入胜的教科书津津有味地看到深夜，而海维则喜欢在打开的窗户上飞进飞出。幸好帕尤尼亚姨妈再没进来打扫，不然她要是发现海维经常将死老鼠叨进屋就麻烦了。每晚临睡前，哈利总要在亲手钉在墙上的那张纸上钩去过去的一天，心中期盼着九月一日早日来临。 　　八月三十一日，哈利觉得最好还是将第二天要去国王大道车站一事告知姨妈、姨丈，便来到客厅里。此时，姨妈一家人正在看电视上的问答游戏。哈利只咳嗽了一声以引起他们的注意，达德里便吓得尖叫着跑开了。 　　"呢……维能姨丈……" 　　维能哼了一声作为回应。 　　"呃……我明天得去国王大道车站——坐车到霍格瓦彻。"维能又哼了一声。 　　"你能开车送我去吗？" 　　又一声哼哼，哈利以为姨丈答应了，"谢谢。"哈利正要上楼回房时，维能这才开腔："坐火车去魔法学院真有意思，难道飞毯都穿洞了吗？"哈利无言以对。 　　"那么，这学校在哪儿呢？""我不知道。"哈利脱口而出，这才意识到自己也不知道学校的地址。他从口袋里拿出哈格力给他的车票，读道："我要在十一点整从九又四分之三站台上车。"姨妈、姨丈面面相觑："什么站台？""九又四分之三。" 　　"别胡扯！根本就没有什么叫做九又四分之三的站台。"维能大声道。 　　"它明明印在我的车票上嘛。" 　"真是瞎说，"维能不以为然，"你真是疯得够可以的了。明天你就知道了，走着瞧吧。行，我们带你去国王大道。要不是我们明天也要去伦敦，我才不会傻到自找麻烦呢。""你们为什么要去伦敦呢？"哈利想尽量保持气氛的融洽。 　　"送达德里去医院！"维能姨丈咆哮道，"就是为了在送他去斯麦尔丁之前除去那该死的尾巴！"哈利第二天一早五点钟就醒了，又兴奋又紧张再难成眠。他起床穿上牛仔裤——他可不想穿着巫师袍走进车站——那袍子是在车上才换的。他再次核对了清单以确认万事俱备，检查了锁着海维的小笼子以确保它的安全，然后便在房间里踱起了方步，就等着杜斯利这一家人睡醒了。两小时后，哈利那又太又沉的皮箱被装上了杜斯利家的车，帕尤尼亚姨妈也说服了达德里，让他坐在哈利旁边。 　　于是，他们出发了。 　　十点半，到了国王大道。维能将哈利的皮箱放在一个小推车上并帮他送进车站。 　　哈利一直觉得姨妈这家人好心得出奇，直到维能姨丈脸带令人作呕的奸笑朝着站台一动不动地站在那里为止。 　　"好了，傻小子，你到了。第九站——第十站台。你的站台应该在中间吧，不过好像还没有动工喔，你说是不是。"当然，他说得一点没错。一个站台上方赫然有一个大大的塑料制的数字"9"旁边站台上方则是"10"，而他们中间，什么都没有。 　　"玩得开心一点喔。"维能说着，脸上露出更为委琐的笑容。接着，他一声不吭地走了，哈利回过头，看着杜斯利一家三口驾车离开，一路上还前仰后合地嘲笑着他，哈利感到非常口干。究竟该做什么呢？他和海维开始引来旁人好奇的目光。 　他拦住了一名路过的警卫，却不敢提及"九又四分之三站台"。 　　那个警卫从没听说霍格瓦彻这地方，所以当哈利甚至说不出这地方大致是在哪个方位时，他开始不耐烦了，认为哈利一定是在装疯卖傻捉弄他。哈利开始感到绝望了。他向警卫询问十一点开出的列车，却被告知根本没有这趟车。最后，那警卫口中骂骂咧咧地走开了，哈利尽力不让自己惊慌失措。列车进出站时间表上方的大钟告诉他，他只剩十分钟去搭上开往霍格瓦彻的列车，但他仍全然不知该如何才能办到。他现在所能做的，就只有手里拎着那几乎重得提不起的皮箱，兜里揣着大把的魔幻钞票，和他那只大猫头鹰朋友一起傻站在站台中央。 　　哈格力一定是忘了告诉他一些一定要做的事，比如说，要敲敲左边第三块砖才能进人戴阿富道。他纳闷是否应该拿出魔杖在第九、十两个站台间的车票箱上敲一敲。 　　正巧，一群人从他身后走过，他听见了些只言片语："——当然，和马格人捆在一起——"哈利转过身，发现刚才说话的是一个肥胖的女人。她正和四个长着火焰般红发的小男孩讲着什么。男孩们每个人都在推着他们前面一个和哈利的皮箱一模一样的箱子，而且他们都有一只猫头鹰。 　　哈利推着小轮车紧跟着他们，心里七上八下。每当他们停下，哈利也跟着停在近得刚好可以听清他们间对话内容的地方。 　　"现在，站台的号码是多少了？"孩子们的母亲问。 　　"九又四分之三！"一个牵着她的手的同样是红头发的女孩尖声说道，"妈，我能不能去……""你还不够年纪。金妮，听话，安静点啊。来，伯希，你先上。"较年长的一个孩于朝着第九、十站台大步走去。哈利瞪大眼睛看着，生怕一眨眼便错过了好戏。就在那男孩刚好走到两个站台的分界线时，一大群游客突然蜂拥地出现在他面前，就在最后一个旅行背包被运走之前，男孩已经消失了。 　　"弗来德，你跟上。"胖女人说。 　　"我不是弗来德，我是乔治。"其中一个男孩说道，"夫人，老实说吧，还说自己是我们的妈妈呢，难道你连我乔治都认不出来？""哦，乔治——对不起！我的心肝宝贝。" 　"我开玩笑罢了，我确实是弗来德。"男孩说着上路了，他的孪生兄弟在身后催促他快点，而他确实很快，一瞬间便消失了，可究竟他是怎么做到的呢？ 　　轮到第三个孩子了。他轻快地朝检票栏走去，快到了，突然间，不见了。 　　"对不起！我想问个问题。"哈利对胖女人说。 　　"哦，你好，可爱的孩子，"她笑着说，"第一次来霍格瓦彻吧？ 　　罗恩也是新来的。"她指指她那剩下的也是最小的儿子。那孩子又高又瘦又弱，长长的鼻子两旁的面颊长满雀斑，手掌和脚掌都很粗大。 　　"没错，我第一次来这儿。这……我……我不知道怎样……""怎样到站台上去？"她和蔼地问道。哈利点点头。 　　"别担心，你只要径朝第九、十站台的中间的检票栏走过去就行了，别停下来也别怕会撞上它。这点很重要。如果你感到紧张的话，最好小跑过去。好，你先去吧，罗恩会跟着你去的。""嗯，——好吧。" 　　哈利将他的手推车掉转头来，眼睛瞪着检票栏，它看上去是那样牢不可破。 　　他开始向它走去。走向第九站台和第十站台的人群推挤着他。 　　他走得更快了。他把车票箱撞得粉碎，接着才是最棘手的一关——他将身体前倾，几乎倚在了手推车上，飞快地跑了起来——检票栏越来越近了，他已经不能停住脚步了，小车也已失控，只有咫尺之遥了，他闭上了眼睛就要撞上了…… 　　他什么也没碰到……他仍在飞跑着……他慢慢睁开眼睛…… 　　一辆鲜红的蒸汽机车正在一个人山人海的站台静待启程。车头正中一块标志鲜明地写着"霍格瓦彻号特快列车，十一点正发车"几个大字。哈利回过头去，发现原本放置车票箱的位置，现在是一个铁栏门，上面标着"九又四分之三站台"，他成功了！ 　　蒸汽机车喷出的汽雾在谈天说地的人群的头上聚集起来，而各色的猫儿在人们的脚旁鞋边转来转去。猫头鹰们则以一种令人不快的方式相互叫嚣着。它们的叫声压过了人们拖、拉、拍、敲沉重的皮箱时发出的噪音。 　　头几节车箱里早已挤满学生。车里的学生有的从窗子里探出头来和亲人们攀谈，有的还在为抢座位而打作一团。哈利推着小车走下站台，目光搜索着空位子。他经过一个圆脸小男孩时，正巧听到他在说："奶奶，我的癞蛤蟆又不见了。""噢，尼维尔。"一个老妇人在叹息。 　　一个扎着发给的男孩被一小堆人围着。 　　"李，给我们看看嘛。" 　　那男孩掀起手中一个盒子的盖子，从里面伸出一条毛茸茸的长脚。旁观者见状，不禁尖叫起来。 　　哈利继续在拥挤的人群中艰难前行，他在列车尾部终于找到了一个没人的包厢。 　　他先将海维放了进去，然后拖着他那沉重的大皮箱朝车门走去。他使尽全力想将皮箱提上车门梯，但他甚至连箱子的一端都抬不起，他的脚还被皮箱重重地砸了两次。 　　"要帮忙吗？"说话的是带领哈利穿越车票箱的红发孪生兄弟中的一个。 　　"噢，是的。"哈利此时已经气喘吁吁了。 　　"哎，弗来德，快来帮忙啊片在这兄弟俩的帮助下，哈利的大皮箱终于被拽上了车，安置在包厢的一角。 　　"真太谢谢了。"哈利边说边用手拂开挡在眼睛前湿透了的头发。 　　"那是什么？"两兄弟中的一个突然指着哈利一块发亮的伤痕问道。 　　"啊呀，"另一个叫道，"难道你是……？" 　　"没错，"第一个抢着说，"不是吗？" 　　"什么呀？"哈利十分纳闷。 　　"哈利·波特呀。"两兄弟异口同声道。 　　"噢，他呀，"哈利说，"我意思是我就是。" 　　两个孩子呆呆地盯着他看，哈利觉得自己的脸正在变红。然而，令他稍感宽慰的是，一个声音这时从打开着的车门外传进来。 　　"弗来德，乔治，你们都在这儿吗？" 　　"来了，妈妈。" 　　再最后打量了哈利一眼，兄弟俩跳下了火车。 　　哈利坐在紧靠车窗的位置上，看着站台上的红发家族，听着他们的话语，他们的母亲掏出手帕来。 　　"罗恩，你的鼻子脏了。" 　　小男孩想跑开，却被他妈妈一把抓住，妈妈用心地为他拭去鼻梢的尘土。 　　"妈，放开我，"他努力挣脱了。 　　"啊哈，整洁的罗恩鼻子上有点脏东西喔。"孪生兄弟中的一个说道。 　　"住嘴！"罗恩气极了。 　　"伯希呢？"妈妈关切地问。 　　"正走过来呢。" 　　兄弟中最大的一个正大跨步地走来。他已经换上了膨起的黑色霍格瓦彻长袍。 　　哈利还注意到他胸前那个有字母"P "的闪亮的银徽章。 　　"妈，此地不能久留。"他说，"那些学生的班长已经为他们自己预留了两个包厢了……""噢，你不也是个班长吗，伯希？"孪生兄弟中的一个问道，脸上一副非常惊讶的表情，"你本应说些什么的。""等会，我记得他曾经说过什么的。"另一个孪生兄弟说，"说过一次——""或是两次——" 　　"仅一分钟——" 　　"整个夏季——" 　　"噢，闭嘴！"班长伯希大声叫道。 　　"伯希这身新袍是怎么来的？" 　　"因为他是个班长啊，"母亲高兴地说，"好了，旅途愉快！到那儿以后记得派只猫头鹰给我。"她在伯希的脸颊上吻了一下，伯希便离开了。她转向她的双胞胎儿子。 　　"你们两个——今年可得好好管住自己哟。如果我再收到一只猫头鹰来告诉我你们炸毁了厕所或者——""炸毁厕所？我们可从没干过这等无聊事。" 　　"不过，这主意不错嘛，谢谢妈。" 　　"这一点都不好笑。你们还得好好照顾罗恩。""别担心，小脏猫和我们一起很安全。" 　　"住嘴！"罗恩再一次被激怒了，他鼻头上被掠过的地方现在仍是红红的。 　　"妈，猜猜我们刚刚在车上遇见谁了？" 　　哈利连忙往后靠，以免被他们母子几个人看见。 　　"你认识和我们一起在车站的那个黑发少年吗？你知道他是谁吗？""谁呀？" 　　"哈利·波特？" 　　哈利听到的是那个小女孩的声音。 　　"妈，我能上车去看看他吗？妈，求求你让我去吗……""你不是已经见过他了吗，金妮。那可怜的孩子可不是你在动物园里看到的动物呀。哎，弗来德，你怎么知道他就是哈里。波特的？""我亲口问过他，亲眼见过他的伤痕像闪电一样，他真的就在那儿。""可怜的宝贝。我猜他一定是一个人上路的。当他询问如何才能找到站台时是多么的彬彬有礼啊。""别光注意那些。你觉得他还记得'那个人'是怎样的吗？"母亲一下子变得严肃起来。 　　"我不准你问他这个，弗来德，就算他上学第一天需要提醒，你也不问他。""好，我不问就是了，可别发火了，妈。" 　　此时传来一声哨响。 　　"快上车！"母亲说。三个孩子赶忙从窗口爬上了车。他们从窗户探出头来让母亲好吻别他们，他们的妹妹已经伤心落泪了。 　　"金妮，别哭，我们会送你好多好多的猫头鹰的。""没错，我们还会寄个霍格瓦彻便盆给你！" 　"乔治，你怎么说这些乱七八糟的东西？" 　　"妈，我不过是开开玩笑罢了，可别当真。" 列车缓缓启动了，哈利看到那几个孩子的母亲在向他们挥手告别，而他们的妹妹，眼泪涟涟的脸上带着欢笑，飞跑着想跟上正在加速的列车，直到跟不上了，但她仍一个劲地挥手告别。 　　当列车转弯时，哈利清晰地看到那位母亲和妹妹脸上失望的表情。铁道两旁的一排排房子从车窗外飞快地闪过，这令哈利感到无比兴奋。他并不知道接下来会遇到些什么，但他明白未来一定会比过去更美好。 　　最年幼的那个红发男孩推开哈利的包厢门，走了进来。 　　"这儿有人吗？"他指着哈利对面的座位说，"其他地方都坐满了人。"哈利摇了摇头。那孩子于是便坐了下来。他瞥了哈利一眼，然后又迅速将目光移至车窗外，装出一副若无其事的样子。哈利看到了他鼻子上仍有一块黑斑。 　　"嘿，罗恩。" 　　那对孪生兄弟回来了。 　　"告诉你，我们现在就到火车中部去——那儿的李。乔丹有一只大毒蜘蛛。""嗯，是的。"罗恩嘟哝道。 　　"哈利，我们做个自我介绍好吗？我是弗来德。威斯里，他是乔治。威斯里，这是罗思，我们的弟弟。我们待会儿见。"哈利与罗恩和他们道别之后，孪生兄弟俩关上车厢门回去了。 　　"你真的是哈利·波特吗？"罗恩不加思索地问道。 　　哈利点点头。 　　"噢，真是这样。我开始还以为是弗来德和乔治跟我开玩笑呢。"罗恩说，"你真的有那个……"说着，用手指住哈利的前额。 　　哈利拨开遮住前额的发梢，露出额头中央那闪电状的疤痕。罗恩目不转睛地看着。 　　"这就是'那个人'留给你的标志了吧？" 　　"没错，但我已经忘记了害怕的……？" 　　"什么都忘记了吗？"罗恩急切地问。 　　"嗯……我只记得见到几缕绿光，其他的就都忘了。""哗！"罗恩惊叹道。他坐着打量哈利好一会儿，忽然间，他似乎意识到了自己刚才在做什么，便又急忙转身望着窗外。 　　"你们全家都是魔法师吗？"哈利充满好奇地问，因为他发现罗恩也同样有趣。 　　"嗯，我想是吧。"罗恩说，"妈好像有个当会计的表哥，但他从来就不是我们谈论的话题。""那你们一定很了解魔法吧。" 　　威斯里家族明显是戴阿官道那个颜色苍白的孩子所说的那些魔法世家之一。 　　"我听说你曾和马格人一起住过，"罗恩说，"他们长什么样？""难看极了。但也不是全都难看喽。我姨妈、姨文还有表弟却挺难看的。真希望我也有三个懂魔法的兄弟啊。""我有五个，"不知为什么，罗恩看起来有些悲伤，"我是家里第六个到霍格瓦彻去的。你也许会说我有许多榜样和奋斗的目标，生活也有保障，比尔和查理都已经毕业了——比尔是班长，查理则是飞行队的队长。如今伯希也是个班长了，弗来德和乔治虽然喜欢胡闹，但他们成绩都很好，而且人人都觉得他们确实很有喜剧天分。每个人都期盼着我能做得和哥哥们一样好，即使我能做到，人们也觉得这是理所当然，因为我的哥哥们已经做到了。假如你有五个哥哥，你就不会得到新的玩意儿。比尔的旧袍子，查理的破魔棒和伯希的臭老鼠现在都变成我的了。"罗恩从夹克衣里掏出一只胖乎乎的，睡着了的灰鼠。 　　"它叫斯卡伯斯，一天到晚就是睡，真是个没用的废物。伯希因为当上了班长而从爸爸那儿得到一只猫头鹰作为奖励，我买不起……我是说我只有斯卡伯斯。"罗恩耳尖发红，也许是因为觉得自己说多了，他又呆望着窗外。 　　哈利觉得养不起猫头鹰也算不上是一种罪过。毕竟，一个月之前他仍是不名一文。他把过去那些诸如被迫要穿达德里的破衣服及从未收过一件像样的生日礼物这样的伤心往事都告诉了罗恩。这似乎让罗恩的心情好转了一些。 　　"直到哈格力告诉我有关成为魔法师的事、我父母的情况以及福尔得摩特，我才知道这些。"罗恩屏住了呼吸。 　　"怎么了？"哈利问。 　　"你说出了'那个人'的名字！"罗恩又惊又喜，"我觉得你是所有人中最——""说出他的名字并不是为了显示我很勇敢或者别的什么，"哈利说，"明白我的意思吗？我觉得自己还有很多东西要学。"话中略带忧虑，"我猜我可能会是班里成绩最差的。""不会的，那儿有很多马格人，他们都很棒哟。"列车此时已驶出了伦敦，正在牛羊成群的农田间的铁路上穿行着。他俩安静了下来，细看着窗外的田野。 　　大约十二点半时，佣外走廊传来一阵脚步声，只见一位微笑时嘴角会泛起酒窝的售货员推开了包厢，对他们说道："孩子们，想买些什么好吃的？"还没吃早餐的哈利高兴得跳了起来，但罗恩的双耳又红了起来，支支吾吾地说他带了三明治。 　　在杜斯利家的时候，哈利没钱买糖果，可现在不同了，他口袋里的金银财宝足可以买到塞满整个包厢。他最喜欢吃的火星牌棒棒糖——可偏偏没得卖。售货小车里全是些多味豆、泡泡糖、巧克力青蛙糖、南瓜馅饼、大煎饼，棒冰之类的，还有些他从没见过的奇形怪状的食品。他付给售货员姨妈十一个镰刀银币和七个铜币，把各种食品都买了一点。 　　罗恩见哈利买了这一大堆的食物，惊讶不已，"你一定很饿吧？""饿极了！"哈利说着，在一个南瓜馅饼上咬下了一大块。 　　罗恩拿出一个鼓鼓的小包打开来，原来里面有四块三明治。他用手撕开其中一块，说道："她总忘记我不喜欢吃粗牛肉。"哈利拿起一块馅饼，说："来吧，不如咱们换换。""你不会喜欢吃的，你知道，要照顾五个孩子可不容易呀。""别说了，吃个饼吧。"过去，哈利从来没有什么可以与人分享，或者说没人与他分享，对于他而言，与罗恩一同分享馅饼、蛋糕真是一件难得的赏心乐事啊。 　　"这些是什么？"哈利拿起一包巧克力小青蛙问罗恩，"这些不是真的青蛙吧？"他觉得世上再没别的什么更能令他惊讶。 　　"不是的。哎，快看看卡片上印的是什么，我想要阿里巴。""什么？" 　　"你还不知道吧，每个巧克力青蛙糖里面都有一张卡片，上面印有著名的魔法师的名字供孩子们收集。我已经集了五百多张，就差印有阿里巴和托来米的了。"哈利打开一个巧克力青蛙糖，从中取出一张卡片，卡上有一个人的画像。那人戴着一副半月形的眼镜，长着长长的鹰钩鼻子，银白的头发像流水一般，满脸大胡子，画像下还印着他的名字：艾伯斯。丹伯多。 　　"那么，这人一定是丹伯多喽。"哈利说。 　　"别告诉我你没听说过丹伯多这个人幄！"罗恩说，"嘿，能给我一只吗？说不定我会找到阿里巴。啊，谢谢——"哈利将手中的卡片翻转过来，发现上面印着："艾伯斯。丹伯多，现任霍格瓦彻校长。当今许多伟大的魔法师都认为，于1945年击败神秘魔法师福尔得摩特、发现龙血的十二种妙用以及他的搭档尼古拉斯。费兰马尔对魔法研究的贡献等都是令他名声大噪的主因。丹怕多教授喜欢欣赏殿堂音乐和玩保龄球。"哈利又将卡片反过来，惊奇地发现丹伯多的头像竟然不见了。 　　"他不见了！" 　　"你总不能让他老呆在这儿吧，"罗恩说，"他得回去。噢，不是吧，又是摩根娜，我已经有六张了。嘿，你想要吗？你也可以收集嘛。"罗恩的双眼盯着那堆巧克力青蛙糖，期待着哈利早点打开它们。 　　"喜欢的话，你自己拿。"哈利说，"可是在，呃，在马格的世界里，照片里的人全都是一直呆着不动的。""是吗？你是说，他们完全不会动吗？"罗恩感到十分惊讶："真奇怪！"当丹伯多头像重现在卡片上，并对哈利微笑时，哈利惊呆了。 　　罗恩似乎已经沉浸于吃巧克力青蛙糖的快乐中而忘记了去看青蛙里的卡片，但哈利却被它们深深吸引住了。没过多久，他便拥有了丹伯多、摩根娜、亨吉斯。沃考夫特、阿贝里克。格鲁尼思、舍思、帕拉塞撒斯和穆林了。最终，他还是把兴趣从搔鼻子的克里奥娜的头像转移到吃多味豆上来了。 　　"小心吃喔，"罗恩告诫哈利，"这可是名副其实的多味豆哟。 　　知道吗，你可能会吃到像巧克力味、胡椒薄荷味、柠檬味等这些普遍口味，也有可能吃到像菠菜味、猪肝味、内脏味这样的怪味。乔治说他就曾吃过一种非常难吃的味道。"罗恩拿起一颗绿色的豆子，仔细地看看清楚，然后只咬了一小口。 　　"哎呀——你瞧瞧，麦牙味的。" 　　他俩吃多味豆吃得很开心，哈利吃到了烤面包味、椰子昧、烤豆味、草莓味、咖喱味、绿草味、咖啡味和抄丁鱼味的豆子，已经有足够的勇气去咀嚼多味豆了。 　　他吃下一颗有趣的灰色胡椒味豆子，罗思之前甚至不敢碰那颗灰豆。 　　窗外迅速飞逝的乡野风光，渐渐变得越来越荒凉。平整的田野看不见了，取而代之的是茂密的树林，境蜒的河流和深绿的山丘。 　　这时，有人在敲门，那个哈利曾在九又四分之三车站见过的圆脸小男孩哭着走了进来。 　　"对不起！"他抽泣着，"你们有没有见到一只癞蛤蟆？"看到哈利他们摇摇头，男孩哭嚎起来："找不到了！它不喜欢我，不愿和我在一起！""它会回去的。"哈利安慰他说。 　　"也许吧，"男孩伤心地说，"如果你们看到它的话，请告诉我。"说完便走了。 　　"真不明白他为什么那么难过，"罗恩说，"如果是我的话，也许早就丢了呢。 　　噢，对了，我带着斯卡伯斯呢，还是少说为妙吧。"那只懒老鼠还在罗恩的脚上呼呼大睡呢。 　　"如果你不了解它的话，还会以为它已经死了呢。"罗恩不屑地说，"我昨天想把它变成黄色，使它看起来更有趣，但魔法没有成功。我试给你看看……"他在皮箱里翻了半天，然后拔出一根蝴蝶状的魔杖，它的末端还闪烁着白光。 　　"独角兽已经长出了毛——" 　　罗恩念着咒语，举起魔杖，正要施魔法，这时厢门打开了，丢了癞蛤模的男孩这次带着个穿着崭新的霍格瓦彻魔法袍的女孩子回来了。 　　"有谁见到一只癞蛤蟆吗？尼维尔的那只不见了。"她说起话来像是在发号施令，她那一头毛茸茸的棕发和宽大的门牙很不讨人喜欢。 　　"我们说过没见到。"罗恩说。但那女孩似乎并没有听见，因为她正盯着罗恩手上的魔杖看。 　"哦，你在变魔术吗？那就让我们开开眼界吧。"她一屁股坐了下来，罗恩看起来像被吓了一跳。 　　"呃……好吧！"罗恩清了清嗓门。 　　"天灵灵，地灵灵，将这又笨又胖的大耗子变一变，黄色就行。"他摇摇魔杖，但没有任何变化。斯卡伯斯仍是灰色的，依然熟睡着。 　　"你肯定是这条咒语吗？"女孩说，"好像不大灵验哟。我也试过几条咒语，全都很有效幄。我家人没有一个是魔法师，所以当我接到录取通知的时候非常惊讶，当然，我也很开心，因为那儿是学习魔法的最好的学校。我已经将所有的教材内容都牢记于心，希望够用吧。对了，我叫荷米恩。格林佐，你们呢？"她说话就像连珠炮一样快。 　　哈利看看罗恩，从他那惊讶的神情看出他和自己一样还没有熟记教材内容。 　　"我是罗恩。威斯里。"罗恩嘟哝着。 　　"我是哈利·波特。" 　　"真的吗？"荷米思惊奇地说，"我知道很多有关你的事。我有一本介绍你的背景资料的课外书。而且你可是《现代魔法师》和《二十世纪神秘艺术兴衰及魔法大事记》里的名人呀。""是吗？"哈利感到莫明其妙。 　　"天哪，你自己还不知道，如果我是你的话，我一定会把事情弄得清清楚楚。"荷米恩说，"知道你们会被分到哪一个学院吗？我到处打听，希望能被分到格林芬顿，人人都说那里最好，而且我听说丹伯多本人也是从那里出身的。不过，卫文卡罗也不错……好了，我们得去找尼维尔的癞蛤蟆。你们两个也快换衣服，我想我们就快到了。"说完，她带着小男孩走了。 　　"无论我分到哪儿都好，千万别让我和她分到一起。"罗恩边说边把魔杖扔回皮箱里，"该死的魔法，一定是乔治故意捉弄我。""你兄弟们会分到哪里？" 　　"格林芬顿。"罗恩说，似乎又笼罩在忧郁中，"爸妈也是念这个学院的，我不知道他们是否在乎我分到哪里。我觉得卫文卡罗也不错，但恐怕他们会让我到史林德林。""那不正是'那个人'念的学院吗？" 　　"是啊。"罗恩瘫痪在座位上，十分沮丧。 　　"你看，我觉得斯卡伯斯胡须尖的颜色好像变谈了些，"哈利想把罗恩的注意力从学院问题上转移开，"你那两个已经毕业的大哥现在在干什么呢？"他很想知道魔法师从学校毕业后能做些什么。 　　"查理在罗马尼亚研究龙，比尔在非洲为格林高斯办事。"罗恩说，"你听说过格林高斯吗？《先知日报》上有详细介绍。不过，你和马格人住在一起是看不
Chapter 7 The Sorting Hat
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.“The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,” said Hagrid.“Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.”She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys’ house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.“Welcome to Hogwarts,” said Professor McGonagall. “The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.“The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.“I shall return when we are ready for you,” said Professor McGonagall. “Please wait quietly.”She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.“How exactly do they sort us into houses?” he asked Ron.“Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.”Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet — what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue. He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed.“What the — ?”He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: “Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—”“My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?”A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.Nobody answered.“New students!” said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. “About to be Sorted, I suppose?”A few people nodded mutely.“Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!” said the Friar. “My old house, you know.”“Move along now,” said a sharp voice. “The Sorting Ceremony's about to start.”Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.“Now, form a line,” Professor McGonagall told the first years, “and follow me.”Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, “Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History.”It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing — noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:“Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,But don't judge on what you see,I'll eat myself if you can findA smarter hat than me.You can keep your bowlers black,Your top hats sleek and tall,For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting HatAnd I can cap them all.There's nothing hidden in your headThe Sorting Hat can't see,So try me on and I will tell youWhere you ought to be.You might belong in Gryffindor,Where dwell the brave at heart,Their daring, nerve, and chivalrySet Gryffindors apart;You might belong in Hufflepuff,Where they are just and loyal,Those patient Hufflepuffs are trueAnd unafraid of toil;Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,Where those of wit and learning,Will always find their kind;Or perhaps in SlytherinYou'll make your real friends,Those cunning folk use any meansTo achieve their ends.So put me on! Don't be afraid!And don't get in a flap!You're in safe hands (though I have none)For I'm a Thinking Cap!”The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.“So we've just got to try on the hat!” Ron whispered to Harry. “I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll.”Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,” she said. “Abbott, Hannah!”A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —“HUFFLEPUFF!” shouted the hat.The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.“Bones, Susan!”“HUFFLEPUFF!” shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.“Boot, Terry!”“RAVENCLAW!”The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.“Brocklehurst, Mandy” went to Ravenclaw too, but “Brown, Lavender” became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.“Bulstrode, Millicent” then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.“Finch-Fletchley, Justin!”“HUFFLEPUFF!”Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. “Finnigan, Seamus,” the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.“Granger, Hermione!”Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.“GRYFFINDOR!” shouted the hat. Ron groaned.A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, “GRYFFINDOR,” Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to “MacDougal, Morag.”Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, “SLYTHERIN!”Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.There weren't many people left now. “Moon"…, “Nott"…, “Parkinson"…, then a pair of twin girls, “Patil” and “Patil"…, then “Perks, Sally-Anne"…, and then, at last —“Potter, Harry!”As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.“Potter, did she say?”“The Harry Potter?”The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.“Hmm,” said a small voice in his ear. “Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?”Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.“Not Slytherin, eh?” said the small voice. “Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!”Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, “We got Potter! We got Potter!” Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.And now there were only three people left to be sorted. “Thomas, Dean,” a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. “Turpin, Lisa,” became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!”Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.“Well done, Ron, excellent,” said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as “Zabini, Blaise,” was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.“Welcome,” he said. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!“Thank you!”He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.“Is he — a bit mad?” he asked Percy uncertainly.“Mad?” said Percy airily. “He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?”Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if It made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.“That does look good,” said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.“Can't you — ?”“I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years,” said the ghost. “I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.”“I know who you are!” said Ron suddenly. “My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!”“I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy — ” the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.“Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?”Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.“Like this,” he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, “So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost.”Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.“How did he get covered in blood?” asked Seamus with great interest.“I've never asked,” said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.“I'm half-and-half,” said Seamus. “Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch ‘til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him.”The others laughed.“What about you, Neville?” said Ron.“Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch,” said Neville, “but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad.”On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult — “; “You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing — “).Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.“Ouch!” Harry clapped a hand to his head.“What is it?” asked Percy.“N-nothing.”The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look — a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.“Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?” he asked Percy.“Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape.”Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.“Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.“First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.“I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.“Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.“And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.”Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.“He's not serious?” he muttered to Percy.“Must be,” said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. “It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least.”“And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!” cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers’ smiles had become rather fixed.Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.“Everyone pick their favorite tune,” said Dumbledore, “and off we go!”And the school bellowed:“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,Teach us something please,Whether we be old and baldOr young with scabby knees,Our heads could do with fillingWith some interesting stuff,For now they're bare and full of air,Dead flies and bits of fluff,So teach us things worth knowing,Bring back what we've forgot, just do your best, we'll do the rest,And learn until our brains all rot.”Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.“Ah, music,” he said, wiping his eyes. “A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!”The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.“Peeves,” Percy whispered to the first years. “A poltergeist.” He raised his voice, “Peeves — show yourself.”A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.“Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?”There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.“Oooooooh!” he said, with an evil cackle. “Ickle Firsties! What fun!”He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.“Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!” barked Percy.Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.“You want to watch out for Peeves,” said Percy, as they set off again. “The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are.”At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.“Password?” she said.“Caput Draconis,” said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.“Great food, isn't it?” Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. “Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets.”Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.大门立刻打开了，门口站着一个身着翡翠绿长袍的黑头发的高个子女魔法师。 　　她的表情是那样地严肃，不禁使哈利感到要通过她的课可能很难。 　　"麦康娜教授，一年级新生都在这儿了。"哈格力报告说。 　　"谢谢你，哈格力，我会带他们进去的。" 　　她把大门完全推开。里面的入口大厅大得惊人，甚至可以装下杜斯利家的整幢房子。火把将石墙照得通明，房顶高得难以想象，正面美丽的大理石楼梯通往楼上。 　　孩子们跟着麦康娜教授走过一段插满彩旗的地板。哈利可以听到从右边入口传来成百上千个喧闹的声音——学校的其他学生也已经到了。——但麦康娜教授却把新生都带到远离大厅的一间小空房子里。他们全都挤了进来，站得密密麻麻，紧张地四处张望。 　　"欢迎你们到霍格瓦彻来。"麦康娜教授高声说道，"开学晚宴很快就要开始了。但在此之前，你们先会被分配到各自的学院，分配仪式十分重要，因为既然你们到这儿来了，你们的学院就是你们在霍格瓦彻的家。你们要跟学院里的其他同学一起上课、一起居住、一起游戏。""这四所学院分别叫做格林芬顿、海夫巴夫、卫文卡罗和史林德林。每所学院都有它光荣而悠久的历史，都曾培养出才华横溢的魔法师。你们在霍格瓦彻期间，如果遵守纪律就会给你们加分，如果违反规矩就会被扣分。每年年底，得分最高的那所学院里的孩子就会被授予一项无上的荣誉——"豪斯杯"。我希望你们都能为自己的学院争光。 　　"分配仪式几分钟后就会在全校师生面前开始，我建议你们利用这段等待的时间里，把自己打扮得漂亮些。"她的目光在尼维尔那固定于左耳下方的帽绳和罗恩那脏脏的鼻子上停留了好一会儿。哈利见状，连忙摸了模自己的头发，想把它弄平整些。 　　"我们准备好了就会来叫你们，你们先在这里安静地等会儿吧。"她终于离开了那间小房间，哈利紧张地咽了咽口水。 　　"他们根据什么标准将我们分配到不同的学院呢？"他问罗恩。 　　"可能是通过考试吧。弗来德曾说分配时会很痛，不过我想他只是在开玩笑罢了。"哈利的心情顿时沉重了下来。考试？还要在全校师生面前？但他现在甚至连最简单的魔法都还不会呀，他该怎么办呢？刚到这儿的时候他可从没想到会有这样的事情发生。他焦急地四周张望了一下，发现其他人也像他一样害怕极了。人群中只有荷米恩。格林佐在七嘴八舌地小声向旁边的人罗列她所会的魔法，还说不知道哪些能派上用场。哈利真想塞住自己的耳朵，他从来没有如此紧张过，即使是那次不明不白地将老师的假发变蓝后拿着学校的告状信回杜斯利家里，也没有现在这么紧张。那个麦康娜教授随时都会回来把他带到决定他命运的地方。 　　他身后有几个人突然尖叫了起来，把他吓得蹦起一尺米高。 　　"你们搞什么——？" 　　哈利屏住了呼吸，他身边的人也都同样如此。大约二十个鬼魂从后面穿墙而入。 　　他们都像珍珠一样白，而且还是半透明的。他们一边说一边在房间里飘过，对这群新生不屑一顾，他们像是正在争论着什么。其中一个矮胖小和尚模样的说："原谅他吧，忘记整件事吧。我觉得我们该再给他一次机会——""我亲爱的费艾尔先生，我们已经给了皮维斯够多的机会了。 　　他让我们这些鬼都蒙上了恶名，真不是个好东西——嘿，你们在这里干什么？ 　　"说话的是一个戴着花圈、穿着裤袜的鬼魂。她突然发现了身下的这群孩子。 　　没人敢回答。 　　"是些新生！"胖子费艾尔边笑边对他们说，"是快分配住处了吧？"一些孩子静静地点了点头。 　　"祝你分到海夫巴夫，"费艾尔叫道，"你知道吗，我就是从那儿毕业的。""现在向前走，"一个女高音喊道，"分配仪式要开始了。"麦康娜教授回来了，鬼魂们一个接一个地又穿过对面墙壁离开了。 　　"站成一队，"麦康娜教授告诉新生们，"现在跟我走！"哈利感到自己的双腿像是灌了铅一样，十分奇怪。他排在一个沙土色头发男孩子的后面，罗恩紧跟着他。他们这一队人重新穿越大厅，走进一扇对开的大门，进入到了大会堂。 　　哈利从未见过有哪个地方如此奇怪且辉煌。其他高年级的学生都坐在四张长桌子前，他们头顶上方竟有数以千计的蜡烛在半空中飘浮，将整个大会堂照得灯火通明。桌上摆满了闪闪发光的金制的碟子和高脚杯。大会正前面的台上还有另一张长桌子，老师们都坐在那里。麦康娜教授将新生们领上高台，叫他们面向师兄，背对老师，一字排开地站好。那千百张注视着他们的脸就好像闪耀的烛光中苍白的小灯笼。 　　分散在学生中的鬼魂将原本模糊的银器变得闪亮。为了避开台下的目光，哈利抬头仰望，恰巧看见点缀着星星的天鹅绒般美丽的黑色天花板。他听见荷米恩在他耳边低语："有人曾对它施了魔法，使它看上去更像外面的星空。这是我在《霍格瓦彻故事》中得知的。"真难以想象其实大会堂并不是露天的，堂顶上还有一层天花板。 　　当麦康娜教授静静地将一个四脚凳摆在新生们的面前时，哈利赶忙又平视前方。 　　教授在那四脚凳上放上一顶尖尖的魔法师的帽子。这顶帽子又破又旧又脏。帕尤妮亚姨妈是绝对不会让这顶帽子进入她的家门的。 　　"也许是要从里面变只兔子或者什么吧，"哈利正在胡乱猜测，发现大会堂里的每个人都盯着那帽子看，他也很想看个究竟。一片死寂。突然，帽子一阵抽动，在它边缘的地方裂开了一道像人的嘴巴一样的缝。接着，帽子竟开始唱起来："唤，也许你认为我并不美丽，但不要只信任你的眼睛，如果你能找到一顶帽子比我更聪明，你把我怎样都行。 　　你的圆顶礼帽黑且亮，你的高顶礼帽滑且高，因为我是霍格瓦彻分配帽，所以它们都没我好。 　你脑子里想什么我最清楚，所以把我戴上，你该到哪儿就很清楚。 　　你也许该去格林芬顿，那里的勇士特别多，勇气、精神和扭力，无惧挑战与风波；要是你住在海夫巴夫，那里忠诚、正直又杰出，人们耐心又诚恳，无惧工作的劳苦；如果你住卫文卡罗，那可实在真是好，学者、智者一大堆，其他地方不易找；或者住在交林德林，你会找到朋友与真情，那里的居民有本领，那里的美景很吸引。 　　来戴上我，千万别胆颤又心惊！ 　　有我保护安全得很，因为我思想之帽并不蠢。"当帽子表演完他精彩的歌唱，整个会堂报以热烈的掌声。它对着四张坐满学生的桌子各鞠了一个躬，然后又变得纹丝不动了。 　　"看来我们只需戴一戴那顶帽子就行了。"罗恩低声对哈利说，"该死的弗来德，他才要去和巨人摔跤呢。"哈利暗自窃笑。确实，戴帽子可比变魔法容易多了，不过他还是觉得台下没有观众就更好了。帽子似乎要问不少问题，而哈利也从不觉得自己很勇敢或是很聪明。 　　但愿帽子能对身体不适的人网开一面，直接告知结果了事，如果真是这样的话，那他一定能成为幸运儿。 　　麦康娜教授走上前来，手中握着一长卷羊皮纸。 　　"当我念到你的名字，就请你戴上这顶帽子坐在凳子上等待分配。"她说道："哈纳。阿波特！"一个粉红脸色、满头金发的小女孩从队伍中走了出来，戴上大得连她的眼睛都遮住的帽子后，静静地坐下。一会儿之后，——"海夫巴夫！"帽子大喊道。 　　来自海夫巴夫的学生坐在最右边。当哈纳走下来与他们坐在一起时，他们个个鼓掌欢呼。哈利还看见那个叫费艾尔的胖鬼还在兴高彩烈地向她挥手呢。 　"苏珊。巴恩斯！" 　　"海夫巴夫！"帽子喊。苏珊便走下来坐到哈纳身边。 　　"泰利。布特！" 　　"卫文卡罗！" 　　这回轮到左手边第二张桌子鼓掌了。几个住在卫文卡罗的学生还主动和泰利握手呢。 　　曼迪。布鲁克兰赫斯特也将分到卫文卡罗；莱文特。布朗则成为第一个加入格林芬顿的新生，最左边的那一桌顿时欢声雀起，罗恩那两个孪生哥哥也跟在起哄。 　　米利森。布斯特洛加入了史林德林。由于听说了许多关于史林德林的传闻，也许是出于偏见吧，哈利总觉得史林德林并不受人欢迎。 　　他开始感到不安了，他想起过去在学校里上体育课，组队比赛时，他总是最后一个被选择的。这并非因为他技术差，而是因为其他同学都不想让达德里觉得他们喜欢他。 　　"扎斯汀。芬奇。弗莱切尼！" 　　"海夫巴夫！" 　　哈利注意到有时候帽子马上就喊出了其中一所学院的名字，而有时候它又得花上一点时间才能下决定。谢默斯。范尼更，那个排在哈利前面的头发与沙子同一颜色的男孩子坐在登子上都快一分钟了，帽子才宣布他去了格林芬顿。 　　"荷米恩。格林位！" 　　荷米恩跑上前去，套上帽子，便一屁股坐在了凳子上。 　　"格林芬顿！"帽子喊道。罗恩顿时十分沮丧。 　　一个可怕的念头闪现地哈利的脑海中：如果没被分配会怎么样？如果他戴着帽子呆呆地在凳子上坐了半天也不知道该去哪儿，麦康娜教授会不会认为他根本不属于这里面硬要把他送回去呢？ 　　当点到尼维尔。兰博顿，那个曾经丢失癞蛤蟆的男孩的名字时，他跑上前时还摔了一跤。帽子花了很长时间才作出决定，当它终于宣布是格林芬顿的时候，尼维尔连帽子都不忘得脱便往下跑，所以在众人的哄笑声中被拉了回来，才把帽子传给了莫拉格。麦卡多高尔。 　　马尔夫大摇大摆地走上前，并马上实现了心愿：帽子刚碰到他的头发便大声宣布"史林德林！"马尔夫走到他的两个朋友克来伯和高尔那里，看起来十分高兴。 　　现在，台上的新生已所剩无几了。 　　"门思"……"诺特"……"帕金斯"…然后是一对孪生姐妹，……然后中沙莉安。帕克斯，然后，最后——"哈利·波特！"哈利走上前，但台下的说话声就像开了锅一样。 　　"她刚才是说波特吗？" 　　"那个哈利·波特？" 　　双眼被帽子遮住机线前，哈利看见台下的人都伸长了脖子想看清楚他。接着，他所能看见的是帽子里的漆黑一片。他耐心地等待着。 　　"嗯……"耳边一个很小的声音在说话，"看来很难决定哟。你很勇敢，也是个好人，很有才华，噢，天啊，是的——渴望证明自己的价值，真有意思……那么，我该把你分到哪儿呢？"哈利紧握住凳子边缘，心里想，"千万不要是史林德林，我不去史林德林。""啊？不去史林德林？"那个声音说，"你肯定？你也许能成为伟大的魔法师，你拥有别人没有的天份，史林德林能够助你成功的。你不想改变主意吗？不？那么，如果你已经下定决心，就去格林芬顿吧！"哈利听见帽子向全场宣布自己去格林芬顿后，脱下帽子，战战兢兢地走向格林芬顿那桌学生。没被分配到史林德林，他感到如释重负，因此没有留意到欢呼声比刚才任何一次都要响亮。班长伯希站起来，用力地和他握手。威斯里双胞胎高呼："波特！波特！"哈利在他曾见过的戴着花环的鬼魂对面坐了下来。鬼魂拍了拍哈利的左臂，令哈利感到自己的左手像是刚被浸入一桶冰水中一样恐惧。 　　他现在可以清楚地看到高台上的桌子了。坐在靠近他那端的最边上的哈格力对着他竖起大拇指。在桌子的正中央，有一张很大的金子制的椅子，艾伯斯。丹伯多坐在那里。哈利一下就认出了他，因为在哈利坐火车来途中，他就曾出现在那张从巧克力青蛙糖中取出来的卡片上。丹伯多的银白头发是整个大会堂里唯一能与鬼魂一样闪闪发亮的东西了，哈利还发现屈拉教授，他就是那个从漏锅酒吧来的年青人。 　　他头戴一顶很大的紫色无边帽，看起来与众不同。 　　现在只剩下三个人还没分配了。莉沙。特萍去了卫文卡罗。轮到罗恩选择了，他的眼睛已经是灰绿色的了。"格林芬顿！"帽子喊，罗恩走下来，瘫坐在哈利身边的椅子上。哈利和其他人都为罗恩拼命拍手祝贺。"干得好，罗恩，太棒了！"伯希。威斯里越过哈利，表情十分夸张地对罗恩说。这时，最后一位，布雷斯。扎毕尼选择了史林德林。麦康娜教授卷起羊皮纸，带着分类之帽走了。 　　哈利低头看看面前空空如也的金盘子，才觉得自己已经饿极了。吃南瓜馅饼好像已是陈年往事了。 　　艾伯斯。丹伯多站起来，注视着台下的学生，张开双臂，仿佛在说没有什么能比见到他所有的学生济济一堂更高兴的了。 　　"欢迎你们！"他说，"欢迎来到霍格瓦彻！欢迎新学年的到来！ 　在开始晚宴之前，我想先说几句。我想说的就是：笨蛋！痛哭！剩饭！""谢谢！"他坐下了。每个人都鼓掌欢呼。只有哈利觉得哭笑不得。 　　"他是不是有点神经病？"哈利不由得问伯希。 　　"神经病？"伯希得意地说，"他可是个天才！他是世上最好的魔法师！不过，他的脑袋确实有点问题。吃西红柿吗，哈利？"哈利的嘴张得好大——在他面前的盘碟子里堆满了食物。他从未见过那么多他爱吃的东西同时出现在桌子上：烤牛肉、烤鸡、猪肉、羊肉、香肠、烟肉和牛排，还有煮西红柿、烤番薯、薯条、约克郡市丁、雪梨、胡萝卜浓肉场，番茄酱，还有薄荷味的硬糖。 　　杜斯利家族虽从没让哈利挨饿，但他也很少有机会随心所欲地吃上一顿。就算是哈利喜欢吃他们自己讨厌的东西，达德里也总是拿走，不让哈利吃。哈利每样食物都盛了一点就已经堆满一盘子了，当然，他没有要他不喜欢的薄荷糖。之后，他狠吞虎咽起来。 　　真是好美味了。 　　"看起来真好吃。"对面的鬼魂看着哈利在切牛排，伤心地说。 　　"你要不要也来吃点——" 　　"我已经有四百年没吃过东西了，"鬼魂说，"当然，我不需要进食，但我仍很怀念那些美味佳肴。我还没介绍自己吧？尼古拉斯。德。米姆西。波平顿爵士，愿为你服务。我是住在格林芬顿高塔上的鬼魂。""我听说过你！"罗恩突然说，"我哥告诉过我有关你的事——你就是无头尼克嘛。""我希望你还是叫我尼古拉斯。德。米姆西。波平顿爵士好一点。"鬼魂开始哭泣了。这时，沙土色头发的谢默斯。范尼更却来插话："无头？你怎么样能做到无头状态呢？"尼古拉斯爵士十分愤怒，这段谈话显然不是他所期望的。 　　"就像这样。"他恶狠狠地说，边说边抓住左耳用力一扯，整个脑袋就从脖子上被拉了下来，倒靠在他的肩膀上。他的头和脖子好像是用拉链连接着一样。显然，曾有人想将他斩首，不过似乎手法不够高明。看到旁人目瞪口呆的神情，无头尼克得意洋洋地将脑袋放回原处，咳了一下，然后说，"好了，——格林芬顿的新朋友，希望你们能帮助我们赢回失落的冠军奖怀。格林芬顿从未试过那么久都与冠军无缘了，史林德林人已经连续六年夺冠了！吸血鬼巴伦已经变得不可一世了——因为他是史林德林的鬼魂。"哈利朝史林德林那边望去，看见一个恐怖的鬼魂正坐在那里。 　　他那全白的双眼，削瘦的面部和沾满血液的银白色长袍令人不寒而栗，他就坐在显然不太满意座位安排的马尔夫身边。 　　"他长袍上的血是怎么来的？"谢默斯饶有兴趣地问。 　　"我从没问过他。"无头尼克说。 　　每个人都吃完饭后，残羹剩菜都自动从盘子里消失了，盘子又变得像开始时那样光彩夺目，过了一会儿，甜品出现了。你所能想到的各种口味的大块大块的雪糕、苹果馅饼、蜜糖果饼、巧克力棒糕、果酱油炸饼、草莓、咖胆、米饭布丁……应有尽有。 　　哈利拿起一块蜜糖果饼正吃着的时候，话题转到了各人的家族上来，"我出身于半魔法家庭，我爸是马格人，我妈直到结婚时才告诉我爸她是个女魔法师，当时他一定非常惊讶而且很不愉快。"其他人都哈哈大笑起来。 　　"那你呢，尼维尔？"罗恩问。 　　"我外婆把我养大的，她是个魔法师。"尼维尔说，"但我家人长期以来都把我当普通人看待。我的舅公阿吉却总想把我训练成魔法师——有一次，他把我从布莱克浦码头推了下去，我差点被淹死了——不过，我八岁前的生活没有什么特别的。 　　八岁那年，阿吉舅公来我家作客，他抓住我的踝关节，把我倒挂在楼上窗户外面练功，安迪妮舅婆递给他一张甜饼时，他竟一不小心松了手，但我不仅没摔死，而且还从花园里一直弹到马路上，当时外婆见我安然无恙，喜极而泣。找到这儿的时候你们都应该见到我外婆他们了吧。 　　虽然我也许还不够格到这儿来学习，但阿吉舅公高兴极了，还买了这只癞蛤蟆送给我呢。"在哈利的对面，伯希。威斯里和荷米恩在谈论功课。"我真希望他们现在就开始努力学习了，要学的东西太多了。我对变形情有独钟，你知道吗，把东西变来变去可有意思啦。当然，也有一定难度——""你得逐步积累、稳扎稳打才行喔。"哈利感到了温暖和倦意，又抬头看看高台上的主席台。哈格力正品尝着美酒，麦康娜教授正和丹伯多教授交谈。戴着可笑的无边帽的屈拉教授则正和一位长着油黑的长发、鹰钩鼻子、土黄肤色的老师说话。 　　一切都来得很突然，那个钩鼻子老师的目光穿过上屈拉的帽子直射入哈利的双眼，哈利前额上的伤疤感到一阵火辣的剧痛。 　　"啊！"哈利连忙用手拍拍头。 　　"怎么了？"伯希问。 　　"没——没什么。" 　　那阵剧痛已经稍瞬即逝了，只有那从对面老师的眼神中看出的感觉令哈利难以释怀——他一点都不喜欢哈利。 　　"和屈拉教授说话的那个老师是谁呀？"他问伯希。 　　"哦，你已经认识屈拉啦？那是史纳皮教授，看来他是紧张过度了。他是教药剂学的，但他不愿让别人知道。人们都知他想得到屈拉的职位，史纳皮对黑巫术有很深入的研究。"哈利观察了史纳皮很久，但史纳皮再没望他一眼。 　　最后，甜品也吃完了，丹伯多教授又站了起来，顿时全场安静了下来。 　"啊哈，既然我们都已经吃饱喝足了，我就再多说两句吧。我现在要发布几条开学通知。 　　新生要特别注意：操场上的树林是严禁学生进入的。这一点高年级学生也应牢记。"丹伯多炯炯有神的双眼朝着威斯里孪生兄弟这边看过来。 　　"我们的管理员费驰先生要我提醒你们，课间不准在走廊上使用魔法。""快迪斯测验将在第二周进行，想要代表所在住所参加的同学请到胡施女士那里报名。""最后，我必须警告你们，不想惨死的人在今年之内不要到右手边的三楼走廊去！"哈利哈哈大笑起来，一共只有寥寥几个学生发出笑声，哈利便是其中一个。 　　"他不是认真的吧？"他问伯希。 　　"我想是的。"伯希皱着眉头看着丹伯多，"这事有点奇怪，因为通常他都会告诉我们为什么不准去这儿，为什么不能到那儿——树林里有很多危险的野兽，这是众所周知的。我想他至少也应该要我们这些当班长的知道呀！""临睡前，让我们一起高唱校歌！"丹伯多高声叫道。哈利发现其他老师的笑容变得十分呆滞。 　　丹伯多拿起魔杖轻轻一场，仿佛他自己想从高台上飞下来一般。一条长长的金色的绸带从魔杖里飘出来，高高地升到桌子的正上方，蛇形境蜒成一个个的单词。 　"每个人自选喜爱的音调，"丹伯多说，"预备，唱！"全校人都吼叫了起来。 　　"自私、生疣的霍格瓦彻，请你教教我们，无论是年老还是秃顶，或是腿上长痴的小伙子，我们的脑袋可以塞满新奇有趣的东西，因为它们是空得只有空气，死苍蝇和碎绒毛，教授我们有用的东西，让我们记起遗忘的过去，尽力而为，相互关心，学习到脑袋腐烂为止。"歌声有快有慢，极不统一。最后，只有威斯里孪生两兄弟还在以一种非常缓慢而沉重的音调在继续唱着，丹怕多用他的魔杖指挥着兄弟俩唱完最后几句。唱完之后，他特别起劲地鼓掌。 　　"啊，音乐——"他边擦着眼泪一边说，"是一种超越自我境界的魔法！好，现在是睡觉时间了，跑步——走！"住格林芬顿的新生跟着伯希穿过交头接耳的人群，走出大会堂，沿着大理石阶梯向上走去。哈利的腿又像灌了钻一样，但这回只是因为他实在太累和吃得太饱的缘故。他实在太困了，甚至没有发现一路上走廊两旁画像里的人一直在对他们指指点点，议论纷纷，也没有察觉伯希带领着他们两次穿越隐蔽在活动镶板和挂墙花毯后的暗道。他们继续向上走。许多人脚步沉重，直打呵欠。当哈利正纳闷还要走多远时，他们突然全都停了下来。 　　一捆拐杖正悬在他们面前的半空中。 　　"皮维斯，"伯希小声地对新生们说，"他是个喜欢恶作剧的鬼怪。"伯希提高嗓门喊道："皮维斯，出来吧。"就像大气球被猛然放气一般，一个巨大的声音回应道："你们想让我到嗜血男爵那里去吗？""砰"地一声，一个长着淘气的黑眼睛和大嘴巴的小矮人出现了。他盘着腿飘浮在空中，手中握着那捆拐杖。 　　"啊哈——"他咯咯地怪笑着说，"真有趣！" 　　说完，他突然朝他们飞扑过来，他们全都赶忙蹲下身子躲避。 　　"皮维斯，快滚！不然我会把这事告诉男爵的，我可不是跟你开玩笑的！"伯希怒吼道。 　　皮维斯吐出舌头做个鬼脸，便丢下拐杖飞走了。孩子们听见他飞过的声音，纷纷连忙举起盔甲保护自己。 　　"你们得小心皮维斯。"伯希带着大家继续前进，"只有嗜血男爵才管得住他。 　　他甚至连我们这些班长的话都不听，我们到了。"在走廊尽头的墙上挂着一个穿着粉红色丝裙的胖女人的画像。 　　"密码是什么？"她问。 　　"卡波龙。"伯希回答。只见那幅画向前一倒，露出了墙上一个圆洞。他们全都从圆洞里爬了进去，竟发现自己已身处于摆满又软又湿的椅子的一个非常温暖、舒适的大圆房子里。这便是格林芬顿的公共休息室了。 　　伯希又分别把男孩、女孩分批带进寝室大门。他们发现自己在古堡的其中一个高塔上。沿着螺旋型的楼梯爬到最高的一层，他们终于找到了属于他们的床铺：挂着深红天鹅绒幕帘的四张四柱大床。他们的行李早已被人送了上来。由于实在是太累，他们二话不说，换上睡衣便躺到床上。 　　"刚才的东西很好吃吧？"罗恩小声地对哈利说，"嘿，走开，斯卡伯斯！不要咬我的床单！"哈利正想问罗恩有没有吃蜜糖果饼，但发现罗恩已经睡着了。 　　也许是因为哈利吃得太多的缘故吧，他夜里做了一个很奇怪的梦：他正戴着屈拉教授的无边帽。那顶帽子一直不停地跟他讲话，要他必须马上转到史林德林去，还说这是他的命运决定的。哈利告诉帽子他不愿意去史林德林，帽子就变得越来越沉重，他拼命想挣脱它，可它偏偏越勒越紧，令哈利痛苦不已。正当他挣扎的时候，马尔夫出现了，不停地嘲笑着哈利，接着马尔夫摇身一变，成了鹰钩鼻子的史纲皮教授，笑声也越来越尖，越来越冷。一道绿光闪过，哈利被吓醒了，浑身是汗，全身发抖。 　　他一翻身又睡着了。当他第二天一早醒来时，他已全然不记得前夜的梦了。 
Chapter 8 The Potions Master
“There, look.”“Where?”“Next to the tall kid with the red hair.”“Wearing the glasses?”“Did you see his face?”“Did you see his scar?”Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring. Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk.The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, “GOT YOUR CONK!”Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.“Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,” she said. “Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.”Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.“What have we got today?” Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.“Double Potions with the Slytherins,” said Ron. “Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them — we'll be able to see if it's true.”“Wish McGonagall favored us,” said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:Dear Harry,I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.HagridHarry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry — he hated him.Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.“Ah, Yes,” he said softly, “Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity.”Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.“You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking,” he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. “As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.“Potter!” said Snape suddenly. “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”Powdered root of what to an infusion of what ? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.“I don't know, sir,” said Harry.Snape's lips curled into a sneer.“Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything.”He ignored Hermione's hand.“Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?”Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.“I don't know, sir.”“Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?” Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi ?Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.“What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?”At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.“I don't know,” said Harry quietly. “I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?”A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.“Sit down,” he snapped at Hermione. “For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?”There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, “And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter.”Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.“Idiot boy!” snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. “I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?”Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.“Take him up to the hospital wing,” Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.“You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor.”This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.“Don't push it,” he muttered, “I've heard Snape can turn very nasty.”As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week — why did Snape hate him so much?“Cheer up,” said Ron, “Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?”At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, “Back, Fang — back.”Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.“Hang on,” he said. “Back, Fang.”He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.“Make yerselves at home,” said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.“This is Ron,” Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.“Another Weasley, eh?” said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. I spent half me life chasin’ yer twin brothers away from the forest.”The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes.Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch “that old git.”“An’ as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her — Filch puts her up to it.”Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.“But he seemed to really hate me.”“Rubbish!” said Hagrid. “Why should he?”Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.“How's yer brother Charlie?” Hagrid asked Ron. “I liked him a lot — great with animals.”Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet :GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATESTInvestigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.“But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you,” said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.“Hagrid!” said Harry, “that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!”There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?"在那儿，看！" 　　"哪个呀？" 　　"在那个红头发高个儿的旁边。" 　　"戴着眼镜的那个？" 　　"看清他的模样了吗？" 　　"有没有看到他的那块伤疤？" 　　第二天，哈利一离开宿舍，大家就吵吵嚷嚷地议论开了。那些在教室外排着队的人踮起脚尖来要看他，走廊上碰到的人都会回头对他一看再看。哈利多希望他们别那样干，因为他都快没办法集中精神找去教室的那条路了。 　　霍格瓦彻学校里一共有一百四十二座楼梯，有的宽敞干净；有的不但窄，还老爱晃动；有的在某个星期五就会变成通向另一处不同的地方；有的藏着些消失的梯级，弄得你不得不跳起来才能往上走。这里的门除非你有礼貌地请求它，或者帮它在某个恰当的地方挠挠痒，否则它们是不会开的。还有些门根本就不是门，而是坚固的墙壁伪装而成的。要记住这一切机关真的好难呀，因为它们好像是会自己移动的。壁贴肖像上的人物者爱互相拜访换位置。还有一件鱼鳞盔甲般的外套，哈利确信它是会走路的。 　　小鬼们也让人头痛得要命。当你正要打开一扇门时，他们可能会忽然从里面飘出来，吓得你半死。没头鬼尼克经常很乐意为新来的格林芬顿学生们指点正确的方向，但喧哗鬼皮维斯就不同了。如果你迟到的时候碰上他，那家伙就会给你弄个锁上的门和一座戏法楼梯尝尝。他会往你头上扔废纸篓，抽掉你脚下的地毯，连续不断地向你掷粉笔，或者从背后偷偷地接近你，无声无息的，突然飞快地捏住你的鼻子，然后尖声大叫："抓住你的鼻子啦！"比遇上皮维斯更惨的，是碰上管理员亚格斯。费驰。第一天的早上，哈利和罗恩走错了路。费驰发现他们俩正在努力试图推开的门正好是三楼通往外界走廊的出口。他压根儿就不相信哈利和罗恩是迷路，他坚决认为他们俩是故意想强行闯进那道门的。他威胁着要把他们俩锁进地牢里去，幸亏屈拉教授刚好经过，这才救了他们。 　　费驰有一只叫诺丽丝夫人的猫。那是只骨瘦如柴而且脏兮兮的东西，和费驰一样长着双灯泡似的鼓突大眼睛。她常常自个儿在走廊上巡逻。谁敢在她面前违反纪律，比如说吧，伸一只脚趾头到队伍外边来，她就会嗖地飞窜到费驰那里去。两秒钟之后，费驰就会气喘吁吁地出现了。费驰比这学校里的每一个人都更明晓那些秘道的所在（可能威斯里家那对双胞胎除外），并且能够像小鬼们一样突然间弹出来。 　　学生们都很透了她，很多人最大的心愿就是使劲地踢诺丽丝夫人一脚。 　　其实只要你努力地去找那些神奇的门和楼梯，你会学到很多东西的。哈利很快就发现，这些比挥挥魔杖说说有趣的咒语的那些魔法要深奥多了。 　　每个星期三半夜，学生们都得用望远镜来观察夜空，学习不同星星的名字和行星们的运行轨道。另外，他们一个星期有三次机会到城堡后面的温室里学习植物常识。教他们这门课的是史普露教授，她是个矮胖的小女巫。史普露教授会教他们怎样留意那些千奇百怪的植物和菌类并且找出这些植物和菌类的用途。 　　最枯燥无味的课当属《魔法历史》了，这是唯-一门由鬼魂来教授的学科。宾西教授实在是个老糊涂了，有一次他在教工休息室里睡觉，那儿半夜着火了他都不知道。第二天早上，他傻乎乎地起来就上课去了，结果连身体都留在那儿忘了拿。 　　宾西老头总是像只蜜蜂似的在上面嗡嗡地讲课，大家却只是死记下一些名字和日期而已，甚至还常把马里格弊病和古怪维里格搞混掉。 　　教他们咒语课的是费立维克教授，他是一位很小很小的巫师，上课时得站在一堆书上才能看得到他的桌子。上第一节课时，他点了一次名。念到哈利时，他发出一声怪叫，摇晃一下就不见了。 　　麦康娜教授又是另一个异人。哈利曾想，大概没有人比她更适合当老师了。她又严肃又睿智，在她的第一节课上，大家刚坐下，她就给大家来了一段训斥："变形术可说是你将在霍格瓦彻学校里学到的最复杂、最危险的法术之一。"她说。 　　"谁想在我的课上瞎搅和的就马上滚蛋，再也别回来了。咱们这叫丑话说在前头。"然后她把桌子变成一头猪又把它变回来。所有人都给她这一手绝活震住了，个个都跃跃欲试。但是，很快他们就明白，不花上好一段时间学习，他们都别想能把家具变成动物。记了一大难复杂的笔记之后，每个人都分到了一根火柴，大家开始使足劲儿要把这根火柴变成一支针。然而，一节课结束时，只有荷米恩。格林佐使她的火柴有一点点变化。麦康娜教授让全班人都看了如何让这支火柴变得银白和变尖，还给了荷米恩一个非常少见的微笑。 　　大家都盼望着上的课程是黑巫术防御法，因此这门课程的老师屈拉，他上的课实在太搞笑了。屈拉上课时，教室里总是弥漫着一股浓烈的大蒜味。人们传说这是屈拉教授为了避开以前在罗马尼亚遇到过的一个吸血鬼。屈拉一直担心那个吸血鬼会有一天跑回来找他。他那顶缠头巾状的帽子，据他自己讲是某个非洲王子为了感谢他帮忙赶走一个难缠的还魂僵尸而送给他的。不过，大家都不怎么相信这个故事。 　　因为有一次谢默斯。范尼更好奇地问他是怎么大战还魂僵尸时，屈拉的脸马上就红了，还借故谈起天气以转移话题。 　　而且大家发现屈拉的头巾帽子总是散发着一种奇特的味儿，威斯里家的双胞胎坚持说那也是大蒜的味道。如此说来，屈拉对吸血鬼的防卫真是从头到脚，武装到了牙齿呢。 　　哈利发现他与班上其他同学的差距并不大，这使他悄悄松了一口气。大部分同学都是来自一般家庭，而且都跟他一样，一点儿也不觉得自己是个女巫或男巫。这儿实在有太多东西要学了，即使像罗恩那样的人也没有超前太多。 　　对哈利和罗恩来讲，这个星期五是个值得纪念的日子。他们终于可以成功地找到去大厅吃早餐的路，而且一次都没有错！ 　　"今天咱们拿到了什么？"罗恩往他的麦片粥里加糖时，哈利问。 　　"两份史林德林学生作的药剂，"罗恩说。"史纳皮是史林德林队的头儿。他们说，他会喜欢这个——我们很快就可以知道这是不是真的。""真希望麦康娜会帮助我们。"哈利说。麦康娜是格林芬顿队的头儿，可是她前日还是给了他们一大堆作业。 　　这时候，邮件送到了。哈利现在已经可以习惯了，但是第一天早上他真的吃了一惊。那天吃早餐时，几乎一百只猫头鹰尖叫着飞进大厅。它们在每张桌子上方盘旋，直到它们看到它们的主人并把信件和包裹扔到主人们的膝盖上为止。 　　海维到目前为止都还没给哈利梢过信件。她有时会飞过来啄一下哈利的耳朵，吃一片烤面包后，就和其它的校园猫头鹰一起飞回去睡觉。但是，今早她飞到了果酱瓶和糖碗之间，把一封信扔进哈利的盘子里。哈利马上就把它拆开了。 　　"亲爱的哈利：（信里的字写得可真糟糕。） 　　我知道你这个星期五下午有假，所以我想请你三点钟的时候来这儿和我喝杯茶，如何？我想听听你这一周来的生活情况。请让海维把答复带回给我。 　　哈格力哈利问罗恩借了支羽毛笔，在纸条的背面飞快地写上"太好了，到时见！"就让海维把信悄走了。 　　对哈利而言，能和哈格力谈谈实在太好了。因为到目前为止，药剂学已经成了哈利觉得最糟糕的课程了。 　　在学期初的宴会上，哈利就已经发觉教药学的史纳皮教授不是很喜欢他。到第一堂药学课结束时，哈利发现——他简直是厌恶他！ 　　药学的课程是在一个地牢里上的。地牢里边可比城堡上面冷多了，阴森恐怖，四周的墙上还摆满了玻璃瓶子，瓶里面漂着的都是腌制动物的尸体，真让人毛骨悚然。 　　和费立维克教授一样，史纲皮教授以点名的方式开始他的第一堂课。同样地，念到哈利的名字时，他停了一下。 　"哈，对，"他低声说，"哈利·波特。我们学校新来的——名人哪。"杰高。马尔夫和他的死党克来伯和高尔用手捂着嘴偷笑起来。 　　史纳皮点完名，严肃地看着大家。他的眼睛像哈格力的眼睛一样乌黑，可是里边找不到一丝哈格力眼睛里所具有的温暖。他的一双眼睛冷冰冰，空洞洞的，让人看了想起深黝的隧道。 　　"你们到这儿来，是要学习制药的精妙技术。"史纳皮说。他的声音很低，近乎耳语，但是每一个字大家都听得一清二楚——和麦康娜教授一样，史纳皮有一种神秘的力量，能轻而易举地让学生们保持安静。"由于这里有些只会乱挥魔法棒的蠢才，所以你们中的许多人都不大相信这就是魔法。我并不奢求你们会真正地懂得制药技术的美妙之处。想想看，用大汽锅煨药材时，药水慢慢地沸腾，白色的烟雾袅袅升起……还有人体静脉里流淌的液体，那具有无比精妙力量的液体……简直能让你的心醉掉，让你的所有感官着迷……我能教会你们怎样罐装名誉，怎样酿造光荣，甚至说……储存死亡……只要你们不要像我以前教的那一帮蠢才们一样愚蠢就行。"听了史纳皮的这一番话，教室里更加安静了。哈利和罗恩偷偷地交换了一下眼色。而荷米恩。格林佐则坐得直直的，屁股只沾了一点儿椅子边，好像这样就能向史纳皮证明，她绝不是蠢才似的。 　　"波特！"史纳皮突然把哈利叫起来，"如果将水仙花球茎的粉末加入苦艾的汁液里，这样会有什么后果？"什么的粉末加入什么的汁里去？哈利偷眼看了一下罗恩，看来罗恩和他一样茫然，但是荷米思就拼命把手举得高高的。 　　"我不知道，老师。"哈利低声答道。 　　史纲皮努了努嘴，嗤地笑了。 　　"啧啧，看来名气大也不过如此。" 　他完全不理荷米恩举得高高的手。 　　"那好，再问你一个问题。如果我要求你去找一块胃石，那么你会到哪里去着手找？"荷米恩又把她的手举得尽可能的高，高到她的那只手好像要离开她的身体飞到半空去似的。可是哈利连一点点关于胃石的概念都没有。他竭尽全力不去看马尔夫、克来伯和高尔，那三个家伙正笑得全身打颤呢。 　　"我不知道，老师。" 　　"难道你上课之前从来不先预习的吗？啊？波特？"哈利竭力使自己面对那双冷冰冰的眼睛。他的确曾经看过一遍课本，可是史纳皮该不会要求他只看一遍就把那本《巫术药草与菌类千例》中的每一个字都记得吧？ 　　史纲皮还是没理会荷米恩抖动的手。 　　"草乌和乌头，它们有些什么不同之处？" 　　这一次，荷米恩站了起来，她的右手都快举到地牢的顶部了。 　　"我不知道。"哈利低声说，"不过，我想荷米恩是知道的。你干嘛不问问她？"一些同学哈哈大笑了起来。哈利瞥了一眼谢默斯，谢默斯则向他眨了眨眼。然而史纲皮一点儿都不高兴。 　　"坐下。"史纳皮瞪着哈利，"刚才问的几个问题，水仙花球茎和苦艾混在一起就成了一种很厉害的安眠药，人们把它叫做死亡之网。胃石则是在羊的胃里找到的结石，它是很多种毒药的克星。而草乌和乌头，指的是同一种植物，它们都是一种叫附子的植物的俗称。怎样？你们为什么不把这些知识抄下来？"地牢里马上骚动起来，大家都快拿出了羽毛笔和羊皮纸。史纲皮又说："波特你刚才对老师的无礼顶撞，我决定要扣掉你一分。"之后的几节药学深里，情况一点好转的迹象都没有。史纲皮让同学们分成两人一组，教他们如何混合几种简单的药草来治疗烫伤。他穿着他那件宽大的黑斗篷在地牢里走来走去，看他们怎样称那些干等麻和磨碎了的蛇牙。几乎每一个人都挨了骂，只有马尔夫幸免于难。看来史纳皮有点喜欢马尔夫，他告诉大家，要好好地看看马尔夫是怎么做的。当酸性的绿雾从炖着的蛞蝓角上冒起，发出一阵阵嘶嘶的时候，马尔夫他处理得多么好啊！尼维尔却不知道鼓捣了些什么，他居然把谢默斯的大汽锅烧穿了，他们偎着的药汁顺着地势到处流，在同学们的鞋子上烫出一个又一个小洞洞。不到一会儿，整个班的学生都站到他们的桌子上去了。只有尼维尔没来得及跳上桌子，结果，被彻底烧坏的大汽锅倒了下来，药汁溅得他全身都是。他的手臂和腿都被烫红了，尼维尔忍不住呜呜地哭了起来。 　　"傻瓜！"史纲皮咆哮着，用他的魔杖一挥就把地上乱溅的药汁弄干净了。 　　"把汽锅从火上提起来之前，你是不是把豪猪尖刺扔进去了？"尼维尔鼻子上的小疮一个个红得发亮，好像马上就会爆开。现在他哭得更起劲了。 　　"带他到医务室去。"史纳皮吩咐谢默斯。接着，他盯着坐在尼维尔旁边的哈利和罗思，低声说："你——波特——你为什么不告诉尼维尔炖这种药时是不能加入豪猪尖刺的？你是想着，他要是做错了，你就有好戏看了，对不对？我要再扣掉你一分！"这是不公平的！哈利张大嘴正要反驳，罗恩从他们的汽锅下踢了他一脚，暗示他别干傻事。 　　一个小时之后，他们走出了地牢。哈利的心情低落到了极点。 　　入学才一周他就已经被扣掉了两分！为什么史纳皮这么讨厌他？ 　　"嘿，哈利！你得振作起来！"罗恩说，"史纳皮也经常扣弗雷德和乔治的分啦，他不会是针对你的。对了，我能够和你一起去拜访哈格力吗？"星期五下午四点五十五分，哈利和罗恩离开城堡，穿过草地，往哈格力家走去。 　　哈格力住在森林边上的一间小木屋里，他的房子门前总放着一副石弓和一双橡胶雨鞋。 　　哈利伸手敲了敲门，里边马上传来一阵叫人害怕的跑动声，一只狗狂吠着向门这边跑过来了。接着听到哈格力高声叫嚷："回来，弗兰！回来！"哈格力打开一点点门，在门缝里露出他那张毛茸茸的大脸："请稍等一会儿。 　　嘿，弗兰，你快回自己窝里去。" 　　哈格力让他们俩进来，然后和他的那只巨型的黑色大丹狗弗兰激烈斗争了一会儿，才把弗兰的项圈给拉住。 　　屋里边只有一间房，房间的顶部挂着火腿和风鸡。火炉上，一只铜水壶正煮着开水。在角落里有一张巨大的床，床上胡乱地扔着一张千缝百补的棉被。 　　"随便坐，随便坐！当自己家里一样好了。"哈格力说。他放开弗兰，弗兰"呼"地一下子扑到罗恩身边，亲热地舔了舔罗恩的耳朵。和它的主人哈格力一样，弗兰也只是看上去有点凶而已。 　　"他叫罗恩。"哈利告诉哈格力。哈格力正忙着把开水倒进一个大茶壶里，又端来一盘蛋糕卷。他看了一眼罗恩，注意到了罗恩脸上的雀斑，说："你也是威斯里家的孩子吧？我可花了好多时间在这禁林里追逐那对双胞胎呢！"哈格力的蛋糕卷差点儿没把哈利和罗恩的牙齿给磕了下来，但是哈利和罗恩假装着很享受的样子。他们把这一周来的学习生活情况对哈格力讲了。弗兰则把它的巨头搁到哈利的膝盖上睡大觉，还流口水弄湿了哈利的衣服。 　　听到哈格力把门房费驰叫做"那个老家伙。"哈利和罗恩心里可高兴了。 　　"至于那只老猫，叫什么来着？诺丽丝夫人，待我有空时我会介绍弗兰和它认识认识的。那家伙，每一次我到学校里去，它总爱跟着我，怎么也摆脱不了。哼，肯定是费驰授意它这么干的。"哈利又把史纲皮上课时怎么针对他的事告诉哈格力。哈格力也和罗恩一样劝哈利不用太担心，史纳皮那个家伙几乎是对每一个学生都没有什么好感的啦。 　　"但是，他真的好像很讨厌我。" 　　"胡说！"哈格力说，"他干嘛要讨厌你呢？" 　　但是哈利觉得好奇怪，哈格力说话时干嘛连看都不敢看他？ 　　"你的兄弟查理近来怎样了？"哈格力问罗恩，"我挺喜欢他的，当然啦，还有他那些奇怪的宠物。"哈格力干嘛要转移话题？哈利心里更加奇怪了。罗恩跟哈格力大讲查理养的丑龙时，哈利看到茶壶旁边的桌子上有一张纸，拿起来一看，原来是从《先知日报》上剪下来的：格林高斯银行劫案调查近况。 　　发生在7月31日晚的格林高斯银行大劫案目前仍在调查中。 　　有关人士相信是某些黑女巫或黑巫师干的。 　　格林高斯里的小妖们今天坚持说他们什么也没干。事实上劫案发生当天，保险库里早就空了。 　　"但是我们不会告诉你那里边有些什么，让我们静观事态的发展！"今天下牛，格林高斯的发言人如此说道。 　　哈利记得在火车上罗恩曾经告诉他，有人打算打劫格林高斯，不过罗恩没有对他提及确切的日期。 　　"哈格力！"哈利嚷起来，"劫案发生那天，刚好是我的生日！ 　　那时我们也在那儿待过！"当然啦，但哈格力根本不敢和哈利的眼神接触。他低声咕饿了几句，又递几块蛋糕卷给哈利。哈利仔细地把那份剪报再读一次。 　　"事实上劫案发生当天，保险库里早就空了。"可是这不能说保险库因此就被清空了吧？如果说，只是把那个脏兮兮的小包裹拿出来，就可以叫做提领一空的话，哈格力确实是在当日把713号地下金库提领一空。难道那就是抢匪想要找的东西吗？ 　　哈利和罗恩走回城堡里吃晚饭时，两个人的口袋里都装满了哈格力家那些硬得像石头似的蛋糕卷。怎么说呢？他们俩实在不好意思拒绝哈格力啊！哈利想，哈格力有没有及时去取回那个小包包。 　　那小包现在到哪里去了呢？还有，哈格力是不是知道什么关于史纳皮的事，但是他不愿意告诉哈利呢？ 
Chapter 9 The Midnight Duel
Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy. Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday — and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.“Typical,” said Harry darkly. “Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy.”He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.“You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself,” said Ron reasonably. “Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk.”Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book — not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.“It's a Remembrall!” he explained. “Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh… ” His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, “… you've forgotten something…”Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.“What's going on?”“Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor.”Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.“Just looking,” he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.“Well, what are you all waiting for?” she barked. “Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up.”Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.“Stick out your right hand over your broom,” called Madam Hooch at the front, “and say ‘Up!'”“UP” everyone shouted.Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.“Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard,” said Madam Hooch. “Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two—”But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.“Come back, boy!” she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and —WHAM — a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.“Broken wrist,” Harry heard her mutter. “Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get.”She turned to the rest of the class.“None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ‘Quidditch.’ Come on, dear.”Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.“Did you see his face, the great lump?”The other Slytherins joined in.“Shut up, Malfoy,” snapped Parvati Patil.“Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?” said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. “Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati.”“Look!” said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. “It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him.”The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.“Give that here, Malfoy,” said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.Malfoy smiled nastily.“I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?”“Give it here!” Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, “Come and get it, Potter!”Harry grabbed his broom.“No!” shouted Hermione Granger. “Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble.”Harry ignored her. Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him — and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught — this was easy, this was wonderful. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.“Give it here,” Harry called, “or I'll knock you off that broom!”“Oh, yeah?” said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.“No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy,” Harry called.The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.“Catch it if you can, then!” he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down — next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball — wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching — he stretched out his hand — a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.“HARRY POTTER!”His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling.“Never — in all my time at Hogwarts—”Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, ” — how dare you — might have broken your neck—”“It wasn't his fault, Professor—”“Be quiet, Miss Patil—”“But Malfoy—”“That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now.”Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.“Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?”Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.“Follow me, you two,” said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.“In here.”Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.“Out, Peeves!” she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.“Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood — I've found you a Seeker.”Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.“Are you serious, Professor?”“Absolutely,” said Professor McGonagall crisply. “The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?”Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.“He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive,” Professor McGonagall told Wood. “Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it.”Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.“Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?” he asked excitedly.“Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team,” Professor McGonagall explained.“He's just the build for a Seeker, too,” said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. “Light — speedy — we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor — a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say.”“I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…”Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.“I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you.”Then she suddenly smiled.“Your father would have been proud,” she said. “He was an excellent Quidditch player himself.”“You're joking.”It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.“Seeker ?” he said. “But first years never — you must be the youngest house player in about—”“— a century,” said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. “Wood told me.”Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.“I start training next week,” said Harry. “Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret.”Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over.“Well done,” said George in a low voice. “Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters.”“I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year,” said Fred. “We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us.”“Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school.”“Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you.”Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.“Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?”“You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you,” said Harry coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.“I'd take you on anytime on my own,” said Malfoy. “Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?”“Of course he has,” said Ron, wheeling around. “I'm his second, who's yours?”Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.“Crabbe,” he said. “Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked.”When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other.“What is a wizard's duel?” said Harry. “And what do you mean, you're my second?”“Well, a second's there to take over if you die,” said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, “But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway.”“And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?”“Throw it away and punch him on the nose,” Ron suggested.“Excuse me.”They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.“Can't a person eat in peace in this place?” said Ron.Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.“I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying—”“Bet you could,” Ron muttered.“— and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you.”“And it's really none of your business,” said Harry.“Good-bye,” said Ron.All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as “If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them.” There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.“Half-past eleven,” Ron muttered at last, “we'd better go.”They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, “I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry.”A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.“You!” said Ron furiously. “Go back to bed!”“I almost told your brother,” Hermione snapped, “Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this.”Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.“Come on,” he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.“Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells.”“Go away.”“All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so—”But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.“Now what am I going to do?” she asked shrilly.“That's your problem,” said Ron. “We've got to go, we're going to be late.”They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.“I'm coming with you,” she said.“You are not.”“D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up.”“You've got some nerve — ” said Ron loudly.“Shut up, both of you!” said Harry sharply. I heard something.”It was a sort of snuffling.“Mrs. Norris?” breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.“Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed.”“Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's ‘Pig snout’ but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere.”“How's your arm?” said Harry.“Fine,” said Neville, showing them. “Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute.”“Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later—”“Don't leave me!” said Neville, scrambling to his feet, “I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already.”Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.“If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you.”Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.“He's late, maybe he's chickened out,” Ron whispered.Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy.“Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner.”It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.“They're in here somewhere,” they heard him mutter, “probably hiding.”“This way!” Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.“RUN!” Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.“I think we've lost him,” Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.“I — told — you,” Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, “I — told — you.”“We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower,” said Ron, “quickly as possible.”“Malfoy tricked you,” Hermione said to Harry. “You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off.”Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.“Let's go.”It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.“Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out.”Peeves cackled.“Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty.”“Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please.”“Should tell Filch, I should,” said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. “It's for your own good, you know.”“Get out of the way,” snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake.“STUDENTS OUT OF BED!” Peeves bellowed, “STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!”Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.“This is it!” Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, “We're done for! This is the end!”They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.“Oh, move over,” Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, “Alohomora!”The lock clicked and the door swung open — they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.“Which way did they go, Peeves?” Filch was saying. “Quick, tell me.”“Say ‘please.'”“Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go ?”“Shan't say nothing if you don't say please,” said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.“All right — please.”“NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!” And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.“He thinks this door is locked,” Harry whispered. “I think we'll be okay — get off, Neville!” For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. “What ?”Harry turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare — this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.Harry groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, he'd take Filch.They fell backward — Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.“Where on earth have you all been?” she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.“Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout,” panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.“What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?” said Ron finally. “If any dog needs exercise, that one does.”Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. “You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?” she snapped. “Didn't you see what it was standing on.“The floor?” Harry suggested. “I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads.”“No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something.”She stood up, glaring at them.“I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed.”Ron stared after her, his mouth open.“No, we don't mind,” he said. “You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you.But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something… What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts.It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.哈利曾以为达德里已经够讨厌的了，谁想到，遇上杰高。马尔夫之后，原来这家伙比达德里更令人讨厌。一年级的格林芬顿学生只有药学课是和史林德林学生一起上的，所以大家都还没有多少机会与马尔夫发生正面冲突。至少在看到那张钉在格林芬顿公共休息室里的通知前是这样。那张通知让大家恨得牙痒痒的：飞行训练课将于星期四开始上课——这意味着格林芬顿学生要和史林德林学生一起上课。 　　"又是那一套！"哈利撇撇嘴，"这正合我意，只是在马尔夫面前坐在大扫帚上让我觉得有点像傻瓜。"哈利比谁都想快点可以学习快迪斯。 　　"我不知道你坐上去会不会像傻瓜，"罗恩说，"不过，据我所知，马尔夫一直为他的快迪斯而自豪，而且我敢打赌他现在肯定又在吹嘘自己。"马尔夫的确正在大谈即将要上的飞行训练课。他大声地抱怨一年级的小鬼们根本没资格加入豪斯飞行训练队，他讲了好久，当然也不忘往自己脸上贴金，他把那个他从直升飞机上利用快迪斯逃生的故事又吹了一遍。其实，吹嘘自己有飞行经验的人也不止马尔夫一个，谢默斯。范尼更就到处跟人说，他还是个小孩子的时候就已经骑着大扫帚在原野上空漫游了。罗恩也煤蝶不休地大讲他经常用查理的那把旧扫帚到处滑翔。几乎每一个来自巫术家族的孩子都在谈论快迪斯。罗恩已经和同宿舍的迪恩。汤姆斯就足球的问题辩论了一场。罗恩实在搞不明白足球赛有什么好刺激的，二十几个人，一个球，又不准飞起来，多无聊！罗恩甚至想劝迪恩离开汉姆足球队呢。 　　尼维尔长到那么大都还没坐过一次扫帚，因为他的奶奶从来就不准他接近任何一把扫帚。哈利倒觉得尼维尔奶奶这个决定无比英明，谁都知道啦，尼维尔是个走在地上都会发生很多意外的人，谁敢放心让他到天上去？ 　　荷米恩也和尼维尔一样的紧张。因为这种实践性工作可不比从书本里背知识来得容易——况且她也从来没飞过。星期四吃早餐时，荷米恩决定把她从一本叫《快迪斯大观》的书里学到的飞行技巧传授给同学们。她这个决定可把大家给烦死了。 　　尼维尔倒听得聚精会神，连一个字都不放过。他真希望这会帮助他能牢牢地坐在大扫帚上。这时候猫头鹰邮差们来了，荷米恩的长篇大论不得不被打断，这让大家都松了口气。 　　自从接到哈格力的信后，哈利再也没有收过别的什么。马尔夫马上就注意到了这一点。他的猫头鹰经常从家里给他悄来一包又一包的糖果，他次次都神气活现将把那些糖果哗地倒到桌子上。 　　尼维尔的猫头鹰从他奶奶那儿为他捎来了一个小包裹。尼维尔兴奋地打开一看，原来是一个有着大理石花纹的玻璃球，里面好像弥漫着神秘的白烟呢。 　　"呀，是记忆之球！"尼维尔兴奋地向大家宣布，"奶奶知道我老爱忘东西，所以送了我这个！要是我忘了什么的话，这个球就会提醒我。看，只要紧紧地抓住它，如果它变成红色……呢……"他吃了一惊，因为记忆球忽然发出了耀眼的红光："你忘了要做一件事！"尼维尔拼命地想，究竟自己忘了做什么呢？这时候，杰高。马尔夫刚好从他们的桌子边经过，一下子就把记忆球抢到了手中。 　　哈利和罗恩马上跳了起来，他们俩早就想揍马尔夫一顿了，可麦康娜教授比他们俩更快，一下子就出现了。 　　"发生了什么事？" 　　"马尔夫抢了我的记忆球！" 　　马尔夫做了个怪相，把球扔回桌子上。 　　"看看都不行！"他扔下这么一句，就大摇大摆地走了。他的两个死党克来伯和高尔也赶紧跟了上去。 　　下午三点半，哈利、罗恩，还有其它同学，怀着兴奋的心情准备上他们的第一堂飞行训练课。他们跑下楼梯，穿过草地，来到禁林外边。今天的天气可真好，清朗于爽，草地上绿色的小草微微地漾着细浪，轻轻地拂过他们的脚踝，让人感觉舒服极了。不远处，禁林里的树木也在随风摆动。 　　史林德林的学生早已到齐。地上整整齐齐地摆放着二十支大扫帚。哈利曾经听过弗雷德和乔治。威斯里抱怨学校里的大扫帚质量不大好。他们说有些扫帚会在你飞到高空的时候发颤，有些扫帚则总爱往左偏。 　　这时，他们的老师胡施夫人来了。她长着一头灰色的短发。她的一双黄色的眼睛，就好像鹰的眼睛一样锋利。 　　"嘿，你们呆呆地站在那儿干嘛？"她大喝道，"每一个人都给我站到扫帚边上去！快，快点！"哈利低头看了看自己的扫帚。好旧呀，还有许多枝条突了出来，丑死了！ "把你们的右手伸到扫帚上方，"胡施夫人站在队伍前面说，"然后大声说："起来！'""起来！"大家一齐叫道。 　　哈利的扫帚马上就跳到他的手里了。别的同学可没他那么得心应手。荷米恩。 　　格兰佐的扫帚只是在地上滚了滚，尼维尔的扫帚更是动都没动。大概骑扫帚和骑马差不多吧，你要是心里先怯了，马就会不服你骑的，扫帚也一样，哈利想。尼维尔低声嘟着说他宁愿用脚在地上走路也不愿骑扫帚在天上飞。 　　胡施夫人为大家做了一次骑扫帚的示范，并且教导他们怎样才不致于坐不稳扫帚而滑下来。做完示范后，胡施夫人让大家各自练习一次，她自己就在队伍中走来走去，纠正他们错误的坐姿。哈利和罗恩心花怒放，因为胡施夫人大声训斥马尔夫，说他的坐姿一点都不正确。 　　"现在，你们留意我的哨声。我一吹哨子，你们就用力往地面一蹬。"胡施夫人说，"紧紧抓住你们的扫帚，试着上升几英尺高，然后向前慢慢滑行，再回到地上来。好，注意，听我的哨声——三……"但是尼维尔实在太紧张了，还没等胡施夫人吹哨，他的脚就不由自主地往地上一蹬，"呼"地就飞了起来。 　　"你这孩子，快给我回来！"胡施夫人大叫。可是尼维尔飞得太快了，就像一枚从香摈瓶里蹦出去的木塞子——十二英尺——二十英尺！哈利看到尼维惊恐万分，他的脸吓得煞白，正大口大口地喘着气，哇，不好了，他好像没抓稳扫帚……滑下来了！ 　　砰！一声巨响，尼维尔脸朝下摔进一堆草里！他的扫帚却还在不断地往上升，摇摇晃晃地往禁林那边飞过去，很快就消失在众人的视线里。胡施夫人弯下腰去为尼维尔作检查，她的脸就跟尼维尔的一样白。 　　"手腕摔断了。"哈利听到胡施夫人低声说，"来吧，小家伙——没事的，试着站起来。"胡施夫人转头看着其余的同学，说："在我送这位同学到医务室的时候，谁都不可以擅自试飞。谁敢乱动，谁就给我滚蛋！明白吗？小家伙，来，我们走吧。"尼维尔早已哭得稀哩哗啦了，捧着他的断了的手腕，在胡施夫人的搀扶下蹒跚地离开了。 　　两人刚一走远，马尔夫就哈哈大笑起来："你们都看到那家伙的表情了？哈哈，真是个大笨蛋！"史林德林的其它学生也纷纷笑了起来。 　　"住口，马尔夫！"帕维提帕提看不下去了。 　　"噢噢，为小笨蛋抱打不平的来了？"史林德林中有个叫珀茜。 　　帕金森的丑女孩说，"真想不到呢，帕维提你居然喜欢那个爱哭的小胖子。""看！"马尔夫猛地冲出队伍，在草地上捡起一件东西。"这不是那个小笨蛋的老祖母送给他的东西吗？"阳光下，记忆之球在他手里闪闪发光。 　　"把它放回原处，马尔夫！"哈利怒愤地叫嚷。每一个人都静了下来，静观事态的发展。 　　马尔夫不怀好意地笑了。 　　"嗯，我想我应该把它藏到某个地方去，让那个小笨蛋好好地找一找——哦，我想到了——放到树上去怎样？""把它放回原处！"哈利大喝道。但是马尔夫已经跨上他的扫帚并且飞了起来。 　　那家伙果然没有撒谎，他的飞行技术的确不错。他L 到一棵标树的最高处，向哈利挑衅："来呀！够胆就上来拿！波特！"哈利一把抓起他的扫帚。 　　"不要去！"荷米恩大叫，"胡施夫人告诉我们谁也不要动——而巨你老是给我们带来麻烦！"哈利压根儿没理会她，哈利现在热血沸腾，连耳根都红了。他马上跨上他的扫帚，用力往地上一蹬，扫帚就带着他飞到了半空里。哈利的头发都被半空中的劲风刮乱了，他的衣服也被刮得呼呼作响——这个危险的举动反倒使哈利意识到有些东西他完全能凭自己的力量控制好！哈利心中充满喜悦，实在太简单了！实在太神奇了！他拉了拉扫帚头，让它飞得更高点。这时，他听到地面上的女孩子们大声尖叫和罗恩的大声赞美。 　　哈利让他的扫帚飞到马尔夫的对面停下来，马尔夫看得目瞪口呆，像个白痴似地呆在半空中。 　　"把那个球放回原处！"哈利大声说，"否则我会一脚把你从你的扫帚上踢下去！""哦？是吗？"马尔夫勉强笑了笑，他看来似乎有点慌了。 　不知怎的，哈利突然十分清楚应该怎么去控制扫帚。他双手紧紧地抓住自己的扫帚，往上轻轻一提，扫帚就像一枚出膛的火箭炮般带着他直奔马尔夫。马尔夫差点儿就给撞上了，幸亏他避得快。 　　哈利呼地在半空中来了一个漂亮的转弯，而里坐得稳稳地，一点慌乱都没有。 　　一些同学更在地上大声地拍起掌来。 　　"在这儿，你的那两个猪朋狗友克朱伯和高尔可帮不了你啦，马尔夫！"哈利高兴地叫。 　想到这一点，马尔夫也有点慌了。 　　"那么，希望你能接住它！哈哈！"马尔夫大叫一声，把那只玻璃球往空中一扔就赶紧飞回地面。 　　哈利看得一清二楚，那只玻璃球先是往上弹，接着就往下面掉。他抓住扫帚，调头往下直奔玻璃球而去——他这一扑的速度可真快，一秒钟之后就差不多追上那只球了。耳边风声和大家的惊叫声混杂在一起。这时，他伸出右手——在离地还有一英尺的地方，哈利抓住了它！而且还刚好来得及调整他的扫帚的方向！哈利紧紧地握住记忆球，轻轻地从扫帚上跳了下来，稳稳地站在草地上。 　　"哈利·波特！" 　　哈利的心猛地往下一沉。麦康娜教授直往他们这边走过来。她走得很快，说："你们……你们……"麦康娜教授气得快说不出话了，她鼻梁上的眼镜似乎都在颤抖："……你居然敢……这会摔断你的脖子……""这不是哈利的错，教授……" 　　"帕提，别吵！" 　　"可是，马尔夫他……" 　　"够了，威斯里，我不要再听了。波特，马上跟我走！"临走前，哈利瞪了马尔夫一眼，他的两个跟班克来估和高尔正得意洋洋地冲他扮鬼脸。麦康娜教授开始往城堡那边走过去，哈利机械地拖着腿跟在后边。完了，肯定要被开除了！哈利绝望地想。 　　他想为自己的所作所为辨护几句，可是喉咙里好像堵住了似的，一句话也说不出来。麦康娜教授大步流星地往前走，看都不看哈利一眼。哈利必须小跑着才能跟上她。唉，现在自己可闯了大祸了，到这儿来学习可还不够两个星期呢！看来十分钟之后，他就得收拾东西走人了。当达德里看到自己出现在家门前时，会怎么说他呢？ 　　走上前面的台阶，再走上里面的大理石楼梯，麦康娜还是一言不发。她大力地推开每一扇门，快步穿过走廊，哈利可怜巴巴地拼命跟着。可能她要把他带到丹怕多校长里去。哈利开始想到哈格力，他不正是被开除了的吗？现在他只能呆在禁林边上当个狩猎场的管理员。也许自己还会被允许呆在这儿当哈格力的助手吧？想到这个悲惨的命运，哈利的胃都翻腾起来了。到那时候，罗恩和其他同学会成为巫师，而他，哈利·波特，只能在禁林边上扛着哈格力的大背包踟躅而行，像个小老头儿。 　　麦康娜教授在一间教室外停下来了，她推开门，伸了个头进去："不好意思，费立维克教授，打扰你一下，能不能让伍德出来一会儿？""木头？（英文中"伍德"与"木头"拼写与发音相同）"哈利有点摸不着头脑。难道麦康娜教授打算用木棒来打他一顿吗？ 　　伍德其实是一个人的名字，那是个十五岁左右的少年，身体长得相当结实。他从费立维克教授的课室里走了出来，看他一脸迷惑，似乎也不知道麦康娜教授要做什么。 　　"你们两个跟我来。"麦康娜教授说，他们一路走过走廊，伍德好奇地看了哈利好久。 　　"在这儿。" 　　麦康娜教授领着两人走进一间教室。教室里空荡荡的，只有喧哗鬼皮维斯正忙着在黑板上乱涂乱划。 　　"皮维斯，你给我出去！"麦康娜教授喝道。皮维斯用力把粉笔往粉笔盒里一扔，骂骂咧咧地一溜烟跑了。麦康娜教授关上门，转身看着眼前两个男孩子。 　　"波特，这位是奥立弗。伍德。伍德——我帮你找了一位搜索员。"伍德脸上的表情马上由迷惑转成兴奋："你说得是真的吗，教授？""当然。"麦康娜教授清清楚楚地说。"这个男孩天赋异禀，我从来没见过这样子的孩子。刚才是你第一次骑上扫帚的，对吗？波特？"哈利点了点头。他还没弄清要发生什么呢，不过好像并不是要开除他出校。太好了！哈利那一直只会机械地移动的腿终于有了点点知觉了。 　　"他在做了一个五十英尺高的俯冲之后，用他的手抓住了一件正在下落的物体。"麦康娜教授告诉伍德。"而他自己竟能毫发不伤地落地！这种能耐，就算是查理。 　　威斯里都没有。" 　　伍德非常高兴，好像他多年来的梦想马上就能实现了似的。他盯着哈刮，兴奋地问："你看过快迪斯比赛吗？""伍德是格林芬顿飞行队的队长。"麦康娜教授解释道。 　　"他简直是大生的当搜索员的材料！"伍德绕着哈利转了又转，盯着他看了又看。"身体轻盈，反应迅速……我们得给他找个合适点的扫帚才行。教授，你说哪一种合适点呢？'灵光2000'型扫帚还是'第七号清洁者'型扫帚好呢？""我会告知丹伯多教授并和他商量一下看能不能改一下规则，让一年级的学生参加。上帝保佑，我们现在有一支比去年更强大的队伍了。自从上个比赛中我们被史林德林队打败之后，我已经有好久不敢去看史纳皮那得意洋洋的脸了……"麦康娜教授用她那眼镜后的眼睛严厉地看着哈利，说："我希望你会努力地训练，波特。否则的话，我就会改变我的主意，好好地惩罚你！"接着她出人意外地笑了："你的父亲一定会很自豪的。你知道吗？你父亲可是一位很棒的快迪斯比赛选手。""你不是说笑吧？" 　　吃晚饭的时候，哈利把下午他跟着麦康娜教授离开草地后所发生的事一五一十地告诉了罗恩。罗恩当时正准备把一块牛排羊肾薄饼放进嘴里，一惊之下，居然连嘴里的薄饼都忘了嚼。 　　"搜索员？"他问，"可是从没有一年级生……你将会是豪斯杯选手中最年轻的一个！有多少年没有年纪这么小的选手参赛啦？""……一百年吧！"哈利往嘴里塞了一块薄饼，含糊不清地说。 　　下午兴奋了那么久，现在他觉得非常饿。"是伍德告诉我的。"罗恩又震惊又好奇，他呆呆地坐在那儿看着哈利，一句话都说不了。 　"下一周开始，我就要参加正式的训练了。"哈利说。"对了，先别告诉别人，伍德希望我们能保持秘密。"弗来德和乔治走进大厅里，他们发现了哈里就走了过来。 　　"干得不错，小家伙！"乔治低声说。"伍德都告诉我们了。咱们现在同在一个队啦——伙计！""我跟你说，我们今年非得把那快迪斯大赛的奖杯夺过来不可。"弗来德说，"自从查理离校后，我们还没有赢过一次呢。可是今年不一样了，我们非叫他们大吃一惊不可！哈利，你要好好干，伍德对你期望很高，他几乎是跳着告诉我们这个的。""好了，我们得走了。李。乔丹认为他已经找到了一条能通向校外的秘道。""我敢说就是我们在第一周里找到的那条，就在那个可恶的格雷戈利雕像后面罢了。嗯，我们走了，再见！"弗来德和乔治前脚刚走，几个不受欢迎的人物后脚就出现了：马尔夫在克来伯和高尔的护卫之下走了过来。 　　"在吃你的最后晚餐吗？波特？你准备搭什么时候的火车回你的马格人世界去？""刚才让你逃掉是你的幸运。怎么，带着你的猪朋狗及过来干什么？欠揍啊？"哈利冷冷地回答。他当然不会把克来伯和高尔放在眼里，因为这大厅里老师太多了，双方都只能冲着对方捏捏指关节和拧拧眉头而已。 　　"我随时乐意奉陪！"马尔夫说，"就今天晚上，怎么样？我们两人来一场巫师之间的决斗。只许用魔法杖，不准找帮手。怎么样？我看你连什么是巫师之间的决斗都还不知道吧？""他当然知道。"罗恩说，"我就是他的替补，你的替补呢？是谁？"马尔夫看了看克来伯和高尔，心里对两人作了一番估量。 　　"克来伯是我的替补。"他说，"那么就约定半夜吧。我们在纪念品展览室里见，那儿经常不上锁的。"马尔夫走了之后，罗恩和哈利你眼看我眼。 　　"什么是巫师之间的决斗？"哈利问。"还有，为什么你说你是我的替补？""哦，所谓替补，就是在你战死之后接替你继续战斗的人。"罗恩漫不经心地说，拿起他那块凉了的薄饼，一口塞进嘴里。瞥了一眼哈利的表情后，罗恩很快地又加了几句："通常只有很特别的决斗才会死人啦！只有真正的巫师们才有这种能力。你和马尔夫嘛，最多就互相对打一番。毕竟你们两个都还不懂什么真正能杀人的巫术。我想，那家伙一千个希望你会出口拒绝他的挑战。""假如我的魔法杖帮不了我忙呢？" 　　"那就干脆扔掉魔法杖，对着那家伙的鼻子送他一拳尝尝！"罗恩给哈利出了个主意。 　　"打扰了。" 　两人抬头一看，原来是荷米恩。 　　"难道我们想安安静静地吃顿晚饭都不行吗？"罗恩说。 　　荷米恩不理他，她冲着哈利说："刚才我听到了你和马尔夫说……""真希望你没有听到。"罗恩低声响咕。 　　"……你最好不要夜里起来在学校里走来走去。假如你被抓住的话，想想格林芬顿将会因你而被扣掉多少分！你得为此而负责！ 　　哼，你太自私了！""无论怎样都不关你事！"哈利回答道。 　　"再见！"罗恩说。 　　晚上哈利在床上躺了好久都还没睡着。迪恩和谢默斯早就倒头呼呼大睡了（尼维尔还在医务室没回来）。哈利想，今天可真是发生了好多事情哪！罗恩刚才一直在碟蝶不休地给他出主意，比如说"如果那家伙想诅咒你的话，你可得赶快避开，因为我可不怎么会解咒。"今天晚上他们溜出去的话十有八九会被可恶的管理员费驰和他的诺丽丝夫人抓住。哈利觉得自己是在赌运气。难道今天还要再违反一项纪律吗？可是马尔夫那张冷笑着的脸老在黑暗中浮现——这可也是一次能直接面对面地打倒马尔夫的好机会。哈利实在不想错过。 　　"十一点半了。"罗恩凑过来说，"我们该动身了。"他们飞快地穿上衣服，拿起魔法杖，蹑手蹑脚地走出宿舍，沿着螺旋梯往下走一直来到公共休息室里。火炉里还有些余烬未燃尽，在微光的映射下，所有的椅子后都拖着一道长长的黑色影子。 　　正当他们走到出口的那幅肖像那儿时，椅子后面忽然响起了一个声音："哈利，我真不敢相信你居然去做那样的事情！""啪"的一声，有人点着了一盏灯。是荷米恩！她穿着一件粉红色的外套，冲着他们俩皱眉头。 　　"你！"罗恩气急败坏地大嚷，"快滚回你的床上去！""我会告诉你哥哥的！"荷米恩很生气，"看来我应该告诉班长伯希，他肯定会阻止你们这样干的！"哈利觉得这世界上再没有谁比荷米恩更令人心烦了。 　　"咱们快走！"哈利招呼罗恩。他推开肥大婶居住着的那幅画像，爬进出口。 　　荷米恩可不愿意这么轻易地就放过他们两个。她也爬进了出口，紧紧地跟着罗恩不放。她一边爬，一过气呼呼地说个不停，活像一只生气的母鹅："哼，你们究竟有没有想过格林芬顿的声誉？ 　　你们究竟有没有为自己着想过？我可不想让史林德林那帮家伙赢了豪斯林去。 　　哼哼，我上次在变形魔咒比赛里从麦康娜教授那儿好不容易拿到的加分，现在肯定要给你们丢光了广"你别跟着我们！""好，我走！不过我已经警告过你们了。明天你不得不收拾东西离开学校的时候，你们就会明白我的一片好心了！你们这些……"但是他们现在都回不去了！荷米思爬回去推肥大婶的肖像时，发现胖大婶的那张肖像已经变成了一片空白。那肥大婶肯定是跑到别的肖像那儿串门去了！荷米恩现在被困在格林芬顿塔里了！ 　　"怎么办？现在怎么办？"荷米思不禁失声尖叫起来。 　　"那是你的事情了。"罗恩说，"我们可要走了。你害我们差点儿迟到了。"他们俩继续往里走，还没走到尽头，荷米恩就气喘吁吁地赶上来了。 　　"我要跟着你们。"她说。 　　"不要！" 　　"你以为我会傻傻地站在那里等费驰来抓我吗？我得跟着你们。 　　要是费驰发现了我们三个，我就告诉他我是来阻止你去干傻事的。""你别在这儿碍手碍脚……"罗恩大声说道。 　　"你们两个快别吵了！"哈利急促地说，"我好像听到了一点声音。"那是一种沉重的鼻子呼吸声。 　　"诺丽丝夫人？"罗恩紧张地在黑暗中四处张望，低声说。 　　原来那并不是诺丽丝夫人，那个声音居然是尼维尔发出来的！ 　　他蜷在地板的一角里，正在呼呼大睡呢！他们急忙跑过去，尼维尔这才猛地醒过来。 　　"天哪！太好了，你们终于找到了我！我已经在这儿呆了好几个钟头，因为我把回卧室的新口号给忘得一干二净了。""别叫得那么大声！那个新口号是'猪鼻子'，可是现在你知道也没有什么用，因为胖大婶不知到哪里串门去了。""对了，尼维尔，你的手腕怎么样了？" 　　"已经没事了。"尼维尔伸出手来，说，"波姆弗雷夫人不用一分钟就把我的手腕治好了。""那太好了！嗯，尼维尔，我们现在得到别的地方去，你先呆在这儿，我们待会儿再回来找你……""别留下我一个人！"尼维尔马上爬起来，"我不想一个人呆在这里。刚才吸血鬼巴伦已经来过两次了。"罗恩低头看了看手表，很不耐烦地看着荷米恩和尼维尔两人，说："你们两个真麻烦！要是我还记得屈拉教的定身术是怎么用的话，我一定会拿你们两个来开刀！"荷米恩张了张嘴，似乎想告诉罗恩定身术究竟应该用在何处，但哈利示意她别说话，然后招手叫大家继续往前走。 　　午夜的月光从高高的窗户外透进来，在走廊上投入斑驳的阴影。他们一行四人小心翼翼地走着，每拐一个弯，哈利都以为费驰或诺丽丝夫人发现了他们。但是今天晚上他们出奇的幸运，从楼梯上到三楼，一直到走进纪念品展览室，居然平安无事。 　　马尔夫和克来估不在里面。陈列着纪念品的玻璃柜在月光的照耀下清晰可见，柜里的奖杯、盾形徽章、镀金器皿和所有的铸像都在黑暗中闪闪发光。他们一个个侧身溜进门，警觉地打量着室内的每一个角落。哈利拔出了他的魔法杖，以防马尔夫突然跳进来动手。然而，时间一秒一秒地流逝，马尔夫和克来伯还是没有出现。 　　"他迟到！那家伙肯定是个胆小鬼。"罗恩低声说。 　　隔壁房间突然传来声响，大家吓得差点跳起来。哈利刚想举起他手中的魔法杖，这时有人说话了——这不是马尔夫的声音。 　　"小乖乖，给我好好地嗅嗅，他们可能正藏在某个角落里呢。"是费驰在和他的猫诺丽丝夫人在说话！天哪！哈利惊恐万分，拼命挥动魔法杖示意另外三人马上跟他走。于是，大家蹑手蹑脚地向门那边跑去。当他们听到费驰走进纪念品展览室时，尼维尔慌得手忙脚乱，他的长袍几乎把他缠住了。 　　"他们肯定在这里边，"大家听到费驰在自言自语，"肯定藏在某处。""走这边！"哈利小声说。其余三人早就吓得僵掉了。他们哆味着从那条摆满鱼鳞盔甲的走廊爬过去。他们可以感觉到费驰就在这附近。突然，尼维尔短促他尖叫了一声——他滑了一下，随即又拉住旁边罗恩的足踝，结果两个人浪在一起，把一件鱼鳞盔甲组推倒了，发出"砰"地一声！ 　　这声巨响足以使整座城堡的人都醒过来！ 　　"快跑！"哈利大叫。四个人撒腿就跑，谁也不敢回头看看费驰是不是已经追上来了。他们绕过一道门框，飞快地跑过一道又一道走廊。哈利跑在最前面，他根本就没有时间去想他们跑到了哪里和他们将会跑到哪里去。最后他们钻进一大幅帷幕，跟人一条秘道。 　　秘道的尽头就是他们平时上咒语课的教室。这间教室离纪念品展览室不远，看来他们又跑回了原地。 　　"我想，我们已经摆脱了费驰。"哈利靠在冰冷的墙上，一边擦着前额的汗，一边气喘吁吁地说。尼维尔一屁股坐了下来，大口大口地喘气。 　　"我……早已……警告过……你……"荷米恩用力地抓着胸前的衣服，喘着说。 　　"……早……警告过你……" 　　"现在我们回到了原处，"罗恩说，"赶快回去吧。""马尔夫是在捉弄你，"荷米恩对哈利说，"你应该明白这一点的，对不对？ 　　他从来就没打算过要和你决斗——费驰怎么会知道有人躲在纪念品展览室里？肯定是马尔夫向他告密的！"哈利心里面认为荷米恩说得对，不过他并不准备告诉她。 　　"咱们走吧。" 　　要回去可也不容易。四人才走了几步，教室的门把手"噔"地动了一下，有个人"呼"他从教室里蹦了出来。 　　是喧哗鬼皮维斯！他冲着四人吱吱地笑，高兴得手舞足蹈。 　　"别吵，皮维斯……求求你……你这样做会使我们被费驰发现的！"皮维斯咯咯地笑："半夜里出来散步吗？小家伙们？啧啧啧，真淘气，被费驰抓住的话可不得了哇！""所以请你不要告诉他，皮维斯，求你啦！" 　　"嗯，我必须把这件事告诉费驰，"皮维斯故作严肃地说，他的眼睛不怀好意地眨了眨。"这是为了你们好啊，你们要明白我的苦心。""快滚开！"罗恩实在不耐烦了，冲着皮维斯大嚷——他这举动可闻了个大祸。 　　"有学生半夜跑出来啦！"皮维斯大声高呼，"有学生半夜跑出来了！就在咒语学习室旁边哪！"大家一听都急了，连忙弯腰从皮维斯的下边跑了过去，慌乱之中，他们跑进了走廊尽头右边的一扇门里。哈利随手一关，"砰！"的一声——门锁上了。 　　"唉呀！"罗恩悲哀地叹息道。无论他们用什么办法也打不开那扇门，罗恩终于绝望了："这下我们可完了！自己走进了一条死胡同！"费驰的脚步声越来越近了，他跑得可真快，皮维斯话音刚落，他就跑上来了。 　　"嘿，你们都让开！"荷米恩也急了，她一把夺过哈利手上的魔法杖，轻轻地叩着门锁，低声说："阿落洪摩拉！""啪！"锁开了，门轻轻地动了一下——他们赶紧冲去把它关上。然后大家紧张地把耳朵贴近门边，静听事态发展。 　　"皮维斯，他们往哪个方向跑了？"费驰问皮维斯，"快点告诉我！""要说'请'字！" 　　"别捣乱了，皮维斯！现在我再问一次，他们跑到哪里去了？""如果你不用'请'字的话，我什么都不会告诉你。"皮维斯怪里怪气地说。 "好吧——请。" 　　"就不告诉你！哈哈哈！我早就跟你说了，你不用'请'字的话，我什么都不会告诉你！哈哈！哈哈哈！"四人听到皮维斯飞快地逃跑了，费驰骂骂咧咧地也走了。 　　"他以为这门是上了锁的。"哈利低声说。"我想我们现在没事了。走吧，尼维尔！"原来尼维尔害怕得躲进了哈利长袍的后摆。 　　正在发抖呢。"你干什么呀！" 　　哈利转过身来——这回他看到了，很清楚地看到了那个东西。 　　有好一阵子，哈利都不能回过神来，他以为自己正在发恶梦。这是今天晚上他们遇到的最可怕的事情。 　　他们不是跑进了房间里，哈利明白过来了。他们跑进了一条走廊。三楼那条禁止进入的走廊！现在他们终于明白为什么这条走廊要严禁进入了。 　　在他们的前面站着一只巨大的狗！它站在那里，它的巨头一直顶到天花板！那只狗有三只头颅；三双圆滚滚凶恶的大眼；三只鼻子，每一只鼻子都冲着他们的方向喷着气；三张流着口水的大嘴，每一张大嘴里都长着可怕的淡黄色犬牙。 　　它静静地站着，六只眼睛一动不动地盯着他们四人。哈利想，他们之所以现在还没被那只可怕的狗撕成碎片，只因为他们突然跑进来吓了它一跳。不过它肯定很快就会恢复过来，到时候他们就全都逃不了啦。 　　哈利偷偷地摸索着门把手——在费驰和死亡之中，他情愿选择费驰。 　　他们一齐跌出门外！哈利使劲把门一关，大家爬起来就跑！他们跑得几乎像飞的一样快，一下子就跑出了走廊。费驰可能到别的地方去找他们了，因为他们一路上都没有碰上他。可是谁都没有空去担心他——现在他们只想跑得离那头怪物越远越好。他们一直跑上七楼看见肥大婶的画像才停下来。 　　"你们跑到哪里去了？"看到他们跑得满脸红通通的，全身都被汗浸透了，连长袍也扯到了肩膀外，肥大婶觉得十分奇怪。 　　"没什么……猪鼻子！猪鼻子！"哈利气喘吁吁地说出口号。画像移动了，他们又爬回公共休息室。一进去，每个人都像一滩烂泥似的倒在椅子上。 　　一直过了好久，他们才有勇气讲话。而尼维尔，可怜的，看来他快吓得再也不会说话了。 　　"你们说，他们把一头那么可怕的怪物关在学校里，究竟想干什么？"罗恩第一个发问。 　　荷米恩现在缓过气来了，她的坏脾气也回来了："你们这些家伙，眼睛都长来了干什么啦？你们没有看见它脚底下有什么东西吗？""你是说地板吗？"哈利很不解，"我没有留意它的脚下，我只顾着它的头。""不，我不是指地板。它站在一块活板门上面。很明显，它在看守着一些东西。"荷米恩站起来，向他们瞪了一眼。 　　"我希望你们会吸取教训。今天晚上我们差点儿丢了性命——或者，全得被开除。好了，我回去睡觉了。"罗恩看着她走开，张嘴说："快点走吧。都是她拖累了我们，哈利你说对不对？"哈利回到床上时，他还在想着荷米恩的话。那只狗是在看守着一些东西……哈格力曾经说过什么？他说世界上最保险的保险库在格林高斯银行——除霍格瓦彻学校外。 　　看来哈利已经找到了那个从713号地下金库取出的脏兮兮的小包和那七百一十三块钱的所在了。
Chapter 10 Halloween
Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.“It's either really valuable or really dangerous,” said Ron.“Or both,” said Harry.But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.Professor McGonagallHarry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.“A Nimbus Two Thousand!” Ron moaned enviously. “I've never even touched one.”They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.“That's a broomstick,” he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. “You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them.”Ron couldn't resist it.“It's not any old broomstick,” he said, “it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?” Ron grinned at Harry. “Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus.”“What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle,” Malfoy snapped back. “I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig.”Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.“Not arguing, I hope, boys?” he squeaked.“Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor,” said Malfoy quickly.“Yes, yes, that's right,” said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. “Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?”“A Nimbus Two Thousand, it is,” said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. “And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it,” he added.Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.“Well, it's true,” Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, “If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…”“So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?” came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.“I thought you weren't speaking to us?” said Harry.“Yes, don't stop now,” said Ron, “it's doing us so much good.”Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.“Wow,” Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. Held never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.“Hey, Potter, come down!”Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.“Very nice,” said Wood, his eyes glinting. “I see what McGonagall meant… you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week.”He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.“Right,” said Wood. “Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers.”“Three Chasers,” Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.“This ball's called the Quaffle,” said Wood. “The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?”“The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score,” Harry recited. “So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?”“What's basketball?” said Wood curiously.“Never mind,” said Harry quickly.“Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper — I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring.”“Three Chasers, one Keeper,” said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. “And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?” He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.“I'll show you now,” said Wood. “Take this.”He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.“I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do,” Wood said. “These two are the Bludgers.”He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.“Stand back,” Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air — it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.“See?” Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. “The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team — the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?”“Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team,” Harry reeled off.“Very good,” said Wood.“Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?” Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.“Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers—”“— unless they crack my head open.”“Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves.”Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.“This,” said Wood, “is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep.“Well, that's it, any questions?”Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.“We won't practice with the Snitch yet,” said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, “it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these.”He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.Harry didn't miss a single one, and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.“That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year,” said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. “I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons.”Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.“Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!” squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. “Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said ‘s’ instead of ‘f’ and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.”It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Harry had to put it out with his hat.Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.“Wingardium Leviosa!” he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.“You're saying it wrong,” Harry heard Hermione snap. “It's Wing- gar -dium Levi- o -sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.”“You do it, then, if you're so clever,” Ron snarled.Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, “Wingardium Leviosa!”Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.“Oh, well done!” cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. “Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!”Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.“It's no wonder no one can stand her,” he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, “she's a nightmare, honestly.”Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears.“I think she heard you.”“So?” said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. “She must've noticed she's got no friends.”Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls’ bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, “Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know.”He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.“Prefects,” he rumbled, “lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!”Percy was in his element.“Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!”“How could a troll get in?” Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.“Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid,” said Ron. “Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke.”They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.“I've just thought — Hermione.”“What about her?”“She doesn't know about the troll.”Ron bit his lip.“Oh, all right,” he snapped. “But Percy'd better not see us.”Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls’ bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.“Percy!” hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.“What's he doing?” Harry whispered. “Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?”“Search me.”Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.“He's heading for the third floor,” Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.“Can you smell something?”Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.“The keys in the lock,” Harry muttered. “We could lock it in.”“Good idea,” said Ron nervously.They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.“Yes!”Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.“Oh, no,” said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.“It's the girls’ bathroom!” Harry gasped.“Hermione!” they said together.It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.“Confuse it!” Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.“Oy, pea-brain!” yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.“Come on, run, run!” Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: “Wingardium Leviosa!”The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.It was Hermione who spoke first.“Is it — dead?”“I don't think so,” said Harry, I think it's just been knocked out.”He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.“Urgh — troll boogers.”He wiped it on the troll's trousers.A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.“What on earth were you thinking of?” said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. “You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?”Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.Then a small voice came out of the shadows.“Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me.”“Miss Granger!”Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.“I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them.”Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?“If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived.”Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.“Well — in that case… ” said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, “Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?”Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.“Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this,” said Professor McGonagall. “I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses.”Hermione left.Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.“Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go.”They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.“We should have gotten more than ten points,” Ron grumbled.“Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's.”“Good of her to get us out of trouble like that,” Ron admitted. “Mind you, we did save her.”“She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her,” Harry reminded him.They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.“Pig snout,” they said and entered.The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said “Thanks,” and hurried off to get plates.But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.第二天，马尔夫看见哈利和罗恩仍在霍格瓦彻校园里走动时，他简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。他们俩看上去有点疲倦，心情却相当愉快。事实上，这天早上哈利和罗恩仍然在想着那只三头犬。昨夜的冒险实在太刺激了，两人都渴望能再来一次呢。 　　哈利把他关于那个包包的猜想告诉罗恩，他怀疑那东西被人从格林高斯银行的保险库里拿到了霍格瓦彻学校这儿。另外，两人也花了好久去猜想究竟那是件什么宝贝，竟需要那么严密的防守。 　　"那个东西要么很贵重要么就很危险。"罗恩说。 　　"或者两者皆备。"哈利同意。 　　但他们只知道那个神秘的物件大概有两英寸长，除此之外，他们再也没有别的线索以供进一步猜测了。 　　尼维尔和荷米思都对那只狗脚下面的活门里究竟藏着什么不感兴趣。尤其是尼维尔，他只希望再也不要见到那个可怕的怪物。 　　荷米恩拒绝再跟哈利和罗恩说话。不过从这件事情上，哈利和罗恩觉得她不过是个骄蛮跋扈而又假装博学的家伙。现在他们最想做的事就是给马尔夫点颜色看看。 　　幸运的是，一周之后，机会来了。 　　和平时一样，猫头鹰邮差们像潮水般涌进大厅里。但是这天每一个人都被六只怪叫着的大猫头鹰带来的一份又长又细的包裹给吸引住了。哈利也和所有人一样被这情景吸引住。当那大只大猫头鹰盘旋在他头上，并把那个包裹扔到他桌上，甚至连他吃的熏肉都被扫到地上去时，哈利觉得奇怪极了。另一只猫头鹰又飞上来把一封信扔到包裹上面，这时旁边六只大猫头鹰竟一齐振起翅来。 　　哈利首先撕开那封信。实在太好了，因为信中写道：千万不要在大厅里拆开你的包裹！这里边装的是你的新扫帚"灵光2000"。我不希望让太多人知道这件事，因为如果他们知道的话，每一个人都会吵着也要一把。今晚7点钟，奥立弗。伍德会在飞行训练营地那儿等你。你将在那儿接受第一次飞行训练。 　　麦康娜教授哈利实在无法掩饰他的喜悦。他把信递给罗恩看。 　　"一把'灵光2000'扫帚！"罗恩羡慕地说，"我连模都没摸过呢！"两人马上离开大厅。他们想在第一节课之前找个僻静的地方拆了包裹，好好地看一下这把新扫帚。没料到，走过大堂时克来伯和高尔拦住了他们的去路。马尔夫一把从哈利手上抢过包裹，马上他就感觉出里面是什么东西了。 　　"是一把扫帚哪！"他把包裹扔回给哈利，脸上满是恶意和嫉妒之情。"波特，你糟了，一年级学生是不允许使用这个的！"罗恩实在忍不住了。 　　"那可不是一把旧扫帚。"他说，"那是一把'灵光2000'！马尔夫，你上次说你家里那把扫帚是什么型号？哦，'香星26h '？"罗恩露齿一笑，"慧星'看起来也挺华丽的，可它们和'灵光'一比，哼，根本不是同一等级的嘛！""你懂什么！威斯里，你恐怕连这个扫帚头都没有吧？"马尔夫也不甘示弱，反唇相讥，"我想，你和你哥哥得把小树枝一条一条地存起来才能攒够一把！"还没等罗恩来得及出声，费立维克教授突然出现在马尔夫的手肘边。 　　"孩子们，有话好好说嘛，吵什么！"他尖声说。 　　"教授，有人送了一把扫帚给波特！"马尔夫马上告密。 　　"对，对，我知道。"费立维克教授笑着对哈利说，"麦康娜教授把一切都告诉我了。波特，那是什么型号的扫帚呀？""是'灵光2000'型，教授。"哈利竭力控制自己不去看马尔夫脸上那种可恶的表情。"能得到它，还是多亏了马尔夫呢。真是很多谢他。"他又加了一句。 　　哈利和罗恩走上楼梯，他们的笑声让马尔夫又生气又迷惑。 　　"真是的。"他们走下大理石楼梯后，哈利哈哈地笑着说，"如果他不是偷了尼维尔的记忆球的话，我可能没有机会加入飞行队呢"所以你认为这是对你违反纪律的嘉奖喽？"背后忽然传来一个生气的声音。荷米恩跺着脚走上楼梯，不以为然地看了看哈利手中的包裹。 　　"噢，我以为你从此不再和我们说话了？"哈利挪揄说。 　　"对了，你该坚持住！"罗恩说，"这样我们会好过点。"荷米恩气坏了，扭头就走。 　　这天一整天哈利都没法子集中精神听课。他的心一会儿想到放在宿舍床底的"灵光2000"，一会儿又想到晚上要到飞行训练营地去学习。吃晚餐时，他简直是在狼吞虎咽，连自己吃的是什么都不知道。一吃完晚餐，哈利和罗恩马上冲上楼拆开包裹。 　　那把"灵光2000"在哈利的床单上滚了几下。"天哪！"罗恩情不自禁地喝了一声彩。 　　就算是根本不懂各种扫帚的分类的哈利电觉得这把扫帚的确与众不同。整洁光滑，闪闪发亮，柄是桃花心水做的，尾部的枝条又齐又长，"灵光2000"几个金字就刻在扫帚的顶部。 　　快到七点钟的时候，哈利离开了城堡，在暮色中直奔飞行训练营地。哈利从来没有来过飞行比赛的场地。场地的四周有几百张椅子，都摆放得很高，这样观众们坐上去才能看到在高空中进行的赛事。场地的两头各竖着三条金色的柱子，柱子的顶部都装有一个筐。它们使哈利想起了马格人世界里孩子们用来吹肥皂泡的塑料小棍，不过眼前这几支柱子可足有五十英尺高。 　　哈利等不及伍德来就想再试一次飞行的滋味。他跨上扫帚，用脚往地上一蹬，飞起来了！这种感觉真神奇！他练习从球杆上空猝然扑下又飞起来，在整个场地里自由驰骋。只要他轻轻地触碰，那把"灵光2000"就随他所欲，想到哪里就飞到哪里。 　　"嘿，波特！快下来！" 　　奥立弗。伍德来了。他的手臂下夹着一只木制的大木箱。哈利降落在他的身旁。 　　"很好！"伍德说，他的眼睛闪闪发亮。"我知道麦康娜教授指的是什么了… 　　…你的确是个天才。今天晚上我打算把比赛的规则告诉你，下星期开始，你就正式加入训练，一周三次。"他弯腰打开木箱，箱里装着四个大小不同的球。 　　"好，我们开始吧。"伍德，"快迪斯比赛的规则是很简单的，但玩起来就不是那么容易了。每队各有七个队员，其中三个叫作捕手。""三个捕手。"哈利重复了一遍。这时伍德从箱里拿出一个足球大小的红色球。 　　"这个叫做可尔夫球。"伍德说。"捕手之间可以传递可尔夫球，谁能把它投入筐里，谁就能得分。投进一个可尔夫球的得分是10分。记住了吗？""捕手传递可尔夫球，谁能将它投进筐，谁就能得分。"哈利复述了一次。 　　"这不就像坐在扫帚上打篮球吗？不同的是这种比赛有六个球筐，对不对？""什么是篮球？"伍德大惑不解。 　　"哦，没什么。"哈利马上说。 　　"好，每一队都有一个队员充当守门员。我就是格林芬顿队的守门员。我必须在我们附近球筐边守着，不让对手把球投进我们的筐。""三个捕手，一个守门员。"哈利努力地将这些名字记下来。 　　"他们打的是可尔夫球。好，我记住了。那么其余的球又是用来干嘛的？"他指了指箱里剩下的三个球。 　　"我马上就会告诉你。"伍德说。"拿着。" 　　他交给哈利一支小短棒。 　　"我会让你看看布鲁佐球是用来做什么的。"伍德说，"这两个球叫做布鲁佐球。"伍德指给哈利看。两个一模一样的黑球，大概比红色的可尔夫球稍小一点儿。 　　哈利发现这两只球都有皮箍缚着，而且它们好像正蠢蠢欲动要飞出来。 　　"往后站一点。"伍德警告哈利。他弯下腰，放开其中一个布鲁佐球。 　　这个黑球"呼"地飞上半空，然后直撞向哈利的脸！哈利赶紧侧了侧身，用手里的小短棒拨开它以免被它撞断自己的鼻梁。那个球"唆"地又飞了开去。它在两人的头上转了几圈，又直奔伍德。 　　伍德猛地跳起来抓住那球，并用力把它按在地上。 　　"看到了吗？"伍德使劲制服手中挣扎着的布鲁佐球，然后又用皮箍把它缚回原处。"在比赛中，布鲁佐球像放火箭似的在赛场上横冲直撞，试图将每一位队员从他的扫帚上撞下来。这就是为什么每个队伍都必须有两名后卫。威斯里家的双胞胎兄弟是我们队的后卫——他们的工作就是保护其他队员不被布鲁位球撞下来，还要将它们打到对方球队那边去——你明白了吗？""三个捕手追逐可尔夫球并投篮得分；守门员守护球筐，不让他人投篮；后卫就保护其他队员不受布鲁佐球的干扰！"哈利一口气讲出来。 　　"非常好！"伍德很高兴。 　　"呃……布鲁佐球曾经撞死过人吗？"哈利假装不在意地问了一句。 　　"在霍格瓦彻学校里还没发生过这种事。曾经有两位队员被撞碎下巴，这是最糟糕的一次。嗯，队伍中最后一个成员是搜索员。 　　这就是你担任的角色。至于可尔夫球和布鲁佐球，你完全不用理会"……除非我的头被撞裂成两半……""不用担心嘛，威斯里兄弟对付布鲁佐球挺有一手的——我意思是说，他们俩就像一对有生命的可尔夫球。"伍德伸手进箱，把最后一个球拿出来。和可尔夫球、布鲁位球相比，这个球实在太小了，就跟一个大胡桃核差不多大小。它通体金黄，还长着两只银光闪闪的小翅膀。 　　"这个小球，"伍德介绍道，"叫做黄金史尼斯球。它是整场比赛中最重要的球。因为它体积小，速度又快，所以要抓住它是相当困难的。而这正是搜索员要干的活。你不用管捕手、后卫，也不用管可尔夫球、布鲁佐球，你只要跟着它，比对方队中的搜索者更先一步抓住它就行。一旦搜索者抓住这个史尼斯球，他所在的队就可以加整整一百五十分，这支队伍也就稳握胜券了。这也是为什么要找到一个优秀的搜索者会那么困难。只有史尼斯球被抓住了，一场快迪斯比赛才会结束。所以有时候比赛时间会拖得很长——我想最长时间的一次记录应该是三个月。队员需要休息的时候，替补队员会上场继续打。好，我讲完了。有什么问题吗？"哈利摇了摇头。他已经把比赛规则都弄明白了，所欠缺的只是实践罢了。 　　"我们现在先不玩史尼斯球。"伍德小心翼翼地把手中的球放回木箱里。"这儿光线不足，快天黑了，我们会把它弄丢的。来，我们先用这个来练习。"他从口袋里掏出一大袋高尔夫球。几分钟之后，伍德和哈利都飞到半空中，伍德从不同的方向使劲地把那些高尔夫球扔给哈利，哈利必须一一接住它们。 　　哈利连一个球都没有接失！伍德高兴极了。半个钟头后，天色完全暗下来了，他们没有办法再继续下去。 　　"今年我们的名字一定会刻在奖杯上！"回城堡的路上，伍德兴高采烈地说："如果说你将来会做得比查理。威斯里更出色，我觉得一点都不奇怪。查理。威斯里如果不是去了捕猎龙的话，他现在肯定正在国家队里打球呢！"就这样，哈利每周花上三个晚上到飞行训练营地练习快迪斯，再加上其他老师们布置的家庭作业，哈利的每一天都过得繁忙而充实。不知不觉间哈利已经在霍格瓦彻学校里呆了两个月。想到这点，哈利自己都有点不敢相信。他越来越觉得这个学校就像他的家一样亲切了。而每一天所学的功课也越来越有趣，他们已经基本掌握了巫术的一些初步知识。 　　万圣节终于到了。一大清早，大家就闻到了走廊那边飘过来的供南瓜的香味。 　　更让人兴奋的事情是教咒语的费立维克教授今天宣布，他认为大家已经有足够的能力学习物体移动法了。自从大家看了费立维克教授念咒让尼维尔的蟾蜍满教室乱飞的精彩表演之后，早已对这门物体移动法艳羡得不见了。费立维克教授讲解要点后，他把全班学生分成两人一组进行练习。哈利分到的拍档是谢默斯（这让哈利大松了一口气，因为分组的时候尼维尔曾经拼命地向他使眼色要和他一组）。罗恩就没那么顺利了，他不得不要同荷米恩合作。两个人都气乎乎的，荷米恩自从哈利收到新扫帚的那天起就一直没跟他们俩说过话。 　　"别忘了，手腕的转动一定要轻点！我们刚才已经练习过一遍了。"费立维克像往常一样跳上他的那一大堆书上嚷。"先往上挥，再往上拂！记住，先往下挥再往下拂。最关键的是要念对咒语！以前有个巫师老爱把"B "发成"D "的音，结果他一念'uffalo'就念成了'Duffalo '，然后他就发现自己躺在地板上，一只大水牛一屁股坐到了他的胸口上！"（注：英文中buffalo ）之意为"水牛"） 　　说老实话，这物体移动法可真难练，哈利和谢默斯对着他们的羽毛又挥又拂。 　　本来以为那根羽毛会乖乖地升上半空，谁知道它连动也没动！谢默斯不耐烦了，用魔法杖随手一挥，惨，那根羽毛居然着火了！哈利赶紧用帽子又扑又打才扑灭了它。 　　隔壁桌的罗恩情况也不太妙。 　　"维加的地登拉维泥沙！"他对着羽毛大叫，他的长臂抡得比风车还快。 　　"你念得不对，"哈利听到荷米恩对罗恩说，"应该是维加地登拉维提沙！念'加'字时要拉长一点，别太快。""你这么厉害，你来做吧！"罗恩很不高兴。 　　荷术恩卷起长袍的袖口，挥动她的魔法杖，口中念念有词："维加地登拉维提沙！"那根羽毛轻轻地动了一下，慢慢地离开了桌面，一直飞到离他们头顶四英尺高的地方。 　　"噢，干得不错！"费立维克教授鼓掌为她喝彩："大家都往这边看哪，格兰佐同学成功地使她的羽毛飞起来了！"结果，一节课上完之后，罗恩的心情恶劣到了极点。 　　"怪不得班里没有一个人能受得了她！"走在拥挤的走廊上，罗恩气乎乎地向哈利诉苦："她简直像一个恶梦！"有人急急地从两人身边挤了过去。那正是荷米恩，哈利刚好瞥了一眼她的脸——他非常惊讶地发现她哭了。 　　"我想她听到了你对她的评语。" 　　"那又怎么样！"罗恩有点不服气，不过看样子他还是有点不安的。"她早就知道她根本就没有什么朋友。"第二节课时，荷米恩居然没有来，然后整个下午大家都没有看到她。去大厅参加万圣节聚餐的路上，哈利和罗恩偶然听到了帕维提。帕提告诉她的朋友莱温特说，荷米恩在女卫生间里哭个不停，还叫大家让她一个人呆在那儿。罗恩感到有点内疚，不过一进大厅，他马上就给大厅里的万圣节装饰吸引住了，并且把荷米恩忘得一干二净。 　　大厅里的场面相当壮观。墙上和天花板上密密麻麻的大概有一千多只活蝙蝠在不断盘旋，另外一些蝙蝠忽上忽下，它们翅膀的振动弄得烛光也忽闪忽闪的，还有一些蝙蝠一窝蜂地飞到桌子上，远远看去就像一大块乌云。像开学初的那次大食会时的情形一样，一眨眼之间，金色的盘子上摆满丰盛的菜肴。 　　哈利才把一块土豆饼放进嘴里就看到屈拉教授跌跌撞撞地直闯进大厅，他的头巾都跑歪了，脸上尽是恐惧之情。大家眼睁睁地看着他跑到丹伯多校长身边，一把扶住桌子，气喘吁吁地说："那个洞窟巨人……跑到地牢下边去了……我特地赶来告诉你……"说完，他再也支持不住了，倒在地板上昏死过去。 　　大厅里骚动起来。丹伯多教授不得不举起他的魔法杖向上发了几枚紫色的礼炮才使得大家安静一点。 　　"班长们听着，"他大声宣布，"马上带领本班同学回到自己的宿舍去！"伯希马上执行他的任务："一年级生都跟我来！排成一列纵队！ 　只要你们听从我的命令就一点都不用怕什么洞窟巨人！好，现在都站到我后面去。借过，借过！一年级生要从这里通过！不好意思，请借过一下，我是一个班长！ 　　""洞窟巨人怎么会无端端地跑了进来？"下楼梯时，哈利忍不住问罗恩。 　　"别问我，我想这些人都是些蠢才！"罗恩回答道，"可能是皮维斯干的，他想在万圣节里跟我们开个玩笑。"他们赶到了其他学生当中。这时大家吵吵嚷嚷的，到处一片混乱。拼命挤过一大堆人时，哈利突然拉住罗恩的手臂："我想到了一个人……荷米恩。""关她什么事？""她不知道洞窟巨人跑进来的事。" 　　罗恩咬了咬嘴唇。 　　"好吧，"他迟疑了一下，"不过得注意点，别让伯希发现我们溜走。"他们弯下腰，偷偷混进另一队往其他方向走的学生中，再溜进一条平时不常用的救火通道，撒腿就往女卫生间的方向跑去。刚转一个弯，后面传来一阵急促的脚步声。 　　"是伯希！"罗恩失声叫了出来，赶紧拉了哈利躲到一座狮头鹰的雕像后面。 　　两人偷偷往外张望，然而，他们看到的却不是伯希而是史纳皮。他飞快地跑过走廊，消失在他们的视线外。 　　"他跑去哪里？"哈利低声说，"为什么他不和其他的老师一起到地牢下边去？""跟着他。" 　　尾随着史纳皮，他们蹑手蹑脚地转到另一条走廊上。 　　"他好像是要上三楼。"哈利说，但是罗恩突然紧紧抓住他的手："你有没有闻到一股奇怪的味道？"哈利用力嗅了嗅，一股恶臭直冲鼻孔！那股味道就像是几年没洗的旧袜再加上从没有人清洁过的公共厕所所发出的臭味。 　　接着他们听到了一个声音——拖着一双巨脚走路发出的沉重的脚步声和一种从喉咙里发出的低沉的咕哈声。罗思惊恐地往声音方向一指：走廊尽头的左转角那儿有一个巨大的黑影正在向他们走过来。两个人在墙角的阴影下缩成一团，看着那个庞大的怪物慢慢地暴露在月光下。 　　真是一幕叫人心惊胆颤的情景！那只怪物足足有十二英尺高，他的皮肤暗暗的，像灰色的花岗岩。他的身体臃肿不堪，就像一大块鹅卵石，上面还安放了一个好像椰子壳一样小的光秃秃的头颅。 　　他的两条短腿比大树干还粗，扁平的大脚好像长满了角。那股恶心的味道就是从这个怪物身上发出来的。怪物的手里抓着一支巨大的木棒，因为他的手太长了，所以那支木棒拖到了地上，发出巨大的声响。 　　原来这个怪物就是刚才大家讲的洞窟巨人。他在一扇门的旁边停下来，向门里探头探脑不知在看些什么。怪物侧耳听了好久，好像终于下定决心，低垂着头慢慢走进了房间里。 　　"那门锁上还插着钥匙，"哈利低声说，"我们可以把它锁进房里！""好主意！"罗恩相当紧张。 　　他们轻轻地走近那扇开着的门，心扑扑乱跳，各自都在祈求老天爷保佑，那只怪物可千万别在这个时候走出来呀！哈利鼓起勇气，一个箭步冲上前拔出钥匙，使劲关上门，飞快地把它锁上！ 　　"噢，大功告成！" 　　两个人兴奋得脸都红了，转身就往通道回跑去。就在他们快要跑到第一个拐角时，突然听到一声尖叫！他们的心脏差点儿停止跳动！那是荷米恩的声音！——而且明显是从他们刚刚锁上的那间房间里传出来的！ 　　"天哪！"罗思的脸吓得比吸血鬼巴伦的脸还要白。 　　"那间房间就是女卫生间！"哈利恍然大悟。 　　"荷米恩！"两人一齐大叫。 　　他们刚才就是想来找她的！两个人立刻转身直奔回房门口，扭转钥匙，鼓起最大的勇气——哈利用力推开门——想也没想，他们径直冲了进去。 　　荷米恩站在墙角，哆嗦着，看上去好像快要昏倒了。那个怪物倒拖着木棒，正一步一步地向她那边走去。 　　"拖住它！"哈利不顾一切地向罗恩喊。他捡起一块石头，用尽吃奶的力向墙那边扔过去。 　　怪物在离荷米恩几步之遥的地方停下来。它笨拙地转过身，傻乎乎地眨了眨眼，想看一下那声响是从哪儿发出的。它那可怕的小眼睛终于发现了哈利。于是它改变了主意，转头向哈利走过来，一边走，还一边举起了它手里的大木棒。 　　"嘿，你这猪脑袋！"罗恩站在房间另一头大声嚷。他用力把一支金属管扔到了怪物身上。怪物似乎一点也没有感觉到金属管打中了它的肩膀，但是它听到了罗恩的叫声。它又停了下来，把它那丑陋的小脑袋转向罗恩这一边，哈利趁机从它身边跑了过去。 　　"荷米恩，快走！快走！"哈利冲着荷米恩大嚷，试图把她拉向门口。但是荷米恩一动也不动。她仍然靠着墙呆呆地站着，她张开了嘴巴，可是害怕得一句话也说不出来。 　　呼喊和回声好像把怪物给惹火了。它变得狂暴起来。它咆哮着，向离它最近距离的罗恩走去。而罗思已经无路可逃。 　　哈利突然做了个又大胆又愚蠢的举动：他冲上前，使劲～跳，从后面抱住了那个怪物的颈！怪物没有感觉到哈利吊在它的颈后，但是当被一支长棒塞人鼻孔时，即使是再迟钝的怪物也感觉到了。 　　哈利跳上怪物背后时，他的手里还握着他的魔法杖，于是他顺手把它插进了怪物的一只鼻孔里！ 　　怪物痛苦地长嚎一声，它转过身来，胡乱地挥舞起它的大木棒。哈利紧紧地抱住它的颈，大气也不敢喘。这怪物随时有可能把他撕成两半，要不他也会被木棒挥动时引起的大风吹下来，然后被怪物一脚踩扁。 　　荷米恩已经吓到不会思索了。罗恩猛地抽出他的魔法杖——其实他也不知道要用来干什么。情急之下，他喊出了脑中仅仅记得的一句魔咒："维加地登拉维程沙！"怪物手中的大木棒忽然脱手而飞！那根大木棒猛地飞到高空中，慢慢地转了个弯——然后呼地一下掉下来，刚好打中自己主人的头！大家只听到"噗"的一声，怪物摇摇晃晃地走了几步，脸朝下"啪"地倒在地上。那一声巨响震得整间房子都颤动起来。 　　哈利慢慢地爬起身来。他全身发抖，只是拼命地喘着大气。罗恩仍然举着他的魔法杖愣愣地站在原地，目瞪口呆地看着眼前发生的一切。 　　反而是荷米恩第一个回过神来，她颤声问："它……是不是死了？""应该还没死。"哈利说。"我想，它只是被敲昏了。"他弯下腰，从怪物鼻孔里用力拔出他的魔法杖。杖上沾满了一大堆粘乎乎的东西。 　　"呃……洞窟巨人的鼻涕。" 　　哈利把那堆脏东西擦在怪物的裤子上。 　　门外传来一阵急促的脚步声，三个人猛然抬起头来向门口望去。他们还不清楚他们刚才弄出了多大的声响。当然了，任何一个人在楼下的人都应该听到了怪物跌倒的那一下巨响。一会儿之后，麦康娜教授头一个冲进房里，接着是史纳皮教授，最后一个是屈拉教授。屈拉一眼看见倒地的洞窟巨人，不禁轻叹一声，很快地坐倒在马桶上，双手紧紧地捂着胸口。 　　史纲皮教授弯腰俯身过去察看那个洞窟巨人。麦康娜教授则严厉地盯着哈利和罗恩。哈利从没见过她发那么大的脾气。她的嘴唇都气得白了。哈利还想着自己将会为格林芬顿争光呢，可是现在，什么都完了。 　　"你们究竟想干什么？"麦康娜教授狂怒。她的声音可怕极了。 　　哈利看了看罗恩，他还举着他的魔法杖傻乎乎地站着。"你们够运气，居然没有被杀死！为什么你们不好好地呆在宿舍里边？"史纳皮飞快而又尖锐地看了哈利一眼。哈利低下了头，他希望罗恩懂得放下他的魔法杖。 　　然后，阴影里传来了一个细小的声音："麦康娜教授，求求你——他们只是想帮助我。""格兰佐同学！" 　　荷米恩终于有力气站直了身子。 　　"是我跟着那个洞窟巨人来到这里的。因为，因为我以为我自己一个人就能对付它……我以为我已经学会了怎么去制服它……"罗恩的魔法杖"啪"地跌了下来。荷米恩。格兰位地居然向老师撒了一个弥天大谎？ 　　"如果不是他们来找我，我肯定被它杀死了。哈利把他的魔法杖插进了洞窟巨人的鼻子里，罗恩用咒语让它自己的大木棒把它击倒。他们实在是没有时间去叫其它的人来。他们赶来的时候，我已经吓坏了。"哈利和罗恩竭力假装他们并不是第一次听到这个故事。 　　"是这样吗？那么……"麦康娜教授看着他们三个，严厉地说。 　　"格兰佐同学，你真傻！你怎么会认为你能够跟这小山似的巨人相斗？"荷米恩低下头。哈利一句话也说不出来。荷术思是最不可能会违反纪律的学生，但是现在她居然为了帮助他们摆脱困境而假装是她自己犯了错。这就像史纳皮会送糖果给他们吃一样难以置信。 　　"格兰佐同学，格林芬顿将会为此而丢掉5分。"麦康娜教授说，"我对你的所为感到很失望。如果你没有受伤，你可以先离开这儿。同学们正在公共休息室里举行万圣节大食会。"荷米恩走了。 　　麦康娜教授转过头来对哈利和罗恩说："我想你们俩实在够运气，很少一年级生能够和一座小山似的洞窟巨人打交道。你们各为格林芬顿夺得5分。我会告诉丹伯多校长的。你们现在可以走了。"他们赶紧离开那间房间。一口气跑了两层楼，他们才敢开口说话。能够远离那个臭烘烘的洞窟巨人，他们觉得松了口气。 　　"我们拿到了10分！"罗恩相当高兴。 　　"只有5分。因为荷米恩被老师扣了5分。" 　　"她居然肯帮我们免受老师责骂，实在太好了。"罗恩又加了一句："不过，我们的确是救了她。""要不是我们把那个怪物锁进房间里，她未必需要我们去救她。"哈利提醒他。 　　他们来到了肥大婶的肖像画前。 　　"猪鼻子。"他们说出了口号，然后爬了进去。 　　公共休息室里热闹非常。每一个人都在兴高采烈地吃东西。只有荷米恩一个人在门口站着等他们。见了面，三个人都觉得很尴尬。沉默了一会儿，谁也没有看谁，大家相互说了声"多谢"然后赶紧走去拿他们的盘子。 　　不过，从此之后，荷米恩成了他们的好朋友。说实在的，假如你们曾经并肩同一个十二英尺高像座小山似的巨人战斗过，这一份共度患难的深挚感情又怎么能轻易地忘记而不好好地珍惜呢？
Chapter 11 Quidditch
As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse — people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.“What's that you've got there, Potter?”It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.“Library books are not to be taken outside the school,” said Snape. “Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor.”“He's just made that rule up,” Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. “Wonder what's wrong with his leg?”“Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him,” said Ron bitterly.The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape? Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.“Better you than me,” they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing.Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside - and a horrible scene met his eyes.Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.“Blasted thing,” Snape was saying. “How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?”Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but —“POTTER!”Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.“I just wondered if I could have my book back.”“GET OUT! OUT!”Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.“Did you get it?” Ron asked as Harry joined them. “What's the matter?”In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen.“You know what this means?” he finished breathlessly. “He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!”Hermione's eyes were wide.“No — he wouldn't, she said. “I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe.”“Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something,” snapped Ron. “I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?”Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind — he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours - but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.“You've got to eat some breakfast.”“I don't want anything.”“Just a bit of toast,” wheedled Hermione.“I'm not hungry.”Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.“Harry, you need your strength,” said Seamus Finnigan. “Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team.”“Thanks, Seamus,” said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).Wood cleared his throat for silence.“Okay, men,” he said.“And women,” said Chaser Angelina Johnson.“And women,” Wood agreed. “This is it.”“The big one,” said Fred Weasley.“The one we've all been waiting for,” said George.“We know Oliver's speech by heart,” Fred told Harry, “we were on the team last year.”“Shut up, you two,” said Wood. “This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it.”He glared at them all as if to say, “Or else.”“Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you.”Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.“Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you,” she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.“Mount your brooms, please.”Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand.Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.“And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too—”“JORDAN!”“Sorry, Professor.”The Weasley twins’ friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.“And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to sc — no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which — nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!”Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.“Budge up there, move along.”“Hagrid!”Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.“Bin watchin’ from me hut,” said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, “But it isn't the same as bein’ in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?”“Nope,” said Ron. “Harry hasn't had much to do yet.”“Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin',” said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.“Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch,” Wood had said. “We don't want you attacked before you have to be.”When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys’ wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.“All right there, Harry?” he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.“Slytherin in possession,” Lee Jordan was saying, “Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?”A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.Harry was faster than Higgs — he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — he put on an extra spurt of speed —WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.“Foul!” screamed the Gryffindors.Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, “Send him off, ref! Red card!”“What are you talking about, Dean?” said Ron.“Red card!” said Dean furiously. “In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!”“But this isn't soccer, Dean,” Ron reminded him.Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.“They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air.”Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.“So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating—”“Jordan!” growled Professor McGonagall.“I mean, after that open and revolting foul…”“Jordan, I'm warning you—”“All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession.”It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts — he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out — and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.Lee was still commentating.“Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no…”The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.“Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing,” Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. “If I didn’ know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom… but he can't have…”Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.“Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?” Seamus whispered.“Can't have,” Hagrid said, his voice shaking. “Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand.”At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.“What are you doing?” moaned Ron, gray-faced.“I knew it,” Hermione gasped, “Snape — look.”Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.“He's doing something — jinxing the broom,” said Hermione.“What should we do?”“Leave it to me.”Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good - every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.“Come on, Hermione,” Ron muttered desperately.Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened.It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.“Neville, you can look!” Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick — he hit the field on all fours — coughed — and something gold fell into his hand.“I've got the Snitch!” he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.“He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it,” Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.“It was Snape,” Ron was explaining, “Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you.”“Rubbish,” said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. “Why would Snape do somethin’ like that?”Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.“I found out something about him,” he told Hagrid. “He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding.”Hagrid dropped the teapot.“How do you know about Fluffy?” he said.“Fluffy ?”“Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las’ year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the—”“Yes?” said Harry eagerly.“Now, don't ask me anymore,” said Hagrid gruffly. “That's top secret, that is.”“But Snape's trying to steal it.”“Rubbish,” said Hagrid again. “Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin’ of the sort.”“So why did he just try and kill Harry?” cried Hermione.The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.“I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!”“I'm tellin’ yeh, yer wrong!” said Hagrid hotly. “I don’ know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn’ try an’ kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin’ in things that don’ concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an’ you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an’ Nicolas Flamel—”“Aha!” said Harry, “so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?”Hagrid looked furious with himself.到了十一月的时候，天气开始变寒冷。环绕着学校的山峰变得灰冷冷的而湖水冻得像冰冷的钢铁。每天清晨，地面都覆盖着白雪。透过楼上的窗口，可以看见哈格力，他裹着鼹鼠皮大衣，戴着兔毛手套，脚穿着极大的海狸皮长靴。 　　快迪斯赛季快要来临了。这个周末，经过几周刻苦训练的哈利就要参加他的第一场比赛：格林芬顿队对史林德林队，如果格林芬顿队能胜出的话，他们将进人豪斯杯锦标赛的下一轮比赛。 　　几乎没有任何人见过哈利在场上训练过，因为伍德想把他当作他们的秘密武器，先把他保密起来。但是，关于哈利是搜索员的消息却已泄漏了出来。而哈利现在不知怎么办才好——一些人对他说他聪明极了，而有些人则说要在他下面抬着床垫，防止他跌下来。 　庆幸的是哈利有荷米恩这个好朋友。如果没有她，哈利真的不知道怎样完成伍德教练在快迪斯训练结束后布置的家庭作业，她还借给他《快迪斯大观》这本书，哈利读得简直是津津有味。 　　哈利知道有700余种在比赛中犯规的手段，并且这些方法都在1473年世界杯赛中被用上了。然而，搜索员通常是最小最敏捷的选手，几乎最严重的比赛事故都发生在他们身上。虽然说快迪斯比赛中很少会出人命，但过去有些裁判曾在赛后失踪，几个月后才在撒哈拉抄漠被人找到。 　　自从哈利和罗思把荷米恩从洞窟巨人手中救出来后，她对犯校规已不那么紧张了。在哈利比赛的前一天，他们三个在冰冷的后院待到天亮。她为他们变出一束蓝色光亮的可以装在果酱瓶里提着的火。他们背着火取暖，哈利发现史纳皮已进入院子，正一瘸一拐地向他们走过来。他们连忙靠拢起来，把火挡住。但是，他们心虚的表情引起了史纳皮的注意。他跛行过来，虽然没有看到那束火，但好像要找借口斥责他们一顿。 　　"你们在那里捣什么鬼，藏着什么东西，波特？""《快迪斯大观》这本书。"哈利把书拿给他看。 　　"图书馆的书是不准带出学校的，"史纲皮说，"快给我，扣你们格林芬顿五分。""那条规矩真是无中生有，"史纳皮走后，哈利生气地咕哝着，"奇怪，他的腿怎么啦。""不知道，不过我希望这次有得他消受。"罗恩憎恨地说。 　　那天晚上，格林芬顿的公共休息室热闹极了。哈利、罗恩和荷米恩在靠窗的位置上坐在一起，荷米恩正在检查他们两个的符咒功课。她从不让他们抄袭。但是叫她检查过之后，哈利和罗恩却总是能得到正确答案。 　　哈利觉得很烦躁，他想将《快迪斯大观》要回来。不然的话，他明天就会整天记挂的。为什么要害怕史纳皮呢？他站起身，告诉罗恩和荷米恩，他想把书要回来。 　　"我们想法与你的一样。"他们俩异口同声地说。哈利有个主意，如果到时有其他老师在旁的话，史纳皮应该是不会拒绝的吧。 　他向教工房屋方向走去。敲了敲史纳皮的门，没人应答。他再敲一下，难道房间里没人？ 　说不定史纳皮将书留在里面呢？值得试一试，他把门推开一条细缝，眯着眼睛往里面看——一幕恐怖的情景摄入他的眼帘。 　　只有史纳皮和费驰在里面。史纳皮把他的长袍拉高至膝盖。他的一条腿受伤了，正不断地流着血，费驰在旁递绷带给他。 　　"该死的，"史纳皮说，"你怎么会认为你看得住那只三头狗呢？"哈利试图轻轻地掩上门，但——"波特！" 　　史纳皮迅速放下他的长袍藏住腿伤，他的脸因愤怒而扭曲着。 　　哈利紧张地咽着口水。 　　"我只是想知道能否要回我的书。" 　　"滚！滚！" 　　趁着史纳皮还没来得及再扣格林芬顿分数以前，哈利迅速地离开，冲回楼上。 　　"你拿回书了吗？"哈利一回来，罗恩就问，"你怎么回事啦？"哈利低声告诉他们所看到的一切。 　　"你知道这意味着什么吗？"哈利上气不接下气地说，"他试图在万圣节的时候蒙过那只三头狗！我们那晚看到他时，他要去的正是那里。他在寻找那只狗守卫的东西！我以我的扫帚打赌，他一定是先让那个洞窟巨人进去，分散其注意力！"荷米恩的眼睛睁得大大的。 　"不，他不会，"她说，"我知道他人不太好，但他是不会想偷丹伯多保护得很安全的东西的。""老实说，荷米恩，你是不是认为全部老师都是圣人或什么的，"罗恩打断她说，"我和哈利一样，认为史纳皮会做出些不寻常的事来。但他在找什么？那条狗又在守卫着什么呢？"哈利满头嗡嗡声，带着罗恩的问题上了床。尼维尔鼾声如雷，而哈利则无法入睡。他告诉自己不要再胡思乱想了——他需要睡眠，几小时后，他就将要参加他的第一次快迪斯比赛——但是哈利难于忘记当他看见史纳皮的伤腿时他脸上所显露的表情。 　　第二天早晨，天亮得早而且天气非常冷。学校大厅充满了美味的油炸香肠的味道，兴奋地喋喋不休的人们正期待着一场精彩的快迪斯比赛。 　　"你必须吃些早餐。" 　　"我不想吃任何东西。" 　　"就吃一口吐司吧。"荷米恩哄着他说。 　　"我不饿。"哈利觉得很害怕。一个小时后，他就要上场了。 　　"哈利，你要振作起来，"谢默斯说，"搜索者总是那个被别队算计的对象。""谢了，谢默斯。"哈利说，望着他把善茄酱堆在香肠上。 　　十一点钟左右，整个学校的学生好像都集中到快迪斯比赛场的看台上了，许多人还带着双简望远镜。座位好像升高了一点，但由于人太多，有时还是很难看到赛场上的情况。罗恩和荷米恩坐在一起，而谢默斯和迪姆则坐在最上层的一排。使哈利惊讶的是，他们在一张破纸上画了一支大旗，上面写着"波特必胜"。画画高手迪恩还在旗下画了一只巨大的格林芬顿雄师。然后荷米恩施了一个小魔咒，使图画闪烁着不同的颜色。 　　同时，在更衣室里，哈利和他的队友们换上鲜红的战袍（史林德林队将穿绿色的）。 　　伍德清了清喉咙，示意大家安静。 　　"好吧，先生们。"他说。 　　"还有女士们。"女捕手安戈琳娜。约翰逊说。 　　"对，还有女士们。"伍德同意。 　　"大的那个。"弗来德。威斯里说。 　　"我们都在等待着的那个。"乔治说。 　　"我们牢记奥利佛的话，"弗来德对哈利说，"我们去年在同一队里。""你们两个闭嘴！"伍德说，"我们是格林芬顿几年来最棒的一支队。我肯定我们会赢。"他瞪着队员好像在说，"否则……" 　"时间到了，祝大家好运！" 　　哈利跟着弗来德和乔治走出更衣室，他双脚无力，几乎就要瘫倒在地，他们走上球场，迎来阵阵欢呼声。 　　胡施夫人是这次比赛的裁判。她站在赛场中央，手中握着扫帚，等着两队队员。 　　"现在，你们听着，我要一个公平的比赛。"当队员全部集合在她身旁时，她说道。哈利觉得她好似特意对史林德林的队长，马库斯说的。马库斯是一个十五岁左右的人，看起来好似有些精灵的血统。这时，哈利觉得视线边缘有一面高高摆动的旗帜，上面写着"波特必胜"，他的心剧烈跳动着，浑身充满了力量。 　　"请骑上你们的扫帚。" 　　哈利骑上他的"灵光2000"。 　　胡施女士用银色的哨子吹了一下。 　　十五支扫帚升了起来，高高耸起，比赛开始了。 　　"可尔夫球突然被格林芬顿的安戈琳娜。约翰逊抢到——那女孩真是个厉害的捕手，而且还很标致呢。""乔丹。" 　　"对不起，教授。" 　　威斯里兄弟的朋友李。乔丹正在为比赛作解说，而麦康娜在旁紧紧地盯着他。 　　"她行动真是迅速，巧妙地过了爱丽莎。史宾提，真是奥利怫。 　　伍德的健将，她是去年约翰逊的唯一后备人——不好，史林德林队长马库斯抢到了可尔夫球，他像一只雄鹰般飞了起来，他要…… 　　啊！不好，格林芬顿队的守门员一个漂亮的拦截制止了他。可尔夫球重新回到格林芬顿队的手中——格林芬顿的捕手凯提。贝尔敏捷地在夫林特旁边穿过去，他从地面升起了——哎哟，那边可能有人受伤了，被一个布鲁佐球从头后击了一下——史林德林又拿到了可尔夫球，亚德里思。佩西向着得分点加速冲击，但被另外～个布鲁佐球挡住——不知是弗来德还是乔治。威斯里撞了他一下——格林芬顿的后卫打得太棒了。约翰逊又控制了可尔夫球，她向前方的空档飞去——她真的飞了起来，躲开快速冲来的布鲁位球，得分点就在前面——快点！安戈琳娜——对方的守门员布莱施利插进来拦截，哦，漏了人——格林芬顿队得分。"格林芬顿派兴奋地欢呼着，对着史林德林派高声地叫嚣着，呼啸着。 　　"向那边挤一挤！" 　　"哈格力！" 　　罗恩两人挤了挤，空出座位给哈格力。 　　"我本可在我的小屋里看，"哈格力轻拍着挂在脖子上的一副大型的双筒望远镜说，"但这里的气氛就是不一样，还没有史尼斯球的踪迹哦？""不，"罗恩说，"哈利还没有怎样发挥呢。" 　　"别烦了，晦，那边有事发生了。"哈利力说着，举起他的双筒望远镜，盯着上空，哈利在空中成了一个小黑点，他在上空滑翔着，眯着眼寻找史尼斯球的踪迹。 　　这是他和伍德比赛计划中的一部分。 　　"如没有见到史尼斯球，就问到一边不要冒然出击。"伍德曾对他说，"我们不想让你那么快就受到注意。"安戈琳娜得分后，哈利翻了几个厅斗来表达他的兴奋，现在他又回到原位，等待史尼斯球，哈利看见了一道金色的闪光，但那只不过是威斯里双胞胎兄弟之一的手表在阳光下的反射而已。这时，布鲁位球像炮弹一样向他冲来，哈利躲过了它，弗来德。威斯里则在背后紧紧追赶。 　　"还好吧，哈利？"当他猛烈追击着布鲁佐球时，还有时间回头来对哈利大喊。 　　"现在是史林德林控制着球，"李。乔丹解说道，"捕手佩西闪过两个布鲁位球，威斯里两兄弟和一个捕手球，加速向前——等一等——那是史尼斯球呢？"一道金光从亚德里恩。佩西的左耳边擦过，但由于他正在忙着传可尔夫球没有注意到，人群即时骚动了起来，发出嗡嗡声。 　　哈利看到了，他兴奋地向下俯冲，追赶着那道金光。对方的守门员德伦斯。希格也发现了目标，立即向下猛冲——所有的捕手好像忘记了他们正在比赛，只是停住在半空中观看。 　　哈利比希格速度快——他看见了那个圆球，拍打着翅膀，在前面飞奔着——他加快速度…… 　　砰！从格林芬顿派下面传来愤怒的咆哮声——原来对方的马库斯。夫特林故意挡住了哈利的去路，哈利的扫帚偏离了原来飞行的方向，差点没出人命。 　　"犯规！"格林芬顿人尖叫着。 　　胡施夫人斥说着夫特林，并给格林芬顿一个罚球，但在混乱中，史尼斯球当然消失得无影无踪了。 　　在看台上，迪恩。托马斯喊叫着，"罚他出场！红牌！""这可不是足球，迪恩。"罗恩提醒他说，"在快迪斯比赛中，你不能罚任何人出场——哪来的红牌？"但哈格力支持迪恩。 　　"他们必须改变一下规则，夫特林不能那样撞击哈利。"李。乔丹发觉很难表态支持哪一边。 　　"因此——明显而又让人厌恶的作弊后……" 　　"乔丹！"麦康娜教授大声喊道。 　　"我的意思是，在明显而使人憎恶的犯规后……""乔丹！我警告你……" 　　"好吧，好吧。夫特林几乎杀了格林芬顿的搜索员，相信这种事可能发生在任何人的身上。史林德林队已受到惩罚，没问题，开始比赛，格林芬顿队继续控制着可尔夫球。"哈利闪过另外一个危险地从他头上飞过的布鲁佐球。但这时，他的扫帚突然可怕地倾斜了一下，他觉得快要掉下来了，忙用双手和膝盖紧紧地夹住扫帚，还是第一次发生这种事。 　　又来了，好像扫帚要将他抛下来，而又好像不让他掉下去。哈利试着转向自己的球门柱；他有点想要求伍德叫暂停，因为他觉得好像失去了对扫帚的控制，他不能使唤它了。扫帚在空中曲折而行，剧烈震动，并发出巨大的专用音，几乎要把哈利摔下来。 　　李仍在作着解说。 　　"史林德林的夫特林控制着可尔夫球，越过斯冥尼和贝尔，但可尔夫球打在他的脸上，哈！希望打破他的鼻子——笑话而已，教授——史林德林得分了，噢……"史林德林人欢呼着。好像没有人发现哈利的扫帚举动异常，它把他慢慢地抬高，远离赛场，在途中还不断猛晃乱颤。 　　"不知道哈利在捣什么鬼，"哈格利用双筒望远镜盯着他，咕饿着说，"我怀疑他的扫帚失控了……但应该不会吧？"突然间，看台上的人们全指着哈利，他的扫帚开始往下掉，观众们屏住呼吸。 　　哈利的扫帚又滚动了起来，他勉强地扶着，摇摇欲坠。下面的观众们倒吸了～口冷气。这时，扫帚又剧烈地颠簸了起来，把哈利摇摆出去，现在他只有一只手抓住扫帚，悬吊在那里。 　　"当夫特林拦截他的时候，发生了什么事吗？"谢默斯低声问。 　　"不会的，"哈格力说，"除了黑巫术外，没有什么能干扰扫帚——没有人能对'灵光2000'作出这样的影响。"听了这话，荷米恩夺过哈格力的双筒望远镜，她不是向空中望哈利，而是紧张地搜查着观众群。 　　"你在干什么？"罗恩咕哝着，灰沉着脸。 　　"我知道了，"荷米恩大声说，"史纳皮——看！"罗恩夺过望远镜。史纳皮正坐在对面看台中，他的眼睛锁住哈利，喃喃地念着什么。 　　"他在给扫帚施咒语。"荷米恩说。 　　"我们该怎么办？" 　　"看我的。" 　　还未等罗思开口说话，荷米恩便跑开了。罗恩把望远镜再次对着哈利，发现他的扫帚震动得更加厉害，他就要掉下去了。所有的人都站了起来，担心地观望着。 　真是太惊险了。威斯里兄弟飞上前去试图将哈利拉到他们的一支扫帚上，但没有成功——每次当他们靠近时，扫帚便会升高一点。他们下降到哈利的下方，如果他掉下来的话，大家便能接住他。这时，趁他们注意力分散，对方的马库斯、夫特林又得了五倍的分数。 　　"快点，荷米恩。"罗思绝望地轻声低语。 　　荷米恩向着史纳皮背后的座位冲去，她在他的后一排快速行进着，如此匆急，甚至碰倒了屈拉教授也没停下来道歉。接近史纳皮时，她蹲伏了下来，拉出她的魔杖，对着他念了念咒语，一束光亮的蓝色火焰从她的魔杖喷出来，射到史纳皮的下摆上。 　　大约过了三十秒，史纳皮才发现他身上着火了。他嗥叫了一声。荷米恩成功了，她把火收回一个瓶子里放在口袋，沿着座位跑回去——史纳皮还不知发生了什么事呢。 　　在空中的哈利突然间能够攀回他的扫帚了。 　　"尼维尔，你看！"罗恩说，尼维尔激动得扑在他的皮夹上哭了五分钟。 　　哈利快速地向地面降落。他双手捂着嘴巴，好像病了。他四脚朝天地跌了下来，咳嗽着。这时，一块金色的东西掉进他的手里。 　　"我抓住史尼斯球了！"他大叫着，手在头上挥舞，比赛结束了，人们仍然迷惑不解。 　　"他不可能抓住史尼斯球！"二十分钟后，夫特林还在号叫着，但却无济于事——哈利没有任何犯规，李。乔丹正在高兴地大声宣布比赛结果：格林芬顿以170：60的优势赢了史林德林。然而，哈利却没有听结果，他和罗恩、荷米恩回到哈格利的小屋，享受一杯浓茶。 　　"是史纳皮在捣鬼，"罗恩解释说，"荷米恩和我看见他一直盯着你，他在诅咒你的扫帚。""胡说，"哈格力说，他根本不知道台上发生过什么事。"史纳皮为什么要做这样的事呢？"哈利，罗思和荷米恩面面相觑，不知该怎样告诉他。哈利决定告诉他事实。 　　"我发现他的一些秘密，"他告诉哈格力，"他设法想在万圣节绕过那只三头狗，但是被它咬了。我们认为史纳皮一定是想方设计想偷那条狗守卫的东西。"哈格力放下茶壶。 　　"你们知道弗拉菲的事吗？"他说。 　　"弗拉菲？" 　　"是的——他是我去年在一问酒吧从一个希腊人那里收买来的，我把它借给丹伯多守卫那……""守卫什么？"哈利殷切地想知道。 　　"好了，不要再问我了，"哈格力粗暴地说，"那是绝密。""但史纳皮企图把它偷走。" 　　"胡说，"哈格力又说，"史纳皮是霍格瓦彻的教授，他才不会干那种事。""但为什么他要谋害哈利呢？"荷米恩笑着说。 　　下午比赛的事使她对史纳皮的看法完全改变了。 　　"我一眼就可以看出是不是有人在施咒语，哈格力，恶咒的书我全都看过！施咒语的时候你的眼睛必须紧盯住目标不放，连一刻也不能停，而史纳皮完全没有眨过眼，我看得非常清楚。""我告诉你，你错了！"哈格力怒气冲冲地说，"我不知道哈利的扫帚是怎么回事。但史纳皮是不会想要谋害一个学生的。听我说，你们——你们三个现在正在干预不关你们的事。这是很危险的，你们忘了那条狗，忘了它在守卫着什么。这是关于丹伯多教授和尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔教授两人之间……""啊哈，"哈利说，"哦，与一个叫尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔的人有关，是吗？"哈格力很为自己说漏了嘴生气。
Chapter 12 The Mirror Of Erised
Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.“I do feel so sorry,” said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, “for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home.”He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.“Hi, Hagrid, want any help?” Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.“Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron.”“Would you mind moving out of the way?” came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. “Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to.”Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.“WEASLEY!”Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.“He was provoked, Professor Snape,” said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. “Malfoy was insultin’ his family.”“Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid,” said Snape silkily. “Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you.”Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.“I'll get him,” said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, “one of these days, I'll get him—”“I hate them both,” said Harry, “Malfoy and Snape.”“Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas,” said Hagrid. “Tell yeh what, come with me an’ see the Great Hall, looks a treat.”So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.“Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?”The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.“How many days you got left until yer holidays?” Hagrid asked.“Just one,” said Hermione. “And that reminds me — Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library.”“Oh yeah, you're right,” said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.“The library?” said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. “Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?”“Oh, we're not working,” Harry told him brightly. “Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is.”“You what ?” Hagrid looked shocked. “Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin’ to you what that dog's guardin'.”“We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all,” said Hermione.“Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?” Harry added. “We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere.”“I'm sayin’ nothin', said Hagrid flatly.“Just have to find out for ourselves, then,” said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time ; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.“What are you looking for, boy?”“Nothing,” said Harry.Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.“You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!”Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library. He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after A, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.“You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?” said Hermione. “And send me an owl if you find anything.”“And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is,” said Ron. “It'd be safe to ask them.”“Very safe, as they're both dentists,” said Hermione.Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all. He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. “Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him.”On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.“Merry Christmas,” said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.“You, too,” said Harry. “Will you look at this? I've got some presents!”“What did you expect, turnips?” said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's.Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it — it sounded a bit like an owl.A second, very small parcel contained a note.We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.“That's friendly,” said Harry.Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.“Weird!” he said, “What a shape! This is money ?”“You can keep it,” said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. “Hagrid and my aunt and uncle — so who sent these?”“I think I know who that one's from,” said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. “My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and — oh, no,” he groaned, “she's made you a Weasley sweater.”Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.“Every year she makes us a sweater,” said Ron, unwrapping his own, “and mine's always maroon.”“That's really nice of her,” said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.His next present also contained candy — a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.“I've heard of those,” he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. “If that's what I think it is — they're really rare, and really valuable.”“What is it?”Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.“It's an invisibility cloak,” said Ron, a look of awe on his face. “I'm sure it is — try it on.”Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.“It is! Look down!”Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.“There's a note!” said Ron suddenly. “A note fell out of it!”Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:Your father left this in my possession before he died.It is time it was returned to you.Use it well.A Very Merry Christmas to you.There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.“I'd give anything for one of these,” he said. “Anything. What's the matter?”“Nothing,” said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.“Merry Christmas!”“Hey, look — Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!”Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.“Harry's is better than ours, though,” said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. “She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family.”“Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?” George demanded. “Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm.”“I hate maroon,” Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.“You haven't got a letter on yours,” George observed. “I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge.”“What's all this noise?”Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.“P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one.”“I — don't — want — ” said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.“And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either,” said George. “Christmas is a time for family.”They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce - and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner.Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.His father's… this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.Use it well.Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back — his father's cloak — he felt that this time — the first time — he wanted to use it alone.He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.“Who's there?” squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked.The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open.A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence — the book was screaming! Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside — stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.“You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section.”Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied, “The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them.”Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him — the cloak didn't stop him from being solid.He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in.It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket — but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. He stepped in front of it.He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed — for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror.There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder — but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air - she and the others existed only in the mirror.She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes — her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green — exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.“Mom?” he whispered. “Dad?”They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees — Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, “I'll come back,” and hurried from the room.“You could have woken me up,” said Ron, crossly.“You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror.“I'd like to see your mom and dad,” Ron said eagerly.“And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone.”“You can see them any old time,” said Ron. “Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?”Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?“Are you all right?” said Ron. “You look odd.”What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.“I'm freezing,” said Ron. “Let's forget it and go back.”“No!” Harry hissed. I know it's here somewhere.”They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armor.“It's here — just here — yes!”They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror.There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.“See?” Harry whispered.“I can't see anything.”“Look! Look at them all… there are loads of them…”“I can only see you.”“Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am.”Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.“Look at me!” he said.“Can you see all your family standing around you?”“No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!”“What?”“I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too.”Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.“Do you think this mirror shows the future?”“How can it? All my family are dead — let me have another look—”“You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time.”“You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents.”“Don't push me—”A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.“Quick!”Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing — did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.“This isn't safe — she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on.”And Ron pulled Harry out of the room.The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.“Want to play chess, Harry?” said Ron.“No.”“Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?”“No… you go…”“I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight.”“Why not?”“I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it — and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?”“You sound like Hermione.”“I'm serious, Harry, don't go.”But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him.That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all.Except —“So — back again, Harry?”Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.“I — I didn't see you, sir.”“Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you,” said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.“So,” said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, “you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised.”“I didn't know it was called that, Sir.”“But I expect you've realized by now what it does?”“It — well — it shows me my family—”“And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy.”“How did you know — ?”“I don't need a cloak to become invisible,” said Dumbledore gently. “Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?”Harry shook his head.“Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?”Harry thought. Then he said slowly, “It shows us what we want… whatever we want…”“Yes and no,” said Dumbledore quietly. “It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.“The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?”Harry stood up.“Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?”“Obviously, you've just done so,” Dumbledore smiled. “You may ask me one more thing, however.”“What do you see when you look in the mirror?”“I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.”Harry stared.“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.
圣诞节快来临了。十二月中旬的一天早上，霍格瓦彻城地面覆盖了几英尺深的雪，结成冰的湖水被冻坚了，威斯里俩兄弟因为堆雪堆贪玩，受到惩罚，因此，他们只得整天地跟着屈拉。几只送信的猫头鹰奋力飞进暴风雪中，哈格力只得对它们进行悉心的照顾，不让其再往风雪里冲。 　　人们急切地盼望假期的到来。格林芬顿公共休息室和学校大厅里开始燃起了温暖的炉火。而外面通风的走廊变得冰冷，刺骨的寒风刮得教室的窗户格格作响。最糟糕要数史纳皮在地牢里的教室了，在里面，学生们呼出的气在面前形成了阵阵雾气，为了取暖，他们尽可能地靠近大汽锅。 　　"我觉得很遗憾，"药剂班的杰高。马尔夫说，"所有那些不得不留在学校过圣诞的人都是被家里遗弃的。"他一边说着，一边斜睨着哈利。克来伯和高尔在旁窃笑，而哈利在称量着狮子鱼骨末，根本不理睬他们。自从上次那场快迪斯比赛后，马尔夫显得比往常更加闷闷不乐。他对史林德林在比赛中的失败极为气愤，因为他本打算通过让人们看一只大嘴的树蛙怎样在下次比赛中替代哈利来娱乐观众。但是他发现没有人认为他的把戏有趣，人们都为哈利在比赛中尽力停留在扫帚上的"表演"所感动。又气又嫉妒的马尔夫，只得重新拿哈利没有家的事来嘲弄他。 　　哈利不回普里怀特街过圣诞的事是千真万确的。自上个星期开始，麦康娜教室便忙着登记留校度假的学生，哈利当时就立即报了名。他一点也不感到难过，相信他将会过一个有生以来最愉快的圣诞节。由于威斯里夫妇要到罗马尼亚探望查理，罗恩兄弟无处可去，所以他们也将留下。 　　药剂课结束后，他们离开地牢，发现前头走廊上一棵大冷杉挡住了去路。树的底部伸出两只巨脚，一个人喘着气告诉他们说，（是哈格力在后面）。 　　"你好，哈格力，要帮忙吗？"罗恩说着，把他的头伸进树枝丛中。 　　"哪，我很好呢，不用了。谢谢你，罗恩。" 　　"你们能让开一下吗？"马尔夫从后面用长腔调冰冷冷地说，"威斯里，想赚些零用钱吗？离开霍格瓦彻后想当个猎禽看守人吧。 　　哈格力的小木屋比起你家可算是一个小皇宫了。"听了这话，不等史纳皮走上楼梯，罗恩便向马尔夫扑过去。 　　"威斯里！" 　　罗恩松开马尔夫长袍的前襟。 　"史纳皮教授，他被激怒了。"哈格力说着，从树后露出他毛茸茸的脸，"马尔夫正在侮辱罗恩的家庭。""不管怎样，哈格力，打架就是违反了霍格瓦彻的校规，"史纳皮油腔滑调地说，"扣格林芬顿的威斯里5分，你们应该感谢我没有扣得更多才对，全部给我滚！"马尔夫、克来伯和高尔三人粗鲁地从树枝丛穿过，得意地笑着，推推搡搡地把冷杉叶抖落了一地。 　　"等着瞧，我早晚要收拾那家伙。"罗恩望着马尔夫的背影，咬牙切齿地说。 　　"马尔夫和史纳皮那两个家伙真是讨厌。"哈利说。 　　"算了吧，高兴一点，就要到圣诞节了，"哈格力说，"跟我到大厅去吧，看看有什么惊喜。"哈利，罗恩和荷米恩紧跟着带着圣诞树的哈格力到大厅，麦康娜和弗立维克正在里面忙着布置圣诞节的装饰。 　　"啊，哈格力，我们正缺少一棵圣诞树呢。放在里头的墙角好吗？"大厅看起来壮观极了，墙的四面挂着冬青树枝和槲寄生的花朵，厅里布置了不止十二棵高大的圣诞树，这些圣诞树中有些挂着闪烁的冰柱，有些则闪耀着成百条点燃的蜡烛。 　　"距离我们的假期还有多少天？"哈格利问。 　　"只有一天，"荷米恩说，"噢，对了，离午餐时间还有半个钟头，哈利。罗恩，我们本应该在图书馆里才对。""图书馆？"哈格力跟着他们出7大厅，疑惑地说："快到圣诞节了，还泡在图书馆？""哦，反正我们没事做，"哈利聪明地说，"自从上次你提起尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔，我们就一直在调查他是谁？""什么？"哈格力显出十分惊讶的样子，"听着，我早就叫你忘了它，那只狗守卫着什么并不关你的事。""我们只是想知道谁是尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔。"荷米恩说。 　　"除非你能告诉我们，省得我们麻烦，"哈利说，"我们已翻阅了成百本书，就是不能找到他，给我们一个提示吧，我相信一定在某个地方看到过他的名字。""我是不会说的。"哈格力毅然地说。 　　"那么，我们只好自己找了。"罗恩说。他们急匆匆地向图书馆跑去，留下满脸不高兴的哈格力。 　　自从上次哈格力说漏了嘴后，哈利和罗恩就一直在书中寻找弗兰马尔这个名字，因为他们想知道史纳皮想偷些什么东西。但麻烦的是，不知道弗兰马尔被编在哪些书中，他们觉得无从着手。他既不在《二十世纪伟大巫师》中，也不在《当代著名魔法师》中；在《现代魔法重要发现》和《近代巫术发展研究》中也找不到他的踪影。然而，一个图书馆那么大，里面有成千上万本书，上千个的书柜，上百行的书架。 　　荷米恩拿出要搜查书目的一条单子，罗恩沿着一排排的书架闲逛，随意从书上面抽出书本翻翻，哈利漫步走向图书馆里的不完全开放区。他迟疑了一会，如果在那里也找不到这个名字，怎么办？ 　　不幸的是，要查阅受限制阅读的书目要有老师的特别签名许可，而哈利认为要得到那样的一张条子是根本不可能的。不完全开放区中有关于超强黑巫术的书，这些巫法在霍格瓦彻从前教过，只有学习《黑巫术高级防御术》的高年级学生才读过。 　　"你在找什么，孩子？" 　　"没什么。"哈利说。 　　图书馆管理员宾西夫人对他挥动着鸡毛掸子，"你们最好给我滚出去，快滚… 　　…" 　　他逃也似地离开图书馆，三人原先一致同意最好不要问宾西夫人关于弗兰马尔的事，虽然他们知道从她那里可得到一些消息，但他们不能冒这个险，不能让史纳皮知道他们在忙什么。 　哈利在外边的走廊上等着，期待着另外两个能发现一些新情况，但他却不抱很大的希望。别忘了，他们为此已搜寻了两个星期，但因为他们是在课间有限的时间里寻找的，所以一无所得也不足为奇。他们想要的只是，宾西夫人不要老是盯着他们，好让他们进行一次彻底的搜查。 　　五分钟后，罗恩和荷米恩走了出来，他们对哈利摇了摇头，表示无所收获。然后一起去吃午饭。 　　"我回家的时候，你们还会继续查的，是吗？"荷米恩说，"如果有什么情况，就放猫头鹰通知我。""可能你爸妈知道弗兰马尔是谁，你可以问他们，"罗恩说，"问他们是绝对没有危险的。""很安全，因为他们都是牙医。"荷米恩说。 　　假期开始之后，罗恩和哈利可更好地恩考更多关于弗兰马尔的问题。他们独享着一个宿舍，公共休息室的人也远远比平常少了，所以他们能够尽情地享受火炉边最温暖最舒服的背靠椅。他们连续几小时地坐在炉进，把钢叉放在烧烤架上，把能放到炉子上烧的食物都拿来烤着吃：面包、烤面饼、果汁软糖……他们设计着怎样把马尔夫赶出校门，这是他们闲聊时十分感兴趣的话题。 　　罗恩开始教哈利走魔法棋。除了棋子是活生生的外，这种棋其他方面都跟马格人的棋一样。使用活棋子，可以让下棋者感觉好似在战斗中指挥军队一样。罗恩的"棋子"是他祖父留给他的，又老又旧，就像他拥有的一切东西一样。然而老"棋手"对罗恩来说并不是一个缺憾，因为他是如此熟悉他们，可以随心所欲地指挥他们。 　　哈利的"棋子"是谢默斯借给他的，他们对哈利并不信任，而更要命的是他并不是一个好"军师"。"棋子"们老是给哈利～些令人费解的建议："别把我送到那里，你没有看见他的骑士在那里吗？ 　　送他到那里吧，他死了对我们也无大妨碍。"圣诞前夕，哈利想到明天就将享受丰富的美餐和巨大的乐趣，早早地就上床睡觉了。第二天早上醒来，他一眼便看见他床脚下的一小堆礼物包裹。 　　"圣诞快乐。"哈利从床上爬起，披上晨衣，罗恩睡眼蓬松地对他说。 "圣诞快乐。"哈利说，"看啊，我收到一些礼物！""你想要什么？大头菜？"罗恩说着，看着他自己的那堆礼物——比哈利的大得多了。 　　哈利拿起最上面的包裹，是用棕色厚纸包装的，上面潦草地写着，"献给哈利——哈格力。"里面是一支做得有点粗糙的木质长笛，显然是哈格力亲手用刀削制的。哈利对着长笛吹了一下，那声音有点像猫头鹰叫。 　　另外一个很小的包裹里装着一纸条，写着："我们收到你的消息，现在送上你的圣诞礼物——维能姨丈和帕尤妮亚姨妈。"纸条上用透明的胶带粘着一枚50便士的硬币。 　　"真是太好了。"哈利说。 　　罗恩对这枚50便士的硬币喜欢得不得了。 　　"奇怪？"他说，"是一枚硬币。" 　　"给你吧，"哈利看着罗恩的高兴劲大笑说，"哈格力，我的姨妈和姨丈，还有谁送这些礼物呢？""我想我知道是谁，"罗恩的脸微红了一下，指着一个大包裹说，"这个是我妈送的。我告诉她你不要任何礼物，哦……，"他抱怨说，"她给你织了一件紧身的威斯里套衫。"哈利拆开包裹，里面是一件翡翠绿色的手织厚套衫和一大盒家制软糖。 　　"她每年都给我们套衫，"罗恩拆着他自己的礼物说，"而我的总是褐红色的。""她真是太好了。"哈利嚼着那十分可口的软糖说。 　　他的另一个礼物也是糖果——一大盒荷米恩送的朱古力青蛙糖。 　　只剩下最后一件礼物了，哈利拿起它，感到轻轻的，他拆开礼物。 　　一件银灰白的柔滑东西滑下来，重叠在地上，闪闪发光。罗恩惊奇地喘着气。 　　"我曾听说过，"他小声地说，扔下荷米恩送给他的"青蛙糖"，"这如果是我想象中的东西的话——那真是太稀有，太珍贵了。""是什么？" 　　哈利从地上捡起那件闪亮的银白色布匹，觉得它质感非常奇怪，好像是用水织成的一样柔软。 　　"我敢保证，这是一件隐形披风，"罗恩脸上现出无比的敬畏，"快试一试。 　　哈利把披风往肩上一技，罗恩便大声喊道："快往下看！"哈利往他的脚下一看，发现他的双脚没有了。他向镜子前冲去，千真万确，在镜子里只看见他的头悬浮在半空中，而他的整个身子则完全看不见了。他把披风拉到头上，整个人都消失了。 　　"有张纸条，有张纸条掉出来……"罗恩突然说。 　　哈利卸下被风，接住纸条。上面用又细又圆的似曾相识的字体写着："你父亲去世的时候留给我这件披风，现在是把它交给你的时候了，好好地使用它，祝你圣诞快乐。"上面没有署名，哈利注视着纸条，罗恩则在旁对被风啧啧称赞。 　　"我愿拿任何东西作交换，怎么样？"他说。 　　"没门，"哈利说。他满头雾水，"是谁把它送给我的？它真的曾经属于我爸妈吗？"他还没好好地思考一下，也没来得及说什么。这时，弗来德和乔治猛然从外面推开宿舍门，跳了进来。哈利迅速把技风塞到身上藏起来。他可不想让别人一起分享他的宝物。 　　"圣诞快乐！" 　　"喂，快来瞧瞧，哈利也有一件威斯里套衫！"费莱德和乔治穿着蓝色的套衫，一个上面写着个大大的黄色"F "，另一个写着大大的黄色"G "。 　　"哈利的套衫比我们的好。"弗来德拿着哈利的套衫说。 　　"虽然你不是我家人，但她显然在你的套衫上面花了更大的工夫。""为什么你们不穿上呢，罗思？"乔治问道，"来吧，穿上它，多好看多温暖呀。""我不喜欢褐红色。"罗恩把套衫套上头，无精打采地咕咬着。 　　"你的套衫上没有字母，"乔治发现，"我猜她认为你们不会忘记自己的名字。 　　但我们也不是傻瓜——至少我们知道自己叫乔莱德和弗治。""你们吵吵嚷嚷的干什么？" 　　伯希从门外伸进头来，显出不以为然的样子。他显然也是正拆着他的礼物，因为他肩上搭着一件上面有疙瘩的套衫。 　　弗来德抓住他的套衫："P '伯希的英文名"Percy "的编写代表'完美'，伯希，快穿上它，我们都穿着呢，甚至连哈利也有一件。""我——不——要。"伯希含糊不清地说。 　　弗来德兄弟俩强迫着把套衫套进他的头，由于用力过猛，把他的眼镜都推歪到一边。 　　哈利可说一生都没有吃过这样丰盛的一顿圣诞大餐，一百只烤肥火鸡，堆成山的马铃薯，一盘盘的小肥香肠，好几海碗和着黄油的豌豆，几大银船形碟于营养丰富的肉汁越橘沙司，堆成几英尺高的神奇魔法炮竹，这些神奇的炮竹，并不像杜斯利通常买的那种，它们里面有各种小塑料玩具和薄纸帽。哈利和弗来德掰开一个魔法炮竹，炮竹并不是像平常"啦"的一声裂开，而是发出一声爆炸似的巨响，并散发出一阵蓝色的烟幕。然后从里面迸出一项海军上将的帽子和好几只栩栩如生的白色小老鼠。丹伯多戴着用他的尖魔法帽跟人换得的一顶花圆帽，费兰维克教授给他讲了一个笑话，逗得他忍俊不禁地笑了起来。 　　火鸡吃完之后，跟着上场的是粉红色的圣诞布了，伯希几乎被藏在他那份布了里的镰刀币磕掉牙齿。而一边的哈格力继续喝着白酒，哈利发现他的脸变得越来越红，最后他竟然醉得吻了一下麦康娜的脸颊。更使哈利惊讶的是，麦康娜并没有生气，而是红着脸，咯咯地笑得帽子都斜到一边。 　　当哈利最后离开餐桌，他身上装满了一大堆从炮竹里得来的东西，包括一包不会爆的闪亮气球，一套白长疣药水和自己的一套新魔法棋。而他得到的那些白老鼠却不见了，哈利有种恶心的感觉，那些白老鼠会不会最终变成诺丽丝夫人的晚餐呢？ 　哈利和威斯里兄弟在雪地上打了一场激烈的雪仗，度过了一个快乐的下午。然后，又冷又湿的他们，上气不接下气地回到格林芬顿的公共休息室烤火，哈利和罗思下了一盘棋，输得很惨。他怀疑，如果不是伯希在旁煤蝶不休乱出主意的话，他是不会输得这么惨的。 　　吃过火鸡三明治，烤面饼，松糕点心和圣诞蛋糕的茶点后，大家都觉得很饱而且很渴睡了，都坐在那里，看伯希来回追赶着弗来德和乔治俩兄弟，因为他们两个偷了他的班长徽章。 　　这是哈利有生以来过得最好的一个圣诞节。但是他内心里却整天记挂着一件事。 　　直到他上了床才有时间来好好地想一想；那件隐形披风到底是谁送给他的。 　　罗恩的肚子里塞满了火鸡和蛋糕，又没有什么神秘的事情扰乱思想，他拉上窗帘，倒在床上便睡着了。哈利却靠在他的床边，从床底下拿出那件神奇的披风。 　　他的爸爸……，这件披风曾经是他的爸爸的。哈利想着，让这件被风从他手上滑过，它的质地比丝绸还柔滑，像空气一样轻，"好好地使用它，"哈利记得纸条上这样说。 　　他下了床，把被风披在身上。哈利朝下看了看他的脚，而见到的只是月光与影子。哈利感到奇妙极了。 　　"好好地使用它。" 　　突然，哈利感到十分清醒。穿着被风，他觉得整个霍格瓦彻都在向他敞开着。 　　他站在寂静的黑暗中，全身洋溢着兴奋的感觉，现在，他可以到任何地方去，而弗驰不会知道。 　　罗恩在打着呼嗜，要叫醒他吗？哈利被某种念头制止住了，这是他爸爸的披风，他觉得这一次——也是第一次，他想自己行动。 　　他偷偷地走出了宿舍，走下楼梯，穿过公共休息室，爬过胖大婶肖像洞。 　　"谁？"胖大婶。哈利没有作答，迅速地走过走廊。 　　该去哪儿呢？哈利停下脚步，心蹦蹦直跳，脑筋开始转动。对了，去图书馆的不完全开放区。在那里，他可以随意地阅读，可以找出谁是弗兰马尔。他开始行动，把身上的隐形披风拉紧。 　　图书馆里一片漆黑，阴森恐怖。哈利点了一盏油灯，在书架间穿行。虽然他觉得他手里握着灯炉，但因为现在他是隐形的，油灯看起来在半空中自己飘浮移动着，那情景真令人毛骨悚然。 　　不完全开放区在图书馆的正后方。哈利小心地跨过隔离绳子，高举油灯看书架上的书目。 　　没有什么发现。那些快，褪色的金色字体是用哈利不懂的语言写的。有些根本没有书目。一本书上有一个黑色的污迹，看起来像血迹。哈利后脑皮的头发直竖。 　　也许是幻觉，哈利觉得从书本中发出微弱的沙沙声，好像它们知道哈利在那儿一样。 　　哈利开始寻找。他把灯小心地放在地板上，在书架的底部里找那本有趣的书。 　　一本黑银色的书本映入他的眼帘，他吃力地把这本很重的书抽出，然后蹲下，把它平衡着放在膝上，打开。 　　一声刺耳，使人心惊胆战的尖叫刺破了黑夜的寂静——这本书在尖叫哈利"啦"的一声猛地合上书，但尖叫声仍然继续着，很刺耳，而且一声比一声高。哈利听得后退了一大步，绊倒在地上，被碰翻的油灯立即就熄了。这时，走廊那边传来脚步声，他慌忙地把会尖叫的书塞回书架，拼命逃出图书馆。在出门的时候，他差点撞上迎面而来的费驰。费驰面色苍白，睁得老大的眼睛直直地向哈利的方向望来，哈利从他伸展开的胳膊下溜过去，飞快地跑进走廊，那本书可怕的尖叫声似乎还在他的耳中回荡。 　　哈利来到一处挂着一件高大盔甲的地方，突然停住。他在慌乱之中逃出图书馆，竟没有注意向哪个方向跑。也许是太黑了，他根本无法确定身在何处。他知道在厨房的附近摆着一套盔甲，但他觉得自己应在厨房以上的第五层才对。 　　"教授，你说如果有人在校园里闲逛或是闯进图书馆的不完全开放区就直接来找你。"哈利觉得自己一定是吓得脸无人色。不管他身在何处，费驰一定有某条捷径，因为他低声油滑的声音愈来愈近。而更使他胆战心惊的是，跟他在一起的是史纳皮。 　　"不完全开放区？哦，好吧，他们不可能走远的，快抓住他们。"当费驰和史纳皮走到前面拐角处的时候，哈利像生根似的笔直站在原地。当然，他们看不到哈利，但是走廊很窄，哈利的披风可使他隐形，却不能消去他固体的身躯，如果他们再向前走的话，就要和地撞个正着了。 　　他害怕地向后退，尽量不发出任何声音。左边有一扇门半开着，这是他唯一的希望了。他屏住呼吸，蟋缩着身子从半开的门挤进去。幸好，他成功了，没有碰到门，也没有引起他们的警觉。他们一直向前走，而哈利则紧贴往墙壁，听到他们的脚步声消失后，才深深地猛吸几口气。太险了，真是太险了！哈利过了一会才镇静下来，开始注意他藏身的地方。 　　这好像是一间废弃的教室。课桌和椅子被推到墙角，现出一大堆黑影，地上有一个倒放的废纸篓——他对面倚靠在墙上的是一件好像是本不属于那里的东西，而是暂时不用放在那儿的。 　那是一面壮丽的，有着华丽装饰的金色边框的镜子。向上直挂到天花板，放置在两只爪形脚上，在镜子的上部刻着这样的铭文：Ensed stra ehru ayt cafru Oyton wohsi.费驰和史纳皮走远了。哈利的恐怖感渐渐消失，他走近那面镜子，想看一下自己，但照样看不到他在镜子中的反射。他走到镜子的正前面。 　　哈利吓得双手捂住嘴巴，差点没叫出声来。他转过身，向四周张望。此时，他的心比刚才听到书尖叫时跳动得更加激烈——因为在镜子里，他不仅看到他自己，而且看到他背后站着一大群人。 　　镜子里的他，脸色苍白，神情惊慌，在他的背后站着至少10个人，哈利侧过头去看了看，依然是没有人，难道他们跟他一样也是隐形的？难道这间屋子里实际上站满了许多隐形的人，而这面镜子能够辨别他们是否是隐形的？ 　　他再次看了一下镜子，站在他右后面的是一个妇女，微笑着向他挥着手，他伸出手向后一摸，镜子里的他仍然清晰，如果她真的在后面的话，他是可以碰到她的，但是哈利的手所能碰到的只是空气——那个妇女和其他人只是存在镜子里面。 　　她是一个非常漂亮的女人，有着一头深红色的头发，——她的眼睛和我的是如此相似，哈利想。他向镜子靠前一些。她的眼睛是亮绿的，而形状几乎和他的一模一样。哈利发现她在那里又哭又笑。在她旁边站着的那个高瘦、黑发的男子伸开双手抱着她，他戴着眼镜，头发很凌乱，和哈利的一样向后竖起。 　　哈利是如此地贴近镜子，还差点碰到了镜中的自己。 　　"妈妈？"他低声说，"爸爸？" 　　他们只是微笑着看着他。哈利慢慢地望向镜子里的其他人，他们有跟他很相似的眼睛，相似的鼻子，一个矮小的老人甚至跟哈利一样长着膝盖给节——哈利意识到这是他人生的第一次见到他的家人。 　　波特一家微笑地看向哈利，招着手，哈利渴望地凝视着他们，双手接在镜子上，希望他们能够穿过镜子来跟他相会。他内心里一半是欢喜，又一半是极端的忧伤，痛苦极了。 　　哈利不知自己在镜子前站了多久，镜子里面的人也好像没有消失。他只是看呀看，直到远处传来吵闹声才回过神来。他不能再站在那里，他得回去睡觉了。他依依不舍地把目光从妈妈的睑移开，小声地说："我会回来的。"急忙地走出了课堂。 　　回去后，哈利把他的奇遇告诉罗恩。"你本应该叫醒我的。"罗恩生气地说。 　　"你可以今晚去，到时我会带你去看那块镜子。""我想看看你的爸爸和妈妈。"罗恩渴望地说。 　　"我也想看看你的全家人，你可以把你其他兄弟和亲戚指给我看。""你可以随时见到他们的，"罗恩说，"夏天到我们家里来，至少可以看到死的人，没有找到弗兰马尔真是丢脸，哈利，吃些熏肉吧，为什么你一点东西都不吃呢？"哈利根本一点胃口也没有，他见到了他的爸爸妈妈，并且今晚将会再次见到他们，弗兰马尔的事对他来说已经不重要了，他早已将其抛到九霄云外去了。谁在乎那个三头狗在守着什么？就是史纳皮偷去了它又怎么样呢？ 　　"你没事吧，怪兮兮的。"罗恩说。 　　哈利现在最担心的是再也找不到那间放镜子的教堂了。和现在披风里多了一个罗恩，他们的行动会更加慢。他们在哈利昨晚走过的路上摸索着，在黑暗的走廊上徘徊了差不多有一个多钟头。 　　"太冷了，"罗恩说，"算了吧，我们回去啦。""不广哈利嘶声叫着说，"我知道应该就在这里附近。"他们通过一个向相反方向滑行的高女巫的痕迹，但却没有看见其他的人。正当罗恩又开始呻吟着抱怨脚差不多冻僵了的时候，哈利发现了昨晚看到的那套盔甲。 　"就是这儿，就是这儿。" 　他们推开门，哈利从肩膀上把披风卸下来，跑到镜子的前面。 　　看到了，他的爸爸和妈妈微笑着映入了他的眼帘。 　　"看见了吗？"哈利小声问。 　　"什么也没有啊。" 　　"看！看看他们……，很多人啊……" 　　"我只看到你在里面。" 　　"站在我这里，继续好好地看一下。" 　　哈利走开去，让罗恩站在镜子的前面，奇怪的是，站在旁边的哈利再也看不到他的家人了，只有看到穿着涡漩花纹睡衣的罗恩。 　　罗恩惊愣地盯看着自己的形象。 　"看着我。"他说。 　　"你能看见你的家人们站在你的周围吗？" 　　"不能，我只看到我自己。但是我好像有点不同，老了一点，我像是一个领袖。""什么？" 　　"我……我现在戴着比尔的徽章，拿着豪斯快迪斯比赛奖杯，而且我是快迪斯比赛的队长！"罗恩依依不舍地从镜子里自己威武的形象移开目光，兴奋地看着哈利。 　　"你认为通过这面镜子能看到我们的未来吗？""怎么可能？我的家人都已经死了，让我再看一下。""昨晚你已经独自享受这面镜子了，还是让我再享受一下吧。""你就只记挂着你的快迪斯赛杯，那有什么有趣的？我想看看我的爸妈。""不要推我……" 　　突然，从走廊外传来吵闹声，他们才意识到刚才太大声讲话了，急忙停止争吵。 　　"快！" 　　当诺丽丝夫人看过门这边来的时候，罗恩忙把被风罩在他和哈利的身上，他们静静地站在那儿，心里想着同一件事——这件披风遇上猫能起作用吗？时间好像过了一年那么长，她才转身离去。 　　"这里不安全，她可能叫费驰来，我敢肯定她一定听到我们说话了，我们还是快点吧。"哈利拉着哈利走出教室。 　　第二天早上，雪还没有融化。 　　"想下棋吗，哈利？"罗恩问。 　　"不想！" 　　"我们到下面看一下哈格力吧？" 　　"不去……你去吧……" 　　"哈利，我知道你在想那块镜子的事儿，今晚不要再去了。""为什么？" 　　"我也不知道，我有一种不祥的预感。你有太多次死里逃生了。 　　费驰、史纳皮和诺丽丝都在外面游荡着，他们看不见你又怎样呢？ 　要是他们撞上你怎么办？要是你撞倒了东西怎么办？""你跟荷米恩一样?嗦。" 　　"我是认真的，哈利，不要去。" 　　现在，哈利在脑里想着如何才能回到那块镜子的前面去，而不会受到罗恩的阻止。 　　第二晚，哈利比以前更容易，更快找到那间教室了。他走得很快，以致弄出很大声音，但庆幸的是没有遇到任何人。 　他的爸妈又在镜中对他笑了，他的祖父高兴地对他点头。哈利在镜子前面的地板上坐下来。现在没有什么能够阻止他跟他的家人在一起。除非…… 　"又回来啦，哈利？" 　哈利觉得全身上下一阵冰冻。他向后看了看，艾伯斯。丹伯多正坐在墙边的一张课桌上。哈利一定是径直走进教室，迫不及待地走到镜子前，所以根本没有注意到他在那里。 　　"我……我没有看到你，先生。" 　　"真奇怪，隐形使你的视力也降低了。"丹伯多说，哈利看见他脸上带着微笑，心中那块悬着的石头放了下来。 　　丹伯多从课桌上滑下来，和哈利并肩坐在地上，"现在，你像以前几百人一样，发现了魔法之镜的秘密。""我并不知道它是魔法之镜。" 　　"现在我想你已知道它的妙处了吧？" 　　"它……它能显示出我的家人。" 　　"而对你的朋友罗恩，显示的则是一队人的领袖。""你是怎样知道的？" 　"我并不需要借助披风来隐形。"丹伯多温柔地说："现在，你知道魔法之镜能够做些什么了吗？"哈利摇了摇头。 　　"我解释给你听吧，对于世界上最快乐幸福的人，它只是一面普通的镜子，也就是说，他在镜子中看到的是他真实的自己，你现在懂了吗？"哈利想了想，慢慢地说："它显示出我们想要的一切东西……""是，也不尽是。"丹伯多平静地说，"它能显示出我们心中最深的，最想得到的渴望。你从来没有见过你的家人，所以你看到他们站在你的周围，罗恩。威斯里总是笼罩在他兄弟们的阴影之下，所以他看到自己站在那里，成为兄弟们中的狡狡者。然而，这面镜子既不告诉我们真相，又不增长我们的知识。人们在它的面前变得很脆弱，沉迷于他们所见到的，甚至变疯了，但不知他们所看见的是真还是假。""明天，这面镜子将被移到另外的地方去了，哈利，我要你不要再去找它了。 　如果你真的对它着迷，你现在就要做好准备。记住，只是生活在梦境中是没有用的，现在，何不披上你那件被风回去睡觉呢？"哈利站起身。 　　"先生——丹伯多教授？我能问你一些问题吗？""你现在不正在问着问题吗？"丹伯多微笑着说，"不过你可以再问的。""当你望着自己在镜子里的时候，你看到了什么呢？""我？我看见自己拿着一对很厚的羊毛短袜。"哈利疑惑地睁大了眼睛。 　　"每个人都想要更多的短袜，"丹伯多说，"圣诞节来了，又过去了，而我始终没有得到过一双短袜。人们老是送书给我。"当哈利回到床上时他才醒悟过来，丹伯多的话可能不是真的。 　　他把斯卡伯斯推离他的枕头，想想看，也难怪，那可是个很私人的问题。 
Chapter 13 Nicholas Flamel
Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk. Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.“You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad,” said Ron, when Harry told him about these dreams.Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harry had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training.Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.“Will you stop messing around!” he yelled. “That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!”George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.“Snape's refereeing?” he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. “When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin.”The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.“It's not my fault,” said Wood. “We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us.”Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch…The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.“Don't talk to me for a moment,” said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, “I need to concen — ” He caught sight of Harry's face.“What's the matter with you? You look terrible.”Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.“Don't play,” said Hermione at once.“Say you're ill,” said Ron.“Pretend to break your leg,” Hermione suggested.“Really break your leg,” said Ron.“I can't,” said Harry. “There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all.”At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. “What happened?” Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.“Malfoy,” said Neville shakily. “I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on.”“Go to Professor McGonagall!” Hermione urged Neville. “Report him!”Neville shook his head.“I don't want more trouble,” he mumbled.“You've got to stand up to him, Neville!” said Ron. “He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier.”“There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that,” Neville choked out.Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.“You're worth twelve of Malfoy,” Harry said. “The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin.”Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.“Thanks, Harry… I think I'll go to bed… D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?”As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.“Dumbledore again,” he said, “He was the first one I ever—”He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione.“I've found him!” he whispered. “I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: ‘Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!”Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.“Stay there!” she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls’ dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.“I never thought to look in here!” she whispered excitedly. “I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading.”“Light ?” said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.At last she found what she was looking for.“I knew it! I knew it!”“Are we allowed to speak yet?” said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.“Nicolas Flamel,” she whispered dramatically, “is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!”This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.“The what?” said Harry and Ron.“Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look — read that, there.”She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read:The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).“See?” said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. “The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!”“A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!” said Harry. “No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it.”“And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry,” said Ron. “He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?”The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Sorcerer's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match.“I'm going to play,” he told Ron and Hermione. “If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them… it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win.”“Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field,” said Hermione.As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered whether Snape was following him, trying to catch him on his own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Harry. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Sorcerer's Stone? Harry didn't see how he could — yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting. Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand.Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.“Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis,” Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.“I know,” Ron snapped. “Don't nag.”Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside.“Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much.”“The whole school's out there!” said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. “Even — blimey — Dumbledore's come to watch!”Harry's heart did a somersault.“Dumbledore?” he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.Harry could have laughed out loud with relief He was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching.Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too.“I've never seen Snape look so mean,” he told Hermione. “Look — they're off. Ouch!”Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.“Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there.”Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.“Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?”Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.“You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?” said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. “It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money — you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains.”Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.“I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy,” he stammered.Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, “You tell him, Neville.”“Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something.”Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Harry.“I'm warning you, Malfoy — one more word—”“Ron!” said Hermione suddenly, “Harry—”“What? Where?”Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.“You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!” said Malfoy.Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.“Come on, Harry!” Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape — she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches — the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.“Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!” shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it — the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped — then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.“Well done,” said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. “Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror… been keeping busy… excellent…”Snape spat bitterly on the ground.Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now — no one could say he was just a famous name any more. The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown Snape…And speaking of Snape…A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed.The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Harry strained to catch what they were saying.“… d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…”“Oh, I thought we'd keep this private,” said Snape, his voice icy. “Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all.”Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.“Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?”“B-b-but Severus, I—”“You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell,” said Snape, taking a step toward him.“I-I don't know what you—”“You know perfectly well what I mean.”An owl hooted loudly, and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, ” — your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting.”“B-but I d-d-don't—”“Very well,” Snape cut in. “We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie.”He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.“Harry, where have you been ?” Hermione squeaked.“We won! You won! We won!” shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. “And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right — talk about showing Slytherin! I've waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens.”“Never mind that now,” said Harry breathlessly. “Let's find an empty room, you wait ‘til you hear this…”He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.“So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's ‘hocus pocus’ — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through—”“So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?” said Hermione in alarm.“It'll be gone by next Tuesday,” said Ron.
丹伯多已经说服哈利不要再去找魔法之镜了，在剩下的圣诞节假期里，哈利一直都把那件隐形的披风藏在大衣箱的底部。哈利真希望能够忘记他在镜中所见到的一切，但他却不能够。他开始做恶梦，他一次又一次地梦见了他的爸妈消失在一道绿色的闪光中，而高空传来哈哈大笑的声音。 　　"你现在明白了吧，丹伯多是对的，那块镜子能够使你发疯。"当哈利对罗恩诉说他的恶梦的时候，罗恩就这样说。 　　荷米恩在假期结束的前一天回来了，她对事情总有着不同的看法，她对哈利连续三夜不在床上睡觉，而在学校里闲逛的事感到恐怖（如果他被费驰捉到的话）；而对哈利竟连尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔是谁都搞不清楚而大失所望。 　　虽然哈利想象自己在某处见过弗兰马尔这个名字，但是他们对在图书馆里寻找弗兰马尔的事不抱希望。新学期一开始，他们又将利用课间的十分钟到图书馆里查阅了。相对于其他两个人，哈利的时间则会少一些，因为飞行比赛训练又开始了。 　　伍德比以前更加拼命卖力地训练队员，甚至连绵不断的下雨天也不能抑制他的斗志。威斯里兄弟抱怨说伍德变得愈来愈疯狂，而哈利支待伍德。如果他们赢了下一场对海夫巴夫队的比赛，他们将可以一扫七年来的怨气，在豪斯杯锦标赛中战胜史林德林。除了想取得胜利之外，哈利发觉，由于训练后身体疲劳，他比以前少做恶梦了。 　　在一个特别多雨、泥泞的训练期间，伍德发脾气了。威斯里两兄弟互相作俯冲撞击，并装作从他们的扫帚上掉下来，伍德为此而对他们大发雷霆。 　　"停止瞎闹！"他大喊说，"这简直是败坏我们这次比赛的事情！ 　　这次是史纳皮当裁判员，他将会千方百计找借口扣格林芬顿的分！"听到这些话，这次乔治。威斯里真的从扫帚上摔下来。 　　"史纳皮当裁判？"他满嘴含着泥，含糊不清地问，"他什么时候当过快迪斯比赛的裁判了？如果我们超越了史林德林队，他会觉得心里不甘的。"其他的队员也停在乔治的身旁，开始抱怨。 　　"这不是我的过错。"伍德说，"我们只要在比赛中不犯规不违例，史纳皮是没有理由可以刁难我们的。"那样最好不过了，哈利想，但还有另外一个原因让他不想由史纳皮当比赛的裁判员。 　　训练结束后，其他的队员像往常一样不开声讲话，哈利径自回到格林芬顿的公共休息室，发现罗恩和荷米恩在下着棋。下棋是荷米思唯一喜欢的东西，哈利和罗思也认为那对她十分有用。 　　"暂时不要说话。"哈利坐到罗恩的旁边时，罗恩就对他说。 　　"我需要集中精力。"他瞥了一下哈利，"你怎么啦？脸色难看极了。"哈利小声地告诉他们关于史纲皮想成为快迪斯比赛裁判员的险恶用心。 　　"不要飞了。"荷米恩立刻就说。 　"你疯了。"罗恩说。 　　"假装你的脚受伤了。"荷米恩建议说。 　　"要不真受伤一次。"罗恩说。 　　"我不能这样做。"哈利说，"我们没有后备的搜索员，如果我退出的话，格林芬顿就不能比赛了。"正在这时，尼维尔摇摇摆摆地走进教室，人们在猜想，他是怎样认肖像洞那边爬过来的？因为他的双脚被人尽皆知的锁脚咒粘住了。他一定是像兔子一样一路单足跳上格林芬顿塔的。 　　除了荷米恩以外，大家都觉得好笑，她跳了起来，口中念了念解咒语。尼维尔的双脚分了开来站在那里，由于不习惯的原因，有点发抖。 　　"怎么啦？"荷米恩带着他跟哈利和罗恩坐在一起问道。 　　"马尔夫，"尼维尔颤抖着说，"我在图书馆外遇到他，他说他正找个人试一试他的咒语。""快！去找麦康娜教授！"荷米恩拉着尼维尔，"向他报告！"尼维尔摇了摇头。 　　"我不想再惹麻烦。"他咕哝着说。 　　"你应该站起来反抗他，尼维尔！"罗恩说，"他已经习惯了凌架于所有人的头上，我们没有理由向他屈服，事情没有这样简单。""不要告诉我说我在格林芬顿中不够勇敢了，马尔夫已经说过了。"尼维尔哽咽着说。 　　哈利把手伸进长袍的口袋，从里面拉出一只朱古力青蛙糖，那是荷米恩给他的圣诞礼物，只剩下最后一只了。他把朱古力青蛙糖给了尼维尔，他好像就要哭出声来了。 　　"你比马尔夫强十二倍，"哈利说，"是分类帽选你进格林芬顿队的，不是吗？ 　　而马尔夫呢？他只能呆在臭气熏天的史林德林出来的。"尼维尔拆开青蛙糖，嘴角抽搐了一下，笑了。 　　"谢谢你，哈利……我想我该睡觉了……你要卡片吗？你不是正在收集吗？"尼维尔走开了，哈利看了看他给的"著名魔法"卡片。 　　"又是丹伯多，"他说，"他是我第一个……" 　　他喘着气，凝视了下卡片的背面，然后抬头望着罗恩和荷米恩。 　　"我找到他了！"他小声说，"我找到了弗兰马尔！我说过以前在某个地方见过弗兰马尔这个名字，是在来这儿的火车上——听着，丹怕多于1945年战胜了黑巫术巫师格林德瓦，发现了龙血的十二种用法，他与同伴一起为练金术作出了贡献，并因此而名声大噪——尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔！"荷米恩跳了起来。自从得知他们的第一次家庭作业的成绩以来，她从来没有这么兴奋过。 　　"留在这儿，不要走，"她说着，飞快地奔上通往女生宿舍的楼梯。哈利和罗恩还没有回过神来，她便抱着一堆书，冲了回来。 　　"我从来没想过要在这里面查找。"她低声说，"几星期前，我从图书馆借来消遣的。""消遣？"罗恩说，但是荷米恩制止了他再说下去，然后她便开始在书中查找，一边疯狂地翻动著书，一边不断地咕咬。 　　最后她找到了所要的东西。 　　"我知道了！我知道了！" 　　"我们现在可以说话了吗？"罗恩发脾气了，而荷米恩则对他爱理不理。 　"尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔，"她激动地说，"他是至今已知的唯-一个点金石的制造者。"她的话并没有像她预料的那样使他们大吃一惊。 　　"什么？"哈利和罗恩疑惑地问。 　　"哦，你们两个不认得字吗？看呀，在这儿。"她把书推到他俩的面前，只见上面这样写着：古代的炼金术研究涉及到点金石的制造。点金石是一种有着巨大魔力的神奇物质，它能够将任何金属变成纯金，而且还能产生一种长生不老药，使吃了这种药的人长生不老。 　　几个世纪以来，有许多关于点金石的传闻，但现今存在的唯一一块为尼可拉斯。 　　弗兰马尔所有，他是一个出名的炼金家和戏剧爱好者，于去年刚过了他665岁的生日，他现在在德汶与他658岁的妻子过着平静的生活。 　　"明白了吧？"当哈利和罗思看完后，荷米恩说，"那只狗一定在守卫着弗兰马尔的点金石！我猜一定是有人千方百计要得到点金石，所以弗兰马尔便请他的好友丹伯多妥为保管。这就是他把点金石移出格林高斯的原因！""一块能制造黄金，又能使人长生不老的石头！"哈利说，"难怪史纳皮想将它占为已有！就是每个人都想要呢。""难怪我们不能在（近代魔法发展）中找到弗兰马尔，"罗恩说，"如果他真是665岁，那他则不尽是近代了。"第二天早上，在黑巫术防御术的训练中，人们正在演习着对抗狼人攻击的不同方法。而哈利和罗恩还在讨论着如果他们有一块点金石，将怎样好好地使用的事。 　　直到罗恩说他要买一支属于自己的快迪斯队，哈利才记起即将到来的比赛和史纳皮在其中任裁判的事。 　　"我决定要参加比赛，"他告诉罗恩和荷米恩。"如果我不参加的话，史林德林人会认为我害怕史纳皮呢。我要让他们知道我们的厉害……如果我们赢了，那可真的能让他们哭丧着脸。""只要你不被人家赶下场就好了。"荷米恩说。 　　比赛即将来临了，哈利不管与罗恩和荷米恩讲什么，都显得愈来愈紧张。他的队友们也不是很镇静。在豪斯杯锦标赛中战胜史林德林的想法真是太妙了，毕竟在过去七年中还没有人能够做到，但是现在有史纳皮这样一个不公正的裁判，他们是否能够做到呢？ 　哈利不知自己是不是故意这样料想，他不管走到哪里，都好像总要碰上史纳皮。 　　哈利许多次甚至怀疑，是不是史纳皮一直在跟踪他，想亲自逮住他。史纳皮真是太可怕了，药剂课也变成了哈利每周一次的酷刑，他是否有可能知道他们已经发现了关于点金石的秘密呢？哈利现在还看不出有这样的可能性——但是他有时有种可怕的念头——史纳皮能读懂他的心思。 　　当罗恩和荷米恩第二天下午在更衣室外祝他好运的时候，哈利知道，他们正担心着能否再见到他活着。真实这并不能算是一种安慰。哈利几乎没有听到伍德说什么鼓励的话，他穿上他的快迪斯赛战袍，拿起"灵光2000"。 　　罗恩和荷米恩不久便在尼维尔的旁边找到位子，尼维尔不明白为什么他们显得如此神情严肃、焦虑，而且把魔杖也带来了。哈利并不知道，他们得到马尔夫把锁脚咒施用到尼维尔的启示，已偷偷地把咒语学了下来。他们商量好了，如果史纳皮有任何伤害哈利迹象的话，便把咒语用在他的身上。 　　"好吧，不要忘记，咒语是罗可莫特莫莉斯。"荷米恩依声咕味道，这时罗恩把他的魔杖放进袖子里藏好。 　　"不要再哆嗦，我知道了。"罗恩厉声说。 　　回到更衣室，伍德把哈利拉到一旁。 　　"别强迫自己，波特，如果我们要早点抓住史尼斯球，现在就是时候了。抓紧在史纳皮能更嚣张地偏袒海夫巴夫之前结束比赛。""整个学校的人都在外面了，"弗来德。威斯里从门口向外盯着说，"甚至——哎呀——连丹伯多教授也出来观战。"哈利的心七上八下的。 　　"丹伯多？"他说着，向门口冲过去确定真假。弗来德说对了，银色的胡须，绝对是他。 　　哈利释然地大笑起来，他安全了。如果丹伯多教授在旁观看的话，史纳皮就没有办法试图伤害他了。 　　可能这也是当两队进场时，史纳皮满面不高兴的原因吧。 　　"我还没见过史纳皮如此狼狈过。"罗恩告诉荷米恩，"看！他们出来了。哎哟！"有人在他的后面推了一下，那人正是马尔夫。 　　"噢，对不起，我没有看见你在前面。" 　马尔夫向克来伯和高尔咧着大嘴笑。 　　"猜猜这次波特将在他的扫帚上呆多久？谁想打赌？你呢，威斯里？"罗恩没有理会他，史纲皮刚才宣判由海夫巴夫进行罚球，因为乔治。威斯里用可尔夫球打了他。荷米恩握紧拳头，眯着眼死盯着哈利，他正像鹰一样在半空中周旋，寻找着史尼斯球。 　　"你知道他们怎样为格林芬顿选队员吗？"马尔夫几分钟后大声问，史纳皮这时又一次无缘无故地让海夫巴夫罚了一球。"他们专挑那些可怜虫。就像波特，没爹没娘；还有威斯里，穷得叮当响——你本应加入他们队伍的，尼维尔，因为你没头脑。"尼维尔红着脸把座位调过来面对着马尔夫。 　　"我比你强十二倍，马尔夫。"他结结巴巴地说。 　　马尔夫，克来伯和高尔大笑着，一边的罗恩还在全神贯注地注视着比赛，他说，"尼维尔，你自己应付他吧。""尼维尔，如果脑子是金子的话，你会比威斯里更穷，你知道我的意思吗？"罗恩的神经已经为哈利紧紧地绷着，他几乎快要崩溃了。 　　"我再一次警告你，马尔夫。" 　　"罗恩！"荷米恩突然喊着，"哈利他……" 　　"什么？在哪里？" 　　哈利在上空作了一个漂亮的俯冲，博得了人们的欢呼声。荷米思站了起来，双手捂着嘴，这时，哈利向着地面像子弹一样飞奔。 　　"你真幸运，威斯里，哈利好像发现了有些金子掉在地面！"马尔夫说。 　　罗恩咬紧牙，还未等马尔夫反应起来，罗恩已到了他的头上，把他摔到地上。 　　尼维尔迟疑了一下，攀爬过去帮忙。 　　"快点，哈利！"荷米恩尖叫着，跳上座位去看哈利，他正向史纳皮奔去——她根本没有发现马尔夫和罗恩在她的座位下翻滚，尼维尔和克朱伯、高尔也参战了，他们在地上一片混乱，拳脚交加，不断地嗥叫着。 　　而在空中，史纳皮举起他的扫帚，一个鲜红的东西从他的身边擦身而过，他与之失之交臂——而下一秒，哈利停止住俯冲，手臂得意洋洋地高高举起，史尼斯球已紧紧握在他的手中。 　　看台上的人群骚动起来，这是个纪录，没有能想到史尼斯球会这么快就被抓住。 　　"罗恩！罗恩！你在哪里？比赛已经结束了！哈利赢了！格林芬顿领先了。"荷米恩尖叫着，搂着前一排的帕维提。帕蒂在座位上舞上舞下。 　　哈利跳下扫帚，单脚着地。他也觉得难以置信，但他做到了——比赛已结束了。 　　还不到五分钟呢。当格林芬顿队降落到地上时。他看到史纳皮也落在不远处，面色苍白，紧抿着嘴——这时，他感到有只手搭在肩膀上，他向后一望，丹伯多微笑着看着他。 　　"做得好，"丹伯多说，小声得只有哈利才听得见。"见到你没有沉迷于那面镜子真好……太捧了……继续努力吧。"另一边，史纳皮难过地拍着地面。 　哈利不久后独自一个人离开更衣室，准备把他的"灵光2000"放回扫帚房。他从没有这样高兴过。 　　因为他现在做了些值得高兴的事——没有人再敢说他虚有其名了。夜晚的空气现在闻起来也甜甜的。他越过潮湿的草丛，脑中不时浮现比赛的最后时刻，那是多么值得兴奋的场景呀，格林芬顿的队友把他抬到肩膀上，罗恩和荷米恩兴奋地跳上跳下，罗恩甚至还高兴得流了鼻血。 　　哈利走到扫帚房前面。他靠着木门望着霍格瓦彻城堡，窗户在日落中发着红光。 　　格林芬顿领先了，他做到了，他向史纳皮证明了——说到史纳皮——一个盗匪模样的人影向城堡前的台阶走下，躲躲闪闪地，向着禁林那边飞快地走去。哈利胜利的喜悦惭惭消失。他认出了那个潜行的人影。史纳皮趁着人们吃饭的时候走进禁林——发生了什么事呢？ 　　哈利跳回他的"灵光2000"飞了起来，在城堡的上空滑翔，他看见史纳皮跑进禁林，连忙跟上。 　　树太密了，他看不见史纳皮往哪儿跑。 　　他在森林上空打转，飞得越来越低，几乎拂拭到树的顶技。他听到讲话的声音了，他向有人声处飞去，毫无声息地降落在高耸的掬树里面。 　他小心地攀上一个树丫，紧抓住他的扫帚，想透过树丛向那边看。 　　在下面一片阴暗的空地上，史纳皮在那站着，但并不是独自一人，屈拉也在那里。哈利看不到他的脸，但他比以前更给巴了，哈利听得很费力。 　　"不……不知道，你……作为什么其……其它地方不去，而来……来这里碰头，史纳皮……""噢，我想把这件事做得神不知、鬼不觉。"史纳皮说，他的语气根冰冷，"学生本应不知道关于点金石的事的。"哈利向前倾了倾。屈拉正咕哝不清地说话，史纳皮打断了他。 　　"你找到制服哈格力那头野兽的方法了吗？" 　　"但——但是，史纳皮，我——" 　　"你不想把我当成你的敌人吧，屈拉？"史纳皮说着，向他走前一步。 　　"我——我不——知道你——" 　　"你十分清楚我的意思。" 　　一只猫头鹰大声鸣叫了一下，吓得哈利差点从树上掉下。他及时平衡好自己，听到史纳皮在说，"别?嗦了，我正等着呢。""但——但我不——不。" 　　"很好，"史纳皮说，"我们待会再聊，你好好考虑一下。"他戴上斗篷，急忙走出空地。天就快黑了，但哈利仍可看见屈拉像石头般地静静站在那儿。 　　"哈利，你去哪里了？"荷米恩尖叫着。 　　"我们赢了！我们赢了！"罗恩大叫着，用拳头垂击着哈利的背部。"我把马尔夫打得鼻青脸肿，而尼维尔独自顶了克来伯和高尔！ 　　他现在仍感冒，但彼弗莱夫人说他很快就会好的。——说说史林德林吧！所有的人都在公共休息室等你，我们要开一个晚会。弗来德和乔治从厨房偷了一些蛋糕和食物。""暂时不要说这些吧，"哈利上气不接下气地说，"咱们找个空房，我有重要的事情要说……"哈利确定了皮维斯不在房间里后，关上房门，告诉他们他的所见所闻。 　　"我们猜对了，史纳皮想强迫屈拉帮他找点金石。他问屈拉是否知道制服那头野兽的方法，但屈拉犹豫了——我怀疑除了弗拉菲外，还有其他东西守卫着点金石，可能是一些魔咒。而如果史纳皮要通过的话，首先要让屈拉破除黑巫术咒语。""所以你的意思是，如果屈拉不和史纳皮合作的话，点金石便安全了。"荷米恩警觉地说。 　　"那块点金石下个星期就将被送走了。"罗恩说。
Chapter 14 Norbert The Norwegian Ridgeback
Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.“Hermione, the exams are ages away.”“Ten weeks,” Hermione snapped. “That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel.”“But we're not six hundred years old,” Ron reminded her. “Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it's an A.”“What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me…”Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.“I'll never remember this,” Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.Harry, who was looking up “Dittany” in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, “Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?”Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.“Jus’ lookin',” he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. “An’ what're you lot up ter?” He looked suddenly suspicious. “Yer not still lookin’ fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?”“Oh, we found out who he is ages ago,” said Ron impressively. “And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St—”“Shhhh!” Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. “Don’ go shoutin’ about it, what's the matter with yeh?”“There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact,” said Harry, “about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy—”“SHHHH!” said Hagrid again. “Listen — come an’ see me later, I'm not promisin’ I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don’ go rabbitin’ about it in here, students aren’ s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh—”“See you later, then,” said Harry.Hagrid shuffled off.“What was he hiding behind his back?” said Hermione thoughtfully.“Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?”“I'm going to see what section he was in,” said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.“Dragons!” he whispered. “Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide.”“Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, ” said Harry.“But it's against our laws,” said Ron. “Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks’ Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden — anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania.”“But there aren't wild dragons in Britain ?” said Harry.“Of course there are,” said Ron. “Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget.”“So what on earth's Hagrid up to?” said Hermione.When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called “Who is it?” before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.“So — yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?”“Yes,” said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush. “We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy.”Hagrid frowned at him.“O’ course I can't,” he said. “Number one, I don’ know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn’ tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts — I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an’ all? Beats me how yeh even know abou’ Fluffy.”“Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here,” said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. “We only wondered who had done the guarding, really.” Hermione went on. “We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you.”Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione.“Well, I don’ s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that… let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o’ the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick — Professor McGonagall — ” he ticked them off on his fingers, “Professor Quirrell — an’ Dumbledore himself did somethin', o’ course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape.”“Snape?”“Yeah — yer not still on abou’ that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it.”Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything — except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.“You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren't you, Hagrid?” said Harry anxiously. “And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?”“Not a soul knows except me an’ Dumbledore,” said Hagrid proudly.“Well, that's something,” Harry muttered to the others. “Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling.”“Can't, Harry, sorry,” said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too.“Hagrid — what's that ?”But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.“Ah,” said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, “That's — er…”“Where did you get it, Hagrid?” said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. “It must've cost you a fortune.”“Won it,” said Hagrid. “Las’ night. I was down in the village havin’ a few drinks an’ got into a game o’ cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest.”“But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?” said Hermione.“Well, I've bin doin’ some readin',” said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. “Got this outta the library — Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit — it's a bit outta date, o’ course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, ‘cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an’ when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o’ brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An’ see here — how ter recognize diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them.”He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.“Hagrid, you live in a wooden house,” she said.But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.“Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life,” Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts.Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching.Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.“Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?”“We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—”“Shut up!” Harry whispered.Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.“It's nearly out.” He ushered them inside.The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.“Isn't he beautiful ?” Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.“Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!” said Hagrid.“Hagrid,” said Hermione, “how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?”Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face — he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.“What's the matter?”“Someone was lookin’ through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin’ back up ter the school.”Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.Malfoy had seen the dragon.Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.“Just let him go,” Harry urged. “Set him free.”“I can't,” said Hagrid. “He's too little. He'd die.”They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.“I've decided to call him Norbert,” said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. “He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?”“He's lost his marbles,” Ron muttered in Harry's ear.“Hagrid,” said Harry loudly, “give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment.”Hagrid bit his lip.“I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus’ dump him, I can't.”Harry suddenly turned to Ron. “Charlie.” he said.“You're losing it, too,” said Ron. “I'm Ron, remember?”“No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!”“Brilliant!” said Ron. “How about it, Hagrid?”And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.“It bit me!” he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. “I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby.”There was a tap on the dark window.“It's Hedwig!” said Harry, hurrying to let her in. “She'll have Charlie's answer!”The three of them put their heads together to read the note.Dear Ron,How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.Send me an answer as soon as possible.Love,CharlieThey looked at one another.“We've got the invisibility cloak,” said Harry. “It shouldn't be too difficult - I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert.”It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.“It's not just my hand,” he whispered, “although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me — I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this.”Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.“It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday,” said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.“Midnight on Saturday!” he said in a hoarse voice. “Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert.”Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.“It's too late to change the plan now,” Harry told Hermione. “We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that.”They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.“I won't let you in,” he puffed. “Norbert's at a tricky stage — nothin’ I can't handle.”When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.“Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot — jus’ playin’ — he's only a baby, after all.”The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.“He's got lots o’ rats an’ some brandy fer the journey,” said Hagrid in a muffled voice. “An’ I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely.”From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.“Bye-bye, Norbert!” Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. “Mommy will never forget you!”How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another — even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.“Nearly there!” Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.“Detention!” she shouted. “And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you—”“You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming — he's got a dragon!”“What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!”The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.“Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!”“Don't,” Harry advised her.Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.At last, Norbert was going… going… gone.They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon — Malfoy in detention — what could spoil their happiness?The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.“Well, well, well,” he whispered, “we are in trouble.”They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.
没有想到的是，屈拉比他们想象中更勇敢。在随后的几个星期里，他确实变得更苍白瘦弱了，但他看起来还不至于崩溃。 　　每次他们经过三楼的走廊，哈利，罗恩和荷米恩都会将他们的耳朵贴在门上，看看弗拉菲是不是还在里面吼叫。史纳皮像平常一样脾气很坏地清扫着周围，这就确切地意味着点金石还很安全。这些日子，哈利每次遇到屈拉，都会给他一个诸如鼓励般的微笑，而罗恩则开始斥责那些取笑屈拉口吃的人。 　　而荷米恩有比点金石更使她关注的事要做。她已经开始制订复习时间表并已开始复习，哈利和罗恩却对考试不在意，但她总是责怪着他们，叫他们抓紧复习。 　　"荷米恩，那些考试还是几年以后的事呢。" 　　"十个星期。"荷米恩说，"而不是几年，对于尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔来说，只不过是一秒钟的事。""但我们没有6oo 岁，"罗恩提醒她说，"说实在的，你为什么要复习呢，反正你全部都知道了。""我为什么复习？你疯了吗？你知道我们要经过考试才能进入二年级吗？这些是很重要的。我本应在一个月前就开始复习了，我也不知自己是怎么搞的……"很不幸，老师们好像跟荷米恩想法一样。他们给学生们堆了那么多功课，以致使复活节过得比圣诞节逊色多了。有荷米恩在旁背颂着龙血的十二种用法，飞舞练习着魔杖，简直使人难于安静下来。哈利和罗恩悲叹着，打着呵欠，把大部分的闲时间都花在图书馆陪她，并试图完成积累的功课。 　　"我记不起这个。"一天下午，罗恩咆哮着说，扔下他的羽毛笔，向图书馆的窗外渴望地望去。外面的天气多好啊，是几个月来最好的一天，天空很明净，像蓝色勿忘我一样蓝，好像夏天就要来临了。 　　哈利正在《一千种魔法药草和菌类》里查找"迪沸泥"这个词，直到他听见罗恩说"哈格利！你在图书馆里干什么？"时，才抬起头来。 　　哈利力闪躲着，不想被人发现，背后藏着不知什么东西，穿着鼹鼠皮大衣的他看起来非常不合时宜。 　　"只是看看而已，"他用一种诡诈的语气说着，这马上引起他们的注意，"你们在找什么？"他突然看起来很可疑，"你们还没有找到尼可拉斯。弗兰马尔吧？""噢，我们几年前就知道他是谁了，"罗恩深刻地说，"我们已知道那只狗在守卫着什么，是点金……""嘘……嘘……"哈格力向四周望了望，看有没有人在听着，"不要这么大声，你怎么啦？""实际上，我们有些事想问你，"哈利说，"除了弗拉菲，还有谁在守卫着点金石？""嘘……嘘……！"哈格力又说，'听着——待会来找我。但我不保证去告诉你们什么。记着，不要在这儿乱讲，这是不准让学生知道的。他们会认为我已经告诉你们……""那待会见。"哈利说。 　　哈格力走开了。 　　"他在背后藏了些什么？"行米恩若有所恩地说。 　　"你认为这跟点金石有关系吗？" 　　"我去看看他刚才在找什么书。"罗恩说，他已做饭了作业。几分钟后，他怀里抱一大堆书回来，他把它们猛力掷到桌上。 　　"龙！"他轻声说，"哈格力正在寻找关于龙的资料，看这些：《大不列颠爱尔兰龙的种类》，《从蛋到成年龙——养龙手册》"哈格力——真想要条龙，自从我第一次遇见他，他就这样告诉我。"哈利说。 　　"但这是犯法的，"罗恩说，"根据1709年《沃洛协议》，饲养龙是犯法的，大家都知道。如果我们把它养在后花园，是很难不被马格人发现的。——无论如何，你也不可能驯服一条龙。这是很危险的，你应该知道查理在罗马尼亚被野龙咬伤的事。""但英格兰那里没有野龙。"哈利说。 　　"当然了。"罗恩说，"我告诉你，国家魔法部对此秘而不宣。 　　他们将不得不对发现它们的人念咒语，让他们忘记所见到的。""哈格力究竟在忙什么？"荷米恩问道。 　　一小时后，他们来到猎禽看守人的小屋门前，惊奇地发现哈格力把小屋全部窗帘都关上了，在让他们进屋以前，哈格力小心地问"谁呀？"然后在他们进屋后又把门迅速地关上。 　　屋子里面热得透不过气来。虽然天气很暖和，在门口却还摆着一个燃得很旺的火炉。哈格力为他们彻茶，并拿白助三明治给他们，但他们拒绝了。 　　"那么——，你们想问我些问题吗？" 　　"是的，"哈利说，"没有必要兜圈子了，我们想知道，除了弗拉菲外，还有谁在守卫着点金石？"哈格力对他皱了皱眉头。 　　"我不能告诉你，"他说，"第一，我自己也不知道；第二，你们知道得太多了，因此我即使知道也不能告诉你们，点金石会留在这儿是很有道理的，它几乎被盗出了格林高斯——我猜你们已知道那件事吧？你们是怎样知道弗拉菲的？""噢，说吧，哈格力，你或许不想告诉我们，但你确实知道，你对周围发生的事都了解。"荷米恩用一种温柔，馆媚的语气说。 　　哈格力的胡须抽动了一下，他笑嘻嘻的。"我们只想知道是谁在守卫，真的。"荷米恩继续说，"我们想知道，除了你，丹伯多认为还有谁可以帮他？""好吧，我想告诉你们这些也无妨，——让我想想——他跟我借弗拉菲——几个老师做了些魔法——史普露教授——费立维克教授——麦康娜教授——屈拉教授——当然丹伯多自己也做了些。还有谁？哦，还有史纳皮教授。""史纳皮？" 　　"是的，没有想到吧？看，史纳皮也帮忙着守，他是不会偷的。"哈利知道罗恩和荷米恩跟他想的一样。如果史纳皮也在守卫点金石，那么他很容易知道其他老师是怎样守卫的，他可能全都知道了——除了屈拉的咒语和制服弗拉菲的方法。 　　"您是唯一知道怎样制服弗拉菲的人，对吗？哈格力？"哈利焦急地说，"你也不会告诉任何人，对吗？甚至任何老师也不告诉。""除了我和丹伯多外，谁也不会知道。"哈格力骄傲地说。 　　"很好，这就对了。"哈利对其他人低声说，"哈格力，我们开个窗户好吗？ 　　我很热。" 　　"对不起，不能开窗，哈利。"哈格力说。哈利注意到他往火炉那边看了一下。 　　哈利也看了看。 　　"哈格力，那是什么？" 　　其实他早就知道那是什么。在火中央，开水壶的下面，有一个巨型黑蛋。 　　"啊！"哈格力突然紧张地拨弄着胡须，"那是——一个……""你在哪里弄到的，哈格力？"罗恩问，蹲到火的旁边，凑近一点去看那蛋，"你一定花了不少钱吧。""赢来的，"哈格力说，"昨天晚上，我到村子里喝了些酒，和一个陌生人赌了一把。老实说，他好像急着让它脱手。""那它孵出来后，你怎样处理它？"荷米恩向。 　　"我正在着些书，"哈格力说着，从他的枕头下拉出一本大书，"从图书馆借来的——《娱乐，赢利之龙的饲养》。当然，这本书看起来很旧，但里面的内容很详细。如'把蛋放在火里面'，'叫它们的母亲在上面呼吸'，看看，'当它们孵出来后，每半小时用一桶白兰地和着小鸡的血喂它。'看这儿——还教你怎样辨别不同的蛋——我得到的那只有'挪威脊背'，他们是很稀有的，他们……"他看起来很是自得其乐，而荷术思则不然。 　　"哈格力，你住在木屋里？"她说。 　　但是哈格力没有听到她的话，他正高兴地哼唱着，向火炉里加煤炭。 　　那么现在他们又有其他事要担心了：假如有人发现哈格力在木屋里藏着龙蛋会怎样呢？ 　　"真想知道平静的生活是怎样的。"罗恩叹着气说，他们晚晚都为功课忙着。 　　荷米思现在又开始为他们制定复习时间表了，这简直把他们逼疯了。 　　一天，海维在午饭时间送了一条纸条给哈利，是哈格力那里来的，上只写着：它快孵出来了。 　　罗恩想绕过教室直接到小屋去，但荷米恩却不听他的，不让他去。 　　"荷米恩，在我们一生中能有多少次可看见龙从蛋中孵出？""我们有过教训，会有麻烦的。人们如果发现哈格力孵着龙蛋，我们做什么都无济于事了。""住嘴！"哈利低声说。 　　马尔夫就在几步之遥的不远处，他正停下来偷听。他听到了什么？哈利根本不喜欢他那副德性。 　　在去教室的路上，罗恩和荷米恩一直争论着。最后，荷米恩同意他们两个在天亮之前跑到哈格力的住处去。当下课铃从城堡传来时，他们三个马上，快速冲到禁林的边缘。哈格力向他们打招呼，他看起来很激动很兴奋。 　　"它就快出来了！"哈格力招呼着他们进屋。 　　蛋正放在桌上，正面有一条深深的裂痕，有东西在里面蠕动，发出古怪的前答声。 　　他们都把椅子搬到桌边，紧张地看着它。 　　突然，蛋里面传出一阵零碎的嘈杂声，然后蛋壳裂了开来。小龙扑通一声落在桌子上。它不是很可爱。哈利觉得它像一把皱巴巴的黑伞。它弱小的翅膀跟它瘦削的身子比起来显得很大，它的鼻孔很大，额上有一对疙瘩似的角，眼睛鼓突突的，呈橙色的。 　　它打着喷嚏，两柱火花从鼻孔飞出。 　　"它很漂亮吗？"哈格力轻声说，伸出一只手来敲敲它的头。它则猛地咬住他的指头，露出毒牙。 　　"它认得它的妈咪！"哈格力说。 　　"哈格力，"荷米恩说，"'挪威脊背'成长得有多快？"哈格力刚要回答，脸突然变了色——他跳了起来向窗边跑去。 　　"怎么啦？" 　　"有人正在窗外偷看——是个小孩——他跑回学校去了。"哈利猛奔到门外张望。虽然那人走远了，但哈利敢肯定他是谁。 　　马尔夫看见龙了。 　　在第二个星期，马尔夫脸上总是对他们不怀好意地笑着，哈利三人紧张得要命。 　　他们一有空闲，便到哈格力的小屋里讨论。 　　"让它走。"哈利极力主张，"放了它吧。" 　　"我做不到。"哈格力说，"它太弱小了，它会死去的。"他们看着龙，在一星期内它的身了子就已长大了三倍。它的鼻孔不时地喷着烟雾。哈格力由于要照顾小龙。已无暇顾及猪禽看守的工作，他小屋的地板上堆满了空白兰地酒瓶和小鸡羽毛。 　　"我决定把它叫做诺贝特，"哈格力说，眼睛迷滚地看着他的小龙，"它已经与我很熟了，看，诺贝特，诺贝特！妈咪在这儿。""他疯了。"罗恩对着哈利耳语。 　　"哈格力，"哈利大声喊，"两个星期后，它就长得跟你的木屋那样长了。到时马尔夫会去向丹伯多报密的。"哈格力极力咬了咬嘴唇。 　　"我——我知道我不能永远拥有它，但我就是不能随便扔了它，我做不到。"哈利突然转身面对着罗恩。 　　"查理。"他说。 　　"你也走神了，"罗思说，"我是罗恩，记得吗？""不——查理——你的兄弟查理，在罗马尼亚研究龙，我们可以把诺贝特送给他，查理会照顾好他的，以后让它回大自然去。""太聪明了！"罗恩说，"怎么样，哈格力？" 　　最后，哈格力同意他们送只猫头鹰给查理。 　　接下来的那个礼拜的时间过得特别慢。星期三晚上，人们都上床睡觉了，哈利和罗思还在公共休息室坐着。墙上的钟敲了十二点。罗恩刚才披上哈利的隐形披风到哈格力的小木屋帮他喂小龙，那条小龙正在吃着死老鼠。 　　"它咬了我！"他说着，举着他那只包在染血的手帕里的手，"我可能一个星期都不能拿羽毛笔了。我告诉你们，那条龙是我所见过最凶的动物。但看哈格力和它相处的样子，你会认为那是一只毛绒绒的温顺小白兔。当我被那家伙咬到时，他还责怪我说我惊动了它。我走时，他正在为它唱着摇篮曲。"这时，有人在敲着窗。 　　"是海维！"哈利说，急忙让它进来。"它有查理的回复了。"他们三个人把头凑在一起，看着那张纸条："亲爱的罗恩。"近来可好？谢谢你的来信。我很乐意照顾'挪威脊背'，但要把它弄到这儿不太容易。我想最好的办法是托我的朋友带来，他们下个星期将要来看我。但麻烦的是，携带龙是非法的，千万不能被人发现。 　　你们能将那条龙于星期六午夜放在最高的塔顶吗？我的朋友们将与你们碰头，他们将会趁着天黑把那条龙带走。 　　请尽快给我答复。 　　查理他们互相望了望。 　　"我有隐形披风，"哈利说，"应该不会很难——披风可以把我们和诺贝特遮住。"罗恩和荷米恩同意哈利的意见，他们现在就要摆脱诺贝特和马尔夫了，上个星期的麻烦事也将到此结束。 　　第二天早上，罗思被唤到的手比平常肿了两倍。他不知道去找波姆弗雷夫人人是否妥当——她会看出这是龙咬的吗？直到下午，他还是想不出好的办法，伤口已变成暗绿色。从伤口来看，诺贝特好像长有毒牙。 　　傍晚，哈利和荷米恩冲到病房，看见罗恩正惊恐地躺在床上。 　　"不仅是我的手，"他轻声说，"我全身的知觉好像都要消失了。 　　马尔夫对波姆弗雷夫人人说要借我的一本书，而实际是来取笑我。 　　他还不断地威胁说要告诉波姆弗雷夫人人是什么东西咬我——我告诉她这是狗咬伤的，但我想她是不会相信的——早知上次快迪斯比赛就不打马尔夫的头了，他一定是怀恨在心的。"哈利和荷米思试着让罗思安静下来。 　　"到星期六午夜，把诺贝特送走便没事了。"荷米恩说，但这根本不能安慰他，相反地，他惊恐地坐直身子，直冒着汗。 　　"星期六午夜！"他嘶哑着声说，"噢，不——嗅，不——我刚想起来——查理的信夹在马尔夫惜去的书里面，他知道我们将送走诺贝特了。"哈利和荷米恩刚要再说些什么，这时波姆弗雷夫人人过来叫他们离去，说罗恩需要休息。 　　"现在改变计划已经太迟了。"哈利对荷米思说，"我们没时间再送个猫头鹰过去给查理，这是我们唯一能摆脱诺贝特的方法，我们不得不冒险了，我们还有隐形披风，马尔夫不知道我们有这个宝物。"当他们去找哈格力时，发现弗兰在外坐着，尾巴上缠着绷带，哈格力只打开一个窗户跟他们讲话。 　　"我不能让你们进来，"他喘息着，"诺贝特现在正处于狡猾的阶段——我真拿它没办法。"他们告诉他关于查理来信的事，他的眼睛满是泪水——是诺贝特在背后毫不留情地咬他的脚。 　　"啊！好了，它只咬到我的鞋子——跟我玩玩而已——别忘了，它还是个小孩子。"那"小孩"用尾巴敲着墙，弄得窗户格格作响。哈利和荷米思回到城堡，觉得星期六来得太迟了。 　终于等到了星期六，哈格力就要和诺贝特分手了，哈利他们也为他感到难过。 　这天夜晚，天十分漆黑，天上布满了云。哈利他们由于要避开正在大堂打网球的皮维斯，迟了一点才赶到哈格力的小木屋。 　哈格力已经把诺贝特装在一个大木箱里。 　　"在旅途上有老鼠和白兰地吃。"哈格力低沉地说，"我把它的玩具熊也放了进去——它在旅途中会寂寞的。"从大木箱里传来一声撕裂的声音，哈利觉得好像是玩具熊的头被撕了下来。 　"再见了，诺贝特，"哈格力呜咽着说，哈利和荷米恩把隐形披风玻到木箱上，同时他们自己也走到被风下。"蚂咪会记住你的。"哈格力说。 　　他们不知当时是怎样把木箱运到城堡上的。当他们把木箱举上大堂的大理石石阶、沿着漆黑的走廊走时，已接近午夜了。步上一级楼梯、再一级——哈利抄了近路，好似也没把活儿弄得容易了些。 　　"就快到了。"哈利喘着气，他们已到了顶塔下面的楼梯。 　　突然，头顶的诺尔特猛烈动了一下，几乎使他们扔下木箱。他们吓了一跳，忘记了他们已经隐形了，忙缩到缩影里，正在这时，他们发现前面十英尺左右处有两个人扭在一起。一盏灯燃了起来。 　　是麦康娜教授，穿着苏格兰佐子呢布晨衣，戴着发网，正在前面拧着马尔夫的耳朵。 　　"拘留起来，"她大声喊道，"扣史林德林二十分，竟敢半夜还在闲逛……""听我说，教授，哈利·波特待会要来，他带着条龙……""什么，十足的废物！竟敢撒这样的谎！过来——我要你去见史纳皮教授……"此时，攀登那通到塔顶的陡峭盘旋的楼梯似乎是世界上最容易的事了。一到塔顶，他们便卸下被风，高兴地松了一口气。还跳起了吉格舞。 　　"马尔夫被拘留了我要唱歌！" 　　"不要。"哈利阻止她。 　　他们在那儿等着，笑谈着马尔夫，诺贝特则在木箱里不安分地撞击着。大约过了十分钟，四支扫帚从黑暗中摔然降下。 　　查理的朋友喜气洋洋的。他们拿出绑诺贝特的带子，准备在飞行时，把诺贝特固定在他们中间。哈利他们帮助着把木箱扣好。最后，哈利同他们握手致谢。 　　诺贝特走了，消失了…… 　　他们从盘旋着的楼梯潜行着下来，觉得一身轻松。现在已送走了诺贝特——再也没有龙来烦了——马尔夫也被拘留了起来——还有什么能被坏他们的幸福的呢？ 　　答案很快就找到了。当他们走下楼梯，步进走廊，费驰突然从黑暗中冒了出来。 　　"好啊！好啊！"他低声说，"你们有麻烦了。"他们把隐形披风留在墙塔顶了。 
Chapter 15 The Forbidden Forest 
Things couldn't have been worse.Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.“Harry!” Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. “I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag—”Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.“I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves.”It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.“I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on,” said Professor McGonagall. “It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?”Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville — Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.“I'm disgusted,” said Professor McGonagall. “Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous — and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor.”“Fifty ?” Harry gasped — they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match.“Fifty points each,” said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.“Professor — please—”“You can't—”“Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students.”A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, “Thanks Potter, we owe you one!”Only Ron stood by him.“They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them.”“They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?” said Harry miserably.“Well — no,” Ron admitted.It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.“Resign ?” Wood thundered. “What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?”But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him “the Seeker.”Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. He, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions…Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.“No — no — not again, please—”It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry moved closer.“All right — all right — ” he heard Quirrell sob.Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Harry was halfway toward it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Sorcerer's Stones that Snape had just left the room, and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step — Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry told them what he'd heard.“Snape's done it, then!” said Ron. “If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell—”“There's still Fluffy, though,” said Hermione.“Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid,” said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. “I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?”The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.“Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure.”“But we've got no proof!” said Harry. “Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining.”Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.“If we just do a bit of poking around—”“No,” said Harry flatly, “we've done enough poking around.”He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.Professor McGonagallHarry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got.At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there — and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.“Follow me,” said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.“I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?” he said, leering at them. “Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep ‘em well oiled in case they're ever needed… Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do.”They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.“Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started.”Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have showed in his face, because Filch said, “I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece.”At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.“The forest?” he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. “We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard.”Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.“That's your problem, isn't it?” said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. “Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?”Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.“Abou’ time,” he said. “I bin waitin’ fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?”“I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid,” said Filch coldly, they're here to be punished, after all.”“That's why yer late, is it?” said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. “Bin lecturin’ them, eh? ‘Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here.”“I'll be back at dawn,” said Filch, “for what's left of them,” he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.“I'm not going in that forest,” he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.“Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts,” said Hagrid fiercely. “Yeh've done wrong an’ now yeh've got ter pay fer it.”“But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—”“— tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts,” Hagrid growled. “Copyin’ lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an’ pack. Go on.”Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.“Right then,” said Hagrid, “now, listen carefully, ‘cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an’ I don’ want no one takin’ risks. Follow me over here a moment.”He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.“Look there,” said Hagrid, “see that stuff shinin’ on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an’ find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery.”“And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?” said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.“There's nothin’ that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang,” said Hagrid. “An’ keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an’ follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin’ around since last night at least.”“I want Fang,” said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.“All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward,” said Hagrid. “So me, Harry, an’ Hermione'll go one way an’ Draco, Neville, an’ Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an’ practice now — that's it — an’ if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an’ we'll all come an’ find yeh — so, be careful — let's go.”The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried.“Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?” Harry asked.“Not fast enough,” said Hagrid. “It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before.”They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.“You all right, Hermione?” Hagrid whispered. “Don’ worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an’ then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!”Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.“I knew it,” he murmured. “There's summat in here that shouldn’ be.”“A werewolf?” Harry suggested.“That wasn’ no werewolf an’ it wasn’ no unicorn, neither,” said Hagrid grimly. “Right, follow me, but careful, now.”They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.“Who's there?” Hagrid called. “Show yerself — I'm armed!”And into the clearing came — was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped.“Oh, it's you, Ronan,” said Hagrid in relief. “How are yeh?”He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.“Good evening to you, Hagrid,” said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. “Were you going to shoot me?”“Can't be too careful, Ronan,” said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. “There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an’ Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An’ this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur.“We'd noticed,” said Hermione faintly.“Good evening,” said Ronan. “Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?”“Erm—”“A bit,” said Hermione timidly.“A bit. Well, that's something.” Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. “Mars is bright tonight.”“Yeah,” said Hagrid, glancing up, too. “Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, ‘cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?”Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.“Always the innocent are the first victims,” he said. “So it has been for ages past, so it is now.”“Yeah,” said Hagrid, “but have yeh seen anythin’ Ronan? Anythin’ unusual?”“Mars is bright tonight,” Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. “Unusually bright.”“Yeah, but I was meanin’ anythin’ unusual a bit nearer home, said Hagrid. “So yeh haven't noticed anythin’ strange?”Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, “The forest hides many secrets.”A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.“Hullo, Bane,” said Hagrid. “All right?”“Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?”“Well enough. Look, I've jus’ bin askin’ Ronan, you seen anythin’ odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin’ about it?”Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. “Mars is bright tonight,” he said simply.“We've heard,” said Hagrid grumpily. “Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then.”Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.“Never,” said Hagrid irritably, “try an’ get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin’ closer'n the moon.”“Are there many of them in here?” asked Hermione.“Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin’ up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs… they know things… jus’ don’ let on much.”“D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?” said Harry.“Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin’ the unicorns — never heard anythin’ like it before.”They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched. He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.“Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!”“You two wait here!” Hagrid shouted. “Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!”They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.“You don't think they've been hurt, do you?” whispered Hermione.“I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville… it's our fault he's here in the first place.”The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.“We'll be lucky ter catch anythin’ now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin’ groups — Neville, you stay with me an’ Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an’ this idiot. I'm sorry,” Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, “but he'll have a harder time frightenin’ you, an’ we've gotta get this done.”So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.“Look — ” he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy.Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered… Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.“AAAAAAAAAARGH!”Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted — so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry — he couldn't move for fear.Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. Half blinded, he staggered backward. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure.The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.“Are you all right?” said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.“Yes — thank you — what was that?”The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.“You are the Potter boy,” he said. “You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.“My name is Firenze,” he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back.There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.“Firenze!” Bane thundered. “What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?”“Do you realize who this is?” said Firenze. “This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better.”“What have you been telling him?” growled Bane. “Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?”Ronan pawed the ground nervously. “I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best,” he said in his gloomy voice.Bane kicked his back legs in anger.“For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!”Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.“Do you not see that unicorn?” Firenze bellowed at Bane. “Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must.”And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.Harry didn't have a clue what was going on.“Why's Bane so angry?” he asked. “What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?”Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.“Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?”“No,” said Harry, startled by the odd question. “We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions.”“That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn,” said Firenze. “Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.”Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.“But who'd be that desperate?” he wondered aloud. “If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?”“It is,” Firenze agreed, “unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else — something that will bring you back to full strength and power — something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?”“The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course — the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who—”“Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?”It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: “Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.”“Do you mean,” Harry croaked, “that was Vol-”“Harry! Harry, are you all right?”Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.“I'm fine,” said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. “The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there.”“This is where I leave you,” Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. “You are safe now.”Harry slid off his back.“Good luck, Harry Potter,” said Firenze. “The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times.”He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him.Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.“Snape wants the stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…”“Stop saying the name!” said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.Harry wasn't listening.“Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so… Bane was furious… he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen… They must show that Voldemort's coming back… Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me… I suppose that's written in the stars as well.”“Will you stop saying the name!” Ron hissed.“So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone,” Harry went on feverishly, “then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off… Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy.”Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.“Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic.”The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:Just in case.事情绝不会变得比现在更糟糕了！ 　　费驰把他们一直领到一楼的麦康娜的书房，然后他们几个坐在那儿，一言不发。 　　荷米恩在发抖。借口，托辞，和漂亮的小谎言在哈利的脑中盘旋，但没有一样是有用的。他实在不知道这回他们又要如何摆脱困境了。现在已是走投无路了。他们怎么会愚蠢到忘记披上隐形披风呀！现在可好了，麦康娜教授是无论如何也不会原谅他们在夜深人静的时候爬起床在学校里游荡的，更不用说他们还爬上了那座除了上课之外任何人都不准上去的最高的观星台。 　　情况难道真的像哈利想的一样，不可能变得更糟糕了吗？他想错了。当麦康娜教授出现的时候，身后还跟着尼维尔。 　　"哈利！"尼维尔大叫，同时他瞅见了另外的两个家伙。"我想尽办法要找到你并要告诉你，听说马尔夫，要把你抓起来，他说你有一只龙……"哈利猛地摇了摇头以制止尼维尔说下去，但麦康娜教授已听到了，现在她生气得好像诺贝特在喷火。 　　"我绝不会相信你们会那样做的，费驰先生说你们爬上了天文台塔，而且是在凌晨一点钟的时候。你们自己来解释吧！"这可是第一次荷米恩回答不上老师的问题。她静静地凝望着老师的拖鞋，像一尊雕塑般动也不动。 　　"我想我倒知道发生了什么事，"麦康娜教授说，"其实那也不难想出来，你把那个有关龙的荒谬可笑的故事告诉了杰高。马尔夫，想把他从床上拉起来搞恶作剧。我已经捉到他了。我想你们一定认为很有趣，因为尼维尔也听到了那个故事并相信了它。"哈利努力地想捕住尼维尔的眼睛，偷偷对他说那并不是真相，因为尼维尔看起来是那样的震惊和伤心。可怜的、粗心的尼维尔——哈利知道他要在黑暗中找到他们并告诉他们，肯定已费了不少劲。 　　"我失望透顶了！"麦康娜教授说。"四个学生在一夜里全爬起床！我还真的不曾听过这种事呢！你，格林佐小姐，我还以为你会守纪律一点的！对于你，波特先生，我想你应该会认为格林芬顿比这重要得多吧！你们三个都将受到非常严厉的惩罚——是的，还有你，兰博顿先生，你没有任何权利半夜三更的在校园里游荡，尤其是在这段日子里，是非常危险的——现在，格林芬顿队会被扣掉50分。""50？"哈利倒抽一口凉气——那意味着他们将失去领先优势，那是他在上一次快迪斯比赛中赢回来的。 　　"每人扣50。"麦康娜补充说，重重地喘息着。 　　"教授——请你——" 　　"你不可以——" 　　"别告诉我我应该做什么，不应该做什么，波特。现在，所有人都给我回到床上去。我还没有为格林芬顿队的学生那样羞耻过！"150分就这样丢掉了。那样会使格林芬顿队落到最后一位的。 　　一夜间，他们失去了格林芬顿队曾有过的获得豪斯杯的一切优势。 　　哈利好像感到自己的胃忽然没了底似的向下沉。他们怎样才可拿回这么多分？ 　　哈利一整夜都不曾睡着，他可以听见尼维尔埋头在枕头里呜咽了好像有好几个小时。哈利实在想不出要说些什么来安慰他了。他了解尼维尔，象他自己一样恐惧黎明的来临。如果格林芬顿队里的其他人也知道他们干了些什么的话，又会有什么发生呢？ 　　一开始，格林芬顿队的学生们经过那块记载着上一天的竞赛分数的大积分榜的时候，还以为它出错了：他们怎么可能忽然间比昨天少了整整150分呢？接着这样的谣传就开始散布了：哈利·波特，出色的哈利·波特，他们两次的快迪斯比赛的英雄，把他们的分数全给丢掉了，这是他和另外几个愚蠢的一年级学生干的好事。 　　哈利突然从全校最受欢迎和爱戴的人物一下子成为最讨厌的人。就连卫文卡罗队和海夫巴夫队也来攻击他了，因为本来每个人都希望看到格林芬顿队在这场比赛中打败的。无论哈利会到哪里，人们都会指指点点并且毫无顾忌地羞辱他，而史林德林队的人则每逢在他走过他们面前都会吹口哨并欢呼："感谢波特，我们的大恩人！"只有罗恩还是站在他那边。 　　"过得几个礼拜他们就会把这事忘得干干净净的。弗来德和乔治不也是从他们一来到这儿就不停地丢了许多分吗？可人们还是这样喜欢他们。""他们可从来没有试过一次丢掉150分，对吗？"哈利可怜巴巴的说。 　　"嗯——没有。"罗恩承认。 　　现在要弥补损失已是太迟了，但哈利还是暗自发誓从今以后绝不多管闲事了。 　　他不应该这样四处游荡。第一次，他为自己而羞愧难当，于是他找到伍德并自动提出要退出快迪斯比赛。 　　"退出？"伍德大叫，"那样会有帮助吗？如果我们连快迪斯比赛也赢不了，又怎么可能把分全拿回来呢？"但就连快迪斯也失去了它以往的乐趣了。队里的其他人在训练时谁也不跟哈利说话，即使不得不跟他谈话，他们也会喊他"伟大的搜索员"。 　　荷米恩和尼维尔同样也在受苦。他们当然没有哈利那样艰辛，因为没有他那样有名。但是同样，没有人愿意跟他们说话。荷米恩不再积极地在班上引起别人的注意了，总是低着头，默默地苦干。 　　哈利很高兴因为考试就快要来了。所以他不得不去温习功课，这样可以使他的心思暂时从困苦中解脱出来。他和罗恩、荷米恩三个把自己隔离开来，每天都学习到很晚，努力去记住那些复杂的药品的成份，不停地背下那些巫术和魔法的咒语，背下那些伟大的发明和魔鬼造反事件的日期。 　　然而，就在考试即将来临的前一个礼拜，哈利那项新宣誓，不再多管闲事的决心却受到了考验。就在他从图书馆往回走的当儿，他听到有人在上面的课室低声谈话。走近一点，他听得出那是屈拉的声音。 　　"不——不——请别再这样——" 　　听起来好像有人在威胁他。哈利于是移近一点。 　　"那——好吧——"他听到屈拉的嘴泣。 　　过了一会，屈拉匆匆地从教室里走出来，一边整理着他的头巾。他看起来苍白极了，一副就要哭出来的样子。他大踏步走远了，哈利认为他根本就没有察觉到自己，于是一等到屈拉的脚步声消失了，他马上溜进了教室，但里面是空的，只有另外一扇门是半开着的。哈利快要冲到它前面却忽然想起自己许下的不再管闲事的誓言。 　　同时，他敢以十二块点金石为赌注，打赌刚刚从课室里出去的一定是史纳皮。 　　哈利回到图书馆，荷米恩正在那里思考罗恩的天文学。哈利告诉了他们自己所听到的东西。 　　"那就一定是史纳皮干的！"罗恩说，"如果屈拉告诉了他破解黑巫术防御法的法的话——""幸好我们还有弗拉菲。"荷米思说。 　　"也许史纳皮不用问哈格力，自己也能想办法通过他这关了，"望着周围成千上万的书，罗恩说："我敢打赌这儿的某一角落定有一本书告诉你如何通过一只巨型的三头犬的办法。那么，现在我们应该怎么办呢，哈利？"跃跃欲试的光芒又在罗恩的眼中点燃了，但在哈利有机会回答之前，荷米恩先开腔了。 　　"我们还是去找丹伯多吧，我们很久以前就该如此了。如果我们几个再自己行动的话，肯定会被掷出学校的。""但是我们没有证据！"哈利说，"屈拉已经被吓得不敢再为我们作证了。而史纳皮只会说他不知道那只洞窟巨人是怎么会在万圣节出现的，还会说他根本就没上过三楼呢。你认为他们会相信谁，他还是我们？我们恨他已不是一个秘密了，丹伯多可能会认为我们故意这么做来把他赶出去的。费驰如果帮我们，就会证明自己是失职了，他对史纳皮又这么好，而且他一定会认为越多学生被扫出学校越好的。 　　还有，不要忘记，我们是不应该知道那块石头和弗拉菲的，那又会花费我们不少时间去弄清楚了。"荷米恩看起来是被说服了，但罗恩却没有。 　　"或许我们可以四处活动一下。" 　　"不，"哈利平静地说，"我们已经四处活动得够多了。"他拉近一幅木星的地图，开始认真地研究它的卫星了。 　　第二天早上，哈利，荷米恩和尼维尔在早餐桌上收到了同样的小纸条：你们的惩罚将在今晚11点开始。到大堂里去找费驰先生吧。 　　麦康娜教授。 　　哈利实在已经忘记了除了扣荷米恩、他和尼维尔的分这个大惩罚之外，他们仍需被惩罚这回事了。他还有少许期望荷米恩会因此埋怨他们又少了一晚来温习了，但她却没有说话。像哈利一样，她觉得这是他们所做过一切而应付出的。 　　那晚的十一点，他们在公共休息室里跟罗恩道别之后就和尼维尔一道向大堂走去。费驰已等在那儿了，身边还有马尔夫——哈利已经忘记连马尔夫也要受惩罚这回事了。 "跟我来，"费驰说，他提着一盏灯引着他们向外面走。"我敢打赌你们一定会变本加厉地想着如何再次破坏学校的纪律，对吧？ 　　哼！"他瞟了他们一眼，继续说下去，"那是对的……勤奋和困苦是最好的老师，我敢说……他们废除了那些旧的惩罚还真是可惜…… 　　应该把你们的手臂捆起吊你们几天——我现在还有那样的链子在办公室里，被我好好地上了油保管起来，等着要用到它的时候呢…… 　　好，走那边，别打逃跑的主意，那样做只会令你的情况更糟糕。"他们一行穿过了庭院。尼维尔一直在抽泣。而哈利一路上在猜测他们将会受到什么样的惩罚。那肯定是非常恐怖的，不然费驰就不会显得如此兴高采烈了。 　　月亮非常清朗，但几片云掠过，使得他们一下子陷入了漆黑中。哈利可以望见前方哈格力小屋的窗户的灯光。接着，他们听到远处一声呼叫。 　　"是你吗，费驰？快一点，我要开始干活了。"哈利的心一下子放了下来，如果要他们和哈格力一起干活的话，那还不算太坏。 　　他的轻松可能从脸上表现出来了，因为费驰说："我想你肯定认为你会和这个笨蛋相处得不错吧？哈，认真想一下吧，小家伙——你们现在正在向禁林进发呢，还有，如果你们可以完完整整的再走出来的话，那我真的是大错特错了。"听到这，尼维尔发出了一声低低的怪叫声，而马尔夫则死死地站住了。 　　"到禁林里去？"他重复，但已失去了平时说话的镇定。"我们不能在夜间到那儿去的——那儿有很多奇怪的东西——有狼人，我听说。"尼维尔紧紧地抓住哈利衣服的袖子，发出一阵喉咙哽住的声音。 　　"这正是你担心的事，对吗？"费驰说，他的声音却因极大的欢乐而有点颤抖。 　　"在惹麻烦之前，就应该先想想那些狼人，你说是不是？"哈格力大踏步地从黑暗中向他们走去，身后跟着弗兰，在蹦蹦跳跳。他带着他的大石弓，肩上背了一囊箭。 　　"时间差不多了，"他说。"我已在这儿等了半个小时了。怎么了，哈利，还有荷米恩？""哈格力，我实在不应待他们太好，"费驰冷漠地说，"他们是来接受惩罚的。""这就是你迟到的原因，对吗？"哈格力问，对费驰皱了下眉。 　　"给他们一个教训，嗯？由你来做实在有失身份呢？你已经完成你的那份职责了吧，现在开始他们几个就由我接手好了。""我会在天亮时回来的，"费驰说，"看看他们会变得怎样。"他很猥亵地加上一句同时转身就走回城堡去，他的灯光在黑暗中上下跳动。 　　马尔夫随即转向哈格力。 　　"我不会进那座森林的。"他说，这时哈利很高兴地听出他嗓音里的惊慌失措。 　　"如果你想留在霍格瓦彻的话，你就必须进去，"哈格力严厉地说。"你做了错事，所以你必须为它负责。""但这可是一件大险事，这不应该由学生做。我想我们应该写写检讨或其他。 　　假如我爸爸知道我这样子的话，他会——" 　　"——我告诉你，这就是霍格瓦彻！"哈格力咆哮，"写检讨又有什么用？要么你们做一些有用的东西，要么给我走。如果你认为你爸爸宁愿你被开除的话，滚回城堡去收拾家伙吧，快点！"马尔夫没有移动。他狂怒地盯着哈格力看，但很快就垂下了目光。 　　"那么，好。"哈格力说，"现在，给我认真地听着，因为我们将要做的事是非常危险的，但我也不想有任何危险。跟我过来一下。"他把他们带到禁林的边缘。高举手中的灯，哈格力指着一条狭窄的弯弯曲曲地消失在浓密漆黑树林的小路给他们看。就在他们望进森林里去的时候，一阵幽幽的冷风扬起了他们的头发。 　　"看那儿，"哈格力说，"看见那在地面一闪一闪的东西了吗？ 　　有银色光泽的东西，那是独角兽的血呢。那儿有一只独角兽不知道被什么东西弄伤了。这已是一周里的第二次了。上周三我还发现一只死了的。我们现在要找到那只可怜的受伤的家伙。需要的话我们还要帮它解除痛苦。""但如果那只弄伤独角兽的东西先遇到我们怎么办？"马尔夫问，掩饰不住声音里的恐惧。 　　"只要你和我或者弗兰不走散的话，这树林里没有什么东西可以伤得到你的，"哈格力说。"还要记住沿着路走。好了，现在我们要分成两队人，分别沿着不同的路向两个方向进发。瞧！那个地方都是血迹，至少从昨晚开始它一定在那呆过。""我要弗兰。"马尔夫看着它那些长长的牙很快地说。 　　"好吧，但我要警告你，它只是个懦夫。"哈格力说，"现在，我，哈利和荷米恩是一路，而马尔夫，尼维尔和弗兰走另一路。如果任何人发现那只独角兽的话，都要放绿烟花作信号，清楚了吗？ 　　伸出你们的手来试一下——这样就对了——还有，如果遇到什么麻烦，就放红色的烟火，那么我们其他人就会赶来救你——记住，小心一点——出发！"森林还是漆黑寂静。走上那条小路，他们前面就是一个分叉，于是哈利，荷米恩和哈格力沿左边的路走；而马尔夫、尼维尔和弗兰则沿右边的路走进去。 　　他们静静地走着，眼睛盯着地面看。不时地月光透过头上的树枝照亮留在落叶上的一道银蓝色的痕。 　　哈利看见哈格力显得忧心忡忡。 　　"会不会是有个狼人在屠杀那些独角兽呢？"哈利问。 　　"它们还不够快，"哈格力回答，"要抓住一只独角兽是非常难的事，它们是强大无比的、不可思议的东西。我之前还未见过有什么可以伤害它们。"他们走过一段两旁有长满青苔的树桩的路。哈利可以听见水流动的声音：不远处一定有一条小溪。这儿依然有一块块的独角兽血迹沿着弯曲的小径四处分布着。 　　"你还好吧，荷米恩？"哈格力低声问。"别担心，它既然已经伤得这样厉害，应该走不远了，我们定会在那棵树后面找到它！"突然，哈格力拉住哈利和荷米恩，把他们从小径上扯起来，藏在一棵高大的橡树后面。然后他取出一支箭并在石弓里装好，抬起弓，准备射击。三个人都在紧张地听着动静。不远处有东西在树叶上滑行：听起来好像是一件斗篷在地面上被拖着走。哈格力两眼一直窥视着那条黑暗的小径，但，仅过了一会，那声响就渐渐消失了。 　　"我知道了，这儿出现了一些不该出现的东西。"他喃喃地说。 　　"是狼人吗？"哈利提醒他。 　　"它既不是狼人，也不是独角兽，"哈格力怏怏不乐地说，"好，现在跟我来。 　　但，小心一点。" 　　他们行进得更慢了，耳朵都警惕地捕捉幽暗小径上那怕是最微弱的声音。突然，在前面的一片空地上，有东西在很明显地移动着。 　　"谁在那边？"哈格力大喊。"快出来——我有武器的！"这时从空地上出现了一个——它是人，还是一匹马？它的手臂倒是人的手臂，还有一头红色的头发和一把红胡子，但下面却是一段闪着粟色光泽的马的身体，以及一条浅红色的马尾巴。哈利和荷米恩惊讶得嘴巴也合不上了！ 　　"啊，原来是你，罗曼，"哈格力松了一口气说。"你怎么样了？""晚安啊，哈格力，"罗曼说。他有一把低沉，忧郁的嗓音。 　　"你是要射击我吧？" 　　"不能不小心一点啊，罗曼，"哈格力说，拍拍他的石弓。"这个森林里已经散布了某些邪恶的东西。啊，对了，哈利·波特和荷米恩。格兰佐，都还是学生。 　这位就是罗曼，他是一匹人头马。" 　"我们自己也看到了。"荷米恩轻轻地说。 　　"晚上好，"罗曼说。"都还是学生，对吗？你们在学校里学的东西多不多？""嗯……"哈利支吾着。 　　"学了一点点。"荷米恩怯怯地答。 　　"一点点。那已经很好了。"罗曼轻叹了一下，忽然猛地抬起头注视着天空。 　　"今天晚上的火星真亮。" 　　"是呀，"哈格力的眼睛盯着夜空，"罗曼，我很庆幸我们遇到了你，还有，你知道吗，有一头独角兽受伤了——你有没有发现什么情况？"罗曼没有立即回答。他一动不动地向上凝望，又叹了口气。 　　"圣洁的东西总是最先成为贡品的——"他慨叹，"过去是这样，现在仍是这样。""的确是这样，"哈格力赞同，"只是你究竟看到了什么不寻常的东西没有，罗曼？""今天晚上的火星很亮，"罗曼见哈格力不耐烦地盯着他看，连忙补充一句："亮得很不寻常。""我知道，但我是指一些发生在我们自己星球上的事情啊。"哈格力说。"那么，你是一点奇怪的东西也没碰着了？"然而，这回罗曼又隔了好一阵子才开腔："森林里实在藏着太多秘密。"罗曼身后的树丛忽然簌簌作响，警觉的哈格力马上举起了弓，却发现只是另一匹人头马。这回是一个黑头发、黑肌肤，样子比罗曼粗野一点的家伙。 　　"嘿！班尼，"哈格力说。"你没事吧？" 　　"晚安，哈格力，你一切都好吧？" 　　"好极了。来，我刚才还在问罗曼这个问题呢。你近来有没有在这儿看到什么奇怪的东西？至少已有一只独角兽受伤了——你可知道有关这事的情况？"班尼走过去和罗曼站在一块，望了望天空。 　　"今天晚上的火星真亮。"他简短地说。 　　"我们早就听说了，"哈格力气冲冲地说，"好吧，既然你们两个都没看到什么苗头，就让我们自己去找出个究竟来吧。我们出发！"哈利和荷米恩跟着他离开那块空地，一边走一边还回头望罗曼和班尼，直到他们完全被树林遮住为止。 　　"千万，"哈格力气愤地说，"别指望能从一只人头兽身怪物处得到什么直接答案。红色的，只会望星的家伙！永远都不关心自己星球上的事！"荷米恩问他："这儿有很多这种'人'吗？" 　　"嗯，的确不少……他们通常都不爱多管闲事，但每逢我想打听消息的时候，他们总是很清楚地知道发生了什么事。他们是些懂得深思的人头马，知道得非常多……这事还是别说太多了。""你觉得我们刚才听到的是不是人头马的声音？"荷米恩问。 　　"嗯，如果你是想问我，是不是他们在屠杀独角兽的话——我却从未听过有这种可能。"他们继续在那片浓密、阴暗的森林里穿行。哈利还不时好奇地向后看。隐隐约约地，他总觉得他们正被别人监视着。还好，他身边还有哈格力和他的巨型石引他们刚刚走过一拐弯口，荷米恩忽然用力抓住了哈格力的胳膊。 　　"哈格力！看，红烟火！其他人遇到麻烦了！""你们两个在这等着！"哈格力吆喝。"别走出小路，我会回来找你们的！"他们两个看着他穿过丛林，越走越远，已经害怕得一动也不敢动，只是你望着我，我望着你。渐渐地四周只剩下树叶被风吹得沙沙作响的声音了。 　　"你想他们会不会已经受伤了呢？"荷米恩轻声地问。 　　"我才不在乎马尔夫伤了没有，但如果尼维尔有什么事的话……那连累他到这儿来就是我们的错。"时间过得出奇的慢。他们的耳朵在这时候偏偏变得好像比平时灵敏多了，哈利甚至听得到每阵风吹过及每根小树枝颤动的声音。 　　现在不知道怎么样了？其他人又在哪儿呢？ 　　终于，哈格力、马尔夫和尼维尔还有弗兰，嘎扎嘎扎地踏着枯枝回来了。哈格力看来非常恼火。而马尔夫就似乎一直跟在尼维尔后面取笑他，因为尼维尔非常惊慌，那个红色烟火信号就是他发出来的。 　　"有你们两个笨家伙这样瞎闹，能捉得到什么东西才奇怪呢！ 　　来，我们重新编组吧——尼维尔跟我和荷米恩一组，哈利，你跟弗兰和这个白痴一组吧。"哈格力说完，又偷偷地告诉哈利："真不好意思，不过你放心，这次他敢再吓唬你的话，就会够他好受的。"于是，哈利就带着弗兰和马尔夫一道向森林深处进发了。他们走了差不多半个小时，越来越深入森林了，而那条小路也因为树木越来越浓密而越来越难走。哈利看得出那些血迹变得更稠了。有很多血溅上了一棵树的树根上，看来那只可怜的东西曾经在这附近痛苦地挣扎过。透过一堆乱七八糟的橡树枝，哈利看到前面有一块空地。 　　"瞧！"他低呼，伸出手来挡住马尔夫。 　　有一团亮白色的东西躺在地上闪闪发光。他们向它移近了一点。 　　没错，一只独角兽，但是已经死了。哈利还没有见过这么美丽和使人悲伤的东西。它细长的腿还保持着倒下时奇怪的姿势，银白的鬃毛闪动着珍珠般的光泽，在地面铺开。 　　哈利刚刚向它跨出一步，突然一阵滑行的声音吓得他待在那儿不敢动弹。一团蓬松的东西在空地的边上飒飒地抖动……接着，一个带着面罩的影子从黑暗中慢慢地爬出来，活脱脱一只伪装的野兽。哈利、马尔夫和弗兰惊呆了。那个影子来到独角兽身边，低下头，俯在独角兽的伤口上，开始吸它的血了。 　　"阿——呀呀——" 　　马尔夫发出一声恐惧的尖叫，飞快地逃跑了——接着弗兰也跑掉了。那团影子抬起头望着哈利，任由独角兽的血一滴一滴地从额头流下来。然后它移动双脚，飞快地向哈利扑来——可怜的哈利已经吓得动也不能动了。 　　一阵剧痛在这个时候猛地刺入他的头，就好像把伤疤放在火里一样。他已经痛得眼睛都有点模糊了，只是摇摇晃晃地后退了几步。这时，身后传来了脚步声，跑得飞快，然后有样东西从他身上跳了过去，直扑那团影子。 　　哈利头部的剧痛痛得他跪在地上，一直过了好几分钟才好了点。当他抬起头，那团影子已经不见了。一匹人头马正站在他面前，这个既不是罗曼也不是班尼的人有一头浅亚麻色的头发和淡褐色的身躯，看来年轻一点。 　　"你没事吧？"那人把哈利扶起来，问他。 　　"没事了，谢谢你。刚才那东西究竟是什么？"人首马身人没有回答。他有一双像苍白色的宝石般奇怪的眼睛。这双眼睛很认真地盯着哈利看，然后停留在哈利额上那块突出的，红色的伤疤上。 　　"你一定是波特家的孩子，"他说。"现在最好快回到哈格力的身边。现在森林里非常不太平——尤其是你，特别危险。你会骑马吗？那样的话会走得快些。""是了，我叫佛罗伦斯。"他在弯下身去让哈利骑在他背上的时候介绍了自己。 　　忽然，空地的另一边传来了一阵更快的脚步声，接着罗曼和班尼从树林里冲了出来，他们的腹部布满了汗。 　　"佛罗伦斯！"班尼怒吼。"你疯了！竟然让一个人骑在背上！ 　　你不羞耻吗？你以为自己是一只普通骡子吗？""你知道他是谁吗？"佛罗伦斯解释说："这就是那个姓波特的小孩。他越快离开这儿越好。""那么你究竟告诉了他什么？"班尼咆哮："记住，佛罗伦斯，我们发过誓不再和上天对抗的。而且我们不是已经预知将会发生什么事了吗？"罗曼不安地用蹄踢地："我想佛罗伦斯应该知道怎么做才是最好的。""怎么做最好！那跟我们有什么关系呢？我们只应关心那些已经注定的事情！ 　　我们怎么可以像驴子一样跟着迷路的人在森林里乱钻呢？"佛罗伦斯忽然生气地用后腿直立起来，使得哈利要紧紧抓住他的双肩才没有掉下来。 　　"难道你没看见那只独角兽吗？"佛罗伦斯冲班尼大叫，"难道你不知道它为什么会被杀死吗？还是那些行星没有让你知道这个秘密吗？班尼，我是决心跟埋藏在这森林里的任何坏东西斗争的了，必要的话，我的确会站在人类的一边。"佛罗伦斯说完就不停地四处乱冲，哈利勉强地在他背上坐稳之后，佛罗伦斯载着他一下子投入树林中，把罗曼和班尼抛在后面。 　　但哈利丈二金刚摸不着头脑。"为什么班尼这么生气呢？你究竟把我从什么东西手中救出来的？"他忍不住问。 　　佛罗伦斯慢了下来变成走路，但除了提醒哈利低下头别让树枝勾住之外他什么也不说。之后的一段路佛罗伦斯还是什么也没说，于是哈利觉得佛罗伦斯应该不会再和他说话了，直到他们穿过一片特别浓密的树林时，佛罗伦斯却忽然停了下来。 　　"哈利·波特，你知不知道独角兽血是用来干什么的吗？""不知道。"哈利被他这个奇怪的问题愣住了，"我们只会用它的角或者尾巴的长毛来配药。""这就是杀害独角兽这件事的可怕之处了，"佛罗伦斯继续说，"只有那些什么也不怕失去，却什么都想得到的人才会干这种事。 　　你知道吗？独角兽的血能够让你起死回生，但却要付出代价：你必须杀害一个纯洁、善良的生命来使你自己活下去，而且你只有一半生命，一半从独角兽血碰到你的嘴唇才开始的、永远要被诅咒的生命。"哈利定定地盯着佛罗伦斯那个在月光下闪着银光的后脑，不由得大声地问："但有谁会成为那些牺牲品呢？况且，如果你这一辈子都会在被诅咒中度过的话，生存又有什么意思呢？""的确是这样！"佛罗伦斯赞同。"但如果你可以在活着的时候找到一种能够带给你全部精神和气力，并且令你永远都不会死去的东西喝下去的话，那就不同了。 　　波特先生，你知道学校现在藏着一样什么东西吗？""点金石！当然是它了——生命的长生不老药！但我还不知道究竟是谁——""你有没有想起有什么人是等了许多年来恢复能量的，有哪个人是牢牢地抓紧生命，等候着时机的呢？"这些话就像一记重锤猛然敲击了一下哈利的心。透过树叶的沙沙声，他好像又再次听到了他和哈格力第一次见面那一晚，哈格力告诉他的话：有人说他已经死了，那是蠢话来的，我实在想不出有人会使他死去！""你是指，那个人是——""哈利，哈利，你没事吧？"还未等他说出来，荷米恩已经一边从小路上向他们跑来，一边大叫。哈格力则跟在后面。 　　"我很好。"哈利几乎不知道自己在说什么了。"哈格力，那只独角兽死了，在那后边的一块空地上。""我要在这里放下你了，"佛罗伦斯在哈格力跑去检查独角兽的当儿对哈利说，"你现在安全了。"哈利从他背上滑了下来。 　　"祝你好运，哈利·波特。星相已经不止一次被证明错了，就连我们人头马亦会算错，我希望这次也是预测错了吧。"说完，佛罗伦斯转身又跑进森林深处了，留下哈利在发抖。 　　在等他们回来的时候，罗恩已经困得在那间黑暗的公共休息室里睡着了。他正在梦中大声痛骂的时候被哈利用力地摇醒了。可是在哈利开始对荷米恩和他讲自己在森林里的经历好一阵子后，他的眼睛还是没有完全睁开。 　　哈利简直坐不下来了。他在火炉前走来走去，还是在抖个不停。 　　"史纳皮想为福尔得摩特拿那块石头……而福尔得摩特一定正在森林里等着他——一直以来我们还以为史纳皮拿那块石头是为了钱呢！""别再说那个名字了！"罗恩恐惧地低声请求哈利，好像福尔得摩特在听着他们说话似的。 　哈利却不听。 　　"佛罗伦斯救了我，但其实他是不该这样做的，所以班尼生气极了……他说这样就违背了火星显示出来的，那个安排好了的未来……那些人头马一定预测到福尔得摩特将会复活，因为班尼要佛罗伦斯任由福尔得摩特杀死我……这一行动或者也是记载在那些星座上的了。""你可不可以不再说那个名字呢！"罗恩十分不满。 　　"现在我所能做的就是等史纳皮来把那块石头偷走，然后福尔得摩特就可以轻而易举地结束了我……"哈利越说越气愤，"那样，班尼就会满意了。"荷米恩看来也是十分害怕，但她却去安慰哈利。 　　"哈利，每个人都知演，丹伯多是'那个人'唯一害怕的克星。 　　在这附近，'那个人'是不敢碰你的。另外，谁说那些人头马就一定会预测对的？他们听起来就像是在预告命运，但麦康娜告诉过我，那是一种非常不精确的巫术。"在他们结束谈话之前，天已经亮了起来，这时他们喉咙也沙了，人也筋疲力尽了，但爬上床之后，夜间的惊吓还是没有马上消失。 　　当哈利拉起被单，发现下面整整齐齐地放着他那件隐形披风，同时有一张小纸条附在上面："以备万一。" 
Chapter 16 Through The Trapdoor
In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anticheating spell.They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented selfstirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.“That was far easier than I thought it would be,” said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. “I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager.”Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. “No more studying,” Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. “You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet.”Harry was rubbing his forehead.“I wish I knew what this means!” he burst out angrily. “My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this.”“Go to Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione suggested.“I'm not ill,” said Harry. “I think it's a warning… it means danger's coming…”Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.“Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down.”Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, “That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one.”Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy… never… but…Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.“Where're you going?” said Ron sleepily.“I've just thought of something,” said Harry. He had turned white. “We've got to go and see Hagrid, now.”“Why?” panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.“Don't you think it's a bit odd,” said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, “that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?”“What are you talking about?” said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.“Hullo,” he said, smiling. “Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?”“Yes, please,” said Ron, but Harry cut him off.“No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?”“Dunno,” said Hagrid casually, “he wouldn’ take his cloak off.”He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.“It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o’ funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn’ he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up.”Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. “What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?”“Mighta come up,” said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. “Yeah… he asked what I did, an’ I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after… so I told him… an’ I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon… an’ then… I can’ remember too well, ‘cause he kept buyin’ me drinks… Let's see… yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an’ we could play cards fer it if I wanted… but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn’ want it ter go ter any old home… So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…”“And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?” Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.“Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o’ cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus’ play him a bit o’ music an’ he'll go straight off ter sleep—”Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.“I shouldn'ta told yeh that!” he blurted out. “Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?”Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.“We've got to go to Dumbledore,” said Harry. “Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?”They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.“We'll just have to — ” Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.“What are you three doing inside?”It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.“We want to see Professor Dumbledore,” said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought.“See Professor Dumbledore?” Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. “Why?”Harry swallowed — now what?“It's sort of secret,” he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.“Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago,” she said coldly. “He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once.”“He's gone ?” said Harry frantically. “Now?”“Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time—”“But this is important.”“Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?”“Look,” said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, “Professor — it's about the Sorcerer's Stone—”Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.“How do you know — ?” she spluttered.“Professor, I think — I know — that Sn — that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore.”She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.“Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow,” she said finally. I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected.”“But Professor—”“Potter, I know what I'm talking about,” she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine.”But they didn't.“It's tonight,” said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. “Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up.”“But what can we—”Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.Snape was standing there.“Good afternoon,” he said smoothly.They stared at him.“You shouldn't be inside on a day like this,” he said, with an odd, twisted smile.“We were — ” Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.“You want to be more careful,” said Snape. “Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?”Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.“Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you.”He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.“Right, here's what we've got to do,” he whispered urgently. “One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that.”“Why me?”“It's obvious,” said Ron. “You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know.” He put on a high voice, “'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong… ‘”“Oh, shut up,” said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.“And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor,” Harry told Ron. “Come on.”But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.“I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!” she stormed. “Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!”Harry and Ron went back to the common room, Harry had just said, “At least Hermione's on Snape's tail,” when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.“I'm sorry, Harry!” she wailed. “Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went.”“Well, that's it then, isn't it?” Harry said.The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.“I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first.”“You're mad!” said Ron.“You can't!” said Hermione. “After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!”“SO WHAT” Harry shouted. “Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?”He glared at them.“You're right Harry,” said Hermione in a small voice.“I'll use the invisibility cloak,” said Harry. “It's just lucky I got it back.”“But will it cover all three of us?” said Ron.“All — all three of us?”“Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?”“Of course not,” said Hermione briskly. “How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and took through my books, there might be something useful…”“But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too.”“Not if I can help it,” said Hermione grimly. “Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that.”After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.“Better get the cloak,” Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy — he didn't feel much like singing.He ran back down to the common room.“We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own—”“What are you doing?” said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.“Nothing, Neville, nothing,” said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back.Neville stared at their guilty faces.“You're going out again,” he said.“No, no, no,” said Hermione. “No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?”Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.“You can't go out,” said Neville, “you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble.”“You don't understand,” said Harry, “this is important.”But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.“I won't let you do it,” he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. “I'll — I'll fight you!”“Neville, “Ron exploded, “get away from that hole and don't be an idiot—”“Don't you call me an idiot!” said Neville. I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!”“Yes, but not to us,” said Ron in exasperation. “Neville, you don't know what you're doing.”He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.“Go on then, try and hit me!” said Neville, raising his fists. “I'm ready!”Harry turned to Hermione.“Do something,” he said desperately.Hermione stepped forward.“Neville,” she said, “I'm really, really sorry about this.”She raised her wand.“Petrificus Totalus!” she cried, pointing it at Neville.Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.“What've you done to him?” Harry whispered.“It's the full Body-Bind,” said Hermione miserably. “Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry.”“We had to, Neville, no time to explain,” said Harry.“You'll understand later, Neville,” said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.“Oh, let's kick her, just this once,” Ron whispered in Harry's ear, but Harry shook his head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything.They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.“Who's there?” he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. “Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?”He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.“Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen.”Harry had a sudden idea.“Peeves,” he said, in a hoarse whisper, “the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.”Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.“So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir,” he said greasily. “My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir.”“I have business here, Peeves,” croaked Harry. “Stay away from this place tonight.”“I will, sir, I most certainly will,” said Peeves, rising up in the air again. “Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you.”And he scooted off.“Brilliant, Harry!” whispered Ron.A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.“Well, there you are,” Harry said quietly, “Snape's already got past Fluffy.”Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two.“If you want to go back, I won't blame you,” he said. “You can take the cloak, I won't need it now.”“Don't be stupid,” said Ron.“We're coming,” said Hermione.Harry pushed the door open.As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.“What's that at its feet?” Hermione whispered.“Looks like a harp,” said Ron. “Snape must have left it there.”“It must wake up the moment you stop playing,” said Harry. “Well, here goes…”He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.“Keep playing,” Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. “I think we'll be able to pull the door open,” said Ron, peering over the dog's back. “Want to go first, Hermione?”“No, I don't!”“All right.” Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.“What can you see?” Hermione said anxiously.“Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop.”Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.“You want to go first? Are you sure?” said Ron. “I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep.”Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds’ silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, “If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?”“Right,” said Ron.“See you in a minute, I hope…”And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and —FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.“It's okay!” he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, “it's a soft landing, you can jump!”Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry.“What's this stuff?” were his first words.“Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!”The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.“We must be miles under the school,” she said.“Lucky this plant thing's here, really,” said Ron.“Lucky!” shrieked Hermione. “Look at you both!”She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.“Stop moving!” Hermione ordered them. “I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!”“Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help,” snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. “Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!” said Hermione.“Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!” Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.“Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare… what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp.”“So light a fire!” Harry choked.“Yes — of course — but there's no wood!” Hermione cried, wringing her hands.“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?” Ron bellowed. “ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?”“Oh, right!” said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.“Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione,” said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.“Yeah,” said Ron, “and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis — ‘there's no wood,’ honestly.”“This way,” said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards’ bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough…“Can you hear something?” Ron whispered.Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.“Do you think it's a ghost?”“I don't know… sounds like wings to me.”“There's light ahead — I can see something moving.”They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.“Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?” said Ron.“Probably,” said Harry. “They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once… well, there's no other choice… I'll run.”He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.“Now what?” said Ron.“These birds… they can't be here just for decoration,” said Hermione.They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering — glittering ?“They're not birds!” Harry said suddenly. “They're keys! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean… ” he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. “… yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!”“But there are hundreds of them!”Ron examined the lock on the door.“We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle.”They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.“That one!” he called to the others. “That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side.”Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.“We've got to close in on it!” Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. “Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!”Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber.They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.“Ready?” Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly - the towering white chessmen had no faces.“Now what do we do?” Harry whispered.“It's obvious, isn't it?” said Ron. “We've got to play our way across the room.”Behind the white pieces they could see another door.“How?” said Hermione nervously.“I think,” said Ron, “we're going to have to be chessmen.”He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.“Do we — er — have to join you to get across?” The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.“This needs thinking about… ” he said. “I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…”Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, “Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess—”“We're not offended,” said Harry quickly. “Just tell us what to do.”“Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you next to him instead of that castle.”“What about you?”“I'm going to be a knight,” said Ron.The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took.“White always plays first in chess,” said Ron, peering across the board. “Yes… look…”A white pawn had moved forward two squares.Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?“Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right.”Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.“Had to let that happen,” said Ron, looking shaken. “Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on.”Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.“We're nearly there,” he muttered suddenly. “Let me think — let me think…”The white queen turned her blank face toward him.“Yes… ” said Ron softly, “It's the only way… I've got to be taken.”“NO!” Harry and Hermione shouted.“That's chess!” snapped Ron. “You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!”“But—”“Do you want to stop Snape or not?”“Ron—”“Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!”There was no alternative.“Ready?” Ron called, his face pale but determined. “Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won.”He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor — Hermione screamed but stayed on her square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.“What if he's — ?”“He'll be all right,” said Harry, trying to convince himself. “What do you reckon's next?”“We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's.”They had reached another door.“All right?” Harry whispered.“Go on.”Harry pushed it open.A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.“I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one,” Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. “Come on, I can't breathe.”He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next — but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.“Snape's,” said Harry. “What do we have to do?”They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.“Look!” Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,One among us seven will let you move ahead,Another will transport the drinker back instead,Two among our number hold only nettle wine,Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:First, however slyly the poison tries to hideYou will always find some on nettle wine's left side;Second, different are those who stand at either end,But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;Fourth, the second left and the second on the rightAre twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.“Brilliant,” said Hermione. “This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever.”“But so will we, won't we?”“Of course not,” said Hermione. “Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple.”“But how do we know which to drink?”“Give me a minute.”Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.“Got it,” she said. “The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone.”Harry looked at the tiny bottle.“There's only enough there for one of us,” he said. “That's hardly one swallow.”They looked at each other.“Which one will get you back through the purple flames?”Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.“You drink that,” said Harry. “No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really.”“But Harry — what if You-Know-Who's with him?”“Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?” said Harry, pointing at his scar. “I might get lucky again.”Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.“Hermione!”“Harry — you're a great wizard, you know.”“I'm not as good as you,” said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.“Me!” said Hermione. “Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry — be careful!”“You drink first,” said Harry. “You are sure which is which, aren't you?”“Positive,” said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.“It's not poison?” said Harry anxiously.“No — but it's like ice.”“Quick, go, before it wears off.”“Good luck — take care.”“GO!Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.“Here I come,” he said, and he drained the little bottle in one gulp.It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them — for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire — then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.There was already someone there — but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.之后的很多天，哈利还是记不起他当时是怎样在一边害怕福尔得摩特随时破门而入的状态下，一边应付考试的。但日子还是一天一天地过，而弗拉菲也都确确实实还是活生生地被关在那扇上锁的门后面守卫着。 　　这天简直热得发昏，尤其是在他们考试的大教室里。他们必须用发下来的特制的羽毛笔来写，因为这些笔已经被施了魔咒用来防止作弊的。 　　他们还要考应用测试。那就是费立维克教授把他们一个接一个地叫进教室，考他们能不能令一个波萝跳着踢踏舞经过一张桌子。 　　而麦康娜教授就让他们把一只老鼠变成一个鼻烟壶，变得越漂亮，分数越高，但变得不像就要扣分。到史纳皮考他们的时候，人人都紧张死了，他们要努力地回忆起怎样制造一种健忘药，想得眼都直了。 　　哈利尽力地应付，试着去忽略自从那晚从森林里出来就一直折磨着他的前额的刺痛。尼维尔觉得哈利肯定是得了考试紧张症，因为他经常失眠。而事实上是哈利总是被那个以前常做的恶梦惊醒，推一不同的是这个梦比以前更恐怖了，因为梦中又多了一个罩着斗篷，嘴角淌血的恐怖影子。 　　或者是罗恩和荷米恩没有亲眼目睹哈利在森林里见到的一切吧，又或者是他们的前额不像哈利那样火辣辣地刺痛吧，总之他们俩没有像哈利那样担心那块石头。 　　福尔得摩特固然令他们害怕，但他也不再经常出现在他们梦中了。况且，他们的复习实在太忙了，根本没有太多时间去理会史纳皮或其他人干些什么。 　　他们最后一门考试是巫术的历史，要用一个小时来回答关于一个发明了大汽锅的古怪的老巫师的问题。然后，他们将会有一个礼拜的空闲时间来等候考试结果公布。当那位鬼魅般的宾西教授叫他们放下羽毛笔和交上试卷时，哈利也忍不住和其他学生一齐欢呼起来。 　　当他们几个涌出教室，荷米恩忍不住说："这次考试比我想象中要简单得多了，早知如此我就不用温习《1637年狼人管理法案》和《精灵叛乱事件始末》这几章了。 　　荷米恩本来最喜欢在考完试后对答案的，但罗恩却说这样做会令他觉得不舒服，于是他们三个就一直游荡到湖边，并在一棵树下坐了下来。在那儿，威斯里家的双胞兄弟和李。乔丹正在技弄一只正在晒太阳的大王乌贼的触爪。 　　"终于不用再温习了！"罗恩愉快地松了口气，在草地上伸开四肢，说，"哈利，你可以显得更开心些的。我们有整整一个礼拜来等考试结果呢！现在还不用我们担心。"哈利正在擦着前额。"我倒希望知道这是什么意思！"他生气地大叫，"我的前额一直在作痛。以前它也痛过，但从来没试过象现在这样经常发作。""你到波姆弗雷夫人那里看看吧。"荷米思建议他。 　　"我想这不是病，这只是一种暗示，暗示着危险就要来临了。"哈利说。 　　罗恩懒洋洋地不愿起来——天气实在太闷热了。 　　"哈利，放松一点吧。荷术思说得对，只要那块石头附近有丹伯多，就肯定安全的。而且，我们根本就没有什么证据证明，史纲皮已经找到了通过弗拉菲这一关的方法。上次他差点被弗拉菲撕断了腿，我想短时间内他是不会再多次冒险的。"哈利点了点头，但有一个念头却在脑中无论如何也赶不走：我一定忘记了做一件事，而且是非常重要的事。当他试着跟他们解释这种感觉时，荷米恩说："这都是因为考试。昨晚我醒过来去温习易咨术的笔记，温到一半才记起这科已经考完了。"但哈利很清楚地知道这种不踏实的感觉并不是因为考试带来似。他抬头望见一只猫头鹰口里衔着一张便条振翅飞向学校的方向。只有哈格力曾给他写过信。而哈格力绝不会出卖丹伯多的，他绝不会告诉任何人如何过弗拉菲这一关的，绝不会… 　　…滁非——想到这，哈利忽然跳了起来。 　　"你要去哪儿呀！"罗思睡眼朦胧地问。 　　"我刚刚想到一件事，"哈利脸都吓白了，"现在，我们快去找哈格力！""为什么呢？"荷米恩一边爬起身，一边气喘吁吁地问。 　　"你不觉得有点古怪吗？"哈利吃力地爬上草坡，一边解释。 　　"哈格力最想要的就是一只龙蛋，而一个陌生人正巧口袋里带着一只龙蛋出现。 　　如果一般巫师都不会接近龙蛋的话，他又怎会带着一只龙蛋到处游荡呢。他们从很远的地方来，轻而易举就找到了哈格力，对吗？唉，为什么之前我没想到这些呢？"罗恩忍不住问："你究竟在搞什么鬼？"但哈利只是一个劲地向森林里走，没有答他。 　　哈格力正坐在房子外的一张长椅上往一个大碗里剥碗豆，裤管和衣袖挽得高高的。 　"你们好，"他微笑着问，"考完试了吗？有时间来一杯吧！""好吧，谢谢你，"罗恩答，但马上被哈利打断了。"不用了，我们赶时间。 　　哈格力，我是来问你一些事的。你还记得你赢了诺贝的那一晚吗？那个和你打牌的人长得怎么样的？""不知道，"哈格力很悠闲地说，"他不肯除下面罩。"但见到他们几个看起来吃惊的样子，他扬起了眼眉。"其实这事一点也不奇怪。那时我们是在那间乡村酒店里，有人对霍格瓦彻感兴趣是很寻常的。或者他是一个龙商呢，不过他一直蒙着脸，我没见到他的样子。"哈利一下子跃坐在豌豆碗旁边。"那你究竟对他说了些什么，你把霍格瓦彻里的事全告诉他了吗？""让我想想看，"哈格力皱起眉头回忆着，"是了，他问我是干什么的，我告诉他我是个猎场看守……他问了我照看的几种动物的情况，我都全部告诉了他，然后，我说我非常想有一条龙……接着，他提出如果我真想要的话，他有一只龙蛋，只要我和他打牌，就可……可是他要我保证，我会处理好那只蛋，不能只是放在一边环掉……于是我告诉他，有弗拉菲在，要孵化那只蛋就不成问题。""于是，他对弗拉菲很感兴趣，对吧？"哈利说，努力地使自己的声音镇静一点。 　　"嗯，是这样的——你想即使是在霍格瓦彻，你能找到几只三头犬呢？于是我告诉他，其实弗拉菲一点也不算什么，只要你给它奏一首音乐，它就会乖乖地睡过去——"哈格力忽然变得惊恐万分。 　　"我不应该把这些告诉你的！"他不假思索地说："忘记我刚才说的话吧！喂，你们几个要去哪里？"可哈利、罗恩和荷米恩谁也不想再说什么，就这样一直走到大堂才停了下来。 　　现在大堂里少了一大群用功的学生，显得格外阴森。 　　"我们现在一定得去找丹伯多。"荷米思说，"那个藏在面罩后面的人不是史纳皮就是福尔得摩特了，只要他把哈格力灌醉，的确是很容易就问出破解弗拉菲的方法的。现在只希望丹伯多会相信我们。当初假如没有班尼阻止的话，佛罗伦斯或者会为我们作证的。 　　是了，丹伯多的办公室到底在哪里呢？" 　　他们站在那儿四处张望，好像等待着一个什么信号来指引他们似的。愿来从来没有人告诉过他们丹伯多住在哪儿，也没有见到过有什么人曾经被丹伯多叫去办公室。 　"看来，我们唯有——"哈利刚刚开口，外面就传来一个人的说话声打断了他。 　　"你们三个在里面干什么？"来的是捧着一大堆书的麦康娜教授。 　　"我们想见一下丹伯多教授。"出乎哈利和罗恩的意料，荷米恩很勇敢地回答。 　　"见丹伯多教授？"麦康娜重复，好像这是一件非常可疑的事一样。"为了什么事？"哈利吞了一口唾液，怎么说才好呢？ 　　"这是个秘密。"但他刚说完就后悔了，因为麦康娜教授一听见是秘密就从鼻孔里喷了一口气。 　"丹伯多教授刚在十分钟前走了，"她冷冷地说，"他刚刚收到一封猫头鹰送来的紧急通知，现在赶了去伦敦的巫术总部。""他走了！"哈利绝望地问，"真的走了？" 　"波特，丹伯多教授是个很伟大的巫师，他有很多重要的事务要处理的。""但这件事是非常重大的！" 　　"难道你说的大事比巫术总部还要重要吗？" 　　"瞧，教授，"哈利开始留意吹过来的风了。"这事是和点金石有关的——"麦康娜教授无论如何也想不到他会说到这事上面的，吃惊得连手中的书本全都掉在地上了。但她没有马上捡起来。 　　"你们是怎么知道——？"她气急败坏地问。 　　"教授，我想——我知道——史纳皮——有人要来偷那块石头。 　　我一定得把这件事跟丹伯多教授说。"她既震惊又怀疑地盯着哈利。"丹伯多教授明天才会回来，"她终于肯说了，"我不知道你们是怎么知道那块石头的事的，但可以肯定，没有人可以偷到那块石头，它被保护得非常严密。""但是，教授——" 　　"波特，我非常清楚自己在说什么，"她简短地说，然后俯身去抬起地上的书，"我建议你们几个还是到外面晒晒太阳吧！"但他们却没有动。"就在今晚，"一等他确定麦康娜不会听到他们说话，哈利马上说，"史纳皮会通过关卡，找到他想要的东西。 　　现在丹伯多已经奈何不了他了，我敢打赌一定是他冒充巫术总会给丹伯多送那张纸条来把他调开的。""那我们应该——"荷米恩停住了，因为哈利和罗恩都转过身来——史纳皮正站在面前。 　　"下午好，"他沉着地说。见他们瞪着自己，他又说："这样的好天气，你们不应该呆在屋里。"说完，挤了一个古怪、别扭的笑容出来。 　　"我们要——"哈利说，但自己也不知道要说些什么好。 　　"你们一定要小心一点了，"史纳皮说，"像现在这样四处游荡，别人又会认为你们要做什么坏事了。而格林芬顿已经不可能再丢分了，对吗？"哈利脸红了。他们正要走出去，史纳皮却叫住他们。 　　"波特，警觉点——我个人敢保证，你再在夜间游荡的话，一定会被开除的。 　　再见！"说完，他头也不回地向职员办公室大步走去。 　在外面的阶梯上，哈利面对他的两个伙伴急切地低声说："来，我们分工合作。 　　一个人去监视住史纳皮——就在职员办公室外面等着就可以了，他一离开就马上跟着他。荷米恩，你来吧！""为什么是我？" 　　"其实很简单，你可以装作在等费立维克教授的样子。"他提高嗓门，"噢，费立维克教授，我担心死了，我想我把第十四题做错了。""好了！住嘴。"荷米恩喝住他，但她还是同意监视史纳皮。 　　"我们现在就到三楼楼梯外边。"哈利对罗恩说。"快点！"但他们这部分计划却实现不了。他们刚刚来到关住弗拉菲的那扇门前的时候，麦康娜教授又出现了，这次，她开始发脾气了。 　　"我想你们一定认为自己比复杂的魔法更难对付吧？好了，我受够了。你们再敢走近这儿的话，我定要从格林芬顿队扣50分！"哈利和罗恩只好悻悻地回到自己的房间。哈利刚刚说了句，"幸好，我们还有荷米恩在盯着史纳皮……"就见到荷米恩推门走了进来。 　　"对不起，哈利！"她伤心地说。"史纳皮走出来问我在干什么，我告诉他在等费立维克，谁知他走了进去把费立维克找了出来。所以我唯有走了。我实在不知道史纳皮去了哪里了。""好了，我们只有这样了。"哈利苦笑。 　　另外两人望着他，只见他脸色苍白，但眼睛在闪闪发光。"我今晚就要出去，一定要赶在史纳皮之前得到那块石头。""你疯了！"罗恩叫。 　　"你不可以！你忘了刚才麦康娜和史纳皮怎么说吗？你会被赶出学校的！"荷米思反对。 　　"那又怎样？"哈利大叫。"你还不明白吗？一旦史纳皮得到那块石头，福尔得摩特就会回来了！你们不是听说过他回来后会发生什么吗？到时再没有霍格瓦彻可以开除我了！他一定会毁了它，或者把它变为一间藏污纳垢的学校。丢分已经不再重要了，难道你没有想过，就算格林芬顿赢得了豪斯杯，他就不会为难你或你的家人吗？如果我在得到那块石头之前被捉住了，我就会回到杜斯利家，等福尔得摩特来找我。其实我只是提前了一点做这件事罢了，因为我是不会向恶势力屈服的！ 　　我今晚就会去闯那道关卡，你们俩别再劝我了，福尔得摩特杀了我的父母亲，难道你们忘了？"他凝视着他们，不再说话了。 　　"你是对的，哈利。"荷米恩小声地说。 　　"我会用上那件隐形披风的，"哈利说，"还好，我刚刚又重新得到了它。""但它会遮得住我们三个人吗？"罗恩问。 　　"我们三个人？" 　　"噢，别傻了。你认为我俩会让你一个人去冒险吗？""当然不会了，"荷米恩调皮地说，"你觉得没有我们你会找到那块石头吗？ 　　我还要去浏览一下书本，或者可以找到一些有用的东西呢！""但是如果我们被抓住的话，连你们俩也会被赶出学校的。""不会的，"荷米恩轻松地说。"费立维克偷偷地告诉我，我在他那门考试里拿了120分。我想那样他们就不会赶我走了。"吃完晚饭，他们三个紧张地分开坐在公共休息室里。没有人来打扰他们，因为在格林芬顿里已经没人愿意跟哈利说话了。而今晚是他唯一觉得受冷落反而好一点的一晚。荷米恩在忙碌地创览着她的笔记，希望能从中找到一些他们会用到或需要破解的巫法。哈利和罗恩很少说话，因为两个人都在盘算着他们应该做什么。 　　慢慢地，人们都逐渐上床睡觉了，课室里空了起来。 　　"现在应该拿隐形披风了，"当李。乔丹终于也走了后，罗恩伸了个懒腰，打了个呵欠说。于是哈利跑上他们黑暗的宿舍。他刚取出隐形披风，就发现了哈格力送给他作圣诞节礼物的笛子了。于是把它放入了口袋——他可不想唱歌来对付弗拉菲呢。 　他跑下来，回到公共休息室。 　　"我们最好现在就试一下，看它能不能盖得住我们三个。要是费驰看出我们的脚在他的身边移动的话——""你们三个在干什么？"角落里有声音问。然后紧紧握着他那只宝贝蜡殊的尼维尔从一张扶椅后站了起来，他看来好像已下定决心为自由再作一次斗争了。 　　"没事，尼维尔，没什么。"哈利说着，忙把隐形披风藏在身后。 　　尼维尔望着他们惊慌的脸孔，"你们又要偷偷跑出去了。"他判断。 　　"不，不，我们怎么会呢？"荷术恩说，"你为什么还不睡觉呢，尼维尔？"哈利抬头看了看墙上的老爷钟——他们不可以浪费更多时间了！现在尼奈普可能在弄弗拉菲入睡呢！ 　　"你们不可以出去，"尼维尔说，"你们一定会被抓住的，到时候格林芬顿会有更多麻烦了。""你不会明白的，"哈利说，"这事非常重要！"但尼维尔显然已经决定不顾一切地采取某些行动了。"我们不会让你们那样做的！"他说看，一个箭步冲到门口挡住他们。"我会——我会阻止你们的！""尼维尔，"罗恩被气火了，"快点走开，别再像个白痴般——""你竟然喊我白痴！"尼维尔气愤极了。"我希望你们别再违反学校规章了！ 　因为你们，我已经成为大家的敌人了。" 　"是的，但不是我们的敌人，"罗恩狂怒地说，"尼维尔，你简直不知道自己正在做什么！"他说完后，向前走了一步，吓得尼维尔一下子放开了那只蟾蜍，它一眨眼就跳走了。 　　"那么你们试试看吧！"尼维尔举起拳头，"打我吧，我已经准备好了。"哈利转向荷米恩，生气地叫她："行动吧！"荷米恩向前走了一步。"尼维尔，我真是非常、非常抱歉。"她说着，举起魔杖喊："达瑞弗可斯特陀勒斯！"魔杖接着一指尼维尔。 　　尼维尔的手臂马上垂了下来，两腿并在一起，整个身体忽然僵硬起来，然后面孔朝下地摔了下去，像一块木板倒下一样。 　　荷米恩跑过去把他身体翻过来。尼维尔的下巴合在一块，所以不能再说话了，只是他的眼睛还在动，惊恐地看着他们。 　　"你对他做了什么手脚？"哈利低声问。 　　"'这叫"全身束缚术"。'荷米恩可怜巴巴地说，"噢，尼维尔，我实在太抱歉了！""我们不得不这样，尼维尔，实在没有时间解释了。"哈利说。 　　"你迟早会明白的，尼维尔。"罗恩在他们穿上隐形技风，从尼维尔身上跨过时说。 　　但让尼维尔一动不动地躺在地上，对他们来说始终不是一个好预兆。在这种紧张的状态下，每一个遇到的影子都像是费驰，而每一下远处的风声都像是皮维斯向他们扑来。 　　在第一层楼梯口，他们看见了诺丽丝夫人懒洋洋地缩在最上面那级楼梯。 　　"噢！让我跟她一下，只是一下！"罗恩在哈利耳朵旁低声央求，但哈利摇了摇头。当他们从她身旁小心翼翼地爬上去时，诺丽丝那双像灯笼一样的眼睛移到他们身上，但什么事也没有发生。 　　一直到第二层的楼梯间，他们才又遇到第二个人：皮维斯正蹦蹦跳跳地爬上楼梯，一面兴高彩烈地扯松楼梯上的毯子，想害别人绊倒。 　　"谁在那儿？"当他们向他爬去时，他突然大喝了一声。然后，他眯着那双凶恶的黑眼睛，说，"别以为我看不见你，就不知道你在哪儿。你究竟是鬼，幽灵，还是我们的捣蛋学生？"然后他在空中站直了身体，飘在半空斜着眼盯着他们。 　　"我会叫费驰来的，既然有这样看不见的东西在地上乱爬。"哈利忽然想出了办法。"皮维斯，"他沙哑着嗓子低声说，"巴伦自然有他不现身的理由的。"皮维斯几乎吓得从半空中掉了下来。他总算及时稳住了身体，又马上从梯阶旁弹开了一尺左右。 　　"对不起，尊敬的公爵，巴伦先生，"他低声下气地说，"是我的错，我该死！ 　　我看不见你——我当然看不见了，你是看不见的——原谅可怜的老皮维斯的过错吧，尊敬的先生。""我今晚在这有事，皮维斯，所以你今晚别留在这儿。"哈利嘶哑着声音说。 　　"好的，先生，我非常乐意这样做，"说着皮维斯又升到空中。 　　"巴伦，希望你办事顺利吧，我不打扰你了。"然后他立即飞走了。 　　"你真厉害，哈利！"罗恩低声说。 　　不一会，他们就到了三楼楼梯——那扇门竟然已是半开着了。 　　"好家伙，他已经到了，"哈利悄声说，"看来史纳皮已经制伏弗拉菲了。"然而开着的门却使他们更真切地意识到即将面对的一切。于是在隐形技风下，哈利转向他们两个，说，"如果你们现在要回去的话，我是不会怪你们的。你们可以把隐形技风穿走，现在我已经用不上它了。""别傻了！"罗恩答。 　　"我们要跟你一起。"荷米恩说。 　　哈利推开了门。门刚吱嘎地打开，他们就听到一阵隆隆的低哮声了。虽然看不见他们，那条狗的三个鼻子却不停地朝他们那个方向嗅着。 　　"它脚下的是什么？'"荷米恩低声问。 　　"看起来像是一个竖琴，"罗恩答，"一定是史纳皮把它留在这儿的。""它一定是在停止奏乐的时候就会醒过来的，"哈利说，"那么，让我来……"他举起哈格力的笛子，开始吹起来。事实上，他吹得根本就不成调，但从第一声音乐响起，那只狗的眼皮就开始垂了下来。哈利几乎连气也没有换地吹着。慢慢地，那只狗的咆哮声停了下来，它摇摇晃晃地跪在地上，然后猛地倒下，在地上睡熟了。 　　"继续吹！"在他们从隐形披风中溜出来，向地板门爬去时，罗恩提醒哈利。 　　他们已经爬到那只狗巨大的头旁边，甚至可以感受到它热乎乎臭熏熏的气息了。 　　"我想我们可以把门拉开了，"罗恩凝视着狗背，说，"荷米恩，想不想第一个过去？""不，我不想！" 　　"那好吧。"罗恩咬了咬牙，小心翼翼地跨过那条狗的腿，然后弯下腰拉了拉门环，门晃了一晃就打开了。 　　"你看到什么了？"荷米恩紧张地问。 　　"没有，只是一片漆黑——看来没路下去的，我们只有跳下去了。"正在吹笛的哈利这时向罗恩挥了挥手让他望过来，然后指了指自己。 　　"你想第一个下去？你肯定吗？"罗恩问。"我实在看不出这洞有多深呢。那么把笛子给荷米恩吧，让她吹着，别让狗醒来。"哈利就把笛子递了给荷米恩。可是在那几秒钟的空隙里，那条狗又开始扭动并狂吠了起来，吓得荷米恩马上使劲地吹，于是它又熟睡了。 　　哈利跨过它，从地洞口往里边望，竟然看不到底！他用手指紧紧攀住地面探身下去，然后身体凌空地对罗恩说："如果我有什么事的话，你们千万别跟着来。马上去猫头鹰之家，找海维送信给丹伯多，知道没有？""知道了。"罗恩说。 　　"我希望等会儿还可以见到你……" 　说完哈利就跳了下去，一阵又湿又冷的空气立即向他扑来，而他只是不停地往下掉，往下掉——到底了！随着一声奇怪的、沉闷的声音，他落到一个软软的东西上面。由于他的眼睛还没有适应这里的幽暗，他就用手四处摸索了一下，发现自己竟然像是坐在一棵不知什么植物的上面。 　　"没事的！"他抬头对着已经变得像邮票般大小的地洞口大声叫。"你们可以跳下来的，这块地很软。"罗恩跟着跳了下来，正好落在哈利身边。"这是什么东西？"他一下来马上问。 　　"我也不知道，是一种植物吧。我想是放在这儿减轻下坠力的。"哈利答道。然后大叫，"荷米恩快下来吧！"远处的笛声马上停了下来。然后那条狗狂叫了一声，可是荷米恩已经跳了下去。 　　她落在哈利的另一边。 　　"我们现在一定在学校地下好几里远了。"荷米恩说。 　　"幸好有这棵东西在这接住。"罗恩高兴地说。 　　"不好！"荷米恩突然尖叫起来。"你们快看看自己！"她跳了起来，拼命地要靠近那堵湿墙。她不断地挣扎，因为从她一落下来起，那棵东西就伸出象蛇一样扭动着的卷须缠住她的脚踝。而哈利和罗恩早已经不知不觉地被卷须爬上了身上，双腿被缠得结结实实了。 　　荷米恩终于在趁着卷须紧紧抓住她之前挣脱了。现在她恐惧地看着他们两个在拼命挣扎，可他们越挣扎，那些爪缠得越紧，越快。 　　"别再动了！"荷米恩命令他们。"我知道这是什么了，这叫'魔鬼的罗网'！""太好了，我们知道它是什么，那样要挣脱它就容易多了。"罗恩一边叫骂，一边向后靠，以免被它缠上脖子。 　　"闭嘴，我在想着如何杀死它！"荷米恩说。 　　"嘿，快一点，我快喘不过气来了！"哈利上气不接下气地喊。 　　同时拼命挣扎，看来魔爪已经缠住了他胸口。 　　"魔鬼的罗网，魔鬼的罗网……史普露教授说了些什么呢？对了，它喜欢潮湿和黑暗——""那么快点火！"哈利听到这儿，忍不住大叫——他已经快被缠死了。 　　"对！但现在没木柴呀。"荷米恩绞着手，快要急哭了。 　　"你傻了吗？"罗恩咆哮。"你学巫术来干什么的？""噢，对了！"荷米恩恍然大悟。她抽出魔杖，口中念念有词地挥舞着，然后喷出了一串像蓝铃花般的火焰，向那棵东西射去。不过几秒钟，那两个男孩就被松开了，同时那些爪也好像被光和热吓着了，蠕动着、挥舞着退下了。 　　"真幸运，荷米恩，你竟然有听植物学课。"哈利一边说，一边靠在墙上，不停擦汗。 　　"是呀，"罗恩笑着说，"幸好哈利没有在危急中昏了头——'现在没有柴'，确实如此！""走这边。"哈利指着一条看来是唯一入口的走廊说。 　　除了他们的脚步声，他们能听到的就是水顺着墙往下滴的声音。走了不远就是下坡路了，这使哈利想起格林高斯。忽然他的心狂跳起来，因为记起自己曾听说过的，巫师的地下室一般是有龙护卫的。要是他们遇到一条大龙的话——其实就算是诺贝特已够他们受了。 　　"你有没有听到什么？"罗恩低声问。 　　哈利认真地听。一阵轻轻的，好像从上面传过来的声音沙沙地响着。 　　"你觉得会不会是鬼？" 　　"我不知道……我听到像是翅膀拍动的声音。""前面有光！我见到有东西在动。" 　　他们走到走廊尽头，发现前面是一间亮堂堂的房间，房顶高高地拱起，里面全是一些像宝石般发亮的小鸟，在不停地拍着翅膀飞舞着。房间后面是一扇又厚又实的木门。 　　"你说我们穿过房间时，那些鸟会不会攻击我们呢？"罗恩问。 　　"可能会的，"哈利说。"虽然它们看起来没有恶意，但如果一齐扑下来的话……噢，我们就无法抵抗了……我要跑过去了。"他深呼吸一下，用手臂护住面部全速冲进了房间。他随时都准备着有尖嘴啄他或者利爪抓他，可是什么事也没有发生。他安全地到了那扇门前，用手一拉，发现是锁上的。 　另外两个人也跟着过去了，他们用力地又拖又推，可那扇门纹丝不动，就连荷米恩的魔杖也不管用
Chapter 17 The Man With Two Faces
It was Quirrell.“You!” gasped Harry.Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.“Me,” he said calmly. “I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter.”“But I thought — Snape—”“Severus?” Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. “Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?”Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.“But Snape tried to kill me!”“No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you.”“Snape was trying to save me?”“Of course,” said Quirrell coolly. “Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really… he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular… and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight.”Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.“You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone.”“You let the troll in?”“Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.“Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror.”It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.“This mirror is the key to finding the Stone,” Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. “Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London… I'll be far away by the time he gets back…”All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.“I saw you and Snape in the forest — ” he blurted out.“Yes,” said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. “He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…”Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.“I see the Stone… I'm presenting it to my master… but where is it?”Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror.“But Snape always seemed to hate me so much.”“Oh, he does,” said Quirrell casually, “heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead.”“But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing — I thought Snape was threatening you…”For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.“Sometimes,” he said, “I find it hard to follow my master's instructions — he is a great wizard and I am weak—”“You mean he was there in the classroom with you?” Harry gasped.“He is with me wherever I go,” said Quirrell quietly. “I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it… Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me.” Quirrell shivered suddenly. “He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me… decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…”Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley — how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.Quirrell cursed under his breath.“I don't understand… is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?”Harry's mind was racing.What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it — which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself.“What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!”And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.“Use the boy… Use the boy…”Quirrell rounded on Harry.“Yes — Potter — come here.”He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet.“Come here,” Quirrell repeated. “Look in the mirror and tell me what you see.”Harry walked toward him.I must lie, he thought desperately . I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket — and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow — incredibly — he'd gotten the Sone.“Well?” said Quirrell impatiently. “What do you see?”Harry screwed up his courage.“I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore,” he invented. “I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor.”Quirrell cursed again.“Get out of the way,” he said. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.“He lies… He lies…”“Potter, come back here!” Quirrell shouted. “Tell me the truth! What did you just see?”The high voice spoke again.“Let me speak to him… face-to-face…”“Master, you are not strong enough!”“I have strength enough… for this…”Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.“Harry Potter… ” it whispered.Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.“See what I have become?” the face said. “Mere shadow and vapor… I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?”So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward.“Don't be a fool,” snarled the face. “Better save your own life and join me… or you'll meet the same end as your parents… They died begging me for mercy…”“LIAR!” Harry shouted suddenly.Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.“How touching… ” it hissed. “I always value bravery… Yes, boy, your parents were brave… I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn't have died… she was trying to protect you… Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain.”“NEVER!”Harry sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed “SEIZE HIM!” and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened — he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers — they were blistering before his eyes.“Seize him! SEIZE HIM!” shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck — Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.“Master, I cannot hold him — my hands — my hands!”And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms — Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.“Then kill him, fool, and be done!” screeched Voldemort.Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face —“AAAARGH!”Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain — his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off — the pain in Harry's head was building — he couldn't see — he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, “KILL HIM! KILL HIM!” and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, “Harry! Harry!”He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down… down… down…Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange.He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.“Good afternoon, Harry,” said Dumbledore.Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: “Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick—”“Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times,” said Dumbledore. “Quirrell does not have the Stone.”“Then who does? Sir, I—”“Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out.”Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.“Tokens from your friends and admirers,” said Dumbledore, beaming. “What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it.”
“How long have I been in here?”
“Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried.”
“But sir, the Stone—”
“I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say.”
“You got there? You got Hermione's owl?”
“We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you.”
“It was you.”“I feared I might be too late.”“You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer -”“Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed.”“Destroyed?” said Harry blankly. “But your friend — Nicolas Flamel—”“Oh, you know about Nicolas?” said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. “You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best.”“But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?”“They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die.”Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.“To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.”Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.“Sir?” said Harry. “I've been thinking… sir — even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who—”“Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”“Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?”“No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share… not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power.”Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then he said, “Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me… things I want to know the truth about…”“The truth.” Dumbledore sighed. “It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie.”“Well… Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?”Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.“Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day… put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older… I know you hate to hear this… when you are ready, you will know.”And Harry knew it would be no good to argue.“But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?”“Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.”Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet. When he had found his voice again, Harry said, “And the invisibility cloak — do you know who sent it to me?”“Ah — your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it.” Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. “Useful things… your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here.”“And there's something else…”“Fire away.”“Quirrell said Snape—”“Professor Snape, Harry.”“Yes, him — Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?”“Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive.”“What?”“He saved his life.”“What ?”“Yes… ” said Dumbledore dreamily. “Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt… I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…”Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped.“And sir, there's one more thing…”“Just the one?”“How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?”“Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes… Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them — but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?”He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, “Alas! Ear wax!”Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.“Just five minutes,” Harry pleaded.“Absolutely not.”“You let Professor Dumbledore in…”“Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest.”“I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey…”“Oh, very well,” she said. “But five minutes only.”And she let Ron and Hermione in.“Harry!”Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore.“Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to — Dumbledore was so worried—”“The whole school's talking about it,” said Ron. “What really happened?”It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.“So the Stone's gone?” said Ron finally. “Flamel's just going to die ?”“That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that — what was it? — ‘to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'”“I always said he was off his rocker,” said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was.“So what happened to you two?” said Harry.“Well, I got back all right,” said Hermione. “I brought Ron round — that took a while — and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall — he already knew — he just said, ‘Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?’ and hurtled off to the third floor.”“D'you think he meant you to do it?” said Ron. “Sending you your father's cloak and everything?”“Well,” Hermione exploded, “if he did — I mean to say that's terrible — you could have been killed.”“No, it isn't,” said Harry thoughtfully. “He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could…”“Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right,” said Ron proudly. “Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course — you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you — but the food'll be good.”At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.“You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT” she said firmly.After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal.“I want to go to the feast,” he told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened his many candy boxes. “I can, can't I?”“Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go,” she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be. “And you have another visitor.”“Oh, good,” said Harry. “Who is it?”Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him, and burst into tears.“It's — all — my — ruddy — fault!” he sobbed, his face in his hands. I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an’ I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an’ made ter live as a Muggle!”“Hagrid!” said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. “Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him.”“Yeh could've died!” sobbed Hagrid. “An’ don’ say the name!”“VOLDEMORT!” Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. “I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads…”Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, “That reminds me. I've got yeh a present.”“It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?” said Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.“Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. ‘course, he shoulda sacked me instead — anyway, got yeh this…”It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.“Sent owls off ter all yer parents’ old school friends, askin’ fer photos… knew yeh didn’ have any… d'yeh like it?”Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.“Another year gone!” Dumbledore said cheerfully. “And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…“Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two.”A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.“Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin,” said Dumbledore. “However, recent events must be taken into account.”The room went very still. The Slytherins’ smiles faded a little.“Ahem,” said Dumbledore. “I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes…“First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley…”Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.“… for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.”Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, “My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!”At last there was silence again.“Second — to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.”Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — they were a hundred points up.“Third — to Mr. Harry Potter… ” said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. “… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points.”The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points — exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup — if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.“There are all kinds of courage,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom.”Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.“Which means,” Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, “we need a little change of decoration.”He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings toward him hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls… he would never, ever forget tonight.Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these,” said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.“You must come and stay this summer,” said Ron, “both of you — I'll send you an owl.”“Thanks,” said Harry, “I'll need something to look forward to.” People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:“Bye, Harry!”“See you, Potter!”“Still famous,” said Ron, grinning at him.“Not where I'm going, I promise you,” said Harry.He, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. “There he is, Mom, there he is, look!”It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.“Harry Potter!” she squealed. “Look, Mom! I can see—”“Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point.”Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.“Busy year?” she said.“Very,” said Harry. “Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley.”“Oh, it was nothing, dear.”“Ready, are you?”It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.“You must be Harry's family!” said Mrs. Weasley.“In a manner of speaking,” said Uncle Vernon. “Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day.” He walked away.Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.“See you over the summer, then.”“Hope you have — er — a good holiday,” said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.“Oh, I will,” said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. “They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…那个竟然是屈拉。 　　"是你！"哈利大惊。 　　屈拉在笑。但睑部肌肉一点也没有动。 　　"是我，"他淡淡地说。"我还怀疑过究竟可不可以在这儿遇见你呢，波特。""但，我还以为是史纳皮——" 　　"史纳皮？"屈拉又笑了。但却不是平时的高声大笑，而是既尖锐又冷酷。 　　"是的，史纳皮的确值得怀疑。有他像老鼠一样四处分散注意力真是十分有用。没有他，谁会去怀疑可——可——可怜、结——结——巴巴的屈拉教——教授呢？"哈利无法接受这个事实。这不会是真的，绝不会！ 　　"但史纳皮曾经想杀掉我！" 　　"不，不对。是我想杀掉你。你的朋友格林佐小姐在那场快迪斯比赛中向史纳皮放火时不小心把我碰倒了。你和他把我的隐形眼镜给打破了。再多几秒我就要把你从扫帚上弄下来的，可史纳皮在这时念了一个对抗咒语，救了你。""史纳皮要救我？" 　　"当然了，要不他为什么要在你的下一场比赛中当裁判呢？他是为了不让我有机会再下手。哼，真有趣……"屈拉冷冷地说。 　　"其实他根本无需这样做，因为有丹伯多在看着，我根本就不敢干什么。所有人都以为史纳皮在阻挠格林芬顿获胜，而他也为此不受欢迎……唉，多么浪费时间啊！怎样也好，我还是可以在今天晚上杀了你。"屈拉弹了弹手指，一根绳子忽然出现，把哈利捆得结结实实。 　　"你太爱多管闲事了，波特。你万圣节时在校园里乱走，一定见到了我吧，那时我在查看那块石头是被什么守卫着呢。""是你让那洞窟巨人出来的吗？" 　　"当然了。我有应付洞窟巨人的特别天分——你一定已经看到了我对前一间房里的那一个做了些什么了吧。可是在每个人都四处奔走着去找它的时候，史纳皮却早已怀疑我了，他直接上三楼来找我——可惜我的洞窟巨人居然没有把你打死，连那只三头犬也没有把史纳皮的腿撕裂。真是可惜！""好了，波特，安静地等着我吧。我要去看看这块有趣的镜子了。"直到这时哈利才发现有块镶着框的大镜子放在屈拉身后。 　　"这块镜子是找到点金石的关键，"屈拉喃喃自语，在镜框旁边走动着，"我肯定丹伯多可以提供一些线索……可惜，他现在还在伦敦，等到他回来的时候我早已经走得远远的了……"现在哈利可以做的只能够是尽量让屈拉多说些话，别让他把注意力集中在研究那块镜子上。 　　"我见到你和史纳皮在那片森林里——"他不加思索地说。 　　"对呀，"屈拉一边绕着镜子转，一边心不在焉地应他。"就是在那次他发现了我，想看看我已经走到哪一步了。其实一直以来他都在怀疑我的，以为他可以吓到我，却不知道我有福尔得摩特公爵在身边。"屈拉从那块镜子后面走了出来，贪婪地盯着它看，说："我已经看到那块石头了！我要报告给我的主人知道……但是，究竟要怎样才能拿到它呢？"哈刮拼命地想挣脱绳索，但它却捆得十分紧，于是唯有尽量分散屈拉的注意力。 　　"但史纳皮总是一副很讨厌我的样子。" 　　"噢，他的确很讨厌你，"屈拉懒洋洋地说："你不知道吗，他跟你父亲一起在霍格瓦彻里的时候，就已经互相厌恶对方了。但他一点儿也不想你死。""但我在前些日子听到你在哭——我还以为史纳皮在威胁你……"第一次，一阵突发的恐惧掠过屈拉的面孔。"有时候，"他小声地说，"我发觉要听从我主人的教诲是很难的——他是一个伟大的巫师，而我又太弱了。""你是说，那时候他是跟你一起在课室里的？"哈利倒抽了一口凉气。 　　"他每时每刻都跟我在一起，"屈拉平静地说。"我在环游世界的时候遇到了他。那时候的我只是一个愚蠢的年轻人，脑袋里装满了一些奇奇怪怪的关于善与恶的观点。是福尔得摩特公爵使我认识到我是多么的错误和无知。实际上善与恶是不存在的，只有力量才是最重要，而那些弱者就应该……从那时开始我就忠心耿耿地跟随着他了，虽然我也曾经拒绝过他几次，因为他对我实在是太严厉了。"屈拉忽然声音发颤地说，"他不肯轻易原谅我的过失。当我没有从格林高斯把石头偷出来时，他生气极了，狠狠地惩罚了我…… 　　决定以后更加严密地监视着我……"屈拉的声音缓缓消散，哈利不由得想起他在戴阿宫道的时候——他怎么会那样愚蠢呢？那天不是明明在那儿见到屈拉了，还跟他在漏锅店里握手呢。 　　"真是难找……那块石头是在镜子里吗？我要不要打碎它呢？"屈拉气鼓鼓地咒骂了一声。 　　哈利脑筋在飞转。 　　现在我最迫切要做的事，就是赶在屈拉之前找到点金石，如果我可以往镜里看的话，我应该会见到它在里面——那就意味着有机会找出它究竟藏在哪里！但是我又怎样在屈拉不留神的情况下看那块镜子一眼呢？ 　　他努力地向左边的方向移动，这样他就能够在屈拉不察觉的情况下来到镜子面前了。可是那根绳实在绑得太紧了，他一失足就跌倒在地。好在屈拉已经忘记了他，还在一个劲地自言自语。 　　"这面镜子用来干什么的呢？究竟要怎样利用它呢？主人，快帮帮我吧！"令哈利毛骨悚然的是，有一种声音回答了，而那声音竟像是从屈拉身上发出来的！ 　　"利用那个男孩……利用那个男孩……" 　　屈拉转向哈利。 　　"对了——波特——过来这儿。" 　　他拍了拍手，那条捆住哈利的绳就掉了下来。哈利慢慢地向他走去。 　　"快过来，"屈拉催促他。"看着这块镜子，然后告诉我你见到了什么。""我一定得撒谎。"哈利想，"我要在看了之后随便扯个谎，就这样！"屈拉从背后靠近了他，他马上闻到了一股好像来自屈拉头巾的怪味。 　　哈利闭上眼，走到镜子前面，然后睁开。 　　他首先见到自己的映像，有一张受到惊吓的苍白脸孔。然后那个映像向他微笑。 　　它把手伸进口袋，取出一块血红的石头，向哈利眨了眨眼，又把石头放回口袋。在它这样做的时候，哈利忽然觉得有一样很重的东西落入了他自己真的口袋里。那么——不可思议地——他得到那块点金石了！ 　　"好了？"屈拉不耐烦地问。"你看到了什么？"哈利鼓足勇气说，"我见到自己在跟丹伯多校长握手，"他努力地在编谎言。 　　"我还为格林芬顿赢得了豪斯杯。" 　　屈拉又开始在咒骂了。 　　"快点滚开！"他喝道。哈利移开到一边——他现在可以感觉到点金石贴着自己的大腿了。他敢不敢用它来搏一搏呢？ 　但他还没有走开几步，一把很尖的声音又从屈拉身上响了起来，而他却连嘴唇也不动一下。 　　"他在说谎，他在说谎……" 　　"波特快回来！"屈拉在喊。"快把真相告诉我！刚才你究竟见到了什么？"那把很尖的声音又响了起来。 　　"让我来跟他说……面对面地说……" 　　"主人，你的力量还不足够！" 　"我已经有足够的力量可以这样做了。" 　　哈利觉得仿佛又被"魔鬼的罗网"缠住了，全身不能动弹地被带到屈拉跟前。 　　慢慢地，屈拉解开他的头巾。接下来会发生什么事呢？哈利满怀恐惧地望着他。 　　那条头巾飘了下来。没有了头巾，屈拉的头变得异常地小。然后，他缓缓地把背朝向哈利。 　　哈利本来是应该尖叫的，可他已经什么声音都发不出来了。 　　在本来应该是屈拉后脑勺的地方，竟然长着一张脸孔！那是一张哈利见过的最可怖的面孔：粉笔般死白的脸上，嵌着一双闪着红光的小眼睛，鼻子是裂开的一道缝，活像一条蛇！ 　　"哈利·波特……"它低声说。 　　哈利拼命地想向后退，但他的腿已经不听使唤了。 　　"看见我变成什么样子吗？"那张脸说，"我活得更加明暗和隐蔽了……我只能够和别人共用一个身体……但通常都有很多人愿意让我使用他们的心脏和思想… 　　…独角兽的血在这几个礼拜里不断地增加了我的力量……你不是看到我忠心的屈拉在森林里为我吸血吗？现在，只要我有了那块长生不老药，就可以制造出一个自己的身体了……你为什么还不把口袋里的那块石头交出来呢？"原来他是知道的！哈利的腿忽然一下子恢复了知觉，他向后倒退了好几步。 　　"别像个傻瓜似的再反抗了，"那面孔冷笑着说，"你最好救自己一命，加入我们。不然，你就会和你父母一样死无葬身之地…… 　　他们临死还向我求饶呢……""你说谎！"哈利忽然大叫。 　　屈拉后退了几步，这样福尔得摩特就又来到哈利面前了，他那张极邪恶的脸正在笑着。 　　"多么感人啊……"它嘶嘶地说，"我一向都很欣赏勇气的，没错，孩子，你的父母十分勇敢……我是先杀你父亲的。他很勇敢地和我搏斗。但你母亲其实是用不着去死的，她是为了保护你……好了，把石头交给我吧，别让她为你白白送命… 　　…" 　　"绝不！" 　　哈利猛地向门口冲去，福尔得摩特大叫："抓住他！"然后，不到几秒钟，哈利就感觉到屈拉的手紧紧抓住他的手臂。同时，一阵像针刺一样的剧痛又袭向他前额的疤，他的头痛得好像快要裂开两边了！哈利呻吟着，用尽所有气力去挣扎。 　　奇怪的是，屈拉竟然自己弹开了！而他额上的头痛马上跟着好了点。他好奇地四处张望，看看屈拉去了哪里，却发现他痛苦地给缩成一团，望着自己的手指——那些手指在他眼里好像变得十分不可思议一样。 　　"抓住他！抓住他！"福尔得摩特又在大叫。屈拉一个箭步冲上来，把哈利踢倒，然后爬到他身上，双手叉他的脖子。这时哈利的疤又再痛得他快要晕过去了，同时，屈拉痛苦地狂号起来。 　　"主人，我抓不住他，我的手——我的手！" 　　这时的屈拉虽然用膝盖把哈利压在地上，他的手却已经放开了哈利的脖子。他正在迷惑地望着自己的手掌——哈利可以看到，那双手像被火烧过一样，又红又肿。 　　"那么，杀了他！快点，蠢材！"福尔得摩特尖声高叫。 　　屈拉举起手，想要作一个索命的恶咒，但哈利比他快很多，伸出手来，一把抓住了他的面孔。 　　"啊一啊一啊呀！" 　　屈拉怪叫着滚开了，他的脸孔也在痛苦扭曲着。于是哈利明白了：屈拉是不能碰他的皮肤的！一碰他就会痛得死去活来。现在唯一的机会就是控制住屈拉，让他一直痛着，念不了那个索命咒语。 　　哈利跳了起来，用尽所有气力抓住屈拉的手臂。屈拉惨叫着要甩掉哈利的手——但同时哈利的头痛也在不断加剧，他已经痛得看不见东西了，只能听到屈拉杀猪般的尖叫和福尔得摩特不停地喊："杀了他！杀了他！"，还有另一种声音，可能就在哈利自己的头里，叫着："哈利！哈利！"他感觉到屈拉的手臂已挣脱了自己，知道一切都完了，然后跌进了一片漆黑中，不停地向下沉……响下沉…… 　　有一样金色的东西在他上面闪耀。史尼斯球！他想捉住它，但双臂却沉重得抬不起来。 　　他眨了眨眼。那根本就不是什么史尼斯球，而是一副眼镜。多么奇怪啊！ 　　他再次眨了眨眼。忽然记起了。"先生！那块石头！是屈拉！ 　　他偷了那块石头！先生，快点——""别着急，亲爱的孩子，你已经漏掉后面的情节了。"丹伯多说，"屈拉没有得到那块石。""那么谁得到了？先生——我——" 　　"哈利，放松一些，要不波姆弗雷夫人人会把我轰出去的！"哈利把话吞下肚子，开始四处打量着周围，意识到自己应该是在一间病房里：他正躺在一张铺着白色被单的床上，旁边有一张桌子，上面堆的糖果高得够开一间糖果店了。 　　"是你的朋友和仰慕者送给你的，"丹伯多和颜悦色地说，"虽然在地牢里你和屈拉教授之间究竟发生了什么事是一个秘密，但是全校人都知道这件事了。我想，你的朋友弗来德和乔治。威斯里先生本来是送了一张冲洗式便椅给你的，因为他们认为你一定会感兴趣。可是波姆弗雷夫人人认为它不卫生，就没收了它。'""我在这儿多久了？" 　　"三天了。罗恩和荷米恩看见你回来开心得不得了，他们十分担心你。""但是先生，那块石头——" 　　"我不想你再心烦意乱了。好吧，我说说那块石头。屈拉教授并没有从你身上拿走它，我及时赶到，并阻止了他。不过，我必须说，你已经做得非常棒了！""你赶到那儿了？你收到荷米恩的猫头鹰吗？""我们必须从头开始说起。我刚刚到达伦敦，忽然想起我是应该留在原地的，于是马上赶了回来——刚刚来得及把屈拉从你身上拉开——""原来是你！" 　　"我真怕我来迟了。" 　　"你差一点就来迟了，因为那时候我已经不能够再阻止他抢那块石了。""我不是说那块石，我是说你，孩子。你差一点就被杀掉了——而那块石，它已经被毁掉了。""毁了？"哈利茫然地重复。"可是你的朋友——尼古拉斯。弗兰马尔——""噢！你也认识尼古拉斯吗？"丹伯多很高兴地说。"你已经很好地处理了这件事，不是吗？别担心，我已经和尼古拉斯谈过了，他也认为这是最好的解决方法。""但，那就意味着他和他的妻子都得死！" 　　丹伯多微笑地望着哈利迷惑不解的表情。 　　"对于一个像你这样年轻的人来说，我知道你肯定会觉得不可思议。但对尼古拉斯和伯云妮来说，死亡只是像经过一整天的工作后，静静躺在睡觉一样平常。因为毕竟，对于有智慧的人来说，死亡只是第二次伟大的冒险。你要知道，那块石头其实并不像听起来那样神奇，可以无穷无尽地给你金钱和能量。那固然是很多人梦寐以求的东西——但问题是，人们却往往缺乏一种判别力，不知道他们追求的东西一样是会害了自己的。"哈利躺在那儿，已经忘了说话。 　　丹伯多停了下来，微笑着望向天花板。 　　"先生，"哈利说。"我在想——就算那块石头没有了，那个福尔得——我是指'那个人'——""喊他福尔得摩特，哈利。要准确地称呼所有一切事物。对名字的恐惧会令你对它本身也产生恐惧感的。""是，先生。福尔得摩特会想其他法子再回来的，对吗？我是说，他还没有走，对吗？""对，哈利。他的确还没有走，他仍然在某一个不知名的地方游荡着，或许正在寻找下一个身体来使用……因为它并不是真正活着，所以也不能够被杀死。它任由屈拉死去，对追随者就像对敌人一样冷酷无情。这么样也好，哈利，既然你可以阻止他重新获得力量，或者又会有哪个人像你一样跟他进行斗争，来阻止他重新获得力量呢——而他被阻止了一次，又再一次……他就可能永远都不能够成功。"哈利点头赞同，但马上又停了下来。因为象那样动一下又令他的头痛了起来。 　　然后，他说，"先生，我还有一些事很想知道。要是你肯告诉我的话，我想知道那……""真相是美丽而恐怖的，因此总是被给予过多的注意力。"丹伯多轻轻叹了口气。"除了因为特殊理由不能回答的之外，我一般都会回答你的问题的。""好的……福尔得魔特说他杀死我的母亲，完全是因为她想阻止他杀了我，可是他为什么一开始就想要先杀了我呢？"丹伯多这次又长长地叹了口气。 　　"很抱歉，你问我的第一件事我就不能够告诉你了——至少今天不能够。总有一天，你会知道的。现在先把它放在一边别去想它，哈利。到你长大一点的时候… 　　…我知道你讨厌听这些话，但一定要等到时机成熟了，你才可以知道。"于是哈利知道就算争辩下去也是没用的。他只好问另一个问题了。 　　"那么，为什么屈拉不可以碰到我的皮肤呢？""你的母亲牺牲了自己来救你。如果说有一种东西福尔得摩特理解不了的话，那就是爱了。他没有意识到，像你母亲对你那样强烈的爱是可以留下印记的。不是一个疤，而是一种无形的东西…… 　　如果深深地被爱着的话，就算爱你的那个人不在了，那份爱都会永远庇护着你的，它已经凝结在你的皮肤上了。像屈拉那样充满仇恨、贪婪和欲望的人，是不能去碰一个被如此纯洁美好的东西印记过的人的。"丹伯多现在装作对窗外的一只鸟儿很感兴趣的样子来让哈利有时间偷偷地用被单来指眼泪。等到他的情绪恢复了平静，哈利说，"还有那件隐形被风，你知道是谁送给我的吗？""哦，那是你父亲留给你的东西，我想你肯定会喜欢它的。"丹伯多在说到他父亲的时候，眼睛闪动着光芒。"的确是很有用的东西，你父亲在的时候主要是用来隐形自己去厨房偷菜吃的。""我还有一件事不明白……" 　　"可不能说太多了。" 　　"屈拉说史纳皮——" 　　"应该叫史纳皮教授，哈利。" 　　"好的，他——屈拉说他讨厌我是因为讨厌我父亲，这是真的吗？""对，他们的确是互相厌恶的，就像你和马尔夫一样。而那原因是你父亲做了一件史纳皮永远都不会原谅的事。""什么事？" 　　"他救了史纳皮一命。" 　　"什么？" 　　"就是这样……"丹伯多像在做梦一样说着。"很奇怪，对吗？ 　　这就是人们的心态了。史纳皮教授不能忍受他欠你父亲一份人情……所以我倒是相信他一直在努力地保护着你，因为这样做，他就会觉得和你父亲扯平了……"哈利尝试着去理解这番话，却被它弄得头昏眼花，于是他只好放弃努力了。 　　"还有，先生，有一件事……" 　　"只是一件？" 　　"我为什么可以从镜子中得到那块石头呢？" 　　"哈，我很高兴你终于问这个问题了。这可是我了不起的主意之一呢！是这样的，只有那些想找到石头而目的又不是利用它的人才可以得到它，否则他们就只会在镜中见到自己在炼金或者喝着所谓的长生不老药。你知道，有时我想出来的主意妙得连自己也大吃一惊呢！好了，够多问题了。我建议你快尝尝这些糖果吧。啊哈！ 　　多味豆！真不幸，我年轻时候碰巧是一个闻到香味就会呕吐的人，而现在又对它们失去兴趣了——不过我想，吃一颗太妃糖还是很不错的，你要不要来一颗？"他笑着把棕黄色的糖投入口中，咀嚼了一下，大叫："哎呀呀！ 　　哎呀！"波姆弗雷夫人，即那个护士长，是一个漂亮的年轻女人，但是非常严厉。 　　"只是五分钟。"哈利央求她。 　　"绝对不可以。" 　　"可你又让丹伯多教授进来……" 　　"那当然了，他是校长，怎么不同意呢。你很需要休息。""我只是躺着什么也不做，休息得够多了。波姆弗雷夫人，求你了……""唉，好吧，"她终于说。"但是只有五分钟。"于是罗恩和荷米恩可以进来了。 　　"哈利！" 　　荷米恩看来又要扑过来抱他了，令哈利松一口气的是她忍住了，因为怕弄痛他的头。 　　"噢，哈利，我们还以为你定会——连丹伯多校长也在担心……""整个学校都在谈论这件事，"罗恩说，"事实上是怎样的？"这是一个真实的故事，比没有根据的传闻更加传奇和惊险。哈利把经历全告诉了他们：屈拉啦，那块镜子啦，还有那块石头和福尔得摩特。罗恩和荷米恩倒是很好的听众，一直目瞪口呆地听着，什么也不想说，直到哈利告诉他屈拉头巾下面有什么时，荷米恩终于尖叫了一声。 　　"那么，那块石是没有了？"罗恩听完后，问："弗兰马尔一家不是要死了？""我也这样说过，但丹伯多校长认为——他说了什么呢？——'对那些有智慧的人来说，死亡只不过是第二次伟大的冒险罢了。"'"我一向都说他是疯狂的。"罗恩说，显然被校长的疯狂程度深深震撼了。 　　"是了，你们两个又发生了什么事呢？"哈利问。 　　"我安安全全地往回走，"荷米恩说。"然后带上罗恩一起——当然这费了很大的劲——两个人就跑着准备到猫头鹰之家联络丹伯多校长。谁知在大堂就遇见了他。他原来早已经知道了，只是问我们'哈利已经跟着他去了，对吗？'就冲去三楼了。""你想他会不会是故意安排你这样做的呢？"罗恩说。"给你送来你父亲的隐形技风，还有其他安排……？""哗，"荷米恩大叫，"如果他真的这样做的话，那实在是——实在是太可怕了，你可能会被杀死的！""不，不会是故意的，"哈利深思熟虑地说，"丹伯多校长是一个非常有趣的人，或者他只是给我一个机会。我想他肯定已经或多或少地知道这里发生的所有事的，他知道我们一定会去阻止的，于是不但不劝住我们，反而教了我们很多会用到的东西。最明显的是，他专门设计的那块镜子，好像早就知道我会和福尔得摩特一起找点金石似的……""够了，够了，丹伯多的赞美者。"罗恩说。"听着，你明天必须出席年尾大食会。分数全都出来了——当然是史林德林赢了我们。因为最后一场快迪斯比赛没有了你，大家被卫文卡罗压着来打……不过，食物肯定会很不错。"这时，波姆弗雷夫人冲了进来。 　　"你们已经呆够了，荷米恩、罗恩，快给我走。"她坚定不移地说。 　　睡过一晚好觉，哈利觉得自己已恢复得差不多了。 　　"我想参加大食会。"当波姆弗雷夫人人整理他那一大堆糖果罐时，哈利说，"我可以去吗？""丹伯多教授说你可以去，"她不以为然地说，显然觉得丹伯多教授竟然没有认识到大食会有多么不卫生，真是很不明智。"还有，你又有一位探访者了。""噢，太好了！"哈利叫，"会是谁呢？" 　　哈格力就在他说话时已经侧身从门口钻了进来。象平常一样，哈格力一进到室内，房子就会显得太小挤不下了。他坐在哈利身旁，望了他一眼，竟然哭了起来。 　　"这——全——是——我——该死的错！"他呜咽着，把脸埋在手里不敢抬起来。"我告诉了那只鬼如何通过弗拉菲！我竟然告诉了他！这是他唯一不知道的事而我却告诉了他！你千万别死！噢，全因为一只龙蛋！我以后也不敢喝酒了！我活该被扔出去贬为马格！噢！""哈格力！"哈利震惊地发现他因为悲伤和侮疚而颤抖着，同时还有一大滴一大滴的眼泪跌在被单上。连忙说，"别这样了，哈格力，就算你不说，他自己也会找出办法来的，要知道我们说的是福尔得摩特呀。""你不能死啊！"哈格力呜咽，"还有，别再说那个名字了！""福尔得摩特！"哈利响亮地大叫，把哈格力吓得连哭都忘记了。"我见过他了，我还在叫他的名字呢！这有什么好怕的。哈格力，开心一点吧！你看，我们抢回了那块石头，现在它又被毁了，他永远也不能利用它了。来一块巧克力青蛙糖，怎么样？我有很多很多呢……"哈格力用手背擦了擦鼻子，说："你提醒了我。我也有一件礼物要送给你的。""它不是一块鼬肉三明治吧？"哈刮兴奋地说。使哈格力忍不住咯咯地笑了起来。 　　"看，这是丹伯多昨天给了我一整天时间来弄的，他说弄不好就会解雇我——怎样也好，这个给你……"它像是一本精美的皮面书。哈利好奇地打开。里面全是一些巫师的照片。每一页都有他父母的笑容和动作…… 　　"我给你父母所有的老校友都捎了封猫头鹰信，向他们要照片……我知道你没有多少张的，喜欢吗？"哈利说不出话来，但哈格力已经明白了。 　　哈利那一晚一个人去了年尾大食会。因为临走时被波姆弗雷夫人小题大做地拦住了，坚持要他作完最后一次全身检查才准走，所以在他去到大堂时，那里已经挤满了人。为了庆祝史林德林赢得了七年一届的豪斯杯，史林德林的人把大堂都装饰成他们队的绿色和银色，座位处插着那面印着大蟒蛇的队旗。 　　哈利一走进去，大堂里就像开水一样沸腾了起来，每个人都开始大声地谈论了起来。他静静地溜到格林芬顿的座位，坐在罗恩和荷米恩中间，同时努力地不去注意那些站起来看他的人们的脸孔。 　　幸好，过了一会丹伯多校长就来了。那些杂音马上消失了。 　　"又一年过去了！"丹伯多校长振奋地说，"但我不得不在你们放开肚皮去吃这些美妙的食物前，用一个老头的唠叨来先打扰一下。多么愉快的一年啊！我希望你们会发觉，自己的脑筋比过去丰富了一些……你们还有整整一个暑假的时间来让它变得漂亮和空虚呢！ 　　现在，据我所知，豪斯杯要在这里颁发。具体积分是：格林芬顿队312分，排第四；海夫巴夫队352分，排第三；卫文卡罗队426分，排第二；史林德林队472分，排第一。"一阵欢呼声和跳跃声从史林德林学生的座位处爆发出来。哈利一眼见到杰高。 　　马尔夫正在拍打着他的高脚酒杯。真是令人伤心的一幕。 　　"好了，好了，你们做得很好，史林德林。"丹伯多校长说。 　　"但是近来的事件也应该计算在内的。" 　　大堂一下子静了下来，史林德林队员的笑容也没那么灿烂了。 　　"啊嗨，"丹伯多校长继续说。"现在我有一份最新的积分榜要推出。让我看看。对了……第一样是给……是给罗恩。威斯里先生的！"罗恩的脸一下子变为紫色，看起来活像一根晒黑的红萝卜。 　　"……因为他是霍格瓦彻许多年来出现的最优秀的棋师！我奖给格林芬顿队罗恩50分！ 　　格林芬顿的欢呼声几乎要把房顶震破了，连头上的星星也仿佛活泼了起来。伯希兴奋的声音在不停地响起："我的弟弟，你知道吗？我的小弟弟，成为大棋师了！"最后，终于又回恢了寂静。 　　"第二，是关于荷米恩。格兰佐小姐的……她很了不起地在烈火面前运用了冷静的逻辑。我再奖给格林芬顿50分！"荷米恩用手捂住了脸，令哈利很怀疑她是不是又在哭了。旁边的格林芬顿学生们在椅子上跳上跳下——当然了，因为他们又多了100分啦！ 　　"第三——是哈利·波特先生的……"丹伯多校长说。大堂一下子变得安安静静。"……因为他伟大的魄力和无畏的勇气，我给格林芬顿再加60分。"大堂又沸腾了。那些会心算的人已经知道，格林芬顿现在已经有了472分——跟史林德林一样多。要是丹伯多校长再多奖哈利一分的话，他们就会捧走豪斯杯了。 　　丹伯多校长抬起头，大堂又慢慢地静了下来。 　　"勇气是有很多种的，"丹伯多微笑着说。"要坚决抵抗我们的敌人需要极大的勇气，但坚决抵抗朋友同样也需要无比的勇气。因此，我在这里奖给尼维尔。兰博顿先生10分！"站在大堂外面的人肯定会以为里边有什么东西爆炸了，因为格林芬顿座位处发出的欢呼声是这么的震撼。哈利，罗恩，和荷米恩也站了起来大叫大喊，而尼维尔则吓得脸都白了，消失在一大群争着拥抱他的人群中——他还未试过为格林芬顿拿过这么多分呢！还在欢呼的哈利轻推了一下罗恩，并指了指马尔夫。这个可怜的人已经没有机会比现在更震惊和失望了，看上去就像中了"全身束缚"术一样。 　"那就是说，"丹伯多校长终于平息了那场骚动——因为连卫文卡罗和海夫巴夫队也在庆祝史林德林的失败，所以场面尤其盛大。 　　"我们要更换一下这里的摆设了！" 　　他拍了拍手。马上，那些绿色的装饰物变成了红色，而银色的则变成了金色。 　　那条代表史林德林的大蟒蛇消失了——换成了格林芬顿的狮子。史纳皮教授十分勉强地和麦康娜教授握了握手。当他的眼睛一碰到哈利，哈利就知道，史纳皮对他的憎恨一点也没有变。但这一点也没有令哈利忧虑，因为对于他，这是一生中最快乐的一晚，比赢了快迪斯比赛、打倒洞窟巨人……还要开心得多！他永远、永远也不会忘记这一夜。 　　哈利已经差不多忘记了他们还有考试结果要公布。但结果一出来却令他们大吃一惊：他和罗恩都以很高分数通过了，至于荷米恩——自然又是全年级第一名了。 　　就连尼维尔也马马虎虎地通过了！他的植物常识拿了高分，于是把他考得一塌糊涂的药剂学也扯高了。他们本来希望高尔——他简直是要有多蠢就有多蠢——会被踢出去的，可是他竟然也通过了。这简直是一个羞辱。但，正如罗恩说的，你不能指望生活会样样顺利。 　　然后，突然间，他们的衣柜都空了，而皮箱却满了。尼维尔的蟾蜍也被发现了，原来是藏在厕所的一个角落里。学校又有了公告，禁止学生在假期里使用巫术（弗来德。威斯里知道后曾伤心地说，"我还一直希望他们忘了告诉我们这个呢。"）。 　　哈格力已经准备好了接他们下船，然后他们乘坐着"霍格瓦彻号快船"在河面上航行。他们又说又笑地看着两岸越来越翠绿清新的乡村；在经过马格镇时又在大嚼贝蒂。博特牌多味豆；一齐把巫师袍脱了下来，又一齐穿上了夹克和大衣；然后，在9点45分时驶进了国王车站。他们所有人下船也费了不少时间。这时，一个很老的巫师站在验票口，让他们两个或三个地通过，以免像人潮一样一次过涌出把那些马格人给吓着。 　　"你们这个暑假一定要来，"罗恩说，"你们两个都是——我会给你们送猫头鹰信的。""谢谢，"哈利说。"我终于有一些东西可以盼望了。"人们在挤来挤去。好不容易他们来到那个通向马格世界的出口。这时，有些人喊："再见了，哈利！""再会，波特！" 　　"还是很出名呢。"罗恩笑着对他说。 　　"我保证，只要一回到我要去的地方就不会出名了。"哈利说。 　　他，罗恩和荷米恩一起通过了那个出口。 　　"他在那儿呢，妈妈，他在那儿，看！"原来是金妮。威斯里，罗恩的小妹妹，但她却不是指着罗恩喊的。 　　"哈利·波特！"她尖叫，"看，妈妈！我见到了——""静一点，金妮，别指人家，太不礼貌了。"威斯里夫人向他们微笑着。"很忙的一年，是吗？"她问。 　　"嘿，那一点也不算什么。" 　　"你准备好了吧？"那是维能姨丈。他还是满脸短须，还是一见到