“Ron.” breathed Harry1, creeping to the window and pushing it up so they could talk through the bars. “Ron, how did you -? What the -?”
Harry's mouth fell open as the full impact of what he was seeing hit him. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise2 car, which was parked in midair .
Grinning at Harry from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.
“All right, Harry?” asked George.
“What's been going on?” said Ron. “Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles—”
“It wasn't me - and how did he know?”
“He works for the Ministry3,” said Ron. “You know we're not supposed to do spells outside school—”
“You should talk,” said Harry, staring at the floating car.
“Oh, this doesn't count,” said Ron. “We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, we didn't enchant4 it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with—”
“I told you, I didn't - but it'll take too long to explain now - look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so—”
“Stop gibbering,” said Ron. “We've come to take you home with us.”
“But you can't magic me out either—”
“We don't need to,” said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning. “You forget who I've got with me.”
“Tie that around the bars,” said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.
“If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead,” said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved5 up the car.
“Don't worry,” said Fred, “and stand back.”
Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching6 noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling7 a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted8 them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys'bedroom.
When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window.
“Get in,” Ron said.
“But all my Hogwarts stuff - my wand - my broomstick—”
“Where is it?”
“Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room—”
“No problem,” said George from the front passenger seat. “Out of the way, Harry.”
Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Harry's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Harry, as George took an ordinary hairpin9 from his pocket and started to pick the lock.
“A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick,” said Fred, “but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow.”
There was a small click and the door swung open.
“So - we'll get your trunk - you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron,” whispered George.
“Watch out for the bottom stair - it creaks,” Harry whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.
Harry dashed around his room, collecting his things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. Harry heard Uncle Vernon cough.
At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunk through Harry's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry and George pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window.
Uncle Vernon coughed again.
“A bit more,” panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. “One good push—”
Harry and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.
“Okay, let's go,” George whispered.
But as Harry climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden loud screech10 from behind him, followed immediately by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice.
“THAT RUDDY OWL11!”
“I've forgotten Hedwig!”
Harry tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on - he snatched up Hedwig's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Ron. He was scrambling12 back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door - and it crashed open.
For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway13; then he let out a bellow14 like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.
Ron, Fred, and George seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could.
“Petunia15!” roared Uncle Vernon. “He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!”
But the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug16 and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp - Harry was in the car - he'd slammed the door shut—
“Put your foot down, Fred!” yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.
Harry couldn't believe it - he was free. He rolled down the window, the night air whipping his hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Harry's window.
“See you next summer!” Harry yelled.
The Weasleys roared with laughter and Harry settled back in his seat, grinning from ear to ear.
“Let Hedwig out,” he told Ron. “She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages.”
George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig soared joyfully17 out of the window to glide18 alongside them like a ghost.
“So - what's the story, Harry?” said Ron impatiently. “What's been happening?”
Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry and the fiasco of the violet pudding. There was a long, shocked silence when he had finished.
“Very fishy,” said Fred finally.
“Definitely dodgy” agreed George. “So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?”
“I don't think he could,” said Harry. “I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall.”
He saw Fred and George look at each other.
“What, you think he was lying to me?” said Harry.
“Well,” said Fred, “put it this way - house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge19 against you?”
“Yes,” said Harry and Ron together, instantly.
“Draco Malfoy,” Harry explained. “He hates me.”
“Draco Malfoy?” said George, turning around. “Not Lucius Malfoy's son?”
“Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?” said Harry.
“I've heard Dad talking about him,” said George. “He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who.”
“And when You-Know-Who disappeared,” said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, “Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung - Dad reckons he was right in You- Know-Who's inner circle.”
Harry had heard these rumors20 about Malfoy's family before, and they didn't surprise him at all. Malfoy made Dudley Dursley look like a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive boy…
“I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf…” said Harry.
“Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich,” said Fred.
“Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing,” said George. “But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic21 and gnomes22 all over the garden.
House-elves come with big old manors25 and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house…”
Harry was silent. Judging by the fact that Draco Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family was rolling in wizard gold; he could just see Malfoy strutting26 around a large manor24 house. Sending the family servant to stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Malfoy would do. Had Harry been stupid to take Dobby seriously?
“I'm glad we came to get you, anyway,” said Ron. “I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol's fault at first—”
“Who's Errol?”
“Our owl. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed27 on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes—”
“Who?”
“The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect,” said Fred from the front.
“But Percy wouldn't lend him to me,” said Ron. “Said he needed him.”
“Percy's been acting28 very oddly this summer,” said George, frowning. “And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room… I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge… You're driving too far west, Fred,” he added, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering29 wheel.
“So, does your dad know you've got the car?” said Harry, guessing the answer.
“Er, no,” said Ron, “he had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back in the garage without Mum noticing we flew it.”
“What does your dad do at the Ministry of Magic, anyway?”
“He works in the most boring department,” said Ron. “The Misuse30 of Muggle Artifacts Office.”
“The what?”
“It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house. Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare - Dad was working overtime31 for weeks.”
“What happened?”
“The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs32 clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic33 - it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office - and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up—”
“But your dad - this car—”
Fred laughed. “Yeah, Dad's crazy about everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad.”
“That's the main road,” said George, peering down through the windshield. “We'll be there in ten minutes… Just as well, it's getting light…”
A faint pinkish glow was visible along the horizon to the east.
Fred brought the car lower, and Harry saw a dark patchwork34 of fields and clumps35 of trees.
“We're a little way outside the village,” said George. “Ottery St. Catchpole.”
Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.
“Touchdown!” said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry looked out for the first time at Ron's house.
It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked36 it looked as though it were held up by magic (which Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW37 . Around the front door lay a jumble38 of rubber boots and a very rusty39 cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.
“It's not much,” said Ron.
“It's wonderful ,” said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.
They got out of the car.
“Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly,” said Fred, “and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, Mum, look who turned up in the night!'and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car.”
“Right,” said Ron. “Come on, Harry, I sleep at the - at the top—”
Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed40 on the house. The other three wheeled around.
Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering41 chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable42 how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.
“Ah , “said Fred.
“Oh, dear,” said George.
Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips43, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron44 with a wand sticking out of the pocket.
“So ,” she said.
“Morning, Mum,” said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty45, winning voice.
“Have you any idea how worried I've been?” said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.
“Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to—”
All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered46 as her rage broke over them.
“Beds empty! No note! Car gone - could have crashed - out of my mind with worry - did you care? - never, as long as I've lived - you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy -”
“Perfect Percy,” muttered Fred.
“YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!” yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding47 a finger in Fred's chest. “You could have died , you could have been seen , you could have lost your father his job—”
It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse48 before she turned on Harry, who backed away.
“I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear,” she said. “Come in and have some breakfast.”
She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her.
The kitchen was small and rather cramped49. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a wizard house before.
The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens , and You're late . Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment50 in Baking, and One Minute Feasts - It's Magic! And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was “Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck.”
Mrs. Weasley was clattering51 around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly52, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like “don't know what you were thinking of,” and ” never would have believed it.”
“I don't blame you , dear,” she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. “Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really,” (she was now adding three fried eggs to his plate) “flying an illegal car halfway53 across the country - anyone could have seen you—”
She flicked54 her wand casually55 at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.
“It was cloudy , Mum!” said Fred.
“You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!” Mrs. Weasley snapped.
“They were starving him, Mum!” said George.
“And you!” said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened56 expression that she started cutting Harry bread and buttering it for him.
At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal57, and ran out again.
“Ginny,” said Ron in an undertone to Harry. “My sister. She's been talking about you all summer.”
“Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry,” Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent58 his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all four plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.
“Blimey , I'm tired,” yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. “I think I'll go to bed and—”
“You will not,” snapped Mrs. Weasley. “It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome23 the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again—”
“Oh, Mum—”
“And you two,” she said, glaring at Ron and Fred. “You can go up to bed, dear,” she added to Harry. “You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car—”
But Harry, who felt wide awake, said quickly, “I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming—”
“That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work,” said Mrs. Weasley. “Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject—”
And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece. George groaned59.
“Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden—”
Harry looked at the cover of Mrs. Weasley's book. Written across it in fancy gold letters were the words Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests . There was a big photograph on the front of a very good-looking wizard with wavy60 blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the wizarding world, the photograph was moving; the wizard, who Harry supposed was Gilderoy Lockhart, kept winking61 cheekily up at them all. Mrs. Weasley beamed down at him.
“Oh, he is marvelous,” she said. “He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book…”
“Mum fancies him,” said Fred, in a very audible whisper.
“Don't be so ridiculous, Fred,” said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink. “All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe62 betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it.”
Yawning and grumbling63, the Weasleys slouched outside with Harry behind them. The garden was large, and in Harry's eyes, exactly what a garden should be. The Dursleys wouldn't have liked it - there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting - but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.
“Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know,” Harry told Ron they crossed the lawn.
“Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes,” said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, “like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods…”
There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered64, and Ron straightened up. ” This is a gnome,” he said grimly.
“Gerroff me! Gerroff me!” squealed65 the gnome.
It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles and turned it upside down.
“This is what you have to do,” he said. He raised the gnome above his head ("Gerroff me!") and started to swing it in great circles like a lasso. Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Ron added, “It doesn't hurt them -you've just got to make them really dizzy so they can't find their way back to the gnome holes.”
He let go of the gnome's ankles: It flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge.
“Pitiful,” said Fred. “I bet I can get mine beyond that stump66.”
Harry learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. He decided67 just to drop the first one he caught over the hedge, but the gnome, sensing weakness, sank its razor-sharp teeth into Harry's finger and he had a hard job shaking it off - until—
“Wow, Harry - that must've been fifty feet…”
The air was soon thick with flying gnomes.
“See, they're not too bright,” said George, seizing five or six gnomes at once. “The moment they know the de-gnoming's going on they storm up to have a look. You'd think they'd have learned by now just to stay put.”
Soon, the crowd of gnomes in the field started walking away in a straggling line, their little shoulders hunched68.
“They'll be back,” said Ron as they watched the gnomes disappear into the hedge on the other side of the field. “They love it here… Dad's too soft with them; he thinks they're funny…”
Just then, the front door slammed.
“He's back!” said George. “Dad's home!”
They hurried through the garden and back into the house.
Mr. Weasley was slumped69 in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.
“What a night,” he mumbled70, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. “Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned…”
Mr. Weasley took a long gulp71 of tea and sighed.
“Find anything, Dad?” said Fred eagerly.
“All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle,” yawned Mr. Weasley. “There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness…”
“Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?” said George.
“Just Muggle-baiting,” sighed Mr. Weasley. “Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it… Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking - they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face… But the things our lot have taken to enchanting72, you wouldn't believe—”
“LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?”
Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker73 like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife.
“C-cars, Molly, dear?”
“Yes, Arthur, cars,” said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. “Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly .”
Mr. Weasley blinked.
“Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if - er - he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth… There's a loophole in the law, you'll find… As long as he wasn't intending to fly the car, the fact that the car could fly wouldn't—”
“Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!” shouted Mrs. Weasley. “Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry arrived this morning in the car you weren't intending to fly!”
“Harry?” said Mr. Weasley blankly. “Harry who?”
He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped.
“Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about—”
“Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!” shouted Mrs. Weasley. “What have you got to say about that, eh?”
“Did you really?” said Mr. Weasley eagerly. “Did it go all right? I - I mean,” he faltered74 as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, “that - that was very wrong, boys - very wrong indeed…”
“Let's leave them to it,” Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled75 like a bullfrog. “Come on, I'll show you my bedroom.”
They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven76 staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging77 up through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.
“Ginny,” said Ron. “You don't know how weird78 it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally—”
They climbed two more flights until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque79 on it, saying RONALD'S ROOM .
Harry stepped in, his head almost touching80 the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Harry realized that Ron had covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven witches and wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically.
“Your Quidditch team?” said Harry.
“The Chudley Cannons,” said Ron, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. “Ninth in the league.”
Ron's school spellbooks were stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of comics that all seemed to feature The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. Ron's magic wand was lying on top of a fish tank full of frog spawn81 on the windowsill, next to his fat gray rat, Scabbers, who was snoozing in a patch of sun.
Harry stepped over a pack of Self-Shuffling playing cards on the floor and looked out of the tiny window. In the field far below he could see a gang of gnomes sneaking82 one by one back through the Weasleys'hedge. Then he turned to look at Ron, who was watching him almost nervously83, as though waiting for his opinion.
“It's a bit small,” said Ron quickly. “Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath84 the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning…”
But Harry, grinning widely, said, “This is the best house I've ever been in.”
Ron's ears went pink.
“罗恩！”哈利惊呼道，爬到窗前并推高它，这样他们就能隔着横木说话了。
“罗恩，你怎么——那是——”
哈利被他目睹的一切吓住了，嘴巴半天都会不拢。罗恩正在一辆停在半空中的绿色汽车中斜靠在后窗外。在车前座对着哈利咧嘴笑的是弗来德和乔治，罗恩的两位孪生哥哥。
“哈利，好吗？”
“发生了什么事？”罗恩说。“为什么你不回我的信？我叫了你十二次来做客了，后来爸爸回家说你因为在马格面前施魔法而收到办公室警告……”
“不是我干的——他是怎么知道的？”
“他在魔法部工作，”罗恩说。“你知道我们是不能在校外施法的——”
“你变阔气了。”哈利盯着浮着的汽车说道。
“哦，这不算什么——”罗恩说。“我只是借的，它是爸爸的，不要被它迷惑了。但是在和你一起住的那些马格面前施法……”
“我说过，我没有——这要花很长的时间才能解释清楚。瞧，你能不能在霍格瓦彻向他们解释说杜史林家把我锁了起来而且不让我回去，显然我不能施法出去的，因为这样魔法部会认为是我在三天内的第二次施法，所以……”
“别罗嗦，”罗恩说。“我是来带你跟我们回家的。”
“可你一样不能施法救我出去呀——”
“用不着，”罗恩用头向前座方向示意，眨着眼睛说道。“你忘了我是带人来的。”
“把这绑在横木上。”佛来德把绳子的末端扔给哈利。
“要是杜史林家醒了，我会死的。”哈利边说边把绳子紧紧地缠在横木上，同时弗来德发动了汽车。
“别担心，”弗来德说，“退后。”
哈利往后挪回黑暗中紧靠着海维，它好像意识到此刻的重要性并一在保持着不动和安静。汽车启动声越来越响，弗朱德在空中径直开去，突然随着嘎咋一声，横木全被拉出窗外了。——哈利跑到窗前看着横木在离地几尺处摇摆着。罗恩喘着气把横木拉进了车里。
哈利焦急地听着，但是杜史林一家的卧室里没有一点动静传来。
“当所有的横木都安全地和罗恩留在后座后，弗来德把车倒回来尽可能靠近哈利的窗户。
“进来。”罗恩道。
“但我在霍格瓦彻的所有道具……我的棍棒……我的扫帚……”
“在哪儿呢？”
“锁在楼梯下的柜橱里，而且我走不出这房间——”
“没问题。”前面客座的乔治说道。“哈利，没事的。”
弗来德和乔治小心翼翼地通过窗户爬进哈利的房里。当乔治从他的口袋里掏出一个很普通的发夹并开始撬锁时，哈利想那就交给他们办吧。
“很多巫师觉得知道这类马格的伎俩简直浪费时间，”弗来德道，“但我们觉得还是值得学学的，尽管慢了点。”
嘀答一声，门开了。
“好了——我们去找你的箱子——你收拾一下房间里要用的东西，然后递出去给罗恩。”乔治小声说道。
“留心最底的楼梯，裂的。”当那双胞胎消失在楼梯平台时，哈利低产应道。
哈利在房里忙开了，他把东西集中到一起再传到窗外给罗恩。
然后他去帮弗来德和乔治的忙把他的箱子搬到楼上。哈利听到了维能姨丈的咳嗽声。
最后，他们喘着气到达了平台，然后带着箱子经过哈利的房间来到窗前。在被罗恩拉着和乔治在卧室这边推着的帮助下，弗来德爬回了车子里。箱子一寸一寸地滑过窗户。
维能姨丈又咳嗽了。
“再来一点，”在车里拉着的弗来德喘着气说。“用劲……”
哈利和乔治用他们的肩膀顶着箱子，箱子滑出了窗户掉到车后座去了。
“好了，咱们走吧。”乔治小声说道。
但就在哈利爬到窗台时，突然从身后传来一阵响亮的尖叫声，紧接着是维能姨丈雷鸣般的声音。
“那该死的猫头鹰！”
“我忘了海维！”
哈利猛转回房间，此时楼梯平台的灯亮了。他抓住海维的笼子，冲到窗前并递出去给罗恩。正当维能姨丈拍打那扇没锁的门——门突然开了时，哈利赶忙爬到内衣箱的上面。
有一瞬间，维能姨丈站在门口一动不动；然后他像头发怒的公牛般怒吼着，并冲向哈利，抓住他的脚踝。
罗恩、弗来德和乔治抓住哈利的手臂，竭尽全力地把地拽住。
“帕尤妮亚！”维能姨丈吼道。“他要逃走啦！他要逃走啦！”
威斯里家兄弟强大的力量使哈利的腿挣脱了维能姨丈的掌握。
当哈利进到车里并嘭地关上门时，罗恩大喊：“放下你的脚，弗来德！”
汽车突然箭似地飞向月亮。
哈利简直不敢相信——他自由了。他摇下车窗，回望不断在变小的普里怀特的屋顶，晚风吹拂着他的头发。维能姨丈、帕尤妮亚姨妈和达德里全都抬头看向哈利的窗外，吓得目瞪口呆。
“明年夏天再见了！”哈利大声喊道。
杜史林家兄弟大声欢呼着；哈利坐回他的位置，会心地笑了。
“把海维放出来吧，”他对罗恩说道。“它能跟在我们后头飞。它已经好久没有机会展开翅膀了。”
乔治把发夹递给了罗恩，一会儿功夫海维就欢快地飞出了窗外，像个幽灵般在他们左右滑翔。
“现在——哈利。那个故事是怎样的？”罗恩迫不及待地问道。
“发生了什么事？”
哈利把多比的事全都告诉了他们，还有它对哈利的警告以及那紫罗兰布了的悲惨下场。当他讲完以后，大家都沉默了好一段时间。
“实在是可疑的。”弗来德最后说道。
“简直在骗人，”乔治表示同意。“它甚至没有告诉你谁是最可疑的？”
“我觉得它是不能说，”哈利说。“我告诉你，每次他透露一些事情，他就会把头猛撞向墙。”
他看到弗来德和乔治面面相觑。
“怎么，你们觉得它对我说谎吗？”哈利说。
“那么，”弗来德说，“这样想吧——小精灵本身具有魔力的，但没有主人的许可，它们通常是不能施法的。我估计多比是派去阻拦你回霍格瓦彻的。某个人的玩笑而已。你觉得学校里有谁和你过不去吗？”
“对了。”哈利和罗恩即刻齐声说。
“杰高。马尔夫，”哈利解释说。“他讨厌我。”
“杰高。马尔夫？”乔治转头说道。“不就是露市斯。马尔夫的儿子吗？”
“一定是，这不是个普通的名字，对吧？”哈利说。“为什么呢？”
“我听爸爸提过他，”乔治说。“他曾是‘那个人’的支持者。”
“我不知道马尔夫家是否有个小精灵……”哈利说。
“那么，不管谁拥有它都会是个古老的巫术家庭，而且很富有。”弗来德说。
“对，妈妈总说希望咱们家有个小精灵来干些烫衣服的活，”乔治说。“但是我们有的只是在阁楼里的恶心的老盗尸者和花园里的地精。小精灵只呆在古老的大庄园、城堡和诸如此类的地方，你是不可能在咱家碰到的……”
哈利默不作声。从杰高。马尔大常有最好的东西这个事实作分析，他的家庭该是巫师界的名流；他能想象出马尔夫在大庄园里大摇大摆的样子。派个家仆来阻拦哈利回霍格瓦彻听起来也的确会像是马尔夫干的那种事。哈利会蠢到把多比当真吗？
“不管怎样，我很高兴我们来带你走，”罗恩说。“你不给我回信，我真的挺担心的。起初我还以为是厄罗尔？”
“厄罗尔是谁？”哈利问道。“我们的猫头鹰呀。它很老了，它已经不是头一次弄丢信件了。所以后来我想向伯希借——”
“谁？”
“这只猫头鹰是妈妈和爸爸在伯希被选为长官时买给他的。”弗来德在前座上说。
“但是伯希的行为十分古怪，”乔治皱着眉说。“他发了好多信出去，而且多数时候把自己关在房里……我的意思是，有很多时间可以擦亮那枚漂亮的徽章……
弗来德，你往西开得太远了。“他指着仪表板上的指南针补充道。弗来德转了下方向盘。
“那么，你们爸爸知道你们拿了车吗？”哈利猜测地问道。
“呃，不，”罗恩说。“他今晚得工作。希望我们能把它放回去而不被妈妈发现我们开过它。”
“你们爸爸在魔法部是干什么的？”
“他在最烦闷的部门工作，”罗恩说。“防止马格监用物品办公室。”
“什么？”
“他的职责就是万一巫师是在马格的商店或房子里面死的话，去处理那些由马格造的令人迷惑的东西。比如去年，一个女巫死了，而她的茶具被卖给了一家古董店。一个马格女人把它买了下来，带回了家并用它来款待她的朋友。那简直就是一场噩梦——爸爸连续几星期都在加班。”
“那有什么后果呢？”
“那茶壶疯了似的到处喷出烧开的条，一个男人因为给糖钳夹住了鼻子在医院死了。爸爸都快忙坏了，办公室就只有他和一个叫怕更斯的老巫土，并且他们得做记忆施咒和各种覆盖它的工作……”
“可你爸爸……这车……”
弗来德笑了。“对了，爸爸对处理马格的事很着迷，我们的小屋到处是马格的物品。他把它先拆开，对它念咒，再重新把它组装起来。要是他搜查咱们家房子，他就得直接把他自己逮捕了。这让妈妈受不了。”
“那是大路，”乔治透过挡风玻璃往下看说。“我们十分钟就能到那……幸好，天开始亮了……”
在东方的地干线上可以看到一个发着微弱桃红光芒的发光体。
弗来德降低了车子，哈利看见田地和丛林。
“我们在村外的小路上，”乔治说。“快到家了……”
车子飞得越来越低。红红的太阳正发出微光照射着森林。
“着陆！”弗来德说道。随着一下轻微的颠簸，他们到了地面。他们停在一个小空地上的破烂车房旁，哈利第一次看到罗恩家的房子。
仿佛看起来那曾经是间很大的石造房子，但还是加建了房间，约有几层楼高并弯弯曲曲的，好像是用魔法建成似的。（哈利提醒自己这的确有可能的。）四到五个烟囱竖在红色的房顶上。门口边上有一个竖在地上、左右边不对称的牌子写着“地洞”。前门放着一双威灵顿长靴和一个生了锈的大锅。一些褐色的小鸡正在地上啄食。
“这里不怎么样吧。”罗恩说。
“很好了。”对比普里怀特，哈利高兴地说。
他们下了车。
“现在，我们要非常安静地上楼去，‘佛来德说道，’等妈妈喊我们吃早饭。
然后罗恩你跑到楼下说‘妈妈，瞧，昨晚谁来了！’，她会很高兴见到哈利的，而且没人知道我们用过车子。”
“知道了，”罗恩说。“来，哈利，我睡在……”
罗恩突然脸色发绿，眼睛紧紧盯着房子。其余三人也转过身来。
威斯里太太正从院子的那头走了过来，地上的小鸡四散飞跑，一下子这个丰满的、和蔼的妇人变得好像一头剑齿虎似的。
“呀。”弗来德喊道。
“我的天哪。”乔治惊呼。
威斯里太太停在他们面前，她背着手，目光从一张歉疚的脸上移到另一张上。
她穿着一件口袋里放着魔杖的花围裙。
“好呀。”她说。
“早上好，妈妈。”乔治装出洋洋得意的样子说道。
“你们知道我昨晚有多担心吗？”威斯里太太可怕地小声说道。
“对不起，妈妈，可是瞧，我们——”
威斯里太太的三个儿子都比她高，但他们却很怕惹她生气。
“床是空的！没有字条！车子不见了……有没有出车祸……担心死了……你们知道吗？……我活这么久，从来没试过这样……你们等爸爸回来，比尔、查理或伯希他们就没惹过这样的麻烦……”
“伯希……”弗来德小声嘀咕着。
“你该学学伯希！”威斯里太太用手指着弗来德的胸口喊道。“你可能会死的，你可能会给马格人看到的，你可能会连累你父亲丢了工作——”
看来这样还得持续几个小时。威斯里太太转向哈利时，喉咙都喊嘶哑了，哈利吓得后退了几步。
“很高兴见到你，亲爱的哈利，”她说，“进来吃早餐吧。”
她转身，带着哈利走回屋子里。哈利紧张地看了一眼正点头鼓励他的罗恩后，就跟着她走了。
厨房很小而且相当狭窄。环顾四周，中间放着擦干净的木制桌子和椅子。哈利小心地坐在座位的边缘上。他从没到过巫师的房子里。
墙上背对着他的大钟只有一根指针，根本没有数字。只在边缘上写满诸如“该泡茶了”，“该喂鸡了”和“迟到了”的字样。
壁架上放着三叠厚厚的书，书名分别为《使你的奶酪变得美味》、《烹任魁力》和《一分钟晚宴》——太神奇了！如果哈利没听错的话，那台挨着水池的老式收音机刚宣布接下来是“巫术时间，由广受欢迎的男巫歌手塞。旺伯克主持”。
威斯里太太在厨房里弄得哗啦作响，随便地在弄点早餐；她往煎锅倒香肠时，带点厌恶的神色，扫了她的儿子们一眼。她不时唠叨着“真不知道你们在想什么”和“真不敢相信”、“我并没怪你，亲爱的，”
她边往哈利的碟子里倒了八九根香肠，边向他保证。“亚瑟和我也很担心你。
昨晚我们还在讨论要是你在周五还不给罗恩回信的话，我们就要去接你的。但真的，（她又添了三只煎蛋给他。）驾驶一辆非法的汽车在乡村的半空中——谁都可能看到你们的———”
她用魔杖随便向水池一指，洗涤就自动进行，伴着轻轻的叮当声。
“妈妈，那时天气多云。”弗来德说。
“吃东西的时候闭嘴！”威斯里太太打断他的话。
“他们在让他挨饿，妈妈！”乔治说。
“你也是！”威斯里太太说，但当她切面包和涂黄油给哈利的时候，表情缓和多了。
就在那时，一个矮个、红发、穿着睡衣的人出现在厨房里，带来了转机。她小声尖叫然后又跑了出去。
“金妮，”罗恩低声告诉哈利。“我的妹妹。她整个暑假都有提起你。”
“是啊，她一直想要你的签名，哈利。”弗来德低声说，但当他看到母亲正看着他时，他就低头吃饭，一声不吭。直至四只碟子在极短的时间内被洗干净，大家没有再多说一句话。
“啊呀，我累了，”弗来德打着呵欠说道，放下了他的刀和叉。“我想我要去睡觉了——”
“不许去，”威斯里太太突然说道。“昨晚不睡觉是你自找的。你替我把花园的地精清理一下，他们又完全不听话了。”
“哦，妈妈——”
“还有你们两个，”她盯着罗恩和乔治说。“而你上去睡觉吧，亲爱的，”她对哈利加了一句。“你没有叫他们开那可怜的车子。”
但哈利觉得很清醒，急忙说，“我去帮罗恩吧。我还没见过清理地精呢——”
“你真好，孩子，但那是很枯燥的，”威斯里太太说道。“现在，让我们看看罗克哈特是怎么说的。”
她从壁架上抽出一本厚厚的书。
“妈妈，我们知道该怎么做。”‘乔治嘟哝着。
哈利看了看威斯里太太那本书的封面。书上印着奇特的金字，写着《吉德洛。罗克哈特的家常治害导向》。在书的前面有一张大照片，那个人长得很好看，有着卷曲的金发和明亮的蓝眼睛。
通常在巫术世界里面，这样的照片是会动的；这个哈利认为就是吉德洛。罗克哈特的巫师正厚着脸皮向他们在场的人眨眼。威斯里太太则向他微笑示意。
“哦，他真不可思议，”她说。“他了解他家有害的东西，是的，这真是本精彩的书……”
“妈妈很崇拜他。”弗来德极低的声音说道。
“别让人笑话，弗来德，”威斯里太太涨红了脸说道。“要是你觉得懂得比罗克哈特多的话，你可以去干活了；但假如我去检查的时候还有地精在花园的话，你就有好瞧的。”
打着哈欠。满腹牢骚的威斯里兄弟懒散地出去了，哈利紧跟着他们。花园很大，在哈利的眼里，花园就该是这样的。达德里家不会有像这样的花园——杂草丛生，要修剪的草坪——墙的四周种着粗糙的树木，每个花床上都长着哈利从没见过的植物，还有很多青蛙的绿色池糖。
“你知道，马格也有花园地精的。”当他们经过草地时，哈利告诉罗恩。
“是的，我见过那些被认为地精的东西，”罗恩说着，在芍药丛中摘了两朵戴在了头上。“就像带着钓鱼竿的胖而矮小的基督神甫——”
一阵猛烈的混战声传了过来，芍药丛不断抖动，罗恩站直了身。
“这就是地精。”他冷冷说道。
“放开我！放开我！”那地精抗议地说。
它一点都不像基督神甫。它很矮小，皮革似的样子，大大的、长节的秃头十足像一个马铃薯。罗恩伸直手把它举了起来，而它用它那角状的小脚踢向他；他捉住它的脚踝，把它倒了过来。
“这就是你要干的。”他说。他把那地精高举过头，并开始像甩绳套那样将它转起来；哈利看得目瞪口呆，罗恩补充道，“这样不会伤着它们——只要搞得它们晕头转向，这样它们就找不着回去地精洞的路了。”
他放开了那地精的脚踝：它在空中飞起二十尺，然后越过树篱重重地摔到了地上。
“真差劲，”弗来德说。“我敢打赌我可以扔过那树桩。”
哈利很快不再对那些地精们感到抱歉了。他决定也要把他抓的第一个地精扔过树篱去，但那地精看起来虚弱得很，锋利的牙齿咬着哈利的手指，很难把它甩掉，直至——“喔，哈利——那起码有五十尺……”
很快空中满是乱舞的地精。
“看到了吧，它们很笨的，”乔治说着，马上又抓住了五六个地精。
“这时候它们才知道这是在清理它们。你想它们早该在被扔出去之前就意识到这一点吧。”
很快，在地上的那群地精们耸着肩，开始有秩序地蜿蜒而行，离开了。
“它们会回来的，”看着地精们消失在田那边的树丛中，罗恩说道，“它们爱这里……爸爸对它们太好了，他觉得它们很有趣……”
就在那时，前门砰的一下关上了。
“他回来了！”乔治说，“爸爸回来了！”
他们赶快穿过花园回到了屋子。
威斯里先生坐在厨房的椅子上，摘了眼镜，疲倦地合上了双眼。
他瘦瘦的，头有点秃，但头发和他的孩子们一样那么红。他穿了一件满是灰尘、旧的绿色长袍。
“可怕的夜晚，”他喃喃自语，当他们都围坐在他身边时，他起身拿茶壶。
“九次袭击。九次！当我回程时老孟顿格斯。弗特切想对我施法……”
威斯里先生深深喝了一口茶，并叹着气。
“发现什么吗？”弗来德急切地说。
“我只找到那些收缩的门匙和一把生锈的壶，”威斯里先生打着可欠，“尽管有些讨厌的东西并非是我的部门的，马锐克因为某些不成对的细带问题被带走问话了，但这是魔术委员会的事，上帝保佑——”
“为什么没有人能阻止钥匙变小呢？”乔治说。
“仅是作马格的诱饵，”威斯里先生叹气说，“卖给他们开不了任何东西的不断缩小的钥匙，那么在他们要用的时候，他们将再找不到它……当然这很难说是谁的错，因为没有马格会承认他们的钥匙在变小——而他们只是坚持说他们丢了。上帝保佑他们，他们总是无视魔法，即使他们面对着魔法……但是我们命运中的事物就是这样让人迷惑，令你不敢相信——”
“例如就像那车子？”威斯里太太手里拿着一把像剑一样的长拨火棍出来了。
威斯里先生眼睛猛地睁开，歉疚地看着他太太。
“车——车子，摩莉？”
“是的，亚瑟，车子，”威斯里太太眼睛闪着光说道，“想象一下，一个巫师买了辆生锈的破车，并告诉他太太，他只是想把它拆开，看看它的工作原理。而事实上他却施法使车子能飞起来。”
威斯里先生眨眨眼睛。
“哎呀，亲爱的。我想你会懂得即使法律允许这么干，他也有被停职的可能。
嗯，即使他能干得更好。晤，告诉他太太真相……你知道，法律是有漏洞的……只要他不把车开走，车子能飞的事就会——”
“亚瑟城斯里，我敢肯定你写法律的时候有漏洞！”威斯里太太大喊，“用你那大汽锅把你小屋里所有的马格垃圾统统带走！告诉你，今天早上哈利就是坐着你那会飞的车子来的！”
“哈利？”威斯里先生茫然问道。“谁是哈利？”
他四处张望，看到哈利并跳了起来。
“天啊，他就是哈利。波特？很高兴认识你，罗恩已经告诉我们很多关于——”
“昨晚你的儿子们开着那车去哈利的家里并把他接回来的！”威斯里太太大喊。
“对那事你有什么要说的吗，呃？”
“真是你吗？”威斯里先生急迫地说。“过得好吗？我——我是说，”看到威斯里太太眼里的神色不对劲，他有点给巴地说，“那——那是不对的，孩子——真的不对……”
“我们别管它，”正当威斯坦太太气得像鼓气的牛蛙时，罗恩对哈利嘀咕道。
“来，我带你到我的房里。”
他们溜出厨房，沿着一条狭窄的过道来到崎岖的楼梯，楼梯婉蜒而上贯通整所房子。三楼，房门微开。在房门突然关上之前，哈利看到一双明亮的褐色眼睛正盯着他。
“金妮，”罗恩说。“你不知道，她这么害羞太不可思议了，她从不规矩地关门——”
他们又爬了两段楼梯直至来到一个油漆剥落、有小金属装饰的门前，上面写着“罗恩的房间”。
哈利走进去，头几乎碰到了倾斜的屋顶，眨着好奇的眼睛。他就像走进了一个炕子里面：房间里的每一样东西几乎都是鲜艳的橘红色：床铺、墙壁、甚至天花板。
然后哈利才发现原来罗恩是在破旧墙纸的几乎每一寸地方上都贴着七个相同的巫师和女巫的海报，他们都穿着鲜艳橘红色的长袍、拿着扫帚并且精力充沛地飞着。
“你的奎德队吗？”哈利道。
“奎德队。”罗恩指着用两块大的黑色金属格和一个飞行的炮弹做纹章装饰的霍格瓦彻红色床铺说道，“联赛第九。”
罗恩的魔法书杂乱地堆在角落里，挨着一堆全是描写“马丁。米格，疯狂的马格”的漫画书。罗恩的魔杖则躺在窗台上那装满蝌蚪的鱼缸上，旁边是他那正在太阳底下打瞌睡、肥硕的灰鼠斯卡伯斯。
哈利跨过地上一堆会自动洗牌的纸牌，从小窗往外张望。在远处田野，他看到一群地精正鬼鬼祟祟、一个接一个地通过威斯里家的树篱回来。然后他转身看着正好奇地看着他的罗恩，罗恩似乎在等他说话。
“地方小了点，”罗恩飞快地说。“不像你和马格住时的那房间。
我正好住在阁楼里的盗尸者的下面，他常大力敲打管子和呻吟……“但哈利眨着大眼睛说，”这是我住过的最好的房子。”
罗恩不好意思地耳朵都变红了。
收听单词发音 |
1
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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turquoise
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| n.绿宝石；adj.蓝绿色的 | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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enchant
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| vt.使陶醉，使入迷；使着魔，用妖术迷惑 | |
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revved
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| v.（使）加速( rev的过去式和过去分词 )；（数量、活动等）激增；（使发动机）快速旋转；（使）活跃起来 | |
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crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hairpin
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| n.簪,束发夹，夹发针 | |
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screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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bellow
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| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
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petunia
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| n.矮牵牛花 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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18
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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20
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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21
attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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22
gnomes
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| n.矮子( gnome的名词复数 )；侏儒；（尤指金融市场上搞投机的）银行家；守护神 | |
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23
gnome
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| n.土地神；侏儒，地精 | |
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24
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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manors
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| n.庄园（manor的复数形式） | |
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26
strutting
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| 加固，支撑物 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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28
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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29
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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30
misuse
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| n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用 | |
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31
overtime
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| adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地 | |
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32
tongs
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| n.钳；夹子 | |
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33
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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34
patchwork
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| n.混杂物；拼缝物 | |
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35
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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36
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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37
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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38
jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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39
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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40
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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41
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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42
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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43
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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44
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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45
jaunty
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| adj．愉快的，满足的；adv.心满意足地，洋洋得意地；n.心满意足；洋洋得意 | |
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46
cowered
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的过去式 ) | |
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47
prodding
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| v.刺，戳( prod的现在分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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48
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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49
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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50
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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51
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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52
haphazardly
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| adv.偶然地，随意地，杂乱地 | |
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53
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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54
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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55
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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56
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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57
squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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58
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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59
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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60
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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61
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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62
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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63
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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64
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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65
squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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67
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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68
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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69
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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70
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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72
enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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73
poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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74
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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75
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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76
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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77
zigzagging
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| v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 )；盘陀 | |
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78
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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79
plaque
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| n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板 | |
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80
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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81
spawn
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| n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产 | |
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82
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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83
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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84
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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