The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Harry1's liking2. He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at the Burrow3 had been the happiest of his life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when he thought of the Dursleys and the sort of welcome he could expect next time he turned up on Privet Drive.
On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured4 up a sumptuous5 dinner that included all of Harry's favorite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle6 pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster7 fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.
It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills9; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.
Harry couldn't see how eight people, six large trunks, two owls10, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford12 Anglia. He had reckoned, of course, without the special features that Mr. Weasley had added.
“Not a word to Molly,” he whispered to Harry as he opened the. trunk and showed him how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.
When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, “Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?” She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. “I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?”
Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. He barely had time to wonder when he'd see it again when they were back. George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded13 to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked14 that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.
Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.
“Molly, dear—”
“No , Arthur --”
“No one would see - this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed - that'd get us up in the air - then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser—”
“I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight—”
They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys15 for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.
Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky17 part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.
“Percy first,” said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously18 at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually19 through the barrier.
Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed.
“I'll take Ginny and you two come right after us,” Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.
“Let's go together, we've only got a minute,” Ron said to Harry.
Harry made sure that Hedwig's cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley16 around to face the barrier. He felt perfectly20 confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder. Both of them bent22 low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering23 speed. A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and—
CRASH.
Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump24, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounced onto the shiny floor, and she rolled away, shrieking25 indignantly; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, “What in blazes d'you think you're doing?”
“Lost control of the trolley,” Harry gasped26, clutching his ribs27 as he got up. Ron ran to pick up Hedwig, who was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd.
“Why can't we get through?” Harry hissed28 to Ron.
“I dunno—”
Ron looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them.
“We're going to miss the train,” Ron whispered. “I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself—”
Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ten seconds… nine seconds…
He wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid.
Three seconds… two seconds… one second…
“It's gone,” said Ron, sounding stunned29. “The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?”
Harry gave a hollow laughed. “The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money for about six years.”
Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier.
“Can't hear a thing,” he said tensely, “What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mum and Dad to get back to us.”
They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of Hedwig's continuing screeches31.
“I think we'd better go and wait by the car,” said Harry. “We're attracting too much atten—”
“Harry!” said Ron, his eyes gleaming. “The car!”
“What about it?”
“We can fly the car to Hogwarts!”
“But I thought—”
“We're stuck, right? And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction32 of Thingy—”
“But your Mum and Dad…” said Harry, pushing against the barrier again in the vain hope that it would give way. “How will they get home?”
“They don't need the car!” said Ron impatiently. “They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home! They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we're all underage and we're not allowed to Apparate yet…”
Harry's feeling of panic turned suddenly to excitement.
“Can you fly it?”
“No, problem,” said Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. “C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express—”
And they marched off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the old Ford Anglia was parked.
Ron unlocked the cavernous trunk with a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, put Hedwig on the back seat, and got into the front.
“Check that no one's watching,” said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling33 along the main road ahead, but their street was empty.
“Okay,” he said.
Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished - and so did they. Harry could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose, but for all he could see, he had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy34 street full of parked cars.
“Let's go,” said Ron's voice from his right.
And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them.
Then there was a popping noise and the car, Harry, and Ron reappeared.
“Uh-oh,” said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. “It's faulty—”
Both of them pummeled it. The car vanished. Then it flickered35 back again.
“Hold on!” Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy.
“Now what?” said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.
“We need to see the train to know what direction to go in,” said Ron.
“Dip back down again - quickly—”
They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting36 at the ground.
“I can see it!” Harry yelled. “Right ahead - there!”
The Hogwarts Express was streaking38 along below them like a scarlet39 snake.
“Due north,” said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. “Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so - hold on—”
And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight.
It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy40 cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun.
“All we've got to worry about now are airplanes,” said Ron.
They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop.
It was as though they had been plunged41 into a fabulous42 dream. This, thought Harry, was surely the only way to travel - past swirls43 and turrets44 of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment45, and the prospect46 of seeing Fred's and George's jealous faces when they landed smoothly47 and spectacularly on the sweeping48 lawn in front of Hogwarts castle.
They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors49, a great city alive with cars like multicolored ants, villages with tiny toy churches.
Several uneventful hours later, however, Harry had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. He and Ron had pulled off their sweaters, but Harry's T-shirt was sticking to the back of his seat and his glasses kept sliding down to the end of his sweaty nose. He had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly50 of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin51 juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch. Why hadn't they been able to get onto platform nine and three-quarters?
“Can't be much further, can it?” croaked52 Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. “Ready for another check on the train?”
It was still right below them, winding53 its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy54 of clouds.
Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine55.
Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.
“It's probably just tired,” said Ron. “It's never been this far before…”
And they both pretended not to notice the whining56 growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily57 darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest.
“Not far,” said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, “not far now,” and he patted the dashboard nervously.
When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint37 through the darkness for a landmark58 they knew.
“There!” Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. “Straight ahead!”
Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle.
But the car had begun to shudder59 and was losing speed.
“Come on,” Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering60 wheel a little shake, “nearly there, come on—”
The engine groaned62. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood63. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew toward the lake.
The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles64 were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again.
“Come on,” Ron muttered.
They were over the lake - the castle was right ahead - Ron put his foot down.
There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.
“Uh-oh,” said Ron, into the silence.
The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.
“Noooooo!” Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time.
Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket—
“STOP! STOP!” he yelled, whacking65 the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting66, the ground flying up toward them—
“WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!” Harry bellowed67, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late—
CRUNCH.
With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt68. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled69 hood; Hedwig was shrieking in terror; a golfball-size lump was throbbing70 on Harry's head where he had hit the windshield; and to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan61.
“Are you okay?” Harry said urgently.
“My wand,” said Ron, in a shaky voice. “Look at my wand—”
It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling71 limply, held on by a few splinters.
Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they'd be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.
“What's happen -?”
Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs72 were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach.
“Aaargh!” said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent21 into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs73 and a branch as thick as a battering74 ram75 was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving in.
“Run for it!” Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Harry's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch.
“We're done for!” he moaned as the ceiling sagged76, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating - the engine had restarted.
“Reverse!” Harry yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing77 out at them as they sped out of reach.
“That,” panted Ron, “was close. Well done, car—”
The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Harry felt his seat tip sideways: Next thing he knew he was sprawled78 on the damp ground. Loud thuds told him that the car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig's cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech30 and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. Then, dented79, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled80 off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.
“Come back!” Ron yelled after it, brandishing81 his broken wand. “Dad'll kill me!”
But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.
“Can you believe our luck?” said Ron miserably82, bending down to pick up Scabbers. “Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing83 its branches threateningly.
“Come on,” said Harry wearily, “we'd better get up to the school…”
It wasn't at all the triumphant84 arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised85, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy86 slope, toward the great oak front doors.
“I think the feast's already started,” said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. “Hey - Harry - come and look - it's the Sorting!”
Harry hurried over and, together, he and Ron peered in at the Great Hall.
Innumerable candles were hovering87 in midair over four long, crowded tables, making the golden plates and goblets89 sparkle. Overhead, the bewitched ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside, sparkled with stars.
Through the forest of pointed90 black Hogwarts hats, Harry saw a long line of scared-looking first years filing into the Hall. Ginny was among them, easily visible because of her vivid Weasley hair. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, a bespectacled witch with her hair in a tight bun, was placing the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a stool before the newcomers.
Every year, this aged91 old hat, patched, frayed92, and dirty, sorted new students into the four Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin). Harry well remembered putting it on, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified93, for its decision as it muttered aloud in his ear. For a few horrible seconds he had feared that the hat was going to put him in Slytherin, the house that had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other but he had ended up in Gryffindor, along with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys. Last term, Harry and Ron had helped Gryffindor win the House Championship, beating Slytherin for the first time in seven years.
A very small, mousy-haired boy had been called forward to place the hat on his head. Harry's eyes wandered past him to where Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, sat watching the Sorting from the staff table, his long silver beard and half-moon glasses shining brightly in the candlelight. Several seats along, Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in robes of aquamarine. And there at the end was Hagrid, huge and hairy, drinking deeply from his goblet88.
“Hang on…” Harry muttered to Ron. “There's an empty chair at the staff table… Where's Snape?”
Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic94, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own house (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions.
“Maybe he's ill!” said Ron hopefully.
“Maybe he's left ,” said Harry, “because he missed out on the Defense95 Against Dark Arts job again!”
“Or he might have been sacked!” said Ron enthusiastically. “I mean, everyone hates him—”
“Or maybe,” said a very cold voice right behind them, “he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train.”
Harry spun96 around. There, his black robes rippling97 in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy98, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble.
“Follow me,” said Snape.
Not daring even to look at each other, Harry and Ron followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches. A delicious smell of food was wafting99 from the Great Hall, but Snape led them away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase that led into the dungeons100.
“In!” he said, opening a door halfway101 down the cold passageway and pointing.
They entered Snape's office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn't really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.
“So,” he said softly, “the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a bang , did we, boys?”
“No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it—”
“Silence!” said Snape coldly. “What have you done with the car?” Ron gulped102. This wasn't the first time Snape had given Harry the impression of being able to read minds. But a moment later, he understood, as Snape unrolled today's issue of the Evening Prophet . “You were seen,” he hissed, showing them the headline : FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. He began to read aloud: “Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower… at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing… Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police… Six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse103 of Muggle Artifacts Office?” he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. “Dear, dear… his own son…”
Harry felt as though he'd just been walloped in the stomach by one of the mad tree's larger branches. If anyone found out Mr. Weasley had bewitched the car… he hadn't thought of that…
“I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow104,” Snape went on.
“That tree did more damage to us than we -” Ron blurted105 out.
“Silence!” snapped Snape again. “Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that happy power. You will wait here.”
Harry and Ron stared at each other, white-faced. Harry didn't feel hungry any more. He now felt extremely sick. He tried not to look at a large, slimy something suspended in green liquid on a shelf behind Snape's desk. If Snape had gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, they were hardly any better off.
She might be fairer than Snape, but she was still extremely strict.
Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. Harry had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either he had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or he had never seen her this angry before. She raised her wand the moment she entered; Harry and Ron both flinched106, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted.
“Sit,” she said, and they both backed into chairs by the fire.
“Explain,” she said, her glasses glinting ominously107.
Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let them through.
“- so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train.”
“Why didn't you send us a letter by owl11? I believe you have an owl?” Professor McGonagall said coldly to Harry.
Harry gaped108 at her. Now she said it, that seemed the obvious thing to have done.
“I - I didn't think—”
“That,” said Professor McGonagall, “is obvious.”
There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.
Harry's whole body went numb109. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He stared down his very crooked110 nose at them, and Harry suddenly found himself wishing he and Ron were still being beaten up by the Whomping Willow.
There was a long silence. Then Dumbledore said, “Please explain why you did this.”
It would have been better if he had shouted. Harry hated the disappointment in his voice. For some reason, he was unable to look Dumbledore in the eyes, and spoke111 instead to his knees. He told Dumbledore everything except that Mr. Weasley owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he and Ron had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station. He knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Harry had finished, he merely continued to peer at them through his spectacles.
“We'll go and get our stuff,” said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.
“What are you talking about, Weasley?” barked Professor McGonagall.
“Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?” said Ron.
Harry looked quickly at Dumbledore.
“Not today, Mr. Weasley,” said Dumbledore. “But I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you.”
Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled. He cleared his throat and said, “Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted112 the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree - surely acts of this nature—”
“It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys'punishments, Severus,” said Dumbledore calmly. “They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility.” He turned to Professor McGonagall. “I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there's a delicious-looking custard tart8 I want to sample—”
Snape shot a look of pure venom113 at Harry and Ron as he allowed himself to be swept out of his office, leaving them alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle.
“You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding.”
“Not much,” said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve.
“Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted—”
“The Sorting Ceremony is over,” said Professor McGonagall. “Your sister is also in Gryffindor.”
“Oh, good,” said Ron.
“And speaking of Gryffindor -” Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Harry cut in: “Professor, when we took the car, term hadn't started, so - so Gryffindor shouldn't really have points taken from it - should it?” he finished, watching her anxiously.
Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway.
“I will not take any points from Gryffindor,” she said, and Harry's heart lightened considerably114. “But you will both get a detention115.” It was better than Harry had expected. As for Dumbledore's writing to the Dursleys, that was nothing. Harry knew perfectly well they'd just be disappointed that the Whomping Willow hadn't squashed him flat.
Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug116 of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.
“You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory,” she said. “I must also return to the feast.”
When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle.
“I thought we'd had it,” he said, grabbing a sandwich.
“So did I,” said Harry, taking one, too.
“Can you believe our luck, though?” said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. “Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw them .” He swallowed and took another huge bite. ” Why couldn't we get through the barrier?”
Harry shrugged117. “We'll have to watch our step from now on, though,” he said, taking a grateful swig of pumpkin juice. “Wish we could've gone up to the feast…”
“She didn't want us showing off,” said Ron sagely118. “Doesn't want people to think it's clever, arriving by flying car.”
When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself) they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower.
The castle was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armor, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
“Password?” she said as they approached.
“Er -” said Harry.
They didn't know the new year's password, not having met a Gryffindor prefect yet, but help came almost immediately; they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Hermione dashing toward them.
“There you are! Where have you been ? The most ridiculous rumors119 - someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car!”
“Well, we haven't been expelled,” Harry assured her.
“You're not telling me you did fly here?” said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.
“Skip the lecture,” said Ron impatiently, “and tell us the new password.”
“It's wattlebird,'” said Hermione impatiently, “but that's not the point—”
Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing120 on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble121 in after them.
“Brilliant!” yelled Lee Jordan. “Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years—”
“Good for you,” said a fifth year Harry had never spoken to; someone was patting him on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, “Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?”
Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but Harry could see one person who didn't look happy at all. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy's direction. Ron got the point at once.
“Got to get upstairs - bit tired,” he said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.
“Night,” Harry called back to Hermione, who was wearing a scowl122 just like Percy's.
They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having their backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase. They hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its five four-posters hung with red velvet123 and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds.
Ron grinned guiltily at Harry.
“I know I shouldn't've enjoyed that or anything, but…”
The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second year Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom.
“Unbelievable!” beamed Seamus.
“Cool,” said Dean.
“Amazing,” said Neville, awestruck.
Harry couldn't help it. He grinned, too.
对于哈利来说，这个假期实在过得太快了。虽然他很向往霍格瓦彻学校的生活，但是他在巴洛的这个月是他一生中最幸福的日子了。想到杜史林一家和下次他在普里怀特街露面时，他会得到的招待，他忍不住妒忌罗恩了。
在临走的那晚，威斯里太太准备了一顿丰富的晚餐，全是哈利爱吃的菜，最后还有一道令人食指大动的蜜糖布丁。弗来德和乔治的弗利巴斯特烟花演出让这个晚上更多姿多彩。无数红色和蓝色的星星在厨房的墙上，天花上碰撞反弹，起码持续了半个小时。然后吃完一大杯热巧克力，他们就上床睡觉了。
第二天早上出发前可费了不少时间。乌鸦闹钟一叫，他们就起床。但是他们好像有好多好多东西要干。威斯里太太忙上忙下地找备用的袜子和长翎毛。威斯里先生穿过园子帮金妮把行李拿进汽车时，被一只迷路的小鸡绊了一下，几乎把脖子都摔断了。其余的几个睡眼惺松，衣服还没穿整齐，手平拿着吃了一半的烤面包，老在楼梯处撞到一块。
哈利真想不出八个人，六只大皮箱，两只猫头鹰和一只老鼠究竟怎么才能挤到那辆小小的安格莱福特车里。他没想到，这也难怪，威斯里先生这部车子是施过法术的。
“不要对摩莉说，”他悄悄地告诉哈利。他打开车底座，让哈利看看用魔法扩大后的底座，行李箱都能轻而易举地放进去。
最后，当他们全坐上车子，威斯里太太向后座瞧了又瞧，哈利、罗恩、乔治和伯希舒舒服服地肩并肩地坐着，她忍不住说：“马格人确实比我们想象中厉害多了，是吧？”她和金妮坐进前座，这前座已被魔法变得和公园里的长凳一样了，“我是说，在外面看，你们怎么也猜不到这里面居然有这么多的空间吧？”
威斯里先生发动了引擎，慢慢的地驶出了院了。哈利转过头来最后望了一眼房子。当他依依不舍地在想不知道什么时候才能再看到这所房子的时候，车子转了个弯又回到院子里。乔治忘了
拿他的弗利巴斯特烟花了。五分钟以后，他们又刹车回到院子，这次是弗来德的扫帚。几乎来到大路上时，金妮突然一声尖叫，原来她忘了拿日记本了。等她重新爬回车子上时，他们已经是非
常晚了，大家都很紧张。
威斯里先生看了看表，转向了他妻子。
“亲爱的，摩莉——”‘“不行，亚瑟。”
“没有人会看到的。这小按钮可以使车子隐形——这样我们就可以飞起来——然后飞过云层。我们仅仅十分钟就可以到达了，没人会发觉的……”
“我说过，不行，亚瑟，不能在大白天。”
他们在十点四十九分赶到了车站。威斯里冲过马路取来小推车把行李全搬上去，大家急急忙忙地赶去月台。
哈利去年乘坐过霍格瓦彻特快专列。这最有技巧的是在月台九又四分之三上上车，因为这个月台马格人是看不见的。你得在九号和十号月台之间的牢固的栅栏中走过去。不过这不会碰伤的，因为这个精细的设计就是为了不让任何马格人发现你突然消失掉。
“伯希先走，”威斯里太太说道，她紧张地望着头顶上的时钟，只有五分钟让他们穿过栅栏了。
伯希轻快的大踏步向前，消失了。威斯里紧接着，然后是乔治和弗来德。
“我和金妮先走，然后你们紧跟着来，”威斯里太太对哈利和罗恩说，她拖着金妮的手走，一眨眼的工夫就走了。
“我们一块走吧，还剩一分钟了。”罗恩对哈利说。
哈利检查了一下海维的笼子确实是安稳地塞进了行李间的空隙里，然后把手推车扶正面对着栅栏。他对这次的旅途充满了信心，至少也不会像上一次用弗罗粉那样狼狈了。他们两个把身子弯到小车的扶手处，朝着栅栏加速前进。还差几英尺时，他们跑了起来——大碰撞！
两辆推车都撞到了栅栏上，然后向后反弹。罗恩“呼”的一声倒下了；哈利则被撞翻在地上。海维的笼子被弹到光亮的地板上，她随着笼子不断被转动，发出愤怒的叫声。身边的人都盯着他们看。一个保安员还冲着他们大嚷：“你们究竟在干什么？”
“我们一下子拉不住这小车子。”哈利喘着气说。他捂着肋骨勉强站了起来。
罗恩跑过去捡起海维，它已经酿成了一场不大不小的轰动了，围观的人们不时地小声谴责这种虐待动物的行径。
“为什么我们走不过去？”哈利小声地问道。
“我不知道——”
罗恩慌乱地往四周瞧了瞧。至少有一打好奇的人还在盯着他们看。
“我们赶不上搭火车了，”罗恩轻声说。“我真不明白为什么通道会自动关闭……”
哈利抬头望着大钟，心里非常不舒服。十秒……九……
“开走了，”罗恩说，神情恍惊地说。“火车已经开了。如果爸爸妈妈不回来接我们可怎么办？你有没有马格人的钱？”
哈利苦笑了一下。“杜史林已经六年没给我零花钱了。”
罗恩把耳朵紧紧地贴在冰冷的栅栏上。
“什么都听不到，”他紧张地说。“我们可怎么办？我不知道什么时候爸爸妈妈才能回来把我们接回去。”
他们四处看了看。人们还在望着他们，这主要是因为海维连续不断的尖叫声。
“我想咱们最好回到汽车上等，”哈利说。“我们太引人注目了”哈利！“罗恩说，他的眼睛发出了亮光。”那部车子！”“那又怎么样？”
“我们可以坐着车子飞回学校！”
“但是我觉得——”
“我们现在走投无路了，是不是？我们得想个办法回学校啊！在紧急情况下，即使是不够年龄的巫师也可以使用魔法，这好像是限制法令第十九章什么的提到过的……”
哈利的惊恐现在突然变成了兴奋。
“你会飞那辆车吗？”
“没问题，”罗恩说着把他的小推车驶向出口。“来吧，咱们一起走。如果我们抓紧时间的话，我们可以跟得上霍格瓦沏特快专列的。”
他们从一群好奇的马格人身边走过，出了火车站，过了马路，来到那辆旧安格莱福特车旁。
罗恩用魔杖点击了很多下，才打开了巨大的底座。他们把行李放了回去，把海维放到后座，就钻进了前座。
“瞧仔细有没有人了。”罗恩轻轻地一按魔杖，打开了引擎。哈利把头伸出窗户：前面大路交通拥挤，但是他们所在的这条街却空无一人。
“可以了。”他说。
罗恩按下了控制台上的一个小小的银色按钮。车子消失了——他们也消失了。
哈利感觉到屁股下的椅子在剧烈的震动，他可以听到引擎在响，感觉到他的手放在膝盖上，眼镜架在鼻梁上，但是从他所看到的来分析，他好像变成了一对眼珠子，在离地几十英尺的空气中浮动在一条挤满车子的肮脏的街道上。
“咱们走吧。”罗恩的声音从他的右边传来，地面和两边肮脏的建筑物飞快地向后退去，最后随着车子逐渐升高而看不见了。几秒后，整个烟雾迷绕而闪闪发光的伦敦城尽收眼底。
接着一阵嘈杂声过后，哈利和罗恩现形了。
“啊，噢，”罗恩打了几下隐形加速纽。“可能这有毛病——”
两个人轮流用拳头捶打那颗按钮，车子隐形了，但不一会它又再次现形了。
“加油啊！”罗恩喊道，他用劲踩下加速器；他们直飞向羊毛似的低层云里，什么都变得阴沉，模糊起来。
“现在怎么办？”哈利问道，朝着从四面八方涌过来的一团团的云直眨眼。
“我们得去瞧瞧火车往哪个方向去。”罗恩说道。
“再下去看一看——快点——”
他们降到云层下面，在座位上挪动着，探头斜视着地面一“我看到了！”哈利大喊道。“右前方——就在那！”
霍格瓦彻特快专列在他们下面婉蜒地前进，好像一条猩红色的大蟒蛇。
“向南走，”罗恩说，检查着控制台的指南针。“好了，我们以后每半个小时就下来看一下。坚持着……”他们再次冲上了云层。一分钟以后，他们沐浴在明媚的阳光下。
这可是一个截然不同的世界。车轮掠过毛绒绒的云海，在眩目的阳光底下，天空是一片明亮的没有边际的蓝色。
“我们现在要担心的就是飞机了。”罗恩说道。
他们相互看了一眼都忍不住大笑起来。他们笑了很长时间。
他们就像进入了一个美丽的梦境一般。哈利暗自想这才真叫做旅游啊：在云涡和雪白的云塔中穿梭，在车子里享受着温暖明媚的阳光，在口袋里还有一大盒的太妃糖，想象着当他们在霍格瓦彻城堡前偌大的草坪上安全降落时，乔治和弗来德嫉妒的表情。
他们跟着火车朝着南面越飞越远，每次下去看方向的时候，景色都跟上一次的大不一样。他们已经飞离了伦敦，取而代之的是一片整齐的绿地和广阔的酱紫的荒野人内庄，好像玩具似的教堂和一幢有很多像彩色蚂蚁的小车的大城市。
几个小时平安无事地过去了，但是，哈利不得不承认现在不如刚才想的这么有趣了。太妃糖太甜了，他们渴得要命，但是没有水喝。
池和罗恩不得不脱下毛衣外套，但是哈利的衬衣还是贴到了汽车椅子上，眼镜顺着汗水从鼻梁滑下来。现在，他不那么留意那些形状多变的云团了，而是渴望地望着下面的火车轨。在那儿，你可以在一个胖胖的女巫的手推车上买到冰凉的南瓜汁。为什么他们进不了月台九又四分之三呢？
“差不多到了吧？”罗恩发牢骚地说。几个小时以后，太阳已经降到他们的云层下了，把云儿染成了一片粉红。“到时间去看看火车了。”
火车就在他们的下面，在一座白雪皑皑的山上境蜒前进。火车在云雾的衬托下，显得尤其的显眼。
罗恩双脚一踩加速器，再次回到云层里，但这次引擎发出了“呜呜”的哀鸣声。
哈利和罗恩忧虑地相互对望了一眼。
“会不会是车子太辛苦了”，罗恩说道。“它从来没试过这样……”
天色越来越暗，他们假装不再理会那越来越响的哀鸣声。星星在黑色的夜幕里欢快地眨着眼睛。哈利把毛衣重新容上，假装没注意车手挡风屏的横杆在无力的左右摇动着，仿佛在作无声的抗议。
“不远了，”罗恩说。在哈利听来，罗恩这话好像是对着车子说的。“离这不远了。”他紧张地拍了拍车头的控制台。
当他们再次飞下云层时，在黑暗中，他们睁大了眼睛，四处张望，试图寻找那熟悉的建筑物。
“在那儿！”哈利大声地叫了起来。下面熟悉的城堡和塔楼已经近在咫尺了。
但是现在车子在不断的科动，而且速度也渐渐慢了下来。
“走吧，”罗恩轻声哄道。在方向盘上，稍稍一用劲，“就在那了，走吧！”
车子的引擎呻吟起来。车后箱喷出几道气流。在他们飞跃过一个大湖时，哈利不得不抓紧座位的两个扶手以防被摔出车子外。
车子厌倦地左右摇晃。从窗口望出去，在一里的高度看下去，哈利看到的尽是一片光滑的、墨绿色、像玻璃般的湖面。罗恩握着方向盘的指节都变得苍白了。车子又在左右摇摆了。
“乖乖，走吧！”罗恩小声地恳求着。
他们在湖顶上……学校就在前方……罗恩把脚放了下来。
随着一声沉闷的响声，又是一阵乱响，引擎完全地停止了工作。
“哎呀！”罗恩说道，接着就不作声了。
车子往下掉。他们在不断地下降，而且速度越来越快，直直地往那堵城堡的围墙上撞去。
“不……不……！”罗恩大叫道。拼命地转动着方向盘；汽车划过一个优美的弧度，避开了坚实的墙，从高处直堕向草坪。
罗恩完全放开了拿方向盘的手，在后袋中拉出魔杖。
“停，停下！”他大喊道，狠狠地拍打着控制台和挡风屏，但是他们还是一个劲地往下坠，地面向他们飞一般地冲过来。
“当心那棵树！”哈利大叫起来，扑到方向盘上，但是一切都太晚了……
又是一声巨响。
随着震耳欲聋的金属碰撞到木头的“砰”一声，他们撞到了树干上，然后掉到地面上，晃了好一会才打住。车尾箱“轰”的一声爆炸，烟雾全喷出来；海维在惊恐的尖叫。由于撞上挡风屏的地方，一个高尔夫球大小的包在哈利额头上肿了起来。
在他右手边，罗恩发出了一声低沉地绝望的呻吟。
“你没事吧？”哈利急切地问道。
“我的魔杖，”罗恩颤抖地说，“你看看我的魔杖……”
它被折断了，几乎断成了两半；顶部有气无力地垂在那，仅仅由几块碎片连着。
哈利张大嘴巴刚想安慰一下他，魔杖可以在学校修理一下，但是他还没来得及说，车子就被一股巨大的力量撞得左摇右晃了。他被摔向了罗恩，与此同时，车项被什么东西猛烈地撞击了一下。
“发生什么事了——？”
罗恩喘着大气，盯着挡风屏，这时，哈利也看到了，一根大蟒蛇粗细的树枝正往车身打过来。他们刚才撞上的那棵树在攻击他们！它的树身几乎折叠成两半，所有的树干都伸向了车子，并发出一阵阵的咆哮声。
“啊，啊，啊——！”罗恩看着又一根大树干问他猛打过来，把车门都撞出了一个小坑坑；在指节般大小的枝条铁锤似的打击下，挡风屏摇摇晃晃的战栗着。车顶好像也要被揭翻了……
“快逃吧！”罗恩大叫了起来。然后整个人撞出了车门，但是很快他就被一棵疯狂攻击着的树枝打翻倒在哈利的大腿边。
“我们完蛋了！”他哀号了一声，这时车顶慢慢地被压了下去，但突然车子猛烈地震动了几下——引擎发动起来了。
“倒车！”哈利大喊，车子向后箭一般地飞退去。那棵树仍旧挥舞着树枝，他们还听到树根劈劈啪啪的想伸过来抓住他们的声音。
“啊，”罗恩端了一口大气，“好险啊。干得好，车子！”
但是，车子已经是精疲力尽了。两声闷响过后，车门开了，哈利觉得座位斜向一边：等他意识过来时，他已经坐到了潮湿的地面上了。巨大的响声告诉他，车子正把他们的行李一件件地抛出来。海维的笼子飞到空中就自动打开了；她怒气冲冲地叫着飞出来，头也不回地飞向城堡。接着，这辆被打得坑坑洼洼，破烂得这里一块，那儿一块，还在不断冒烟的小车跌跌撞撞的向黑暗中驶去，车尾灯怒气冲冲的一闪一闪。
“回来！”罗恩冲着它大叫，疯狂地挥动着魔杖，“老爸非杀了我不可！”
但是，车子累坏了，它喘了一口气，很快消失在黑暗中。
“我们的运气可真不坏啊！”罗恩悲哀的说道，弯下腰来拣起小老鼠斯卡伯斯。
“我们居然控上一棵会攻击人的树！”
他扭过头看着那棵古树，它还在张牙舞爪地挥动着可怕的树枝。
“算了吧，”哈利疲惫地说，“咱们最好去学校里面……”
这可不是他们原来料想的英雄式的到达方式。又冷又饿，身上还伤了好几处地方，他们拿起行李，拖着沉重的步伐走上草坡，向那扇橡木大门走去。
“我想迎新盛宴肯定开始了。”罗恩说道。他在阶梯前放下行李，走到一扇明亮的窗户前看了进去。“嘿，哈利，快来看看——分院仪式啊！”
哈利急忙跑过来，和罗恩一块向大厅里望去。
无数的蜡烛在四张长长的拥挤的桌子上摇曳着，金色的盘子和小酒杯在烛光的映衬下闪闪发光。头顶上，被施过魔法的天花板映照着外面的天空，星星一闪一闪的点缀在上面。
透过一堆密林似的黑色霍格瓦彻尖顶帽看过去，哈利看到一群惊慌的一年级新生在大厅里排成了一条长队。金妮也在里面，她一头威斯里家特有的红色头发在人群中格外的显眼。这时，麦康娜教授——梳着圆害子的受大家尊敬的女巫在凳子上给每位新生戴上那顶著名的分类帽。
每一年，这项缝着补丁的四角磨损的脏脏的魔帽负责着把新生分配到霍格瓦彻的四个学院里去（格林芬顿，史林德林，罗尼文克劳和海夫巴夫）。哈利还记得一年前把魔帽戴上时那种惊慌不安地等待‘它宣布结果时的心情，在几秒紧张的等待后，他还以为自己会被分到史林德林那个很多黑巫师和巫婆的学院里，——幸好，他和罗恩。
荷米恩还有其他威斯里的兄弟们分到格林芬顿学院。上个学期，哈利和罗恩帮助格林芬顿在七年里第一次击败了史林德林学院而赢得了学院冠军杯。
这时，一个瘦小的，头发乱蓬蓬的小男孩被叫了出来戴上分类帽。哈利的眼睛从他身上滑向了丹伯多校长，他坐在工作人员席上看着这次分学院仪式。他那长长的银色胡子和那半月型的酒杯花烛光的映照下熠熠生辉。在旁边的几张椅子上，哈利看到了吉德洛。罗克哈特，穿着碧绿色的长袍。在边上坐着身材魁梧的哈格力，正举起酒杯猛喝酒。
“等等，……”哈利小声地对罗恩说道。“那儿有一张空椅……史纳皮哪去了？”
史纳皮教授是哈利最不喜欢的老师。碰巧的是，哈利也是史纳皮最讨厌的学生。
史纳皮教的是生物药剂，除了他自己学院（史林德林）的学生外，其他的人都讨厌他那冷酷，爱嘲讽别人的态度。
“也许他病了！”罗恩满怀希望地说。
“也许他被调走了。”哈利说道，“今年他当不上黑巫术防卫课程的老师！”
“或许他已经被解雇了！”罗恩热切地说道。“我是说，人人都这么讨厌他——”
“或者，也许，”一个冷冷的声音在他们背后传来，“他正在耐心地等待着你们两个向他解释一下为什么不坐学校的火车回来呢！”
哈利急忙一个转身。在前面，史纳皮就站在他们前面，黑色长袍在寒风中飘舞着。他很瘦削，肤色菜绿，长着一只鹰鼻子，梳着～头油滑的披肩长发。现在，他的笑容告诉哈利和罗恩他们有大麻烦了。
“跟我来。”史纳皮说道。
哈利和罗恩跟着史纳皮脚步走了过去，脚步声在空旷的由火把点亮的进口大厅处的回响着，他们甚至不敢抬头交换一下眼神。大厅里弥漫着食物的香味，但是史纳皮把他们从温暖光亮的大厅带到了通向地牢似的办公室门前狭窄的石梯旁停住了。
“进去！”他在过道中开了一扇门，指着里面说道。
于是，他们浑身战抖地走进了史纳皮的办公室。在墙角的阴影里摆放着一架子的大玻璃瓶子，里面装的尽是些哈利此刻不知道，也不想认识的令人呕心的液体。
火炉黑乎乎，空荡荡的。史纳皮关上门，转身看着他们。
“呃，”他柔和地说，“我们的火车是不是配不上咱们著名的哈利。
波特和他忠实的伙伴罗恩坐啊？所以想给我们一个意外，是吧？”
“不是的，老师，在国王大道车站的栅栏——”
“安静！”史纳皮冷漠的说，“你们是怎么驾车来的？”
罗恩吞了一口口水。哈利觉得史纳皮好像又一次看穿了他们的心思。但是一刻钟后，他明白了其中的奥妙。史纳皮把今天的《先知晚报》摊开放在他们面前。
“你自己可以看看，”他恶狠狠地指着标题对他们说道。“令马格人迷惑不解的飞天安格莱福特汽车。”他开始大声朗读了起来。“两个在伦敦的马格人，坚信他们看到一辆旧车在邮政大楼上空飞过……在诺佛克的中午，海蒂。贝丽斯太太在晾衣服时……皮巴的安格斯。弗莱特先生，向警察局汇报了……”总共有六，七个马格人。我知道你爸是在禁止马格人滥用物品魔法部工作的吧？“他一边说，一边看着罗恩阴险地笑着说。”天啊，……他亲爱的儿子居然……“哈利觉得好像被怪树狠狠地抽打了一下似的。如果谁发现了威斯里先生给那辆车施过法术……他真不敢想象会有什么后果……
“在我寻查校园的时候，我发现有一棵珍贵的胡宾（会攻击人的椰树名）柳树被弄伤了。”史纳皮继续说道。
“这棵树先攻击我们的，我们也不——”罗恩脱口而出。
“安静！”史纳皮再次打断了他。“最不幸的是，你们不在我管辖的学院里，要不我老早就把你们开除了。现在我要去请几个有这种权力的人来。你们在这里乖乖地呆着。”
哈利和罗恩对望了一眼，吓得脸色发白了。哈利不再感到肚子饿了。相反，他现在感到非常的不舒服。他试图不看史纳皮书桌后架子上那只悬浮在绿色液体中的小东西。如果史纳皮把麦康娜教授——格林芬顿学院的院长给带来的话，他们也好过不了。虽说她比史纳皮公正，但是她可是非常严厉的。
十分钟后，史纳皮回来了，还把麦康娜教授带来了。哈利仅仅在几次场合下看到过麦康娜生气的样子，但他从来没看到她的嘴唇可以抿得这么薄，或许她这次比上几次要生气得多。她一进来就举起了魔杖。哈利和罗恩不自觉地向后退了一步。
不过她指的只是火炉，火一下子烧了起来。
“坐下。”她说道，他们都坐到了火炉旁的椅子上。
“解释一下。”她眼镜里闪过不祥的预兆。
从火车站的栅栏说起，罗恩详细的论述了事情的原由。
“……我们没办法，教授，我们搭不上火车。”
“为什么不用你的猫头鹰给我们先送一封信？我想你们应该带上了猫头鹰的吧？”
不动声色地说着，麦康娜教授把头转向了哈利。
“我——我没想到——”
“那，”麦康娜教授说道，“可是显而易见的事。”
门口传来了敲门声，史纳皮幸灾乐祸的去开门。校长——丹伯多教授站在了门口。
哈利觉得整个人都麻木了。丹伯多看起来很威严。他盯着他们，哈利突然觉得他宁愿被那棵会攻击人的怪柳树狠狠地揍一顿算了。
一阵长时间的沉默。接着丹伯多说：“请你们解释一下这样做的原由。”
如果他冲着他们骂一顿的话，他们会觉得更好受一点的。哈利不想听到他声音中的深深的失望。他说不上是什么原因，但是他不敢看他的眼睛，只是看着他的膝盖说话。他把全部的事情都老老实实的交代了，只是威斯里先生拥有那辆魔法车子的事隐瞒了。他说得好像他们恰好在车站的停车场上找到一辆会飞的车一样。他知道丹伯多一听就会知道有问题，但是丹伯多没有追问车子的事。当哈利说完后，他只是通过镜片审视着他们。
“我们会自动自觉地收拾行李的。”罗恩垂头丧气地说。
“你在说什么啊，威斯里？”麦康娜教授反问道。
“嗯，你们不是要开除我们吗？”罗恩问。
哈利急忙抬起头来看着丹伯多。
“不是今天，小威斯里，”丹伯多说道。“但是我们得对你们的行为作出惩罚警告。我将在今天晚上给你们家长写信。我得警告你们如果下次再犯的话，我可真要把你们赶出学校了。”
史纳皮的神情就像听到圣诞节被取消了一样的失望。他清了清喉咙，说：“丹伯多校长，这两个小孩已经触犯了未成年人巫术禁令法，还有，我们那棵古老而珍贵的树也被严重损坏了……这显然也违反了保护树木法……”
“这该由麦康娜教授制定对他们的具体惩罚措施，史纳皮，”丹伯多平静地说。
“他们是她学院的学生，这是她的职责。”他转向麦康娜教授，“我现在要回到迎新宴上了，还要去宣布几条通知。来吧，斯瓦诺斯，我还想去尝尝那个美味的奶油果馅饼呢。”
史纳皮恶毒地瞪了哈利和罗恩一眼才不情愿地走出了办公室。
现在只剩下麦康娜教授了，她严肃地盯着他们。
“你最好去一下医务室，威斯里，你在不停地流血。”
“没关系，”罗恩说着赶紧用袖子抹去额头伤口处的血迹。“教授，我想去看一下我妹妹的分院……”
“分班仪式已经结束了，”麦康娜教授说道，“你妹妹也分到了格林芬顿学院。”
“啊，太好了！”罗恩叫了起来。
“说起格林芬顿学院——”麦康娜教授马上说，但是哈利打断了她：“教授，我们用那辆车子时，学期还没正式开始，那么，那么格林芬顿应该不会被扣分吧？”
他不安地望着教授。
麦康娜教授瞪了他一眼，但是哈利觉得她眼里含着一丝笑意。
而且，她的嘴唇也没抿得那么薄了。
“我不会扣格林芬顿的分。”哈利的心顿时好受多了，“不过，你们得留堂罚劳动。”麦康娜教授说道。
这比哈利预想的可好多了。至于丹伯多写信给杜史林，根本不算什么。哈利清楚地知道他们只会为那棵怪树没把他打扁而感到失望。
麦康娜教授又举起了魔杖指向桌面。“波”一声，一大碟三明治，两个银色的小酒杯和一罐冰冻南瓜汁出现在桌子上。
“你们在这里吃完就回去寝室吧。”她说。“我还得回去迎新宴上。”当门再次关上时，罗恩小声地吹起了口哨。
“我想我们的惩罚就到此为止了。”他边说边拿起了一只三明治，“我也这样想。”哈利也拿起了一只三明治。
“我们的运气可真是‘好’啊，”罗恩嘴里塞满了鸡肉和火腿，含糊不清的咕哝着。“弗来德和乔治用过那辆车起码五六次，但是就是没有马路人看到他们。”
他咽下一大口又咬了一大口。“为什么我们过不了栅栏呢？”
哈利耸了耸肩。“反正我们以后得事事谨慎，小心一点。”他满满地喝了一口南瓜汁。“我希望咱们能到迎新宴上……”
“她可不想我们露面，”罗恩谨慎地说。“可不能让其他人认为我们干错事却没被惩罚啊。”
他们敞开肚皮尽情地吃了很多三明治（碟子会自动装满食物），然后他们站了起来，离开办公室，像往常一样走回格林芬顿大楼。整个城堡寂静一片；看起来迎新宴是已经结束了。他们走过不时低声咕哝的肖像和发出怪响的盔甲，爬上石楼梯，来到格林芬顿楼的秘密进口，在一个穿粉色裙子的胖大婶的油画像后面。
“暗号是什么？”他们走进时，她问道。
“这个——”哈利说不出来。
他们还没碰到格林芬顿的三好奖章学生，所以不知道新学年的暗号是什么。但是很快帮手就来了；听见身后急速的脚步声，他们扭头一看，原来是荷米恩向着他们急急忙忙的走来。
“你们在这啊！去哪了？现在学校谣言说你们因为驾驶飞车要被开除。”
“噢，我们还没给开除。”哈利安慰她说。
“这么说，你们确实驾驶了飞车？”荷米恩的语气听起来和麦康娜教授一样的严厉。
“不要教训我们了，”罗恩不耐烦地说，“把暗号告诉我们吧！”
“是‘板条鸟’。”荷米恩也不耐烦地答道。“但是我还没说完——”
胖大婶移开了，里面传来一阵雷鸣般的鼓掌声，打断了荷米恩的说话。好像整个格林芬顿楼的人都醒了，大家都挤进了一个房间，有的站在桌子上，有的坐在椅子上，都在等待着他们的归来。几只手臂同时伸出把哈利和罗恩拉了进去，荷米恩也身不由己地跟了进去。
“好聪明啊！”李。乔丹大喊道。“有创意！驾驶着飞车在胡宾柳树上着陆，这件事可够大家说上几年的。”
“这小子不错！”一个从没跟哈利说过一句话的五年级学生拍了拍他的肩膀，好像他为学院赢取了“马拉松”冠军似的。弗来德和乔治挤上前来，一起问道：“你们为什么不把我们也叫去啊？”罗恩脸红了，不好意思的笑了笑。但是哈利觉察到有一个人一点都不高兴。
伯希站在一群兴高采烈的一年级新生中，想跟他们讲些什么道理。
哈利用手推了维罗恩的肋骨，示意让他看看伯希的方向。罗恩马上就明白了。
“我们得上楼休息了——好累啊！”他说着，两个人挤出人群，来到房子另一边的圆形旋转楼梯下。
“晚安。”哈利回头跟荷米恩说，她皱起了眉头，表情和伯希一样。
他们马上上楼，终于回到了他们的宿舍门外，现在门上贴着的牌写着：二年级。
他们踏进了熟悉的正方形房间，在四个高高的小窗户上，都贴上了一张用酱紫色作衬底的五人合照。他们的行李放在他们各自的床铺上。
罗恩内疚地朝着哈利咧嘴笑了笑。
“我知道我不该不劳而获地享受别人的清洁成果的，但是——”
宿舍的门一下于被打开了，同是二年级的谢默斯。芬尼更，达恩。
托马斯，和尼维尔走了进来。
“真是难以置信！”谢默斯一脸堆笑地说道。
“酷呆了！”达恩说。
“神奇！”尼维尔崇拜他说。
哈利也忍不住咧开嘴笑了。
收听单词发音 |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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treacle
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| n.糖蜜 | |
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filibuster
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| n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠 | |
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tart
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| adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇 | |
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quills
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| n.（刺猬或豪猪的）刺( quill的名词复数 )；羽毛管；翮；纡管 | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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trolleys
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| n.（两轮或四轮的）手推车( trolley的名词复数 )；装有脚轮的小台车；电车 | |
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trolley
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| n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车 | |
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tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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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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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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dent
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| n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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24
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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25
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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28
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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29
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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30
screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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31
screeches
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| n.尖锐的声音( screech的名词复数 )v.发出尖叫声( screech的第三人称单数 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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32
restriction
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| n.限制，约束 | |
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33
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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34
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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35
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
squinting
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| 斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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37
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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38
streaking
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| n.裸奔（指在公共场所裸体飞跑）v.快速移动( streak的现在分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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39
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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40
fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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41
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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42
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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43
swirls
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| n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 )；卷状物；漩涡；尘旋v.旋转，打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 ) | |
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44
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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45
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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46
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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47
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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48
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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49
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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50
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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51
pumpkin
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| n.南瓜 | |
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52
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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53
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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54
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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55
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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56
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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57
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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58
landmark
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| n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标 | |
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59
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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60
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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61
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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62
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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63
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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64
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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65
whacking
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| adj.（用于强调）巨大的v.重击，使劲打( whack的现在分词 ) | |
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66
plummeting
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| v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 ) | |
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67
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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68
jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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69
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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70
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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71
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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72
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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73
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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74
battering
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| n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 ) | |
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75
ram
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| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
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76
sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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77
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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78
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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79
dented
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| v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等） | |
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80
rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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81
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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82
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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83
flailing
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| v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
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84
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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85
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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86
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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87
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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88
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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89
goblets
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| n.高脚酒杯( goblet的名词复数 ) | |
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90
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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91
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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92
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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93
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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94
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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95
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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96
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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97
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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98
greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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99
wafting
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的现在分词 ) | |
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100
dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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101
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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102
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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103
misuse
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| n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用 | |
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104
willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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105
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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108
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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109
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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110
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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111
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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112
flouted
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| v.藐视，轻视( flout的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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114
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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115
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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116
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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117
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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118
sagely
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| adv. 贤能地，贤明地 | |
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119
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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120
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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121
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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122
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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123
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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