Since the disastrous1 episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry2 to help him with these reconstructions3; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling4 Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire5 who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce6 since Lockhart had dealt with him.
Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defense7 Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting8 a werewolf. If he hadn't had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it.
“Nice loud howl, Harry - exactly - and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced9 - like this - slammed him to the floor - thus with one hand, I managed to hold him down - with my other, I put my wand to his throat - I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm- he let out a piteous moan - go on, Harry - higher than that - good - the fur vanished - the fangs10 shrank - and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective - and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks.”
The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet.
“Homework - compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!”
The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Ron and Hermione were waiting.
“Ready?” Harry muttered.
“Wait till everyone's gone,” said Hermione nervously11. “All right…”
She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Harry and Ron right behind her.
“Er - Professor Lockhart?” Hermione stammered12. “I wanted to - to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading.” She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. “But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it - I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in Gadding13 with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms14.”
“Ah, Gadding with Ghouls!” said Lockhart, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. “Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?”
“Oh, yes,” said Hermione eagerly. “So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer—”
“Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help,” said Lockhart warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill15.
“Yes, nice, isn't it?” he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron's face. “I usually save it for book-signings.”
He scrawled16 an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione.
“So, Harry,” said Lockhart, while Hermione folded the note with fumbling17 fingers and slipped it into her bag. “Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad18, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication19 of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise20 to less able players…”
Harry made an indistinct noise in his throat and then hurried off after Ron and Hermione.
“I don't believe it,” he said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. “He didn't even look at the book we wanted.”
“That's because he's a brainless git,” said Ron. “But who cares, we've got what we needed-”
“He is not a brainless git,” said Hermione shrilly21 as they half ran toward the library.
“Just because he said you were the best student of the year—”
They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled22 stillness of the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable23 woman who looked like an underfed vulture.
“Moste Potente Potions?” she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn't let go.
“I was wondering if I could keep it,” she said breathlessly.
“Oh, come on,” said Ron, wrenching24 it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. “We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough.”
Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined25 to detect a forgery26, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.
Five minutes later, they were barricaded27 in Moaning Myrtle's out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden28 Ron's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them.
Hermione opened Moste Potente Potions carefully, and the three of them bent29 over the damp-spotted30 pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting32 several extra pairs of arms out of her head.
“Here it is,” said Hermione excitedly as she found the page headed The Polyjuice Potion. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway33 through transforming into other people. Harry sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.
“This is the most complicated potion I've ever seen,” said Hermione as they scanned the recipe. “Lacewing flies, leeches34, fluxweed, and knotgrass,” she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. “Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves… Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn - don't know where we're going to get that - shredded35 skin of a boomslang -. that'll be tricky36, too and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into.”
“Excuse me?” said Ron sharply. “What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it—”
Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him.
“We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last…”
Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry.
“D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students'cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea…”
Hermione shut the book with a snap.
“Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine,” she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. “I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing37 up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in.
“I never thought Id see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules,” said Ron. “All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?”
“How long will it take to make, anyway?” said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.
“Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed38 for twenty-one days… I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients.”
“A month?” said Ron. “Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!” But Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, “But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say.”
However, while Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry, “It'll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow.”
Harry woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match. He was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing39 brooms gold could buy. He had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly. After half an hour of lying there with his insides churning, he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled40 at the long, empty table, all looking uptight41 and not speaking much.
As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy42 sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker43 rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet44 Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.
“Slytherin has better brooms than us,” he began. “No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers -“("Too true,” muttered George Weasley. “I haven't been properly dry since August")”- and we're going to make them rue31 the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team.”
Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry.
“It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to.”
“So no pressure, Harry” said Fred, winking45 at him.
As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses46 heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.
“On my whistle,” said Madam Hooch. “Three… two… one…”
With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting47 around for the Snitch.
“All right there, Scarhead?” yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath48 him as though to show off the speed of his broom.
Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting49 toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle50 his hair as it passed.
“Close one, Harry!” said George, streaking51 past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack52 in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again.
Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved53 like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head.
Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed54 toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible…
Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.
“Gotcha!” Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted55 after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.
It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, “Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero.
The Slytherins'superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing56 arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it.
“Someone's - tampered57 - with - this - Bludger -” Fred grunted58, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry.
“We need time out,” said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.
Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.
“What's going on?” said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered59. “We're being flattened60. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?”
“We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver,” said George angrily. “Someone's fixed61 it - it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it.”
“But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…” said Wood, anxiously. Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering62 and pointing in his direction.
“Listen,” said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, “with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue63 one.”
“Don't be thick,” said Fred. “It'll take your head off.”
Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys.
“Oliver, this is insane,” said Alicia Spinner angrily. “You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry…”
“If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit64 the match!” said Harry. “And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!”
“This is all your fault,” George said angrily to Wood. “`Get the Snitch or die trying,'what a stupid thing to tell him—”
Madam Hooch had joined them.
“Ready to resume play?” she asked Wood.
Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face.
“All right,” he said. “Fred, George, you heard Harry - leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own.”
The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh65 of the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped66, spiraled, zigzagged67, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils68 as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter from the crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood.
A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.
“Training for the ballet, Potter?” yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge69 the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred70, he saw it - the Golden Snitch. It was hovering71 inches above Malfoy's left ear - and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it.
For an agonizing72 moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.
WHAM.
He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked73 over it, his right arm dangling74 useless at his side - the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming75 at his face - Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged76 in his numb77 brain: get to Malfoy.
Through a haze78 of rain and pain he dived for the shimmering79, sneering80 face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him.
“What the -” he gasped81, careening out of Harry's way.
Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.
With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled82 with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.
“Aha,” he said vaguely83. “We've won.”
And he fainted.
He came around, rain falling on his face, still lying on the field, with someone leaning over him. He saw a glitter of teeth.
“Oh, no, not you,” he moaned.
“Doesn't know what he's saying,” said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. “Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm.”
“No!” said Harry. “I'll keep it like this, thanks…”
He tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. He heard a familiar clicking noise nearby.
“I don't want a photo of this, Colin,” he said loudly.
“Lie back, Harry,” said Lockhart soothingly84. “It's a simple charm I've used countless85 times—”
“Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?” said Harry through clenched86 teeth.
“He should really, Professor,” said a muddy Wood, who couldn't help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. “Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say—”
Through the thicket87 of legs around him, Harry spotted Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.
“Stand back,” said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.
“No - don't -” said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm.
A strange and unpleasant sensation started at Harry's shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated88. He didn't dare look at what was happening. He had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly. His arm didn't hurt anymore - nor did it feel remotely like an arm.
“Ah,” said Lockhart. “Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle89 up to the hospital wing - ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? - and Madam Pomfrey will be able to - er - tidy you up a bit.”
As Harry got to his feet, he felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deep breath he looked down at his right side. What he saw nearly made him pass out again.
Poking90 out of the end of his robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-colored rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers. Nothing happened.
Lockhart hadn't mended Harry's bones. He had removed them.
Madam Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased.
“You should have come straight to me!” she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. “I can mend bones in a second - but growing them back—”
“You will be able to, won't you?” said Harry desperately91.
“I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful,” said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pajamas92. “You'll have to stay the night…”
Hermione waited outside the curtain drawn93 around Harry's bed while Ron helped him into his pajamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve.
“How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?” Ron called through the curtain as he pulled Harry's limp fingers through the cuff94. “If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked.”
“Anyone can make a mistake,” said Hermione. “And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it, Harry?”
“No,” said Harry, getting into bed. “But it doesn't do anything else either.”
As he swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly.
Hermione and Madam Pomfrey came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeled Skele-Gro.
“You're in for a rough night,” she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. “Regrowing bones is a nasty business.”
So was taking the Skele-Gro. It burned Harry's mouth and throat as it went down, making him cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept95 teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Ron and Hermione to help Harry gulp96 down some water. “We won, though,” said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. “That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face… he looked ready to kill…”
“I want to know how he fixed that Bludger,” said Hermione darkly. “We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when we've taken the Polyjuice Potion,” said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. “I hope it tastes better than this stuff…”
“If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking,” said Ron.
The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy97 and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry. “Unbelievable flying, Harry,” said George. “I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy.”
They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin98 juice; they gathered around Harry's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, “This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!” And Harry was left alone, with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm.
Hours and hours later, Harry woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp99 of pain: His arm now felt full of large splinters. For a second, he thought that was what had woken him. Then, with a thrill of horror, he realized that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark.
“Get off!” he said loudly, and then, “Dobby!”
The house-elf's goggling100 tennis ball eyes were peering at Harry through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed101 nose.
“Harry Potter came back to school,” he whispered miserably102. “Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed103 Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?”
Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away.
“What're you doing here?” he said. “And how did you know I missed the train?”
Dobby's lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion.
“It was you!” he said slowly. “You stopped the barrier from letting us through!”
“Indeed yes, sir,” said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. “Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway104 and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward” - he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers - “but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!”
He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head.
“Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir…”
Harry slumped105 back onto his pillows.
“You nearly got Ron and me expelled,” he said fiercely. “You'd better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you.”
Dobby smiled weakly.
“Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home.”
He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Harry felt his anger ebb106 away in spite of himself.
“Why d'you wear that thing, Dobby?” he asked curiously107.
“This, sir?” said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. ” Tis a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever.”
Dobby mopped his bulging108 eyes and said suddenly, “Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make—”
“Your Bludger?” said Harry, anger rising once more. “What d'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?”
“Not kill you, sir, never kill you!” said Dobby, shocked. “Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!”
“Oh, is that all?” said Harry angrily. “I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?”
“Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!” Dobby groaned109, more tears dripping onto his ragged110 pillowcase. “If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir,” he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. “But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon111 of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sit… And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber112 of Secrets is open once more.”
Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Harry's water jug113 from his bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, “Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby…”
“So there is a Chamber of Secrets?” Harry whispered. “And did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!”
He seized the elf's bony wrist as Dobby's hand inched toward the water jug. “But I'm not Muggle-born - how can I be in danger from the Chamber?”
“Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby,” stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. “Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen - go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle114 in this, sir, tis too dangerous—”
“Who is it, Dobby?” Harry said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again. “Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?”
“Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!” squealed115 the elf. “Go home, Harry Potter, go home!”
“I'm not going anywhere!” said Harry fiercely. “One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened—”
“Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!” moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable116 ecstasy117. “So noble! So valiant118! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not—”
Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Harry heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.
“Dobby must go!” breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Harry's fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into bed, his eyes on the dark doorway119 to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer.
Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing120 gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.
“Get Madam Pomfrey,” whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight. Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep.
He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake121 of breath.
“What happened?” Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.
“Another attack,” said Dumbledore. “Minerva found him on the stairs.”
“There was a bunch of grapes next to him,” said Professor McGonagall. “We think he was trying to sneak122 up here to visit Potter.”
Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch123. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face.
It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.
“Petrified?” whispered Madam Pomfrey.
“Yes,” said Professor McGonagall. “But I shudder124 to think… If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate - who knows what might have—”
The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched125 the camera out of Colin's rigid126 grip.
“You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?” said Professor McGonagall eagerly.
Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.
“Good gracious!” said Madam Pomfrey.
A jet of steam had hissed127 out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid128 smell of burnt plastic.
“Melted,” said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. “All melted…”
“What does this mean, Albus?” Professor McGonagall asked urgently.
“It means,” said Dumbledore, “that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again.”
Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.
“But, Albus… surely… who?”
“The question is not who,” said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. “The question is, how…” And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.
自从小精灵悲剧性的插曲发生后，罗克哈特教授就不再把小生物带去班里了。
相反地，他把书中的段落读给学生听，有时也重演了其中一些更为戏剧性的零碎片段，他通常是挑选哈利来帮他扮演，到目前为止，他已经被迫扮演了一个愚蠢的船丝维尼亚村民，罗克哈特破解了他身上的符咒；一个脑袋冰冷的雪人，还有一个被罗克哈特收拾过后，除了莴苣什么也吃不了的吸血鬼。
在他们的黑巫术防卫课上，哈利再次被拽到教室前面。这一次他演的是人狼。
如果不是为了让罗克哈特保持好心情的话，他一定会拒绝去做的。
“精彩的狂嚎，哈利——正是这样——然后，如果你愿意相信的话，我突然袭击——就像这样——使劲地把他摔倒在地板上——这样——用一只手——我要控制住他——用另一只手，我用我的魔杖抵住他的喉咙——我接着鼓起我的余力并施了极复杂的魔法——他发出一声可怜的呻吟——继续。哈利再高一点——好——毛消失了——尖牙缩回去了——他变回了一个人。简单但有效——另一个村庄将会永远记住我，一个把他们从每月遭受人狼袭击的恐惧中拯救出来的英雄。”
铃声响了，罗克哈特迈开脚步。
“家庭作业是写一首关于我击败人狼韦格的诗！写得最好的将得到签名的手抄本《神奇的我》！”
班里的人开始离开了。哈利回到教室后面，罗恩和荷米恩在那里等地。
“准备好了？”哈利低声问。
“等到人走光了，”荷米恩紧张地说，“好了……”
她走到罗克哈特的桌旁，手里紧抓着一张纸，哈利和罗恩站在她后面。
“呢——罗克哈特教授？”荷米恩结结巴巴地说。“我想要——要把这本书带出图书馆。只是为了阅读背景。”她拿出那张纸，她的手轻轻地颤抖着。“但问题是，它是存放在图书馆的限制部的，所以我需要一个老师签字——我相信它将有助于我理解你讲的《与食尸者漫步同游》里面关于慢性毒液……”
“啊，《与食尸者漫步同游》！”罗克哈特叫了一声，把纸条从荷米恩那里拿过来，对她开怀微笑，“那可能是我最喜爱的书了。你也喜欢？”
“噢，是的。”荷米恩急切地说，“你用滤茶器捕最后一个鬼的方法简直是聪明极了……”
“嗯，我相信对于我给在一年之中最优秀的学生一点份外的帮助，是不会有人介意的。”罗克哈特温和地说，掏出一支大孔雀羽毛笔。“是的，精彩，不是吗？”
他说，误解了罗恩脸上抗议的表情。“我通常用它在书上签字。”
他在纸条上草草地画了个狂乱的签名，然后递给荷米恩。
“喔，哈利，”当荷米恩手忙脚乱地把字条塞进她的书包里时。罗克哈特说，“明天是这个赛季的第一场快迪斯比赛，是吧？格林芬顿对史林德林对吗？我听说你是个有用的队员。我也是一个搜索者。
我被邀请加入国家队，但我宁愿致力于研究神秘力量的消失。当然，如果你觉得有私下练习的需要的话，请告诉我。我总是很乐意把我的技巧传授给能力不足的队员……“哈利咙头发出一声明显的怪声，接着就跟着罗恩和荷米恩去了。
“我不信，”他说，当他们三人在研究字条上的签名时，“他甚至看都不看一眼我们要借的书。”
“那是因为他是一个没脑的笨蛋，”罗恩说，“管他呢，反正我们已经得到了我们要的了。”
“他不是什么没脑的笨蛋，”在他们半跑向图书馆的路上，荷米恩尖刻地说。
“就因为他说你是一年中最优秀的学生……”
当他们进入图书馆寂静的环境时，他们放低了嗓音。宾西夫人——图书管理员是一个又瘦又暴躁的人，看起来像一头没吃饱的秃鹫。
“《神奇药典》？”她怀疑地重复一遍，试图把纸条从荷米恩手里拿过去，但荷米恩不肯放手。
“我要看看我能不能留住它。”她上气不接下气地说。
“噢，来吧。”罗恩说，把纸条从她手里猛拉出来，递给宾西夫人，“我们会给你一张亲笔签名的。罗克哈特将会签任何东西，只要它静立的时候够长。”
宾西夫人把字条凑近灯边，似乎想发现一些伪造的痕迹，但它通过了检查。她在高大的书架中大步走去，几分钟后捧着一本又大又旧的书回来了。荷米恩把它小心地放进书包里，然后他们离开了，一边尽量不要走得太急或看起来形迹可疑。
五分钟后，他们又一次把自己关在呻吟的麦托勒那个凌乱的厕所间里：荷米恩不顾罗恩的抗议，指出这是最后一个处于他们这种状态的人都会去的地方，这样他们才能保证有私人空间。呻吟的麦托勒在她的小房间里大声叫喊，但他们都没理她。
荷米恩把《神奇药典》小心打开，他们三个人都俯下身去看这有湿渍的书页，一瞥之下就很清楚为何它会属于限制级了。其中一些内容几乎是超乎想象的触目惊心，而且还有一些很恐怖的插图，包括一个内脏被翻出来的男人和一个头上长了几双手的巫婆。
“就是它，”荷米恩兴奋地说，当她发现页首有“神奇药浆”的字时。书上还有一些画，内容是一个人转变成另一些人的过程。
“这是我看过的最复杂的药。”当他们在浏览清单时，荷米恩说。
“有透明翅膀的苍蝇，蚂蟥，移动草，还有纠结草，”她嘀咕着，手指沿着列表上的内容下滑。“这够容易的了。它们就在学生储藏柜里，我们能拿到。啊，看，双面兽制成粉的面——不知我们在哪能找得到……本斯兰切成碎片的皮肤——那也需要技巧——当然这有点困难，不管我们想变成谁。”
“什么？”罗恩尖刻地说，“你是什么意思？有一点？不管我们想变成谁？我宁愿什么都喝。只要不是斯卡伯斯的脚趾头在里面。”
荷米恩继续说，仿佛她没听到他的话一样。
“但是我们不必去担心，因为我们可以把这些零碎的东西放在最后加……”
罗恩不发一言转向荷米恩，他有他的忧虑。
“你难道不知道我们有多少东西要偷吗？本斯兰切成碎片的皮肤，双面兽制成粉的面，那是肯定不在学生拒橱里的。我们接着要做什么呢？潜入史纳皮的私人储藏室？我不知这算不算好主意……”
荷米恩啪嗒一声合上书。
“如果你们两个想退缩，行。”她说她的脸颊泛起了红潮，眼睛也比平时更明亮了。“你们知道，我不想破坏规矩。我认为威胁马格人出身的人比图谋药更糟糕。
但如果你们不想找出是不是马尔夫，我现在就直接去找宾西夫人把书还回去……”
“我从没想过我会看到你劝我们去破坏规矩的一天。”罗恩说，“好吧，我们做。但不要脚趾头，行吗？”
“不管怎么说，那要花多长时间？”当荷米恩重新高兴地打开书时，哈利问。
“嗯，因为移动草得在月圆时才能搞到，透明翅要炖二十一天……我想大概能在一个月内准备好吧，如果我们能得到所有东西的话。”
“一个月？”罗恩说，“那时马尔夫已经袭击了学校里的大半的马格人出身的人了！”但当荷术恩的眼睛又危险地眯了起来，他见风使舵地加上一句，“但这已是我们最好的计划了。
但是当荷米恩在察看是否四下无人，以便离开洗澡间时，罗恩向哈利低声抱怨：“要是你明天就能把马尔夫击下他的扫帚，那就少了很多麻烦了。”
星期六早上，哈利很早就醒了。他躺在床上想了一会即将来临的快迪斯比赛的事。他有点紧张，主要是因为想到如果格林芬顿输了，不知伍德会说什么。而且要面对的又是一支坐在金子才买得到的最快的扫帚上的队伍。他从没这么迫切地想要击垮史林德林。躺在那里思潮翻腾了半个小时后，他终于起来穿衣服，坐下吃早餐。
在那里他发现其他格林芬顿的队员都聚集在又长又空的桌旁，每个人看起来都精神紧张，而且话说得很少。
快11点时，大家开始出发前往快迪斯体育馆。这天天气闷热，时不时有雷响。
当哈利进入更衣室时，荷米恩和罗思匆匆忙忙地走过来祝他好运。队员们换上他们猩红色的格林芬顿球服，然后坐下听伍德例常的赛前鼓舞士气的讲话。
“史林德林有比我们好的扫帚。”他开始说，“毫无置疑的。但我们有更好的队员。我们训练得比他们艰苦，我们在各种各样的天气里飞行——”（对极了！
“乔治嘀咕着，”自从八月份以来，我的身上就没真正干过。“）——我们将让他们懊悔他们露出微笑的那一刻。马尔夫，只是买通了让他进入史林德林队而已。”
伍德满腹心事地转向哈利。
“全靠你了哈利，让他们看一看搜索者还必须有其他一些东西，而不仅仅是有一个有钱的父亲。在马尔夫之前取得史尼斯球，哈利，因为我们今天要赢，我们已经准备好要赢了。”
“压力别太大，哈利。”弗来德说，向他眨了眨眼。
当他们走出来上场时，一阵雷鸣般的声音响了起来，主要是吹呼声。因为卫文罗和海夫巴夫的人都急着要看史林德林被击败。但史林德林的人也在人群里发出一些唏嘘喝倒采的声音。霍克夫人，快迪斯的老师，让史林斯和伍德握手。他们给了对方一个威胁性的眼神，并故意别有深意地重重握紧了手。
“听我的哨声，”胡施夫人，“三……二……一”
随着人群里的吼叫催促他们开始，四个参赛者升上倾斜的天空。
哈利飞得比谁都高，他眯着眼在寻找偷分球。
“小傻瓜，上面还好吧？”马尔夫大叫，在他下面飞驰，似乎想炫耀他那扫帚的速度。
哈利没有回答。正在那时，一个又黑又重的布鲁佐球向他撞过来。他躲得很险。
他感觉到它经过时把他的头发都弄乱了。
“靠近一点，哈利。”乔治说着手里握着棍棒，准备把布鲁佐球回击向史林德林。哈利看到乔治朝着敌队的方向给了布鲁佐球有力的一击，但布鲁位球在空气中改变了方向又向哈利飞来。
哈利迅速下沉避开它。乔治试图把它重重击向马尔夫。又一次布鲁佐球像个回力棒一样弹了回来击中哈利头部。
哈利突然加速转向场地的另一边。他听到布鲁位球在他身后呼啸而来。怎么回事？布鲁佐球从来没有这样紧盯着一个选手不放的。它们的任务就是让尽可能多的人摔下来。
弗来德正在另一边等布鲁佐球，当弗来德给了布鲁佐球全力一击时，哈利迅速低下头。布鲁佐球被击个正着。
“它完蛋了！”弗来德兴奋地大叫，但他错了。哈利好像磁石一样吸引着布鲁佐球，它又一次紧跟着他。哈利不得不全速飞离。
开始下雨了。哈利感觉到重重的雨滴打在脸上，使他的眼镜变模糊了。他对比赛中的其他事一无所知，直到他听到评述员李。乔丹说：“史林德林学院暂时领先，60比0”
史林德林的灵光2001超级扫帚显然帮了他们个大忙，而同时那发了疯的布鲁佐球正在尽它的所能把哈利击垮。弗来德和乔治正飞在哈利两旁。他们离他那么近，以致于他除了他们摆动的手臂，什么也看不到，更没有机会去寻找史尼斯球。
“有人——对这——布鲁佐球——作了手脚。”弗来德咕哝着，用尽力气挥舞着他的拍子，仿佛准备给哈利来一个新的袭击。
“我们必须暂停。”乔治说，并试图向伍德作手势，同时阻止布鲁佐球打破哈利的鼻子。
“怎么回事？”伍德问。格林芬顿的人聚集在一起，而史林德林的人则在人群中嘲弄不已。“我们无地自容了。弗来德、乔治，当布鲁位球停下来时，你们在哪？”
“我们在离它20英尺高的地方，阻止另一个布鲁佐球谋杀哈利，奥立弗。”乔治说，“有人对它作了改动——它不放过哈利。整场它没跟过其他人。史林德林的人肯定对他作了些什么。”
“可是自从我们最后一次训练后布鲁佐球就被锁在胡施夫人的办公室里了。再说后来他们也没什么问题……”伍德着急地说。
霍克夫人向他们走了过来。越过她的肩膀，哈利可以看到史林德林队的人指着他的方向，嘲讽着。
“听我说，”当她越走越近时哈利说，“当你们两个一直围着我飞时，我能抓住史尼斯球的唯一方法就是除非它自己飞上我的袖子。”
哈利说，“回到队里去，让我来对付这恶棍。”
“别傻了，”佛来德说，“它会把你的头砸下来的。”
伍德看看哈利，又看看威斯里。
“奥立弗，这太疯狂了。”艾丽斯亚生气地说，“你不能让哈利一个人对付那玩意。我们要求调查——”
“如果我们现在停止，我们会失去比赛的！”哈利说。“我们不能就因为一个发疯的布鲁佐球而输给史林德林！来吧，奥立弗，告诉他们让我自己一个人来。”
霍克夫人加入了他们当中。
“准备好要比赛了吗？”她问伍德。
伍德看着一脸毅然的哈利。
“好吧，”他说，“弗来德、乔治，你们听到哈利的话了——让他一个人，让他独自对付布鲁佐球。”
这时雨下得更大了。在霍克夫人的哨声中，哈利冲了上去，他听见布鲁佐球在他后面飞快移动的声音。哈利攀得越来越高。他在空中翻筋斗，作波浪状飞行，盘施，曲折前行，起伏不定；虽感到有点目眩神速，他还是尽量睁大眼睛。雨点模糊了他的眼镜。在他为避开布鲁佐球再次凶猛俯冲作倒立飞行时，雨滴钻进了他的鼻子里。他能听到来自人群的笑声；他知道他看起来一定很蠢，但这可恶又笨重的布鲁佐球不让他那么快的改变方向。他开始绕着体育馆的边缘作像云霄飞车般的飞行，透过银色的雨帘眯着眼看格林芬顿的终点线柱，亚尼那正在那试图飞越伍德。
一声呼啸传到哈利耳里，他知道布鲁佐球刚刚又与他擦身而过；他向左翻转，跟着急速飞向相反方向。
“练习芭蕾吗，波特？”当哈利被迫在空中手忙脚乱地作旋转躲开布鲁佐球时，马尔夫大叫。当哈利憎恶地对马尔夫怒目而视时，他看到它了，金色的史尼斯球在马尔夫左耳上方几英寸的地方盘旋——而马尔夫正忙于嘲笑哈利，所以没看到它。
在那伤脑筋的时刻，哈利在空中踌躇着。他不敢加速冲向马尔夫，以防他向上望看到史尼斯球。
啊！
一秒时间的停留还是太长了。布鲁佐球终于还是打中了他，撞碎了他的手肘。
哈利觉得他的手臂都已经断了。他的右臂不起作用地悬垂在一边。布鲁佐球急追而来进行第二次袭击，这一次对准的是他的胸。哈利转了个弯，一个主意牢牢地嵌在他那失去知觉的脑中：靠近马尔夫。
穿过雨雾和疼痛，他俯冲向闪烁不定的微光。他看到在他下面那张讥笑的脸，而瞳孔因为害怕而张大了：马尔夫以为哈利要袭击他。
“啊——”他倒抽一口凉气，飞驰避过哈利。
哈利从扫帚上伸出另一只手，奋力一抓。他觉得他的手指贴紧在冰冷的史尼斯球上面。但现在他只剩下两只脚勾紧扫帚：当他一头直栽下地面，努力挣扎着以免昏厥时，人群中发出了惊叫。
随着一声振耳欲聋的砰然巨响，他摔到了泥地上，从扫帚上滚落下来。他的手臂用一个奇怪的角度悬挂着。疼痛淹没了他。他听到好像从遥远的地方传来阵阵哨声和叫喊声混杂的声音，他盯着紧握在手里的史尼斯球。
“噢，”他舒了口气，“我们赢了。”
然后他就晕了过去。
雨点落在他身上，他依然躺在地上，这时有人向他倾下身来，他醒了。他看到的是一排亮晶晶的牙齿。
“噢，不，不是你。”他呻吟着。
“不知道他在说些什么。”罗克哈特对挤在他旁边紧张的格林芬顿队员大声地说。“别紧张，我来固定你的手臂。”
“不！”哈利大叫，“我让它这样就行了，谢谢……”
他试着要坐起来，但无奈疼痛难忍。这时，他听到一声熟悉的咋嚓声。
“我不要这样拍照，柯林。”他大声地说。
“躺回去，哈利，”罗克哈特劝慰地说，“这是一个简单的魔法，我只需很少时间。”
“为什么我就不能去医院？”哈利咬着牙问。
“他真得去，教授。”浑身泥泞的伍德说：尽管他的搜索者受了伤，他还是忍不住咧着嘴笑了。“伟大的胜利，哈利。实在太精彩了。你是最棒的，我说。”
透过像灌木丛一样围在他周围的腿，哈利发现弗来德和乔治正奋力把那恶毒的布鲁佐球塞进箱子，而它仍在挣扎想作那令人恐怖的飞行。
“躺下去。”罗克哈特边说边卷起他那翠绿色的袖子。
“不——别——”哈利虚弱地说，但罗克哈特正在旋动他的魔杖，一秒后已经引着它直接对准哈利的手臂了。
一种奇怪而不愉快的感觉开始从哈利的肩膀蔓延到他的指尖。
好像他的手臂正在缩小。他不敢去看发生了什么事。他闭上了眼睛，转过脸不敢对着他的手。但当人们倒抽一口冷气，柯林开始拼命地按动快门时，他的恐惧到了极点。他的手臂不再受伤了——但感觉起来不再像是一只手。
“啊，”罗克哈特说：“那有时是会发生的。但重点在于，骨头不再是破碎的了。人们应该留意到这点。哈利让人搀扶着去医院吧。
啊，威斯里先生，格兰佐小姐，你们来帮忙护送他一下好吗？——波姆弗雷夫人也行——呃——把他弄得整齐点。“当哈利开始迈步时，他觉得异常不平衡。深深吸了口气，他看问他的右边。他看到的几乎令他再次昏倒。
他的长袍下面露出的是一个看起来厚厚的，像肉色的橡皮手套的东西。他试着动一动他的手指，但什么也没发生。
罗克哈特并没有治好哈利的骨头。他移动了它，波姆弗雷夫人很不高兴。
“你应该直接来找我的！”她暴怒了，抓起那个可怜的人在半小时前还活动自如的手臂。“我能在一秒内医好这骨头——问题是得让他们长回去——”
“你能行的，是吗？”哈利绝望地问。
“我当然能行，但你会痛苦些。”波姆弗雷夫人忧郁地说，扔给哈利一套睡衣，“你晚上得留在这。”
荷米恩在哈利床边拉起的布帘后等着。这时罗恩正在在帮他换睡衣。他费了好一会工夫才把这像橡胶一样的，没了骨头的手臂塞进衣袖里。
“现在这时候你怎么还能站在罗克哈特那边呢？荷米恩呢？”罗恩隔着布帘说。
当他把哈利软绵绵的手指拉出袖口时，“要是哈利不想要骨头了，他自己会先说的。”
“任何人都会犯错。”荷米恩说，“再说也不是很严重，不是吗？哈利？”
当他摇摇晃晃地躺上床时，他的手臂茫然地晃动着。
荷米恩和波姆弗雷夫人走到布帘边。波姆弗雷夫人手里拿着一大瓶标着“助骨长”的东西。
“你今晚会难受些，”她说，倒了一杯液体递给他，“骨头再生是一件麻烦事。”
他把液体喝了下去。当它人口时，哈利的嘴和喉咙仿佛看了火般，使他又咳又呛，波姆弗雷对罗克哈特这危险的行为和愚蠢啧啧称奇后就离开了，留下罗恩和荷米恩帮哈利。
“我们虽然赢了，”罗恩露出牙齿笑了，“但全靠你。马尔夫的脸……他看起来就像要杀人！”
“我真想知道他是怎么对布鲁佐球作了手脚。”哈利含糊地说。
“我们可以把这加到要问他的问题表上，等我们取得神奇药浆时。”哈利说，躺回他的枕头。“我希望那药尝起来比这玩意好味。”
病房的门这时被撞开了，其他格林芬顿的队员都来看望哈利，虽然个个又湿又脏。
“难以置信的飞行，哈利，”乔治说。“我刚刚看到史林斯对着马尔夫大发雷霆。因为史尼斯球在他头顶上而他居然一直都没有注意到。马尔夫看起来不怎么高兴。”
他们带来了蛋糕，糖，还有几瓶南瓜浆。他们围着哈利的床开始讨论怎么开庆功会。这时，波姆弗雷夫人怒气冲冲地走过来，大叫，“他需要休息，他有三十三根骨头要重长！出去！滚！”
哈利只剩下独自一人。没有任何东西来分散他那手臂上传来的阵阵刺痛。
几小时后，哈利从黑暗中醒来，疼痛让他忍不住叫了出来：他的手臂现在似乎全都碎了。在那一刻，他认为是疼痛让他醒来的。接着，随着一股恐惧的寒意，他意识到有人在转动着海绵轻拭他的额头。
“住手！”他大声地说，接着，他叫起来，“多比！”
这房间小精灵那瞪得像网球一样大的眼睛从黑暗中注视着哈利，一滴泪珠从他那长长翘起的鼻子上滑落下来。
“哈利。波特回到学校了，”他伤心地低语。“多比一次又一次地警告哈利，啊，先生，为什么你不听多比的话呢？为什么当哈利错过火车的时候他不回家呢？”
哈利坐起来靠在枕头上，推开了多比的海绵。
“你在这里干什么？”他问，“你怎么知道我错过了火车的？”
多比的嘴唇颤抖着。哈利仍然充满怀疑。
“是你！”他慢慢地说，“是你阻止我们通过栅栏！”
“事实上是的，先生。”多比说，用力点了点头，拍动着耳朵。“多比躲着监视哈利，还封了通路。多比不得不烫伤他的手——他伸出包了绷带的手指给哈利看——但多比不在乎，先生，因为他想到哈利已经安全了。多比从来就没想过哈利会从另一条路回学校！”
他摇晃着他那难看的脑袋，前后摇动着。
“多比听到哈利回学校的消息是多么震惊，甚至连主人的午餐都烧坏了！先生……”
哈利猛然跌回枕头里。
“你差点让我和罗恩被开除，”他粗暴地说。“你最好在我的骨头长全之前消失，多比，不然我可能会掐死你！”
多比虚弱地笑了笑。
“多比已习惯了死亡威胁，先生。在家时，多比一天可以受到五次这样的威胁。”
他用他的鼻子朝他身上那脏兮兮的枕套一角吹了吹气。他看起来是那么的可怜以致于哈利觉得他的怒气一下全消失了。
“你为什么穿着那东西？多比。”他好奇地问。
“这个吗，先生？”多比扯着枕头，“这是精灵受奴役的标志，先生。
只有当主人给我衣服穿时，多比才能自由，这一家人连一双短袜都不给多比，先生，因为那样多比会永远地离开他们家。“多比那鼓出的眼睛作了个怪相，突然说：”哈利一定得回家！多比想他的布鲁佐球一定足够……”
“你的布鲁佐球？”哈利说，再一次燃起怒火。“你说什么？你的布鲁佐球？
你试图让布鲁佐球来杀我？”
“不是杀你，先生，从来没有！”多比震惊地说。“多比只想挽救哈利的生命！
最好还是回家，严重地受伤，比呆在这儿也好，先生！多比只想让哈利受了伤被送回家！”
“哦，说完了？”哈利愤怒地说：“我不指望你告诉我为什么你希望我变成碎片被送回家！”
“啊，要是哈利知道的话！”多比痛苦地叫着，更多的泪水跌落到他那破旧的枕套上。“如果他知道他对我们这些低等的、被奴役的魔界的废物意味着什么！多比记得当‘那个人’在权力顶峰时，先生！
我们这些小精灵被看作讨人厌的害虫，先生。当然多比现在还是被这样看待，先生，“他承认，用枕套擦掉眼泪，”但很大程度的，自从你战胜了‘那个人’后，我的生活有了提高，哈利存在，而黑暗巫师的力量被推翻了。这是一个新的黎明，先生，对我们这些以为黑暗不会有尽头的可怜虫来说，哈利像灯塔一样照耀着我们，让一切充满了希望。先生，现在，在霍格瓦彻，可怕的事将要发生或已经发生了。
多比不能让先生留在这里。历史将要重演，既然秘室的秘密将要再次打开——“多比呆住了，吓得动都不动，接着迅速抓起哈利床边的水壶，重重击在他自己头上，摇摇欲坠地叹了口气。不一会，他爬上床，斜视着眼，咕哝着：”坏多比，很坏的多比……”
“就是说有神秘秘室了？”哈利悄悄地说。“那——你是说它以前曾打开过？告诉我，多比！”
他抓住这小精灵皮包骨头的手腕——当多比的手一点点伸向水壶的时候。“但我不是马格出身的人——我怎么会因神秘秘室而处于危险中呢？”
“啊，先生，别再问了，别再问可怜的多比了，”小精灵结结巴巴地说，他的眼睛在黑暗里显得特别大，“神秘的事件就是在这个地方被计划的，但哈利在它们发生时一定不会在这里了。回家吧，哈利回家。哈利不应该介入其中的，先生。这太危险了——”
“是谁，多比？”哈利紧紧抓着多比的手腕以防他再用水壶打自己的头。“谁打开它？上一次是谁打开它？”
“多比不能说，先生。多比不能说，多比不能说！”小精灵尖叫起来，“哈利，回家。哈利，回家吧。”
“我哪也不去！”哈利粗暴地说，“我一个好朋友是马格出身的人，如果秘室真的被打开过，她将是第一个被列在名单上的——”
“哈利为了他的朋友而拿自己的生命冒险！”多比悲叹，伤心而恍惚。“多么不凡啊！多么勇敢啊！但他必须救他自己，他必须，哈利不能——”
多比忽然间僵住了，他那蝙蝠耳朵抖动着。哈利也听到了。外面有脚步声沿着通道走下来。
“多比必须走了！”小精灵吸了一口气，说完便跑了。哈利的拳头忽然间握得紧紧的，他躺回枕头上去。当那脚步声越来越近时，他的眼睛紧紧盯着病房那黑乎乎的门口。
不一会，丹伯多来到了病房，他穿着一件长羊毛长袍，戴着一顶睡帽，他抬着一个看似雕像的东西的头。麦康娜教授出现在后面，抬着那东西的脚。他们一起把它放到了床上。
“叫波姆弗雷夫人，”丹伯多悄悄地说，然后麦康娜教授匆匆忙忙跑了出去，哈利静静地躺在那就像睡着了一般。他听到很紧急的声音，接着麦康娜教授大汗淋漓地跑回来，紧跟着波姆弗雷夫人，她正把开襟毛衣往身上套，他听到一声尖细的吸气声。
“发生什么事了？”波姆弗雷夫人向床上的雕像俯下身去，一边低声问丹伯多。
“另一次袭击，”丹伯多说，“米娜在楼梯上发现了他。”
“这有一串葡萄，”麦康娜教授说，“我们认为他正想偷偷进来探望哈利。”
这时哈利的胃可怕地痉挛着。他慢慢地，小心翼翼地撑起来以便看到床上的雕像。月光洒在它显眼的脸上。
是柯林，他的眼睛张大着，手紧拢在胸前，手里还抓着相机。
“吓坏了？”波姆弗雷悄悄地说。
“是的，”麦康娜说，“但我不敢去想……要是艾伯斯没有去取热巧克力的，谁知道会有什么……”
他们三人盯着柯林看。接着丹伯多倾向柯林把相机从他的紧握中拽出来。
“你不会认为他想拍下偷袭者的照片吧？”麦康娜教授急切地问。
丹伯多没有回答。他撬开相机的后部。
“太有同情心了。”波姆弗雷太太说。
相机中嘶嘶地冒出一股气体。哈利在距离三个床位远的地方闻到了烧塑料的酸味。
“熔化了，”波姆弗雷太太不解地说，“全化了……”
“这说明什么，艾伯斯？”麦康娜教授激动地问。
“这说明，”丹伯多说，“秘室之谜确实再次打开了。”
波姆弗雷太太用手掩住了嘴巴。麦康娜教授盯着丹伯多。
“但是艾伯斯……确定……谁……了？”
“问题不在于是谁，”丹伯多说，他的眼睛注视着柯林，“问题是怎么……”
看到麦康娜教授迷糊的脸时，哈利知道她了解的并不比他多。
收听单词发音 |
1
disastrous
|
|
| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
harry
|
|
| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
reconstructions
|
|
| 重建( reconstruction的名词复数 )； 再现； 重建物； 复原物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
babbling
|
|
| n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
vampire
|
|
| n.吸血鬼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
lettuce
|
|
| n.莴苣；生菜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
defense
|
|
| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
acting
|
|
| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
pounced
|
|
| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
fangs
|
|
| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
gadding
|
|
| n.叮搔症adj.蔓生的v.闲逛( gad的现在分词 )；游荡；找乐子；用铁棒刺 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
venoms
|
|
| n.（某些蛇、蝎子等分泌的）毒液( venom的名词复数 )；愤恨的感情或语言；毒物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
quill
|
|
| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
scrawled
|
|
| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
fumbling
|
|
| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
squad
|
|
| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
eradication
|
|
| n.根除 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
expertise
|
|
| n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
shrilly
|
|
| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
muffled
|
|
| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
irritable
|
|
| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
wrenching
|
|
| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
forgery
|
|
| n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
barricaded
|
|
| 设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
overridden
|
|
| 越控( override的过去分词 )； （以权力）否决； 优先于； 比…更重要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
rue
|
|
| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
sprouting
|
|
| v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
halfway
|
|
| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
leeches
|
|
| n.水蛭( leech的名词复数 )；蚂蟥；榨取他人脂膏者；医生 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
shredded
|
|
| shred的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
tricky
|
|
| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
brewing
|
|
| n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
stewed
|
|
| adj.焦虑不安的，烂醉的v.炖( stew的过去式和过去分词 )；煨；思考；担忧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
racing
|
|
| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
huddled
|
|
| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
uptight
|
|
| adj.焦虑不安的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
muggy
|
|
| adj.闷热的；adv.（天气）闷热而潮湿地；n.（天气）闷热而潮湿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
locker
|
|
| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
winking
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
hisses
|
|
| 嘶嘶声( hiss的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
squinting
|
|
| 斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
underneath
|
|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
pelting
|
|
| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
ruffle
|
|
| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
streaking
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
whack
|
|
| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
swerved
|
|
| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
zoomed
|
|
| v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去式 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
pelted
|
|
| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
flailing
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
tampered
|
|
| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
grunted
|
|
| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
jeered
|
|
| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
flattened
|
|
| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
jeering
|
|
| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
rogue
|
|
| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
forfeit
|
|
| vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
whoosh
|
|
| v.飞快地移动，呼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
swooped
|
|
| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
zigzagged
|
|
| adj.呈之字形移动的v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
nostrils
|
|
| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
dodge
|
|
| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
hatred
|
|
| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
agonizing
|
|
| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
crooked
|
|
| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
dangling
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
zooming
|
|
| adj.快速上升的v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去分词 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
lodged
|
|
| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
numb
|
|
| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
haze
|
|
| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
shimmering
|
|
| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
sneering
|
|
| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
riddled
|
|
| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
vaguely
|
|
| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
soothingly
|
|
| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
countless
|
|
| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
thicket
|
|
| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
deflated
|
|
| adj. 灰心丧气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
toddle
|
|
| v.（如小孩）蹒跚学步 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
poking
|
|
| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
pajamas
|
|
| n.睡衣裤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
cuff
|
|
| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
inept
|
|
| adj.不恰当的，荒谬的，拙劣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
gulp
|
|
| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
filthy
|
|
| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
pumpkin
|
|
| n.南瓜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
yelp
|
|
| vi.狗吠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
goggling
|
|
| v.睁大眼睛瞪视， （惊讶的）转动眼珠( goggle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
101
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
miserably
|
|
| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
heed
|
|
| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
gateway
|
|
| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
slumped
|
|
| 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] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
ebb
|
|
| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
bulging
|
|
| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
ragged
|
|
| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
beacon
|
|
| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
jug
|
|
| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
meddle
|
|
| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
squealed
|
|
| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
ecstasy
|
|
| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
valiant
|
|
| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
intake
|
|
| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
sneak
|
|
| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
lurch
|
|
| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
shudder
|
|
| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
wrenched
|
|
| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
rigid
|
|
| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
hissed
|
|
| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
acrid
|
|
| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |