Harry1 Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard.
It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in bed, the blankets drawn2 right over his head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leather-bound book (A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot) propped3 open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill4 down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write his essay, ‘Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless — discuss.’
The quill paused at the top of a likely looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read:
Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever5. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek6 with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling7 sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird8 enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises.
Harry put his quill between his teeth and reached underneath9 his pillow for his inkbottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer.
The Dursley family of Number Four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia11, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives. They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys’ roof. For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him. To their fury, they had not been unsuccessful. These days they lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft12 and Wizardry. The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spell books, wand, cauldron, and broomstick at the start of the summer break, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors.
This separation from his spell books had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work. One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention13 for a month. Harry had therefore seized his chance in the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too), Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night.
Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school vacation.
Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call.
“Vernon Dursley speaking.”
Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer.
“HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I — WANT — TO — TALK — TO — HARRY — POTTER!”
Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled14 fury and alarm.
“WHO IS THIS?” he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. “WHO ARE YOU?”
“RON — WEASLEY!” Ron bellowed15 back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. “I'M — A — FRIEND — OF — HARRY'S — FROM — SCHOOL —”
Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot.
“THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!” he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. “I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!”
And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider.
The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever.
“HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE — PEOPLE LIKE YOU!” Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit.
Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble, because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had Muggle parents, knew perfectly16 well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts.
So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. There was just one very small improvement — after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl10, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time.
Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting18 snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be very late, Harry thought. His eyes were itching19 with tiredness. Perhaps he'd finish this essay tomorrow night…
He replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the flashlight, A History of Magic, his essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous20 alarm clock on his bedside table.
It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt21. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour.
Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life. The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one.
Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her: she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd be back soon — she was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch22 at the sight of him.
Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been — stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning.
Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing23 him, had rebounded24 upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled…
But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts. Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth birthday.
He scanned the starry25 sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to him with a dead mouse dangling26 from her beak27, expecting praise. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing.
Silhouetted28 against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch29, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside.
Through the window soared three owls30, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft flump on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs.
Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once — his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the bed, untied31 the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot32 of thanks, and began to gulp33 some water.
Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol.
Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny34 one, but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest35. When Harry relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled36 its feathers importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into the night.
Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold and his first ever birthday card. Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out — a letter and a newspaper clipping.
The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read:
MINISTRY37 OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS38 GRAND PRIZE
Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse39 of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon40 Draw.
A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, “We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest41 son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank.”
The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend.
Harry scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing42 in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling43, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny.
Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor. He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it.
Dear Harry,
Happy birthday!
Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted.
It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff.
I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons44! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year.
Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds.
We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there?
Don't let the Muggles get you down!
Try and come to London,
Ron
P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week.
Harry glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily45 on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun.
Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it.
Harry — this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting47 up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles48 in his soup.
Bye — Ron
Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock. He looked at it happily for a few seconds, then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought.
Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione.
Dear Harry,
Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right.
I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you — what if they'd opened it at customs? — but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world), Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous — the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating.
There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's not too long — it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for.
Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first!
Love from
Hermione
P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it.
Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells — but it wasn't. His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek49 black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading Broomstick Servicing Kit50.
“Wow, Hermione!” Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside.
There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass51 compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare.
Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world — highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts House teams. One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing52 broom.
Harry put the leather case aside and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl53 on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. He tore off the top layer of paper and glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly — as though it had jaws54.
Harry froze. He knew that Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous. Hagrid had been known to befriend giant spiders, buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs, and sneak46 illegal dragon eggs into his cabin.
Harry poked55 the parcel nervously56. It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over his head, ready to strike. Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his other hand and pulled.
And out fell — a book. Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title The Monster Book of Monsters, before it flipped57 onto its edge and scuttled58 sideways along the bed like some weird crab59.
“Uh-oh,” Harry muttered.
The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled60 rapidly across the room. Harry followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hands and knees and reached toward it.
“Ouch!”
The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling61 on its covers. Harry scrambled62 around, threw himself forward, and managed to flatten63 it. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt17 in the room next door.
Hedwig and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a belt, which he buckled64 tightly around it. The Monster Book shuddered65 angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and reached for Hagrid's card.
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday!
Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you.
Hope the Muggles are treating you right.
All the best,
Hagrid
It struck Harry as ominous66 that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful, but he put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left.
Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit67 open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, and read:
Dear Mr. Potter,
Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.
Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian68 to sign.
A list of books for next year is enclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Professor M. McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely69 wizarding village, and he had never set foot there. But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form?
He looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning.
Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay down; eyes open, facing his three birthday cards.
Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else — glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.
哈利·波特是一个在很多方面都非常不寻常的男孩。其中，他最讨厌放暑假；还有，他很喜欢做功课，但不得不秘密地进行，通常只能在深夜，因为，他是一个巫士。
现在是差不多深夜了，他仰躺在床上，那毛毯像帐篷一样刚刚盖住他的头。他一手拿着电筒，一手拿着一本用皮革装订的书——《魔法的历史》，书放在枕头上打开。哈利用他那支羽毛笔轻轻地翻书，皱着眉头寻找资料来写他的论文“在十四世纪时火烧巫婆完全是无稽之谈”。
那羽毛笔在一段注目的文字顶停留下来，哈利把鼻子上的圆眼镜向上托了托，把电筒移近书仔细地读：“没有魔法的人（通常称为”马格人“）在中世纪时尤其畏惧魔法，但却不屑于认识它。有时在罕有的场合，他们的确捉到巫师或巫婆，不顾后果地把他们烧死。那些巫师或巫婆则会凝火法，然后假装惨叫，其实是在享受一种温和酥痒的感觉。实际上，温德林很喜欢被烧的感觉，她扮成不同的巫婆故意让人抓了不少于四十七次。”
哈利把羽毛笔放到嘴里咬着，伸手到枕头底探索他的墨水瓶和一卷羊皮纸，他小心翼翼地扭开墨水瓶盖，用那支羽毛笔轻轻地蘸湿然后开始写。时不时地停下来并认真听着外面，因为如果社斯利在上厕所途中听到他的那支羽毛笔写字的摩擦声，他很可能又叫他在楼梯下的橱柜里住到暑假的结束。
杜斯利一家三口，维能姨丈、帕尤妮亚姨妈和他们的儿子达德里，是哈利的亲戚。他们都是“马格人”，他们对魔法还是抱着中世纪时的态度。哈利已故的父母都是优秀的魔法师，但是在杜斯利家从来没提起过他们。多年来，帕尤妮亚姨妈和维能姨丈尽量遏制哈利，以为这样可以把他对魔法的梦想破碎。让他们气愤的是，他们从未能成功。现在他们在担忧有天谁会发现哈利曾在霍格瓦彻学校中学了两年时间的巫术。杜斯利所能做的只是把哈利的魔咒书。
魔杖和魔扫帚整个暑假都锁起来，并且禁止他跟邻居说话。
这的确成了哈利的问题，因为霍格瓦彻学校中的老师给他布置了很多暑假作业，其中有一篇论文，一篇关于收缩剂的作业，这是哈利最不喜欢的史纳皮教授布置的，这教授是不会为哈利找借口让他延迟一个月再交的。因此在放假开始时，哈利就有所行动了。当维能姨丈与帕尤妮亚姨妈和达德里出去前花园欣赏维能姨丈公司的新汽车时，（他们把声音故意放大，好让街上的人也注意到），哈利蹑手蹑脚下楼梯，打开楼梯下的橱柜，拿走了一些书并藏到他的枕头下面。只要他不要在床单上留下墨水汁，杜斯利一家也许不会知道他晚上在做魔法作业。
哈利这阵子尽量避免和他的姨妈姨丈发生争执，因为他们都不高兴地在放假的第一星期就接到一个同学的电话。
哈利在霍格瓦彻最好的朋友罗思。威斯里，他是出生于一个魔法师的家庭，这意味着他知道许多哈利所不知晓的事，但这之前他从没有用过电话联系哈利的，最糟糕的是，那电话是维能姨丈接听的。
“我是维能。杜斯利。”
哈利那时恰好在旁边，他听到罗恩的声音时简直呆住了。
“你好！你好！听见吗？麻烦你帮我叫哈利·波特听电话。”
罗恩大声地嚷着，维能吓了一跳并把话筒放到距耳朵一尺远，充满着警惕和愤怒的瞪着电话。
“你是谁？”他朝着话孔大声吼道，“你是谁？”
“罗恩。威斯里！”罗思也向他吼叫，好像正和维能姨丈在足球场的两边对话一般。“我是哈利在学校的朋友。”
维能姨丈的小眼珠旋转着望着哈利。哈利在旁边像生了根般站立着。
“这里没有人叫哈利·波特！”他吼道，把话筒放到手臂长度的距离外，仿佛它会炸开，“我不知道你在说什么鬼学校，不要再打过来，不要接近我家人。”
然后他把话筒扔到电话上，如拍死一只毒蜘蛛一般。
随后的责骂便是有始以来最厉害的一次。
“你怎能把电话号码给那些——那些像你一样的人！”维能大声地吼，把哈利喷得满脸口水。
很明显罗恩意识到他给哈利添麻烦了，所以他不再打电话过来了。哈利与其它在霍格瓦彻的好朋友，如荷米恩。格林位，也失去联络了。哈利怀疑是罗恩叫她不要打电话，这十分遗憾，因为她也不再打电话过来了。
因为荷米恩是哈利年级中最聪明的，她的父母都不懂魔法，她十分清楚怎样打电话，并且很理智地说她不曾上过霍格瓦彻学校。
因此，哈利五个星期之久都没有他朋友的消息了。而且他的暑假过得像去年一样糟，但有一点点进步的是，在他发誓不利用海维来给他的朋友送信之后，又可以用海维在晚上送信了，维能在这方面让步了，因为海维关在笼子会闷得大声喧闹。
哈利写完了有关温德林的论文，然后又停下来听，屋内的沉静被远处的咕嗜咕嗜打鼾声打破，一定很晚了，哈利的眼睛因疲惫而发痒了。也许明晚他就可以完成这论文了。
他盖上墨水瓶的盖子，从床下拉出一个旧枕头套，把电筒。
《魔法历史》、他的论文、羽毛笔和墨水都放进去，然后跳下床把这些放到一块松的地砖下面。然后站起来，伸伸腰，看了看他床前桌上明亮的小闹钟。
已经是凌晨一点了。哈利突然意识到他已经十三岁了，这他从没有注意过。
哈利不由得开始盼望自己的生日。他从来没有收过生日卡，杜斯利完全忽视他过去的两个生日，他想，看来他们也没什么理由会记起今年的了。
哈利横过他那漆黑的房间，经过海维的大而空的笼子，打开窗口。他靠在窗台，长时间盖在毛毯里，他感受到了晚风的清凉，海维已经离开了两天，哈利并不担心她……她离开很久了……但他希望她快点回来，她是这房间里唯一他不畏惧的生物。
哈利，从他的年龄看仍然太小太瘦，虽然在过去一年中他高了几寸。他漆黑的头发仍是一样的，很顽固的疯长。眼镜后的眼睛是青色的，在他额上，透过头发仍能清晰看到一道形状奇特的疤痕，好像一道闪电似的。
发生在哈利身上所有奇特的事中，这疤痕是最为突出的。这不是杜斯利一家所说的是那次使哈利父母亡故的车祸所留下的印记，因为莉莉和杰姆斯。波特并不是死于车祸，他们是被百年来最可怕的黑暗巫师福尔得摩特所谋杀的，哈利在他的魔咒袭击下成为唯一的幸存者，额上却留下了闪电疤痕。那时候，福尔得摩特的咒语不但杀不死哈利，还使他自己失去了魔力和躯体。
哈利从上霍格瓦彻之后便开始与他正面斗争了。一想起在窗前遇见他那次，哈利不得不承认他能活到十三岁已经很幸运了。
他望着布满星星的天空，寻觅着海维的影子，在想也许她嘴里咬着一只死老鼠正向他飞过来领赏。心不在焉的哈利看着屋顶，突然印入他眼帘的是：金黄色的月亮下有一个似三角形的黑影，而且似三角形的黑影变得越来越大，并且不断摆动着。
他站得直直的，看着它越降越低，一刹那间，他犹豫了，他的手停在窗柱上，不知道是否要把窗关上，但之后那奇异影子猛地飞到街道上的街灯上面，哈利意识到那是动物，于是立即跃到一边。
从窗口飞进来的是三只猫头鹰，其中两只是托着第三只的，它看上去受伤了。
它们轻轻地停在哈利的床上，中间那头壮大猫头鹰，是灰色的，倒在那里一动不动地躺着，它脚上系着一袋东西。
哈利认出那昏迷的猫头鹰，它叫厄罗尔，是威斯里家里的。哈利立刻冲到床前，解开厄罗尔脚上的绳子，把袋子取下来并把厄罗尔放到海维的笼子里面。这时厄罗尔睁开朦胧的眼，发出低沉的鸣叫来表示谢意，并且开始喝水。
哈利向另外的猫头鹰看去，其中一只是很大的雪白的母猫头鹰，是他的海维，她也带着一个小包，并且看上去很高兴。她在哈利给她解开系在脚上的小包后，用尖嘴深情地夹了他一下，然后飞去厄罗尔那里。
哈利认不出第三只猫头鹰，它是黄褐色的，很英俊。但立刻他知道它从哪来的，因为除了带有个小包之外，它还带着霍格瓦彻的鸡毛信。哈利马上取下这猫头鹰的信。它振动了一下羽毛，然后张开它的翅膀，从窗口飞向夜空中。
哈利坐在床边，拿起厄罗尔的小包，撕开那褐色的纸，看清了包着的东西，他的第一张生日卡！他用颤动的手指打开生日卡，两张纸掉了下来——一封信与一张剪下的报纸。
那剪下的报纸明显是魔法报纸《先知日报》，因为黑白照里的人是会动的。哈利拿起那剪下的报纸，把它弄平开始读：魔法部门的部长获得巨奖亚瑟。威斯里，魔法部办公室的领导，赢得《先知日报》每年一度的巨奖，马格人制造的西班牙帆船金币。威斯里还高兴地告诉《先知日报》：“我们在暑假会去埃及看金字塔，在那儿，我最大的儿子比尔在廉法格林高斯银行工作。”
威斯里一家会在埃及停留一个月，在霍格瓦彻学校开学时回来，因为威斯里的五个孩子在那里上学。
哈利看着那些移动的照片，当他看到威斯里一家九口站在金字塔上疯狂地向他挥手的时候，不由得微笑起来。丰满而矮小的威斯里太太，高而秃顶的威斯里先生，六个儿子和一个女儿，全都（虽然黑白照没有显示出来）有好像是火一般的红发。
在照片中间的就是罗恩，又高又瘦，肩上是他的宠物小鼠斯卡伯斯，他携着他的妹妹金妮。
哈利想不起还有谁比威斯里更有资格获这个巨奖，因为他实在太好了，并且又是那么穷。随后他拿起罗恩的信打开它。
亲爱的哈利：生日快乐！
看，我真该为我打给你的电话说声抱歉，我真的希望“马格人”没有难为你。
我问过爸爸，他也认为我不应该这样做的。
埃及这里实在太好了，比尔带我们看了所有的金字塔，你也许不相信那里到处都有金字塔墓的咒语。妈妈不让金妮走在最后是因为那里有许多头颅，是那些马格人闯进来便迷路了以致死在这里。
我实在难以相信爸爸赢得《先知日报》的大奖，有700个帆船币，现在在这个假期中都用得差不多了，但他们还是准备给我买一根新的魔杖。
哈利很清楚记得罗恩的魔杖被折断的事，那时候，他们的车正飞快驶进霍格瓦彻学校时，意外撞到校门的一颗大树。
我们将在开学前的那个星期四到伦敦去买我的魔杖和书，不知道有没有机会见到你呢？
不要让“马格人”击倒你。
尽量争取机会到伦敦来。
罗恩。
附：伯希获得优秀青年奖，他在上星期已经收到通知了。
哈利望望那照片。伯希在霍格瓦彻上七年级，而且是最后一年了。他看上去特别高兴，他轻快地把他的优秀青年徽章系在他的魔法帽边，他那四方形的眼镜在埃及的太阳下正闪闪发光。
哈利接着把罗思的那包礼物解开，里面是个有旋转型项的微型杯，并且还有罗恩的另一张便条。
哈利——这是袖珍的“史尼卡可”，如果周围有不可信任的人。
它会自动旋转起来的，比尔说这是卖给巫师游客的纪念品，并不可信的。因为昨天吃饭时它一直在转动，但是比尔没有注意到弗来德和乔治把甲壳虫放进他的汤里。
再见——罗恩。
哈利把袖珍的“史尼卡可”放到他的床边，竖直放着，两边平衡，这时，影出他的闹钟发亮的时针，他高兴地看了几秒，然后拿起海维送来的小包。
里面也是包着的礼物，有一张卡与一封信，这是荷米恩写给他的。
亲爱的哈利：罗恩写信告诉我，你维能姨丈接到了他打给你的电话，我真的希望你没事。
我现在在法国度假，我不知道怎样把这些寄给你——万一你姨丈他们如平常一样打开信箱——这时，海维出现了。我想她想让你今年的生日有所不同——能够收到礼物，我按猫头鹰的指导给你买了一件礼物。《先知日报》中已经报导了，我已经给你寄过来了，这样你就可以知道魔法领域上发生的事，你看到罗恩与他家一个星期前的照片了吗？我打赌他在那里学到了大量知识，我真羡慕他，远古的埃及人实在令人迷惑，他们是怎样把金字塔建造出来的。
以及当地有趣的魔法历史。
现在我已经重写我的《魔法的历史》论文了。重新加入一些我最近学到的知识，我想，不会很长，大概是两卷羊皮纸。比宾西教授要求的长一些。
罗恩说他准备在假期的最后一星期去伦敦。到时你能去吗？你姨丈和姨妈会让你出来吗？我真希望你能去，如果不行，我们将会在霍格瓦彻的列车上见面的。
来自于荷米恩附：罗恩说伯希拿优秀青年奖，我打赌伯希一定非常高兴，罗恩好像为此而不太高兴。
哈利把荷米恩的信放在一边，拿起她送来的礼物，他笑了笑。
很重，因为他了解荷米恩，知道这会是一本很难拼读的书——然而却不是！当他撕开纸时看到一个光亮黑皮框上盖着银色字样的邮票戳——“扫帚维护箱”的时候，他的心剧烈地在跳动。
“啊，荷米恩！”哈利默默地说，打开那框往里看。
那里有一桶弗里沃的高质量油漆。一双发亮的银剪刀，一个小型低青铜笛——是在旅途上消遣用的。还有一本《扫帚维护手册》。
除了他的朋友，哈利对霍格瓦彻最恩念的是快迪斯，这是魔法领域中最受欢迎的运动——很危险，很刺激，是在扫帚上玩的。哈利恰恰是玩快迪斯的高手。是霍格瓦彻校园队中被排出的最年轻的一个队员，哈利最宝贵的珍藏品中有他的“灵光2000”型扫帚。
哈利把皮框放在一边，又拿起另一个猫头鹰带回来的小包，他认出褐纸上的潦草字迹了，这是哈格力的，是霍格瓦彻猎场看守人，他撕开第一层纸便看到青色的皮草质的东西，正当他设法解开它时那东西奇怪地震动一下，里面传出似有钳东西的声音。
哈利吓呆了，他知道哈格力永远不会故意给他危险的东西，但哈格力没有正常人的危险观念的。大家都知道哈格力对巨型蜘蛛特别有兴趣，从酒吧的男人手中买来恶毒的三头狗，还在他的小屋中窝藏非法的龙蛋。
哈利紧张地解那小包，这时又传出轻微的爆裂声。哈利走到床头边的桌台旁，紧紧抓住它，把它举到头上，然后他用另一只手抓着包装纸狠狠地拉。
掉下来的——是一本书，像只蟹跌落的时候，他看清了，书的一角被撕破了，封面是青色的，书名用镀金写着《妖怪的魔书》。
“哦，嗯。”哈利咕哝。
书跌到床上发出沉浊的碰击声，慢慢地滚过房间，哈利悄悄地跟著书，书落到他黑乎乎的桌子下面一角。他祈祷杜斯利一家还在熟睡，哈利跪下来，爬在地上用手去抓它。
“噢！”
书在他手上“砰”的一声合上了，然后从他身边滚过，哈利急忙纵身扑过去并把书压在手下，隔壁房传来维能姨丈大声的鼻鼾声。
海维和厄罗尔有趣地看着哈利把书抓住，并挣扎般把书束在怀中，迅速走到床头柜还拿出一条皮带，用来紧紧束上那本书。魔书战栗着，它不能走也不能再响了。
因而哈利把它扔在床上又打开哈格力给他的生日卡。
亲爱的哈利：生日快乐！
我想你会发现这书在下学期中很有用的，我在这不多说了，见到你时再聊吧。
希望“马格人”好好对待你。
给你最好的祝愿。
哈格力哈利为哈格力认为这本书有用而感到不解，但是他还是把哈格力的生日卡跟罗恩和荷米思的放在一起，咧开嘴笑得更开心，现在只剩下来自霍格瓦彻的信了。哈利发觉它比一般的信要厚，他撕开信封口，拿出羊皮纸的第一张来看：亲爱的波特先生：很高兴告诉你新学期在九月一日开始，霍格瓦彻列车会从国王大道十字车站开出，在第九又四分之三站台，十一点三刻出发。
三年级的学生允许在某些周末参观霍格马得的村庄，请你附寄你的家长或监护人签名回来。
明年课程的书名列表在内。
真诚的麦康娜教授副校长哈利停住笑了，抽出霍格马得的同意书来看，能在周末参观霍格马得村庄该多好呀，他知道那里是真正的魔法之村，他从来没去过。但究竟怎样他才能劝到维能姨丈和帕尤妮亚姨妈在表格上签名呢？
他看了看闹钟，已经是凌晨二点了。
他站起来时就担心霍格马得的表格，他走回床边伸手把自制的台历撕去一张，倒数着他回霍格瓦彻学校的日子，然后地摘下眼镜躺下来，睁开眼看着他那三张生日贺卡。
虽然他确实不寻常，但是哈利·波特觉得自己跟其他人一样，为他的生日第一次收到贺卡很高兴。
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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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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quill
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| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 | |
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whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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tickling
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| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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petunia
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| n.矮牵牛花 | |
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witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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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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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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itching
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| adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 ) | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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flinch
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| v.畏缩，退缩 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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rebounded
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| 弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效 | |
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starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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hoot
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| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
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gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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scoops
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| n.小铲( scoop的名词复数 )；小勺；一勺[铲]之量；（抢先刊载、播出的）独家新闻v.抢先报道( scoop的第三人称单数 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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misuse
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| n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用 | |
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galleon
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| n.大帆船 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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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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gangling
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| adj.瘦长得难看的 | |
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galleons
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| n.大型帆船( galleon的名词复数 ) | |
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jauntily
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| adv.心满意足地；洋洋得意地；高兴地；活泼地 | |
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sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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scrawl
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| vt.潦草地书写；n.潦草的笔记，涂写 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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crab
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| n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气 | |
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shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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scuttling
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| n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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flatten
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| v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽 | |
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buckled
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| a. 有带扣的 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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