Harry1 and Dumbledore approached the back door of the Burrow2, which was surrounded by the familiar litter of old Wellington boots and rusty3 cauldrons; Harry could hear the soft clucking of sleepy chickens coming from a distant shed. Dumbledore knocked three times and Harry saw sudden movement behind the kitchen window.
“Who's there?” said a nervous voice he recognized as Mrs. Weasley's. “Declare yourself!”
“It is I, Dumbledore, bringing Harry.”
The door opened at once. There stood Mrs. Weasley, short, plump, and wearing an old green dressing4 gown.
“Harry, dear! Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!”
“We were lucky,” said Dumbledore, ushering5 Harry over the threshold. “Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing, of course. Ah, hello, Nymphadora!”
Harry looked around and saw that Mrs. Weasley was not alone, despite the lateness of the hour. A young witch with a pale, heart-shaped face and mousy brown hair was sitting at the table clutching a large mug between her hands.
“Hello, Professor,” she said. “Wotcher, Harry.”
“Hi, Tonks.”
Harry thought she looked drawn6, even ill, and there was something forced in her smile. Certainly her appearance was less colorful than usual without her customary shade of bubble-gum-pink hair.
“I'd better be off,” she said quickly, standing7 up and pulling her cloak around her shoulders. “Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly.”
“Please don't leave on my account,” said Dumbledore courteously8, “I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour.”
“No, no, I need to get going,” said Tonks, not meeting Dumbledore's eyes. “'Night...”
“Dear, why not come to dinner at the weekend, Remus and Mad-Eye are coming... ?”
“No, really, Molly... thanks anyway... Goodnight, every-one.”
Tonks hurried past Dumbledore and Harry into the yard; a few paces beyond the doorstep, she turned on the spot and vanished into thin air. Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley looked troubled.
“Well, I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “Take care of yourself. Molly, your servant.”
He made Mrs. Weasley a bow and followed Tonks, vanishing at precisely10 the same spot. Mrs. Weasley closed the door on the empty yard and then steered11 Harry by the shoulders into the full glow of the lantern on the table to examine his appearance.
“You're like Ron,” she sighed, looking him up and down. “Both of you look as though you've had Stretching jinxes put on you. I swear Ron's grown four inches since I last bought him school robes. Are you hungry, Harry?”
“Yeah, I am,” said Harry, suddenly realizing just how hungry he was.
“Sit down, dear, I'll knock something up.”
As Harry sat down, a furry12 ginger13 cat with a squashed face lumped onto his knees and settled there, purring.
“So Hermione's here?” he asked happily as he tickled14 Crookshanks behind the ears.
“Oh yes, she arrived the day before yesterday,” said Mrs. Weasley, rapping a large iron pot with her wand. It bounced onto the stove with a loud clang and began to bubble at once. “Everyone's in bed, of course, we didn't expect you for hours. Here you are...”
She tapped the pot again; it rose into the air, flew toward Harry, and tipped over; Mrs. Weasley slid a bowl nearly beneath it just in time to catch the stream of thick, steaming onion soup.
“Bread, dear?”
“Thanks, Mrs. Weasley.”
She waved her wand over her shoulder; a loaf of bread and a knife soared gracefully16 onto the table; as the loaf sliced itself and the soup pot dropped back onto the stove, Mrs. Weasley sat down opposite him.
“So you persuaded Horace Slughorn to take the job?”
Harry nodded, his mouth so full of hot soup that he could not speak.
“He taught Arthur and me,” said Mrs. Weasley. “He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think. Did you like him?”
His mouth now full of bread, Harry shrugged18 and gave a non-committal jerk of the head.
“I know what you mean,” said Mrs. Weasley, nodding wisely. “Of course he can be charming when he wants to be, but Arthur's never liked him much. The Ministry19's littered with Slughorn's old favorites, he was always good at giving leg ups, but he never had much time for Arthur... didn't seem to think he was enough of a highflier. Well, that just shows you, even Slughorn makes mistakes. I don't know whether Ron's told you in any of his letters... it's only just happened... but Arthur's been promoted!”
It could not have been clearer that Mrs. Weasley had been bursting to say this.
Harry swallowed a large amount of very hot soup and thought he could feel his throat blistering20.
“You are sweet,” beamed Mrs. Weasley, possibly taking his watering eyes for emotion at the news. “Yes, Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation, and Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation22 of Counterfeit23 Defensive24 Spells and Protective Objects. It's a big job, he's got ten people reporting to him now!”
“What exactly—?”
“Well, you see, in all the panic about You-Know-Who, odd things have been cropping up for sale everywhere, things that are supposed to guard against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. You can imagine the kind of thing... so-called protective potions that are really gravy25 with a bit of Bubotuber pus added, or instructions for defensive jinxes that actually make your ears fall off... Well, in the main the perpetrators are just people like Mundungus Hotelier, who've never done an honest day's work in their lives and are taking advantage of how frightened everybody is, but every now and then something really nasty turns up. The other day Arthur confiscated26 a box of cursed Sneakoscopes that were almost certainly planted by a Death Eater. So you see, it's a very important job, and I tell him it's just silly to miss dealing27 with spark plugs and toasters and all the rest of that Muggle rubbish.” Mrs. Weasley ended her speech with a stern look, as if it had been Harry suggesting that it was natural to miss spark-plugs.
“Is Mr. Weasley still at work?” Harry asked.
“Yes, he is. As a matter of fact, he's a tiny bit late... He said he'd be back around midnight...”
She turned to look at a large clock that was perched awkwardly on top of a pile of sheets in the washing basket at the end of the table. Harry recognized it at once: it had nine hands, each inscribed29 with the name of a family member, and usually hung on the Weasleys’ sitting room wall, though its current position suggested that Mrs. Weasley had taken to carrying it around the house with her. Every single one of its nine hands was now pointing at mortal peril30.
“It's been like that for a while now,” said Mrs. Weasley, in an unconvincingly casual voice, “ever since You-Know-Who came back into the open. I suppose everybody's in mortal danger now... I don't think it can be just our family... but I don't know anyone else who's got a clock like this, so I can't check. Oh!”
With a sudden exclamation31 she pointed32 at the clock's face. Mr. Weasley's hand had switched to traveling.
“He's coming!”
And sure enough, a moment later there was a knock on the back door. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and hurried to it; with one hand on the doorknob and her face pressed against the wood she called softly, “Arthur, is that you?”
“Yes,” came Mr. Weasley's weary voice. “But I would say that even if I were a Death Eater, dear. Ask the question!”
“Oh, honestly...”
“Molly!”
“All right, all right... What is your dearest ambition?”
“To find out how airplanes stay up.”
Mrs. Weasley nodded and turned the doorknob, but apparently33 Mr. Weasley was holding tight to it on the other side, because the door remained firmly shut.
“Molly! I've got to ask you your question first!”
“Arthur, really, this is just silly...”
“What do you like me to call you when we're alone together?”
Even by the dim light of the lantern Harry could tell that Mrs. Weasley had turned bright red; he himself felt suddenly warm around the ears and neck, and hastily gulped34 soup, clattering35 his spoon as loudly as he could against the bowl.
“Mollywobbles,” whispered a mortified36 Mrs. Weasley into the crack at the edge of the door.
“Correct,” said Mr. Weasley. “Now you can let me in.”
Mrs. Weasley opened the door to reveal her husband, a thin, balding, red-haired wizard wearing horn-rimmed spectacles and a long and dusty traveling cloak.
“I still don't see why we have to go through that every time you come home,” said Mrs. Weasley, still pink in the face as she helped her husband out of his cloak. “I mean, a Death Eater might have forced the answer out of you before impersonating you!”
“I know, dear, but it's Ministry procedure, and I have to set an example. Something smells good... onion soup?”
Mr. Weasley turned hopefully in the direction of the table.
“Harry! We didn't expect you until morning!”
They shook hands, and Mr. Weasley dropped into the chair beside Harry as Mrs. Weasley set a bowl of soup in front of him too.
“Thanks, Molly. It's been a tough night. Some idiot's started selling Metamorph-Medals. Just sling37 them around your neck and you'll be able to change your appearance at will. A hundred thousand disguises, all for ten Galleons38!”
“And what really happens when you put them on?”
“Mostly you just turn a fairly unpleasant orange color, but a couple of people have also sprouted39 tentacle40 like warts9 all over their bodies. As if St. Mungo's didn't have enough to do already!”
“It sounds like the sort of thing Fred and George would find funny,” said Mrs. Weasley hesitantly. “Are you sure... ?”
“Of course I am!” said Mr. Weasley. “The boys wouldn't do anything like that now, not when people are desperate for protection!”
“So is that why you're late, Metamorph-Medals?”
“No, we got wind of a nasty backfiring jinx down in Elephant and Castle, but luckily the Magical Law Enforcement Squad41 had sorted it out by the time we got there...”
Harry stifled42 a yawn behind his hand.
“Bed,” said an undeceived Mrs. Weasley at once. “I've got Fred and George's room all ready for you, you'll have it to yourself.”
“Why, where are they?”
“Oh, they're in Diagon Alley43, sleeping in the little flat over their joke shop as they're so busy,” said Mrs. Weasley. “I must say, I didn't approve at first, but they do seem to have a bit of a flair44 for business! Come on, dear, your trunks already up there.”
“'Night, Mr. Weasley,” said Harry, pushing back his chair. Crookshanks leapt lightly from his lap and slunk out of the room.
“G'night, Harry,” said Mr. Weasley.
Harry saw Mrs. Weasley glance at the clock in the washing basket as they left the kitchen. All the hands were once again at mortal peril.
Fred and George's bedroom was on the second floor. Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at a lamp on the bedside table and it ignited at once, bathing the room in a pleasant golden glow. Though a large vase of flowers had been placed on a desk in front of the small window, their perfume could not disguise the lingering smell of what Harry thought was gunpowder45. A considerable amount of floor space was devoted46 to a vast number of unmarked, sealed cardboard boxes, amongst which stood Harry's school trunk. The room looked as though it was being used as a temporary warehouse47.
Hedwig hooted48 happily at Harry from her perch28 on top of a large wardrobe, then took off through the window; Harry knew she had been waiting to see him before going hunting. Harry bade Mrs. Weasley good night, put on pajamas49, and got into one of the beds. There was something hard inside the pillowcase. He groped inside it and pulled out a sticky purple-and-orange sweet, which he recognized as a Puking Pastille. Smiling to himself, he rolled over and was instantly asleep.
Seconds later, or so it seemed to Harry, he was awakened50 by what sounded like cannon51 fire as the door burst open. Sitting bolt upright, he heard the rasp of the curtains being pulled back: The dazzling sunlight seemed to poke52 him hard in both eyes. Shielding them with one hand, he groped hopelessly for his glasses with the other.
“Wuzzgoinon?”
“We didn't know you were here already!” said a loud and excited voice, and he received a sharp blow to the top of the head.
“Ron, don't hit him!” said a girl's voice reproachfully.
Harry's hand found his glasses and he shoved them on, though I he light was so bright he could hardly see anyway. A long, looming53 shadow quivered in front of him for a moment; he blinked and Ron Weasley came into focus, grinning down at him.
“All right?”
“Never been better,” said Harry, rubbing the top of his head and slumping54 back onto his pillows. “You?”
“Not bad,” said Ron, pulling over a cardboard box and sitting on it. “When did you get here? Mum's only just told us!”
“About one o'clock this morning.”
“Were the Muggles all right? Did they treat you okay?”
“Same as usual,” said Harry, as Hermione perched herself on the edge of his bed, “they didn't talk to me much, but I like it better that way. How're you, Hermione?”
“Oh, I'm fine,” said Hermione, who was scrutinizing55 Harry as though he was sickening for something. He thought he knew what was behind this, and as he had no wish to discuss Sirius's death or any other miserable56 subject at the moment, he said, “What's the time? Have I missed breakfast?”
“Don't worry about that, Mum's bringing you up a tray; she reckons you look underfed,” said Ron, rolling his eyes. “So, what's been going on?”
“Nothing much, I've just been stuck at my aunt and uncle's, haven't I?”
“Come off it!” said Ron. “You've been off with Dumbledore!”
“It wasn't that exciting. He just wanted me to help him persuade this old teacher to come out of retirement57. His name's Horace Slughorn.”
“Oh,” said Ron, looking disappointed. “We thought—”
Hermione flashed a warning look at Ron, and Ron changed tack58 at top speed.
“— we thought it'd be something like that.”
“You did?” said Harry, amused.
“Yeah... yeah, now Umbridge has left, obviously we need a new Defense59 Against the Dark Arts teacher, don't we? So, er, what's he like?”
“He looks a bit like a walrus60, and he used to be Head of Slytherin,” said Harry. “Something wrong, Hermione?”
She was watching him as though expecting strange symptoms to manifest themselves at any moment. She rearranged her features hastily in an unconvincing smile.
“No, of course not! So, um, did Slughorn seem like he'll be a good teacher?”
“Dunno,” said Harry. “He can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?”
“I know someone who's worse than Umbridge,” said a voice from the doorway61. Ron's younger sister slouched into the room, looking irritable62. “Hi, Harry.”
“What's up with you?” Ron asked.
“It's her,” said Ginny, plonking herself down on Harry's bed. “She's driving me mad.”
“What's she done now?” asked Hermione sympathetically.
“It's the way she talks to me... you'd think I was about three!”
“I know,” said Hermione, dropping her voice. “She's so full of herself.”
Harry was astonished to hear Hermione talking about Mrs. Weasley like this and could not blame Ron for saying angrily, “Can't you two lay off her for five seconds?”
“Oh, that's right, defend her,” snapped Ginny. “We all know you can't get enough of her.”
This seemed an odd comment to make about Ron's mother. Starting to feel that he was missing something, Harry said, “Who are you... ?”
But his question was answered before he could finish it. The bedroom door flew open again, and Harry instinctively63 yanked the bedcovers up to his chin so hard that Hermione and Ginny slid off the bed onto the floor.
A young woman was standing in the doorway, a woman of such breathtaking beauty that the room seemed to have become strangely airless. She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and appeared to emanate64 a faint, silvery glow. To complete this vision of perfection, she was carrying a heavily laden65 breakfast tray.
“'Arry,” she said in a throaty voice. “Eet ‘as been too long!”
As she swept over the threshold toward him, Mrs. Weasley was revealed, bobbing along in her wake, looking rather cross.
“There was no need to bring up the tray, I was just about to do it myself!”
“Eet was no trouble,” said Fleur Delacour, setting the tray across Harry's knees and then swooping66 to kiss him on each cheek: he felt the places where her mouth had touched him burn. “I ‘ave been longing67 to see ‘im. You remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about ‘Arry Potter. She will be delighted to see you again.”
“Oh... is she here too?” Harry croaked68.
“No, no, silly boy,” said Fleur with a tinkling69 laugh, “I mean next summer, when we... but do you not know?”
Her great blue eyes widened and she looked reproachfully at Mrs. Weasley, who said, “We hadn't got around to telling him yet.”
Fleur turned back to Harry, swinging her silvery sheet of hair so that it whipped Mrs. Weasley across the face.
“Bill and I are going to be married!”
“Oh,” said Harry blankly. He could not help noticing how Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny were all determinedly70 avoiding one another's gaze. “Wow. Er... congratulations!”
She swooped71 down upon him and kissed him again.
“Bill is very busy at ze moment, working very ‘ard, and I only work part-time at Gringotts for my Eenglish, so he brought me ‘ere for a few days to get to know ‘is family properly. I was so pleased to ‘ear you would be coming... zere isn't much to do ‘ere, unless you like cooking and chickens! Well... enjoy your breakfast, ‘Arry!”
With these words she turned gracefully and seemed to float out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Mrs. Weasley made a noise that sounded like, “tchah!”
“Mum hates her,” said Ginny quietly.
“I do not hate her!” said Mrs. Weasley in a cross whisper. “I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that's all!”
“They've known each other a year,” said Ron, who looked oddly groggy72 and was staring at the closed door.
“Well, that's not very long! I know why it's happened, of course. It's all this uncertainty73 with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center...”
“Including you and Dad,” said Ginny slyly.
“Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, what was the point in waiting?” said Mrs. Weasley. “Whereas Bill and Fleur... well... what have they really got in common? He's a hardworking, down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's...”
“A cow,” said Ginny, nodding. “But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour74... I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm.”
“Stop calling her that, Ginny,” said Mrs. Weasley sharply, as Harry and Hermione laughed. “Well, I'd better get on... Eat your eggs while they're warm, Harry.”
Looking careworn75, she left the room. Ron still seemed slightly punch-drunk; he was shaking his head experimentally like a dog trying to rid its ears of water.
“Don't you get used to her if she's staying in the same house?” Harry asked.
“Well, you do,” said Ron, “but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then...”
“It's pathetic,” said Hermione furiously, striding away from Ron as far as she could go and turning to face him with her arms folded once she had reached the wall.
“You don't really want her around forever?” Ginny asked Ron incredulously. When he merely shrugged, she said, “Well, Mum's going to put a stop to it if she can, I bet you anything.”
“How's she going to manage that?” asked Harry.
“She keeps trying to get Tonks round for dinner. I think she's hoping Bill will fall for Tonks instead. I hope he does, I'd much rather have her in the family.”
“Yeah, that'll work,” said Ron sarcastically77. “Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. I mean, Tonks is okay-looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose, but...”
“She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm,” said Ginny.
“And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror!” said Hermione from the corner.
“Fleur's not stupid, she was good enough to enter the Triwizard Tournament,” said Harry.
“Not you as well!” said Hermione bitterly.
“I suppose you like the way Phlegm says ‘'Arry,’ do you?” asked Ginny scornfully.
“No,” said Harry, wishing he hadn't spoken, “I was just saying, Phlegm... I mean, Fleur...”
“I'd much rather have Tonks in the family,” said Ginny. “At least she's a laugh.”
“She hasn't been much of a laugh lately,” said Ron. “Every time I've seen her she's looked more like Moaning Myrtle.”
“That's not fair,” snapped Hermione. “She still hasn't got over what happened... you know... I mean, he was her cousin!”
Harry's heart sank. They had arrived at Sirius. He picked up a fork and began shoveling scrambled79 eggs into his mouth, hoping to deflect80 any invitation to join in this part of the conversation.
“Tonks and Sirius barely knew each other!” said Ron. “Sirius was in Azkaban half her life and before that their families never met—”
“That's not the point,” said Hermione. “She thinks it was her limit he died!”
“How does she work that one out?” asked Harry, in spite of himself.
“Well, she was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she? I think she feels that if only she had finished her off, Bellatrix couldn't have killed Sirius.”
“That's stupid,” said Ron.
“It's survivor's guilt,” said Hermione. “I know Lupin's tried to talk her round, but she's still really down. She's actually having trouble with her Metamorphosing!”
“With her...?”
“She can't change her appearance like she used to,” explained Hermione. “I think her powers must have been affected81 by shock, or something.”
“I didn't know that could happen,” said Harry.
“Nor did I,” said Hermione, “but I suppose if you're really depressed82...”
The door opened again and Mrs. Weasley popped her head in. “Ginny,” she whispered, “come downstairs and help me with the lunch.”
“I'm talking to this lot!” said Ginny, outraged83.
“Now!” said Mrs. Weasley, and withdrew.
“She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!” said Ginny crossly. She swung her long red hair around in a very good imitation of Fleur and pranced84 across the room with her arms held aloft like a ballerina.
“You lot had better come down quickly too,” she said as she left.
Harry took advantage of the temporary silence to eat more breakfast. Hermione was peering into Fred and George's boxes, though every now and then she cast sideways looks at Harry. Ron, who was now helping85 himself to Harry's toast, was still gazing dreamily at the door.
“What's this?” Hermione asked eventually, holding up what looked like a small telescope.
“Dunno,” said Ron, “but if Fred and George left it here, it's probably not ready for the joke shop yet, so be careful.”
“Your mum said the shop's going well,” said Harry. “Said Fred and George have got a real flair for business.”
“That's an understatement,” said Ron. “They're raking in the Galleons! I can't wait to see the place, we haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, because Mum says Dad's got to be there for extra security and he's been really busy at work, but it sounds excellent.”
“And what about Percy?” asked Harry; the third-eldest Weasley brother had fallen out with the rest of the family. “Is he talking to your mum and dad again?”
“Nope,” said Ron.
“But he knows your dad was right all along now about Voldemort being back...”
“Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right,” said Hermione. “I heard him telling your mum, Ron.”
“Sounds like the sort of mental thing Dumbledore would say,” said Ron.
“He's going to be giving me private lessons this year,” said Harry conversationally86.
Ron choked on his bit of toast, and Hermione gasped.
“You kept that quiet!” said Ron.
“I only just remembered,” said Harry honestly. “He told me last night in your broom shed.”
“Blimey... private lessons with Dumbledore!” said Ron, looking impressed. “I wonder why he's... ?”
His voice tailed away. Harry saw him and Hermione exchange looks. Harry laid down his knife and fork, his heart beating rather fast considering that all he was doing was sitting in bed. Dumbledore had said to do it... Why not now? He fixed87 his eyes on his fork, which was gleaming in the sunlight streaming into his lap, and said, “I don't know exactly why he's going to be giving me lessons, but I think it must be because of the prophecy.”
Neither Ron nor Hermione spoke78. Harry had the impression that both had frozen. He continued, still speaking to his fork, “You know, the one they were trying to steal at the Ministry.”
“Nobody knows what it said, though,” said Hermione quickly. “It got smashed.”
“Although the Prophet says...” began Ron, but Hermione said, “Shh!”
“The Prophet‘s got it right,” said Harry, looking up at them both with a great effort: Hermione seemed frightened and Ron amazed. “That glass ball that smashed wasn't the only record of the prophecy. I heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was the one the prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. From what it said,” Harry took a deep breath, “it looks like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort... At least, it said neither of us could live while the other survives.”
The three of them gazed at one another in silence for a moment. Then there was a loud bang and Hermione vanished behind a puff88 of black smoke.
“Hermione!” shouted Harry and Ron; the breakfast tray slid to the floor with a crash.
Hermione emerged, coughing, out of the smoke, clutching the telescope and sporting a brilliantly purple black eye.
“I squeezed it and it... it punched me!” she gasped.
And sure enough, they now saw a tiny fist on a long spring protruding89 from the end of the telescope.
“Don't worry,” said Ron, who was plainly trying not to laugh, “Mum'll fix that, she's good at healing minor90 injuries...”
“Oh well, never mind that now!” said Hermione hastily. “Harry, oh, Harry...”
She sat down on the edge of his bed again.
“We wondered, after we got back from the Ministry... Obviously, we didn't want to say anything to you, but from what Lucius Malfoy said about the prophecy, how it was about you and Voldemort, well, we thought it might be something like this... Oh, Harry...” She stared at him, then whispered, “Are you scared?”
“Not as much as I was,” said Harry. “When I first heard it, I was... but now, it seems as though I always knew I'd have to face him in the end...”
“When we heard Dumbledore was collecting you in person, we thought he might be telling you something or showing you something to do with the prophecy,” said Ron eagerly. “And we were kind of right, weren't we? He wouldn't be giving you lessons if he thought you were a goner, wouldn't waste his time... he must think you've got a chance!”
“That's true,” said Hermione. “I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry? Really advanced defensive magic, probably... powerful countercurses... anti-jinxes...”
Harry did not really listen. A warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sunlight; a tight obstruction91 in his chest seemed to be dissolving. He knew that Ron and Hermione were more shocked than they were letting on, but the mere76 fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing92 words of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them.
“...and evasive enchantments93 generally,” concluded Hermione. “Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year, that's one more than Ron and me. I wonder when our O.W.L. results will come?”
“Can't be long now, it's been a month,” said Ron.
“Hang on,” said Harry, as another part of last night's conversation came back to him. “I think Dumbledore said our O.W.L. results would be arriving today!”
“Today?” shrieked94 Hermione. “Today? But why didn't you... oh my God... you should have said...”
She leapt to her feet.
“I'm going to see whether any owls95 have come...”
But when Harry arrived downstairs ten minutes later, fully17 dressed and carrying his empty breakfast tray, it was to find Hermione sitting at the kitchen table in great agitation96, while Mrs. Weasley tried to lessen97 her resemblance to half a panda.
“It just won't budge,” Mrs. Weasley was saying anxiously, standing over Hermione with her wand in her hand and a copy of The Healer's Helpmate open at ‘Bruises, Cuts, and Abrasions98'. “This has always worked before, I just can't understand it.”
“It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off,” said Ginny.
“But it's got to come off!” squeaked99 Hermione. “I can't go around looking like this forever!”
“You won't, dear, we'll find an antidote100, don't worry,” said Mrs. Weasley soothingly101.
“Bill told me ‘ow Fred and George are very amusing!” said Fleur, smiling serenely102.
“Yes, I can hardly breathe for laughing,” snapped Hermione.
She jumped up and started walking round and round the kitchen, twisting her fingers together.
“Mrs. Weasley, you're quite, quite sure no owls have arrived this morning?”
“Yes, dear, I'd have noticed,” said Mrs. Weasley patiently. “But it's barely nine, there's still plenty of time...”
“I know I messed up Ancient Runes,” muttered Hermione feverishly103, “I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back—”
“Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!” barked Ron. “And when you've got your eleven ‘Outstanding O.W.L.s...'”
“Don't, don't, don't!” said Hermione, flapping her hands hysterically104. “I know I've failed everything!”
“What happens if we fail?” Harry asked the room at large, but it was again Hermione who answered.
“We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term.”
Harry's stomach squirmed. He wished he had eaten less breakfast.
“At Beauxbatons,” said Fleur complacently105, “we ‘ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then...”
Fleur's words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing through the kitchen window. Three black specks106 were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.
“They're definitely owls,” said Ron hoarsely107, jumping up to join Hermione at the window.
“And there are three of them,” said Harry, hastening to her other side.
“One for each of us,” said Hermione in a terrified whisper. “Oh no... oh no... oh no...”
She gripped both Harry and Ron tightly around the elbows.
The owls were flying directly at the Burrow, three handsome tawnies, each of which, it became clear as they flew lower over the path leading up to the house, was carrying a large square envelope.
“Oh no!” squealed108 Hermione.
Mrs. Weasley squeezed past them and opened the kitchen window. One, two, three, the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All three of them lifted their right legs.
Harry moved forward. The letter addressed to him was tied to the leg of the owl15 in the middle. He untied109 it with fumbling110 fingers. To his left, Ron was trying to detach his own results; to his right, Hermione's hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble.
Nobody in the kitchen spoke. At last, Harry managed to detach the envelope. He slit111 it open quickly and unfolded the parchment inside.
Ordinary Wizarding Level Results
Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades:
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Harry James Potter has achieved:
Astronomy A
Care of Magical Creatures E
Charms E
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Divination112 P
Herbology E
History of Magic D
Potions E
Transfiguration E
Harry read the parchment through several times, his breathing becoming easier with each reading. It was all right: he had always known that he would fail Divination, and he had had no chance of passing History of Magic, given that he had collapsed113 halfway114 through the examination, but he had passed everything else! He ran his finger down the grades... he had passed well in Transfiguration and Herbology, he had even exceeded expectations at Potions! And best of all, he had achieved “Outstanding” at Defense Against the Dark Arts!
He looked around. Hermione had her back to him and her head bent115, but Ron was looking delighted.
“Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?” he said happily to Harry. “Here... swap116...”
Harry glanced down Ron's grades: There were no “Outstandings” there...
“Knew you'd be top at Defense Against the Dark Arts,” said Ron, punching Harry on the shoulder. “We've done all right, haven't we?”
“Well done!” said Mrs. Weasley proudly, ruffling117 Ron's hair. “Seven O.W.L.s, that's more than Fred and George got together!”
“Hermione?” said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. “How did you do?”
“I—not bad,” said Hermione in a small voice.
“Oh, come off it,” said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. “Yep... ten ‘Outstandings’ and one ‘Exceeds Expectations’ at Defense Against the Dark Arts.” He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. “You're actually disappointed, aren't you?”
Hermione shook her head, but Harry laughed.
“Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now!” grinned Ron. “Mum, are there any more sausages?”
Harry looked back down at his results. They were as good as he could have hoped for. He felt just one tiny twinge of regret... This was the end of his ambition to become an Auror. He had not secured the required Potions grade. He had known all along that he wouldn't, but he still felt a sinking in his stomach as he looked again at that small black E.
It was odd, really, seeing that it had been a Death Eater in disguise who had first told Harry he would make a good Auror, but somehow the idea had taken hold of him, and he couldn't really think of anything else he would like to be. Moreover, it had seemed the right destiny for him since he had heard the prophecy a few weeks ago... Neither can live while the other survives... Wouldn't he be living up to the prophecy, and giving himself the best chance of survival, if he joined those highly trained wizards whose job it was to find and kill Voldemort?
哈利和邓布利多走进了陋居的后门，那里堆积着他所熟悉的老式高筒靴和生锈的旧坩埚；哈利可以听到远处的鸡舍里传来的那些困倦的小鸡叽叽喳喳的叫声。邓布利多在门上敲了三下，哈利看到厨房窗户后面突然动了动。
“是谁啊？”一个紧张的声音问，哈利听出来是韦斯莱夫人。“报出姓名！”
“是我，邓布利多，带着哈利。”
门马上就打开了。矮胖的韦斯莱夫人穿着一件绿色的旧睡袍站在那儿。
“哈利，亲爱的！天哪，阿不思，你把我吓着了，你不是说不到破晓都回不来吗？”
“我们很幸运，”邓布利多领着哈利跨过门槛。“斯拉霍恩比我想象的更容易说服。哈利当然也帮了忙。啊，你好，尼法朵拉！”
哈利环顾了一下屋子，才发现虽然已经很晚了，韦斯莱夫人却并非独自一人。桌子旁边还坐了一个长着心形脸蛋的年轻女巫，她脸色苍白，手里正抓着一个大杯子。
“你好，教授，”她说。“你好，哈利。”
“嗨，唐克斯。”
哈利觉得她看上去有些憔悴，甚至有些病恹恹的，而且笑起来很勉强。少了她往常惯有的泡泡糖般的粉红色头发，她的样子不像以前那样光彩照人了。
“我该走了，”她快速地说，一面站起来把斗篷披在肩膀上。“谢谢你的茶和同情，莫莉。”
“看在我的份上请先别走，”邓布利多礼貌地说。“我待不了多久，我还有紧急的事情要去和鲁弗斯·斯克林杰商量。”
“不，不，我真的要走了，”唐克斯避开邓布利多的眼睛。“晚安——”
“亲爱的，周末过来吃晚餐吧，莱姆斯和疯眼汉都过来——？”
“不，真的，莫莉……不管怎么样，谢谢了……晚安，各位。”
唐克斯快步经过邓布利多和哈利往院子里走去；出门走了几步便消失在了稀薄的空气中。哈利注意到韦斯莱夫人看上去有些心事重重。
“好了，我们在霍格沃茨再会，哈利，”邓布利多说。“照顾好自己。莫莉，我随时听候你的召唤。”
他朝韦斯莱夫人鞠了一躬，然后和唐克斯一样，几乎在相同的地方消失了。韦斯莱夫人关上了门，把哈利拉到提灯的光线下，两手扶着哈利的肩膀仔细端详他的模样。
“你和罗恩一样，”她叹息道，上上下下地打量着他。“你们都像中了伸长咒一样。我敢发誓罗恩比我上次给他买袍子时长了四英寸。你饿了吗，哈利？”
“是的，”哈利突然发觉他有多饿。
“坐着，亲爱的，我去弄点儿吃的来。”
哈利正坐着，一只长着姜黄色毛发和一张扁平大脸的猫蹿上了他的膝盖，蜷在那里呼噜呼噜地叫着。
“那么赫敏也在这儿？”他高兴地在克鲁克山的耳朵后面挠了挠。
“是的，她前天到的，”韦斯莱夫人用魔杖敲了敲一只大铁罐：它咣当一声跳上了炉子，立刻开始冒起了泡。“当然，大家都睡了，我们没指望你几个小时就能到。拿着——”
她又轻轻地敲了敲罐子；它升到了半空中，飞到哈利身边倾斜过来；韦斯莱夫人塞过去一只碗，正好接住了从罐子里倒出来的浓稠的洋葱汤，还热腾腾地冒着气。
“面包要吗，亲爱的？”
“谢谢，韦斯莱夫人。”
她举起魔杖挥了挥；一块面包和一把小刀优雅地落到了桌子上。面包自动地切着，罐子也回到了炉子上，于是韦斯莱夫人坐到了哈利对面。
“这么说你们说服了贺瑞斯·斯拉霍恩接下这门差事？”
哈利嘴里装满了热乎乎的汤，所以只是点了点头。
“他教过亚瑟和我，”韦斯莱夫人说。“他过去在霍格沃茨教了很长时间，我想大概是和邓布利多一起去的霍格沃茨吧。你觉得他怎么样？”
哈利的嘴现在又塞满了面包，于是他耸了耸肩，不确定地动了动脑袋。
“我知道你的意思，”韦斯莱夫人精明地点点头。“当然只要他愿意，他还是可以变得很吸引人的，但是亚瑟却从来都不喜欢他。部里到处都是斯拉霍恩的得意门生，他总是善于提供帮助，但从没有时间帮帮亚瑟——他似乎不认为亚瑟是个有抱负的人。不过，那只能表明即使是斯拉霍恩也会犯错误。我不知道罗恩有没有在他的信里告诉你——刚刚才发生的——亚瑟被提升了！”
再清楚不过了，韦斯莱夫人一直急于说出这个。哈利吞下一大口热汤，觉得自己的喉咙都要被烫起泡了。
“那太棒了！”他喘着气说。
“你真好，”韦斯莱夫人显得很高兴，她擦了擦湿润的眼睛。“是的，鲁弗斯·斯克林杰为了响应现在的局势又新成立了几个部门，亚瑟现在领导着假冒防御性咒语及防护性物品检测与收缴办公室。这可是个大工作，他手下现在已经有十个人了！”
“那究竟是——？”
“嗯，你知道，由于对神秘人的恐慌，不断有号称能防御神秘人和食死徒的奇怪物件被拿出来兜售。你可以想见是什么样的东西——所谓的防护魔药，其实就是加了巴波块茎脓汁的肉汤，还有那些防御性恶咒的教程，其实只会把你的耳朵弄掉……好了，大体上那些犯罪者都是些像蒙顿格斯·弗莱奇那样的人，他们一辈子没做过一天的正经事儿，只会利用人们的恐惧心理到处招摇撞骗。不过时不时地也有真正严重的事情发生。前几天亚瑟还收缴了一批很可能被上了咒语的窥镜，几乎可以肯定是某个食死徒安放的。可见，这是一项非常重要的工作，我还告诉他不要愚蠢地放过检查火花塞、烤面包机和所有那一类的麻瓜废品。”韦斯莱夫人表情严峻地看了一眼哈利，仿佛是哈利建议韦斯莱先生放过了火花塞。
“韦斯莱先生还在上班吗？”
“是啊。事实上，有点儿晚了……他说会在午夜前后回来的……”
她转过头看了看那个大钟，它笨拙地堆在桌子尽头的一个装满了床单的洗衣篮上面。哈利马上认出了它：一共有九根指针，每一根上都刻着一个家庭成员的名字，它通常被挂在韦斯莱家客厅的墙上，而它目前的位置说明韦斯莱夫人今晚一直把它带在自己身边。每一根指针都指向了“生命危险”。
“它像那个样子已经有一阵子，”韦斯莱夫人用一种不那么令人信服的轻松口吻说，“从神秘人回来就开始了。我想也许每个人都处在生命危险之下……我不认为只有我们家是这样……但我不知道还有谁有一个这样的钟，所以我没法核实，哦！”
她突然一声惊呼，指向了钟面。韦斯莱先生的指针转向了“在路上”。
“他要回来了！”
不一会儿果然传来了敲后门的声音。韦斯莱夫人跳起来急匆匆地跑过去；她一只手放在门把手上，脸贴着木头门柔声问道，“亚瑟，是你吗？”
“是的，”是韦斯莱先生疲惫的声音。“但我要是个食死徒也会这么回答，亲爱的。问问题吧！”
“哦，坦白地说……”
“莫莉！”
“好吧，好吧……你最大的志向是什么？”
“弄清楚飞机为什么能在天上飞。”
韦斯莱夫人点点头，转了转门把手，可韦斯莱先生显然在门的另一侧将它紧紧握住了，因为门仍旧关得严严实实的。
“莫莉！我必须先问你问题！”
“亚瑟，真的，这会很傻的……”
“我们俩独处的时候你喜欢我怎么叫你？”
即使是在如此昏暗的灯光下，哈利还是能看见韦斯莱夫人的脸变得通红；他自己也突然感到面红耳赤，于是急匆匆地咽下一口汤，把汤匙在碗里划得尽可能的响。
“莫莉宝贝，”韦斯莱夫人对着门缝用小得不能再小的声音说。
“正确，”韦斯莱先生说。“现在你可以让我进来了。”
韦斯莱夫人开了门，她的丈夫，一个瘦削的、正在谢顶的男巫正站在外面，脑袋上长着为数不多的红色头发，还戴着一副角质架眼镜，身上披了一件长长的、布满灰尘的旅行斗篷。
“我还是不明白为什么每次你回家都得来那么一遍，”韦斯莱夫人说，她帮丈夫脱下斗篷的时候脸上还泛着红晕。“我是说，一个食死徒在假扮你之前可能已经把它严刑逼供出来了。”
“我知道，亲爱的，但这是部里要求的程序，我必须做出表率。真香啊——是洋葱汤吗？”
韦斯莱先生充满期待地把脸转向桌子。
“哈利！我还以为你早上才会来呢！”
他和哈利握了握手，抽出旁边的一把椅子坐了下来，韦斯莱夫人也给他盛了一碗洋葱汤。
“谢谢，莫莉。今晚真是艰难。有些白痴开始销售起了什么易容徽章。只要挂在脖子上就可以随意地改变容貌。号称只要十个加隆，就能得到成千上万的伪装！”
“那把它们挂到脖子上之后实际上会发生些什么呢？”
“大多数人只会变成一种让人讨厌的橙色，不过有几个却全身都长出了触手一般的瘤子。好像嫌圣芒戈还忙不过来似的。”
“听起来像是弗雷德和乔治喜欢的那种东西，”韦斯莱夫人迟疑地说。“你确定不是——”
“我当然确定！”韦斯莱先生说。“他们俩不会在人们都忙着寻求保护的时候做这种事情！”
“那么这就是你回来晚了的原因，易容徽章？”
“不是，我们还得到风声有人在象堡放了个回火咒，走运的是我们到那儿时发现魔法法律执行队已经把它找出来了……”
哈利用手挡住了正在打呵欠的嘴巴。
“该睡觉了，”韦斯莱夫人没有被骗过，她马上说。“我已经把弗雷德和乔治的房间给你收拾好了，你自己上去睡吧。”
“为什么，他们去哪儿了？”
“哦，他们在对角巷，睡在他们笑话商店的地板上，因为太忙了，”韦斯莱夫人说。“我必须说，我一开始并不同意，但他们做生意确实有一套！来吧，亲爱的，你的旅行箱已经拿上去了。”
“晚安，韦斯莱先生，”哈利把椅子向后推了推。克鲁克山轻轻地从哈利的膝盖上下来，跳出了房间。
“晚安，哈利，”韦斯莱先生说。
哈利看到韦斯莱夫人走出厨房时瞥了一眼洗衣篮里的大钟。所有的指针又都再一次指向了“生命危险”。
弗雷德和乔治的卧室在三楼。韦斯莱夫人把魔杖朝床头灯一指，灯马上就亮了，令人愉悦的金黄色灯光照亮了整个房间。虽然小窗户前面的桌子上已经摆了一大瓶花，但它们的香味还是掩盖不了残留的黑火药气味。地板的相当一部分空间被用来堆放许多没有标记的密封纸盒，在它们中间放着哈利的箱子。这间房看上去就像是一个临时仓库。
海德薇在衣柜顶上朝哈利愉快地叫了几声，然后从窗子飞了出去；哈利知道它一直在等着见他一面然后再出去觅食。哈利向韦斯莱夫人道了声晚安，换上睡衣钻进了其中的一张床。枕头套里有个什么硬东西。他摸索了一阵，掏出一只一端是紫色、一端是黄色的糖，他认出来这是吐吐糖。于是笑了笑，翻过身去，不一会儿就进入了梦乡。
才过了几秒钟——至少哈利感觉是这样——他就被放炮一样的撞门声给吵醒了。哈利坐直起身子，听见窗帘被拉开的声音：晃眼的阳光将他的双眼刺得生疼。于是他一只手遮着双眼，一只手绝望地摸索着他的眼镜。
“发生了什么事？”
“我们不知道你已经到这里了！”一个响亮、兴奋的声音说，然后他的头顶突然挨了一下。
“罗恩，别打他！”一个女孩的声音责备地说。
哈利的手找到眼镜并戴上了它，不过明亮的光线下他什么也看不清。一个模糊的影子在眼前晃了一段时间；然后他眨了眨眼睛，罗恩·韦斯莱跃入他的视线，此刻正对他咧着嘴笑。
“还好吗？”
“不能再好了。”哈利揉着头顶又倒回枕头里。“你呢？”
“还不错，”罗恩说着，拉过一个纸盒子坐了下来。“你什么时候到的？妈妈刚刚才告诉我们。”
“大概凌晨一点钟吧。”
“麻瓜们怎么样？对你还好吧？”
“还不是和从前一样，”哈利说着，赫敏坐到了他的床边，“他们不怎么和我说话，不过我觉得那样更好。你怎么样，赫敏？”
“哦，我很好，”赫敏仔细地端详着哈利，仿佛他生了什么病似的。
他知道赫敏的意思。但是他不想在这个时候讨论小天狼星的死和任何痛苦的话题，于是他说，“现在是什么时候了？我错过早餐了吗？”
“别担心，妈妈等会儿会给你端一盘上来；她觉得你吃得不够饱，”罗恩说，转了转眼珠，“那么，发生了些什么事情？”
“没什么事情，我一直都待在我姨妈和姨父的家里，不是吗？”
“少来了！”罗恩说。“你和邓布利多一起走的！”
“没什么激动人心的事情。他只是想让我协助他说服一个老教授重新出山而已。他叫贺瑞斯·斯拉霍恩。”
“哦，”罗恩失望地说。“我们还以为——”
赫敏迅速向罗恩扔去了一个警告的眼神，罗恩立刻话锋一转。
“——我们还以为就是那样的事……”
“是吗？”哈利觉得好笑。
“是……是的，现在乌姆里奇走了，很显然我们又需要一位新的黑魔法防御术课老师了，不是吗？那么，呃，他长什么样子？”
“他长得有点像一只海象，他以前是斯莱特林的院长，”哈利说，“有什么不对吗，赫敏？”
赫敏一直注视着哈利，仿佛有什么奇怪的病征会随时冒出来一样。她赶忙挤出一个不那么令人信服的微笑。
“没有，当然没有！那么，呃……斯拉霍恩看起来像是个好老师吗？”
“不知道，”哈利说。“反正不会比乌姆里奇更差，是不是？”
“我知道有个人比乌姆里奇还差，”一个声音从门口传来。罗恩的妹妹无精打采地走进来，看上去有些烦躁。“你好，哈利。”
“你怎么了？”罗恩问。
“都是她，”金妮重重地倒在哈利的床上，“她快把我逼疯了。”
“她这次做了什么？”赫敏同情地问。
“是她对我说话的方式——你们简直会以为我还是个三岁小孩子！”
“我知道了，”赫敏压低了声音说，“她心里想的都是自己。”
哈利惊讶地听到赫敏这样谈论韦斯莱夫人，也难怪罗恩会生气地说，“你们俩就不能搁下她五秒钟吗？”
“哦，是啊，为她辩护，”金妮厉声说，“我们都知道你是不会厌倦她的。”
这是对罗恩妈妈的一个很奇怪的评价。哈利发觉他什么地方搞错了，于是说：“你们在谈论谁——？”
但是他在问完这个问题之前就得到了答案了。房间的门再一次被打开了，哈利本能地把被子猛拉到下巴，以至于赫敏和金妮都从床上滑到了地板上。
一个年轻的女子站在门口，她拥有着如此让人窒息的美貌，仿佛令房间里的空气都不够用了。她身材如柳树般纤细修长，一头长长的金发呈现出让人眩晕的银色光彩。使这个景象更趋于完美的是，她手里还端着满满的一盘早餐。
“阿（哈）利，”她用一种喉音问候道，“好久不见！”
她越过门槛向哈利走去，韦斯莱夫人突然在她后面出现了，看起来很生气。
“没必要把餐盘送上来，我正准备自己来呢！”
“没什么问题，”芙蓉·德拉库尔把餐盘放到哈利腿上，然后俯身在哈利两边的脸蛋上都亲了亲：哈利觉得她吻过的地方一阵发烫。“我一直很想再见到你。你还记得我妹妹加布丽吗？她总是不停地谈论着阿利·波特。再见到你她一定会很高兴的。”
“哦……她也在这儿吗？”哈利嘶哑地说。
“不，不，傻男孩，”芙蓉发出了银铃般的笑声，“我是说下个暑假，等我们——你什么都不知道吗？”
她蓝色的大眼睛睁得更大了，责备地看着韦斯莱夫人，而韦斯莱夫人说，“我们还没有来得及告诉他。”
芙蓉转向哈利，把她银色瀑布般的长发一甩，正好拂过韦斯莱夫人的脸。
“比尔和我要结婚了！”
“哦，”哈利茫然地说。他不禁注意到韦斯莱夫人、赫敏和金妮都在坚决地躲避着各自的眼神。“哇。呃——恭喜你！”
她又俯下身吻了吻他。
“比尔现在很忙，工作很努力，我则只是为了提高英语而在古灵阁做点兼职，所以，他把我带到这里住几天，让我可以更好地了解他的家庭。听说你要来我真是太高兴了——这里没有太多的事情可做，除非你喜欢煮饭和喂鸡！好了——好好享用你的早餐吧，阿利！”
说完她很优雅地转过身，像是飘着一样地离开了房间，在身后轻轻地把门关上。
韦斯莱夫人发出了一个声音，听上去似乎是“嗤！”
“妈妈讨厌她，”金妮安静地说。
“我不讨厌她！”韦斯莱夫人恼火地低声说道。“我只是觉得他们不该这么快就订婚，就是这样。”
“他们都认识一年了，”罗恩盯着那扇关上的门，样子有点儿古怪，像是喝醉了酒。
“好了，那也不是很久！我知道为什么会这样，当然。全都是因为神秘人回归带来的不确定性，人们觉得自己明天就可能会死去，所以他们急着做出各种本可以慢慢来的决定。这和上回他强大的时候一样，到处都是私奔的人——”
“包括你和爸爸，”金妮调皮地说。
“是的，不过，你爸爸和我是天造地设的一对，我们有什么可等的？”韦斯莱夫人说。“反观比尔和芙蓉……嗯……他们俩之间有什么共同点？他是个勤奋工作、脚踏实地的人，而她却是——”
“一头母牛，”金妮点了点头，“但是比尔也不是那么脚踏实地。他是个解咒员，对吧，他既喜欢来点儿冒险，又喜欢一点儿魅力……我想那就是他喜欢‘浮脓’的原因。”
“别那样叫芙蓉，金妮，”韦斯莱夫人严厉地说，哈利和赫敏却在一旁偷笑。“好了，我想最好还是去做我的事……快点儿趁热吃了鸡蛋，哈利。”
她离开房间时看上去显得忧心忡忡。罗恩仍然像喝醉了似的；他尝试着晃了晃脑袋，就像一只狗在试图甩掉耳朵里的水。
“她和你住在一个房子里，你还没习惯她吗？”哈利问。
“这……你是可以，”罗恩说，“但是如果她突然冒出来，就像刚才那样……”
“真可悲，”赫敏暴躁地说，大步地向离罗恩最远的地方走过去，在走到墙角之后她转过身来，双臂交叉放在胸前面对着罗恩。
“你不希望她永远在你身边吗？”金妮怀疑地问道。罗恩只是耸了耸肩，她说，“嗯，如果可以的话妈妈一定会阻止这件事的，我敢用任何东西打赌。”
“她想怎么阻止他们呢？”哈利问。
“她一直努力劝说唐克斯留下来吃晚饭。我估计她是想让比尔爱上唐克斯吧。我也这么希望，我更情愿把她留在家里。”
“是啊，这多管用啊，”罗恩讽刺地说。“听着，没有一个头脑正常的家伙会在芙蓉伴随身边的时候爱上唐克斯。我是说，唐克斯也不错——如果她不对自己的头发和鼻子做那些蠢事，但是——”
“她再丑也比‘浮脓’强，”金妮说。
“她还更聪明，她是个傲罗！”赫敏站在角落里说。
“芙蓉并不笨。她聪明得足以角逐三强争霸赛，”哈利说。
“你别跟他一个鼻孔出气！”赫敏讽刺地说。
“我想你肯定很喜欢听‘浮脓’叫你‘阿利’，是不是？”金妮轻蔑地问。
“不，”哈利希望他刚才什么也没说，“我只是说，‘浮脓’——我的意思是，芙蓉——”
“我更情愿唐克斯在我们家，”金妮说。“至少她可以带来欢笑。”
“她最近可没带来什么欢笑，”罗恩说。“每次我看到她都觉得她越来越像哭泣的桃金娘了。”
“这么说可不公平，”赫敏厉声说。“她还没有从那件事情中恢复过来……你们知道……我是指，他是她的表亲！”
哈利的心沉了下去。他们说到了小天狼星。他拿起叉子把煎蛋铲起来放进嘴里，希望这样可以避免加入他们的谈话。
“唐克斯和小天狼星几乎都不认识对方！”罗恩说。“在唐克斯生命的一半时间里小天狼星都在阿兹卡班，而在那之前他们的家庭之间从来没有接触过——”
“那不是重点，”赫敏说。“她觉得他的死是自己的错！”
“她怎么会那么想呢？”哈利顾不上自己正在回避这个话题。
“哦，她当时一直在与贝拉特里克斯搏斗，不是吗？我想她肯定觉得如果她早点解决了她，小天狼星就不会被杀了。”
“真是傻，”罗恩说。
“这是幸存者的内疚，”赫敏说。“我知道卢平一直在变着法子劝慰她，但是她还是真的很消沉。实际上，她在易容方面也出了问题。”
“她什么——？”
“她不能再像从前那样随意变换容貌了，”赫敏解释道。“我想她的能力一定是被这个打击影响了，或者是别的什么。”
“我不知道还可以这样子，”哈利说。
“我以前也不知道，”赫敏说，“不过我想如果你的情绪确实非常低落……”
门又一次被打开了，韦斯莱夫人突然把头伸了进来。
“金妮，”她悄声说，“到楼下来帮我准备午饭。”
“但是我在和大家说话呢！”金妮似乎被冒犯了。
“现在！”韦斯莱夫人离开了。
“她只不过是希望我下去，这样她就不必独自面对‘浮脓’了！”金妮暴躁地说。她效仿芙蓉把红色的长发甩了甩，然后把手高高举着昂首阔步地走出了房间，像芭蕾舞演员一样。
“你们最好也快点下来。”她走的时候说。
哈利利用这短暂的沉默时间多吃了些早餐。赫敏眯起眼盯着乔治和弗雷德的盒子，时不时还从侧面瞟一眼哈利。罗恩则正吃着哈利的吐司面包，眼睛仍旧做梦似地盯着那扇门。
“这是什么？”赫敏最后问，手里拿着一个类似小型
收听单词发音 |
1
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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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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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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ushering
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的现在分词 ) | |
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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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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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courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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warts
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| n.疣( wart的名词复数 )；肉赘；树瘤；缺点 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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furry
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| adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的 | |
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ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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blistering
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| adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡 | |
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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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confiscation
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| n. 没收, 充公, 征收 | |
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counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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gravy
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| n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快 | |
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confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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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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clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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mortified
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| v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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galleons
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| n.大型帆船( galleon的名词复数 ) | |
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sprouted
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| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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40
tentacle
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| n.触角，触须，触手 | |
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41
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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42
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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43
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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44
flair
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| n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力 | |
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45
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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46
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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47
warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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48
hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
pajamas
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| n.睡衣裤 | |
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50
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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51
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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52
poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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53
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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54
slumping
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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55
scrutinizing
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的现在分词 ) | |
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56
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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57
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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58
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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59
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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60
walrus
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| n.海象 | |
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61
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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62
irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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63
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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64
emanate
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| v.发自，来自，出自 | |
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65
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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66
swooping
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的现在分词 ) | |
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67
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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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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tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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determinedly
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| adv.决意地；坚决地，坚定地 | |
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71
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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groggy
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| adj.体弱的；不稳的 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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careworn
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| adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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78
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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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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deflect
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| v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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pranced
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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conversationally
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| adv.会话地 | |
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87
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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89
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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93
enchantments
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| n.魅力( enchantment的名词复数 )；迷人之处；施魔法；着魔 | |
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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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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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abrasions
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| n.磨损( abrasion的名词复数 )；擦伤处；摩擦；磨蚀（作用） | |
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squeaked
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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100
antidote
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| n.解毒药，解毒剂 | |
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101
soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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102
serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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103
feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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104
hysterically
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| ad. 歇斯底里地 | |
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105
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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106
specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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107
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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108
squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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109
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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110
fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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111
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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112
divination
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| n.占卜，预测 | |
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113
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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114
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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115
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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116
swap
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| n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易 | |
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117
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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