Harry1 and Ron met Hermione in the common room before breakfast next morning. Hoping for some support in his theory, Harry lost no time in telling Hermione what he had
overheard Malfoy saying on the Hogwarts Express.
“But he was obviously showing off for Parkinson, wasn't he?” interjected Ron quickly, before Hermione could say anything.
“Well,” she said uncertainly, “I don't know. It would be like Malfoy to make himself seem more important than he is ... but that's a big lie to tell... ”
“Exactly,” said Harry, but he could nor press the point, because so many people were trying to listen in to his conversation, not to mention staring at him and
whispering behind their hands.
“It's rude to point,” Ron snapped at a particularly minuscule2 first-year boy as they joined the queue to climb out of the portrait hole. The boy, who had been
muttering something about Harry behind his hand to his friend, promptly3 turned scarlet4 and toppled out of the hole in alarm. Ron sniggered. “I love being a sixth year.
And we're going to be getting free time this year. Whole periods when we can just sit up here and relax.”
“We're going to need that time for studying, Ron!” said Hermione, as they set off down the corridor.
“Yeah, but not today,” said Ron. “Today's going to be a real loss, I reckon.”
“Hold it!” said Hermione, throwing out an arm and halting a passing fourth year, who was attempting to push past her with a lime-green disk clutched tightly in his
hand. “Fanged5 Frisbees banned, hand it over,” she told him sternly. The scowling7 boy handed over the snarling8 Frisbee6, ducked under her arm, and took off after his
friends. Ron waited for him to vanish, then tugged9 the Frisbee from Hermione's grip.
“Excellent, I've always wanted one of these.”
Hermione's remonstration10 was drowned by a loud giggle11; Lavender Brown had apparently12 found Ron's remark highly amusing. She continued to laugh as she passed them,
glancing back at Ron over her shoulder. Ron looked rather pleased with himself.
The ceiling of the Great Hall was serenely13 blue and streaked14 with frail15, wispy16 clouds, just like the squares of sky visible through the high mullioned windows. While
they tucked into porridge and eggs and bacon, Harry and Ron told Hermione about their embarassing conversation with Hagrid the previous evening.
“But he can't really think we'd continue Care of Magical Creatures!” she said, looking distressed17. “I mean, when has any of us expressed... you know... any
enthusiasm?”
“That's it, though, innit?” said Ron, swallowing an entire fried egg whole. “We were the ones who made the most effort in classes because we like Hagrid. But he
thinks we liked the stupid subject. D'ya reckon anyone's going to go on to N.E.W.T.?”
Neither Harry nor Hermione answered; there was no need. They knew perfectly18 well that nobody in their year would want to continue Care of Magical Creatures. They
avoided Hagrid's eye and returned his cheery wave only half-heartedly when he left the staff table ten minutes later.
After they had eaten, they remained in their places, awaiting Professor McGonagall's descent from the staff table. The distribution of class schedules was more
complicated than usual this year, for Professor McGonagall needed first to confirm that everybody had achieved the necessary O.W.L. grades to continue with their chosen
N.E.W.T.s.
Hermione was immediately cleared to continue with Charms, Defense20 Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Potions, and shot
off to a first period Ancient Runes class without further ado. Neville took a little longer to sort out; his round face was anxious as Professor McGonagall looked down
his application and then consulted his O.W.L. results.
“Herbology, fine,” she said. “Professor Sprout21 will be delighted to see you back with an ‘Outstanding’ O.W.L. And you qualify for Defense Against the Dark Arts
with ‘Exceeds Expectations.’ But the problem is Transfiguration. I'm sorry, Longbottom, but an ‘Acceptable’ really isn't good enough to continue to N.E.W.T. level.
Just don't think you'd be able to cope with the coursework.”
Neville hung his head. Professor McGonagall peered at him through her square spectacles.
“Why do you want to continue with Transfiguration, anyway? I've never had the impression that you particularly enjoyed it.”
Neville looked miserable23 and muttered something about “my grandmother wants.”
“Hmph,” snorted Professot McGonagall. “It's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to
have—particularly after what happened at the Ministry24.”
Neville turned very pink and blinked confusedly; Professor McGonagall had never paid him a compliment before.
“I'm sorry, Longbottom, but I cannot let you into my N.E.W.T. class. I see that you have an ‘Exceeds Expectations’ in Charm however—why not try for a N.E.W.T. in
Charms?”
“My grandmother thinks Charms is a soft option,” mumbled25 Neville.
“Take Charms,” said Professor McGonagall, “and I shall drop Augusta a line reminding her that just because she failed her Charms O.W.L., the subject is not
necessarily worthless.” Smiling slightly at the look of delighted incredulity on Neville's face, Professor McGonagall tapped a blank schedule with the tip of her wand
and handed it, now carrying details of his new classes, to Neville.
Professor McGonagall turned next to Parvati Patil, whose first question was whether Firenze, the handsome centaur26, was still teaching Divination27.
“He and Professor Trelawney are dividing classes between them this year,” said Professor McGonagall, a hint of disapproval28 in her voice; it was common knowledge that
she despised the subject of Divination. “The sixth year is being taken by Professor Trelawney.”
Parvati set off for Divination five minutes later looking slightly crestfallen29.
“So, Potter, Potter...” said Professor McGonagall, consulting her notes as she turned to Harry. “Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration
... all fine. I must say, I was pleased with your Transfiguration mark, Potter, very pleased. Now, why haven't you applied30 to continue with Potions? I thought it was
your ambition to become an Auror?”
“It was, but you told me I had to get an ‘Outstanding’ in my O.W.L., Professor.”
“And so you did when Professor Snape was teaching the subject. Professor Slughorn, however, is perfectly happy to accept N.E.W.T. students with ‘Exceeds Expectations
’ at O.W.L. Do you wish to proceed with Potions?”
“Yes,” said Harry, “but I didn't buy the books or any ingredients or anything—”
“I'm sure Professor Slughorn will be able to lend you some,” said Professor McGonagall. “Very well, Potter, here is your schedule. Oh, by the way—twenty hopefuls
have already put down their names for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I shall pass the list to you in due course and you can fix up trials at your leisure.”
A few minutes later, Ron was cleared to do the same subjects as Harry, and the two of them left the table together.
“Look,” said Ron delightedly, gazing ar his schedule, “we've got a free period now and a free period after break... and after lunch... excellent.”
They returned to the common room, which was empty apart from a half dozen seventh years, including Katie Bell, the only remaining member of the original Gryffindor
Quidditch team that Harry had joined in his first year.
“I thought you'd get that, well done,” she called over, pointing at the Captains badge on Harry's chest. “Tell me when you call trials!”
“Don't be stupid,” said Harry, “you don't need to try out, I watched you play for five years...”
“You mustn't start off like that,” she said warningly. “For all you know, there's someone much better than me out there. Good teams have been ruined before now
because Captains just kept playing the old faces, or letting in their friends....”
Ron looked a little uncomfortable and began playing with the Fanged Frisbee Hermione had taken from the fourth-year student. It zoomed32 around the common room, snarling
and attempting to take bites of the tapestry33. Crookshanks's yellow eyes followed it and he hissed34 when it came too close.
An hour later they reluctantly left the sunlit common room for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom four floors below. Hermione was already queuing outside,
carrying an armful of heavy books and looking put-upon.
“We got so much homework for Runes,” she said anxiously when Harry and Ron joined her. “A fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and I've got to read these by
Wednesday!”
“Shame,” yawned Ron.
“You wait,” she said resentfully. “I bet Snape gives us loads.”
The classroom door opened as she spoke35, and Snape stepped into the corridor, his sallow face framed as ever by two curtains of greasy36 black hair. Silence fell over the
queue immediately.
“Inside,” he said.
Harry looked around as they entered. Snape had imposed his personality upon the room already; it was gloomier than usual, as curtains had been drawn37 over the windows,
and was lit by candlelight. New pictures adorned38 the walls, many of them showing people who appeared to be in pain, sporting grisly injuries or strangely contorted body
parts. Nobody spoke as they settled down, looking around at the shadowy, gruesome pictures.
“I have not asked you to take out your books,” said Snape, closing the door and moving to face the class from behind his desk; Hermione hastily dropped her copy of
Confronting the Faceless back into her bag and stowed it under her chair. “I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention.”
His black eyes roved over their upturned faces, lingering for a fraction of a second longer on Harry's than anyone else's.
“You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe.”
You believe... like you haven't watched them all come and go, hoping you'd be next, thought Harry scathingly.
“Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I
shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be more advanced.”
Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice; the class craned their necks to keep him in view.
“The Dark Arts,” said Snape, “are many, varied39, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed40,
sprouts41 a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.”
Harry stared at Snape. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress42 in his
voice?
“Your defenses,” said Snape, a little louder, “must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo43. These pictures,” he indicated a few of them
as he swept past, “give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse” (he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly
shrieking44 in agony) “feel the Dementor's Kiss” (a wizard lying huddled45 and blank-eyed, slumped46 against a wall) “or provoke the aggression47 of the Inferius” (a bloody48
mass upon ground).
“Has an Inferius been seen, then?” said Parvati Patil in a high pitched voice. “Is it definite, is he using them?”
“The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past,” said Snape, “which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now...”
He set off again around the other side of the classroom toward his desk, and again, they watched him as he walked, his dark robes billowing behind him.
“... you are, I believe, complete novices49 in the use of non-verbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?”
Hermione's hand shot into the air. Snape took his time looking around at everybody else, making sure he had no choice, before saying curtly50, “Very well—Miss Granger?
”
“Your adversary51 has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform,” said Hermione, “which gives you a split-second advantage.”
“An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six,” said Snape dismissively (over in the corner, Malfoy sniggered), “but correct in
essentials. Yes, those who progress in using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of
course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some, “his gaze lingered maliciously52 upon Harry once more, “lack.”
Harry knew Snape was thinking of their disastrous53 Occlumency lessons of the previous year. He refused to drop his gaze, but glowered54 at Snape until Snape looked away.
“You will now divide,” Snape went on, “into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel55 the jinx in equal
silence. Carry on.”
Although Snape did not know it, Harry had taught at least half the class (everyone who had been a member of the D.A.) how to perform a Shield Charm the previous year.
None of them had ever cast the charm without speaking, however. A reasonable amount of cheating ensued; many people were merely whispering the incantation instead of
saying it aloud. Typically, ten minutes into the lesson Hermione managed to repel Neville's muttered Jelly-Legs Jinx without uttering a single word, a feat56 that would
surely have earned her twenty points for Gryffindor from any reasonable teacher, thought Harry bitterly, but which Snape ignored. He swept between them as they
practiced, looking just as much like an overgrown bat as ever, lingering to watch Harry and Ron struggling with the task.
Ron, who was supposed to be jinxing Harry, was purple in the face, his lips tightly compressed to save himself from the temptation of muttering the incantation. Harry
had his wand raised, waiting on tenterhooks57 to repel a jinx that seemed unlikely ever to come.
“Pathetic, Weasley,” said Snape, after a while. “Here—let me show you—”
He turned his wand on Harry so fast that Harry reacted instinctively58; all thought of non-verbal spells forgotten, he yelled, “Protego!”
His Shield Charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balance and hit a desk. The whole class had looked around and now watched as Snape righted himself, scowling.
“Do you remember me telling you we are practicing non-verbal spells, Potter?”
“Yes,” said Harry stiffly.
“Yes, sir.”
“There's no need to call me ‘sir,’ Professor.” The words had escaped him before he knew what he was saying. Several people gasped60, including Hermione. Behind Snape,
however, Ron, Dean, and Seamus grinned appreciatively.
“Detention61, Saturday night, my office,” said Snape. “I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter... not even the Chosen One.”
“That was brilliant, Harry!” chortled Ron, once they were safely on their way to break a short while later.
“You really shouldn't have said it,” said Hermione, frowning at Ron. “What made you?”
“He tried to jinx me, in case you didn't notice!” fumed62 Harry. “I had enough of that during those Occlumency lessons! Why doesn't he use another guinea pig for a
change? What's Dumbledore playing at, anyway, letting him teach Defense? Did you hear him talking about the Dark Arts? He loves them! All that unfixed, indestructible
stuff—”
“Well,” said Hermione, “I thought he sounded a bit like you.”
“Like me?”
“Yes, when you were telling us what it's like to face Voldemort. You said it wasn't just memorizing a bunch of spells, you said it was just you and your brains and
your guts—well, wasn't that what Snape was saying? That it really comes down to being brave and quick-thinking?”
Harry was so disarmed63 that she had thought his words as well worth memorizing as The Standard Book of Spells that he did not argue.
“Harry! Hey, Harry!”
Harry looked around; Jack64 Sloper, one of the Beaters on last year's Gryffindor Quidditch team, was hurrying toward him holding a roll of parchment.
“For you,” panted Sloper. “Listen, I heard you're the new Captain. When're you holding trials?”
“I'm not sure yet,” said Harry, thinking privately65 that Sloper would be very lucky to get back on the team. “I'll let you know.”
“Oh, right. I was hoping it'd be this weekend—”
But Harry was not listening; he had just recognized the thin, slanting66 writing on the parchment. Leaving Sloper in mid-sentence, he hurried away with Ron and Hermione,
unrolling the parchment as he went.
Dear Harry,
I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday. Kindly67 come along to my office at eight p.m. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school.
>Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops.
“He enjoys Acid Pops?” said Ron, who had read the message over Harry's shoulder and was looking perplexed68.
“It's the password to get past the gargoyle69 outside his study,” said Harry in a low voice. “Ha! Snape's not going to be pleased... I won't be able to do his
detention!”
He, Ron, and Hermione spent the whole of break speculating on what Dumbledore would teach Harry. Ron thought it most likely to be spectacular jinxes and hexes of the
type the Death Eaters would not know. Hermione said such things were illegal, and thought it much more likely that Dumbledore wanted to teach Harry advanced Defensive70
magic. After break, she went off to Arithmancy while Harry and Ron returned to the common room where they grudgingly71 started Snape's homework. This turned out to be so
complex that they still had not finished when Hermione joined them for their after-lunch free period (though she considerably72 speeded up the process). They had only
just finished when the bell rang for the afternoon's double Potions and they beat the familiar path down to the dungeon73 classroom that had, for so long, been Snape's.
When they arrived in the corridor they saw that there were only a dozen people progressing to N.E.W.T. level. Crabbe and Goyle had evidently failed to achieve the
required O.W.L. grade, but four Slytherins had made it through, including Malfoy. Four Ravenclaws were there, and one Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan, whom Harry liked
despite his rather pompous74 manner.
“Harry,” Ernie said portentously75, holding out his hand as Harry approached, “didn't get a chance to speak in Defense Against The Dark Arts this morning. Good lesson,
I thought, but Shield Charms are old hat, of course, for us old D.A. lags... And how are you, Ron—Hermione?”
Before they could say more than “fine,” the dungeon door opened and Slughorn's belly76 preceded him out of the door. As they filed into the room, his great walrus77
mustache curved above his beaming mouth, and he greeted Harry and Zabini with particular enthusiasm.
The dungeon was, most unusually, already full of vapors78 and odd smells. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sniffed80 interestedly as they passed large, bubbling cauldrons. The four
Slytherins took a table together, as did the four Ravenclaws. This left Harry, Ron, and Hermione to share a table with Ernie. They chose the one nearest a gold-colored
cauldron that was emitting one of the most seductive scents81 Harry had ever inhaled82: somehow it reminded him simultaneously83 of treacle84 tart31, the woody smell of a
broomstick handle, and something flowery he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow85. He found that he was breathing very slowly and deeply and that the potion's
fumes86 seemed to be filling him up like drink. A great contentment stole over him; he grinned across at Ron, who grinned back lazily.
“Now then, now then, now then,” said Slughorn, whose massive outline was quivering through the many shimmering87 vapors. “Scales out, everyone, and potion kits88, and
don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making...”
“Sir?” said Harry, raising his hand.
“Harry, m'boy?”
“I haven't got a book or scales or anything—nor's Ron—we didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T., you see—”
“Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall did mention... not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we
can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blotts...”
Slughorn strode over to a corner cupboard and, after a moment's foraging89, emerged with two very battered-looking copies of Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage,
which he gave to Harry and Ron along with two sets of tarnished90 scales.
“Now then,” said Slughorn, returning to the front of the class and inflating91 his already bulging92 chest so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off,
“I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your
N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of ‘em, even if you haven't made ‘em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?”
He indicated the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table. Harry raised himself slighty in his seat and saw what looked like plain water boiling away inside it.
Hermione's well-practiced hand hit the air before anybody else's; Slughorn pointed93 at her.
“It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion thar forces the drinker to tell the truth,” said Hermione.
“Very good, very good!” said Slughorn happily. “Now,” he continued, pointing at the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table, “this one here is pretty well known...
Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too... Who can—?”
Hermione's hand was fastest once more.
“lt's Polyjuice Potion, sir,” she said.
Harry too had recognized the slow-bubbling, mudlike substance the second cauldron, but did not resent Hermione getting the credit for answering the question; she, after
all, was the one who had succeeded in making it, back in their second year.
“Excellent, excellent! Now, this one her... yes, my dear?” said Slughorn, now looking slightly bemused, as Hermione's hand punched the air again.
“It's Amortentia!”
“It is indeed. Ir seems almost foolish to ask,” said Slughorn, who was looking mightily94 impressed, “but I assume you know what it does?”
“It's the most powerful love porion in the world!” said Hermione.
“Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive95 mother-of-pearl sheen?”
“And the steam rising in characteristic spirals,” said Hermione enthusiastically, “and it's supposed to smell differently to each of according to what attracts us,
and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and—”
But she turned slightly pink and did not complete the sentence.
“May I ask your name, my dear?” said Slughorn, ignoring Hermione's embarrassment96.
“Hermione Granger, sir.”
“Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?”
“No. I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see.”
Harry saw Malfoy lean close to Nott and whisper something; both of them sniggered, but Slughorn showed no dismay; on the contrary, he beamed and looked from Hermione to
Harry, who was sitting next to her.
“Oho! ’One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year!’ I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?”
“Yes, sir,” said Harry.
“Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger,” said Slughorn genially97.
Malfoy looked rather as he had done the time Hermione had punched him in the face. Hermione turned to Harry with a radiant expression and whispered, “Did you really
tell him I'm the best in the year? Oh, Harry!”
“Well, what's so impressive about that?” whispered Ron, who for some reason looked annoyed. “You are the best in the year—I'd've told him so if he'd asked me!”
Hermione smiled but made a “shushing” gesture, so that they could hear what Slughorn was saying. Ron looked slightly disgruntled.
“Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession98. It
is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room—oh yes,” he said, nodding gravely at Malfoy and Nott, both of whom were smirking99 skeptically. “When
you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive100 love...
“And now,” said Slughorn, “it is time for us to start work.”
“Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one,” said Ernie Macmillan, pointing at a small black cauldron standing22 on Slughorn's desk. The potion within was splashing
about merrily; it was the color of molten gold, and large drops were leaping like goldfish above the surface, though not a particle had spilled.
“Oho,” said Slughorn again. Harry was sure that Slughorn had not forgotten the potion at all, but had waited to be asked for dramatic effect. “Yes. That. Well, that
one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it,” he turned, smiling, to look at Hermione, who had let out an audible gasp59,
“that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?”
“It's liquid luck,” said Hermione excitedly. “It makes you lucky!”
The whole class seemed to sit up a little straighter. Now all Harry could see of Malfoy was the back of his sleek101 blond head, because he was at last giving Slughorn his
full and undivided attention.
“Quite right, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis,” said Slughorn. “Desperately tricky102 to make, and disastrous to
get wrong. However, if brewed103 correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed ... at least until the effects wear off.”
“Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?” said Terry Boot eagerly.
“Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence,” said Slughorn. “Too much of a good thing, you know... highly toxic104 in
large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally...”
“Have you ever taken it, sir?” asked Michael Corner with great interest.
“Twice in my life,” said Slughorn. “Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast. Two perfect days.”
He gazed dreamily into the distance. Whether he was playacting or not, thought Harry, the effect was good.
“And that,” said Slughorn, apparently coming back to earth, “is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson.”
There was silence in which every bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions seemed magnified tenfold.
“One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis,” said Slughorn, taking a minuscule glass bottle with a cork105 in it out of his pocket and showing it to them all. “Enough for twelve
hours’ luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt.”
“Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competition... sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the
winner is to use it on an ordinary day only... and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!”
“So,” said Slughorn, suddenly brisk, “how are you to win this fabulous106 prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have a little over an hour
left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught107 of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and
I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!”
There was a scraping as everyone drew their cauldrons toward them and some loud clunks as people began adding weights to their scales, but nobody spoke. The
concentration within the room was almost tangible108. Harry saw Malfoy riffling feverishly109 through his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. It could not have been clearer that
Malfoy really wanted that lucky day. Harry bent110 swiftly over the tattered111 book Slughorn had lent him.
To his annoyance112 he saw that the previous owner had scribbled113 all over the pages, so that the margins114 were as black as the printed portions. Bending low to decipher the
ingredients (even here, the previous owner had made annotations115 and crossed things out) Harry hurried off toward the store cupboard to find what he needed. As he dashed
back to his cauldron, he saw Malfoy cutting up Valerian roots as fast as he could.
Everyone kept glancing around at what the rest of the class was doing; this was both an advantage and a disadvantage of Potions, that it was hard to keep your work
private. Within ten minutes, the whole place was full of bluish steam. Hermione, of course, seemed to have progressed furthest. Her potion already resembled the
“smooth, black currant-colored liquid” mentioned as the ideal halfway116 stage.
Having finished chopping his roots, Harry bent low over his book again. It was really very irritating, having to try and decipher the directions under all the stupid
scribbles117 of the previous owner, who for some reason had taken issue with the order to cut up the sopophorous bean and had written in the alternative instruction:
Crush with flat side of silver dagger118, releases juice better than cutting.
“Sir, I think you knew my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?” Harry looked up; Slughorn was just passing the Slytherin table.
“Yes,” said Slughorn, without looking at Malfoy, “I was sorry to hear he had died, although of course it wasn't unexpected, dragon pox at his age... ”
And he walked away. Harry bent back over his cauldron, smirking. He could tell that Malfoy had expected to be treated like Harry or Zabini; perhaps even hoped for some
preferential treatment of the type he had learned to expect from Snape. It looked as though Malfoy would have to rely on nothing but talent to win the bottle of Felix
Felicis.
The sopophorous bean was proving very difficult to cut up. Harry turned to Hermione.
“Can I borrow your silver knife?”
She nodded impatiently, not taking her eyes off her potion, which was still deep purple, though according to the book ought to be turning a light shade of lilac by now.
Harry crushed his bean with the flat side of the dagger. To his astonishment119, it immediately exuded120 so much juice he was amazed the shriveled bean could have held it
all.
Hastily scooping121 it all into the cauldron he saw, to his surprise, that the potion immediately turned exactly the shade of lilac described by the textbook.
His annoyance with the previous owner vanishing on the spot, Harry now squinted122 at the next line of instructions. According the book, he had to stir counterclockwise
until the potion turned clear as water. According to the addition the previous owner made, however, he ought to add a clockwise stir after every seventh
counterclockwise stir. Could the old owner be right twice?
Harry stirred counterclockwise, held his breath, and stirred once clockwise. The effect was immediate19. The potion turned pale pink.
“How are you doing that?” demanded Hermione, who was redfaced and whose hair was growing bushier and bushier in the fumes from her cauldron; her potion was still
resolutely123 purple.
“Add a clockwise stir—”
“No, no, the book says counterclockwise!” she snapped.
Harry shrugged124 and continued what he was doing. Seven stirs counterclockwise, one clockwise, pause... seven stirs counterclockwise, one stir clockwise...
Across the table, Ron was cursing fluently under his breath; his potion looked like liquid licorice. Harry glanced around. As far as he could see, no one else's potion
had turned as pale as his. He felt elated, something that had certainly never happened before in this dungeon.
“And time's... up!” called Slughorn. “Stop stirring, please!”
Slughorn moved slowly among the tables, peering into cauldrons. He made no comment, but occasionally gave the potions a stir or a sniff79. At last he reached the table
where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie were sitting. He smiled ruefully at the tarlike substance in Ron's cauldron. He passed over Ernie's navy concoction125. Hermione's
potion he gave an approving nod. Then he saw Harry's, and a look of incredulous delight spread over his face.
“The clear winner!” he cried to the dungeon. “Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab126 hand at
Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are—one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!”
Harry slipped the tiny bottle of golden liquid into his inner pocket, feeling an odd combination of delight at the furious looks on the Slytherins’ faces and guilt127 at
the disappointed expression on Hermione's. Ron looked simply dumbfounded.
“How did you do that?” he whispered to Harry as they left the dungeon.
“Got lucky, I suppose,” said Harry, because Malfoy was within earshot.
Once they were securely ensconced at the Gryffindor table for dinner, however, he felt safe enough to tell them. Hermione's face became stonier128 with every word he
uttered.
“I s'pose you think I cheated?” he finished, aggravated129 by her expression.
“Well, it wasn't exactly your own work, was it?” she said stiffly.
“He only followed different instructions to ours,” said Ron, “Could've been a catastrophe130, couldn't it? But he took a risk and it paid off.” He heaved a sigh.
“Slughorn could've handed me that book, but no, I get the one no one's ever written on. Puked on, by the look of page fifty-two, but—”
“Hang on,” said a voice close by Harry's left ear and he caught a sudden waft131 of that flowery smell he had picked up in Slughorn's dungeon. He looked around and saw
that Ginny had joined them. “Did I hear right? You've been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?”
She looked alarmed and angry. Harry knew what was on her mind at once.
“It's nothing,” he said reassuringly132, lowering his voice. “It's not like, you know, Riddle's diary. It's just an old textbook someone's scribbled on.”
“But you're doing what it says?”
“I just tried a few of the tips written in the margins, honestly, Ginny, there's nothing funny—”
“Ginny's got a point,” said Hermione, perking133 up at once. “We ought to check that there's nothing odd about it. I mean, all these funny instructions, who knows?”
“Hey!” said Harry indignantly, as she pulled his copy of Advanced Potion-Making out of his bag and raised her wand.
“Specialis Revelio!” she said, rapping it smartly on the front cover. Nothing whatsoever134 happened. The book simply lay there, looking old and dirty and dog-eared.
“Finished?” said Harry irritably135. “Or d'you want to wait and see if it does a few backflips?”
“It seems all right,” said Hermione, still staring at the book suspiciously. “I mean, it really does seem to be ... just a textbook.”
“Good. Then I'll have it back,” said Harry, snatching it off the table, but it slipped from his hand and landed open on the floor. Nobody else was looking. Harry bent
low to retrieve136 the book, and as he did so, he saw something scribbled along the bottom of the back cover in the same small, cramped137 handwriting as the instructions
that had won him his bottle of Felix Felicis, now safely hidden inside a pair of socks in his trunk upstairs.
This book is the property of the Half Blood Prince.
第二天早餐之前哈利和罗恩在公共休息室见到了赫敏。为了给自己的理论寻求一些支持，哈利迫不及待地把自己在霍格沃茨特快列车上从马尔福那里偷听来的话告诉了赫敏。
“他很明显是在向帕金森炫耀，不是吗？”在赫敏开口之前罗恩抢先说道。
“嗯，”她不确定地说，“我不知道……看上去像是马尔福想把自己说得比现实中更重要……但这个谎也撒得太大了……”
“正是这样，”哈利说，不过他没法接着说下去，因为有那么多人都在试图偷听他们的谈话，更别提有多少人正盯着他看，在他背后窃窃私语了。
“指指点点真没有礼貌，”他们加入准备爬出肖像洞的队伍时罗恩对一个特别瘦小的一年级男孩呵斥道。那个正在与朋友嘀咕着哈利的男孩迅速脸红了，惊惶失措地跌出了肖像洞。罗恩吃
吃地笑了起来。
“我爱做六年级学生。而且我们今年会有许多空闲时间。可以有整段整段的时间坐在这儿放松。”
“我们需要把这些时间用来学习，罗恩！”他们向走廊出发时赫敏说。
“没错，但不是今天。”罗恩说，“我想，今天要好好睡上一觉。”
“站住！”赫敏伸出胳膊拦住了一个路过的四年级学生。那人手里紧紧地抓着一只灰绿色的圆盘试图从她身边通过。“尖牙飞盘是禁止携带，交上来。”她严厉地告诉他。那男孩愁眉苦脸
地交出正在狂吠的飞盘，从赫敏的胳膊底下钻过去尾随着他的朋友走了。罗恩等他一消失，马上从赫敏手里把飞盘拽了过来。
“棒极了！我一直就想要这个！”
赫敏的抗议被一阵咯咯的笑声淹没了；拉文德·布朗显然觉得罗恩的话非常有趣。她笑着从他们身边走过，又回过头瞟了一眼罗恩。罗恩看上去对自己很满意。
礼堂的天花板是恬静的蓝色，点缀着薄薄的纤云。就像他们透过高高的天窗所看到的方块儿天空一样。在享用着粥、鸡蛋和火腿的同时，哈利和罗恩向赫敏讲述了前一天晚上他们与海格的
那场令人难堪的谈话。
“可是他不可能真的认为我们想继续上保护神奇生物课吧！”她看上去有些苦恼。“我是说，我们中的任何人什么时候曾经表现出过……你知道……一点点热情？”
“可是问题就在这儿，不是吗？”罗恩一口吞下了一个煎蛋。“我们在课堂上是最努力的，因为我们喜欢海格。但是他以为我们喜欢这门愚蠢的课。你会指望有人继续学这门课的N.E.W.T.
吗？”
哈利和赫敏都没有回答；答案已经很明显了。他们清楚地知道这个年级是没有人会想继续上保护神奇生物课。十分钟后当海格离开餐桌时，他们避开了他的眼神，漫不经心地回应着他兴高
采烈的挥手。
吃过饭后，他们坐在原地等着麦格教授从教工餐桌下来。今年分发课程表的工作比以往要复杂，因为麦格教授首先要确认每个人在自己选择的N.E.W.T.课程上都已经达到了必需的O.W.L.等
级。
赫敏很快就定下来要继续学习魔咒课、黑魔法防御术、变形术、草药课、算术占卜、古代魔文和魔药课，于是她马上干脆利落地跑去上第一节古代魔文了。纳威整理的时间就要长一些；当
麦格教授低下头看他的申请，同时查看着O.W.L.成绩时，他圆圆的脸上露出了担心的神情。
“草药课，好，”她说。“斯普劳特教授看到你带着一个‘优秀’的O.W.L.成绩回到她班上时会很高兴的，而且你也可以继续学习黑魔法防御术，因为你的成绩是‘超出预期’。可是问题
在于变形术。我很抱歉，隆巴顿，一个‘及格’实在不够好，你不能继续学习N.E.W.T.水平了，我只是觉得你没有能力应付这门课。”
纳威垂下了脑袋。麦格教授透过她的方框眼镜盯着他。
“不过，你为什么想继续学变形？在我的印象当中你并不特别喜欢它啊。”
纳威看上去很痛苦，他嘴里咕哝了一句听起来像是“我奶奶希望”的话。
“哼，”麦格教授嗤之以鼻。“你奶奶早就该学会为她的孙子而骄傲，而不是为那个她认为她孙子应该成为的样子——特别是在魔法部发生的那一切以后。”
纳威脸红了，困惑地眨了眨眼；麦格教授以前从没有称赞过他。
“我很抱歉，隆巴顿，我不能让你进入我的N.E.W.T.班级。不过，我看到你在魔咒课上拿到了‘超出预期’——为什么不试试N.E.W.T.水平的魔咒课呢？”
“奶奶觉得选魔咒课没劲，”纳威咕哝说。
“就选魔咒课，”麦格教授说，“我会写信给奥古斯塔提醒她不能因为她自己没通过魔咒课的O.W.L.考试就认定这门课没有价值。”她微笑地看着纳威半信半疑的脸，拿起一张空白的课程
表用魔杖轻轻敲了一下，然后递给他，这时上面已经详细地写满了他的新课程。
麦格教授接着转向帕瓦蒂·佩蒂尔，她第一个问题就是费伦泽——那个英俊的马人——是不是仍旧教授占卜课。
“他和特里劳妮教授今年共同教授这门课，”麦格教授语气里有点不以为然；大家都知道她瞧不起占卜课。“六年级的课由特里劳妮教授带。”
五分钟后帕瓦蒂看上去有些垂头丧气地出发去上占卜课。
“那么，波特，波特……”麦格教授一边查阅着记录，一边转向哈利。“魔咒课、黑魔法防御术、草药课、变形术……都没问题。我必须说，我对你的变形术分数很满意，波特，非常满意
。那么，你为什么不申请继续学习魔药课呢？我记得你的志向是做个傲罗啊？”
“是的，但是你告诉我说O.W.L.必须拿到‘优秀’才行，教授。”
“斯内普教授带这门课的时候是这样。然而，斯拉霍恩教授却愿意接受那些在O.W.L.考试中获得‘超出预期’的学生。你想继续学习魔药课吗？”
“是的，”哈利说，“但是我没有买魔药课的课本和配料……”
“我敢肯定斯拉霍恩教授能借给你一些，”麦格教授说。“非常好，波特，这是你的课程表。哦，顺便说一句——有20个人已经报名想参加格兰芬多的魁地奇球队。我会按预定的程序把名
单给你，你可以挑个空安排选拔。”
几分钟之后罗恩也定好了，和哈利的课一样，于是他们俩一起离开了餐桌。
“看，”罗恩开心地看着课程表，“现在没事儿，早上课间休息之后也没有……午饭之后还是没有……太棒了。”
他们回到了公共休息室，那儿除了半打七年级学生就没什么人了，凯蒂·贝尔也在，她是哈利一年级加入魁地奇球队时的那支队里剩下的最后一名成员。
“我就知道你会得到它的，干得好，”她指着哈利胸前的队长徽章大声说。“告诉我你准备什么时候开始选拔！”
“别傻了，”哈利说，“你不用参加选拔，我都看着你打了五年了……”
“你可不能开那个头，”她告诫他。“球队外面有人比我打得好也未可知。队长只用老面孔，或是包庇自己的朋友进来，一个好球队就是这么被毁掉的……”
罗恩看上去有些不安，他开始玩赫敏从四年级学生那里没收的尖牙飞盘。它正绕着公共休息室盘旋，咆哮着试图去咬那些挂毯。克鲁克山用它的黄眼睛紧紧盯着它，等它一靠近就发出嘶嘶
的叫声。
一小时之后他们不情愿地离开了阳光照耀下的公共休息室，下了四层楼去上黑魔法防御术课。赫敏已经在外面排队了，正抱着一堆重重的书，一脸被骗的表情。
“我们古代魔文课布置了这么多作业，”看到哈利和罗恩走过来，她焦虑地说。“一篇15英寸长的论文、两篇翻译而且还要在星期三之前把这些读完！”
“可惜啊，”罗恩打了个哈欠。
“你等着吧，”赫敏恨恨地说。“我打赌斯内普肯定会给我们布置一大堆。”
说话间教室的门打开了，斯内普踱进走廊，两束油腻腻的黑发披在菜色的脸的两侧。排着队的大伙儿立刻安静了下来。
“进来。”他说。
哈利进去后往四周看了看。斯内普已经给这间房子赋予了他的个性；窗帘都被拉了下来，蜡烛被点了起来，它显得比原来更加阴暗。墙上用新的画像装饰了起来，许多都画着看起来很痛苦
的人，仿佛受了可怕的伤痛或是长着奇形怪状的扭曲肢体。大家默不作声地坐了下来，环顾着这些阴沉的、恐怖的画像。
“我没让你们拿出课本，”斯内普关上了门，转过身站在讲台后面朝向全班说；赫敏急忙把《对抗无脸怪》放回书包塞到椅子下面。“我要你们全神贯注地听我说几句。”
他的黑眼睛扫过他们仰视的脸，并在哈利的脸上多停留了一下。
“我相信到目前为止，你们已经被五个老师教过了。”
你相信……就好像你没看见他们来了又走似的，斯内普，希望你就是下一个，哈利恶狠狠地想。
“自然地，这些老师都有他们各自的方法和侧重点。这导致了现在的混乱，我惊讶于竟然有那么多人都混过了O.W.L.。如果你们能设法跟得上更高深的N.E.W.T.课程，我会更加惊讶。”
斯内普开始绕着房间踱步，用一种更低沉的声音说着话；全班都够着脖子以保持能看见斯内普。
“黑魔法，”斯内普说，“有很多种，各式各样的，不断地变化并且永恒不灭。对抗它们就像是对付一只多头的怪物，每切断一个脖子，就会长出一个更凶狠、更聪明的脑袋。你们是在和
一种不固定的、经常变异的、不可毁灭的东西对抗。”
哈利盯着斯内普。毫无疑问黑魔法是被当作一种危险的敌人来对待的，可是为什么从斯内普谈论它们的语气里看，却又透着衷情的珍爱呢？
“你们的防御，”斯内普稍稍大了点声，“因而必须同你们试图去摧毁的法术一样灵活和充满创造力。这些画像，”他经过那些画像时指着它们中的几幅说，“真实地展现出了那些人是怎
样忍受伤害的，例如，钻心咒”（他用手指了指一个正在痛苦地尖叫的巫师）“遭受摄魂怪之吻”（那个巫师目光呆滞，蜷缩着倒在墙边）“或者招致阴飞力的进攻”（地上一团血淋淋的东西
）。
“那么有人已经看见阴飞力了吗？”帕瓦蒂·佩蒂尔尖声说。“确定吗，他正在使用它们？”
“黑魔王过去用过阴飞力，”斯内普说，“这意味着你们设想他可能会再次启用它们是很明智的。现在……”
他又走向教室里对着讲台的另一头，而全班人又一次看着他黑色的长袍在身后翻腾。
“……我相信，你们在使用无声咒语方面完全是新手。无声咒语的好处是什么？”
赫敏的手举了起来。斯内普从容不迫地扫视了一下每个人，确定了他别无选择之后，才简略地说，“很好——格兰杰小姐？”
“你的对手无法预料你准备施什么样的魔法，”赫敏说，“这能带给你一瞬间的优势。”
“这个回答几乎是逐字逐句地照搬了《标准咒语，第六级》上的话，”斯内普轻蔑地说（马尔福在角落里窃笑），“但是大体上是正确的。是的，那些不念咒语就能使用魔法的人能为自己
的施咒赢得一种出其不意的效果。当然，并不是所有的巫师都能做到这一点；问题在于有些人集中心智的能力很，”他怀有敌意地又一次盯着哈利，“匮乏。”
哈利知道斯内普想到了他们去年灾难性的大脑封闭术课程。他迎向斯内普的目光，就这样对着他怒目而视，直到斯内普把目光移开。
“你们现在分开，”斯内普继续说，“两人一组。一个人试着不出声地对你的搭档施咒。另一个试着同样安静地抵抗这个咒语。开始吧。”
尽管斯内普不知道，哈利去年已经教过教室里至少一半的人（所有的D.A.成员）怎么施展铁甲咒。不过没有一个人能在不发出声音的情况下施展这个魔法。一定数量的人继而开始作弊；许
多人仅仅只是用小声的念咒来代替大声。作为典型，赫敏花了十分钟时间设法抵抗住了纳威小声念出的软腿咒，没有发出一点声音，任何一个通情达理的老师一定会为此奖给格兰芬多20分，哈
利苦涩地想，而斯内普却对此视而不见。他在他们练习时来回地走动，和以前一样像一只长得过大的蝙蝠，并停下脚步看罗恩和哈利正奋力地完成他的任务。
罗恩看上去似乎正试图对哈利施咒，他脸上憋得紫红，嘴唇闭得紧紧的以抵抗念出咒语的诱惑。哈利举着魔杖，如坐针毡地等待着去抵抗那似乎永远也不会出现的咒语。
“可怜，韦斯莱，”斯内普等了一会儿才说。“看着——我示范给你——”
他飞速地把魔杖指向了哈利，哈利本能地作出了反应；他忘掉了所有关于无声咒语的念头，大喊一声，“盔甲护身！”
他的铁甲咒是如此强劲，以至于斯内普失去了平衡撞到一张课桌上。整个班的人都转向了它们，现在正盯着斯内普阴沉着脸努力支撑起身子。
“你是否记得我告诉过你我们在练习无声咒语，波特？”
“记得。”哈利生硬地说。
“记得，先生。”
“你不用叫我先生，教授。”
在他意识到自己在说什么之前这句话就从他嘴里溜了出来。包括赫敏在内的几个学生倒吸了一口气。然而在斯内普背后，罗恩、迪安和西莫都赞赏地咧着嘴笑了。
“关禁闭，星期六晚上，在我的办公室，”斯内普说，“我不允许任何人对我无礼，波特……即使是‘真命天子’也不例外。”
“真是太漂亮了，哈利！”他们往回走去休息的时候，罗恩开心地笑着说。
“你真不该说那句话，”赫敏说，她对罗恩皱了皱眉。“你怎么了？”
“他准备对我施咒，也许你没有注意到！”哈利气愤地说。“我在那些大脑封闭术课上已经受够了！为什么他不改用另外一只豚鼠来示范？邓布利多究竟在玩什么把戏，让他来教防御术课
？你听到他谈论黑魔法了吗？他热爱它们！所有‘不确定的’、‘不可毁灭的’那些废话——”
“嗯，”赫敏说，“我觉得他听起来有一点像你。”
“像我？”
“是的，你告诉我们你面对伏地魔的感觉的时候。你说那不只是背诵一大堆魔咒的事儿，你说只有靠你、你的智慧和你的勇气——嗯，那不就是斯内普所说的吗？归结起来不就是的勇敢和
敏捷的思维吗？”
哈利的怒气消除了，因为赫敏认为他说的话和《标准咒语》一样值得牢记，于是他没有再争辩。
“哈利！嘿，哈利！”
哈利环顾了一下四周；格兰芬多魁地奇球队去年的击球手之一杰克·斯劳珀正拿着一卷羊皮纸朝他跑过来。
“给你的，”斯劳珀喘着气说，“听着，我听说你是新任队长。什么时候开始选拔？”
“我还不太肯定，”哈利说，他私下里觉得斯劳珀要是能回到队里一定得期待奇迹发生才行。“我会通知你的。”
“哦，好的。我希望能在这个周末——”
但是哈利没有听；他刚刚认出了羊皮纸上纤细而倾斜的字迹。于是他急急忙忙地与罗恩和赫敏跑开，留下话说了一半的斯劳珀，边跑边把羊皮纸展开。
亲爱的哈利：
我想在这周六开始对你的单独授课。希望你能在晚上八点来我的办公室。祝你回到学校的第一天过得愉快。
你真诚的，
阿不思·邓布利多
又及：我喜欢酸棒糖。
“他喜欢酸棒糖？”罗恩一脸不解地说，他凑过来看到了这张便条。
“这是通过他书房外面那只石兽的口令，”哈利压低了声音说。“哈！斯内普会不高兴了……我不能去关禁闭！”
他、罗恩和赫敏花了整个休息时间来推测邓布利多会教哈利什么。罗恩认为最可能的是那些食死徒们都不知道的大型恶咒。赫敏说这样的东西是违法的，她觉得邓布利多更有可能想要教哈
利高级的防御魔法。休息过后，赫敏去上算术占卜，而哈利和罗恩则回到公共休息室不情愿地开始做斯内普留的作业。结果这些作业非常的复杂，直到赫敏在午餐后的休息时间重新加入他们时
还没完成（不过她的到来显著地加快了作业的进度）。当下午两节魔药课的铃声响起的时候他们才刚好做完，于是他们踏上熟悉的小路走向地下教室，那间教室在过去如此长的一段时间里都属
于斯内普。
当他们赶到走廊的时候才发现只有十二个人进入了N.E.W.T.等级。克拉布和高尔显然没能拿到足够的O.W.L.等级，但是有四个斯莱特林学生通过了，包括马尔福。还有四个拉文克劳学生，
一个赫奇帕奇的学生，厄尼·麦克米兰，尽管他有点爱夸张，但哈利还是挺喜欢他的。
“哈利，”厄尼自负地说，哈利走过来时他伸出了手，“今天早上的黑魔法防御术课没机会和你说话。不错的课，我认为，当然对于我们这些D.A.的惯犯来说，铁甲咒也太老掉牙了吧……
你们怎么样，罗恩——赫敏？”
他们刚说出“还好”，地下教室的门就打开了，斯拉霍恩的大肚子先冒了出来。当他们一个接一个地走进教室时，他特别热情地向哈利和沙比尼打了招呼，海象一样的胡子在微笑的嘴巴上
弯成了一个弧形。
异乎寻常的是，地下教室已经充满了各种蒸气和古怪的气味。哈利、罗恩和赫敏在经过冒着泡的巨大坩埚时感兴趣地嗅了嗅。四个斯莱特林学生共用了一张桌子，那四个拉文克劳学生也是
。于是哈利、罗恩和赫敏只好同厄尼共用一张桌子。他们选了离一只金色坩埚最近的一张桌子坐下，这只坩埚正散发着哈利闻到过的最诱人的气味之一：不知何故这让他同时想起了糖浆水果馅
饼、飞天扫帚柄上的木头气味和可能是在陋居闻到过的某种花一样的香味。他发现自己在缓慢地深呼吸，药剂的气味仿佛像饮料一样正在填充着他。一种极大的满足感渐渐弥漫开来；他朝罗恩
咧着嘴笑了笑，罗恩也懒洋洋地对他笑了笑。
“现在，现在，现在，”斯拉霍恩肥大的轮廓在许多闪亮的蒸气里微微地晃动着。“拿出天平，各位，还有魔药工具包，别忘了你们的《高级魔药制备》……”
“教授？”哈利举起手。
“哈利，好孩子？”
“我没有书，也没有天平和其他任何东西——罗恩也没有——我们不知道能进入N.E.W.T.，你知道——”
“啊，是的，麦格教授确实提到过……别担心，我亲爱的孩子，根本不用担心。你今天可以用储藏柜里的配料，我确定我们能借你一些天平，我们这儿还有存放了几本旧书，在你给丽痕书
店写信之前，就先用它们吧……”
斯拉霍恩大步走到角落里的一个橱子前，翻寻了片刻，找出了两本破旧的莱贝修斯·波里奇著的《高级魔药制备》，然后连着两套失去光泽的天平一同给了哈利和罗恩。
“现在，”斯拉霍恩回到教室前面，挺了起本来就很鼓的胸，马甲上的扣子看上去有飞出来的危险。“我准备了一些魔药给你们看，只是出于兴趣，你们也知道。这些在你们完成了
N.E.W.T.课程后应该能做出来。你们应该听说过它们，即使你们现在做不出来。有谁能告诉我这是什么？”
他指着离斯莱特林桌子最近的坩埚。哈利微微地从座位上坐起来，看见里面的液体就像正在沸腾的纯水。
赫敏熟练地抢在其他人之前举起了手；斯拉霍恩指了一下她。
“那是吐真剂，一种无色无味的魔药，可以迫使喝了它的人讲真话，”赫敏说。
“非常好，非常好！”斯拉霍恩高兴地说。“现在，”他继续又指向了离拉文克劳桌子最近的坩埚，“这个非常有名……最近在魔法部的宣传手册上也被提到了……谁能——”
赫敏的手又是最先举起来的。
“是复方汤剂，教授，”她说。
哈利也认出了这第二只坩埚里缓缓地冒着泡、看上去像泥巴一样的东西，不过他并没有因为赫敏答对了这个问题而赢得分数感到生气；她毕竟早在二年级时就成功地制出了它。
“好极了，好极了！现在，这儿的这个……是的，亲爱的？”赫敏的手又举了起来，斯拉霍恩看上去有些困惑。
“是阿莫汀剂！”
“的确如此。看来提问似乎很愚蠢，”斯拉霍恩看上去留下了强烈的印象，“我猜想你也知道它是做什么用的吧？”
“它是世界上最有效的爱情药！”赫敏回答。
“非常正确！我猜你是从它与众不同等待的珍珠母光泽上辨认出来的吧？”
“还有它特征的螺旋形蒸汽，”赫敏热情地回答，“另外，每个人闻到它的气味都不同，这与什么能吸引我们有关，我能闻到刚割下的嫩草、新羊皮纸和——”
但她没有说完，脸上泛起了红晕。
“我能知道你的名字吗，亲爱的？”斯拉霍恩没有理会赫敏的窘迫。
“赫敏·格兰杰，教授。”
“格兰杰？格兰杰？你可能和那个建立了最超常药剂师协会的海克特·达沃斯－格兰杰有亲戚关系吗？”
“不，我想没有，教授。我是麻瓜家庭出身，要知道。”
哈利看见马尔福正凑到诺特耳边说着什么；两个人都在偷偷地笑。但斯拉霍恩并没有沮丧；相反地，他微笑着把目光移向坐在赫敏身边的哈利。
“哦！‘我最好的一个朋友也是麻瓜家庭出身的，她是我们年级最棒的一个！’我猜这就是你所说那个朋友吧，哈利？”
“是的，教授。”哈利说。
“好，好，你为格兰芬多赢得20分，格兰杰小姐，”斯拉霍恩亲切地说。
马尔福的表情就像他过去被赫敏击中鼻子时一样。赫敏容光焕发地转向哈利低声问，“你真的告诉他说我是全年级最棒的？噢，哈利！”
“喂，有什么好感动的？”罗恩低声说，不知为什么他看上去有些气恼。“你就是全年级最棒的——如果
收听单词发音 |
1
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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minuscule
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| adj.非常小的；极不重要的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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fanged
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| adj.有尖牙的，有牙根的，有毒牙的 | |
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frisbee
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| n.飞盘(塑料玩具) | |
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scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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remonstration
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| n.抗议，规劝 | |
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giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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12
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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14
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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wispy
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| adj.模糊的；纤细的 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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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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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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sprout
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| n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条 | |
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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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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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centaur
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| n.人首马身的怪物 | |
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divination
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| n.占卜，预测 | |
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disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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crestfallen
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| adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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tart
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| adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇 | |
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32
zoomed
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| v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去式 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
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tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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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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greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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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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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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sprouts
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| n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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44
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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45
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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aggression
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| n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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novices
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| n.新手( novice的名词复数 )；初学修士（或修女）；（修会等的）初学生；尚未赢过大赛的赛马 | |
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50
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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54
glowered
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| v.怒视( glower的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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56
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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57
tenterhooks
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| n.坐立不安 | |
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58
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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59
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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60
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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61
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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62
fumed
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| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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63
disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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64
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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65
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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66
slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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67
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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68
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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69
gargoyle
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| n.笕嘴 | |
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70
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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71
grudgingly
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72
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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73
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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74
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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75
portentously
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76
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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77
walrus
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| n.海象 | |
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78
vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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79
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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80
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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81
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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82
inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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84
treacle
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| n.糖蜜 | |
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85
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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86
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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87
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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88
kits
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| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
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89
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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90
tarnished
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| （通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏 | |
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91
inflating
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| v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的现在分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
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92
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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93
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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genially
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| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
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obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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99
smirking
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| v.傻笑( smirk的现在分词 ) | |
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100
obsessive
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| adj. 着迷的, 强迫性的, 分神的 | |
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101
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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102
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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103
brewed
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| 调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡） | |
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104
toxic
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| adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的 | |
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105
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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106
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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108
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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110
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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111
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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112
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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113
scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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114
margins
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| 边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数 | |
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115
annotations
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| n.注释( annotation的名词复数 )；附注 | |
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116
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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117
scribbles
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| n.潦草的书写( scribble的名词复数 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下v.潦草的书写( scribble的第三人称单数 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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118
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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119
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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120
exuded
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| v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的过去式和过去分词 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情 | |
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121
scooping
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| n.捞球v.抢先报道( scoop的现在分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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122
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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123
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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124
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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125
concoction
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| n.调配(物)；谎言 | |
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126
dab
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| v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂 | |
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127
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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128
stonier
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| 多石头的( stony的比较级 )； 冷酷的，无情的 | |
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129
aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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130
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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131
waft
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| v.飘浮，飘荡；n.一股；一阵微风；飘荡 | |
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132
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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133
perking
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| （使）活跃( perk的现在分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣 | |
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134
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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135
irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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136
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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137
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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