Harry1 wracked his brains over the next week as to how he was to persuade Slughorn to hand over the true memory, but nothing in the nature of a brain wave occurred and
he was reduced to doing what he did increasingly these days when at a loss: poring over his Potions book, hoping that the Prince would have scribbled2 something useful
in a margin3, as he had done so many times before.
“You won't find anything in there,” said Hermione firmly, late on Sunday evening.
“Don't start, Hermione,” said Harry. “If it hadn't been for the Prince, Ron wouldn't be sitting here now.”
“He would if you'd just listened to Snape in our first year,” said Hermione dismissively.
Harry ignored her. He had just found an incantation (Sectumsempra!) scrawled4 in a margin above the intriguing5 words “For enemies,” and was itching6 to try it out, but
thought it best not to in front of Hermione. Instead, he surreptitiously folded down the corner of the page.
They were sitting beside the fire in the common room; the only other people awake were fellow sixth-years. There had been a certain amount of excitement earlier when
they had come back from dinner to find a new sign on the notice board that announced the date for their Apparition7 Test. Those who would be seventeen on or before the
first test date, the twenty-first of April, had the option of signing up for additional practice sessions, which would take place (heavily supervised) in Hogsmeade.
Ron had panicked on reading this notice; he had still not managed to Apparate and feared he would not be ready for the test. Hermione, who had now achieved Apparition
twice, was a little more confident, but Harry, who would not be seventeen for another four months, could not take the test whether ready or not.
“At least you can Apparate, though!” said Ron tensely. “You'll have no trouble come July!”
“I've only done it once,” Harry reminded him; he had finally managed to disappear and rematerialize inside his hoop8 during their previous lesson.
Having wasted a lot of time worrying aloud about Apparition, Ron was now struggling to finish a viciously difficult essay for Snape that Harry and Hermione had already
completed. Harry fully9 expected to receive low marks on his, because he had disagreed with Snape on the best way to tackle Dementors, but he did not care: Slughorn's
memory was the most important thing to him now.
“I'm telling you, the stupid Prince isn't going to be able to help you with this, Harry!” said Hermione, more loudly. “There's only one way to force someone to do
what you want, and that's the Imperius Curse, which is illegal —”
“Yeah, I know that, thanks,” said Harry, not looking up from the book. “That's why I'm looking for something different. Dumbledore says Veritaserum won't do it, but
there might be something else, a potion or a spell...”
“You're going about it the wrong way,” said Hermione. “Only you can get the memory, Dumbledore says. That must mean you can persuade Slughorn where other people
can't. It's not a question of slipping him a potion, anyone could do that —”
“How do you spell ‘belligerent'?” said Ron, shaking his quill10 very hard while staring at his parchment. “It can't be B—U—M —”
“No, it isn't,” said Hermione, pulling Ron's essay toward her. “And ‘augury’ doesn't begin O—R—G either. What kind of quill are you using?”
“It's one of Fred and George's Spell-Checking ones, but I think the charm must be wearing off.”
“Yes, it must,” said Hermione, pointing at the title of his essay, “because we were asked how we'd deal with Dementors, not ‘Dugbogs', and I don't remember you
changing your name to ‘Roonil Wazlib’ either.”
“Ah no!” said Ron, staring horror-struck at the parchment. “Don't say I'll have to write the whole thing out again!”
“It's okay, we can fix it,” said Hermione, pulling the essay toward her and taking out her wand.
“I love you, Hermione,” said Ron, sinking back in his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily.
Hermione turned faintly pink, but merely said, “Don't let Lavender hear you saying that.”
“I won't,” said Ron into his hands. “Or maybe I will, then she'll ditch me.”
“Why don't you ditch her if you want to finish it?” asked Harry.
“You haven't ever chucked anyone, have you?” said Ron. “You and Cho just —”
“Sort of fell apart, yeah,” said Harry.
“Wish that would happen with me and Lavender,” said Ron gloomily, watching Hermione silently tapping each of his misspelled words with the end of her wand, so that
they corrected themselves on the page. “But the more I hint I want to finish it, the tighter she holds on. It's like going out with the giant squid.”
“There,” said Hermione, some twenty minutes later, handing back Ron's essay.
“Thanks a million,” said Ron. “Can I borrow your quill for the conclusion?” Harry, who had found nothing useful in the Half-Blood Prince's notes so far, looked
around; the three of them were now the only ones left in the common room, Seamus having just gone up to bed cursing Snape and his essay. The only sounds were the
crackling of the fire and Ron scratching out one last paragraph on dementors using Hermione's quill. Harry had just closed the Half-Blood Prince's book, yawning, when
—
Crack.
Hermione let out a little shriek11; Ron spilled ink all over his freshly completed essay, and Harry said, “Kreacher!”
The house-elf bowed low and addressed his own gnarled toes. “Master said he wanted regular reports on what the Malfoy boy is doing, so Kreacher has come to give—”
Crack.
Dobby appeared alongside Kreacher, his tea-cozy12 hat askew13.
“Dobby has been helping14 too, Harry Potter!” he squeaked15, casting Kreacher a resentful look. “And Kreacher ought to tell Dobby when he is coming to see Harry Potter
so they can make their reports together!”
“What is this?” asked Hermione, still looking shocked by these sudden appearances. “What's going on, Harry?”
Harry hesitated before answering, because he had not told Hermione about setting Kreacher and Dobby to tail Malfoy; house-elves were always such a touchy16 subject with
her.
“Well... they've been following Malfoy for me,” he said.
“Night and day,” croaked17 Kreacher.
“Dobby has not slept for a week, Harry Potter!” said Dobby proudly, swaying where he stood.
Hermione looked indignant.
“You haven't slept, Dobby? But surely, Harry, you didn't tell him not to—”
“No, of course I didn't,” said Harry quickly. “Dobby, you can sleep, all right? But has either of you found out anything?” he hastened to ask, before Hermione could
intervene again.
“Master Malfoy moves with a nobility that befits his pure blood,” croaked Kreacher at once. “His features recall the fine bones of my mistress and his manners are
those of—”
“Draco Malfoy is a bad boy!” squeaked Dobby angrily. “A bad boy who—who —”
He shuddered18 from the tassel19 of his tea cozy to the toes of his socks and then ran at the fire, as though about to dive into it. Harry, to whom this was not entirely20
unexpected, caught him around the middle and held him fast. For a few seconds Dobby struggled, then went limp.
“Thank you, Harry Potter,” he panted. “Dobby still finds it difficult to speak ill of his old masters.”
Harry released him; Dobby straightened his tea cozy and said defiantly21 to Kreacher, “But Kreacher should know that Draco Malfoy is not a good master to a house-elf!”
“Yeah, we don't need to hear about you being in love with Malfoy,” Harry told Kreacher. “Let's fast forward to where he's actually been going.”
Kreacher bowed again, looking furious, and then said, “Master Malfoy eats in the Great Hall, he sleeps in a dormitory in the dungeons22, he attends his classes in a
variety of—”
“Dobby, you tell me,” said Harry, cutting across Kreacher. “Has he been going anywhere he shouldn't have?”
“Harry Potter, sir,” squeaked Dobby, his great orblike eyes shining in the firelight, “the Malfoy boy is breaking no rules that Dobby can discover, but he is still
keen to avoid detection. He has been making regular visits to the seventh floor with a variety of other students, who keep watch for him while he enters—”
“The Room of Requirement!” said Harry, smacking24 himself hard on the forehead with Advanced Potion-Making. Hermione and Ron stared at him. “That's where he's been
sneaking26 off to! That's where he's doing... whatever he's doing! And I bet that's why he's been disappearing off the map—come to think of it, I've never seen the Room
of Requirement on there!”
“Maybe the Marauders never knew the room was there,” said Ron.
“I think it'll be part of the magic of the room,” said Hermione. “If you need it to be unplottable, it will be.”
“Dobby, have you managed to get in to have a look at what Malfoy's doing?” said Harry eagerly.
“No, Harry Potter, that is impossible,” said Dobby.
“No, it's not,” said Harry at once. “Malfoy got into our headquarters there last year, so I'll be able to get in and spy on him, no problem.”
“But I don't think you will, Harry,” said Hermione slowly. “Malfoy already knew exactly how we were using the room, didn't he, because that stupid Marietta had
blabbed. He needed the room to become the headquarters of the D.A., so it did. But you don't know what the room becomes when Malfoy goes in there, so you don't know
what to ask it to transform into.”
“There'll be a way around that,” said Harry dismissively. “You've done brilliantly, Dobby.”
“Kreacher's done well too,” said Hermione kindly28; but far from looking grateful, Kreacher averted29 his huge, bloodshot eyes and croaked at the ceiling, “The Mudblood
is speaking to Kreacher, Kreacher will pretend he cannot hear —”
“Get out of it,” Harry snapped at him, and Kreacher made one last deep bow and Disapparated. “You'd better go and get some sleep too, Dobby.”
“Thank you, Harry Potter, sir!” squeaked Dobby happily, and he too vanished.
“How good is this?” said Harry enthusiastically, turning to Ron and Hermione the moment the room was elf-free again. “We know where Malfoy's going! We've got him
cornered now!”
“Yeah, it's great,” said Ron glumly30, who was attempting to mop up the sodden31 mass of ink that had recently been an almost completed essay. Hermione pulled it toward
her and began siphoning the ink off with her wand.
“But what's all this about him going up there with a ‘variety of students'?” said Hermione. “How many people are in on it? You wouldn't think he'd trust lots of
them to know what he's doing...”
“Yeah, that is weird,” said Harry, frowning. “I heard him telling Crabbe it wasn't Crabbe's business what he was doing... so what's he telling all these... all
these...”
Harry's voice tailed away; he was staring at the fire. “God, I've been stupid,” he said quietly. “It's obvious, isn't it? There was a great vat32 of it down in the
dungeon23... he could've nicked some any time during that lesson...”
“Nicked what?” said Ron.
“Polyjuice Potion. He stole some of the Polyjuice Potion Slughorn showed us in our first Potions lesson... There aren't a whole variety of students standing33 guard for
Malfoy... it's just Crabbe and Goyle as usual.... yeah, it all fits!” said Harry, jumping up and starting to pace in front of the fire. “They're stupid enough to do
what they're told even if he won't tell them what he's up to ... but he doesn't want them to be seen lurking34 around outside the Room of Requirement, so he's got them
taking Polyjuice to make them look like other people... those two girls I saw him with when he missed Quidditch—ha! Crabbe and Goyle!”
“Do you mean to say,” said Hermione in a hushed voice, “that that little girl whose scales I repaired —?”
“Yeah, of course!” said Harry loudly, staring at her. “Of course! Malfoy must've been inside the room at the time, so she—what am I talking about?—he dropped the
scales to tell Malfoy not to come out, because there was someone there! And there was that girl who dropped the toadspawn too! We've been walking past him all the time
and not realizing it!”
“He's got Crabbe and Goyle transforming into girls?” guffawed35 Ron. “Blimey... no wonder they don't look too happy these days. I'm surprised they don't tell him to
stuff it...”
“Well, they wouldn't, would they, if he's shown them his Dark Mark?” said Harry.
“Hmmm... the Dark Mark we don't know exists,” said Hermione skeptically, rolling up Ron's dried essay before it could come to any more harm and handing it to him.
“We'll see,” said Harry confidently.
“Yes, we will,” Hermione said, getting to her feet and stretching. “But, Harry, before you get all excited, I still don't think you'll be able to get into the Room
of Requirement without knowing what's there first. And I don't think you should forget,” she heaved her bag onto her shoulder and gave him a very serious look, “that
what you're supposed to be concentrating on is getting that memory from Slughorn. Goodnight.”
Harry watched her go, feeling slightly disgruntled. Once the door to the girls’ dormitories had closed behind her he rounded on Ron.
“What d'you think?”
“Wish I could Disapparate like a house-elf,” said Ron, staring at the spot where Dobby had vanished. “I'd have that Apparition Test in the bag.”
Harry did not sleep well that night. He lay awake for what felt like hours, wondering how Malfoy was using the Room of Requirement and what he, Harry, would see when he
went in there the following day, for whatever Hermione said, Harry was sure that if Malfoy had been able to see the headquarters of the D.A., he would be able to see
Malfoy's ... what could it be? A meeting place? A hideout? A store room? A workshop? Harry's mind worked feverishly36 and his dreams, when he finally fell asleep, were
broken and disturbed by images of Malfoy, who turned into Slughorn, who turned into Snape...
Harry was in a state of great anticipation37 over breakfast the following morning; he had a free period before Defense38 Against the Dark Arts and was determined39 to spend
it trying to get into the Room of Requirement. Hermione was rather ostentatiously showing no interest in his whispered plans for forcing entry into the room, which
irritated Harry, because he thought she might be a lot of help if she wanted to.
“Look,” he said quietly, leaning forward and putting a hand on the Daily Prophet, which she had just removed from a post owl27, to stop her from opening it and
vanishing behind it. “I haven't forgotten about Slughorn, but I haven't got a clue how to get that memory off him, and until I get a brain wave why shouldn't I find
out what Malfoy's doing?”
“I've already told you, you need to persuade Slughorn,” said Hermione. “It's not a question of tricking him or bewitching him, or Dumbledore could have done it in a
second. Instead of messing around outside the Room of Requirement,” she jerked the Prophet out from under Harry's hand and unfolded it to look at the front page,” you
should go and find Slughorn and start appealing to his better nature.”
“Anyone we know—?” asked Ron, as Hermione scanned the headlines.
“Yes!” said Hermione, causing both Harry and Ron to gag on their breakfast. “But it's all right, he's not dead—it's Mundungus, he's been arrested and sent to
Azkaban! Something to do with impersonating an Inferius during an attempted burglary ... and someone called Octavius Pepper has vanished ... oh, and how horrible, a
nine-year-old boy has been arrested for trying to kill his grandparents, they think he was under the Imperius Curse...”
They finished their breakfast in silence. Hermione set off immediately for Ancient Runes; Ron for the common room, where he still had to finish his conclusion on
Snape's Dementor essay, and Harry for the corridor on the seventh floor and the stretch of wall opposite the tapestry40 of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to do
ballet.
Harry slipped on his Invisibility Cloak once he had found an empty passage, but he need not have bothered. When he reached his destination he found it deserted41. Harry
was not sure whether his chances of getting inside the room were better with Malfoy inside it or out, but at least his first attempt was not going to be complicated by
the presence of Crabbe or Goyle pretending to be an eleven-year-old girl.
He closed his eyes as he approached the place where the Room of Requirement's door was concealed42. He knew what he had to do; he had become most accomplished43 at it last
year. Concentrating with all his might he thought, I need to see what Malfoy's doing in here... I need to see what Malfoy's doing in here... I need to see what Malfoy's
doing in here...
Three times he walked past the door; then, his heart pounding with excitement, he opened his eyes and faced it—but he was still looking at a stretch of mundanely44 blank
wall.
He moved forward and gave it an experimental push. The stone remained solid and unyielding.
“Okay,” said Harry aloud. “Okay... I thought the wrong thing...”
He pondered for a moment then set off again, eyes closed, concentrating as hard as he could.
“I need to see the place where Malfoy keeps coming secretly... I need to see the place where Malfoy keeps coming secretly...”
After three walks past, he opened his eyes expectantly.
There was no door.
“Oh, come off it,” he told the wall irritably46. “That was a clear instruction... fine...”
He thought hard for several minutes before striding off once more.
“I need you to become the place you become for Draco Malfoy...”
He did not immediately open his eyes when he had finished his patrolling; he was listening hard, as though he might hear the door pop into existence. He heard nothing,
however, except the distant twittering of birds outside. He opened his eyes.
There was still no door.
Harry swore. Someone screamed. He looked around to see a gaggle of first years running back around the corner, apparently47 under the impression that they had just
encountered a particularly foul-mouthed ghost.
Harry tried every variation of “I need to see what Draco Malfoy is doing inside you” that he could think of for a whole hour, at the end of which he was forced to
concede that Hermione might have had a point: the room simply did not want to open for him. Frustrated48 and annoyed, he set off for Defense Against the Dark Arts,
pulling off his Invisibility Cloak and stuffing it into his bag as he went.
“Late again, Potter,” said Snape coldly, as Harry hurried into the candlelit classroom. “Ten points from Gryfrindor.” Harry scowled49 at Snape as he flung himself
into the seat beside Ron. Half the class were still on their feet, taking out books and organizing their things; he could not be much later than any of them.
“Before we start, I want your Dementor essays,” said Snape, waving his wand carelessly, so that twenty-five scrolls50 of parchment soared into the air and landed in a
neat pile on his desk. “And I hope for your sakes they are better than the tripe51 I had to endure on resisting the Imperius Curse. Now, if you will all open your books
to page—what is it, Mr. Finnigan?”
“Sir,” said Seamus, “I've been wondering, how do you tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost? Because there was something in the Prophet about an
Inferius —”
“No, there wasn't,” said Snape in a bored voice.
“But sir, I heard people talking —”
“If you had actually read the article in question, Mr. Finnigan, you would have known that the so-called Inferius was nothing but a smelly sneak25 thief by the name of
Mundungus Fletcher.”
“I thought Snape and Mundungus were on the same side,” muttered Harry to Ron and Hermione. “Shouldn't he be upset Mundungus has been arrest —”
“But Potter seems to have a lot to say on the subject,” said Snape, pointing suddenly at the back of the room, his black eyes fixed52 on Harry. “Let us ask Potter how
we would tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost.”
The whole class looked around at Harry, who hastily tried to recall what Dumbledore had told him the night that they had gone to visit Slughorn.
“Er—well—ghosts are transparent53 —” he said.
“Oh, very good,” interrupted Snape, his lip curling. “Yes, it in easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. Ghosts
are transparent.”
Pansy Parkinson let out a high-pitched giggle54. Several other people were smirking55. Harry took a deep breath and continued calmly, though his insides were boiling,
“Yeah, ghosts are transparent, but Inferi are dead bodies, aren't they? So they'd be solid —”
“A five-year-old could have told us as much,” sneered56 Snape. “The Inferius is a corpse57 that has been reanimated by a Dark wizard's spells. It is not alive, it is
merely used like a puppet to do the wizard's bidding. A ghost, as I trust that you are all aware by now, is the imprint58 of a departed soul left upon the earth ... and
of course, as Potter so wisely tells us, transparent. ”
“Well, what Harry said is the most useful if we're trying to tell them apart!” said Ron. “When we come face-to-face with one down a dark alley59, we're going to be
having a look to see if it's solid, aren't we, we're not going to be asking, ‘Excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?'”
There was a ripple60 of laughter, instantly quelled61 by the look Snape gave the class.
“Another ten points from Gryffindor,” said Snape. “I would expect nothing more sophisticated from you, Ronald Weasley, the boy so solid he cannot Apparate half an
inch across a room.”
“No!” whispered Hermione, grabbing Harry's arm as he opened his mouth furiously. “There's no point, you'll just end up in detention62 again, leave it!”
“Now open your books to page two hundred and thirteen,” said Snape, smirking a little, “and read the first two paragraphs on the Cruciatus Curse.”
Ron was very subdued63 all through the class. When the bell sounded at the end of the lesson, Lavender caught up with Ron and Harry (Hermione mysteriously melted out of
sight as she approached) and abused Snape hotly for his jibe64 about Ron's Apparition, but this seemed to merely irritate Ron, and he shook her off by making a detour65
into the boys’ bathroom with Harry.
“Snape's right, though, isn't he?” said Ron, after staring into a cracked mirror for a minute or two. “I dunno whether it's worth me taking the test. I just can't
get the hang of Apparition.”
“You might as well do the extra practice sessions in Hogsmeade and see where they get you,” said Harry reasonably. “It'll be more interesting than trying to get into
a stupid hoop anyway. Then, if you're still not—you know—as good as you'd like to be, you can postpone66 the test, do it with me over the summer—Myrtle, this is the
boys’ bathroom!”
The ghost of a girl had risen out of the toilet in a cubicle67 behind them and was now floating in midair, staring at them through thick, white, round glasses.
“Oh,” she said glumly. “It's you two.”
“Who were you expecting?” said Ron, looking at her in the mirror.
“Nobody,” said Myrtle, picking moodily68 at a spot on her chin. “He said he'd come back and see me, but then you said you'd pop in and visit me too...” she gave Harry
a reproachful look “... and I haven't seen you for months and months. I've learned not to expect too much from boys.”
“I thought you lived in that girls’ bathroom?” said Harry, who had been careful to give the place a wide berth69 for some years now.
“I do,” she said, with a sulky little shrug70, “but that doesn't mean I can't visit other places. I came and saw you in your bath once, remember?”
“Vividly,” said Harry.
“But I thought he liked me,” she said plaintively71. “Maybe if you two left, he'd come back again. We had lots in common. I'm sure he felt it.”
And she looked hopefully toward the door.
“When you say you had lots in common,” said Ron, sounding rather amused now, “d'you mean he lives in an S-bend too?”
“No,” said Myrtle defiantly, her voice echoing loudly around the old tiled bathroom. “I mean he's sensitive, people bully72 him too, and he feels lonely and hasn't got
anybody to talk to, and he's not afraid to show his feelings and cry!”
“There's been a boy in here crying?” said Harry curiously73. “A young boy?”
“Never you mind!” said Myrtle, her small, leaky eyes fixed on Ron, who was now definitely grinning. “I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, and I'll take his secret to
the —”
“— not the grave, surely?” said Ron with a snort. “The sewers74, maybe.”
Myrtle gave a howl of rage and dived back into the toilet, causing water to slop over the sides and onto the floor. Goading75 Myrtle seemed to have put fresh heart into
Ron.
“You're right,” he said, swinging his schoolbag back over his shoulder, “I'll do the practice sessions in Hogsmeade before I decide about taking the test.”
And so the following weekend, Ron joined Hermione and the rest of the sixth years who would turn seventeen in time to take the test in a fortnight. Harry felt rather
jealous watching them all get ready to go into the village; he missed making trips there, and it was a particularly fine spring day, one of the first clear skies they
had seen in a long time. However, he had decided76 to use the time to attempt another assault on the Room of Requirement.
“You'd do better,” said Hermione, when he confided77 this plan to Ron and her in the entrance hall, “to go straight to Slughorn's office and try and get that memory
from him.”
“I've been trying!” said Harry crossly, which was perfectly78 true. He had lagged behind after every Potions lesson that week in an attempt to corner Slughorn, but the
Potions master always left the dungeon so fast that Harry had not been able to catch him. Twice, Harry had gone to his office and knocked, but received no reply, though
on the second occasion he was sure he had heard the quickly stifled79 sounds of an old gramophone.
“He doesn't want to talk to me, Hermione! He can tell I've been trying to get him on his own again, and he's not going to let it happen!”
“Well, you've just got to keep at it, haven't you?”
The short queue of people waiting to file past Filch80, who was doing his usual prodding81 act with the Secrecy82 Sensor83, moved forward a few steps and Harry did not answer
in case he was overheard by the caretaker. He wished Ron and Hermione both luck, then turned and climbed the marble staircase again, determined, whatever Hermione said,
to devote an hour or two to the Room of Requirement.
Once out of sight of the entrance hall, Harry pulled the Marauder's Map and his Invisibility Cloak from his bag. Having concealed himself, he tapped the map, murmured,
“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” and scanned it carefully.
As it was Sunday morning, nearly all the students were inside their various common rooms, the Gryffindors in one tower, the Ravenclaws in another, the Slytherins in the
dungeons, and the Hufflepuffs in the basement near the kitchens. Here and there a stray person meandered84 around the library or up a corridor ... there were a few people
out in the grounds ... and there, alone in the seventh-floor corridor, was Gregory Goyle. There was no sign of the Room of Requirement, but Harry was not worried about
that; if Goyle was standing guard outside it, the room was open, whether the map was aware of it or not. He therefore sprinted85 up the stairs, slowing down only when he
reached the corner into the corridor, when he began to creep, very slowly, toward the very same little girl, clutching her heavy brass86 scales, that Hermione had so
kindly helped a fortnight before. He waited until he was right behind her before bending very low and whispering, “Hello... you're very pretty, aren't you?”
Goyle gave a high-pitched scream of terror, threw the scales up into the air, and sprinted away, vanishing from sight long before the sound of the scales smashing had
stopped echoing around the corridor. Laughing, Harry turned to contemplate87 the blank wall behind which, he was sure, Draco Malfoy was now standing frozen, aware that
someone unwelcome was out there, but not daring to make an appearance. It gave Harry a most agreeable feeling of power as he tried to remember what form of words he had
not yet tried.
Yet this hopeful mood did not last long. Half an hour later, having tried many more variations of his request to see what Malfoy was up to, the wall was just as
doorless as ever. Harry felt frustrated beyond belief. Malfoy might be just feet away from him, and there was still not the tiniest shred88 of evidence as to what he was
doing in there. Losing his patience completely, Harry ran at the wall and kicked it.
“OUCH!”
He thought he might have broken his toe; as he clutched it and hopped89 on one foot, the Invisibility Cloak slipped off him.
“Harry?”
He spun90 around, one-legged, and toppled over. There, to his utter astonishment91, was Tonks, walking toward him as though she frequently strolled up this corridor.
“What're you doing here?” he said, scrambling92 to his feet again; why did she always have to find him lying on the floor?
“I came to see Dumbledore,” said Tonks. Harry thought she looked terrible: thinner than usual, her mouse-colored hair lank45.
“His office isn't here,” said Harry, “it's round the other side of the castle, behind the gargoyle93 —”
“I know,” said Tonks. “He's not there. Apparently he's gone away again.”
“Has he?” said Harry, putting his bruised94 foot gingerly back on the floor. “Hey—you don't know where he goes, I suppose?”
“No,” said Tonks.
“What did you want to see him about?”
“Nothing in particular,” said Tonks, picking, apparently unconsciously, at the sleeve of her robe. “I just thought he might know what's going on... I've heard
rumors95... people getting hurt.”
“Yeah, I know, it's all been in the papers,” said Harry. “That little kid trying to kill his —”
“The Prophet‘s often behind the times,” said Tonks, who didn't seem to be listening to him. “You haven't had any letters from anyone in the Order recently?”
“No one from the Order writes to me anymore,” said Harry, “not since Sirius —”
He saw that her eyes had filled with tears.
“I'm sorry,” he muttered awkwardly. “I mean... I miss him, as well...”
“What?” said Tonks blankly, as though she had not heard him. “Well... I'll see you around, Harry...”
And she turned abruptly96 and walked back down the corridor, leaving Harry to stare after her. After a minute or so, he pulled the Invisibility Cloak on again and resumed
his efforts to get into the Room of Requirement, but his heart was not in it. Finally, a hollow feeling in his stomach and the knowledge that Ron and Hermione would
soon be back for lunch made him abandon the attempt and leave the corridor to Malfoy who, hopefully, would be too afraid to leave for some hours to come.
He found Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall, already halfway97 through an early lunch.
“I did it—well, kind of!” Ron told Harry enthusiastically when he caught sight of him. “I was supposed to be Apparating to outside Madam Puddifoots’ Tea Shop and I
overshot it a bit, ended up near Scrivenshafts, but at least I moved!”
“Good one,” said Harry. “How'd you do, Hermione?”
“Oh, she was perfect, obviously,” said Ron, before Hermione could answer. “Perfect deliberation, divination98, and desperation or whatever the hell it is—we all went
for a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks after and you should've heard Twycross going on about her—I'll be surprised if he doesn't pop the question soon —”
“And what about you?” asked Hermione, ignoring Ron. “Have you been up at the Room of Requirement all this time?”
“Yep,” said Harry. “And guess who I ran into up there? Tonks!”
“Tonks?” repeated Ron and Hermione together, looking surprised.
“Yeah, she said she'd come to visit Dumbledore.”
“If you ask me,” said Ron once Harry had finished describing his conversation with Tonks, “she's cracking up a bit. Losing her nerve after what happened at the
“It's a bit odd,” said Hermione, who for some reason looked very concerned. “She's supposed to be guarding the school, why she suddenly abandoning her post to come
and see Dumbledore when he's not even here?”
“I had a thought,” said Harry tentatively. He felt strange about voicing it; this was much more Hermione's territory than his. “You don't think she can have been...
you know... in love with Sirius?”
Hermione stared at him.
“What on earth makes you say that?”
“I dunno,” said Harry, shrugging, “but she was nearly crying when I mentioned his name ... and her Patronus is a big four-legged thing now... I wondered whether it
hadn't become... you know... him.”
“It's a thought,” said Hermione slowly. “But I still don't know why she'd be bursting into the castle to see Dumbledore, if that's really why she was here.”
“Goes back to what I said, doesn't it?” said Ron, who was now shoveling mashed100 potato into his mouth. “She's gone a bit funny. Lost her nerve. Women,” he said
wisely to Harry, “they're easily upset.”
“And yet,” said Hermione, coming out of her reverie, “I doubt you'd find a woman who sulked for half an hour because Madam Rosmerta didn't laugh at their joke about
the hag, the Healer, and the Mimbulus mimbletonia.”
Ron scowled.
在之后的几星期里，哈利绞尽脑汁地想着他应该怎么说服斯拉霍恩告诉他那段真实的记忆，但是他并没有想到什么好主意，于是他又还原这段时间他一旦困惑起来就会做的事：仔细研究他那本
魔药书，希望王子会在书的空白出写一些有用的东西，就像过去那么多次一样。
“你不会在那上面找到什么的，”星期天的晚上，赫敏坚决地说。
“别说了，赫敏，”哈利说。“如果不是王子，罗恩现在也不能坐在这儿了。”
“他会的，如果一年级的时候你在斯内普的课上认真听的话，”赫敏轻蔑地说道。
哈利没有理会她。他刚在几个引人好奇的字‘用于敌人’的上面空白处发现了一句潦草的咒语（刀光剑影！），哈利很渴望马上试一下这条咒语，但是最好别在赫敏面前干这件事。于是，
他偷偷地把这一页折了一个角。
他们坐在格兰芬多公共休息室的壁炉旁；这里仅有的几个人都是六年级的。他们刚才在布告栏里看到了一条新的通知，公布了幻影显形的测试日期，这使他们非常兴奋。在4月21日考试之
前满十七岁的学生，可以选择报名参加额外的实习，地点在（严格监管下的）霍格莫德。
罗恩得知了这个通知以后显得惊慌失措，他还没有学会幻影显形，害怕自己不能通过考试。赫敏已经两次成功地幻影显形了，所以更有信心一些。但是哈利四个月之后才满十七岁岁，所以
不论他会不会都不能参加这次考试了。
“可你已经学会了幻影显形！”罗恩紧张地说。“你参加7月的那次考试一定没问题的！”
“我只完成过一次，”哈利提醒他；上一堂课里，他终于设法做到了消失之后又在木圈里重现。
在浪费了很多时间大声地唠叨他对幻影显形的担忧之后，罗恩开始挣扎着写斯内普布置的一篇难得过分的论文，而哈利和赫敏早就完成了。哈利确信自己的论文一定会得到一个很低的分数
，因为他不同意斯内普所说的对抗摄魂怪的最佳办法，不过他不在乎：目前对他来说斯拉霍恩的记忆才是最重要的事。
“我告诉你，那个愚蠢王子的这本书帮助不了你，哈利！”赫敏说，声音更响了。“只有一个办法能让别人听你的话，那就是夺魂咒，但这是违法的——”
“是的，我知道，谢谢，”哈利说道，他没有把目光从书上挪开。“邓布利多说吐真剂也没有用，但是一定还有别的办法的，使用魔药或者咒语……”
“你想错方向了，”赫敏说。“邓布利多说只有你可以得到那段记忆。那一定就是说除了你之外没有人可以说服斯拉霍恩了。这不是骗他服下什么魔药的问题，任何人都可以那么做——”
“你怎么拼‘好战’这个词？”罗恩说，他一边拼命地摇着羽毛笔，一边盯着他的羊皮纸。“是不是B——U——M——”
“不，错了，”赫敏说，把他的羊皮纸拿到自己面前。“还有，‘占卜’也不是O——R——G开头的。你用的是什么羽毛笔啊？”
“弗雷德和乔治的检查拼写型羽毛笔……但是我想他们施的咒语一定是在消退……”
“的确是的，”赫敏指着他的论文题目说道，“因为我们写的是如何对付摄魂怪，而不是‘摄魂地’，还有，我不记得你的名字什么时候改成‘鲁尼尔·沃兹里’了。”
“啊，不！”罗恩说道，他仔细看着自己的论文，似乎受到了沉重的打击。“别告诉我要把整篇论文重新写一遍！”
“这没关系，我们可以把它改好，”赫敏说，她把羊皮纸拉到自己面前，拿出了魔杖。
“我爱你，赫敏，”罗恩说完便倒进了他的椅子里，疲倦地用手揉着眼睛。
赫敏的脸微微变红了，但她只是说，“别让拉文德听见你这么说。”
“我不会的，”罗恩对着自己的手说。“或者……也许我会……然后她就会甩了我……”
“如果你想结束，为什么不先甩了她？”哈利问。
“你从来没有甩过别人，对不对？”罗恩说。“你和秋只是——”
“分手而已，是的，”哈利说。
“希望我和拉文德也能这样，”罗恩郁闷地说，他看着赫敏用魔杖尖轻轻地敲打着羊皮纸上他拼错的单词，于是它们都自己改正过来了。“我越是向她暗示我想结束了，她越是拉住我不放
。就好像是要甩掉一个巨乌贼一样。”
“拿去，”大概二十分钟以后，赫敏把罗恩的论文还给了他。
“万分感谢，”罗恩说。“那么我能借你的羽毛笔写一写总结吗？”
哈利看还没有在混血王子的笔记找到什么有用的东西，于是他朝四周看了看；现在只剩下他们三个还待在公共休息室了，西莫刚才咒骂着斯内普和他的论文上床睡觉去了。四周只有壁炉里
柴火的劈啪声和罗恩用赫敏的羽毛笔写论文的最后一段的声音。哈利合上了混血王子的书，打着哈欠，就在这时——
啪。
赫敏发出了一声尖叫；罗恩把墨水全洒到了他的论文上；随后哈利说，“克利切！”
这个家养小精灵低低地鞠了一躬，碰到了自己长满瘤子的脚趾。
“主人说想要我定期汇报马尔福少爷在干什么，所以克利切就来——”
啪。
多比在克利切旁边出现了，他那茶巾做的帽子歪斜着戴在脑袋上。
“多比也是来帮忙的，哈利·波特！”他尖声说，还愤恨地看了克利切一眼。“克利切应该告诉多比他来见哈利·波特了，这样他们就可以一起向哈利·波特汇报了！”
“这是什么？”赫敏问，她看起来被这些突然出现的家养小精灵吓到了，“发生了什么事，哈利？”
哈利犹豫了一下，他还没有告诉赫敏自己派克利切和多比去跟踪马尔福的事；家养小精灵对她来说是个敏感的话题。
“嗯……他们正在为我跟踪马尔福，”他说。
“而且是日日夜夜地，”克利切用沙哑的声音说。
“多比已经一个星期没有睡觉了，哈利·波特！”多比摇摇晃晃地站在那儿，非常自豪地说。
赫敏看上去十分愤怒。
“你没有睡觉，多比？但是哈利，你一定没有叫他不能——”
“是的，我当然没有，”哈利迅速说。“多比，你可以睡觉，好吗？那么你们发现了什么吗？”他抢在赫敏再次打断他之前迫不及待地问。
“马尔福少爷举止高贵，和他的纯血统很相称，”克利切马上沙哑着嗓子说。“他的容貌让我想起我的女主人，而且他的举止也——”
“德拉科·马尔福是个坏男孩！”多比生气地尖叫道。“他——他是一个坏男孩——”
他从茶巾上的流苏到袜子上的脚趾都在瑟瑟发抖，然后他跑到了壁炉边，好像要跳进去；哈利并不觉得特别出人意料，他马上跑过去抓住了多比。多比挣扎了几秒钟，然后瘫软了下来。
“谢谢你，哈利·波特，”他喘着气说。“多比发现他还是很难说他旧主人的坏话……”
哈利放开了他；多比弄直了他的茶巾，挑衅地对克利切说，“但是克利切应该知道马尔福对一个家养小精灵来说不是个好主人！”
“是啊，我们不需要听到关于你对马尔福的喜爱，”哈利对克利切说。“最好能快点知道马尔福到底在干什么。”
克利切又鞠了一躬，看上去非常愤怒，然后他说，“马尔福少爷在礼堂吃饭，在地窖里的宿舍睡觉，他在各种各样的教室里上——”
“多比，你来说，”哈利打断了克利切。“他有没有去过他不应该去的地方？”
“哈利·波特先生，”多比尖声说，大眼在火光下闪烁着，“多比没有发现马尔福少爷违反规定，但是他仍旧不愿意被人发现。他定期和各种各样的其他学生去八楼，他们帮他放哨，然后
他就走进——”
“有求必应屋！”哈利恍然大悟，用《高级魔药制备》猛地拍了一下自己的前额。赫敏和罗恩盯着他。“那就是他鬼鬼祟祟地去的地方！他就是在那个地方做……不管他在做什么！我敢打
赌那就是为什么他总是从地图上消失的原因——想起来了，我从来没有在那上面看见过有求必应屋！”
“也许地图的发明者不知道有这间屋子，”罗恩说。
“我想这也是这屋子魔法的一部分，”赫敏说。“如果你需要它不被标绘出来，它就能做到。”
“多比，你设法进去看看马尔福在干什么了吗？”哈利急切地问。
“没有，哈利·波特，那是不可能的，”多比说。
“不，不会的，”哈利立刻说。“去年马尔福进了我们的指挥部，所以我也可以进去监视他，没问题。”
“但是我不认为你能做到，哈利，”赫敏慢慢地说。“马尔福当时确切地知道我们正在使用这间屋子，不是吗，因为那个愚蠢的玛丽埃塔告了密。他需要屋子变成D.A.指挥部，所以它做到
了。但是当马尔福在里面时你不知道屋子该变成什么，所以你不知道该要求它变成什么。”
“肯定会有办法的，”哈利不屑一顾地说。“你干得漂亮，多比。”
“克利切也干得好，”赫敏友善地说，但是克利切看上去并没有一丝感激，他转动着布满血丝的大眼睛，用嘶哑的嗓音对着天花板说，“一个泥巴种正在对克利切说话，克利切要假装听不
见——”
“别说了，”哈利厉声打断了他，于是克利切深深地鞠了最后一躬，然后幻影移形了。“你也最好去睡一觉，多比。”
“谢谢，哈利·波特先生！”多比用开心地尖声说，然后也消失不见了。
“太好了！”小精灵们消失了之后，哈利热切地转向赫敏和罗恩说。“我们已经知道马尔福去了哪儿！我们已经堵住他了！”
“是啊，这很棒，”罗恩闷闷不乐地说，他的整篇论文已经被墨水浸透了，他正试图把它们擦掉。赫敏把它拉到自己面前，开始用她的魔杖把墨水吸出来。
“但是他怎么会和‘各种各样的学生’去那儿呢？”赫敏说。“有多少人参与了？你总不会认为他把他正在做的事告诉了那么多人了吧……”
“是啊，这非常古怪，”哈利皱着眉说。“我听到他对克拉布说他做的事情不关克拉布的事……那他为什么告诉所有这些……所有这些……”
哈利的声音越来越轻；他正盯着火看。
“天哪，我怎么那么笨，”他轻声说。“这很明显，不是吗？地下教室有一大桶……他可以在上课的任何时候偷一些走……”
“偷什么？”罗恩说。
“复方汤剂。他偷了斯拉霍恩第一堂魔药课时给我们看的复方汤剂……并不是各种各样的学生在为马尔福放哨……那只是克拉布和高尔……是的，这完全符合！”哈利说着跳了起来，在壁
炉前面来回走着。“他们实在够蠢的，马尔福没有告诉他们自己在做什么，他们居然还愿意替他放哨……但是马尔福不想让别人看见他们出没在有求必应屋附近，所以他给他们服下了复方汤剂
，使他们看起来像别的人……他没有去看魁地奇比赛的那天我看到的那两个女孩——哈！克拉布和高尔！”
“你的意思是说，”赫敏压低了声音说，“我帮着修天平的那个小女孩——？”
“是的，当然！”哈利看着她，大声说道。“当然是的！那时马尔福一定在有求必应屋里，所以她——我在说什么？——他把天平掉在了地上，告诉马尔福别出来，因为那里面一定还有什
么别的人！还有那个把蟾蜍卵扔在地上的女生一定也是的！我们就这么从他旁边走过居然都没有发现！”
“他把克拉布和高尔变成了女生？”罗恩狂笑着说。“天哪……难怪他们这几天看起来不怎么高兴……我很奇怪他们怎么没有让马尔福也尝尝……”
“哦，他们不会的，是不是，如果他向他们展示了黑魔标记的话，”哈利说。
“嗯……我们并不清楚他是不是真的有黑魔标记，”赫敏怀疑地说，她卷起罗恩那张已经吸干净的论文递给罗恩，以防止它再受到什么伤害。
“我们会看到的，”哈利信心十足地说。
“是的，我们会的，”赫敏说着，站起来伸了伸懒腰。“但是，哈利，别太兴奋了，我还是认为在你不知道有求必应屋里有什么的情况下不该进去。还有，我认为你不应该忘记，”她把书
包举起来背到肩上，严肃地看了哈利一眼，“你目前该集中精力做的事就是从斯拉霍恩那儿获得那份记忆。晚安。”
哈利看着她离开，心里有些不高兴。在女生宿舍的门关上之后，他转向罗恩。
“你怎么想？”
“我希望可以像一个家养小精灵那样幻影移形，”罗恩盯着多比消失的地方说。“我的幻影显形测试就稳操胜券了。”
哈利那天晚上没有睡好。他感觉在床上醒着躺了好几个小时，猜测着马尔福在用有求必应屋干什么，以及当他走进去时会看见什么，不管赫敏说什么，哈利确信如果马尔福可以进入D.A.的
指挥部，那么他也可以进入马尔福的那间屋子……那会是什么呢？一个聚会地点？一个藏身的地方？一个贮藏室？一个工作间？哈利的脑袋正处于极度兴奋中，最后终于睡着了，可是他的梦不
断地被马尔福的形象困扰着，一会儿又变成了斯拉霍恩，一会儿又变成了斯内普……
第二天早上吃早餐的时候，哈利都一直满怀着期望；他在黑魔法防御课之前有一段空闲的时间，于是他决定在那个时候去有求必应屋试试。赫敏一直对哈利强制进入有求必应屋的秘密计划
表现得毫无兴趣，这种态度激怒了哈利，他觉得如果她愿意的话一定能帮上很大的忙。
“听我说，”他轻声说，并向前倾着身子，把手按在赫敏刚从猫头鹰邮递那儿拿到的《预言家日报》上，防止她打开并藏在报纸后面。“我没忘了斯拉霍恩的事，但我还没想出从他那儿拿
到记忆的线索。在我想到那个方法之前为什么不先查查马尔福在干什么呢？”
“我已经告诉过你了，你需要去说服斯拉霍恩，”赫敏说。“根本不是欺骗他或迷惑他就行的，否则邓布利多在一秒钟之内就能办到。你要做的并不是在有求必应屋外面浪费时间，”她把
《预言家日报》从哈利手下抽了出来，展开它看头版，“而是应该去找斯拉霍恩，求他发发善心。”
“有没有我们认识的人——？”赫敏浏览报纸标题的时候，罗恩问。
“有！”赫敏说，哈利和罗恩都一下子被早餐噎住了，“还好，他没死——是蒙格顿斯，他被抓到阿兹卡班里去了！假扮成阴飞力企图入室行窃……一个叫奥克塔维斯·佩珀的人失踪了。
哦，真可怕，一个九岁的男孩因为试图杀死他的爷爷奶奶而被捕了，他们认为他中了夺魂咒……”
接下来他们静静地吃完了早餐。赫敏立刻去上古代魔文课了，罗恩留在公共休息室里，他不得不继续完成斯内普关于摄魂怪的那篇论文的结尾，哈利则向八楼的走廊走去，他的目的地是那
幅傻巴拿巴教巨怪跳芭蕾的挂毯对面的那扇墙。
哈利来到一条没有人的走廊，在那里披上他的隐形衣，不过他不用操这个心。因为他到达目的地时，发现那儿并没有人。哈利不知道自己能进入这屋子和马尔福在里面的机会哪个更大，但
是至少他的第一步行动还没有因假扮成十一岁小女孩的克拉布和高尔的出现而变得复杂。
他走近有求必应屋隐蔽的门，闭上了眼睛。他知道他现在该做什么；他去年就对这个地方非常熟悉了。哈利努力集中思想，在脑海里重复说着：我要看到马尔福在里面干什么……我要看到
马尔福在里面干什么……我要看到马尔福在里面干什么……
他在门前来回走了三遍，心激动地跳着，随后他睁开眼睛面对着那儿——但是他看到的仍然是一堵平平常常的墙。
他向前走了几步，试着推了推。石墙还是那么坚固。
“好吧，”哈利说出了声。“好吧……是我想错了……”
他沉思了片刻，然后重新开始，闭上眼睛，尽力地集中思想。
我要看到马尔福一直偷偷去的地方……我要看到马尔福一直偷偷去的地方……
他来回走了三遍，满怀期待地睁开眼睛。
还是没有门出现。
“哦，别装蒜了，”他对着墙急躁地说。“这个指令很清楚……好吧……”
他绞尽脑汁地想了几分钟，又迈开了步子。
我要你变成你为马尔福变出的地方……
哈利走完之后没有直接睁开眼睛；而是仔细地听着，就好像他会听到门突然间出现一样。但是除了远处的鸟鸣声以外，他什么都没有听到。于是他睁开了眼睛。
那里还是没有门出现。
哈利开始咒骂起来。有人尖叫了起来。他向四周看了看，一群一年级的学生正冲着拐角往回跑，显然他们以为刚刚碰上了一个说话粗鲁的鬼魂。
哈利尝试了每一种类似于“我要看见马尔福在里面干什么”的话，一个小时过去了，最后他不得不承认赫敏说的是对的：这个屋子根本不愿意为他打开。哈利既沮丧又恼火地走开了，他脱
下隐形斗篷塞进书包，然后去上黑魔法防御术课。
“你又迟到了，波特，”哈利急急忙忙地走进点着蜡烛的教室时，斯内普冷漠地说。“格兰芬多扣十分。”
哈利一边愤怒地看着斯内普，一边冲到罗恩旁边坐下；几乎半个班的人还在陆续地走进教室，拿出课本并整理着东西；哈利并不比他们迟。
“这堂课开始之前，我想把你们关于摄魂怪的论文收上来，”斯内普漫不经心地挥了挥魔杖，于是二十五卷羊皮纸迅速飞到半空中，然后整齐地摆在了他的桌子上。“并且，为了你们好，
我希望这次的作业比上次那篇关于反抗夺魂咒的论文要强一些，否则我又要忍受那些废话了。现在，所有人都把书翻到——什么事，斐尼甘先生？”
“教授，”西莫说道，“我十分疑惑，应该怎么区分阴飞力和鬼魂？因为《预言家日报》上有关于阴飞力的报道——”
“不，那儿没有，”斯内普不耐烦地说。
“但是教授，我听到人们在谈论——”
“如果你确实读了你提及的那篇报道，你就会知道所谓的阴飞力只不过是一个鬼鬼祟祟的小偷，名叫蒙格顿斯·弗莱奇。”
“斯内普和蒙格顿斯不是同一边的吗？”哈利对罗恩和赫敏嘀咕道。“在蒙格顿斯被逮捕之后他不该感到心烦意乱吗——？”
“不过在这个问题上波特看上去有很多话要说，”斯内普忽然指着教室后面说，他的黑眼睛紧紧盯着哈利。“让我们问问波特，看看他是如何区分阴飞力和鬼魂的。”
全班都看向了哈利，他赶紧回想起他和邓布利多一起造访斯拉霍恩时邓布利多告诉过他的话。
“嗯——好吧——鬼魂是透明的——”他说。
“哦，很好，”斯内普打断道，他的嘴唇卷了起来。“是的，很显然将近六年的魔法教育在你身上没有被浪费，波特。鬼魂是透明的。”
潘西·帕金森尖声大笑起来。其他几个人也在偷笑。哈利深吸了一口气以保持平静，尽管他此时内心里正怒气翻滚，“是的，鬼魂是透明的，但是阴飞力是死尸，不是吗？所以阴飞力是实
实在在的——”
“一个五岁小孩也能说出这些，”斯内普冷笑道。“阴飞力是受到了黑巫师咒语鼓动的尸体。它不是活的，它只是听从巫师命令的傀儡。而一个鬼魂，我相信你们现在都知道，是已经脱离
人世的灵魂留下的一个印记……当然，正如波特如此聪明地告诉我们的那样，他是透明的。”
“得了，如果我们要试图区分它们的话，哈利所说的是最有用的！”罗恩说。“当我们在一个漆黑的巷子里和他狭路相逢的时候，我们只来得及瞥一眼他是不是实实在在，对吗，我们没有
机会问，‘对不起，你是一个死去灵魂的印记吗？’”
班上爆发出一阵笑声，但是立即被斯内普的目光镇压了下去。
“格兰芬多再扣十分，”斯内普说。“我不指望听到你更高深的话了，罗纳德·韦斯莱，你真是太实实在在了，甚至连在这间屋子里幻影显形一英寸都做不到。”
“不！”赫敏低声说，哈利正要愤怒地张嘴说话，赫敏一把抓住了哈利的胳膊。“没有意义的，结果只会是再次关禁闭，算了吧！”
“现在打开你们的课本，翻到213页，”斯内普假笑了一下。“读钻心咒的前两段……”
这堂课罗恩非常压抑。下课铃响的时候，拉文德追上了罗恩和哈利（她过来的时候赫敏神秘地消失了），她激动地辱骂着斯内普，因为斯内普嘲笑了罗恩的幻影显形，但是此举看上去只是
激怒了罗恩，他和哈利一起绕进男生盥洗室摆脱了她。
“不过斯内普是对的，是不是？”罗恩盯了一两分钟一面破镜子之后说。“我不知道是否值得去参加测试。我就是抓不到幻影显形的窍门。”
“你最好去霍格莫德做那个额外的实践，看看能移到哪儿，”哈利理智地说。“无论如何这也比尝试跳进一个愚蠢的木圈要强。如果你还不能——你知道——做到像你希望的那样好，你可
以推迟测试，暑假时和我一起去参加——桃金娘，这是男生盥洗室！”
一个女孩的鬼魂从他们身后的一个小间里飘了出来，浮到了半空中，隔着厚厚的白色圆形眼镜盯着他们。
“哦，”她郁闷地说。“是你们两个。”
“你以为是谁？”罗恩从镜子里面看着她。
“不是谁，”桃金娘闷闷不乐地从下巴上擦掉一个污点。“他说他会来看我，但是你也说过你会来看我的……”她责备地看了哈利一眼，“可是一个月又过了一个月，我还是没有看见你。
我已经学到了不能从男孩子身上指望太多。”
“我记得你不是住在女生盥洗室里吗？”哈利说，他这几年一直小心翼翼地躲着那个地方。
“是的，”她生气地耸了耸肩，“但那不意味着我不能去其他地方。我曾经到你的浴室来看过你，还记得吗？”
“记忆犹新，”哈利说。
“但是我想他喜欢我，”她哀怨地说。“或许你们两个离开后，他会再回来……我们很多相似之处……我敢肯定他也这么觉得……”
她满怀希望的看着门。
“你说你们很相似，”罗恩听起来快活了一些，“你的意思是他也住在一个水管里？”
“不是，”桃金娘抗议道，她的声音在老式排水盥洗室里回响着。“我的意思是他很敏感，人们还恐吓他，他觉得很孤独，没有人可以说话，他也不害怕哭泣和说出自己的感觉！”
“有一个男孩在这里哭过？”哈利好奇地说。“一个年轻的男孩？”
“没你的事！”桃金娘细小的眼睛死死盯着罗恩，后者正咧着嘴开心地笑着。“我向他承诺过不告诉任何一个人，我会把他的秘密带进——”
“——不是坟墓吧？”罗恩嗤之以鼻。“也许是下水道……”
桃金娘愤怒得嚎啕大哭，冲回进了厕所里，溅得侧板和地面上到处都是水花。刺激桃金娘似乎让罗恩的心情焕然一新。
“你是对的，”他愉快地把书包甩到肩膀上，“我要去霍格莫德实践，然后再决定做不做测试。”
于是在接下来的这个周末，罗恩加入了赫敏和其他在两周后的测试之前就满十七岁的六年级学生。哈利嫉妒地看着他们为去村子里做准备；他很怀念去那儿，而今天的天气又特别的春光明
媚，这么长时间以来他们第一次看到了如此晴朗的天空。不
收听单词发音 |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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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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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intriguing
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| adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心 | |
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itching
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| adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 ) | |
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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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hoop
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| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
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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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quill
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| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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askew
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| adv.斜地；adj.歪斜的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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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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touchy
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| adj.易怒的；棘手的 | |
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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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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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tassel
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| n.流苏，穗；v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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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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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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glumly
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| adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地 | |
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sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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vat
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| n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶 | |
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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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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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guffawed
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| v.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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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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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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mundanely
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lank
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| adj.瘦削的；稀疏的 | |
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irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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48
frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scrolls
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| n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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tripe
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| n.废话，肚子, 内脏 | |
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52
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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53
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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54
giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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55
smirking
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| v.傻笑( smirk的现在分词 ) | |
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56
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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58
imprint
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| n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记 | |
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59
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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60
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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61
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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jibe
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| v.嘲笑，与...一致，使转向；n.嘲笑，嘲弄 | |
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detour
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| n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道 | |
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postpone
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| v.延期，推迟 | |
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67
cubicle
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| n.大房间中隔出的小室 | |
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68
moodily
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| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
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69
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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70
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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71
plaintively
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| adv.悲哀地，哀怨地 | |
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72
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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73
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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74
sewers
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| n.阴沟，污水管，下水道( sewer的名词复数 ) | |
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75
goading
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| v.刺激( goad的现在分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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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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79
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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80
filch
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| v.偷窃 | |
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81
prodding
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| v.刺，戳( prod的现在分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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82
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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83
sensor
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| n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官） | |
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84
meandered
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| （指溪流、河流等）蜿蜒而流( meander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
sprinted
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| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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87
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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88
shred
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| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
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89
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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90
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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91
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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92
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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93
gargoyle
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| n.笕嘴 | |
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94
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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96
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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97
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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98
divination
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| n.占卜，预测 | |
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99
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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100
mashed
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| a.捣烂的 | |
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