Once back under the starry1 sky, Harry2 heaved Dumbledore on to the top of the nearest boulder3 and then to his feet. Sodden4 and shivering, Dumbledore's weight still upon
him, Harry concentrated harder than he had ever done upon his destination: Hogsmeade. Closing his eyes, gripping Dumbledore's arm as tightly as he could, he stepped
forwards into that feeling of horrible compression.
He knew it had worked before he opened his eyes: the smell of salt, the sea breeze had gone. He and Dumbledore were shivering and dripping in the middle of the dark
High Street in Hogsmeade. For one horrible moment Harry's imagination showed him more Inferi creeping towards him around the sides of shops, but he blinked and saw that
nothing was stirring; all was still, the darkness complete but for a few streetlamps and lit upper windows.
“We did it, Professor!” Harry whispered with difficulty; he suddenly realised that he had a searing stitch in his chest. “We did it! We got the Horcrux!”
Dumbledore staggered against him. For a moment, Harry thought that his inexpert Apparition6 had thrown Dumbledore off-balance; then he saw his face, paler and damper
than ever in the distant light of a streetlamp.
“Sir, are you all right?”
“I've been better,” said Dumbledore weakly, though the corners of his mouth twitched7. “That potion ... was no health drink ...”
And to Harry's horror, Dumbledore sank on to the ground.
“Sir—it's okay, sir, you're going to be all right, don't worry—”
He looked around desperately8 for help, but there was nobody to be seen and all he could think was that he must somehow get Dumbledore quickly to the hospital wing.
“We need to get you up to the school, sir ... Madam Pomfrey ...”
“No,” said Dumbledore."It is ... Professor Snape whom I need ... but I do not think ... I can walk very far just yet ...”
“Right—sir, listen—I'm going to knock on a door, find a place you can stay—then I can run and get Madam—”
“Severus,” said Dumbledore clearly. “I need Severus ...”
“All right then, Snape—but I'm going to have to leave you for a moment so I can—”
Before Harry could make a move, however, he heard running footsteps. His heart leapt: somebody had seen, somebody knew they needed help—and looking around he saw Madam
Rosmerta scurrying9 down the dark street towards them on high-heeled, fluffy10 slippers11, wearing a silk dressing-gown embroidered12 with dragons.
“I saw you Apparate as I was pulling my bedroom curtains! Thank goodness, thank goodness, I couldn't think what to—but what's wrong with Albus?”
She came to a halt, panting, and stared down, wide-eyed, at Dumbledore.
“He's hurt,” said Harry. “Madam Rosmerta, can he come into the Three Broomsticks while I go up to the school and get help for him?”
“You can't go up there alone! Don't you realise—haven't you seen -?”
“If you help me support him,” said Harry, not listening to her, “I think we can get him inside—”
“What has happened?” asked Dumbledore. “Rosmerta, what's wrong?”
“The—the Dark Mark, Albus.”
And she pointed13 into the sky, in the direction of Hogwarts. Dread14 flooded Harry at the sound of the words ... he turned and looked.
There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull15 with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building
... wherever they had murdered ...
“When did it appear?” asked Dumbledore, and his hand clenched16 painfully upon Harry's shoulder as he struggled to his feet.
“Must have been minutes ago, it wasn't there when I put the cat out, but when I got upstairs—”
“We need to return to the castle at once,” said Dumbledore. “Rosmerta,” and though he staggered a little, he seemed wholly in command of the situation, “we need
transport—brooms—”
“I've got a couple behind the bar,” she said, looking very frightened. “Shall I run and fetch—?”
“No, Harry can do it.”
Harry raised his wand at once.
“Accio Rosmerta's brooms.”
A second later they heard a loud bang as the front door of the pub burst open; two brooms had shot out into the street and were racing17 each other to Harry's side, where
they stopped dead, quivering slightly, at waist height.
“Rosmerta, please send a message to the Ministry,” said Dumbledore, as he mounted the broom nearest him. “It might be that nobody within Hogwarts has yet realised
anything is wrong ... Harry, put on your Invisibility Cloak.”
Harry pulled his Cloak out of his pocket and threw it over himself before mounting his broom; Madam Rosmerta was already tottering18 back towards her pub as Harry and
Dumbledore kicked off from the ground and rose up into the air. As they sped towards the castle, Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore, ready to grab him should he fall,
but the sight of the Dark Mark seemed to have acted upon Dumbledore like a stimulant19: he was bent20 low over his broom, his eyes fixed21 upon the Mark, his long silver hair
and beard flying behind him in the night air. And Harry, too, looked ahead at the skull, and fear swelled22 inside him like a venomous bubble, compressing his lungs,
driving all other discomfort23 from his mind ...
How long had they been away? Had Ron, Hermione and Ginny's luck run out by now? Was it one of them who had caused the Mark to be set over the school, or was it Neville,
or Luna, or some other member of the DA? And if it was ... he was the one who had told them to patrol the corridors, he had asked them to leave the safety of their beds
... would he be responsible, again, for the death of a friend?
As they flew over the dark, twisting lane down which they had walked earlier, Harry heard, over the whistling of the night air in his ears, Dumbledore muttering in some
strange language again. He thought he understood why as he felt his broom shudder24 for a moment when they flew over the boundary wall into the grounds: Dumbledore was
undoing25 the enchantments26 he himself had set around the castle, so that they could enter at speed. The Dark Mark was glittering directly above the Astronomy Tower, the
highest of the castle. Did that mean the death had occurred there?
Dumbledore had already crossed the crenellated ramparts and was dismounting; Harry landed next to him seconds later and looked around.
The ramparts were deserted28. The door to the spiral staircase that led back into the castle was closed. There was no sign of a struggle, of a fight to the death, of a
body.
“What does it mean?” Harry asked Dumbledore, looking up at the green skull with its serpent's tongue glinting evilly above them. “Is it the real Mark? Has someone
definitely been—Professor?”
In the dim green glow from the Mark Harry saw Dumbledore clutching at his chest with his blackened hand.
“Go and wake Severus,” said Dumbledore faintly but clearly. “Tell him what has happened and bring him to me. Do nothing else, speak to nobody else and do not remove
your Cloak. I shall wait here.”
“But—”
“You swore to obey me, Harry—go!”
Harry hurried over to the door leading to the spiral staircase, but his hand had only just closed upon the iron ring of the door when he heard running footsteps on the
other side. He looked round at Dumbledore, who gestured to him to retreat. Harry backed away, drawing his wand as he did so.
The door burst open and somebody erupted through it and shouted: “Expelliarmus!”
Harry's body became instantly rigid29 and immobile, and he felt himself fall back against the Tower wall, propped30 like an unsteady statue, unable to move or speak. He
could not understand how it had happened—Expelliarmus was not a Freezing Charm—
Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore's wand flying in an arc over the edge of the ramparts and understood ... Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilised Harry,
and the second he had taken to perform the spell had cost him the chance of defending himself.
Standing31 against the ramparts, very white in the face, Dumbledore still showed no sign of panic or distress32. He merely looked across at his disarmer and said, “Good
evening, Draco.”
Malfoy stepped forwards, glancing around quickly to check that he and Dumbledore were alone. His eyes fell upon the second broom.
“Who else is here?”
“A question I might ask you. Or are you acting33 alone?”
Harry saw Malfoy's pale eyes shift back to Dumbledore in the greenish glare of the Mark.
“No,” he said. “I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight.”
“Well, well,” said Dumbledore, as though Malfoy was showing him an ambitious homework project. “Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?”
“Yeah,” said Malfoy, who was panting. “Right under your nose and you never realised!”
“Ingenious,” said Dumbledore. “Yet ... forgive me ... where are they now? You seem unsupported.”
“They met some of your guard. They're having a fight down below. They won't be long ... I came on ahead. I—I've got a job to do.”
“Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy,” said Dumbledore softly.
There was silence. Harry stood imprisoned34 within his own invisible, paralysed body, staring at the two of them, his ears straining to hear sounds of the Death Eaters’
distant fight, and in front of him, Draco Malfoy did nothing but stare at Albus Dumbledore who, incredibly, smiled.
“Draco, Draco, you are not a killer35.”
“'How do you know?” said Malfoy at once.
He seemed to realise how childish the words had sounded; Harry saw him flush in the Mark's greenish light.
“You don't know what I'm capable of,” said Malfoy more forcefully, “you don't know what I've done!”
“Oh, yes, I do,” said Dumbledore mildly. “You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year.
Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts ... so feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it...”
“It has been in it!” said Malfoy vehemently36. “I've been working on it all year, and tonight—”
Somewhere in the depths of the castle below Harry heard a muffled37 yell. Malfoy stiffened38 and glanced over his shoulder.
“Somebody is putting up a good fight,” said Dumbledore conversationally39. “But you were saying ... yes, you have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school
which, I admit, I thought impossible ... how did you do it?”
But Malfoy said nothing: he was still listening to whatever was happening below and seemed almost as paralysed as Harry was.
“Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone,” suggested Dumbledore. “What if your back-up has been thwarted41 by my guard? As you have perhaps realised, there are
members of the Order of the Phoenix42 here tonight, too. And after all, you don't really need help ... I have no wand at the moment ... I cannot defend myself.”
Malfoy merely stared at him.
“I see,” said Dumbledore kindly43, when Malfoy neither moved nor spoke44. “You are afraid to act until they join you.”
“I'm not afraid!” snarled45 Malfoy, though he still made no move to hurt Dumbledore."It's you who should be scared!”
“But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing46 is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe ... so tell me, while we wait for your friends ... how did you
smuggle47 them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it.”
Malfoy looked as though he was fighting down the urge to shout, or to vomit48. He gulped49 and took several deep breaths, glaring at Dumbledore, his wand pointing directly
at the latter's heart. Then, as though he could not help himself, he said, “I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years. The one Montague
got lost in last year.”
“Aaaah.”
Dumbledore's sigh was half a groan50. He closed his eyes for a moment.
“That was clever ... there is a pair, I take it?”
“The other's in Borgin and Burkes,” said Malfoy, “and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was
trapped in limbo51 but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the Cabinet was travelling between them,
but he couldn't make anyone hear him ... in the end he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was
a really good story, but I was the only one who realised what it meant—even Borgin didn't know. I was the one who realised there could be a way into Hogwarts through
the Cabinets if I fixed the broken one.”
“Very good,” murmured Dumbledore. “So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you ... a clever plan, a very clever plan ...
and, as you say, right under my nose ...”
“Yeah,” said Malfoy who, bizarrely, seemed to draw courage and comfort from Dumbledore's praise. “Yeah, it was!”
“But there were times,” Dumbledore went on, “weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the Cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly
judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands ... poisoning mead5 there was only the slightest chance I might drink ...”
“Yeah, well, you still didn't realise who was behind that stuff, did you?” sneered52 Malfoy, as Dumbledore slid a little down the ramparts, the strength in his legs
apparently53 fading, and Harry struggled fruitlessly, mutely, against the enchantment27 binding54 him.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” said Dumbledore. “I was sure it was you.”
“Why didn't you stop me, then?” Malfoy demanded.
“I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders—”
“He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother—”
“Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but—”
“He's a double-agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!”
“We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape—”
“Well, you're losing your grip, then!” sneered Malfoy. “He's been offering me plenty of help—wanting all the glory for himself—wanting a bit of the action—'What
are you doing? Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything—’ But I haven't told him what I've been doing in the Room of Requirement, he's
going to wake up tomorrow and it'll all be over and he won't be the Dark Lord's favourite any more, he'll be nothing compared to me, nothing!”
“Very gratifying,” said Dumbledore mildly. “We all like appreciation55 for our own hard work, of course ... but you must have had an accomplice56, all the same ...
someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the—the—aaaah...”
Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as though he was about to fall asleep.
“... of course ... Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?”
“Got there at last, have you?” Malfoy taunted57.
There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last. Malfoy looked nervously58 over his shoulder again, then back at Dumbledore, who went on, “So poor
Rosmerta was forced to lurk59 in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead ... well,
naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present ... yes, very neat ... very
neat ... poor Mr Filch60 would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta's ... tell me, how have you been communicating with Rosmerta? I thought we had all
methods of communication in and out of the school monitored.”
“Enchanted coins,” said Malfoy, as though he was compelled to keep talking, though his wand hand was shaking badly. “I had one and she had the other and I could send
her messages—”
“Isn't that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore's Army used last year?” asked Dumbledore. His voice was light and
conversational40, but Harry saw him slip an inch lower down the wall as he said it.
“Yeah, I got the idea from them,” said Malfoy, with a twisted smile. “I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger, as well, I heard her talking in
the library about Filch not recognising potions ...”
“Please do not use that offensive word in front of me,” said Dumbledore.
Malfoy gave a harsh laugh.
“You care about me saying “Mudblood” when I'm about to kill you?”
“Yes, I do,” said Dumbledore, and Harry saw his feet slide a little on the floor as he struggled to remain upright. “But as for being about to kill me, Draco, you
have had several long minutes now. We are quite alone. I am more defenceless than you can have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted ...”
Malfoy's mouth contorted involuntarily, as though he had tasted something very bitter.
“Now, about tonight,” Dumbledore went on, “I am a little puzzled about how it happened ... you knew that I had left the school? But of course,” he answered his own
question, “Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I'm sure ...”
“That's right,” said Malfoy. “But she said you were just going for a drink, you'd be back ...”
“Well, I certainly did have a drink ... and I came back ... after a fashion,” mumbled61 Dumbledore. “So you decided62 to spring a trap for me?”
“We decided to put the Dark Mark over the Tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who'd been killed,” said Malfoy. “And it worked!”
“Well ... yes and no ...” said Dumbledore. “But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?”
“Someone's dead,” said Malfoy and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. “One of your people ... I don't know who, it was dark ... I stepped over the
body ... I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way ...”
“Yes, they do that,” said Dumbledore.
There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever; it sounded as though people were fighting on the actual spiral staircase that led to where Dumbledore, Malfoy
and Harry stood, and Harry's heart thundered unheard in his invisible chest ... someone was dead ... Malfoy had stepped over the body ... but who was it?
“There is little time, one way or another,” said Dumbledore. “So let us discuss your options, Draco.”
“My options!” said Malfoy loudly. “I'm standing here with a wand—I'm about to kill you—”
“My dear boy, let us have no more pretence63 about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first Disarmed64 me, you would not have stopped for
this pleasant chat about ways and means.”
“I haven't got any options!” said Malfoy, and he was suddenly as white as Dumbledore. “I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!”
“I appreciate the difficulty of your position,” said Dumbledore. “Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been
murdered if Lord Voldemort realised that I suspected you.”
Malfoy winced65 at the sound of the name.
“I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted66, in case he used Legilimency against you,” continued Dumbledore. “But now at
last we can speak plainly to each other ... no harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived ... I can
help you, Draco.”
“No, you can't,” said Malfoy, his wand hand shaking very badly indeed. “Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice.”
“Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother
tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban ... when the time comes we can protect him too ... come over to the right side, Draco ... you
are not a killer ...”
Malfoy stared at Dumbledore.
“But I got this far, didn't I?” he said slowly. “They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here ... and you're in my power ... I'm the one with the wand ...
you're at my mercy ...”
“No, Draco,” said Dumbledore quietly. “It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.”
Malfoy did not speak. His mouth was open, his wand hand still trembling. Harry thought he saw it drop by a fraction—
But suddenly footsteps were thundering up the stairs and a second later Malfoy was buffeted67 out of the way as four people in black robes burst through the door on to
the ramparts. Still paralysed, his eyes staring unblinkingly, Harry gazed in terror upon four strangers: it seemed the Death Eaters had won the fight below.
A lumpy-looking man with an odd lopsided leer gave a wheezy giggle68.
“Dumbledore cornered!” he said, and he turned to a stocky little woman who looked as though she could be his sister and who was grinning eagerly. “Dumbledore
wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!”
“Good evening, Amycus,” said Dumbledore calmly, as though welcoming the man to a tea party. “And you've brought Alecto too ... charming ...”
The woman gave an angry little titter.
“Think your little jokes'll help you on your death bed, then?” she jeered69.
“Jokes? No, no, these are manners,” replied Dumbledore.
“Do it,” said the stranger standing nearest to Harry, a big, rangy man with matted grey hair and whiskers, whose black Death Eater's robes looked uncomfortably tight.
He had a voice like none that Harry had ever heard: a rasping bark of a voice. Harry could smell a powerful mixture of dirt, sweat and, unmistakeably, of blood coming
from him. His filthy70 hands had long yellowish nails.
“Is that you, Fenrir?” asked Dumbledore.
“That's right,” rasped the other. “Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?”
“No, I cannot say that I am ...”
Fenrir Greyback grinned, showing pointed teeth. Blood trickled71 down his chin and he licked his lips slowly, obscenely.
“But you know how much I like kids, Dumbledore.”
“Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual ... you have developed a taste for human flesh that cannot be satisfied
once a month?”
“That's right,” said Greyback. “Shocks you, that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?”
“Well, I cannot pretend it does not disgust me a little,” said Dumbledore. “And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the
school where his friends live...”
“I didn't,” breathed Malfoy. He was not looking at Greyback; he did not seem to want to even glance at him. “I didn't know he was going to come—”
“I wouldn't want to miss a trip to Hogwarts, Dumbledore,” rasped Greyback. “Not when there are throats to be ripped out ... delicious, delicious ...”
And he raised a yellow fingernail and picked at his front teeth, leering at Dumbledore.
“I could do you for afters, Dumbledore ...”
“No,” said the fourth Death Eater sharply. He had a heavy, brutal-looking face. “We've got orders. Draco's got to do it. Now, Draco, and quickly.”
Malfoy was showing less resolution than ever. He looked terrified as he stared into Dumbledore's face, which was even paler, and rather lower than usual, as he had slid
so far down the rampart wall.
“He's not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!” said the lopsided man, to the accompaniment of his sister's wheezing72 giggles73. “Look at him—what's happened to
you, then, Dumby?”
“Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus,” said Dumbledore. “Old age, in short ... one day, perhaps, it will happen to you ... if you are lucky ...”
“What's that mean, then, what's that mean?” yelled the Death Eater, suddenly violent. “Always the same, weren't yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing, I
don't even know why the Dark Lord's bothering to kill yeh! Come on, Draco, do it!”
But at that moment, there were renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted, “They've blocked the stairs—Reducto! REDUCTO!”
Harry's heart leapt: so these four had not eliminated all opposition74, but merely broken through the fight to the top of the Tower, and, by the sound of it, created a
barrier behind them—
“Now, Draco, quickly!” said the brutal-faced man angrily.
But Malfoy's hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim.
“I'll do it,” snarled Greyback, moving towards Dumbledore with his hands outstretched, his teeth bared.
“I said no!” shouted the brutal-faced man; there was a flash of light and the werewolf was blasted out of the way; he hit the ramparts and staggered, looking furious.
Harry's heart was hammering so hard it seemed impossible that nobody could hear him standing there, imprisoned by Dumbledore's spell—if he could only move, he could
aim a curse from under the Cloak—
“Draco, do it, or stand aside so one of us—” screeched75 the woman, but at that precise moment the door to the ramparts burst open once more and there stood Snape, his
wand clutched in his hand as his black eyes swept the scene, from Dumbledore slumped76 against the wall, to the four Death Eaters, including the enraged77 werewolf, and
Malfoy.
“We've got a problem, Snape,” said the lumpy Amycus, whose eyes and wand were fixed alike upon Dumbledore, “the boy doesn't seem able—”
But somebody else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly.
“Severus ...”
The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading.
Snape said nothing, but walked forwards and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the werewolf seemed cowed.
Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred78 etched in the harsh lines of his face.
“Severus ... please ...”
Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore.
“Avada Kedavra!”
A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Harry's scream of horror never left him; silent and unmoving, he was
forced to watch as Dumbledore was blasted into the air: for a split second he seemed to hang suspended beneath the shining skull, and then he fell slowly backwards79,
like a great rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight.
他们回到了繁星闪烁的天空下，哈利把邓布利多拖到离他们最近的一块礁石上，然后把他扶了起来。他支撑住邓布利多湿透、颤抖的身体，比以往任何时候都努力地集中精神想着他们的目的地
：霍格莫德。哈利闭上眼睛，全力抓住邓布利多的手臂，然后走进了那种恐怖的压迫感之中。
他睁开眼睛之前就知道起作用了：海盐的气味和微微的海风都不见了。他和邓布利多站在霍格莫德黑暗的大路中间，浑身颤抖着，还滴着水。哈利一度出现了可怕的幻觉，以为有更多的阴
飞力从两侧的商店向他们爬来，然而他眨了眨眼，却发现没有什么在动；除了一些街灯和亮着的窗户意外，四周一片黑暗。
“我们做到了，教授！”哈利艰难地低声说；他突然胸口一阵灼热的剧痛。“我们做到了！我们拿到了那个灵魂碎片！”
邓布利多靠着他摇晃地站着。哈利有一阵子还以为是自己不熟练的幻影显形让邓布利多失去了平衡；然后他看到了邓布利多的脸远远的街灯下更加显得苍白和湿润。
“教授，你还好吗？”
“已经好多了，”邓布利多虚弱地说，尽管他的嘴角还在抽搐，“那个药水……喝下去有碍健康……”
邓布利多倒在了地上，这令哈利惶恐不已。
“教授——没事的，教授，你会好起来的，别担心——”
哈利绝望地向四周张望着，想要寻求帮助，但是没有看到任何人，他所能想到的就是无论如何必须尽快送邓布利多去校医院。
“我们必须去学校，教授……庞弗雷夫人……”
“不，”邓布利多说。“我需要的是……是斯内普教授……但是我想……我现在走不了那么远……”
“好吧——教授，听我说——我现在去敲门，给你找个地方待在那儿——然后我就去找庞弗雷——”
“西弗勒斯，”邓布利多清楚地说。“我需要西弗勒斯……”
“好吧，斯内普——但是我要离开你一会儿，以便我可以——”
然而在哈利行动之前，他听到了跑动的脚步声。他的心跳了出来：有人看见他们了，有人知道他们需要帮助——他转过身，看见罗斯默塔女士穿着高跟的毛绒拖鞋和绣着龙的丝制睡袍急匆
匆地向他们跑来。
“我拉卧室窗帘的时候看到你们幻影显形了！感谢上帝，感谢上帝，我不知道——阿不思怎么了？”
她停了下来，气喘吁吁地睁大眼睛瞪着邓布利多。
“他受伤了，”哈利说。“罗斯默塔女士，我现在要去学校找人帮忙，您能把他带到三把扫帚去吗？”
“你不能独自去那儿！你难道没有察觉到吗——你没有看到——？”
“请你帮我撑住他，”哈利没有听她说，“我想我们可以把他弄进——”
“发生了什么事？”邓布利多问。“罗斯默塔，发生了什么事？”
“是——黑魔标记，阿不思。”
罗斯默塔女士指了指天空，那是霍格沃茨的方向。听到这句话，恐惧感顿时席卷了哈利……他转过头去看。
它就在那儿，漂浮在霍格沃茨的上空：一只耀眼的绿色骷髅头，蛇形的舌头，这是食死徒们任何时候进入一幢建筑之后都会留下的标记……无论在哪儿杀了人之后……
“它是什么时候出现的？”邓布利多问，他把哈利的肩膀抓得生疼，挣扎着想要站起来。
“一定是几分钟前，我把猫放出来的时候它还不在那儿，但是当我上楼的时候——”
“我们必须马上返回城堡，”邓布利多说。“罗斯默塔，”尽管他还有些摇晃，但他似乎已经完全是在指挥此时的局面了，“我们需要交通工具——扫帚——”
“酒吧后面有两把，”她说，看上去非常害怕。“我这就跑过去取——”
“不用了，哈利可以做到。”
哈利立刻举起他的魔杖。
“罗斯默塔的扫帚飞来！”
一秒钟后他们听到砰的一声巨响，酒吧的前门被撞开了；两把飞天扫帚射到了大街上，像赛跑一样飞到哈利的一侧，它们在哈利的腰际死死地停住了，微微发着抖。
“罗斯默塔，请你给魔法部传个讯息，”邓布利多一边骑上离他最近的那把扫帚一边说。“现在霍格沃茨里的人可能还没有意识到出事了……哈利，穿上你的隐形斗篷。”
哈利从口袋里拿出了隐形斗篷披在上身上，然后骑上了扫帚；哈利和邓布利多一跃而起，飞向了天空中，而此时罗斯默塔女士也开始踉踉跄跄地往她的酒吧去了。他们加速向城堡飞去的同
时，哈利瞥了一眼身旁的邓布利多，随时准备着抓住他以防止他掉下去，但是黑魔标记的出现对邓布利多起到了兴奋剂一样的作用：他低低地伏在扫帚上，眼睛紧紧盯着那个标记，长长的银发
和胡须在身后的夜空中飘逸。哈利也向前看了看那个骷髅头骨，恐惧的感觉就像一个毒泡一样在体内膨胀，压迫着他的肺，把其他一切的不适都赶出了他的脑子……
他们离开多久了？罗恩、赫敏和金妮的运气已经用尽了吗？黑魔标记是为他们当中的一个所升起的吗，或者是纳威，或者卢娜，或者某个其他D.A.成员？如果是的话……就是他让他们在走
廊上巡视的，是他让他们离开了安全的床……他又要为某个朋友的牺牲负责了吗？
他们正飞行在刚才早些时候走过的羊肠小道的上空，这时哈利除了夜风在耳边的呼啸声以外，还听见邓布利多又在用奇怪的语言喃喃地念叨着什么。他觉得自己明白了为什么当他们飞过学
校场地的围墙上空时他的扫帚抖了一下：邓布利多正在解除自己在城堡周围设下的魔法，以便他们能飞快地进去。黑魔标记正在天文塔的正上方闪闪发光，那是城堡的最高处。这是否意味着死
亡发生在那儿？
邓布利多已经越过了锯齿状的城墙，下了扫帚；哈利几秒钟后降落在他身边，他向四周望了望。
城墙上空无一人。通向城堡里旋转楼梯的门关着。这里没有挣扎的痕迹，没有殊死搏斗的痕迹，没有尸体。
“这意味着什么？”哈利问邓布利多，同时仰视着他们头顶上骷髅头，它的舌头是一条蛇，整个都邪恶地闪着光。“这是真的黑魔标记吗？是不是有人已经肯定——教授？”
借助标记发出的微弱绿光，哈利看见邓布利多用那只变黑的手仅仅抓住了胸膛。
“去叫醒西弗勒斯，”邓布利多虚弱却又清楚地说。“告诉他发生的事并带他来见我。一路上不要做其他的事，不要和任何人交谈，不要脱下你的隐形斗篷。我在这里等你。”
“但是——”
“你发誓会服从我的，哈利——去！”
哈利匆忙跑向通往旋转楼梯的门，但是他的手刚碰到铁制的门环，就听见门了另一头传来了奔跑的脚步声。他回头看邓布利多，后者示意他往后退。哈利退了几步，同时抽出了他的魔杖。
门被撞开了，一个人冲出来大喊一声：“除你武器！”
哈利的身体瞬间变得僵硬和动弹不得，他感到自己向后倒，靠在了塔楼的墙上，像一尊不稳的雕像一样搁在那儿，无法移动和说话。他不明白这是怎么回事——除你武器不是冰冻魔咒啊—
—
这时，在黑魔标记的光照下，他看到邓布利多的魔杖在空中划着弧线飞过了城墙，他明白了……邓布利多无声地定住了哈利，这一瞬间的施咒使得他丧失了保护自己的机会。
邓布利多靠在城墙上站着，脸色非常苍白，但他没有表现出一丝的惊慌和痛苦。他只是看着解除他武器的人，说道，“晚上好，德拉科。”
马尔福向前走去，环顾着四周以检查是否只有他和邓布利多两个人。他的眼睛扫到了第二把扫帚。
“还有谁在这儿？”
“这是个我要问你的问题。你是一个人行动的吗？”
“不是，”他说。“我有后援。今晚在你的学校有很多食死徒。”
“不错，不错，”邓布利多说，仿佛马尔福是在向他展示一个雄心勃勃的家庭作业计划。“确实非常好。你找到让他们进来的方法了，是不是？”
“是的，”马尔福喘着气说。“就在你的眼皮底下，而你却没有发觉！”
“有创意，”邓布利多说。“但是……恕我直言……他们现在在哪儿？你看起来有些孤立无援。”
“他们遇见了你的警卫。他们正在下面交手。他们不会打很久的……我先上来了——我有一个任务要完成。”
“哦，那么，你必须赶快完成它，我亲爱的孩子，”邓布利多温柔地说。
沉默笼罩了他们。哈利无形、僵直的身子被禁锢在那儿，他盯着他们俩，竖起耳朵听着远处食死徒们的打斗，在他面前，德拉科·马尔福只是紧紧地盯着阿不思·邓布利多，而后者竟难以
置信地微笑了。
“德拉科，德拉科，你不是个杀手。”
“你怎么知道？”马尔福立刻说。
他似乎意识到了这句话听起来多么幼稚。哈利看到他在黑魔标记的绿光下脸红了。
“你不知道我能干什么，”马尔福更用力地说，“你不知道我做了什么！”
“哦，不，我知道。”邓布利多温和地说，“你几乎杀了凯特·贝尔和罗纳德·韦斯莱。整整一年里你都一直在试图杀我，但你越来越绝望。恕我直言，德拉科，但我得说那些都是无益的
尝试……如此的无益，说实话，以至于我甚至怀疑你是否真的把心思花在上面了……”
“我用心了！”马尔福激烈地说。“一年来我一直在努力，而今晚——”
哈利听到一个低沉的喊叫声从城堡深处传了上来。马尔福挺起了身子，向后面瞟了一眼。
“有人打得不错，”邓布利多漫不经心地说，“你刚刚在说……是的，你成功地把食死徒带进了学校，我得承认，我本以为这是不可能的……你是怎么做到的？”
但马尔福什么也没说：他一直听着下面发生的事，看上去几乎像哈利一样瘫痪了。
“也许你应该自己来进行这个任务，”邓布利多建议道。“要是你的后援被我的警卫们挫败了怎么办？也许你已经发觉，今晚也有许多凤凰社的人在这里。说到底，你并不真的需要帮助…
…我现在没有魔杖……我无法自卫。”
马尔福只是盯着他。
“我知道了，”邓布利多和蔼地说，而马尔福既没有动也没有说话。“你不敢在他们来之前行动。”
“我不害怕！”马尔福咆哮道，但他依然没有去伤害邓布利多。“该害怕的是你！”
“为什么？我不认为你会杀了我，德拉科。杀人远远没有天真的人所相信的那么容易……所以在我们等你的朋友的时候，告诉我……你是怎么让他们蒙混进来的？似乎你想了很久才找到解
决的方法。”
马尔福看上去好像正在克制自己喊叫或是呕吐的强烈欲望。他咽了咽口水，深呼吸了几下，愤怒地瞪着邓布利多，用魔杖直指着后者的心脏。然后，他仿佛是不能自持地说，“我不得不去
修好那个多年来没有人用过的消失柜，就是去年蒙太在里面迷路的那个。”
“啊。”
邓布利多半是呻吟地叹了口气。他闭了一会儿眼。
“很聪明……那是一对吧，我猜想？”
“另一个在博金－博克店，”马尔福说，“他们在两者之间制造了一条通道。蒙太告诉我，当他被塞进霍格沃茨这边的消失柜时，他陷入了中间地带，但有时能听见学校发生的事，有时又
能听见商店里发生的事，就好像柜子在两个地点之间穿梭一样，但是他的声音无法被别人听见……最后他设法用幻影显形离开了那个地方，虽然他从没有通过测试。他做的时候差点死掉了。每
个人都认为这真是个不错的故事，而只有我认识到了这意味着什么——甚至连博金都不知道——正是我意识到了如果修好那个坏掉的柜子，就可以通过两个消失柜进入霍格沃茨。”
“非常好，”邓布利多喃喃地说。“因此食死徒们就可以通过博金－博克店进入学校来帮你了……聪明的计划，非常聪明的计划……正如你所说的，就在我眼皮底下……”
“是的，”马尔福似乎古怪地从邓布利多的赞扬中得到了勇气和安慰，“是的，没错！”
“但是也有一段时间，”邓布利多继续说，“是不是，你不确定自己是否能修好消失柜？于是你就去求助于一些粗野和低劣的手段，比如试图送我一串被诅咒的项链，那必定会被送到别人
手里……在蜂蜜酒里下毒，尽管我只有很小的机会喝到……”
“是的，可你仍旧没有发觉谁是站在幕后的人，是吗？”马尔福冷笑着说，邓布利多沿着墙壁向下滑了一点，他的双腿的力量显然在衰退，哈利徒劳、无声地挣扎着想要挣脱束缚他的魔法
。
“事实上，我发觉了，”邓布利多说。“我敢肯定那个人就是你。”
“那么，你为什么不阻止我？”马尔福问。
“我试过，德拉科。我命令斯内普教授一直监视着你——”
“他没有遵守你的命令，他答应了我的母亲——”
“他当然会那样跟你说，德拉科，但是——”
“他是一个双重间谍，你这个愚蠢的老家伙，他没有为你工作，你只不过以为他是！”
“必须承认在这件事情上我们存在分歧，德拉科。我不巧正好信任斯内普教授——”
“那么，你正在丧失对他的控制！”马尔福冷笑道。“他一直想要帮我的忙——想要把所有的荣誉据为己有——想要获知我们的行动——‘你在做什么？项链的事是你做的吗，那很愚蠢，
它可能会把一切都搞砸——’但是我没有告诉他我在有求必应屋里做什么，他明早上一觉醒来会发现所有的事情都结束了，而他将不再是黑魔头最喜欢的人了，和我比起来他什么都不是，什么
都不是！”
“非常令人满意，”邓布利多温和地说。“我们当然都喜欢自己的努力工作被人欣赏……但是你仍然必定有个同谋……霍格莫德的某个人，他要能够送给凯蒂那——那——”
邓布利多闭上了眼睛，点了点头，仿佛打算睡觉一样。
“……当然……罗斯默塔。她被夺魂咒控制多久了？”
“你终于知道了，对吗？”马尔福奚落他说。
楼下又传来了一声大叫，比上一次的更响亮。马尔福又不安地回头看了一眼，然后转向了邓布利多，后者接着说，“所以可怜罗斯默塔被强迫埋伏在她自己的盥洗室里，等着把项链交给任
何一个独自进来的霍格沃茨学生？至于有毒的蜂蜜酒……嗯，罗斯默塔自然能照你的意思下毒，然后把它交给斯拉霍恩，并相信那会成为我的圣诞礼物……是的，非常巧妙……非常巧妙……当
然，可怜的费尔奇不会想到去检查一瓶罗斯默塔的店里卖出的东西……告诉我，你一直是怎么和罗斯默塔联络的？我想我们已经监视了一切校内外联络的方式。”
“魔法钱币，”马尔福说，仿佛他是被迫保持说话一样，尽管他拿着魔杖的手在剧烈地抖动。“我拥有一个，而她拥有另一个，我可以给她传递信息——”
“这不是去年那个自称为邓布利多军的组织所使用的秘密联络方法吗？”邓布利多问。他的声音轻快而随意，但是哈利看见他在说这些话的时候向下滑了一英寸。
“是的，我从他们那里获得了这个主意，”马尔福脸上露出了扭曲的笑容。“下毒的主意也是从泥巴种格兰杰那里获得的，因为我听到她在图书馆里谈论费尔奇不能识别魔药的事……”
“请不要在我面前使用那个无礼的词，”邓布利多说。
马尔福发出了一声刺耳的大笑。
“我都要杀了你了，你还介意我说‘泥巴种’？”
“是的，我介意，”邓布利多说，哈利看到邓布利多挣扎着想要保持挺直的时候，脚又在地面上滑了一点。“但是说到你要杀我，德拉科，你已经花掉了漫长的几分钟。我们俩单独在这儿
。我比你更无助，也许你一直都梦想着找到我，但是你仍旧没有行动……”
马尔福的嘴不知不觉地扭曲了，仿佛他尝到了什么很苦的东西。
“现在，说说今晚的事，”邓布利多继续说，“我有点迷惑它是怎么发生的……你知道我离开了学校？不过当然了，”他回答了自己的问题，“罗斯默塔看到我离开了，我敢肯定她用你那
精巧的钱币通知了你……”
“没错，”马尔福说。“但是她说你只是要去喝点东西，你会回来的……”
“嗯，我当然喝了点东西……然后我回来了……勉勉强强，”邓布利多喃喃地说。“所以你决定为我设计一个陷阱？”
“我们决定把黑魔标记放到这个塔楼的上空，让你尽快赶到这里来查看谁被杀了，”马尔福说。“它奏效了。”
“嗯……既是，又不是……”邓布利多说。“那么我可不可以推测，没有人已经被杀了？”
“有人死了，”马尔福的声音似乎高了八度。“一个你们的人……我不知道是谁，那里很黑……我从尸体上跨了过去……你回来的时候我就该等在这儿，只是你凤凰社的那帮人妨碍了我…
…”
“是的，他们做到了，”邓布利多说。
下面传来了一声巨响和一些叫喊，比前先前的都响；听上去人们正在旋转楼梯上打斗，那楼梯正好通往邓布利多、马尔福和哈利所站的地方，哈利心脏在他看不见的胸腔里猛烈地无声跳动
……有人死了……马尔福从他的尸体上跨过……但是他是谁？
“没有时间了，一条路或者另一条，”邓布利多说。“那么我们来讨论一下你的选择，德拉科。”
“我的选择！”马尔福大声说。“我拿着魔杖站在这儿——我要杀了你——”
“我亲爱的孩子，让我们不要再有任何伪装了。如果你要杀了我，你会在解除了我的武器之后立刻就杀了我，你不会停下来和我进行这番关于方法手段的愉快谈话。”
“我没有任何选择！”马尔福的脸色突然变得和邓布利多一样苍白。“我必须这样做！他会杀了我的！他会杀了我的全家！”
“我明白你的处境很艰难，”邓布利多说。“你觉得还能有什么原因让我以前没有和你对质？那是因为我知道如果伏地魔发觉我怀疑你的话，他会杀了你的。”
马尔福听到那个名字时，退缩了一下。
“我不怕跟你谈论你的任务，因为我知道你是被委托的，他对你用摄神取念以防万一，”邓布利多继续说。“但是在这最后的时间里，我们可以坦诚的对话……你没有任何伤害，你没有伤
害到任何人，你并非存心伤害的那些受害人都幸免遇难了，尽管这只是靠运气……我可以帮助你，德拉科。”
“不，你帮不了，”马尔福说，他的魔杖抖得很厉害。“没有人能。他要我做这件事，否则就杀了我。我别无选择。”
“到正确的一方来吧，德拉科，我们可以把你藏得比你想得还要好。我还可以今晚就派凤凰社的成员到你母亲那儿给她同样的保护。你父亲目前在阿兹卡班很安全……在需要的时候，我们
也可以保护他……到正确的一方来，德拉科……你不是一个杀手……”
马尔福盯着邓布利多。
“但我已经走得太远了，不是吗？”他慢慢地说。“他们认为我在试图做这件事时会死掉，但是我在这儿……而你在我的掌握之下……我是唯一一个拿着魔杖的人……你受我的支配……”
“不，德拉科，”邓布利多平静地说。“是我在支配，而不是你，这在此刻很重要。”
马尔福没有说话。他的嘴张开了，拿着魔杖的手仍在颤抖着。哈利觉得有一瞬间他看见魔杖已经掉了下来。
但是突然雷鸣般的脚步声从楼梯传了过来，一秒钟之后，四个穿着黑色长袍的人从门后冲上了塔顶，马尔福被推到了一边。哈利仍然不能动弹，他的眼睛眨都不眨，惊骇地盯着四个陌生人
：似乎食死徒们赢得了楼下的战斗。
一个长得很结实的男人斜着眼瞟了一下，然后呼哧呼哧地傻笑起来。
“邓布利多被逼到绝境了！”他说，然后转向了一个矮胖的女人，她看上去像是他的妹妹，正急切地咧着嘴笑。“没有魔杖的邓布利多，孤身一人的邓布利多！做得好，德拉科，做的好！
”
“晚上好，埃米库斯，”邓布利多平静地说，仿佛在欢迎那个男人加入一个茶话会。“你还带来了阿莱珂托……真迷人……”
那个女人有些生气地嗤笑了一下。
“你以为你的小玩笑能在临终床上帮助你吗？”她嘲笑地说。
“玩笑？不，不，这些是礼貌，”邓布利多回答。
“干掉他，”离哈利最近的那个陌生人说，他身材高大，四肢瘦长，长着蓬乱的灰发和胡须，他黑色的食死徒长袍看上去绷得很不舒服。他的声音和哈利所听过的所有声音都不同：一种像
磨锉刀一样的粗吼。哈利可以闻到一股向他逼来的浓烈味道，夹杂着尘土、汗水和明确无误的血腥。他肮脏的手上长着长长黄指甲。
“是你吗，芬利？”邓布利多问。
“没错，”对方粗声粗气地说。“看到我高兴吗，邓布利多？”
“不，我不能说我很高兴……”
芬利·格雷巴克咧嘴笑了，露出了锋利的牙齿。血他的下巴淌下来，他慢吞吞地用猥亵的姿势舔着嘴唇。
“但是你知道我多么喜欢小孩，邓布利多。”
“我是不是可以断定你现在即使不在满月的时候也会攻击人？这是很不寻常的……你已经养成了吃人肉的嗜好，所以一个月一次都无法满足你？”
“没错，”芬利·格雷巴克说，“那让你感到震惊，是不是，邓布利多？吓到你了？”
“好吧，我不能假装那一点儿也没有令我感到恶心，”邓布利多说。“是的，我有点震惊于德拉科在所有人里面会邀请你进入到这个生活着他的朋友的地方……”
“我没有，”马尔福喘着气说。他没有看芬利·格雷巴克；甚至连瞥一眼也不愿意。“我不知道他会来——”
“我不想错过一趟去霍格沃茨的旅行，邓布利多，”芬利·格雷巴克粗声说。“尤其是那儿有很多喉咙等待我撕碎的时候……美味，美味……”
他举起一只黄色的手指甲，弹了弹自己的门牙，斜视着邓布利多。
“我可以把你当作餐后甜点，邓布利多……”
“不行，”第四个食死徒急剧地说，他有着一张阴沉、长得像野兽的脸。“我们有命令。得由德拉科来做。现在，德拉科，快点。”
马尔福的坚定比任何时候都要少。他盯着邓布利多的脸时似乎已经吓坏了，邓布利多的脸更加苍白，也比平时更虚弱，他已经在城墙上滑下了许多。
“不管怎样，他在这个世界上活不了多久了，如果你问我的话！”斜眼的男人在他妹妹傻笑的伴奏下说。“看看他——你怎么了？多姆比？”
“哦，抵抗更无力，反应更迟钝，埃米库斯，”邓布利多说。“年纪大了，简而言之……也许有一天，这些也会发生在你身上……如果你走运的话……”
“那是什么意思，那是什么意思？”这个食死徒突然叫了起来。“你一贯如此，多姆比，不是吗，只说不做，不做，我甚至都不明白黑魔王为什么会费心想杀你！来吧，德拉科，动手！”
但在那一刻，下面又传来了新的混战声，一个声音喊道，“他们封堵了楼梯——粉身碎骨！粉身碎骨！”
哈利的心跳了起来：这四个人没有除掉所有的对手，仅仅是从战斗中突围了出来，才来到这个塔楼顶，而且从声音判断，他们在身后制造了一个屏障——
“现在，德拉科，快点！”长着一张兽脸的男人生气地说。
但是马尔福的手抖得无法瞄准。
“我来，”芬利·格雷巴克咆哮道，他伸出手移向邓布利多，露出了牙齿。
“我说过不行！”兽脸的男人喊道；随着一道光闪过，狼人被顶到了一边；他踉踉跄跄地撞到城墙上，一脸狂怒的表情。哈利的心跳得非常剧烈，他觉得似乎不可能没人听见他站在这儿，
被邓布利多的咒语束缚住了——要是他能动，他就可以从隐形斗篷下面瞄准施咒了——
“德拉科，动手，要不然你就靠边站，让我们其中的一个——”那女人尖声叫道，但就在这时，通往塔顶的门再一次被轰开了，斯内普站在那里，手里紧紧攥着魔杖，黑黑的眼睛扫视着眼
前的一幕，从滑靠在墙边的邓布利多，到四个食死徒，包括愤怒的狼人，还有马尔福。
“我们遇到了一个难题，斯内普，”结实的埃米库斯说，他的目光和魔杖都锁定了邓布利多，“这男孩似乎无法——”
但是另外一个人在叫着斯内普的名字，声音非常轻柔。
“西弗勒斯……”
这个声音比今晚经历的任何事情都更让哈利感到害怕。第一次，邓布利多在恳求。
斯内普什么也没说，只是向前走去，他粗暴地把马尔福推到一边。三个食死徒默默无语地退后了。甚至狼人也似乎被唬住了。
斯内普凝视了一会儿邓布利多，反感和憎恨蚀刻在了他脸上粗糙的皱纹里。
“西弗勒斯……请你……”
斯内普举起了魔杖，直指邓布利多。
“阿瓦达索命！”
一道绿光从斯内普的魔杖的末端射出，直接击中了邓布利多的胸膛。哈利无法喊出恐惧的尖叫；既不能说话也不能动弹的他被迫眼睁睁地看着邓布利多被抛向空中：有那么一瞬间他似乎被
挂在了闪闪发光的骷髅头上，然后他缓缓地落下，像是一只用破布做的玩偶，飞过城垛，看不见了。
收听单词发音 |
1
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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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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mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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stimulant
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| n.刺激物，兴奋剂 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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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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swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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enchantments
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| n.魅力( enchantment的名词复数 )；迷人之处；施魔法；着魔 | |
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enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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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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rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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32
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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33
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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conversationally
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| adv.会话地 | |
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conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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phoenix
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| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
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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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44
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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snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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46
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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47
smuggle
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| vt.私运；vi.走私 | |
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48
vomit
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| v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物 | |
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49
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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50
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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51
limbo
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| n.地狱的边缘；监狱 | |
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52
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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55
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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57
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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58
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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59
lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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60
filch
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| v.偷窃 | |
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61
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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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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63
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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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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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
buffeted
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| 反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去 | |
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68
giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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69
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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71
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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72
wheezing
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 )；哮鸣 | |
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73
giggles
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| n.咯咯的笑( giggle的名词复数 )；傻笑；玩笑；the giggles 止不住的格格笑v.咯咯地笑( giggle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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74
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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75
screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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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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77
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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