Harry1 felt as though he too were hurtling through space; it had not happened... it could not have happened...
“Out of here, quickly,” said Snape.
He seized Malfoy by the scruff of the neck and forced him through the door ahead of the rest; Greyback and the squat2 brother and sister followed, the latter both
panting excitedly. As they vanished through the door, Harry realized he could move again. What was now holding him paralyzed against the wall was not magic, but horror
and shock. He threw the Invisibility Cloak aside as the brutal-faced Death Eater, last to leave the tower top, was disappearing through the door.
“Petrificus Totalus!”
The Death Eater buckled3 as though hit in the back with something solid and fell to the ground, rigid4 as a waxwork5, but he had barely hit the floor when Harry was
clambering over him and running down the darkened staircase.
Terror tore at Harry's heart... he had to get to Dumbledore and he had to catch Snape... somehow the two things were linked... he could reverse what had happened if he
had them both together... Dumbledore could not have died...
He leapt the last ten steps of the spiral staircase and stopped where he landed, his wand raised. The dimly lit corridor was full of dust; half the ceiling seemed to
have fallen in; and a battle was raging before him, but even as he attempted to make out who were fighting whom, he heard the hated voice shout, “It's over, time to
go!” and saw Snape disappearing around the corner at the far end of the corridor; he and Malfoy seemed to have forced their way through the fight unscathed. As Harry
plunged6 after them, one of the fighters detached themselves from the fray7 and flew at him: it was the werewolf, Fenrir. He was on top of Harry before Harry could raise
his wand: Harry fell backward, with filthy8 matted hair in his face, the stench of sweat and blood filling his nose and mouth, hot greedy breath at his throat—
“Petrificus Totalus!”
Harry felt Greyback collapse9 against him; with a stupendous effort he pushed the werewolf off and onto the floor as a jet of green light came flying toward him; he
ducked and ran, headfirst, into the fight. His feet met something squashy and slippery on the floor and he stumbled: there were two bodies lying there, lying facedown
in a pool of blood, but there was no time to investigate. Harry now saw red hair flying like flames in front of him: Ginny was locked in combat with the lumpy Death
Eater, Amycus, who was throwing hex after hex at her while she dodged10 them: Amycus was giggling11, enjoying the sport: “Crucio—Crucio—you can't dance forever, pretty—
”
“Impedimenta!” yelled Harry.
His jinx hit Amycus in the chest: he gave a piglike squeal12 of pain, was lifted off his feet and slammed into the opposite wall, slid down it, and fell out of sight
behind Ron, Professor McGonagall, and Lupin, each of whom was battling a separate Death Eater. Beyond them, Harry saw Tonks fighting an enormous blond wizard who was
sending curses flying in all directions, so that they ricocheted off the walls around them, cracking stone, shattering the nearest window—
“Harry, where did you come from?” Ginny cried, but there was no time to answer her. He put his head down and sprinted14 forward, narrowly avoiding a blast that erupted
over his head, showering them all in bits of wall. Snape must not escape, he must catch up with Snape -
“Take that!” shouted Professor McGonagall, and Harry glimpsed the female Death Eater, Alecto, sprinting15 away down the corridor with her arms over her head, her
brother right behind her. He launched himself after them but his foot caught on something, and next moment he was lying across someone's legs. Looking around, he saw
Neville's pale, round face flat against the floor.
“Neville, are you—?”
“'M'all right,” muttered Neville, who was clutching his stomach, “Harry... Snape ‘n’ Malfoy... ran past...”
“I know, I'm on it!” said Harry, aiming a hex from the floor at the enormous blond Death Eater who was causing most of the chaos16. The man gave a howl of pain as the
spell hit him in the face: he wheeled around, staggered, and then pounded away after the brother and sister. Harry scrambled17 up from the floor and began to sprint13 along
the corridor, ignoring the bangs issuing from behind him, the yells of the others to come back, and the mute call of the figures on the ground whose fate he did not yet
know...
He skidded18 around the corner, his trainers slippery with blood; Snape had an immense head start. Was it possible that he had already entered the cabinet in the Room of
Requirement, or had the Order made steps to secure it, to prevent the Death Eaters retreating that way? He could hear nothing but his own pounding feet, his own
hammering heart as he sprinted along the next empty corridor, but then spotted20 a bloody21 footprint that showed at least one of the fleeing Death Eaters was heading
toward the front doors—perhaps the Room of Requirement was indeed blocked—
He skidded around another corner and a curse flew past him; he dived behind a suit of armor that exploded. He saw the brother and sister running down the marble
staircase ahead and aimed jinxes at them, but merely hit several bewigged witches in a portrait on the landing, who ran screeching23 into neighboring paintings. As he
leapt the wreckage25 of armor, Harry heard more shouts and screams; other people within the castle seemed to have awoken...
He pelted26 toward a shortcut27, hoping to overtake the brother and sister and close in on Snape and Malfoy, who must surely have reached the grounds by now. Remembering to
leap the vanishing step halfway28 down the concealed29 staircase, he burst through a tapestry30 at the bottom and out into a corridor where a number of bewildered and pajama
-clad Hufflepuffs stood.
“Harry! We heard a noise, and someone said something about the Dark Mark—” began Ernie Macmillan.
“Out of the way!” yelled Harry, knocking two boys aside as he sprinted toward the landing and down the remainder of the marble staircase. The oak front doors had been
blasted open, there were smears31 of blood on the flagstones, and several terrified students stood huddled32 against the walls, one or two still cowering33 with their arms
over their faces. The giant Gryffindor hourglass had been hit by a curse, and the rubies34 within were still falling, with a loud rattle35, onto the flagstones below.
Harry flew across the entrance hall and out into the dark grounds: he could just make out three figures racing36 across the lawn, heading for the gates beyond which they
could Disapparate—by the looks of them, the huge blond Death Eater and, some way ahead of him, Snape and Malfoy...
The cold night air ripped at Harry's lungs as he tore after them; he saw a flash of light in the distance that momentarily silhouetted37 his quarry38. He did not know what
it was but continued to run, not yet near enough to get a good aim with a curse—
Another flash, shouts, retaliatory39 jets of light, and Harry understood: Hagrid had emerged from his cabin and was trying to stop the Death Eaters escaping, and though
every breath seemed to shred40 his lungs and the stitch in his chest was like fire, Harry sped up as an unbidden voice in his head said: not Hagrid... not Hagrid too...
Something caught Harry hard in the small of the back and he fell forward, his face smacking41 the ground, blood pouring out of both nostrils42: he knew, even as he rolled
over, his wand ready, that the brother and sister he had overtaken using his shortcut were closing in behind him...
“Impedimenta!” he yelled as he rolled over again, crouching43 close to the dark ground, and miraculously44 his jinx hit one of them, who stumbled and fell, tripping up
the other; Harry leapt to his feet and sprinted on after Snape.
And now he saw the vast outline of Hagrid, illuminated45 by the light of the crescent moon revealed suddenly behind clouds; the blond Death Eater was aiming curse after
curse at the gamekeeper; but Hagrid's immense strength and the toughened skin he had inherited from his giantess mother seemed to be protecting him. Snape and Malfoy,
however, were still running; they would soon be beyond the gates, able to Disapparate—
Harry tore past Hagrid and his opponent, took aim at Snape's back, and yelled, “Stupefy!”
He missed; the jet of red light soared past Snape's head; Snape shouted, “Run, Draco!” and turned. Twenty yards apart, he and Harry looked at each other before
raising their wands simultaneously46.
“Cruc—”
But Snape parried the curse, knocking Harry backward off his feet before he could complete it; Harry rolled over and scrambled back up again as the huge Death Eater
behind him yelled, “Incendio!” Harry heard an explosive bang and a dancing orange light spilled over all of them: Hagrid's house was on fire.
“Fang47's in there, yer evil—!” Hagrid bellowed48.
“Cruc—” yelled Harry for the second time, aiming for the figure ahead illuminated in the dancing firelight, but Snape blocked the spell again. Harry could see him
“No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!” he shouted over the rushing of the flames, Hagrid's yells, and the wild yelping50 of the trapped Fang. “You haven't got the
nerve or the ability—”
“Incarc—"Harry roared, but Snape deflected51 the spell with an almost lazy flick52 of his arm.
“Fight back!” Harry screamed at him. “Fight back, you cowardly—”
“Coward, did you call me, Potter?” shouted Snape. “Your father would never attack me unless it was four on one, what would you call him, I wonder?”
“Stupe—”
“Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!” sneered53 Snape, deflecting54 the curse once more. “Now come!”
he shouted at the huge Death Eater behind Harry. “It is time to be gone, before the Ministry55 turns up—”
“Impedi—”
But before he could finish this jinx, excruciating pain hit Harry; he keeled over in the grass. Someone was screaming, he would surely die of this agony, Snape was
going to torture him to death or madness—
“No!” roared Snape's voice and the pain stopped as suddenly as it had started; Harry lay curled on the dark grass, clutching his wand and panting; somewhere overhead
Snape was shouting, “Have you forgotten our orders? Potter belongs to the Dark Lord—we are to leave him! Go! Go!”
And Harry felt the ground shudder56 under his face as the brother and sister and the enormous Death Eater obeyed, running toward the gates. Harry uttered an inarticulate
yell of rage: in that instant, he cared not whether he lived or died. Pushing himself to his feet again, he staggered blindly toward Snape, the man he now hated as much
as he hated Voldemort himself—
“Sectum—”
Snape flicked57 his wand and the curse was repelled58 yet again; but Harry was mere22 feet away now and he could see Snape's face clearly at last: he was no longer sneering
or jeering59; the blazing flames showed a face full of rage. Mustering60 all his powers of concentration, Harry thought, Levi—
“No, Potter!” screamed Snape. There was a loud BANG and Harry was soaring backward, hitting the ground hard again, and this time his wand flew out of his hand. He
could hear Hagrid yelling and Fang howling as Snape closed in and looked down on him where he lay, wandless and defenseless as Dumbledore had been. Snape's pale face,
illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused61 with hatred62 just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore.
“You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them—I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father,
would you? I don't think so... no!”
Harry had dived for his wand; Snape shot a hex at it and it flew feet away into the darkness and out of sight.
“Kill me then,” panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. “Kill me like you killed him, you coward—”
“DON'T—” screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman63, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind
them, “—CALL ME COWARD!”
And he slashed64 at the air: Harry felt a white-hot, whiplike something hit him across the face and was slammed backward into the ground. Spots of light burst in front of
his eyes and for a moment all the breath seemed to have gone from his body, then he heard a rush of wings above him and something enormous obscured the stars. Buckbeak
had flown at Snape, who staggered backward as the razor-sharp claws slashed at him. As Harry raised himself into a sitting position, his head still swimming from its
last contact with the ground, he saw Snape running as hard as he could, the enormous beast flapping behind him and screeching as Harry had never heard him screech—
Harry struggled to his feet, looking around groggily65 for his wand, hoping to give chase again, but even as his fingers fumbled66 in the grass, discarding twigs67, he knew
it would be too late, and sure enough, by the time he had located his wand, he turned only to see the hippogriff circling the gates. Snape had managed to Disapparate
just beyond the school's boundaries.
“Hagrid,” muttered Harry, still dazed, looking around. “HAGRID?”
He stumbled toward the burning house as an enormous figure emerged from out of the flames carrying Fang on his back. With a cry of thankfulness, Harry sank to his
knees; he was shaking in every limb, his body ached all over, and his breath came in painful stabs.
“Yeh all righ', Harry? Yeh all righ'? Speak ter me, Harry...”
Hagrid's huge, hairy face was swimming above Harry, blocking out the stars. Harry could smell burnt wood and dog hair; he put out a hand and felt Fang's reassuringly68
warm and alive body quivering beside him.
“I'm all right,” panted Harry. “Are you?”
“Course I am... take more'n that ter finish me.”
Hagrid put his hands under Harry's arms and raised him up with such force that Harry's feet momentarily left the ground before Hagrid set him upright again. He could
see blood trickling69 down Hagrid's cheek from a deep cut under one eye, which was swelling70 rapidly.
“We should put out your house,” said Harry, “the charm's Aguamenti ...”
“Knew it was summat like that,” mumbled71 Hagrid, and he raised a smoldering72 pink, flowery umbrella and said, “Aguamenti!”
A jet of water flew out of the umbrella tip. Harry raised his wand arm, which felt like lead, and murmured “Aguamenti” too: together, he and Hagrid poured water on
the house until the last flame was extinguished.
“'S not too bad,” said Hagrid hopefully a few minutes later, looking at the smoking wreck24. “Nothin’ Dumbledore won’ be able to put right...”
Harry felt a searing pain in his stomach at the sound of the name. In the silence and the stillness, horror rose inside him.
“Hagrid ...”
“I was bindin’ up a couple o’ Bowtruckle legs when I heard ‘em coming,” said Hagrid sadly, still staring at his wrecked73 cabin. “They'll bin19 burnt ter twigs, poor
little things...”
“Hagrid...”
“But what happened, Harry? I jus’ saw them Death Eaters runnin’ down from the castle, but what the ruddy hell was Snape doin’ with ‘em? Where's he gone—was he
chasin’ them?”
“He...” Harry cleared his throat; it was dry from panic and the smoke. “Hagrid, he killed...”
“Killed?” said Hagrid loudly, staring down at Harry. “Snape killed? What're yeh on abou', Harry?”
“Dumbledore,” said Harry. “Snape killed ... Dumbledore.”
Hagrid simply looked at him, the little of his face that could be seen completely blank, uncomprehending.
“Dumbledore what, Harry?”
“He's dead. Snape killed him...”
“Don’ say that,” said Hagrid roughly. “Snape kill Dumbledore—don’ be stupid, Harry. Wha's made yeh say tha'?”
“I saw it happen.”
“Yeh couldn’ have.”
“I saw it, Hagrid.”
Hagrid shook his head; his expression was disbelieving but sympathetic, and Harry knew that Hagrid thought he had sustained a blow to the head, that he was confused,
perhaps by the after-effects of a jinx...
“What musta happened was, Dumbledore musta told Snape ter go with them Death Eaters,” Hagrid said confidently. “I suppose he's gotta keep his cover. Look, let's get
yeh back up ter the school. Come on, Harry...”
Harry did not attempt to argue or explain. He was still shaking uncontrollably. Hagrid would find out soon enough, too soon... as they directed their steps back toward
the castle, Harry saw that many of its windows were lit now. He could imagine, clearly, the scenes inside as people moved from room to room, telling each other that
Death Eaters had got in, that the Mark was shining over Hogwarts, that somebody must have been killed...
The oak front doors stood open ahead of them, light flooding out onto the drive and the lawn. Slowly, uncertainly, dressing-gowned people were creeping down the steps,
looking around nervously74 for some sign of the Death Eaters who had fled into the night. Harry's eyes, however, were fixed75 upon the ground at the foot of the tallest
tower. He imagined that he could see a black, huddled mass lying in the grass there, though he was really too far away to see anything of the sort. Even as he stared
wordlessly at the place where he thought Dumbledore's body must lie, however, he saw people beginning to move toward it.
“What're they all lookin’ at?” said Hagrid, as he and Harry approached the castle front, Fang keeping as close as he could to their ankles. “Wha's that lyin’ on
the grass?” Hagrid added sharply, heading now toward the foot of the Astronomy Tower, where a small crowd was congregating76. “See it, Harry? Right at the foot of the
tower? Under where the Mark... blimey... yeh don’ think someone got thrown—?”
Hagrid fell silent, the thought apparently77 too horrible to express aloud. Harry walked alongside him, feeling the aches and pains in his face and his legs where the
various hexes of the last half hour had hit him, though in an oddly detached way, as though somebody near him was suffering them. What was real and inescapable was the
awful pressing feeling in his chest...
He and Hagrid moved, dreamlike, through the murmuring crowd to the very front, where the dumbstruck students and teachers had left a gap.
Harry heard Hagrid's moan of pain and shock, but he did not stop; he walked slowly forward until he reached the place where Dumbledore lay and crouched78 down beside him.
Harry had known there was no hope from the moment that the full Body-Bind Curse Dumbledore had placed upon him lifted, known that it could have happened only because
its caster was dead, but there was still no preparation for seeing him here, spread-eagled, broken: the greatest wizard Harry had ever, or would ever, meet.
Dumbledore's eyes were closed; but for the strange angle of his arms and legs, he might have been sleeping. Harry reached out, straightened the half-moon spectacles
upon the crooked79 nose, and wiped a trickle80 of blood from the mouth with his own sleeve. Then he gazed down at the wise old face and tried to absorb the enormous and
incomprehensible truth: that never again would Dumbledore speak to him, never again could he help...
The crowd murmured behind Harry. After what seemed like a long time, he became aware that he was kneeling upon something hard and looked down.
The locket they had managed to steal so many hours before had fallen out of Dumbledore's pocket. It had opened, perhaps due to the force with which it hit the ground.
And although he could not feel more shock or horror or sadness than he felt already, Harry knew, as he picked it up, that there was something wrong—
He turned the locket over in his hands. This was neither as large as the locket he remembered seeing in the Pensieve, nor were there any markings upon it, no sign of
the ornate S that was supposed to be Slytherin's mark. Moreover, there was nothing inside but for a scrap81 of folded parchment wedged tightly into the place where a
portrait should have been.
Automatically, without really thinking about what he was doing, Harry pulled out the fragment of parchment, opened it, and read by the light of the many wands that had
now been lit behind him:
To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who dicovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it
as soon as I can.
I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.
Harry neither knew nor cared what the message meant. Only one thing mattered: this was not a Horcrux. Dumbledore had weakened himself by drinking that terrible potion
for nothing. Harry crumpled82 the parchment in his hand, and his eyes burned with tears as behind him Fang began to howl.
哈利感觉自己仿佛也在天空中飞翔；那件事没有发生……那件事不可能发生……
“离开这儿，快，”斯内普说。
他抓住马尔福的后脖子，把他首先推出了门；格雷巴克和矮胖的姐弟俩跟在后面，后两者还兴奋地喘着气。他们刚从门口消失，哈利就发现自己又能动了；现在让他瘫靠在墙上的已经不再
是魔法了，而是恐惧和震惊。他把隐形斗篷扯下来扔开，这时候最后离开塔顶的那个兽脸食死徒正在穿过那扇门。
“统统石化！”
那个食死徒的背仿佛被人用实心的东西击打了一样弯了下去，他往地上跌去，就像一座僵硬的蜡像，但哈利抢在他落地之前就跨了过去，顺着逐渐黑下来的楼梯跑了下去。
恐惧在撕扯着哈利的心……他必须去邓布利多那儿，还必须要抓住斯内普……这两件事情是联系在一起的……如果他能把他们俩弄到一起，就可以逆转刚才发生的事……邓布利多一定不会
死的……
他跳下楼梯的最后十级台阶后站住了，手里举着魔杖：灯火朦胧的走廊里尘土飞扬；似乎半个天花板都塌了下来，而前面则正在进行激战，但正当他试图辨认出是谁和谁在打斗时，他听到
了那个可恶的声音在喊，“结束了，快走！”同时看到斯内普的身影消失在了走廊远端的拐角；他和马尔福似乎已经从混战中全身而退了。哈利赶紧追了过去，这时混战的人群中有一个人朝哈
利扑了过来：是那个狼人，格雷巴克。哈利还没来得及举起魔杖他就已经扑到了他的身上：哈利向后倒了下去，乱蓬蓬的脏头发贴在他的脸上，鲜血和汗水的恶臭充斥着他的鼻子和嘴，他的喉
咙已经感觉到对方贪婪的呼吸——
“统统石化！”
哈利感觉到压在身上的格雷巴克瘫软了下来；他使尽全身的力气把狼人推到旁边的地板上，同时一道绿光向他这边射了过来；他闪避开之后冲进了混战的人群。他被地板上又软又滑的什么
东西绊到了：地上躺着两个人，脸朝下倒在一滩血泊之中，但现在没时间去调查是谁了：哈利看到一团火红的头发从他面前闪过：金妮和那个结实的食死徒埃米库斯缠斗在一起，埃米库斯正不
断地向她发生恶咒，她则一个接一个地躲避着：埃米库斯在呵呵傻笑，很享受这种娱乐：“钻心剜骨——钻心剜骨——你不可能永远这么跳舞，美人儿——”
“障碍重重！”哈利叫道。
他的咒语击中了埃米库斯的胸口：他痛得像猪一样尖叫了一声，同时被抛起来撞到了对面的墙上，又从墙上滑下来，消失在罗恩、麦格教授和卢平的身后，他们正在和各自的食死徒对手搏
斗。在这群人的远端，哈利看到唐克斯正在和一个高大的金发巫师交手，他把咒语朝各个方向一通乱射，它们在四周的墙上反弹开来，击碎了石头，打破了附近的窗户——
“哈利，你从哪儿来的？”金妮大喊，但哈利没有时间回答她。他低着头向前冲了过去，刚好躲过了头顶上的一声爆炸，小块的墙像雨一样落了下来：绝对不能让斯内普逃走，他必须追上
斯内普——
“抓住她！”麦格教授在后面喊，哈利一眼瞥见那个叫阿莱珂托的女食死徒正顺着走廊抱头鼠窜，她的弟弟正好跟在后面。哈利朝他们那边冲了过去，但是脚下又绊到了什么东西，紧接着
就跌倒在了某个人的腿上：他回头看了看，发现纳威苍白的圆脸正平平地对着地板。
“纳威，你还——？”
“我没事，”纳威咕哝着，一边用手抓着肚子，“哈利……斯内普和马尔福……跑过去了……”
“我知道，我正在追！”哈利说，同时瞄准了那个制造出绝大多数混乱的高大金发食死徒，发射了一个咒语：那个男人的脸被打中了，他痛得嚎叫了一声；他转过身来，跌跌撞撞地跟在那
一对兄妹后面逃走了。
哈利从地上爬了起来，开始沿着走廊飞奔，不去理睬身后传来的巨响和其他人喊他回来的叫声，也不去理睬躺在地上的人微弱的呼救，哈利不知道他们将有怎样的命运……
他在拐角处急停了下来，运动鞋上还粘着的湿滑的鲜血；斯内普已经大大地领先了——他已经进入了有求必应屋里的消失柜了吗，抑或是凤凰社的人已经采取了保护措施防止食死徒从那里
撤退？他飞速跑过接下来的一条空走廊，除了自己砰砰的脚步声和扑通扑通的心跳声以外，什么其他的声音也听不到，可就在这时他发现了一个血脚印，这说明至少有一个逃逸的食死徒是冲着
大门方向去的——也许有求必应屋确实被堵住了——
他又停在了另一个拐角处，一道魔咒飞过他的身边；他钻到一套盔甲后面，盔甲随之爆炸。他看见食死徒兄妹正跑下大理石楼梯，于是瞄准他们发射了咒语，但仅仅打中了楼梯平台上的几
幅戴着假发的女巫的画像，那几个女巫尖叫着躲进了旁边的画里。哈利跳过盔甲残骸时听到了更多的喊声和尖叫声；似乎城堡里的其他人也被惊醒了……
他冲进了一条捷径，希望能够追上那对食死徒兄妹，并缩短同斯内普和马尔福的距离。他们两个一定已经到了操场上，他凭记忆在一个隐藏的楼梯半路上跳过了几级缺失的台阶，最后闯进
了底部的一条挂毯来，出来之后进入到一条走廊里，那儿正站着一群穿着睡衣、不知所措的赫奇帕奇学生。
“哈利！我们听到了喧闹声，有人说了一些关于黑魔标记的——”厄尼·麦克米兰开口说。
“让开！”哈利叫道，他冲向楼梯平台，撞开了两个男生，沿着几级大理石楼梯追了下去。橡木大门已经被咒语炸开了；石板上残留着血迹，几个吓坏了的学生靠着墙挤在一起，有一两个
还在捂着脸瑟瑟发抖；格兰芬多巨大的沙漏也被魔咒击中了，里面的红宝石不断的掉落下来砸到石板上，发出了哗啦啦的巨大响声。
哈利穿过门厅来到漆黑的操场上：他只能分辨出三个人影正在穿越草坪直奔大门，过了大门他们就能幻影移形了——从外表上看，有那个高大的金发食死徒，他前面的两个人正是斯内普和
马尔福……
哈利在他们身后飞奔，夜晚寒冷的空气撕着他的肺；他看到远处闪过一道光，映照出了他的追逐目标；他不知道那是什么，只顾继续向前跑，还没有进入咒语的射程——
又是一道闪光，传来了叫喊声，还有反击的光束，哈利明白了：海格从他的小木屋里出来了，试图阻止食死徒的逃脱，尽管哈利感到每一口呼吸似乎都要把他的肺撕裂，胸口像火烧一样痛
，可他还是加快了速度，一个不期而至的声音在他脑海说：不能让海格死……不能再让海格死……
忽然有什么东西击中了他的腰背部，他向前倒了下去，脸重重地砸到了地面，两个鼻孔都淌出了血：他翻身的同时准备好了魔杖，他知道自己利用城堡捷径超过的那对食死徒兄妹正在从后
面接近他……
“障碍重重！”他又翻了个身，同时匍匐在昏暗的地面上叫了一声，他的咒语奇迹般地击中了其中的一个人，那人摔到了地上，又把另一个绊倒了；哈利跳起来继续朝斯内普追去……
弯弯的新月突然从云层后面出现了，它的光使哈利看到了海格巨大的轮廓；那个金发食死徒正把一道又一道恶咒射向狩猎场看守，但海格巨大的力量和他从巨人母亲那里继承下来的坚硬皮
肤似乎都在保护着他；然而斯内普和马尔福却仍在逃跑；他们很快就能穿过大门幻影移形了——
哈利飞也似地经过了海格和他的对手，瞄准了斯内普的后背喊道，“昏昏倒地！”
他没有击中目标；红色的光束从斯内普的脑袋边擦过；斯内普喊道，“快跑，德拉科！”同时转过身来。相互隔着二十码的距离，他和哈利对视着，然后同时举起了魔杖。
“钻心——”
但斯内普避开了这句咒语，在哈利念完之前就把他击飞了；哈利一翻身再次爬了起来，同时他身后的那个高大食死徒喊道，“火焰熊熊！”；哈利听到一声爆炸般的巨响，继而跳动的橙色
光芒就照在了他们身上：海格的小屋着火了。
“牙牙还在里面，你这个邪恶的——！”海格吼道。
“钻心——”哈利第二次喊，同时用魔杖指着他前面被火光映亮的对手，但斯内普又挡住了咒语；哈利看到他在冷笑。
“你别用不可饶恕咒了，波特！”他大喊，声音盖过了火焰的噼啪声、海格的吼叫和牙牙被困在里面所发出的狂吠。“你还没有这种勇气和能力——”
“速速禁——”哈利吼道，但斯内普几乎只是懒懒地抖了抖手臂，就偏转了这条咒语的方向。
“还击啊！”哈利冲他尖声叫道，“你怎么不还击！你这个胆小的——”
“胆小？你刚才这样称呼我吗，波特？”斯内普喊道。“你的父亲从来不敢攻击我，除非是四个对一个，我在想你会怎样称呼他呢？”
“昏昏——”
“挡住了，再挡住了，再挡住了，直到你能学会闭嘴和什么都不去想为止，波特！”斯内普冷笑着再次偏转了咒语。“走吧！”他冲着哈利身后的高大食死徒喊，“是撤退的时候了，赶在
魔法部的人出现之前——”
“障碍——”
但还没念完魔咒，极度的痛苦就击中了哈利；他倒在草地上，有人在尖叫，他一定会痛苦地死去，斯内普要把他折磨至死或者让他成为一个疯子——
“住手！”斯内普吼道，疼痛消失得与出现时一样突然；哈利蜷缩在黑暗的草地上，气喘吁吁地攥着魔杖；斯内普在他的头顶上方喊叫，“你忘了我们的命令了吗？波特是属于黑魔王的—
—我们要留下他！走！走！”
食死徒兄妹和那个高大的食死徒听从了他，向大门的方向跑去，哈利感觉到他脸下面的地正在颤动。哈利口齿不清地发出了一声怒吼：在那一瞬间，他已经把自己的生死置之度外了；他再
一次挣扎着站了起来，盲目地向斯内普摇摇晃晃地走去，那个他如同伏地魔一样恨之入骨的人——
“刀光——”
斯内普抖了一下魔杖，再次抵御住了咒语；可是哈利现在离斯内普只有几英尺远了，斯内普的脸也终于清晰了起来：他不再冷笑和讥讽了；在耀眼的火光下，他的脸充满了愤怒。哈利集中
起所有的精力，在脑海里想，轻身——
“不，波特！”斯内普尖声叫道。随着砰的一声巨响，哈利朝后飞去，又重重地摔在了地上；这一次他的魔杖脱手了。他能听到海格的大叫和牙牙的怒号，斯内普走了过来，俯视着躺在地
上的哈利，他没有了魔杖，没有任何保护，就像邓布利多一样。斯内普苍白的脸在木屋的火光映照下充满了憎恨，就像他对邓布利多施咒前一样。
“你竟敢用我自己的咒语来对付我，波特？那些咒语就是我发明的——我，混血的普林斯！而你却把我的发明转加到我身上，就像你那臭烘烘的父亲一样，是吗？我不会让你得逞的……不
会！”
哈利扑向了自己的魔杖；斯内普一道咒语向它射过去，魔杖飞出了几英尺，消失在黑暗之中。
“那么，杀了我吧，”哈利喘息着说，他已经没有了丝毫的恐惧，有的只是愤怒和蔑视。“就像杀他一样把我杀了，你这个胆小鬼——”
“不许——”斯内普尖声叫道，他的脸突然变得疯狂和野蛮了起来，仿佛他的痛苦和他们身后着火的房子里那只不断狂吠的狗一样多，“不许叫我胆小鬼！”
他在空中大幅度地挥了一下：哈利感觉有一条白热的、像鞭子一样的东西抽到了他的脸上，他重重地倒在了地上。他两眼冒着金星，有一阵子几乎不能呼吸了，然后他听到翅膀扑动的声音
在他头上响起，一个巨大的东西模糊了天上的星星：巴克比克朝斯内普飞了过去，用它锋利的爪子猛击斯内普，他跌跌撞撞地往后退去。哈利坐了起来，仍然因为上一次的落地而头昏眼花，他
看到斯内普全速地逃跑了，一个巨大的野兽在他身后不断地扑扇着翅膀，发出哈利从未听到过的尖啸——
哈利挣扎着站了起来，东倒西歪地四处寻找他的魔杖，希望能继续追赶斯内普，但他在草丛中摸索，拨开细小的枝叶时，也知道一切都已经太迟了，果然，等他终于找到魔杖之后，转过身
刚好看到巴克比克在大门口盘旋：斯内普一走出学校的边界就进行了幻影移形。
“海格，”哈利咕哝着，脑袋依然晕晕乎乎的，他向四周望去。“海格？”
他向燃烧着的木屋蹒跚而行，这时一个巨大身影火焰里走了出来，身上背着牙牙。哈利感激地叫了一声，然后跪在了地上；他的手脚都在发着抖，全身上下都疼，每吸一口气都伴随着刺痛
。
“你没事吧，哈利？你没事吧？说话啊，哈利……”
海格那张满是胡须的大脸挡住了星星，令哈利感到头晕目眩。哈利可以闻到烧焦的木头和狗毛的味道；他伸出一只手摸了摸牙牙，它还活着，暖暖的身体在他旁边颤抖不已，这让他感到安
心。
“我很好，”哈利气喘吁吁地说。“你呢？”
“我当然没事……想要杀我可没那么容易。”
海格把手伸到哈利胳膊下面扶他站起来，他的力气如此之大，哈利甚至在直起来之前脚已经离开了地面。哈利看到海格的一只眼睛下面被划出了很深的伤口，血顺着脸颊往下淌，那里很快
就肿了。
“我们应该把房子的火扑灭，”哈利说，“咒语是‘清水涟涟’……”
“我知道是那样的一个咒语，”海格喃喃地说，他举起冒着烟的粉红色花雨伞念道，“清水涟涟！”
一道水流从伞尖上喷射了出来。哈利举起像铅一样沉的手臂，拿着魔杖低声念道，“清水涟涟！”：他和海格一起把水泼到房子上，直到最后一根火苗熄灭。
“还不是太糟，”几分钟后海格看着冒烟的残骸，满怀希望地说。“没有什么是邓布利多不能收拾好的……”
哈利听到这个名字，胃里泛起一阵炙烤的疼痛。他默立在那儿，恐惧在身体里积攒起来。
“海格……”
“我听到他们过来的时候正在包扎护树罗锅的双腿，”海格伤心地说，仍旧盯着他那烧毁了的小木屋。“它们肯定都被烧成小树枝了，可怜的小东西……”
“海格……”
“出了什么事，哈利？我看到食死徒从城堡那边跑了过来，但究竟斯内普怎么会和他们在一起？他去哪儿了——是追他们去了吗？”
“他……”哈利清了清嗓子；他刚才因为恐慌和烟尘而口干舌燥。“海格，他杀了……”
“杀人？”海格大声说，低头瞪着哈利。“斯内普杀人了？你在说什么呀，哈利？”
“邓布利多，”哈利说。“斯内普杀了……邓布利多。”
海格只是看着他，可以被看见的一小块脸上全是茫然和迷惑不解。
“邓布利多什么，哈利？”
“他死了。斯内普杀了他……”
“别那么说，”海格粗声说，“斯内普杀了邓布利多——别傻了，哈利。你干嘛要这么说？”
“我亲眼看见的。”
“那不可能。”
“我亲眼所见，海格。”
海格摇了摇头；他表情是不相信，可又带着同情，哈利知道海格一定是以为他的头受到了什么撞击，以为他失去了理智，也许是某个恶咒的副作用……
“一定是这样，邓布利多让斯内普去追赶那群食死徒，”海格自信地说。“我猜想他可能是为了掩护自己的身份才对你做那些的。听着，现在我送你回学校。来吧，哈利……”
哈利没有试图去争辩和解释。他还是在不由自主地发着抖。海格不久就会发现，立即就会……在他们回城堡的路上，哈利看到很多窗户都已经亮了起来：他可以清楚地想象到里面的场景，
人们从一个房间走到另一个房间，互相告知食死徒进来了，黑魔标记在霍格沃茨的上空升起，也许有人已经被杀了……
城堡的橡木大门在他们前面敞开着，灯光铺满了小路和草坪。穿着睡袍的人们慢慢地、半信半疑地走下台阶，四处找寻着早已逃逸的食死徒们的踪迹。然而，哈利的眼睛却死死盯着最高的
那座塔楼脚下的那片空地。他想象着自己能看到那里的草地上躺着一块黑乎乎、蜷缩的东西，但事实上距离太远了，他看不见任何那样的东西。正在他凝视着那个他确信邓布利多的身体躺着的
地方时，他发现人们开始向那个地方移动。
“他们都在看什么？”海格说，他和哈利已经接近了城堡的前门，牙牙紧紧地贴在他们脚踝边。“草地上躺着的是什么？”海格急匆匆地加了一句，同时朝天文塔脚下走去，那儿已经聚集
了一群人。“看到了吗，哈利？就在塔楼脚下？在黑魔标记的下面……天哪……不会是有人被扔下来——？”
海格沉默了，这想法显然恐怖得无法大声说出来。哈利走在他的身边，他的脸上和腿上疼痛难忍，到处都是半个小时前被各种恶咒击中而留下的伤口，不过那种感觉却有些奇怪的遥远，仿
佛是身边的人在承受那些疼痛一样。而真实和无法逃避的感觉，其实是他胸口上可怕的压迫感……
他和海格像梦游一样，穿过窃窃私语的人群走到了最前面，两旁目瞪口呆的学生和老师为他们让出了一个空。
哈利听到了海格痛苦而震惊的呻吟，但他没有停下来；他缓缓地走到邓布利多躺着的地方，在他身旁蹲了下来。
哈利从邓布利多给他施的全身束缚咒消失的那一刻开始，就知道没有希望了，他知道这种情况只有在施咒人死掉时才会发生；但他还是没有准备好看到他四肢伸展、伤痕累累地躺在这儿：
这个哈利曾经遇见过的——或许会是此生所能遇见的——最伟大的巫师。
邓布利多的眼睛紧闭着；但是由于手脚所呈现的奇特角度，他看上去更像是在睡觉。哈利伸出双手，把他高耸的鼻梁上的半月形的眼镜扶正，用自己的衣袖拭去了他嘴上的一滴血。他低头
凝视着那睿智的老脸，尝试着理解这个惊人的、不可思议的事实：邓布利多再也不能和他说话了，再也不能帮助他了——
人群在哈利的身后低声议论着。经过了一段似乎很漫长的时间，他意识到自己正跪在一个坚硬的东西上，他低下头去看。
他们那么多个小时之前设法盗走的盒式坠子已经掉出了邓布利多的口袋。也许是因为撞到了地面，盒子已经打开了。尽管哈利已经无法感受到更多的震惊、恐惧和悲伤了，可当他拾起它时
，还是发现有点不对劲——
他翻来覆去地看手中的盒子。它既不像自己在冥想盆里见到的那样大，上面也没有任何标记，没有斯莱特林的那个华丽的“S”标记。此外，里面也是空空如也，除了一张小羊皮纸片，而
那儿本应该是有一张画像的。
哈利不由自主地取出了羊皮纸碎片，他把它展开，借着身后早已点亮的许多魔杖光读上面的话：
致黑魔王，
我知道在你读到这个之前我可能早已死去，但我想让你知道，是我发现了你的秘密。我已经偷走了真正的灵魂碎片，并打算尽快地销毁它。我抱着希望直面死亡，那就是，当你遇到你的那
个对手时，已经再次成为了血肉凡胎。
R.A.B.
哈利既不知道也不在乎这条讯息是什么意思。只有一件事情是重要的：这不是一个灵魂碎片。邓布利多因为喝下了那恐怖的毒药而削弱了自己，到头来却一无所获。他把那片羊皮纸捏成了
一团，身后的牙牙开始哀号，他的眼里也噙满了滚烫的泪水。
收听单词发音 |
1
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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2
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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3
buckled
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| a. 有带扣的 | |
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4
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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5
waxwork
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| n.蜡像 | |
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6
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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7
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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8
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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9
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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10
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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11
giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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12
squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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13
sprint
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| n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过 | |
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14
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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sprinting
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| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的现在分词 ) | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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shortcut
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| n.近路，捷径 | |
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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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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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smears
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| 污迹( smear的名词复数 )； 污斑； （显微镜的）涂片； 诽谤 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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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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silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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retaliatory
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| adj.报复的 | |
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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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smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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fang
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| n.尖牙，犬牙 | |
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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flick
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| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
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53
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deflecting
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| （使）偏斜， （使）偏离， （使）转向( deflect的现在分词 ) | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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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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flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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mustering
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的现在分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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groggily
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| adv.酒醉地；东倒西歪地 | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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67
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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69
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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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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76
congregating
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的现在分词 ) | |
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77
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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81
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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82
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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