哈利·波特与密室 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 英文  中文  双语对照  双语交替 首页  目录  上一章   下一章

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CHAPTER TEN THE ROGUE BLUDGER

第十章　失控的游走球

Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him.

自从发生了那次小精灵的灾难事件后，洛哈特教授就再也不把活物带进课堂了。现在，他把他写的书大段大段地念给学生们听，有时候还把一些富有戏剧性的片断表演出来。他一般选择哈利协助他重现当时的场景。到目前为止，哈利被迫扮演的角色有：一个被施了吐泡泡魔咒、经洛哈特治愈的纯朴的特兰西瓦尼亚①村民；一个患了鼻伤风的喜马拉雅山雪人；还有一个吸血鬼，自从洛哈特跟它打过交道后，它就不吃别的，只吃萝卜了。

Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting a werewolf. If he hadn’t had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it.

这一节黑魔法防御术课，哈利又被拖到前面去了，这次是扮演一个狼人。哈利本来是不想合作的，但是有一个很重要的原因，必须让洛哈特保持心情愉快。

“Nice loud howl, Harry — exactly — and then, if you’ll believe it, I pounced — like this — slammed him to the floor — thus — with one hand, I managed to hold him down — with my other, I put my wand to his throat — I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm — he let out a piteous moan — go on, Harry — higher than that — good — the fur vanished — the fangs shrank — and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective — and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks.”

“叫得好，哈利——太像了——然后，信不信由你，我猛扑过去——就像这样——砰的把他摔倒——这样——我用一只手把他摁在地上——另一只手拿着魔杖，抵住他的喉咙——然后我缓了缓劲，用剩下来的力气施了非常复杂的人形魔咒——他发出一声凄惨的呻吟——哈利，接着叫唤——还要高一些——很好——他身上的毛消失了——大尖牙缩回去了——他重新变成了一个人。简单有效——又有一个村子会永远记住我这位英雄，我使他们摆脱了每月一次受狼人袭击的恐慌。”

The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet.

下课铃响了，洛哈特站了起来。

“Homework — compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!”

“家庭作业：就我战胜沃加沃加的事迹写一首诗！写得最好的将得到几本有作者亲笔签名的《会魔法的我》！”

The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Ron and Hermione were waiting.

同学们开始离开。哈利回到教室后排，罗恩和赫敏正在那里等着。

“Ready?” Harry muttered.

“可以了吗？”哈利小声问。

“Wait till everyone’s gone,” said Hermione nervously. “All right . . .”

“等大家都走了再说，”赫敏说，“行了……”

She approached Lockhart’s desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Harry and Ron right behind her.

她朝着洛哈特的讲台走去，手里紧紧地攥着一张纸条，哈利和罗恩跟在她身后。

“Er — Professor Lockhart?” Hermione stammered. “I wanted to — to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading.” She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. “But the thing is, it’s in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it — I’m sure it would help me understand what you say in Gadding with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms —”

“哦——洛哈特教授——”赫敏结结巴巴地说道，“我想——想从图书馆借这本书。希望从里面了解一些背景知识。”她举起那张纸条，她的手微微有些颤抖。“可问题是，这本书在图书馆的禁书区内，所以我需要一位老师在纸条上签字——我相信，这本书会帮助我理解你在《与食尸鬼同游》里讲到的慢性发作的毒液……”

“Ah, Gadding with Ghouls!” said Lockhart, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. “Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?”

“啊，《与食尸鬼同游》！”洛哈特把纸条从赫敏手里接过去，一边对她露出很热情的笑容。“这大概算我最满意的一本书了。你喜欢吗？”

“Oh, yes,” said Hermione eagerly. “So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer —”

“哦，喜欢，”赫敏热切地说，“你用滤茶器逮住了最后那个食尸鬼，真是太机智了……”

“Well, I’m sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help,” said Lockhart warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill. “Yes, nice, isn’t it?” he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron’s face. “I usually save it for book signings.”

“啊，我相信，谁也不会反对我给全年级最优秀的学生一点额外的帮助。”洛哈特热情地说，抽出一支巨大的孔雀毛笔。“是啊，很漂亮，不是吗？”他误解了罗恩脸上厌恶的表情，“我一般只用它在书上签名。”

He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione.

他在纸条上龙飞风舞地签上一个大大的、花体的名字，又把纸条还给赫敏。

“So, Harry,” said Lockhart, while Hermione folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. “Tomorrow’s the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you’re a useful player. I was a Seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don’t hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players. . . .”

“这么说，哈利，”当赫敏笨手笨脚地折起纸条，放进她的书包里时，洛哈特说，“明天就是本赛季的第一场魁地奇比赛了吧？格兰芬多队对斯莱特林队，是吗？听说你是个很出色的球员。我当年也是找球手。他们要我竞选国家队，但我情愿把我毕生的精力用于消灭黑势力。不过，如果你觉得需要开开小灶，尽管来找我。我总是乐意把我的经验传授给能力还不太强的球员……”

Harry made an indistinct noise in his throat and then hurried off after Ron and Hermione.

哈利在喉咙里含混地咕哝一声，便匆匆跟着罗恩和赫敏离开了。

“I don’t believe it,” he said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. “He didn’t even look at the book we wanted.”

“我真不敢相信，”他们三个仔细研究纸条上的签名时，哈利说，“他根本没看我们想要的是什么书。”

“That’s because he’s a brainless git,” said Ron. “But who cares, we’ve got what we needed —”

“因为他是个没有脑子的蠢货。”罗恩说，“管他呢，反正我们想要的东西已经弄到手了。”

“He is not a brainless git,” said Hermione shrilly as they half ran toward the library.

“他不是没有脑子的蠢货。”他们小跑着向图书馆去时，赫敏尖声说道。

“Just because he said you were the best student of the year —”

“就因为他说你是全年级最优秀的学生……”

They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled stillness of the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture.

走进了沉闷安静的图书馆，他们不由得放低了声音。

“Moste Potente Potions?” she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn’t let go.

图书管理员平斯夫人是个脾气暴躁的瘦女人，活像一只营养不良的兀鹫。

“I was wondering if I could keep it,” she said breathlessly.

“《强力药剂》？”她怀疑地念了一遍，想从赫敏手里把纸条拿过去，但是赫敏不肯放手。

“Oh, come on,” said Ron, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. “We’ll get you another autograph. Lockhart’ll sign anything if it stands still long enough.”

“不知道我能不能留着。”赫敏喘不过气地说。

Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

“哦，给她吧，”罗恩说着，从她紧攥着的手里一把夺过纸条，塞给平斯夫人，“我们还会给你再弄到一个亲笔签名。只要是能保持一段时间不动的东西，洛哈特都会在上面签名的。”

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle’s out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron’s objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them.

平斯夫人举起纸条，对着光线照了照，好像在检验是不是伪造的，结果它顺利地通过了检验。她昂首阔步地从高高书架之间走过去，几分钟后就回来了。手里拿着一本好像发霉了的大厚书。赫敏小心地把它放进书包，并注意不要走得太快，显出心里有鬼的样子。

Hermione opened Moste Potente Potions carefully, and the three of them bent over the damp-spotted pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.

五分钟后，他们又一次躲在了哭泣的桃金娘失修的盥洗室里。赫敏驳回了罗恩的反对意见，指出只要头脑正常的人，都不会愿意到这里来，这样他们三个就保证不会被人发现了。哭泣的桃金娘在她的单间里放声大哭，他们不理她，她也不理他们。

“Here it is,” said Hermione excitedly as she found the page headed The Polyjuice Potion. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. Harry sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.

赫敏小心翼翼地打开《强力药剂》，三个人都凑上前，看着那些布满水印的纸页。他们一眼就看出这本书为什么属于禁书区了。里面的有些药剂的效果可怕极了，简直令人不敢想象，书里还有一些让人看了感到很不舒服的插图：一个人似乎被从里到外翻了出来，还有一个巫婆脑袋上冒出了许多双手臂。

“This is the most complicated potion I’ve ever seen,” said Hermione as they scanned the recipe. “Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass,” she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. “Well, they’re easy enough, they’re in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves. . . . Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn — don’t know where we’re going to get that — shredded skin of a boomslang — that’ll be tricky, too — and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into.”

“在这里。”赫敏激动地说，她找到了标着复方汤剂的那一页。上面着几个人正在变成另外的人。哈利真诚地希望，那些人脸上极度痛苦的神情是画家凭空想象出来的。

“Excuse me?” said Ron sharply. “What d’you mean, a bit of whoever we’re changing into? I’m drinking nothing with Crabbe’s toenails in it —”

“这是我见过的最复杂的药剂。”他们浏览配方时，赫敏说。“草蛉虫，蚂蟥，流液草和两耳草，”她喃喃地念着，用手指一条条指着配料单，“这些都很容易弄到，学生的储藏柜里就有，我们可以自己去取。哎哟，瞧，还有研成粉末的双角兽的角——不知道上哪儿去找……一条非洲树蛇的蛇皮碎片——那也很难弄到——当然啦，还要我们想变的那个人身上的一点儿东西。”

Hermione continued as though she hadn’t heard him.

“对不起，”罗恩尖锐地说，“你这是什么意思，什么叫我们想变的那个人身上的一点儿东西？如果有克拉布的脚趾甲在里面，我是决不喝的……”

“We don’t have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last. . . .”

赫敏好像没有听见他的话，继续说道：“我们现在还不用操这个心，那点儿东西最后才放进去呢……”

Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry.

罗恩哑口无言地转向哈利，而哈利又产生了另一个疑虑。

“D’you realize how much we’re going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that’s definitely not in the students’ cupboard. What’re we going to do, break into Snape’s private stores? I don’t know if this is a good idea. . . .”

“你知不知道我们到底要偷多少东西，赫敏？非洲树蛇的蛇皮碎片，那是学生储藏柜里绝对没有的。我们怎么办，闯进斯内普的私人仓库？我不知道这是不是一个主意……”

Hermione shut the book with a snap.

赫敏啪的一声把书合上。“好吧，如果你们害怕了，想临阵脱逃，那也没什么。”她说。她的面颊上泛起两团鲜艳的红晕，眼睛比平日更加明亮。“你们知道，我是不想违犯校规的。我认为，威胁麻瓜出身的人比调制一种复杂的药剂恶劣得多。不过，如果你们不想弄清楚那是不是马尔福干的，我现在就去找平斯夫人，把书还给她……”

“Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine,” she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. “I don’t want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don’t want to find out if it’s Malfoy, I’ll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in —”

“我从来没想到，有一天居然会看到你劝说我们违犯校规。”罗恩说，“好吧，说干就干。可是千万不要脚趾甲，好吗？”

“I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be persuading us to break rules,” said Ron. “All right, we’ll do it. But not toenails, okay?”

“这药水到底需要多长时间才能调制好？”哈利问。

“How long will it take to make, anyway?” said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

这时赫敏情绪有所好转，她又把书打开了。“是这样，流液草要在满月的那天采，草蛉虫要熬二十天……我想，如果配料都能弄到的话，有一个月就差不多了。”

“Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days . . . I’d say it’d be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients.”

“一个月？”罗恩说，“等到那时，马尔福可能把学校里一半的麻瓜都打倒了！”只见赫敏的眼睛眯了起来，眼看又要发火了，罗恩赶紧加了一句：“不过这是我们能想到的最好方案了，我们就加紧行动吧。”

“A month?” said Ron. “Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!” But Hermione’s eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, “But it’s the best plan we’ve got, so full steam ahead, I say.”

可是，当他们准备离开盥洗室、赫敏去看看四下有没有人时，罗恩悄悄地对哈利说：“如果你明天把马尔福从他的扫帚上撞下来，就能省去好多麻烦。”

However, while Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry, “It’ll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow.” Harry woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match. He was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms gold could buy. He had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly. After half an hour of lying there with his insides churning, he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much.

星期六早晨，哈利很早就醒来了，又在床上躺了一会儿，想着即将到来的魁地奇比赛。他有些紧张，主要是想到如果格兰芬多队输了，伍德会说什么，同时他也想到，他们要面对的球队是骑着金钱能买到的速度最快的扫帚。他从来没有像现在这样渴望打败斯莱特林队。他内心翻滚起伏，睁着眼睛躺了半个小时，然后起床穿好衣服，下楼提早吃早饭。到了礼堂，他发现格兰芬多队的其他队员都挤坐在空荡荡的长餐桌旁，一个个显得紧张不安，沉默寡言。

As eleven o’clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood’s usual pre-match pep talk.

十一点钟渐渐临近了，全校师生开始前往魁地奇运动场。这是一个闷热潮湿的天气，空中隐隐响着雷声。当哈利走进更衣室时，罗恩和赫敏匆匆过来祝他好运。队员们穿上鲜红色的格兰芬多队服，然后坐下来听伍德按照惯例给他们作赛前鼓舞士气的讲话。

“Slytherin has better brooms than us,” he began. “No point denying it. But we’ve got better people on our brooms. We’ve trained harder than they have, we’ve been flying in all weathers —” (“Too true,” muttered George Weasley. “I haven’t been properly dry since August”) “— and we’re going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team.”

“斯莱特林队的扫帚比我们好，”伍德说，“这是不可否认的。但是我们扫帚上的人比他们强。我们训练得比他们刻苦，在各种天气环境中都飞行过——”（“说得太对了，”乔治韦斯莱说道，“从八月份起，我的衣服就没干过。”）“——我们要叫他们后悔让那个小恶棍马尔福花钱混进他们队里。”

Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry.

伍德激动得胸脯起伏，他转向哈利。“就看你的了，哈利，要使他们看到，作为一名找球手，单靠一个有钱的爸爸是不够的。要么赶在马尔福之前抓住金色飞贼，要么死在赛场上，哈利，因为我们今天必须取胜，我们必须取胜。”

“It’ll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we’ve got to win today, we’ve got to.”

“所以别有压力，哈利。”弗雷德冲他眨眨眼睛，说道。

“So no pressure, Harry,” said Fred, winking at him.

他们出来走向赛场时，迎接他们的是一片喧闹的声音。主要是欢呼喝彩，因为拉文克劳和赫奇帕奇都希望看到斯莱特林被打败，但同时也能听见人群里斯莱特林们的嘘声和喝倒彩的声音。魁地奇裁判霍琦夫人请弗林特和伍德握了握手，他们用威胁的目光互相瞪视着，并且不必要地把对方的手攥得很紧很紧。

As they walked out onto the field, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

“听我的哨声，”霍琦夫人说，“三……二……一……”

“On my whistle,” said Madam Hooch. “Three . . . two . . . one . . .”

人群中喧声鼎沸，欢送他们起飞，十四名队员一起蹿上铅灰色的天空。哈利飞得比所有队员都高，眯着眼睛环顾四周，寻找金色飞贼。

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch.

“你没事吧，疤头？”马尔福喊道，他箭一般地在哈利下面穿梭，似乎在炫耀他扫帚的速度。

“All right there, Scarhead?” yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath him as though to show off the speed of his broom.

哈利没有时间回答。就在这时，一只沉重的黑色游走球突然朝他飞来，他以毫厘之差勉强躲过，感觉到球飞过时拂动了他的头发。

Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

“真悬，哈利！”乔治说，他手里拿着击球棒，从哈利身边疾驰而过，准备把游走球击向斯莱特林队员。哈利看见乔治狠狠地把游走球击向德里安·普西，没想到游走球中途改变方向，又径直朝哈利飞来。

“Close one, Harry!” said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again.

哈利赶紧下降躲避，乔治又把它重重地击向马尔福。然而，游走球像回转飞镖一样，再次掉转身来，直取哈利的脑袋。

Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry’s head.

哈利突然加速，嗖嗖地飞向赛场的另一端。他可以听见游走球在后面呼啸着追赶他。这是怎么回事？弗雷德·韦斯莱正在另一端等着游走球。哈利猛地一低头，弗雷德用尽全身的力气对游走球猛击一棒，游走球被击到了一边。

Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the field. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible. . . .

“这下好了！”弗雷德高兴地喊道。然而他错了，那只游走球好像被磁力吸引在哈利周围一样，又一次追着他飞来，哈利只好拼命加快速度逃走。

Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

天开始下雨了，哈利感到大滴大滴的雨水打到他脸上，溅在他的眼镜上。他完全不了解赛场上的其他情况，直到听见解说员李乔丹说：“斯莱特林队领先，六十比零。”

“Gotcha!” Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.

显然，斯莱特林队的超级扫帚发挥了作用，同时那只疯狂的游走球竭尽全力要把哈利从空中撞下来。弗雷德和乔治现在紧贴着哈利左右飞行，这使哈利只能看见他们连续击打的手臂，根本没有希望寻找金色飞贼，更别说抓住它了。

It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn’t have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, “Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero —”

“有人对——这只——游走球——做了手脚——”弗雷德嘟囔着，一边用力把又向哈利发起新一轮进攻的游走球击飞。

The Slytherins’ superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it.

“我们需要暂停。”乔治说，一边向伍德示意，一边还要阻止游走球撞断哈利的鼻子。

“Someone’s — tampered — with — this — Bludger —” Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry.

伍德显然捕捉到了他的信号。霍琦夫人的哨声响了，哈利、弗雷德和乔治降落到地面，一边仍然闪避着那只发了疯的游走球。

“We need time out,” said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry’s nose at the same time.

“怎么回事？”伍德问道。

Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch’s whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

这时格兰芬多队的队员已聚拢在一起，人群中的斯莱特林队员们发出阵阵嘲笑。

“What’s going on?” said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. “We’re being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?”

“我们被打败了。弗雷德，乔治，那只游走球阻止安吉利娜得分时，你们上哪儿去了？”

“We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver,” said George angrily. “Someone’s fixed it — it won’t leave Harry alone. It hasn’t gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it.”

“我们在她上面二十英尺的地方，阻止另一只游走球害死哈利，伍德。”乔治气呼呼地说，“有人摆弄过那只球——它不肯放过哈利，整个比赛过程中，它根本不去追别人。斯莱特林队一定对它做了手脚。”

“But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch’s office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then. . . .” said Wood, anxiously.

“可是自从我们上次练习之后，游走球就一直锁在霍琦夫人的办公室里，那时候它们还都好好的……”伍德焦急地说。

Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction.

霍琦夫人正向他们走来。哈利的目光越过她的肩头，可以看见斯莱特林队的队员们讥笑着对他指指点点。

“Listen,” said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, “with you two flying around me all the time the only way I’m going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one.”

“听着。”哈利说，霍琦夫人越走越近了。“你们俩一刻不停地围着我飞来飞去，我根本就没有希望抓住金色飞贼，除非它自己钻到我的袖子里来。”哈利说，“你们还是回到其他队员身边，让我自己去对付那只撒野的球吧。”

“Don’t be thick,” said Fred. “It’ll take your head off.”

“别犯傻了，”弗雷德说，“它会把你的脑袋撞掉的。”

Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys.

伍德看看哈利，又看看韦斯莱孪生兄弟。

“Oliver, this is insane,” said Alicia Spinnet angrily. “You can’t let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let’s ask for an inquiry —”

“奥利弗，这是不理智的，”艾丽娅斯平内特生气地说，“你不能让哈利一个人对付那东西。我们请求调查吧——”

“If we stop now, we’ll have to forfeit the match!” said Harry. “And we’re not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!”

“如果我们现在停止，就会被剥夺比赛资格！”哈利说，“我们不能因为一只失控的游走球而输给斯莱特林队！快点，奥利弗，叫他们别再管我了！”

“This is all your fault,” George said angrily to Wood. “ ‘Get the Snitch or die trying,’ what a stupid thing to tell him —”

“这都怪你，”乔治气愤地对伍德说，“‘要么抓住金色飞贼，要么死在赛场上。’——你真昏了头了，对他说这种话！”

Madam Hooch had joined them.

霍琦夫人来到他们中间。

“Ready to resume play?” she asked Wood.

“可以继续比赛了吗？”她问伍德。

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry’s face.

伍德看着哈利脸上坚决的神情。

“All right,” he said. “Fred, George, you heard Harry — leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own.”

“好吧，”他说，“弗雷德、乔治，你们都听见哈利的话了——别去管他，让他自己对付那只游走球。”

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch’s whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter from the crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn’t change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood —

现在雨下得更大了。霍琦夫人哨声一响，哈利双脚一蹬，飞上天空，他听见脑后嗖嗖直响，知道那只游走球又追过来了。哈利越升越高，忽而拐弯，忽而旋转，忽而急转直下，忽而盘旋而上，忽而又东绕西绕，走一条“之”字形路线。他微微有些眩晕，但仍然把眼睛睁得大大的。雨点噼噼啪啪地打在他的眼镜上，当他为了躲避游走球的又一次凶猛的进攻、头朝下悬挂着时，雨水流进了他的鼻孔。他听见人群里传出一阵大笑，他知道自己的样子肯定很愚蠢，但是那只撒野的游走球很笨重，不能像他这样敏捷地改变方向。他开始围着赛场边缘像环滑车一样飞行，眯起眼睛，透过银白色的雨帘注视着格兰芬多队的球门柱，只见德里安正试图超过伍德……一阵呼啸声在耳边响过，哈利知道游走球又一次差点击中他。他调转头来，朝相反方向急逮飞驰。

A whistling in Harry’s ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

“是在练芭蕾舞吗，波特？”当哈利为躲避游走球而不得不在空中傻乎乎地旋转时，马尔福大声嚷道。

“Training for the ballet, Potter?” yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, he saw it — the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy’s left ear — and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn’t seen it.

哈利飞快地逃避，游走球在后面穷追不舍，离他只有几英尺。他回头憎恨地瞪着马尔福，就在这时，他看见了，看见了金色飞贼，就在马尔福左耳朵上方几英寸的地方盘旋——马尔福光顾着嘲笑哈利了，没有看见它。

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.

在那难熬的一瞬间，哈利悬在半空中，不敢加速朝马尔福冲去，生怕他会抬头看见金色飞贼。嘟！他停顿的时间太长了一点儿。游走球终于击中了他，狠狠地撞向他的臂肘，哈利感到他的胳膊一下子断了。一阵烧灼般的疼痛，使他感到有些眩晕，在被雨水浇湿的飞天扫帚上滑向一侧，一条腿的膝盖仍然勾住扫把，右手毫无知觉地悬荡在身体旁边。游走球又朝他发起了第二次进攻，这次瞄准了他的脸。哈利猛地偏离原来的方向，只有一个念头牢牢地占据着他已经迟钝的头脑——冲向马尔福。在朦胧的雨帘中，哈利忍着钻心的剧痛，冲向下面那张正在讥笑的发亮的脸。他看见那张脸上的眼睛惊恐地睁大了——马尔福以为哈利要来撞他。

WHAM.

“你干吗——”他喘着气说，一边匆匆躲开哈利。

He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side — the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time aiming at his face — Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain: get to Malfoy.

哈利那只没有受伤的手松开扫帚，狠狠地伸出去一抓——他感到他的手指握住了冰冷的金色飞贼，但由于他现在只用两条腿夹住扫帚，便径直朝地面坠落下去，同时硬撑着不让自己昏迷过去，这时他听见下面的人群中传出一片惊呼。

Through a haze of rain and pain he dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him.

砰的一声，水花四溅，哈利摔在泥泞里，从扫帚上滚落下来。他的手臂以一种十分奇怪的角度悬在那里。在一阵阵剧痛中，他听见了许多口哨声和叫喊声，仿佛是从很远的地方传来。他定睛一看，金色飞贼正牢牢地攥在他那只没有受伤的手里。

“What the —” he gasped, careening out of Harry’s way.

“啊哈，”他含糊地说，“我们赢了。”然后便晕了过去。

Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

他醒过来时，仍然躺在赛场上，雨水哗哗地浇在他脸上，有人俯身看着他。

With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

他看见一排闪闪发亮的牙齿。“哦，不要，不要你。”他呻吟着说。

“Aha,” he said vaguely. “We’ve won.”

“不知道他在说什么。”洛哈特大声地对那些焦虑地聚在周围的格兰芬多的学生们说，“不要担心，哈利。我正要给你治胳膊呢。”

And he fainted.

“不！”哈利说，“就让它这样好了，谢谢你……”

He came around, rain falling on his face, still lying on the field, with someone leaning over him. He saw a glitter of teeth.

他想坐起来，可是胳膊疼得太厉害了。他听见旁边传来熟悉的咔嚓声。

“Oh, no, not you,” he moaned.

“我不要拍这样的照片，科林。”他大声说。

“Doesn’t know what he’s saying,” said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. “Not to worry, Harry. I’m about to fix your arm.”

“躺好，哈利，”洛哈特安慰他说，“这是一个简单的魔咒，我用过无数次了。”

“No!” said Harry. “I’ll keep it like this, thanks. . . .”

“我为什么不能直接去医院？”哈利咬紧牙关，从牙缝里说。

He tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. He heard a familiar clicking noise nearby.

“他真的应该去医院。”满身泥浆的伍德说，尽管他的找球手受了伤，他仍然抑制不住脸上的笑容。“你那一抓真是绝了，哈利，太精彩了，还没见你干得这么漂亮过。”

“I don’t want a photo of this, Colin,” he said loudly.

哈利透过周围密密麻麻的许多条腿，看见弗雷德和乔治韦斯莱兄弟俩正拼命把那只撒野的游走球按压进箱子里。游走球仍然凶猛地挣扎着。

“Lie back, Harry,” said Lockhart soothingly. “It’s a simple charm I’ve used countless times —”

“往后站。”洛哈特说着，卷起了他那翡翠绿衣服的袖子。

“Why can’t I just go to the hospital wing?” said Harry through clenched teeth.

“别——不要——”哈利虚弱地说，可是洛哈特已经在旋转他的魔杖了。一秒钟后，他把魔杖对准了哈利的胳膊。

“He should really, Professor,” said a muddy Wood, who couldn’t help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. “Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I’d say —”

一种异样的、非常难受的感觉像闪电一样，从哈利的肩膀直达他的指尖。就好像他的手臂正在被抽空。他不敢看是怎么回事，闭上了眼睛，把脸偏在一边。但是，当周围的人们纷纷倒吸着冷气、科林克里维又开始忙着疯狂拍照时，他发现他最担心的事变成了现实。他的胳膊不疼了——但是感觉也根本不像一条胳膊了。

Through the thicket of legs around him, Harry spotted Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.

“哈，”洛哈特说道，“是啊，没错，有时候也会发生这样的事。可是关键在于，骨头已经接上了。这点要千万记住。好了，哈利，溜达着到医院去吧——啊，韦斯莱先生、格兰杰小姐，你们能陪他去吗？庞弗雷夫人可以——哦——再给你修整一下。”

“Stand back,” said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.

哈利站起身来，感到身体很奇怪地歪向了一边。他深深吸了口气，低头朝他的右侧身体看去。眼前的景象使他差点再一次晕了过去。

“No — don’t —” said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry’s arm.

从他袖管里伸出来的，活像是一只厚厚的、肉色的橡皮手套。他试着活动手指，但没有反应。

A strange and unpleasant sensation started at Harry’s shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated. He didn’t dare look at what was happening. He had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly. His arm didn’t hurt anymore — nor did it feel remotely like an arm.

洛哈特没有接好哈利的骨头，他把骨头都拿掉了。

“Ah,” said Lockhart. “Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That’s the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing — ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? — and Madam Pomfrey will be able to — er — tidy you up a bit.”

庞弗雷夫人很不高兴。

As Harry got to his feet, he felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deep breath he looked down at his right side. What he saw nearly made him pass out again.

“你应该直接来找我！”她气呼呼地说，托起那个可怜巴巴、毫无生气的玩艺儿，就在半小时前，它还是一条活动自如的胳膊。“我一秒钟就能把骨头接好——可是要让它们重新长出来——”

Poking out of the end of his robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-colored rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers. Nothing happened.

“你也会的，是吗？”哈利十分迫切地问。

Lockhart hadn’t mended Harry’s bones. He had removed them. Madam Pomfrey wasn’t at all pleased.

“我当然会，可是会很疼的。”庞弗雷夫人板着脸说，扔给哈利一套睡衣，“你只好在这里过夜了……”

“You should have come straight to me!” she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. “I can mend bones in a second — but growing them back —”

哈利病床周围的帘子拉上了，罗恩帮他换上睡衣，赫敏在外面等着。他们费了不少工夫，才把那只橡皮般的、没有骨头的胳膊塞进了袖子。

“You will be able to, won’t you?” said Harry desperately.

“你现在还怎么护着洛哈特，嗯，赫敏？”罗恩一边把哈利软绵绵的手指一个个地从袖口里拉出来，一边隔着帘子大声说道，“如果哈利想要把骨头拿掉，他自己会提出来的。”

“I’ll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful,” said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pajamas. “You’ll have to stay the night. . . .”

“谁都会犯错误的嘛，”赫敏说，“而且现在胳膊不疼了。是吧，哈利？”

Hermione waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry’s bed while Ron helped him into his pajamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve.

“不疼了，”哈利说，“可是它什么也做不成了。”他一摆腿上了床，胳膊瘫软无力地摆动着。

“How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?” Ron called through the curtain as he pulled Harry’s limp fingers through the cuff. “If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked.”

赫敏和庞弗雷夫人绕过帘子走来。庞弗雷夫人手里拿着一只大瓶子，上面贴着“生骨灵”的标签。“这一晚上会比较难熬，”她说着，倒出热气腾腾的一大杯，递给哈利，“长骨头是一件很难受的事儿。”

“Anyone can make a mistake,” said Hermione. “And it doesn’t hurt anymore, does it, Harry?”

喝生骨灵就够难受的了。它在哈利的嘴里燃烧，又顺着喉管燃烧下去，使哈利连连咳嗽，唾沫喷溅。庞弗雷夫人退了出去，一边仍然不停地咂着嘴，埋怨这项运动太危险，老师们太无能。罗恩和赫敏留在病房里，喂哈利吞下几口水。

“No,” said Harry, getting into bed. “But it doesn’t do anything else either.”

“不过我们赢了，”罗恩说，脸上绽开了笑容，“多亏你抓住了金色飞贼。马尔福的那副表情……他看上去想要杀人！”

As he swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly.

“我真想知道他对那只游走球做了什么手脚。”赫敏生气地说。

Hermione and Madam Pomfrey came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeled Skele-Gro.

“我们可以把这个问题也写在清单上，等我喝了复方汤剂以后一起问他。”哈利说着，一头倒在扰头上，“我希望复方汤剂的味道比这玩艺儿好一些……”

“You’re in for a rough night,” she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. “Regrowing bones is a nasty business.”

“如果里面放了斯莱特林身上的一点儿东西呢？你真会开玩笑。”罗恩说。

So was taking the Skele-Gro. It burned Harry’s mouth and throat as it went down, making him cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Ron and Hermione to help Harry gulp down some water.

就在这时，病房的门突然开了，格兰芬多队的队员们来看哈利了。他们一个个满身泥泞，像落汤鸡一样。

“We won, though,” said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. “That was some catch you made. Malfoy’s face . . . he looked ready to kill. . . .”

“哈利，你飞得太棒了，”乔治说道，“我刚才看见马库斯冲马尔福大叫大嚷。说什么金色飞贼就在他头顶上，他都看不见。马尔福看上去可不太高兴。”

“I want to know how he fixed that Bludger,” said Hermione darkly.

队员们带来了蛋糕、糖果和几瓶南瓜汁。他们围在哈利床边，正要开一个很快乐的晚会，不料庞弗雷夫人咆哮着冲了进来，“这孩子需要休息，他有三十三块骨头要长呢！出去！出去！”

“We can add that to the list of questions we’ll ask him when we’ve taken the Polyjuice Potion,” said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. “I hope it tastes better than this stuff. . . .”

于是，病房里就剩下了哈利一个人，没有任何事情来分散他的注意力。只感到软绵绵的胳膊像刀割一般痛着。

“If it’s got bits of Slytherins in it? You’ve got to be joking,” said Ron.

过了好长好长时间，哈利突然醒来了，四下里漆黑一片。他痛得小声叫唤起来，现在他的胳膊里好像有无数的大裂片。开始，他以为是胳膊把他疼醒的，紧接着，他惊恐地意识到有人在黑暗中用海绵擦拭他的额头。

The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry.

“走开！”他大声说，随即，他认出来了，“多比！”

“Unbelievable flying, Harry,” said George. “I’ve just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn’t seem too happy.”

家养小精灵瞪着两只网球般的大眼睛，在黑暗中打量着哈利。一颗泪珠从他尖尖的长鼻子上滚落下来。

They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around Harry’s bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, “This boy needs rest, he’s got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!”

“哈利波特回到了学校，”他悲哀地小声说，“多比几次三番地提醒哈利波特。啊，先生，您为什么不听多比的警告呢？哈利波特没有赶上火车，为什么不回家去呢？”

And Harry was left alone, with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm. Hours and hours later, Harry woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp of pain: His arm now felt full of large splinters. For a second, he thought that was what had woken him. Then, with a thrill of horror, he realized that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark.

哈利从枕头上撑起身子，把多比的海绵推开。

“Get off!” he said loudly, and then, “Dobby!”

“你在这里做什么？”他问，“你怎么知道我没有赶上火车？”

The house-elf ’s goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at Harry through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose.

多比的嘴唇颤抖了，哈利心头顿时起了怀疑。

“Harry Potter came back to school,” he whispered miserably. “Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn’t you heed Dobby? Why didn’t Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?”

“是你干的！”他慢慢地说，“是你封死了隔墙，不让我们过去！”

Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby’s sponge away.

“正是这样，先生。”多比说着，拼命地点头，扑扇着两只大耳朵，“多比躲在旁边，等候哈利波特，然后封死了通道，事后多比不得不用熨斗烫伤自已的手——”他给哈利看他十个绑着绷带的长长的手指，“——可是多比不在乎，先生，多比以为哈利波特这下子安全了，多比做梦也没有想到，哈利波特居然走另一条路到了学校！”

“What’re you doing here?” he said. “And how did you know I missed the train?”

他前后摇晃着身子，丑陋的大脑袋摆个不停。

Dobby’s lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion.

“多比听说哈利波特还是回到了霍格沃茨，真是大吃一惊，把主人的晚饭烧糊了！好厉害的一顿鞭打，多比以前还没有经历过，先生……”

“It was you!” he said slowly. “You stopped the barrier from letting us through!”

哈利重重地跌回到枕头上。

“Indeed yes, sir,” said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. “Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward” — he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers — “but Dobby didn’t care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!”

“你差点害得罗恩和我被开除了，”他暴躁地说，“你最好趁我骨头没长好赶紧躲开，多比，不然我会掐死你的。”

He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head.

多比淡淡一笑，“多比已经习惯了死亡的威胁。多比在家里每天都能听到五次。”他用身上穿的脏兮兮的枕套一角擤了擤鼻涕，那模样显得可怜巴巴的，哈利觉得他的怒火不由自主地消退了。

“Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master’s dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir. . . .”

“你为什么穿着那玩艺儿，多比？”他好奇地问。

Harry slumped back onto his pillows.

“这个吗，先生？”多比说着，扯了扯枕套，“这象征着家养小精灵的奴隶身分，先生。只有当多比的主人给他衣服穿时，多比才能获得自由。家里的人都很小心，连一双袜子也不交给多比，先生，因为那样的话，多比就自由了，就永远离开他们家了。”

“You nearly got Ron and me expelled,” he said fiercely. “You’d better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you.”

多比擦了擦凸起的大眼睛，突然说道：“哈利波特必须回家！多比原以为他的游走球肯定能使——”

Dobby smiled weakly.

“你的游走球？”哈利问，怒火又腾地蹿了起来，“你这是什么意思，你的游走球？是你让那只游走球来撞死我的？”

“Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home.”

“不是撞死您，先生，绝对不是撞死您！”多比惊恐地说，“多比想挽救哈利波特的生命！受了重伤被送回家，也比待在这儿强，先生。多比只希望哈利波特稍微受点儿伤，然后被打发回家！”

He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Harry felt his anger ebb away in spite of himself.

“哦，就是这些？”哈利气愤地问，“我猜你大概不会告诉我，你为什么希望我粉身碎骨地被送回家，是吗？”

“Why d’you wear that thing, Dobby?” he asked curiously.

“啊，但愿哈利波特知道！”多比呻吟着，更多的眼泪滚落到他破破烂烂的枕套上。“但愿他知道，他对魔法世界里我们这些卑微的、受奴役的小人物意味着什么！多比没有忘记那个连名字都不能提的魔头势力最强大时的情形，先生！人们像对待害虫一样对待我们这些家养小精灵，先生！当然啦，他们现在仍然那样对待多比，先生。”他承认道，一边在枕套上擦了擦脸。“可是总的来说，自从你战胜了那个连名字都不能提的魔头之后，我们这些人的生活已经大有改善。哈利波特活了下来，邪恶魔头的魔力被打破了，这是一个新的开端，先生。对于我们中间这些认为黑暗的日子永远不会完结的人来说，哈利波特就像希望的灯塔一样闪耀着，先生……现在，在霍格沃茨，可怕的事情就要发生了——也许已经发生了，多比不能让哈利波特留在这里，因为历史即将重演，密室又一次被打开——”

“This, sir?” said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. “ ’Tis a mark of the house-elf ’s enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever.”

多比呆住了，惊恐万状，接着便从床头柜上抓起哈利的水罐，敲碎在他自己脑袋上，然后摇摇晃晃地消失了。一秒钟后，他又慢慢地爬到床上，两只眼珠对着，低声嘟囔着说：“坏多比，很坏很坏的多比……”

Dobby mopped his bulging eyes and said suddenly, “Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make —”

“这么说，确实有一个密室？”哈利小声问，“而且——你说它以前曾被打开过？告诉我，多比！”

“Your Bludger?” said Harry, anger rising once more. “What d’you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?”

小精灵多比的手又朝水罐伸去，哈利一把抓住他皮包骨头的手腕。“但我不是麻瓜出身的呀——密室怎么可能对我有危险呢？”

“Not kill you, sir, never kill you!” said Dobby, shocked. “Dobby wants to save Harry Potter’s life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here, sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!”

“啊，先生，别再问了，别再追问可怜的多比了。”小精灵结结巴巴地说，眼睛在黑暗中大得像铜铃。“这里有人在策划阴谋，在事情发生的时候，哈利波特千万不能待在这里。回家吧，哈利波特。回家。哈利波特决不能插手这件事，先生，太危险了——”

“Oh, is that all?” said Harry angrily. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?”

“那是谁，多比？”哈利说，同时牢牢地抓住多比的手腕，不让他再用水罐打自己的脑袋。“谁打开了密室？上次是谁打开的？”

“Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!” Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. “If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir,” he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. “But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord’s power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sir. . . . And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more —”

“多比不能说，先生，多比不能说，多比绝对不能说——”小精灵尖叫着，“回家吧，哈利波特，回家吧。”

Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Harry’s water jug from his bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, “Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby . . .”

“我哪儿也不去！”哈利烦躁地说，“我最好的一个朋友就是麻瓜出身的，如果密室真的被打开了，她是首当其冲——”

“So there is a Chamber of Secrets?” Harry whispered. “And — did you say it’s been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!”

“哈利波特愿为朋友冒生命危险！”多比既伤心又欢喜地呻吟着，“多么高贵！多么勇敢！但他必须保住自己，他必须，哈利波特千万不能——”

He seized the elf ’s bony wrist as Dobby’s hand inched toward the water jug. “But I’m not Muggle-born — how can I be in danger from the Chamber?”

多比突然僵住了，两只蝙蝠状的耳朵颤抖着。哈利也听见了。外面的过道里传来了脚步声。

“Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby,” stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. “Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen — go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, ’tis too dangerous —”

“多比必须走了！”小精灵被吓坏了，喘着气说。

“Who is it, Dobby?” Harry said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby’s wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again. “Who’s opened it? Who opened it last time?”

只听得一声很响的爆裂声，哈利的拳头里突然一松，里面只剩下了空气。他跌回床上，眼睛看着漆黑的病房门口，脚步声越来越近了。

“Dobby can’t, sir, Dobby can’t, Dobby mustn’t tell!” squealed the elf. “Go home, Harry Potter, go home!”

紧接着，邓布利多后退着进入了病房。他穿着一件长长的羊毛晨衣，戴着睡帽。他双手抬着一件雕塑般的东西的一端。一秒钟后，麦格教授也出现了，抬着那东西的脚。他们一起把它放到床上。

“I’m not going anywhere!” said Harry fiercely. “One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she’ll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened —”

“去叫庞弗雷夫人，”邓布利多小声说，麦格教授匆匆经过哈利的床头，走了出去。

“Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!” moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. “So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not —”

哈利一动不动地躺着，假装睡着了。他听见有人急切的说话声，接着麦格教授又飞快地走了进来，庞弗雷夫人紧随其后，她在睡衣外面套了一件夹克。哈利听见了倒吸一口冷气的声音。

Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Harry heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.

“怎么回事？”庞弗雷夫人小声地问邓布利多，一边俯身查看那尊雕像。

“Dobby must go!” breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Harry’s fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into bed, his eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer.

“又是一起攻击事件，”邓布利多说，“麦格在楼梯上发现了他。”

Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

“他身边还有一串葡萄，”麦格教授说道，“我们猜他是想溜到这里来看波特。”

“Get Madam Pomfrey,” whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry’s bed out of sight. Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.

哈利的胃部狠狠抽搐了一下。他慢慢地、小心翼翼地把身体抬起几寸，这样便能看见那张床上的雕像了。一道月光洒在那张目瞪口呆的脸上。

“What happened?” Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.

是科林克里维。他眼睛睁得大大的，双手伸在胸前，举着他的照相机。

“Another attack,” said Dumbledore. “Minerva found him on the stairs.”

“被石化了？”庞弗雷夫人小声问。

“There was a bunch of grapes next to him,” said Professor McGonagall. “We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter.”

“是的，”麦格教授说，“我想起来就不寒而栗……如果不是阿不思碰巧下楼来端热巧克力，谁知道会怎么样……”

Harry’s stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face.

三个人专注地看着科林。然后邓布利多倾身向前，从科林僵硬的手指间取出照相机。

It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.

“他会不会拍下了攻击者的照片？”麦格教授急切地问。

“Petrified?” whispered Madam Pomfrey.

邓布利多没有回答。他撬开照相机的后盖。

“Yes,” said Professor McGonagall. “But I shudder to think . . . If Albus hadn’t been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate — who knows what might have —”

“我的天哪！”庞弗雷夫人惊呼道。

The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin’s rigid grip.

一股热气咝咝地从照相机里冒出来。就连隔着三个床的哈利，也闻到了一股塑料燃烧的刺鼻气味。

“You don’t think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?” said Professor McGonagall eagerly.

“熔化了，”庞弗雷夫人诧异地说，“居然全熔化了……”

Dumbledore didn’t answer. He opened the back of the camera.

“这意味着什么，阿不思？”麦格教授急迫地追问。

“Good gracious!” said Madam Pomfrey.

“这意味着，”邓布利多说，“密室确实又被打开了。”

A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic.

庞弗雷夫人用手捂住了嘴巴。麦格教授呆呆地看着邓布利多。“可是阿不思……你想必知道……谁？”

“Melted,” said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. “All melted . . .”

“问题不是谁，”邓布利多的目光停留在科林身上，说道，“问题是，怎样……”

“What does this mean, Albus?” Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

哈利看到阴影中麦格教授脸上的神情，知道她像自己一样，没有听懂邓布利多的话。

“It means,” said Dumbledore, “that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again.”

①罗马尼亚中部的一个地方。

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.

“But, Albus . . . surely . . . who?”

“The question is not who,” said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. “The question is, how. . . .”

And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall’s shadowy face, she didn’t understand this any better than he did.

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