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哈利·波特与混血王子
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

英文中文双语对照双语交替

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN THE UNBREAKABLE VOW	第十五章　牢不可破的誓言

Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already single-handedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees for the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors. Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe bunches every time Harry went past, which caused blockages in the corridors; fortunately, however, Harry’s frequent nighttime wanderings had given him an unusually good knowledge of the castle’s secret passageways, so that he was able, without too much difficulty, to navigate mistletoe-free routes between classes.	雪花又在窗外旋舞，扑打着结冰的窗棂，圣诞节转眼将至。海格已经独自一人把礼堂里每年少不了的十二棵圣诞树搬来了；楼梯栏杆上都缠上了冬青和金属箔；甲胄的头盔里闪烁着长明蜡烛，走廊里每隔一段都挂上了一大束一大束的槲寄生。每次哈利从走廊上走过时，总会有一堆堆的女孩聚在槲寄生下面，造成交通堵塞。幸好哈利频繁的夜游使他对城堡中的秘密通道摸得透熟，能够不太困难地在课间绕过有槲寄生的路线。
Ron, who might once have found the necessity of these detours a cause for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all. Although Harry much preferred this new laughing, joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model he had been enduring for the last few weeks, the improved Ron came at a heavy price. Firstly, Harry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted; and secondly, Harry found himself once more the best friend of two people who seemed unlikely ever to speak to each other again.	这种绕道以前会让罗恩感到嫉妒而不是开心，现在他却只是哈哈大笑。虽然哈利觉得这个嘻嘻哈哈的新罗恩比前几星期那个郁闷、好斗的罗恩好得多，可这改变却也代价高昂。首先，哈利不得不经常看到拉文德·布朗，这女孩似乎把不亲吻罗恩的每一刻都当做浪费；第二，哈利再次成了两个似乎要永远不跟对方说话的人的好朋友。
Ron, whose hands and forearms still bore scratches and cuts from Hermione’s bird attack, was taking a defensive and resentful tone.	罗恩的手上和胳膊上还带着赫敏的小黄雀袭击留下的伤痕，他一副自卫和怨恨的口气。
“She can’t complain,” he told Harry. “She snogged Krum. So she’s found out someone wants to snog me too. Well, it’s a free country. I haven’t done anything wrong.”	“她没什么可抱怨的，”他对哈利说，“她亲了克鲁姆，结果发现也有人想亲我。嘿嘿，自由国家嘛，我没做错什么。”
Harry did not answer, but pretended to be absorbed in the book they were supposed to have read before Charms next morning (Quintessence: A Quest). Determined as he was to remain friends with both Ron and Hermione, he was spending a lot of time with his mouth shut tight.	哈利没有回答，假装专心在看明天上午魔咒课前要读完的那本书（《第五元素：探索》）。他虽然决心继续做这两个人的朋友，但现在很多时候都闭着嘴。
“I never promised Hermione anything,” Ron mumbled. “I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn’s Christmas party with her, but she never said . . . just as friends . . . I’m a free agent. . . .”	“我从没对赫敏承诺过什么，”罗恩嘟囔道，“我是要跟她一起去参加斯拉格霍恩的圣诞晚会，可她从来没说……只是朋友……我是自由人……”
Harry turned a page of Quintessence, aware that Ron was watching him. Ron’s voice tailed away in mutters, barely audible over the loud crackling of the fire, though Harry thought he caught the words “Krum” and “can’t complain” again.	哈利把《第五元素：探索》翻过一页，知道罗恩在看着他。罗恩的声音低了下去，在炉火的噼啪声中几乎听不见了，但哈利好像又听到了“克鲁姆”和“没啥可抱怨的”之类的话。
Hermione’s schedule was so full that Harry could only talk to her properly in the evenings, when Ron was, in any case, so tightly wrapped around Lavender that he did not notice what Harry was doing. Hermione refused to sit in the common room while Ron was there, so Harry generally joined her in the library, which meant that their conversations were held in whispers.	赫敏的时间表太满，哈利到晚上才能跟她正经说上话，反正这时罗恩被拉文德缠得紧紧的，顾不到哈利在干什么。只要有罗恩在，赫敏就不肯坐在公共休息室里，所以哈利一般到图书馆去找她，这意味着谈话要悄悄地进行。
“He’s at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes,” said Hermione, while the librarian, Madam Pince, prowled the shelves behind them. “I really couldn’t care less.”	“他爱亲谁就亲谁好了，”赫敏说，图书馆管理员平斯夫人正在后面的书架间巡视着，“我才不在乎呢。”
She raised her quill and dotted an i so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment. Harry said nothing. He thought his voice might soon vanish from lack of use. He bent a little lower over Advanced Potion-Making and continued to make notes on Everlasting Elixirs, occasionally pausing to decipher the Prince’s useful additions to Libatius Borage’s text.	她举起鹅毛笔，给正在写的字母i狠狠地点上一点，结果把羊皮纸戳了个窟窿。哈利没吱声，他觉得他的嗓子一直不用都快要失声了。他把头埋得更低了一点儿，继续在《高级魔药制作》“长生不老药”一节上做着笔记，有时会停下来辨认一番王子对利巴修·波拉奇加的有用补充。
“And incidentally,” said Hermione, after a few moments, “you need to be careful.”	“顺便说一句，”过了一会儿赫敏说，“你要小心点儿。”
“For the last time,” said Harry, speaking in a slightly hoarse whisper after three-quarters of an hour of silence, “I am not giving back this book, I’ve learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than Snape or Slughorn have taught me in —”	“跟你说最后一遍，”哈利悄悄地说道，这是他闷了四十五分钟后第一次开口，声音有点哑，“这书我不还了，我从混血王子这儿学到的比斯内普和斯拉格霍恩——”
“I’m not talking about your stupid so-called Prince,” said Hermione, giving his book a nasty look as though it had been rude to her. “I’m talking about earlier. I went into the girls’ bathroom just before I came in here and there were about a dozen girls in there, including that Romilda Vane, trying to decide how to slip you a love potion. They’re all hoping they’re going to get you to take them to Slughorn’s party, and they all seem to have bought Fred and George’s love potions, which I’m afraid to say probably work —”	“我不是说你那个愚蠢的所谓王子，”赫敏凶巴巴地瞪了他的书一眼，好像它招惹了她似的，“我是说刚才，到这儿来之前，我去盥洗室，那儿有一打女孩子，包括罗米达·万尼，都在讨论着怎么能让你喝下迷情剂。她们都希望能被你带去参加斯拉格霍恩的晚会，而且好像都买了弗雷德和乔治的迷情剂——”
“Why didn’t you confiscate them then?” demanded Harry. It seemed extraordinary that Hermione’s mania for upholding rules could have abandoned her at this crucial juncture.	“你怎么没把那些东西没收了呢？”哈利问，对赫敏维护规章制度的癖好在这节骨眼上松懈下来似乎觉得不可思议。
“They didn’t have the potions with them in the bathroom,” said Hermione scornfully. “They were just discussing tactics. As I doubt whether even the Half-Blood Prince” — she gave the book another nasty look — “could dream up an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once, I’d just invite someone to go with you, that’ll stop all the others thinking they’ve still got a chance. It’s tomorrow night, they’re getting desperate.”	“她们没把药水带进盥洗室，”赫敏轻蔑地说，“只是在讨论计策。我怀疑就连混血王子，”她又凶巴巴地瞪了那本书一眼，“也想不出法子同时弄出一打不同的迷情剂的解药来，换了我就赶快邀请一个人——这样别人就不会觉得还有机会了。就是明天晚上嘛，她们急眼了。”
“There isn’t anyone I want to invite,” mumbled Harry, who was still trying not to think about Ginny any more than he could help, despite the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency.	“没有一个我想邀请的人。”哈利嘟囔道，他还是尽量不去想金妮，虽然她总是在他梦中出现，并且出现的方式让他衷心庆幸罗恩不会摄神取念。
“Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business,” said Hermione grimly.	“好吧，那喝东西你可得当心，罗米达·万尼看上去可是认真的。”赫敏阴沉地说。
She hitched up the long roll of parchment on which she was writing her Arithmancy essay and continued to scratch away with her quill. Harry watched her with his mind a long way away.	她把那卷长长的羊皮纸朝上拉了拉，刷刷地接着写她那篇算术占卜课论文。哈利看着她，思绪在很远的地方。
“Hang on a moment,” he said slowly. “I thought Filch had banned anything bought at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes?”	“等一等，”他慢吞吞地说，“费尔奇不是把在韦斯莱魔法把戏坊买的东西都禁止了吗？”
“And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned?” asked Hermione, still concentrating on her essay.	“谁在乎过费尔奇禁止什么？”赫敏随口说道，一边还在专心写文章。
“But I thought all the owls were being searched. So how come these girls are able to bring love potions into school?”	“不是所有的猫头鹰都要被检查吗？那些女孩子怎么能把迷情剂带进学校里呢？”
“Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions,” said Hermione. “It’s part of their Owl Order Service.”	“弗雷德和乔治把它们当香水和咳嗽药水送来的，这是猫头鹰订单服务的一部分。”
“You know a lot about it.”	“你知道的真多。”
Hermione gave him the kind of nasty look she had just given his copy of Advanced Potion-Making.	赫敏凶巴巴地瞪了他一眼，像瞪《高级魔药制作》一样。
“It was all on the back of the bottles they showed Ginny and me in the summer,” she said coldly. “I don’t go around putting potions in people’s drinks . . . or pretending to, either, which is just as bad. . . .”	“这些都在他们暑假里给我和金妮看的瓶子背后写着呢。”她冷冷地说道，“我可不会在别人饮料里下药……或假装下药，那也一样恶劣……”
“Yeah, well, never mind that,” said Harry quickly. “The point is, Filch is being fooled, isn’t he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn’t Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school — ?”	“是，好了，别介意，”哈利忙说，“问题是费尔奇给耍了，是不是？这些女孩子把东西伪装一下就可以带进学校！那马尔福为什么不能带项链——？”
“Oh, Harry . . . not that again . . .”	“哦，哈利……别又提那个……”
“Come on, why not?” demanded Harry.	“啊，为什么？”哈利追问道。
“Look,” sighed Hermione, “Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don’t they? They’re used to find Dark Magic and Dark objects. They’d have picked up a powerful curse, like the one on that necklace, within seconds. But something that’s just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn’t register — and anyway, love potions aren’t Dark or dangerous —”	“你看，”赫敏叹了口气，说道，“探密器能发现霉运咒和隐藏咒，是吧？它们是被用来探测黑魔法和黑魔法用品的，能在几秒钟之内探测到一个威力强大的咒语，比如项链上的那个。但是装错瓶子的东西就检测不出来了——再说，迷情剂不是黑魔法，又不危险——”
“Easy for you to say,” muttered Harry, thinking of Romilda Vane.	“你说得倒轻巧。”哈利嘟囔道，一边想到了罗米达·万尼。
“— so it would be down to Filch to realize it wasn’t a cough potion, and he’s not a very good wizard, I doubt he can tell one potion from —”	“——所以就要靠费尔奇来发现它不是咳嗽药水了，可他并不是很高明的巫师，我怀疑他能不能区分——”
Hermione stopped dead; Harry had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited, and a moment later the vulturelike countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.	赫敏突然打住，哈利也听到了，身后阴暗的书架间有人走近。他们等了一会儿，平斯夫人那秃鹫般的面孔从拐角露了出来，凹陷的面颊、羊皮纸似的皮肤和长长的鹰钩鼻被她手里提的灯照得格外分明。
“The library is now closed,” she said. “Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct — what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?”	“图书馆该关门了，”她说，“把借的书放回原——你对那本书干了什么？你这邪恶的孩子！”
“It isn’t the library’s, it’s mine!” said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand.	“这不是图书馆的，是我自己的！”哈利赶紧说，一边从桌上抄起那本《高级魔药制作》，可平斯夫人鹰爪般的手已经抓了过去。
“Despoiled!” she hissed. “Desecrated! Befouled!”	“抢劫！”她嘶声说，“亵渎！玷污！”
“It’s just a book that’s been written on!” said Harry, tugging it out of her grip.	“不过是书上写了点字！”哈利辩解着把书从她手里拽了回去。
She looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frogmarched him away.	她看上去就像要发心脏病，赫敏匆匆收拾好东西，抓住哈利的胳膊把他拖走了。
“She’ll ban you from the library if you’re not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?”	“你要是不小心点儿，她会禁止你进图书馆的。你干吗非得带着那本愚蠢的书？”
“It’s not my fault she’s barking mad, Hermione. Or d’you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I’ve always thought there might be something going on between them. . . .”	“她乱叫乱嚷又不是我的错，赫敏。你说她会不会听到你说费尔奇的坏话？我总觉得他们之间有点什么……”
“Oh, ha ha . . .”	“哦，哈哈……”
Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted, lamp-lit corridors back to the common room, arguing about whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.	他们很高兴又能正常说话了，于是他们一边沿着亮着灯的空荡荡的走廊往公共休息室走，一边争论着费尔奇和平斯夫人是否有秘密恋情。
“Baubles,” said Harry to the Fat Lady, this being the new, festive password.	“一文不值。”哈利对胖夫人说，这是节日的新口令。
“Same to you,” said the Fat Lady with a roguish grin, and she swung forward to admit them.	“你也一样。”胖夫人调皮地笑着，一边向前旋开把他们让了进去。
“Hi, Harry!” said Romilda Vane, the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole. “Fancy a gillywater?”	“嘿，哈利！”哈利刚钻出肖像洞口，罗米达·万尼就说，“要喝一杯峡谷水吗？”
Hermione gave him a “what-did-I-tell-you?” look over her shoulder.	赫敏回头向他丢下了一个“我说什么来着？”的眼色。
“No thanks,” said Harry quickly. “I don’t like it much.”	“谢谢，不用了，”哈利忙说，“我不大爱喝。”
“Well, take these anyway,” said Romilda, thrusting a box into his hands. “Chocolate Cauldrons, they’ve got firewhisky in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don’t like them.”	“那，拿上这个吧，”罗米达把一个盒子塞到他手里，“巧克力坩埚，里面有火焰威士忌。我奶奶寄给我的，可是我不喜欢……”
“Oh — right — thanks a lot,” said Harry, who could not think what else to say. “Er — I’m just going over here with . . .”	“这——好吧——多谢了，”哈利说道，他想不出别的词，“哦——我是跟……”
He hurried off behind Hermione, his voice tailing away feebly.	他匆匆跟着赫敏走开了，声音渐渐微弱下去。
“Told you,” said Hermione succinctly. “Sooner you ask someone, sooner they’ll all leave you alone and you can —”	“跟你说了，”赫敏简明地说道，“趁早邀请一个人，她们就不会来烦你了——”
But her face suddenly turned blank; she had just spotted Ron and Lavender, who were entwined in the same armchair.	她脸上突然变得一片木然，因为她看到罗恩和拉文德正纠缠在一起，挤在一张扶手椅上。
“Well, good night, Harry,” said Hermione, though it was only seven o’clock in the evening, and she left for the girls’ dormitory without another word.	“晚安，哈利。”赫敏说，其实这时才七点钟，她没再说别的，径自回女生宿舍了。
Harry went to bed comforting himself that there was only one more day of lessons to struggle through, plus Slughorn’s party, after which he and Ron would depart together for the Burrow. It now seemed impossible that Ron and Hermione would make up with each other before the holidays began, but perhaps, somehow, the break would give them time to calm down, think better of their behavior. . . .	哈利上床时安慰自己：还有一天的课和斯拉格霍恩的晚会要对付，然后就可以跟罗恩一起去陋居了。看来罗恩与赫敏不可能在节前和好，但假期也许能让两人冷静下来，反省一下自己的行为。
But his hopes were not high, and they sank still lower after enduring a Transfiguration lesson with them both next day. They had just embarked upon the immensely difficult topic of human Transfiguration; working in front of mirrors, they were supposed to be changing the color of their own eyebrows. Hermione laughed unkindly at Ron’s disastrous first attempt, during which he somehow managed to give himself a spectacular handlebar mustache; Ron retaliated by doing a cruel but accurate impression of Hermione jumping up and down in her seat every time Professor McGonagall asked a question, which Lavender and Parvati found deeply amusing and which reduced Hermione to the verge of tears again. She raced out of the classroom on the bell, leaving half her things behind; Harry, deciding that her need was greater than Ron’s just now, scooped up her remaining possessions and followed her.	但希望不是太大，第二天他跟他们俩一起上了变形课之后，觉得希望更渺茫了。他们已经上到人体变形这个特别难的课题。这节课要求对着镜子使自己的眉毛变色。赫敏刻薄地嘲笑着罗恩灾难性的第一次尝试——他让自己长出了两撇惹眼的八字胡。罗恩以牙还牙，每次麦格教授提问时他都惟妙惟肖地模仿赫敏在座位上跳起坐下，拉文德和帕瓦蒂觉得好笑极了，赫敏又差点哭了出来。下课铃一响她就冲出教室，一半的东西都没拿。哈利觉得此刻她比罗恩更需要安慰，便收拾起她的东西追了出去。
He finally tracked her down as she emerged from a girls’ bathroom on the floor below. She was accompanied by Luna Lovegood, who was patting her vaguely on the back.	终于追到了。赫敏刚从楼下盥洗室出来，旁边是卢娜·洛夫古德，正在胡乱地拍着她的后背。
“Oh, hello, Harry,” said Luna. “Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?”	“哦，你好，哈利，”卢娜说，“你知道你有一根眉毛是金黄的吗？”
“Hi, Luna. Hermione, you left your stuff. . . .”	“嘿，卢娜。赫敏，你东西没拿。”
He held out her books.	哈利把她的书递了过去。
“Oh yes,” said Hermione in a choked voice, taking her things and turning away quickly to hide the fact that she was wiping her eyes on her pencil case. “Thank you, Harry. Well, I’d better get going. . . .”	“哦，对了，”赫敏哽咽地说，一边接过自己的东西，又迅速扭过头去，掩饰她在用文具袋抹眼泪，“谢谢你，哈利。我得走了……”
And she hurried off, without giving Harry any time to offer words of comfort, though admittedly he could not think of any.	她匆匆离去，没有给哈利说安慰话的机会，虽然老实讲他也想不出合适的话来。
“She’s a bit upset,” said Luna. “I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley. . . .”	“她有点儿不高兴，”卢娜说，“起先我还以为是哭泣的桃金娘呢，结果是赫敏。她提到了罗恩·韦斯莱……”
“Yeah, they’ve had a row,” said Harry.	“是啊，他们吵架了。”
“He says very funny things sometimes, doesn’t he?” said Luna, as they set off down the corridor together. “But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year.”	“罗恩有的时候说话很有趣，是不是？”两人一起走在走廊上时，卢娜说，“可是也会有点刻薄，我去年就发现了。”
“I s’pose,” said Harry. Luna was demonstrating her usual knack of speaking uncomfortable truths; he had never met anyone quite like her. “So have you had a good term?”	“是吧。”哈利说。卢娜又显示出了她的特殊才能——一语道破不愉快的真相，他还真没见过像她这样的人，“你这学期过得好吗？”
“Oh, it’s been all right,” said Luna. “A bit lonely without the D.A. Ginny’s been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me ‘Loony’ the other day —”	“哦，还行。D．A．没有了，有点孤单，但金妮很好。那天她在变形课上制止了两个男生叫我‘疯姑娘’——”
“How would you like to come to Slughorn’s party with me tonight?”	“你今晚愿意跟我去参加斯拉格霍恩的晚会吗？”
The words were out of Harry’s mouth before he could stop them; he heard himself say them as though it were a stranger speaking.	这句话脱口而出，哈利已来不及阻止，他觉得好像是一个陌生人在说话。
Luna turned her protuberant eyes upon him in surprise.	卢娜那双向外突出的眼睛惊讶地转向了他。
“Slughorn’s party? With you?”	“斯拉格霍恩的晚会？跟你？”
“Yeah,” said Harry. “We’re supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like . . . I mean . . .” He was keen to make his intentions perfectly clear. “I mean, just as friends, you know. But if you don’t want to . . .”	“对，”哈利说，“我们都要带客人，所以……我想你也许……我的意思是……”他急于澄清自己的意图，“我的意思是，只是作为朋友，你明白。但如果你不想……”
He was already half hoping that she didn’t want to.	他已经有点儿希望她不想去了。
“Oh, no, I’d love to go with you as friends!” said Luna, beaming as he had never seen her beam before. “Nobody’s ever asked me to a party before, as a friend! Is that why you dyed your eyebrow, for the party? Should I do mine too?”	“啊，不，我愿意作为朋友跟你去！”卢娜笑逐颜开，哈利从来没见过她这么灿烂的笑容，“没人邀请过我参加晚会，作为朋友！你是不是为这个还染了眉毛？我也要染吗？”
“No,” said Harry firmly, “that was a mistake. I’ll get Hermione to put it right for me. So, I’ll meet you in the entrance hall at eight o’clock then.”	“不用，”哈利坚决地说，“那是个错误。我要请赫敏帮我变回来。那，我八点在门厅等你。”
“AHA!” screamed a voice from overhead and both of them jumped; unnoticed by either of them, they had just passed right underneath Peeves, who was hanging upside down from a chandelier and grinning maliciously at them.	“啊哈！”头上一个声音怪叫道，两人都吓了一跳。他们没注意，刚才正好从皮皮鬼的下面走过，他倒挂在一个枝形烛台上，正朝他们龇牙咧嘴地坏笑着。
“Potty asked Loony to go to the party! Potty lurves Loony! Potty luuuuurves Looooooony!”	“傻宝宝请疯姑娘去参加晚会！傻宝宝爱上了疯姑娘！傻宝宝爱——上了疯姑——娘！”
And he zoomed away, cackling and shrieking, “Potty loves Loony!”	他嗖地飞走了，一边咯咯地笑着，一边尖叫着：“傻宝宝爱上了疯姑娘！”
“Nice to keep these things private,” said Harry. And sure enough, in no time at all the whole school seemed to know that Harry Potter was taking Luna Lovegood to Slughorn’s party.	“这些事最好不要张扬。”哈利说。当然，一转眼好像全校都知道了哈利·波特邀请卢娜·洛夫古德去参加斯拉格霍恩的晚会。
“You could’ve taken anyone!” said Ron in disbelief over dinner. “Anyone! And you chose Loony Lovegood?”	“你可以带任何人！”吃晚饭时罗恩不敢相信地说，“任何人！可你选了疯姑娘洛夫古德？”
“Don’t call her that, Ron,” snapped Ginny, pausing behind Harry on her way to join friends. “I’m really glad you’re taking her, Harry, she’s so excited.”	“别那么说她，罗恩。”金妮责备道，她刚好从哈利身后路过，到她朋友那边去，“我真高兴你要带她去，哈利，她可兴奋了。”
And she moved on down the table to sit with Dean. Harry tried to feel pleased that Ginny was glad he was taking Luna to the party, but could not quite manage it. A long way along the table, Hermione was sitting alone, playing with her stew. Harry noticed Ron looking at her furtively.	她走过去跟迪安坐在了一起。哈利试图为金妮赞同他带卢娜去参加晚会而感到快乐，可是他做不到。赫敏一个人坐得远远的，拨弄着她的炖菜。哈利注意到罗恩正在偷偷地看她。
“You could say sorry,” suggested Harry bluntly.	“你可以去道歉啊。”哈利直率地提议说。
“What, and get attacked by another flock of canaries?” muttered Ron.	“什么？再让一群小鸟来啄我？”罗恩嘟囔道。
“What did you have to imitate her for?”	“你干吗要模仿她？”
“She laughed at my mustache!”	“她笑我的胡子！”
“So did I, it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.”	“我也笑了，这是我见过的最傻的事。”
But Ron did not seem to have heard; Lavender had just arrived with Parvati. Squeezing herself in between Harry and Ron, Lavender flung her arms around Ron’s neck.	但罗恩好像没听见，拉文德跟帕瓦蒂刚刚进来。拉文德挤到罗恩和哈利的中间，伸出胳膊搂住了罗恩的脖子。
“Hi, Harry,” said Parvati who, like him, looked faintly embarrassed and bored by the behavior of their two friends.	“嘿，哈利。”帕瓦蒂说，她好像跟哈利一样，对两位朋友的行为感到有点儿难堪和厌烦。
“Hi,” said Harry. “How’re you? You’re staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave.”	“嘿，”哈利说道，“你好吗？你要留在霍格沃茨？我听说你父母想让你回去。”
“I managed to talk them out of it for the time being,” said Parvati. “That Katie thing really freaked them out, but as there hasn’t been anything since . . . Oh, hi, Hermione!”	“我暂时说服了他们。凯蒂的事情着实把他们吓坏了，但因为后来一直没事……哦，嘿，赫敏！”
Parvati positively beamed. Harry could tell that she was feeling guilty for having laughed at Hermione in Transfiguration. He looked around and saw that Hermione was beaming back, if possible even more brightly. Girls were very strange sometimes.	帕瓦蒂满脸带笑，哈利看得出她在为变形课上笑了赫敏感到内疚。他扭头一看，见赫敏也是一副笑容，如果可能的话，甚至可以说是灿烂的笑容。女孩子有时真是很奇怪。
“Hi, Parvati!” said Hermione, ignoring Ron and Lavender completely. “Are you going to Slughorn’s party tonight?”	“嘿，帕瓦蒂！”赫敏说，全然不理会罗恩和拉文德，“你今晚去参加斯拉格霍恩的晚会吗？”
“No invite,” said Parvati gloomily. “I’d love to go, though, it sounds like it’s going to be really good. . . . You’re going, aren’t you?”	“没人邀请我，”帕瓦蒂沮丧地说，“但是我很想去，听起来很棒……你会去的吧？”
“Yes, I’m meeting Cormac at eight, and we’re —”	“嗯，我八点跟考迈克见面，我们——”
There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink and Ron surfaced. Hermione acted as though she had not seen or heard anything.	好像皮搋子从堵塞的水池里拔出来的声音，罗恩浮出了水面。赫敏好像什么也没听见，什么也没看见。
“— we’re going up to the party together.”	“——我们一起去。”
“Cormac?” said Parvati. “Cormac McLaggen, you mean?”	“考迈克？”帕瓦蒂问，“你是说考迈克·麦克拉根？”
“That’s right,” said Hermione sweetly. “The one who almost” — she put a great deal of emphasis on the word — “became Gryffindor Keeper.”	“对，”赫敏甜甜地说，“就是差一点儿——”她格外强调了这个词“——当上格兰芬多守门员的那个。”
“Are you going out with him, then?” asked Parvati, wide-eyed.	“那你在跟他约会了？”帕瓦蒂瞪大了眼睛问。
“Oh — yes — didn’t you know?” said Hermione, with a most un-Hermione-ish giggle.	“哦——是啊——你不知道吗？”赫敏说着，非常不像赫敏地咯咯笑起来。
“No!” said Parvati, looking positively agog at this piece of gossip. “Wow, you like your Quidditch players, don’t you? First Krum, then McLaggen . . .”	“不会吧！”帕瓦蒂看上去对这个消息大为兴奋，“哇，你真是喜欢魁地奇球员，是不是？先是克鲁姆，然后是麦克拉根……”
“I like really good Quidditch players,” Hermione corrected her, still smiling. “Well, see you . . . Got to go and get ready for the party. . . .”	“我喜欢真正出色的魁地奇球员，”赫敏纠正她说，依旧是面带微笑，“好了，以后再聊……得去准备参加晚会了……”
She left. At once Lavender and Parvati put their heads together to discuss this new development, with everything they had ever heard about McLaggen, and all they had ever guessed about Hermione. Ron looked strangely blank and said nothing. Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.	她走了。拉文德和帕瓦蒂马上把脑袋凑在一起议论着这个新情况，包括她们对麦克拉根的一切耳闻，以及她们对赫敏的一切猜测。罗恩表情异常麻木，一言不发。哈利留在那儿，思考着女孩子为了报复可以陷得有多深。
When he arrived in the entrance hall at eight o’clock that night, he found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully as he approached Luna. She was wearing a set of spangled silver robes that were attracting a certain amount of giggles from the onlookers, but otherwise she looked quite nice. Harry was glad, in any case, that she had left off her radish earrings, her butterbeer cork necklace, and her Spectrespecs.	晚上八点，他来到门厅，发现有异常多的女孩子在那儿游荡。当他走向卢娜时，她们似乎都在怨恨地盯着他。卢娜穿着一套镶着银色亮片的袍子，这引起一些窃笑，但在其他方面她看上去还是挺好的。哈利很高兴她没戴萝卜耳环、黄油啤酒瓶塞项链和她的防妖眼镜。
“Hi,” he said. “Shall we get going then?”	“嘿！我们走吧？”
“Oh yes,” she said happily. “Where is the party?”	“哦，好啊，”她愉快地说，“晚会在哪儿？”
“Slughorn’s office,” said Harry, leading her up the marble staircase away from all the staring and muttering. “Did you hear, there’s supposed to be a vampire coming?”	“斯拉格霍恩的办公室。”哈利带着她登上大理石台阶，离开了那些眼光和嘀咕声，“你听说了吗，有吸血鬼要去呢。”
“Rufus Scrimgeour?” asked Luna.	“鲁弗斯·斯克林杰？”卢娜问。
“I — what?” said Harry, disconcerted. “You mean the Minister of Magic?”	“我——什么？”哈利吃了一惊，问道：“你是说魔法部长？”
“Yes, he’s a vampire,” said Luna matter-of-factly. “Father wrote a very long article about it when Scrimgeour first took over from Cornelius Fudge, but he was forced not to publish by somebody from the Ministry. Obviously, they didn’t want the truth to get out!”	“对，他是个吸血鬼。”卢娜十分肯定地说，“斯克林杰刚刚接替康奈利·福吉的时候，我爸爸写了一篇很长的文章，可是部里有人不让他发表。显然，他们不想泄漏真相！”
Harry, who thought it most unlikely that Rufus Scrimgeour was a vampire, but who was used to Luna repeating her father’s bizarre views as though they were fact, did not reply; they were already approaching Slughorn’s office and the sounds of laughter, music, and loud conversation were growing louder with every step they took.	哈利觉得说鲁弗斯·斯克林杰是吸血鬼太荒唐了，但他习惯了卢娜把她父亲的怪念头当真事儿讲，便没有说话。他们已经走近斯拉格霍恩的办公室，笑声、音乐声和响亮的说话声随着他们的脚步而增强。
Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn’s office was much larger than the usual teacher’s study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.	不知道是本来如此，还是因为施了魔法，斯拉格霍恩的办公室比一般教师的房间大得多。天花板和墙壁上挂着翠绿、深红和金色的帷幔，看上去像在一个大帐篷里。房间里拥挤闷热，被天花板中央挂着的一盏金色华灯照得红彤彤的。灯里有真的小精灵在闪烁，每个小精灵都是一个明亮的光点。远处一个角落传来响亮的、听起来像用曼陀铃伴奏的歌声；几个谈兴正浓的老男巫头上笼罩着烟斗的青雾；一些家养小精灵在小腿的丛林中吱吱穿行，托着沉甸甸的银盘，把它们的身体都遮住了，看上去就像漫游的小桌子。
“Harry, m’boy!” boomed Slughorn, almost as soon as Harry and Luna had squeezed in through the door. “Come in, come in, so many people I’d like you to meet!”	“哈利，我的孩子！”哈利和卢娜刚一挤进门，斯拉格霍恩便声如洪钟地叫道，“进来，进来，有这么多人要让你见见呢！”
Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat to match his smoking jacket. Gripping Harry’s arm so tightly he might have been hoping to Disapparate with him, Slughorn led him purposefully into the party; Harry seized Luna’s hand and dragged her along with him.	斯拉格霍恩戴着一顶带缨穗的天鹅绒帽子，与他的吸烟衫很匹配。他不由分说地领着哈利走进人群，把哈利的胳膊抓得紧紧的，好像要带他幻影移形似的。哈利拉住卢娜的手，拽着她一起走。
“Harry, I’d like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires — and, of course, his friend Sanguini.”	“哈利，我想让你见见埃尔德·沃普尔，我以前的学生，《血亲兄弟：我在吸血鬼中生活》的作者——当然，还有他的朋友血尼。”
Worple, who was a small, stout, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry’s hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded. He looked rather bored. A gaggle of girls was standing close to him, looking curious and excited.	沃普尔是个戴着眼镜的小个子男人，他抓住哈利的手热切地握着。吸血鬼血尼又高又瘦，眼睛下有黑圈，一副厌倦的样子，一群女孩站在他旁边，好奇而兴奋。
“Harry Potter, I am simply delighted!” said Worple, peering shortsightedly up into Harry’s face. “I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, ‘Where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we have all been waiting?’ ”	“哈利·波特，我太高兴了！”沃普尔说，一边瞪着近视的双眼仰望着哈利的面孔，“我那天还跟斯拉格霍恩教授说呢，我们大家拭目以待的《哈利·波特传》在哪儿呢？”
“Er,” said Harry, “were you?”	“呃，”哈利说，“是吗？”
“Just as modest as Horace described!” said Worple. “But seriously” — his manner changed; it became suddenly businesslike — “I would be delighted to write it myself — people are craving to know more about you, dear boy, craving! If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four- or five-hour sessions, why, we could have the book finished within months. And all with very little effort on your part, I assure you — ask Sanguini here if it isn’t quite — Sanguini, stay here!” added Worple, suddenly stern, for the vampire had been edging toward the nearby group of girls, a rather hungry look in his eye. “Here, have a pasty,” said Worple, seizing one from a passing elf and stuffing it into Sanguini’s hand before turning his attention back to Harry.	“果然像霍拉斯说的那么谦虚！”沃普尔说，“但说真格的——”他态度一变，突然像谈起了生意，“我很愿意写这本书——人们渴望更多地了解你，亲爱的孩子，渴望！如果你能接受我的几次采访，每次四五个小时，那样，几个月就能成书。不会费你什么事，我保证——问问血尼是不是——血尼，别走！”沃普尔突然变得神色严厉起来，因为吸血鬼朝旁边那群女孩蹭了过去，眼里带着饥饿的光。“给你，吃块馅饼。”沃普尔说着从一个托盘的小精灵那儿抓过一块塞到血尼手中，然后又把注意力转到哈利身上。
“My dear boy, the gold you could make, you have no idea —”	“亲爱的孩子，你能赚多少钱啊，你想象不到——”
“I’m definitely not interested,” said Harry firmly, “and I’ve just seen a friend of mine, sorry.”	“我实在不感兴趣。”哈利坚决地说，“我看到了一个朋友，对不起。”
He pulled Luna after him into the crowd; he had indeed just seen a long mane of brown hair disappear between what looked like two members of the Weird Sisters.	他拖着卢娜挤进人群，他确实看到了一头棕色的长发，好像消失在了两个古怪姐妹演唱组之间。
“Hermione! Hermione!”	“赫敏！赫敏！”
“Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, Luna!”	“哈利！你在这儿，太好了！嘿，卢娜！”
“What’s happened to you?” asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly disheveled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devil’s Snare.	“你怎么了？”哈利问道，赫敏看上去凌乱不堪，好像刚从魔鬼网中挣脱出来。
“Oh, I’ve just escaped — I mean, I’ve just left Cormac,” she said. “Under the mistletoe,” she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her.	“哦，我刚刚逃脱——我是说，我刚刚离开了考迈克。”她说，见哈利还在询问地看着她，又解释地加了一句，“在槲寄生底下。”
“Serves you right for coming with him,” he told her severely.	“谁让你跟他来的。”哈利严厉地说。
“I thought he’d annoy Ron most,” said Hermione dispassionately. “I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole —”	“我想他最能惹罗恩生气，”赫敏冷静地说道，“我考虑过扎卡赖斯·史密斯，但是我想，总体上——”
“You considered Smith?” said Harry, revolted.	“你考虑过史密斯？”哈利反感地问道。
“Yes, I did, and I’m starting to wish I’d chosen him, McLaggen makes Grawp look a gentleman. Let’s go this way, we’ll be able to see him coming, he’s so tall. . . .”	“是啊，我现在希望选择的是他，跟麦克拉根一比，格洛普都显得像绅士。我们到那边去，可以看到他过来，他那么高……”
The three of them made their way over to the other side of the room, scooping up goblets of mead on the way, realizing too late that Professor Trelawney was standing there alone.	三人向房间那头挤去，一边抓过几只装着蜂蜜酒的高脚杯，等到发现特里劳妮教授一个人站在那儿时，已经太晚了。
“Hello,” said Luna politely to Professor Trelawney.	“您好。”卢娜礼貌地说。
“Good evening, my dear,” said Professor Trelawney, focusing upon Luna with some difficulty. Harry could smell cooking sherry again. “I haven’t seen you in my classes lately. . . .”	“晚上好，亲爱的。”特里劳妮教授费了点劲才看清了卢娜。哈利又闻到了雪利料酒的气味。“最近我课上没见到你……”
“No, I’ve got Firenze this year,” said Luna.	“嗯，我今年选了费伦泽的课。”卢娜说。
“Oh, of course,” said Professor Trelawney with an angry, drunken titter. “Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse? But no . . . we share classes. . . . It’s an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know . . .”	“哦，当然，”特里劳妮教授带着怒气醉醺醺地干笑一声，说道，“我喜欢叫他驽马。你们可能以为，我回来了，邓布利多教授会把那匹马打发走吧？可是没有……我们还要分摊上课……这是侮辱，说真的，侮辱。你知道……”
Professor Trelawney seemed too tipsy to have recognized Harry. Under cover of her furious criticisms of Firenze, Harry drew closer to Hermione and said, “Let’s get something straight. Are you planning to tell Ron that you interfered at Keeper tryouts?”	特里劳妮教授似乎醉得没有认出哈利。趁着她在激烈抨击费伦泽，哈利凑近赫敏说：“我们现在说清楚，你打算告诉罗恩你干预了守门员选拔赛吗？”
Hermione raised her eyebrows. “Do you really think I’d stoop that low?”	赫敏扬起了眉毛。
Harry looked at her shrewdly. “Hermione, if you can ask out McLaggen —”	“你真以为我做得出那种事？”
“There’s a difference,” said Hermione with dignity. “I’ve got no plans to tell Ron anything about what might, or might not, have happened at Keeper tryouts.”	哈利精明地看着她。
“Good,” said Harry fervently. “Because he’ll just fall apart again, and we’ll lose the next match —”	“赫敏，如果你能邀请麦克拉根——”
“Quidditch!” said Hermione angrily. “Is that all boys care about? Cormac hasn’t asked me one single question about myself, no, I’ve just been treated to ‘A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen’ nonstop ever since — oh no, here he comes!”	“那不一样，”赫敏傲然道，“我没打算告诉罗恩守门员选拔赛上本来会发生什么，或不会发生什么。”
She moved so fast it was as though she had Disapparated; one moment she was there, the next, she had squeezed between two guffawing witches and vanished.	“那就好，”哈利热切地说，“不然他又会崩溃，我们下一场又完了——”
“Seen Hermione?” asked McLaggen, forcing his way through the throng a minute later.	“魁地奇！”赫敏气呼呼地说道，“男孩子就只关心这个吗？考迈克没问过一个关于我本人的问题，一直给我大讲特讲考迈克·麦克拉根的一百个惊险救球——哎呀，他来了！”
“No, sorry,” said Harry, and he turned quickly to join in Luna’s conversation, forgetting for a split second to whom she was talking.	她动作快得像幻影移形，前一秒还在这儿，下一秒就从两个大笑的女巫中间钻过去消失了。
“Harry Potter!” said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time.	“看到赫敏了吗？”一分钟后麦克拉根从人堆里挤过来问道。
“Oh, hello,” said Harry unenthusiastically.	“没有，对不起。”哈利说完，赶紧转身加入了卢娜的谈话，一时竟忘记了她面前的人是谁。
“My dear boy!” she said in a very carrying whisper. “The rumors! The stories! ‘The Chosen One’! Of course, I have known for a very long time. . . . The omens were never good, Harry. . . . But why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!”	“哈利·波特！”特里劳妮教授用那带着回响的深沉声音叫了起来，第一次注意到了哈利。
“Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject’s most important!” said a loud voice, and Slughorn appeared at Professor Trelawney’s other side, his face very red, his velvet hat a little askew, a glass of mead in one hand and an enormous mince pie in the other. “But I don’t think I’ve ever known such a natural at Potions!” said Slughorn, regarding Harry with a fond, if bloodshot, eye. “Instinctive, you know — like his mother! I’ve only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, I can tell you that, Sybill — why even Severus —”	“啊，您好。”哈利冷漠地说。
And to Harry’s horror, Slughorn threw out an arm and seemed to scoop Snape out of thin air toward them.	“我亲爱的孩子！”她说道，声音很小，但传得很远，“那些谣传！那些故事！救世之星！当然，我早就知道了……兆头总是不好，哈利……可是你为什么不来上占卜课了呢？对你来说，这门课尤为重要啊！”
“Stop skulking and come and join us, Severus!” hiccuped Slughorn happily. “I was just talking about Harry’s exceptional po-tion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!”	“啊，西比尔，我们都觉得自己的课最重要！”一个洪亮的声音说，斯拉格霍恩出现在特里劳妮教授的另一边，他面色通红，天鹅绒帽子有点歪，一手端着蜂蜜酒，一手举着一块巨大的百果馅饼，“可是我想我从没见过这样一个魔药方面的天才！”他用宠爱的，虽然有些充血的眼睛看着哈利，“有天赋——像他妈妈！我只教过几个天资这么高的学生，我可以告诉你，西比尔——就连西弗勒斯——”
Trapped, with Slughorn’s arm around his shoulders, Snape looked down his hooked nose at Harry, his black eyes narrowed.	哈利惊恐地看到斯拉格霍恩伸出一只胳膊，就像是从空气中把斯内普钩了出来。
“Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all.”	“别偷偷摸摸的，来跟我们聊聊，西弗勒斯！”斯拉格霍恩快活地打着饱嗝说道，“我正谈到哈利在魔药学上的特殊才能！当然也有你的功劳，你教了他五年！”
“Well, then, it’s natural ability!” shouted Slughorn. “You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of Living Death — never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don’t think even you, Severus —”	斯内普被斯拉格霍恩的胳膊箍住了肩膀，动弹不得，他的目光顺着鹰钩鼻子落到哈利身上，黑眼睛眯缝着。
“Really?” said Snape quietly, his eyes still boring into Harry, who felt a certain disquiet. The last thing he wanted was for Snape to start investigating the source of his newfound brilliance at Potions.	“有趣，我从没觉得我教会过波特任何东西。”
“Remind me what other subjects you’re taking, Harry?” asked Slughorn.	“哦，那就是天才！”斯拉格霍恩叫道，“你没看见他第一节课交给我的活地狱汤剂呢——没见过哪个学生第一次能做得比他更好，我想就连你，西弗勒斯——”
“Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology . . .”	“是吗？”斯内普平静地说，眼睛像钻子似的盯着哈利。哈利有点不安，惟恐斯内普追究起他在魔药学上新才华的来源。
“All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror,” said Snape, with the faintest sneer.	“提醒我一下，你还修了什么课，哈利？”斯拉格霍恩问。
“Yeah, well, that’s what I’d like to do,” said Harry defiantly.	“黑魔法防御术，魔咒课，变形课，草药课……”
“And a great one you’ll make too!” boomed Slughorn.	“一句话，当傲罗需要学的所有课程。”斯内普说，带着微微一丝冷笑。
“I don’t think you should be an Auror, Harry,” said Luna unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. “The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They’re working to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease.”	“是的，我就是想当傲罗。”哈利挑战地说。
Harry inhaled half his mead up his nose as he started to laugh. Really, it had been worth bringing Luna just for this. Emerging from his goblet, coughing, sopping wet but still grinning, he saw something calculated to raise his spirits even higher: Draco Malfoy being dragged by the ear toward them by Argus Filch.	“你会是一名优秀的傲罗的！”斯拉格霍恩声音洪亮地说。
“Professor Slughorn,” wheezed Filch, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes, “I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?”	“我觉得你不应该当傲罗，哈利。”卢娜出人意料地说道，大家都看着她，“傲罗是腐牙阴谋的一部分。我以为大家都知道呢。他们要利用黑魔法和牙龈病从内部搞垮魔法部。”
Malfoy pulled himself free of Filch’s grip, looking furious.	哈利噗嗤一笑，把一半蜂蜜酒吸到了鼻腔里。真的，光为这个带卢娜来也值了。他从杯子上抬起头，咳嗽着，脸上湿漉漉的，还带着笑，却又看到了一件像是有意要让他兴致更高的事情——德拉科·马尔福被费尔奇揪着耳朵朝这边走了过来。
“All right, I wasn’t invited!” he said angrily. “I was trying to gatecrash, happy?”	“斯拉格霍恩教授，”费尔奇呼哧呼哧地说，下巴上的肉抖动着，金鱼眼中闪着抓到学生调皮捣蛋时的那种疯狂的光，“我发现这个男孩躲在楼上走廊里，你给他发请柬了吗？”
“No, I’m not!” said Filch, a statement at complete odds with the glee on his face. “You’re in trouble, you are! Didn’t the headmaster say that nighttime prowling’s out, unless you’ve got permission, didn’t he, eh?”	马尔福挣脱了费尔奇的手，看上去气急败坏。
“That’s all right, Argus, that’s all right,” said Slughorn, waving a hand. “It’s Christmas, and it’s not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we’ll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco.”	“行了，没邀请我，”他愤愤地说，“我想闯进来，高兴了吧？”
Filch’s expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and . . . was it possible? . . . a little afraid?	“不，我不高兴！”费尔奇说，这话与他脸上的得意全然不符，“你有麻烦了！校长不是说未经允许晚上不许乱走吗？嗯？”
But almost before Harry had registered what he had seen, Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath; Malfoy had composed his face into a smile and was thanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape’s face was smoothly inscrutable again.	“不要紧，阿格斯，不要紧，”斯拉格霍恩挥了挥手说，“圣诞节嘛，想参加晚会又不是罪过。这次就算了吧，下不为例。德拉科，你可以留下。”
“It’s nothing, nothing,” said Slughorn, waving away Malfoy’s thanks. “I did know your grandfather, after all. . . .”	费尔奇那愤慨和失望的表情自然是意料之中的。但令哈利纳闷的是，马尔福为什么几乎同样不高兴呢？斯内普看着马尔福的眼神为什么既愤怒又……这可能吗？……有点害怕？
“He always spoke very highly of you, sir,” said Malfoy quickly. “Said you were the best potion-maker he’d ever known. . . .”	可是哈利几乎还没来得及记住眼前所见，费尔奇已经转身拖着步子，一边小声嘟囔着走开了，马尔福也已经整理出一副笑脸感谢斯拉格霍恩的宽大，斯内普的表情又平静得深不可测了。
Harry stared at Malfoy. It was not the sucking-up that intrigued him; he had watched Malfoy do that to Snape for a long time. It was the fact that Malfoy did, after all, look a little ill. This was the first time he had seen Malfoy close up for ages; he now saw that Malfoy had dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly grayish tinge to his skin.	“没什么，没什么，”斯拉格霍恩一摆手，说道，“毕竟，我认识你的祖父……”
“I’d like a word with you, Draco,” said Snape suddenly.	“他一向对您称赞有加，先生，”马尔福马上说，“说您是他知道的最好的魔药专家……”
“Oh, now, Severus,” said Slughorn, hiccuping again, “it’s Christmas, don’t be too hard —”	哈利瞪着马尔福，不是为这马屁而惊奇（他见马尔福拍过斯内普好多回），而是马尔福看上去确实有点病态。很久以来他第一次这么近地观察马尔福。他发现马尔福的眼睛下面有黑圈，皮肤明显有些发灰。
“I’m his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be,” said Snape curtly. “Follow me, Draco.”	“我有话跟你说，德拉科。”斯内普突然说。
They left, Snape leading the way, Malfoy looking resentful. Harry stood there for a moment, irresolute, then said, “I’ll be back in a bit, Luna — er — bathroom.”	“哎呀，西弗勒斯，”斯拉格霍恩说，又打了一个饱嗝，“圣诞节，别太严厉——”
“All right,” she said cheerfully, and he thought he heard her, as he hurried off into the crowd, resume the subject of the Rotfang Conspiracy with Professor Trelawney, who seemed sincerely interested.	“我是他的院长，严厉不严厉应由我决定。”斯内普简短地说，“跟我来，德拉科。”
It was easy, once out of the party, to pull his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and throw it over himself, for the corridor was quite deserted. What was more difficult was finding Snape and Malfoy. Harry ran down the corridor, the noise of his feet masked by the music and loud talk still issuing from Slughorn’s office behind him. Perhaps Snape had taken Malfoy to his office in the dungeons . . . or perhaps he was escorting him back to the Slytherin common room. . . . Harry pressed his ear against door after door as he dashed down the corridor until, with a great jolt of excitement, he crouched down to the keyhole of the last classroom in the corridor and heard voices.	两人走了，斯内普在前，马尔福气呼呼地后面跟着。哈利犹豫地站了片刻，然后说：“我去去就来，卢娜——哦——上厕所。”
“. . . cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled —”	“好的。”卢娜愉快地说。哈利匆匆钻进人群时，似乎听到她又对特里劳妮教授讲起腐牙阴谋，特里劳妮教授好像还真感兴趣。
“I didn’t have anything to do with it, all right?”	出来之后，哈利从兜里抽出隐形衣披到身上，这样做很容易，因为走廊上很空，难的是找到斯内普和马尔福。哈利跑了起来，斯拉格霍恩办公室里仍在传出的音乐与谈话声掩盖了他的脚步声。也许斯内普把马尔福带到他的地下办公室去了……也许正在把他送回斯莱特林的公共休息室……哈利还是把耳朵贴到一扇扇门上。当他凑到走廊上最后一间教室的钥匙孔上时，顿觉一阵狂喜，他听到了说话声。
“I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it.”	“……不能再出纰漏，德拉科，要是你被开除——”
“Who suspects me?” said Malfoy angrily. “For the last time, I didn’t do it, okay? That Bell girl must’ve had an enemy no one knows about — don’t look at me like that! I know what you’re doing, I’m not stupid, but it won’t work — I can stop you!”	“那事跟我无关，知道吗？”
There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, “Ah . . . Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?”	“我希望你说的是真话，因为那事拙劣而又愚蠢，你已经受到怀疑了。”
“I’m not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don’t want you butting in!”	“谁怀疑我？”马尔福生气地问，“再说最后一遍，不是我干的，知道吗？那个叫凯蒂的女孩准是有个没人知道的仇人——别那样看着我！我知道你在干什么，我又不傻，可是没用——我能阻止你！”
Harry pressed his ear still more closely against the keyhole. . . . What had happened to make Malfoy speak to Snape like this — Snape, toward whom he had always shown respect, even liking?	停了一阵子，斯内普轻声说道：“呃……贝拉特里克斯姨妈教过你大脑封闭术。你有什么念头想瞒着你的主人，德拉科？”
“So that is why you have been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco —”	“我没想瞒着他，我只是不要你插在里面。”
“So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!” jeered Malfoy.	哈利把耳朵贴得更紧了一些……是什么使马尔福开始这样对斯内普说话呢？斯内普，马尔福以前可是好像一直挺尊敬，甚至挺喜欢他的啊？
There was another pause. Then Snape said, “You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things.”	“所以你这学期躲着我？你怕我干涉？你要知道，德拉科，如果换了别人，我多次叫他来我办公室而他不来——”
“You’d better stop telling me to come to your office then!”	“关禁闭！报告邓布利多！”马尔福讥笑道。
“Listen to me,” said Snape, his voice so low now that Harry had to push his ear very hard against the keyhole to hear. “I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco —”	又停了一阵子，斯内普说：“你很清楚我不想做这些事。”
“Looks like you’ll have to break it, then, because I don’t need your protection! It’s my job, he gave it to me and I’m doing it, I’ve got a plan and it’s going to work, it’s just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!”	“那你最好别再叫我去你的办公室。”
“What is your plan?”	“听我说，”斯内普的声音压得太低了，哈利把耳朵使劲贴在钥匙孔上才能听到，“我想帮助你。我对你母亲发过誓要保护你。我立了牢不可破的誓言，德拉科——”
“It’s none of your business!”	“看来你必须打破了，因为我不需要你的保护。这是我的工作，他给我的，我正在做。我有一个计划，会成功的，只是时间比我预计的要长些！”
“If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you —”	“你的计划是什么？”
“I’ve got all the assistance I need, thanks, I’m not alone!”	“你管不着！”
“You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes —”	“如果你告诉我，我可以帮你——”
“I would’ve had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn’t put them in detention!”	“我已经有足够的帮手，谢谢，我不是一个人！”
“Keep your voice down!” spat Snape, for Malfoy’s voice had risen excitedly. “If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres —”	“你今晚无疑是一个人，这是极其愚蠢的，在走廊里游荡，没有岗哨也没有后援。这些是低级错误——”
“What does it matter?” said Malfoy. “Defense Against the Dark Arts — it’s all just a joke, isn’t it, an act? Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts —”	“本来有克拉布和高尔跟着我，可是你关了他们的禁闭！”
“It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!” said Snape. “Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle —”	“小点儿声！”斯内普警告道，因为马尔福这时激动得提高了嗓门，“你的朋友克拉布和高尔这次要想通过黑魔法防御术的O．W．Ls考试，还得多下点儿功夫——”
“They’re not the only ones, I’ve got other people on my side, better people!”	“通不过有什么关系？黑魔法防御术——只是一个笑话，一场戏，对不对？好像我们中间有谁需要黑魔法防御——”
“Then why not confide in me, and I can —”	“这是一场对成功非常关键的戏，德拉科！”斯内普说道，“如果我不会演戏，你想我这些年会在哪儿？听我说！你现在很不谨慎，夜里到处乱走，被人当场抓住，还有，如果你依赖克拉布和高尔这样的助手——”
“I know what you’re up to! You want to steal my glory!”	“不是只有他们，我身边还有别人，更强的人！”
There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, “You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father’s capture and imprisonment has upset you, but —”	“为什么不能告诉我，我可以——”
Harry had barely a second’s warning; he heard Malfoy’s footsteps on the other side of the door and flung himself out of the way just as it burst open; Malfoy was striding away down the corridor, past the open door of Slughorn’s office, around the distant corner, and out of sight.	“我知道你在打什么主意！你想抢我的功！”
Hardly daring to breathe, Harry remained crouched down as Snape emerged slowly from the classroom. His expression unfathomable, he returned to the party. Harry remained on the floor, hidden beneath the cloak, his mind racing.	又停了一阵子，斯内普冷冷地说道：“你说话像个小孩子。我很理解你父亲入狱令你心烦意乱，但——”
	哈利几乎连一秒钟的思想准备都没有，就听到马尔福的脚步声在门的那边响起。他赶紧闪到一边，门已砰地打开了，马尔福大步朝走廊那头走去，经过斯拉格霍恩办公室敞开的门口，转过拐角不见了。
	哈利大气不敢出，继续蹲伏着，斯内普慢慢走出教室，表情深不可测，回去参加晚会了。哈利蹲在隐形衣下，脑子飞快地转动着。