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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

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN DOBBY’S REWARD

第十八章　多比的报偿

For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry’s case) blood. Then there was a scream.

哈利、罗恩、金妮和洛哈特站在门口，身上布满了淤泥和黏液，哈利的长袍上还沾着血迹。一时间，四下里一片静默。突然，一声尖叫——“金妮！”

“Ginny!”

是韦斯莱夫人，她刚才一直坐在炉火前哭泣。她猛地跳起来，后面跟着韦斯莱先生，两个人同时伸出双臂，搂住了他们的宝贝女儿。

It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.

哈利的目光越过他们，朝屋里望去。邓布利多教授面带微笑，站在壁炉架前面，在他旁边的是麦格教授，她用手揪住胸口，大口大口地抽着冷气。福克斯呼地贴着哈利的耳边飞过，落在邓布利多的肩头。就在这时，哈利发现自己和罗恩都被韦斯莱夫人紧紧搂到了怀里。

Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest. Fawkes went whooshing past Harry’s ear and settled on Dumbledore’s shoulder, just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley’s tight embrace.

“你们救了她！你们救了她！你们是怎么做的？”

“You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?”

“这也是我们大家都想知道的。”麦格教授虚弱无力地说。

“I think we’d all like to know that,” said Professor McGonagall weakly.

韦斯莱夫人松开了哈利，哈利迟疑了片刻，走到书桌旁，把分院帽、镶着红宝石的银剑，以及里德尔那本日记的残骸，一样一样都放在桌上。随后，他开始把事情原原本本地讲给他们听。他讲了大约有一刻钟，大家听得十分专心，房间里鸦雀无声。他讲到，他总是听见那个没有形体的、游魂般的声音，赫敏费尽心思，终于发现他听见的是一条蛇怪潜伏在水管里的声音；他还讲到，他和罗恩曾经跟随蜘蛛进入了禁林，阿拉戈克告诉他们蛇怪的最后一个牺牲品是在什么地方遇害的，于是他便猜到，哭泣的桃金娘就是那个受害者，而密室的入口很可能就在她的盥洗室里……

Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the rubyencrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle’s diary.

“很好，”他停顿下来时，麦格教授鼓励他继续往下说，“这么说你们发现了入口在哪里——我还得补充一句，你们一路上违反了一百多条校规——可是你们究竟是怎么从那儿死里逃生的呢，波特？”

Then he started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom. . . .

于是哈利继续往下说，他因为不停地讲话，嗓子都沙哑了。他告诉他们，福克斯怎样及时赶到，分院帽怎样赠给他宝剑。可是接着，他的声音变得迟疑了。他前面一直避免提到里德尔的日记——提到金妮。此刻，金妮正站在那里，把头靠在韦斯莱夫人的肩膀上，眼泪仍然默默地顺着她的面颊滚落下来。如果他们把她开除了怎么办呢？哈利紧张地思索着。里德尔的日记已经失灵了……他们怎么能够证明，那些事情都是里德尔强迫她做的呢？哈利本能地把目光投向了邓布利多，只见校长淡淡地微笑着，火光在他半月形的眼镜片上飞快地一闪。

“Very well,” Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, “so you found out where the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add — but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?”

“我最感兴趣的是，”邓布利多温和地说，“伏地魔是用什么办法迷惑金妮的，因为据我的消息来源显示，他目前正躲在阿尔巴尼亚的森林里呢。”

So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes’s timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle’s diary — or Ginny. She was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley’s shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic. Riddle’s diary didn’t work anymore. . . . How could they prove it had been he who’d made her do it all?

哈利松了口气——大大地、如释重负地松了口气，浑身感到一阵轻松，心里热乎乎的。

Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.

“什——什么？”韦斯莱夫人用惊愕的声音说，“神秘人？迷惑了金妮？可是金妮不是……金妮没有……是吗？”

“What interests me most,” said Dumbledore gently, “is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania.”

“都是这个日记本在作祟，”哈利赶紧说道，一边抓起那本日记，拿给邓布利多看，“是里德尔十六岁的时候写的。”

Relief — warm, sweeping, glorious relief — swept over Harry.

邓布利多从哈利手里接过日记本，目光从他长长的鹰钩鼻上射下来，专注地凝视着那些湿乎乎的、被烧焦的纸页。

“W-what’s that?” said Mr. Weasley in a stunned voice. “You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny’s not . . . Ginny hasn’t been . . . has she?”

“真了不起，”他轻声地说，“不用说，他大概可以说是霍格沃茨有史以来最出色的学生。”他转过身子，面对着韦斯莱夫妇，他们俩都显得十分困惑

“It was this diary,” said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. “Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen. . . .”

“很少有人知道伏地魔以前曾叫汤姆里德尔。五十年前，在霍格沃茨，我亲自教过他。他离开学校后就失踪了……周游四方，足迹遍及天涯海角……在黑魔法的泥潭中越陷越深，和巫师界最邪恶的家伙混迹在一起，经过许多次危险的魔法变形，最后作为伏地魔重新出现，人们很难认出他来。几乎没有一个人把伏地魔同曾在这里念书的那个聪明、英俊的男生学生会主席联系起来。”

Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.

“可是金妮呢？”韦斯莱夫人说，“我们的金妮和——和他有什么关系？”

“Brilliant,” he said softly. “Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen.” He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered.

“他的日——日记本！”金妮抽泣着说，“我一直在——在上面写字，整整一年，他——他不断地给我写回话——”

“Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school . . . traveled far and wide . . . sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here.”

“金妮！”韦斯莱先生惊得目瞪口呆，说道，“我难道没有教过你吗？我一直怎么跟你说的？永远不要相信任何能够独立思考的东西，除非你看清了它把头脑藏在什么地方。你当初为什么不把日记拿给我或你妈妈看看？像那样一个可疑的东西，显然充满了黑魔法的妖术！”

“But, Ginny,” said Mrs. Weasley. “What’s our Ginny got to do with — with — him?”

“我——我不知道，”金妮仍在伤心地哭泣，“我在妈妈给我的一本书里发现它的。我——我以为有人把它夹在那里，忘记了——”

“His d-diary!” Ginny sobbed. “I’ve b-been writing in it, and he’s been w-writing back all year —”

“韦斯莱小姐应该立刻到校医院去，”邓布利多不由分说地插嘴道，“这对她来说是一场痛苦的折磨。学校不会对她有什么惩罚的。许多比她年长、比她足智多谋的巫师都被伏地魔蒙蔽了。”他大步走到门边，把门打开。“卧床休息，或许，还应该再喝上一大杯热气腾腾的巧克力奶，我一向觉得那对改善我的心情很有好处。”他说，一边低头慈祥地冲金妮眨眨眼睛。“你会发现庞弗雷夫人还没有睡觉。她刚才在分发曼德拉草药水——我敢说，蛇怪的受害者随时都可能醒过来。”

“Ginny!” said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. “Haven’t I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain. Why didn’t you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic —”

“这么说，赫敏也没事了！”罗恩高兴地说。

“I d-didn’t know,” sobbed Ginny. “I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it —”

“没有造成任何持久性的伤害。”邓布利多说。

“Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away,” Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. “This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort.” He strode over to the door and opened it. “Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up,” he added, twinkling kindly down at her. “You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She’s just giving out Mandrake juice — I daresay the basilisk’s victims will be waking up any moment.”

韦斯莱夫人把金妮领了出去，韦斯莱先生跟在后面，仍然是一副受了很大打击的样子。

“So Hermione’s okay!” said Ron brightly.

“你知道吗，米勒娃，”邓布利多教授若有所思地对麦格教授说道，“我认为，这些事情，很值得开个宴会庆祝庆祝了。我能否请你去通知一下厨房呢？”

“There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny,” said Dumbledore.

“行，”麦格夫人干脆地说，也动身向门口走去，“波特和韦斯莱就交给你处理了，是吗？”

Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.

“当然。”邓布利多说。

“You know, Minerva,” Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, “I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?”

她走了，哈利和罗恩不安地盯着邓布利多。麦格教授刚才的话到底是什么意思？处理他们？他们该不会一该不会——受到惩罚吧？

“Right,” said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. “I’ll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?”

“我记得我似乎对你们俩说过，如果你们再违反校规，我就不得不把你们开除了。”邓布利多说。

“Certainly,” said Dumbledore.

罗恩惊恐地张大嘴巴。

She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely — surely — they weren’t about to be punished?

“这就说明，即使是我们中间最优秀的人，有时候也只能说话不算话了。”邓布利多笑眯眯地继续说道，“你们俩都获得了对学校的特殊贡献奖，还有——让我想想——对了，你们每人为格兰芬多赢得了二百分。”

“I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules,” said Dumbledore.

罗恩的脸顿时变成了鲜艳的粉红色，就像洛哈特送给大家的情人节鲜花，他的嘴巴也闭上了。

Ron opened his mouth in horror.

“可是对于这一番惊心动魄的冒险经历，我们中间有一个人却始终保持着惊人的沉默。”邓布利多又说道，“你为何这么谦虚啊，吉德罗？”

“Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words,” Dumbledore went on, smiling. “You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor.”

哈利惊得一跳。他把洛哈特完全忘到了脑后。他转过身去，看见洛哈特站在房间的一角，脸上仍然带着那种暖昧的笑容。当邓布利多向他提问时，洛哈特扭过头去看看邓布利多在跟谁说话。

Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart’s valentine flowers and closed his mouth again.

“邓布利多教授，”罗恩赶紧说道，“在下面的密室里发生了一起事故。洛哈特教授——”

“But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure,” Dumbledore added. “Why so modest, Gilderoy?”

“怎么，我是教授？”洛哈特微微有些吃惊地说，“天哪，我还以为自己不会有多大出息呢！”

Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart. He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.

“他想施一个遗忘魔咒，结果魔杖向后发射了。”罗恩小声地对邓布利多解释道。

“Professor Dumbledore,” Ron said quickly, “there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart —”

“我的天，”邓布利多说，摇了摇头，长长的、银白色的胡须微微颤动着，“吉德罗，你被自己的剑捅了一下？”

“Am I a professor?” said Lockhart in mild surprise. “Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?”

“剑？”洛哈特迷惑地说，“我没有剑啊。那个男孩倒是有剑，”他指着哈利，“他会借给你一把的。”

“He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired,” Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.

“劳驾，你能不能把洛哈特教授也送到医院去？”邓布利多对罗恩说，“我想跟哈利再谈几句……”

“Dear me,” said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. “Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!”

洛哈特迈着轻快的步子走了出去。罗恩关门的时候，回头好奇地看了邓布利多和哈利一眼。

“Sword?” said Lockhart dimly. “Haven’t got a sword. That boy has, though.” He pointed at Harry. “He’ll lend you one.”

邓布利多走向火边的一把椅子。“坐下吧，哈利。”他说。

“Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?” Dumbledore said to Ron. “I’d like a few more words with Harry. . . .”

哈利坐了下来，心里感到紧张得难以形容。

Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore and Harry as he closed the door.

“首先，哈利，我要谢谢你，”邓布利多说，眼睛里又闪烁着光芒，“你在下面的密室里一定对我表现出了绝对的忠诚。只有这种忠诚，才能把福克斯召唤到你的身边。”

Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire.

那只凤凰已经扑棱棱地飞到了邓布利多的膝头，他轻轻地抚摸着它。哈利在邓布利多的注视下，不自然地笑了笑。

“Sit down, Harry,” he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.

“这么说你遇见了汤姆里德尔，”邓布利多若有所思地说，“我可以想象，他最感兴趣的就是你……”

“First of all, Harry, I want to thank you,” said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. “You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you.”

突然，一件一直困扰着哈利的事从他嘴里脱口而出。“邓布利多教授……里德尔说我很像他。有一些奇特的相似之处，他说……”

He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him.

“他是这么说的？”邓布利多说，浓密银眉下的眼睛沉思地望着哈利，“你是怎么想的呢，哈利？”

“And so you met Tom Riddle,” said Dumbledore thoughtfully. “I imagine he was most interested in you. . . .”

“我才不像他呢！”哈利说，本来不想用这么大的声音说话的，“我的意思是说，我……我在格兰芬多，我是……”可是他沉默了，一丝疑虑又在他脑海里重新冒了出来。“教授，”过了片刻，他又说道，“分院帽对我说——我在斯莱特林会很优秀。有一段时间，大家都以为我是斯莱特林的继承人……因为我会说蛇佬腔——”

Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth.

“哈利，你会说蛇佬腔，”邓布利多平静地说道，“是因为伏地魔会说蛇佬腔。他是萨拉查斯莱特林的最后一个继承人。如果我没有弄错的话，他在给你留下伤疤的那天晚上，把他自己的一些法术也转移到了你的身上。他不是有意这么做的，我可以肯定……”

“Professor Dumbledore . . . Riddle said I’m like him. Strange likenesses, he said. . . .”

“伏地魔把他自己的一部分转移到了我身体里？”哈利惊讶得目瞪口呆。

“Did he, now?” said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. “And what do you think, Harry?”

“显然是这样的。”

“I don’t think I’m like him!” said Harry, more loudly than he’d intended. “I mean, I’m — I’m in Gryffindor, I’m . . .”

“这么说我应该在斯莱特林，”哈利绝望地盯着邓布利多的脸，说道，“分院帽可能在我身上看到了斯莱特林的一些本领，它就……”

But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind.

“把你放在了格兰芬多。”邓布利多不紧不慢地说，“听我说，哈利。你碰巧具有萨拉查斯莱特林精心挑选学生时特别看重的许多素质。他自已的一些罕见天赋，蛇佬腔……足智多谋……意志坚强……还有某种对法律条规的藐视。”他说，银白色的胡须又在微微颤抖，“可是分院帽把你放在了格兰芬多，你知道为什么会这样吗？好好想想。”

“Professor,” he started again after a moment. “The Sorting Hat told me I’d — I’d have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin’s heir for a while . . . because I can speak Parseltongue. . . .”

“它之所以把我放在格兰芬多，”哈利用一种心灰意冷的口气说，“是因为我提出不去斯莱特林……”

“You can speak Parseltongue, Harry,” said Dumbledore calmly, “because Lord Voldemort — who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin — can speak Parseltongue. Unless I’m much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I’m sure. . . .”

“正是这样，”邓布利多说，脸上又露出了笑容。“这就使你和汤姆里德尔大不一样了。哈利，表现我们真正的自我，是我们自己的选择，这比我们所具有的能力更重要。”哈利一动不动地坐在椅子里，完全呆住了。“哈利，如果你还需要证据，确信自己真的属于格兰芬多，我建议你再仔细看看这个。”

“Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?” Harry said, thunderstruck.

邓布利多探身从麦格教授的书桌上拿起那把血迹斑斑的银剑，递给哈利。哈利茫然地把它翻过来，红宝石在火光的映照下闪亮夺目。接着，他看见了，就在靠近剑柄的地方刻着一个名字——

“It certainly seems so.”

戈德里克格兰芬多。

“So I should be in Slytherin,” Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore’s face. “The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin’s power in me, and it —”

“只有真正的格兰芬多，才能把它从帽子里抽出来，哈利。”邓布利多简单地说。

“Put you in Gryffindor,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules,” he added, his mustache quivering again. “Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think.”

一时间，两人谁也没有说话。然后，邓布利多拉开了麦格教授书桌的一只抽屉，拿出一支羽毛笔和一瓶墨水。

“It only put me in Gryffindor,” said Harry in a defeated voice, “because I asked not to go in Slytherin. . . .”

“哈利，你现在需要的是吃点东西，好好睡一觉。我建议你下去参加宴会，我呢，在这里给阿兹卡班写一封信——应该让我们的狩猎场看守回来了。我还要起草一份招聘广告，登在《预言家日报》上，”他若有所思地说道，“我们又需要一位新的老师来教黑魔法防御术课了。天哪，这门课的老师消耗得真快，是不是？”

“Exactly,” said Dumbledore, beaming once more. “Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. “If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this.”

哈利站起身，向门口走去。他刚握住门把手，门突然被大力撞开，嘭地弹在后面的墙上。

Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall’s desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.

卢修斯马尔福站在那里，神情怒不可遏。那战战兢兢被他夹在他胳膊下的，正是多比，身上到处都缠着绷带。

Godric Gryffindor.

“晚上好，卢修斯。”邓布利多和颜悦色地说。

“Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry,” said Dumbledore simply.

马尔福一头冲进房间，差点把哈利撞了个跟头。多比惊慌失措地跟在后面，弯腰曲背，盯着主人长袍背后的接缝，脸上挂着绝望无助的恐惧。

For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall’s desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink.

“好啊！”卢修斯马尔福冷冰冰的眼睛盯住邓布利多，说道，“你回来了。董事会暂停了你的职务，可是你仍然自作主张地回到了霍格沃茨。”

“What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban — we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too,” he added thoughtfully. “We’ll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. . . . Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don’t we?”

“噢，是这样的，卢修斯，”邓布利多平静地微笑着，说道，“今天，另外的十一位董事都和我取得了联系。说句实话，当时猫头鹰接二连三地飞来，就好像下了一场冰雹。他们听说亚瑟韦斯莱的女儿被害死了，都希望我立刻赶到这里来。他们似乎认为，弄了半天，还是我最适合担任这份工作。他们还告诉了我一些奇怪的故事。他们有些人似乎认为，你曾经威胁说，如果他们不同意暂停我的职务，你就要诅咒他们的家人。”

Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.

马尔福先生的脸比平时更加苍白了，但他的眼睛里仍然喷着怒火。

Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.

“那么——你有没有阻止那些攻击事件呢？”他讥讽地问，“你有没有抓住凶手呢？”

“Good evening, Lucius,” said Dumbledore pleasantly.

“我们抓住了。”邓布利多微笑着回答他。

Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.

“噢？”马尔福先生厉声地问，“是谁？”

The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoy’s shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore.

“还是上次的那个人，卢修斯，”邓布利多说，“不过，伏地魔这次是通过另一个人活动的。凭借他的日记。”

“So!” he said “You’ve come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts.”

他举起那个中间贯穿着一个大洞的小黑本子，密切地注视着马尔福先生的反应。而哈利却望着多比。

“Well, you see, Lucius,” said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, “the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They’d heard that Arthur Weasley’s daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too. . . . Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn’t agree to suspend me in the first place.”

那个家养小精灵的行为非常古怪。他那两只灯泡大的眼睛富有深意地盯着哈利，一边不停地指指那本日记，又指指马尔福先生，然后狠狠地用拳头敲打自己的脑袋。

Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.

“原来是这样……”马尔福先生慢慢地对邓布利多说。

“So — have you stopped the attacks yet?” he sneered. “Have you caught the culprit?”

“一个巧妙的计划，”邓布利多语调平和地说，仍然逼视着马尔福先生的眼睛，“如果这位哈利——”马尔福先生用严厉的目光飞快地瞪了哈利一下。“和他的朋友罗恩没有发现这本日记。哎呀——金妮韦斯莱可能就要背黑锅了。谁也没有办法证明她不是按自己的意志行动的……”

“We have,” said Dumbledore, with a smile.

马尔福一言不发，他的脸突然像是罩上了一层假面具。

“Well?” said Mr. Malfoy sharply. “Who is it?”

“想象一下吧，”邓布利多继续说，“那样会出现什么情况……韦斯莱一家是最有名望的纯巫师血统家族之一。想象一下吧，如果人们发现亚瑟韦斯莱的亲生女儿在攻击和谋害麻瓜出身的人，这对韦斯莱和他的麻瓜保护法会产生什么影响。幸好这本日记被发现了，里德尔的记忆也从上面被抹消了。不然的话，谁知道会造成什么后果呢……”

“The same person as last time, Lucius,” said Dumbledore. “But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary.”

马尔福先生强迫自己开口说话了。

He held up the small black book with the large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely. Harry, however, was watching Dobby.

“真是万幸。”他很不自然地说。

The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.

缩在他身后的多比，仍然很古怪地先指指那本日记，又指指卢修斯马尔福，随即拼命地捶打自己的脑袋。哈利突然明白了。他朝多比点了点头，于是多比退缩到墙角，又狠狠地揪着自己的耳朵作为惩罚。

“I see . . .” said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore.

“你不想知遭金妮是怎么得到这本日记的吗，马尔福先生？”哈利说。

“A clever plan,” said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. “Because if Harry here” — Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look — “and his friend Ron hadn’t discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn’t acted of her own free will. . . .”

卢修斯马尔福朝他转过身来。“我凭什么知道那个愚蠢的小姑娘是怎么得到它的？”他说。

Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike.

“因为是你给她的，”哈利说，“在丽痕书店，你捡起她的变形课本，偷偷地把日记本塞在里面，是不是？”

“And imagine,” Dumbledore went on, “what might have happened then. . . . The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and killing Muggle-borns. . . . Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle’s memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise. . . .”

他看见马尔福苍白的双手攥成了拳头，随即又松开了。

Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak.

“有证据吗？”他嘶哑着声音说。

“Very fortunate,” he said stiffly.

“哦，谁也没有办法提供证据了，”邓布利多笑眯眯地看着哈利，说，“现在里德尔已经从本子里消失了。另外，卢修斯，我要给你一句忠告，不要再散发伏地魔学生时代的旧东西了。如果又有这些东西落到无辜者的手里，至少亚瑟韦斯莱就肯定能查明它们是从你那儿出来的……”

And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head.

卢修斯马尔福又呆立了片刻，哈利清清楚楚地看见他的右手抽动了一下，似乎想去掏他的魔杖。然而他克制住了自己，转身对他的家养小精灵说：“我们走了，多比！”

And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment.

他拧开了门，家养小精灵慌忙跑了过来，马尔福先生一脚把他踢出门去。他们可以听见多比痛苦的尖叫声沿着走廊一路传来。哈利站在那里，苦苦地思索了片刻。然后，他有了主意。

“Don’t you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?” said Harry.

“邓布利多教授，”他匆匆忙忙地说，“请问，我能把这本日记还给马尔福先生吗？”

Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.

“当然可以，哈利，”邓布利多平静地说，“不过可得快点儿。别忘了还有宴会呢。”

“How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?” he said.

哈利一把抓过日记本，冲出办公室。他听见多比痛苦的惨叫声绕过拐角，越来越远了。哈利一边心里怀疑这个计划能不能行得通，一边飞快地脱掉一只鞋，扯下黏糊糊的臭袜子，把日记本塞了进去。然后，他沿着黑暗的走廊飞奔。

“Because you gave it to her,” said Harry. “In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn’t you?”

就在那两个人正要下楼梯时，他追上了他们。

He saw Mr. Malfoy’s white hands clench and unclench.

“马尔福先生，”他喘着气说，一个踉跄，刹住脚步，“我有一样东西要给你。”

“Prove it,” he hissed.

他把那只臭烘烘的袜子硬塞进卢修斯马尔福手里。

“Oh, no one will be able to do that,” said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. “Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort’s old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you. . . .”

“这是什——”马尔福先生扯掉日记本上的袜子，扔到一边，怒气冲冲地看了看被毁坏的日记本，又看了看哈利。“哈利波特，总有一天，你会遭到和你父母同样的下场，”他轻声说，“他们当年就是爱管闲事的傻瓜。”

Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf.

他转身要走。

“We’re going, Dobby!”

“快来，多比。听见没有，快点儿！”

He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor. Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him —

可是多比没有动弹。他高高举起哈利那只黏糊糊的臭袜子，激动地看着它，就好像那是一件无价之宝。

“Professor Dumbledore,” he said hurriedly. “Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?”

“主人给了多比一只袜子，”家养小精灵惊讶地说道，“主人把袜子给了多比。”

“Certainly, Harry,” said Dumbledore calmly. “But hurry. The feast, remember. . . .”

“什么？”马尔福先生恼火地说，“你说什么？”

Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby’s squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it. Then he ran down the dark corridor.

“多比得到了一只袜子，”多比不敢相信地说道，“是主人扔的，多比接住了，多比——多比自由了。”

He caught up with them at the top of the stairs.

卢修斯马尔福呆呆地站在那里，瞪着家养小精灵。然后他突然向哈利扑去。

“Mr. Malfoy,” he gasped, skidding to a halt, “I’ve got something for you —”

“你害得我失去了我的家仆，小子！”

And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy’s hand.

可是多比喊道：“不许你伤害哈利波特！”

“What the — ?”

只听邦的一声巨响，马尔福先生向后倒去。他跌跌撞撞、一步三级地冲下楼梯，最后乱糟糟地瘫倒在下面的平台上。他挣扎着站起来，脸色铁青，抽出了魔杖，可是多比举起了一只修长的、很有威力的手指。

Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry.

“你可以走了，”他指着下面的马尔福先生，凶狠地说，“你永远不许碰哈利波特。你现在可以走了。”

“You’ll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter,” he said softly. “They were meddlesome fools, too.”

卢修斯马尔福没有别的办法。他怒气冲冲地瞪了他们俩最后一眼，用斗篷裹住身体，匆匆地消失了。

He turned to go.

“哈利波特解放了多比！”小精灵用刺耳的尖声说道，抬头望着哈利，月光从最近的一扇窗户洒进来，映照着他圆鼓鼓的眼睛，“哈利波特使多比获得了自由！”

“Come, Dobby. I said, come.”

“我没做什么，多比，”哈利咧着嘴笑了，说道，“你答应我，别再试图来保护我了。”

But Dobby didn’t move. He was holding up Harry’s disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.

小精灵丑陋的棕红色脸上突然绽开一个灿烂的微笑，露出满口牙齿。

“Master has given a sock,” said the elf in wonderment. “Master gave it to Dobby.”

“我只有一个问题，多比，”当多比用颤抖的手穿上哈利的袜子时，哈利说道，“你曾经告诉我，这一切都与那个连名字都不能提的人无关，记得吗？可是——”

“What’s that?” spat Mr. Malfoy. “What did you say?”

“这是一个暗示，先生，”多比的眼睛睁得更大了，就好像这是不言而喻的似的，“多比在给你一个暗示。黑魔头在他更名改姓之前，是可以提名字的，他的名字可以随便使用，明白了吗？”

“Got a sock,” said Dobby in disbelief. “Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is free.”

“明白了，”哈利勉强地说，“好吧，我得走了。他们在开宴会呢，我的朋友赫敏也该苏醒过来了……”

Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf. Then he lunged at Harry.

多比伸出双臂，抱住哈利的腰，紧紧地搂了他一下。

“You’ve lost me my servant, boy!”

“哈利波特比多比原先知道的还要伟大！”他啜泣着说道，“别了，哈利波特！”

But Dobby shouted, “You shall not harm Harry Potter!”

多比嗓子眼里又发出一个很响的哽咽声，随后便消失了。

There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below. He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger.

哈利曾经参加过霍格沃茨的几次宴会，但从来没有一次像今天这样奇妙。大家都穿着睡衣，庆祝活动持续了整个晚上。令人难忘的情景太多了：赫敏向他跑来，尖叫着“你解出来了！你解出来了！”；贾斯廷匆匆地从赫奇帕奇的餐桌上赶过来，攥着他的手，没完没了地道歉，说当初不该怀疑他；海格在凌晨三点半的时候出现了，用力拍打着哈利和罗恩的肩膀，使他们吃不住劲，跌倒在装甜食的盘子上；他和罗恩获得的那四百分，使格兰芬多在学院杯中卫冕成功；麦格教授站起来告诉他们，学校为了款待大家，决定取消考试（“哦，糟糕！”赫敏说道）；邓布利多宣布道，很不幸，洛哈特教授下学期不能回来了，因为他需要到别处去找回他的记忆，大家听到这个消息，爆发出一片欢呼，有几位老师也在叫好。在这么多激动人心的事情中，哈利真不知道哪一件最精彩、最美妙。

“You shall go now,” he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. “You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now.”

“真遗憾，”罗恩给自己拿了一块果酱炸面圈，说道，“我倒是越来越喜欢洛哈特了。”

Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.

夏季学期剩下来的那段日子，是在一片耀眼的阳光中度过的。霍格沃茨恢复了正常，只有几个小小的变化：黑魔法防御术的课程取消了（“反正我们在这方面已经有了大量的实践。”罗恩对闷闷不乐的赫敏说），卢修斯马尔福被开除出了学校董事会。德拉科再也不在学校里趾高气扬地到处走来走去，就好像他是这里的主人似的。相反，他现在整天阴沉着脸，似乎心里充满了怨恨。另一方面，金妮韦斯莱又恢复了活泼开朗的性格。

“Harry Potter freed Dobby!” said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes. “Harry Potter set Dobby free!”

一转眼，他们就要乘坐霍格沃茨特快列车回家了。哈利、罗恩、赫敏、弗雷德、乔治和金妮单独占了一个隔间，他们充分利用放假前允许使用魔法的最后几个小时。他们玩了“噼啪爆炸”，燃放了弗雷德和乔治的最后几支费力拔烟火，还互相练习了用魔法解除对方的武器。这一套魔法，哈利现在做起来已经很熟练了。

“Least I could do, Dobby,” said Harry, grinning. “Just promise never to try and save my life again.”

列车快要到达国王十字车站时，哈利突然想起了什么。

The elf ’s ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.

“金妮——那天你看见珀西在做什么，他不许你告诉任何人？”

“I’ve just got one question, Dobby,” said Harry as Dobby pulled on Harry’s sock with shaking hands. “You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well —”

“噢，你问那个呀，”金妮咯咯地笑着说，“是这样——珀西交了一个女朋友。”

“It was a clue, sir,” said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was obvious. “Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?”

弗雷德把一摞书掉在了乔治头上。

“Right,” said Harry weakly. “Well, I’d better go. There’s a feast, and my friend Hermione should be awake by now. . . .”

“什么？”

Dobby threw his arms around Harry’s middle and hugged him.

“是拉文克劳的级长，叫佩内洛克里瓦特。”金妮说，“去年暑假，他就给她写了那么多信。他一直在学校的各个地方跟她秘密约会。一天，我撞见他们在一间空教室里接吻。当她——你们知道——遭到袭击后，他难过极了。你们不会取笑他吧，会吗？”她不安地问。

“Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!” he sobbed. “Farewell, Harry Potter!”

“做梦也不会这么想。”弗雷德说，不过看他那副高兴的样子，就好像他的生日提前到来了。

And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared. Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Harry didn’t know whether the best bit was Hermione running toward him, screaming “You solved it! You solved it!” or Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him, or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, or his and Ron’s four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat (“Oh, no!” said Hermione), or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.

“绝对不会。”乔治回答，一边偷偷地笑着。

“Shame,” said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. “He was starting to grow on me.” The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences — Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled (“but we’ve had plenty of practice at that anyway,” Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.

霍格沃茨特快列车渐渐放慢速度，终于停住了。

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George’s Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it.

哈利抽出他的羽毛笔和一张羊皮纸，转向罗恩和赫敏。

They were almost at King’s Cross when Harry remembered something.

“这是电话号码。”他对罗恩说，把号码草草地写了两遍，然后把羊皮纸一撕为二，分别递给他们两人。“去年夏天，我对你爸爸说过怎样使用电话，他会明白的。往德思礼家给我打电话，好吗？整整两个月只跟达力说话，我可受不了……”

“Ginny — what did you see Percy doing, that he didn’t want you to tell anyone?”

“你姨妈和姨父听了你今年做的这些事情之后，”赫敏说，这时他们下了火车，加入拥挤的人流，慢慢向那道被施了魔法的隔墙走去，“肯定会为你感到骄傲的，是吗？”

“Oh, that,” said Ginny, giggling. “Well — Percy’s got a girlfriend.”

“骄傲？”哈利说道，“难道你糊涂了吗？他们如果听说我好多次都差点死掉，却居然都死里逃生了，他们肯定会气坏的……”

Fred dropped a stack of books on George’s head.

然后，他们一起通过入口处，返回到麻瓜世界中。

“What?”

“It’s that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater,” said Ginny. “That’s who he was writing to all last summer. He’s been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won’t tease him, will you?” she added anxiously.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.

“Definitely not,” said George, sniggering.

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.

Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione.

“This is called a telephone number,” he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. “I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer — he’ll know. Call me at the Dursleys’, okay? I can’t stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to. . . .”

“Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won’t they?” said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. “When they hear what you did this year?

“Proud?” said Harry. “Are you crazy? All those times I could’ve died, and I didn’t manage it? They’ll be furious. . . .”

And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.