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哈利·波特与死亡圣器
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

英文中文双语对照双语交替

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE THE TALE OF THE THREE BROTHERS

第二十一章　三兄弟的传说

Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione. Neither of them seemed to have understood what Xenophilius had said either.

哈利转身看看罗恩和赫敏，他们两个似乎也听不懂谢诺菲留斯说的话。

“The Deathly Hallows?”

“死亡圣器？”

“That’s right,” said Xenophilius. “You haven’t heard of them? I’m not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe. Witness that knuckleheaded young man at your brother’s wedding,” he nodded at Ron, “who attacked me for sporting the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard! Such ignorance. There is nothing Dark about the Hallows — at least, not in that crude sense. One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the Quest.”

“是的，”谢诺菲留斯说，“你从来没听说过？我不奇怪。只有很少很少的巫师相信这些。记得在你哥哥婚礼上那个愣头小伙子，”他冲着罗恩点了点头，“还抨击我戴着一位著名黑巫师的标志！真是愚昧。圣器一点也不‘黑’——至少不是在那种低级的意义上。人们只是用这个标志向别的信徒展示自己，希望在探求途中得到帮助。”

He stirred several lumps of sugar into his Gurdyroot infusion and drank some.

他放了几块糖在戈迪根茶里，搅了搅，喝了一些。

“I’m sorry,” said Harry. “I still don’t really understand.”

“对不起，”哈利说，“我还是没有完全明白。”

To be polite, he took a sip from his cup too, and almost gagged: The stuff was quite disgusting, as though someone had liquidized bogey-flavored Every Flavor Beans.

出于礼貌，他也尝了一口杯子里的饮料，差点吐了出来，那东西很难喝，好像有人把比比多味豆榨成了汁。

“Well, you see, believers seek the Deathly Hallows,” said Xenophilius, smacking his lips in apparent appreciation of the Gurdyroot infusion.

“是这样，信徒们寻找死亡圣器。”谢诺菲留斯说着咂了咂嘴，显然是表明戈迪根茶的滋味妙不可言。

“But what are the Deathly Hallows?” asked Hermione.

“但死亡圣器是什么呢？”赫敏问。

Xenophilius set aside his empty teacup.

谢诺菲留斯把他的空茶杯搁到一边。

“I assume that you are all familiar with “The Tale of the Three Brothers’?”

“我想你们都熟悉《三兄弟的传说》吧？”

Harry said, “No,” but Ron and Hermione both said, “Yes.” Xenophilius nodded gravely.

哈利说：“不熟悉。”但是罗恩和赫敏都说：“熟悉。”谢诺菲留斯严肃地点了点头。

“Well, well, Mr. Potter, the whole thing starts with ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’ . . . I have a copy somewhere. . . .”

“好的，好的，波特先生，这一切都始于《三兄弟的传说》……我有这本书……”

He glanced vaguely around the room, at the piles of parchment and books, but Hermione said, “I’ve got a copy, Mr. Lovegood, I’ve got it right here.”

他扫视着屋里成堆的羊皮纸和书，但赫敏说：“我有一本，洛夫古德先生，就在这里。”

And she pulled out The Tales of Beedle the Bard from the small, beaded bag.

她从串珠小包里掏出了《诗翁彼豆故事集》。

“The original?” inquired Xenophilius sharply, and when she nodded, he said, “Well then, why don’t you read it aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand.”

“原文？”谢诺菲留斯急切地问道，当赫敏点头后，他说，“好的，那你为什么不把它读出来呢？这是让大家都弄明白的最好的方法。”

“Er . . . all right,” said Hermione nervously. She opened the book, and Harry saw that the symbol they were investigating headed the top of the page as she gave a little cough, and began to read.

“嗯……好的。”赫敏紧张地说道。她翻开书，轻咳了一声，开始读起来，哈利看到他们所调查的标志就印在那页的上方。

“ ‘There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight —’ ”

从前，有三兄弟在一条僻静的羊肠小道上赶路，天色已近黄昏——

“Midnight, our mum always told us,” said Ron, who had stretched out, arms behind his head, to listen. Hermione shot him a look of annoyance.

“是午夜，妈妈一直对我们这样说。”罗恩说道，他伸了个懒腰，双手抱在脑后听着。赫敏气恼地瞪了他一眼。

THREE BROTHERS

“对不起，我想如果是午夜会让人更害怕些！”罗恩说。

“Sorry, I just think it’s a bit spookier if it’s midnight!” said Ron.

“是啊，我们的生活里的确需要多一点恐惧。”哈利忍不住脱口而出。谢诺菲留斯似乎没太注意，而是一直盯着窗外的天空。“继续讲吧，赫敏。”

“Yeah, because we really need a bit more fear in our lives,” said Harry before he could stop himself. Xenophilius did not seem to be paying much attention, but was staring out of the window at the sky. “Go on, Hermione.”

他们走着走着，来到了一条河边，水太深了，无法蹚过，游过去也太危险。然而，三兄弟精通魔法，一挥魔杖，危险莫测的水上就出现了一座桥。走到桥中央时，一个戴兜帽的身影挡住了他们的去路。

“ ‘In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.

死神对他们说话——

“ ‘And Death spoke to them —’”

“对不起，”哈利插嘴道，“怎么是死神对他们说话？”

“Sorry,” interjected Harry, “but Death spoke to them?”

“这是个传说，哈利！”

“It’s a fairy tale, Harry!”

“哦，对不起。继续。”

“Right, sorry. Go on.”

死神对他们说话了。死神很生气，他失去了三个新的祭品——因为旅行者通常都会淹死在这条河里。但是死神很狡猾。他假装祝贺兄弟三人的魔法，说他们凭着聪明而躲过了死神，每人可以获得一个奖励。

“ ‘And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.

老大是一位好战的男子汉，他要的是一根世间最强大的魔杖：一根在决斗中永远能帮主人获胜的魔杖，一根征服了死神的巫师值得拥有的魔杖！死神就走到岸边一棵接骨木树前，用悬垂的树枝做了一根魔杖，送给了老大。

“ ‘So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.

老二是一位傲慢的男子汉，他决定继续羞辱死神，想要的是能够让死人复活的能力。死神就从岸上捡起一块石头给了老二，告诉他这块石头有起死回生的能力。

“ ‘Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.

然后死神问最年轻的老三要什么。老三是最谦虚也是最聪明的一个，而且他不相信死神。因此他要一件东西，可以让他离开那里而不被死神跟随。死神极不情愿地把自己的隐形衣给了他。

“ ‘And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.’ ”

“死神有件隐形衣？”哈利再次打断道。

“Death’s got an Invisibility Cloak?” Harry interrupted again.

“这样他可以偷偷摸摸地靠近人们，”罗恩说，“有时他厌烦了冲过去袭击人们，挥舞着胳膊大声尖叫……对不起，赫敏。”

“So he can sneak up on people,” said Ron. “Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking . . . sorry, Hermione.”

然后死神站在一边让兄弟三人继续赶路，他们就谈论着刚才的奇妙经历，赞赏着死神的礼物，往前走去。

“ ‘Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death’s gifts.

后来兄弟三人分了手，朝着各自的目的地前进。

“ ‘In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.

老大走了一个多星期，来到一个遥远的小山村里，跟一位巫师争吵起来。自然，他用那根接骨木做成的“老魔杖”作武器，无疑会获取决斗的胜利。对手倒地死后，他继续前行，走进了一个小酒馆，大声夸耀自己从死神手上得来的强大魔杖如何战无不胜。

“ ‘The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible.

就在那个晚上，老大喝得酩酊大醉后，另一个巫师蹑手蹑脚地来到他床边偷走了魔杖，并且割断了他的喉咙。

“ ‘That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother’s throat.

就这样，死神取走了老大的命。

“ ‘And so Death took the first brother for his own.

与此同时，老二回到了他独自居住的家，拿出可以起死回生的石头，在手里转了三次。让他惊喜交加的是，他想娶的但不幸早逝的女孩立刻出现在他面前。

“ ‘Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his

可是她悲伤而冷漠，他们之间似乎隔着一层纱幕。她尽管返回了人间，却并不真正属于这里，她很痛苦。最终，老二被没有希望的渴望折磨疯了，为了真正能和她在一起而自杀身亡。

THREE BROTHERS delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.

就这样，死神取走了老二的命。

“ ‘Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her.

但是，死神找了老三好多年，却始终没能找到他。老三一直活到很老以后，才最终脱下隐形衣，交给了他的儿子，然后像老朋友见面一样迎接死神，并以平等的身份，高兴地同他一道，离开了人间。

“ ‘And so Death took the second brother for his own.

赫敏合上书。过了一会儿，谢诺菲留斯似乎才反应过来她已经读完了。他把目光从窗外收回，说道：“就是这样。”

“ ‘But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.’ ”

“对不起？”赫敏有点困惑地问。

Hermione closed the book. It was a moment or two before Xenophilius seemed to realize that she had stopped reading, then he withdrew his gaze from the window and said, “Well, there you are.”

“那些就是死亡圣器。”谢诺菲留斯说。

“Sorry?” said Hermione, sounding confused.

他从肘边堆满东西的桌上捡起一根羽毛笔，又从书堆中取出一张破羊皮纸。

“Those are the Deathly Hallows,” said Xenophilius.

“老魔杖。”他在羊皮纸上画了一条竖线。“复活石。”他在竖线上面添了个圆圈。“隐形衣。”他在竖线和圆圈外面画了个三角形，就成了令赫敏如此着迷的那个符号。“合在一起就是——死亡圣器。”

He picked up a quill from a packed table at his elbow, and pulled a torn piece of parchment from between more books.

“但故事里没提到‘死亡圣器’这个词呀。”赫敏说。

“The Elder Wand,” he said, and he drew a straight vertical line upon the parchment. “The Resurrection Stone,” he said, and he added a circle on top of the line. “The Cloak of Invisibility,” he finished, enclosing both line and circle in a triangle, to make the symbol that so intrigued Hermione. “Together,” he said, “the Deathly Hallows.”

“是的，当然没有，”谢诺菲留斯说，自鸣得意的样子令人恼火，“那只不过是个传说，是供人娱乐而不是给人教诲的。我们知道这些事的人，却会看出古老的传说里提到了三件东西，或圣器，它们合在一起，就会使拥有者成为死神的主人。”

“But there’s no mention of the words ‘Deathly Hallows’ in the story,” said Hermione.

片刻的沉默，谢诺菲留斯瞄了一眼窗外。太阳在天空中已经很低了。

“Well, of course not,” said Xenophilius, maddeningly smug. “That is a children’s tale, told to amuse rather than to instruct. Those of us who understand these matters, however, recognize that the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death.”

“卢娜应该很快就捕到足够的彩球鱼了。”他轻声说。

There was a short silence in which Xenophilius glanced out of the window. Already the sun was low in the sky.

“您说到‘死神的主人’——”罗恩说。

“Luna ought to have enough Plimpies soon,” he said quietly.

“主人，”谢诺菲留斯轻挥了一下手说，“征服者，胜利者，随你喜欢怎么说。”

“When you say ‘master of Death’ —” said Ron.

“那么……您的意思是……”赫敏慢慢地说，哈利能感觉到她努力想使声音中不带有怀疑，“您相信这些东西——这些圣器——确实存在？”

“Master,” said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. “Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer.”

谢诺菲留斯再次扬起了眉毛。

“But then . . . do you mean . . .” said Hermione slowly, and Harry could tell that she was trying to keep any trace of skepticism out of her voice, “that you believe these objects — these Hallows — actually exist?”

“当然。”

Xenophilius raised his eyebrows again.

“但是，”赫敏说，哈利能听得出来她的克制开始崩溃，“洛夫古德先生，您怎么可能相信——？”

“Well, of course.”

“卢娜对我讲过你，姑娘。”谢诺菲留斯说，“我推断，你不是缺乏才智，但遗憾的是太狭隘、眼光短浅、思维封闭。”

“But,” said Hermione, and Harry could hear her restraint starting to crack, “Mr. Lovegood, how can you possibly believe — ?”

“或许你应该试试那顶帽子，赫敏。”罗恩说道，一边朝那滑稽的头饰点点头。他的声音有点发颤，努力忍着笑。

“Luna has told me all about you, young lady,” said Xenophilius. “You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded.”

“洛夫古德先生，”赫敏又开始说道，“我们都知道有隐形衣那样的东西。它们很罕见，但确实存在。然而——”

“Perhaps you ought to try on the hat, Hermione,” said Ron, nodding toward the ludicrous headdress. His voice shook with the strain of not laughing.

“啊，但第三个圣器是一件真正的隐形衣，格兰杰小姐！我是说，它不是一件施了幻身咒、或带障眼法、或用隐形兽的毛织成的旅行斗篷，这些一开始能够隐形，但时间长了就会渐渐显出实体。我们说的是一件能让人真真正正、完完全全隐形的斗篷，永久有效，持续隐形，无论用什么咒语都不可破解。像那样的隐形衣你见过几件，格兰杰小姐？”

“Mr. Lovegood,” Hermione began again. “We all know that there are such things as Invisibility Cloaks. They are rare, but they exist. But —”

赫敏张嘴刚想应答，但又闭上了，看上去困惑无比。她、哈利和罗恩互相看了一眼，哈利知道他们都在想同一件事：就是这么巧，有一件完全符合谢诺菲留斯描述的隐形衣，此刻正在他们身边。

“Ah, but the Third Hallow is a true Cloak of Invisibility, Miss Granger! I mean to say, it is not a traveling cloak imbued with a Disillusionment Charm, or carrying a Bedazzling Hex, or else woven

“正是这样，”谢诺菲留斯说，好像他已经在辩论中击败了他们三个，“你们都没见过那样的东西。拥有着会无比的富有，难道不是吗？”

THREE BROTHERS from Demiguise hair, which will hide one initially but fade with the years until it turns opaque. We are talking about a cloak that really and truly renders the wearer completely invisible, and endures eternally, giving constant and impenetrable concealment, no matter what spells are cast at it. How many cloaks have you ever seen like that, Miss Granger?”

他再次瞥了一眼窗外，天空染上了一抹最淡的粉红色。

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again, looking more confused than ever. She, Harry, and Ron glanced at one another, and Harry knew that they were all thinking the same thing. It so happened that a cloak exactly like the one Xenophilius had just described was in the room with them at that very moment.

“那好吧，”赫敏说道，显得有点慌乱，“就说隐形衣是存在的……那石头呢，洛夫古德先生？那个您称为复活石的东西呢？”

“Exactly,” said Xenophilius, as if he had defeated them all in reasoned argument. “None of you have ever seen such a thing. The possessor would be immeasurably rich, would he not?”

“怎么啦？”

He glanced out of the window again. The sky was now tinged with the faintest trace of pink.

“嗯，它怎么可能是真的呢？”

“All right,” said Hermione, disconcerted. “Say the Cloak existed . . . what about the stone, Mr. Lovegood? The thing you call the Resurrection Stone?”

“那你证明它不是呀。”谢诺菲留斯说。

“What of it?”

赫敏看起来愤愤不平。

“Well, how can that be real?”

“可这——对不起，可这完全是荒唐的！我怎么可能证明它不存在呢？您要我去找到——世上所有的石子，统统测试一遍？我想，您可以宣称任何东西都是真的，如果相信它的基础仅仅是没人能证明那东西不存在！”

“Prove that it is not,” said Xenophilius.

“是的，你可以。”谢诺菲留斯说，“我很高兴看到你有点开窍了。”

Hermione looked outraged.

“那么老魔杖，”哈利在赫敏反驳之前赶快说，“您认为那也是存在的！”

“But that’s — I’m sorry, but that’s completely ridiculous! How can I possibly prove it doesn’t exist? Do you expect me to get hold of — of all the pebbles in the world and test them? I mean, you could claim that anything’s real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody’s proved it doesn’t exist!”

“哦，那个就有无数的证据了，”谢诺菲留斯说，“老魔杖是最容易追溯的圣器，因为它传承的方式比较特殊。”

“Yes, you could,” said Xenophilius. “I am glad to see that you are opening your mind a little.”

“是怎么回事呢？”哈利问。

“So the Elder Wand,” said Harry quickly, before Hermione could retort, “you think that exists too?”

“是这样的，只有从前一任主人的手上缴获这根魔杖，才能成为它真正的主人。”谢诺菲留斯说，“你们一定听说过，恶怪埃格伯特屠杀恶魔埃默里克后，获得魔杖的事吧？也听说过，戈德洛特在儿子赫瑞沃德拿走魔杖后，死在了自家地窖里吧？还听说过恐怖的洛希亚斯杀死巴拿巴斯·德弗里尔，抢走了魔杖吧？老魔杖的血腥踪迹溅满了整部魔法史。”

“Oh, well, in that case there is endless evidence,” said Xenophilius. “The Elder Wand is the Hallow that is most easily traced, because of the way in which it passes from hand to hand.”

哈利瞥了赫敏一眼。她朝谢诺菲留斯皱着眉头，但没有反驳。

“Which is what?” asked Harry.

“那么您认为老魔杖如今在哪儿呢？”罗恩问。

“Which is that the possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner, if he is to be truly master of it,” said Xenophilius. “Surely you have heard of the way the wand came to Egbert the Egregious, after his slaughter of Emeric the Evil? Of how Godelot died in his own cellar after his son, Hereward, took the wand from him? Of the dreadful Loxias, who took the wand from Barnabas Deverill, whom he had killed? The bloody trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history.”

“唉，谁知道？”谢诺菲留斯说，眼睛紧盯着窗外，“谁知道老魔杖藏在哪儿呢？线索到阿库斯和利维亚斯那里就模糊了。谁说得清他们哪个真正地打败了洛希亚斯，又是哪个拿走了魔杖呢？谁说得清哪个又打败了他俩呢？历史，唉，没有告诉我们呀。”

Harry glanced at Hermione. She was frowning at Xenophilius, but she did not contradict him.

一阵沉默。最终赫敏生硬地问道：“洛夫古德先生，佩弗利尔家族同死亡圣器有什么关系吗？”

“So where do you think the Elder Wand is now?” asked Ron.

谢诺菲留斯似乎大吃一惊，此时哈利的记忆深处动了一下，但他没能抓住。佩弗利尔……他听说过这个名字……

“Alas, who knows?” said Xenophilius, as he gazed out of the window. “Who knows where the Elder Wand lies hidden? The trail goes cold with Arcus and Livius. Who can say which of them really defeated Loxias, and which took the wand? And who can say who may have defeated them? History, alas, does not tell us.”

“原来你一直在误导我，姑娘！”谢诺菲留斯说，坐得端正多了，两眼瞪着赫敏，“我以为你们对于探求圣器很陌生呢！我们大部分探求者都相信佩弗利尔家族与圣器大有关系——大有关系！”

There was a pause. Finally Hermione asked stiffly, “Mr. Lovegood, does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?”

“佩弗利尔家族是谁？”罗恩问。

Xenophilius looked taken aback as something shifted in Harry’s

“在戈德里克山谷，有那个标志的墓碑上的名字，”赫敏说，仍望着谢诺菲留斯，“伊格诺图斯·佩弗利尔。”

THREE BROTHERS memory, but he could not locate it. Peverell . . . he had heard that name before. . . .

“完全正确！”谢诺菲留斯说，学究气地扬了扬食指，“伊格诺图斯墓碑上死亡圣器的标志是有力的证据！”

“But you have been misleading me, young woman!” said Xenophilius, now sitting up much straighter in his chair and goggling at Hermione. “I thought you were new to the Hallows Quest! Many of us Questers believe that the Peverells have everything — everything! — to do with the Hallows!”

“证明什么？”罗恩问。

“Who are the Peverells?” asked Ron.

“哎，故事里的三兄弟实际上就是佩弗利尔三兄弟，安提俄克·卡德摩斯，和伊格诺图斯！他们就是圣器的最初拥有者！”

“That was the name on the grave with the mark on it, in Godric’s Hollow,” said Hermione, still watching Xenophilius. “Ignotus Peverell.”

谢诺菲留斯再次瞥了一眼窗外后，站了起来，拿起托盘，朝着螺旋形楼梯走了过去。

“Exactly!” said Xenophilius, his forefinger raised pedantically. “The sign of the Deathly Hallows on Ignotus’s grave is conclusive proof!”

“你们留下来吃晚餐吗？”他喊道，再次消失在楼梯下面，“每个人都向我们要淡水彩球鱼汤的菜谱。”

“Of what?” asked Ron.

“可能是为了拿给圣芒戈医院中毒科看的。”罗恩小声地说。

“Why, that the three brothers in the story were actually the three Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus! That they were the original owners of the Hallows!”

等到能听见谢诺菲留斯在楼下厨房里走动后，哈利才开始说话。

With another glance at the window he got to his feet, picked up the tray, and headed for the spiral staircase.

“你怎么想？”他问赫敏。

“You will stay for dinner?” he called, as he vanished downstairs again. “Everybody always requests our recipe for Freshwater Plimpy soup.”

“哦，哈利，”她倦怠地说，“绝对是一堆垃圾，不可能是那个标志的真实含义。这肯定只是他的胡诌而已。真是浪费时间。”

“Probably to show the Poisoning Department at St. Mungo’s,” said Ron under his breath.

“我猜这就是带给我们弯角鼾兽的那个人。”罗恩说。

Harry waited until they could hear Xenophilius moving about in the kitchen downstairs before speaking.

“你也不信？”哈利问他。

“What do you think?” he asked Hermione.

“咳，那个故事只是讲来教育小孩子的东西，不是吗？‘别惹麻烦，别跟人打架，别乱碰不该碰的东西！埋头干你自己的事就好啦！’我想起来了，”罗恩添了一句，“可能这个故事也说明，为什么接骨木魔杖常被认为不吉利。”

“Oh, Harry,” she said wearily, “it’s a pile of utter rubbish. This can’t be what the sign really means. This must just be his weird take on it. What a waste of time.”

“你说什么？”

“I s’pose this is the man who brought us Crumple-Horned Snorkacks,” said Ron.

“那些迷信说法之一，不是吗？‘五月生的女巫嫁麻瓜。’‘恶咒在黄昏，破解在午夜。’‘接骨木魔杖，决不会兴旺。’你们一定听说过。我妈妈满肚子都是这些。”

“You don’t believe it either?” Harry asked him.

“哈利和我都是麻瓜养大的，”赫敏提醒他说，“我们听到的是另一些迷信故事。”此时一股十分刺鼻的气味从厨房飘上来，她深深地叹了口气。对谢诺菲留斯的恼怒有一个好处：赫敏似乎忘记了她本来在生罗恩的气。“我认为你是对的，”她对罗恩说，“这只是一个说教故事，一眼就能看出哪一个礼物最好，你选择哪一个——”

“Nah, that story’s just one of those things you tell kids to teach them lessons, isn’t it? ‘Don’t go looking for trouble, don’t pick fights, don’t go messing around with stuff that’s best left alone! Just keep your head down, mind your own business, and you’ll be okay’ Come to think of it,” Ron added, “maybe that story’s why elder wands are supposed to be unlucky.”

三人同时说出了答案。赫敏说“隐形衣”，罗恩说“老魔杖”，哈利说“复活石”。

“What are you talking about?”

他们互相望着，一半是惊讶，一半是好笑。

“One of those superstitions, isn’t it? ‘May-born witches will marry Muggles.’ ‘Jinx by twilight, undone by midnight.’ ‘Wand of elder, never prosper.’ You must’ve heard them. My mum’s full of them.”

“本来是应该说隐形衣，”罗恩告诉赫敏，“但如果有了老魔杖的话，你就不必隐形了。一根永不会输的魔杖，赫敏，别傻了！”

“Harry and I were raised by Muggles,” Hermione reminded him. “We were taught different superstitions.” She sighed deeply as a rather pungent smell drifted up from the kitchen. The one good thing about her exasperation with Xenophilius was that it seemed to have made her forget that she was annoyed at Ron. “I think you’re right,” she told him. “It’s just a morality tale, it’s obvious which gift is best, which one you’d choose —”

“我们已经有隐形衣了。”哈利说。

The three of them spoke at the same time; Hermione said, “the Cloak,” Ron said, “the wand,” and Harry said, “the stone.”

“并且它帮了我们很多忙，大概你没有注意到吧！”赫敏说，“而那根魔杖注定要招来麻烦——”

They looked at each other, half surprised, half amused.

“只有当你大声炫耀，”罗恩争辩道，“只有当你傻到拿着它跳来跳去，高高挥舞，还唱着‘我拿到永不会输的魔杖啦，你要是有本事就来试试呀’，才会有麻烦。只要你闷声不响——”

“You’re supposed to say the Cloak,” Ron told Hermione, “but you wouldn’t need to be invisible if you had the wand. An unbeatable wand, Hermione, come on!”

“是啊，可你能闷声不响吗？”赫敏一脸怀疑地问，“我看，他告诉我们的惟一一个真实情况就是，几百年来一直有关于超强魔杖的故事。”

THREE BROTHERS

“有吗？”哈利问。

“We’ve already got an Invisibility Cloak,” said Harry.

赫敏看起来被激恼了，那表情是如此熟悉可爱，哈利和罗恩相视一笑。

“And it’s helped us rather a lot, in case you hadn’t noticed!” said Hermione. “Whereas the wand would be bound to attract trouble —”

“死亡棒，命运杖，许多世纪以来，它们以不同的名称出现，通常被一些黑巫师所拥有，对外吹嘘。宾斯教授提到过一些，但——哦，全是谬论。魔杖再强也强不过巫师。一些巫师就是喜欢炫耀自己的魔杖比别人的更长更好。”

“Only if you shouted about it,” argued Ron. “Only if you were prat enough to go dancing around, waving it over your head, and singing, ‘I’ve got an unbeatable wand, come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.’ As long as you kept your trap shut —”

“但是你怎么知道，”哈利说，“那些魔杖——死亡棒和命运杖——不会是同一根魔杖，身披不同的名字流传了许多世纪呢？”

“Yes, but could you keep your trap shut?” said Hermione, looking skeptical. “You know, the only true thing he said to us was that there have been stories about extra-powerful wands for hundreds of years.”

“什么，难道它们真的就是死神做的那根接骨木魔杖？”罗恩问。

“There have?” asked Harry.

哈利笑了，这个突发的奇想毕竟很荒谬。他提醒自己，他的魔杖是用冬青木做的，不是接骨木的，而且是由奥利凡德制作的——不管那个晚上伏地魔在天上追来时它做了什么。再说，如果它永不会输的话，怎么会坏了呢？

Hermione looked exasperated: The expression was so endearingly familiar that Harry and Ron grinned at each other.

“那你又为什么选了石头呢？”罗恩问他。

“The Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny, they crop up under different names through the centuries, usually in the possession of some Dark wizard who’s boasting about them. Professor Binns mentioned some of them, but — oh, it’s all nonsense. Wands are only as powerful as the wizards who use them. Some wizards just like to boast that theirs are bigger and better than other people’s.”

“嗯，如果能让人复活，就可以让小天狼星……疯眼汉……邓布利多……我父母……”

“But how do you know,” said Harry, “that those wands — the Deathstick and the Wand of Destiny — aren’t the same wand, surfacing over the centuries under different names?”

罗恩和赫敏都没有笑。

“What, and they’re all really the Elder Wand, made by Death?” said Ron.

“但是据诗翁彼豆说，他们并不想回来，不是吗？”哈利说，想着刚刚听过的故事，“我想，关于起死回生的石头的故事不会太多，对不对？”他问赫敏。

Harry laughed: The strange idea that had occurred to him was, after all, ridiculous. His wand, he reminded himself, had been of holly, not elder, and it had been made by Ollivander, whatever it had done that night Voldemort had pursued him across the skies. And if it had been unbeatable, how could it have been broken?

“是啊，”赫敏沮丧地答道，“我认为除了洛夫古德先生外，不会有人欺骗自己说这种事可能存在。彼豆很可能取材于魔法石的故事，你知道，那是一块让人长生不老的石头，而这是一块起死回生的石头。”

“So why would you take the stone?” Ron asked him.

厨房里传来的味道越发强烈，有点像是内裤燃烧的气味。哈利担心，那东西端上来后他能不能吃下几口，弄不好伤害谢诺菲留斯的感情。

“Well, if you could bring people back, we could have Sirius . . . Mad-Eye . . . Dumbledore . . . my parents. . . .”

“那么，隐形衣呢？”罗恩慢慢地说，“难道你没意识到他是对的？我已经太熟悉哈利的隐形衣了，都没有去想一想它有多好。我从没听说过还有哪件像哈利的这样，绝对可靠，穿着它我们从没有被发现过——”

Neither Ron nor Hermione smiled.

“当然不会——穿上它后我们是无形的，罗恩！”

“But according to Beedle the Bard, they wouldn’t want to come back, would they?” said Harry, thinking about the tale they had just heard. “I don’t suppose there have been loads of other stories about a stone that can raise the dead, have there?” he asked Hermione.

“但是他说的关于其他隐形衣的事都是真的，它们也不是一纳特十件的便宜货，你知道！我以前从没仔细想过，但是我听说过，隐形衣穿久了效力会减弱，或者会被魔咒打穿留下破洞。哈利的隐形衣原先是他爸爸的，所以不算新了，对吧，但它却是……完美的！”

“No,” she replied sadly. “I don’t think anyone except Mr. Lovegood could kid themselves that’s possible. Beedle probably took the idea from the Sorcerer’s Stone; you know, instead of a stone to make you immortal, a stone to reverse death.”

“是，不错的，但是罗恩，复活石……”

The smell from the kitchen was getting stronger: It was something like burning underpants. Harry wondered whether it would be possible to eat enough of whatever Xenophilius was cooking to spare his feelings.

他俩低声争辩着，哈利在屋里走来走去，没有仔细听。走到螺旋形楼梯时，他心不在焉地抬眼朝楼上看了看，突然被吸引住了，他自己的面孔正从上层的天花板上朝他看着。

“What about the Cloak, though?” said Ron slowly. “Don’t you realize, he’s right? I’ve got so used to Harry’s Cloak and how good it is, I never stopped to think. I’ve never heard of one like Harry’s. It’s infallible. We’ve never been spotted under it —”

短暂的迷惑之后，他意识到那不是镜子，而是一幅画。出于好奇，他登上了楼梯。

“Of course not — we’re invisible when we’re under it, Ron!”

“哈利，你在干什么？他不在，我觉得你不应该四处走动。”

“But all the stuff he said about other cloaks, and they’re not exactly ten a Knut, you know, is true! It’s never occurred to me before, but I’ve heard stuff about charms wearing off cloaks when they get old, or them being ripped apart by spells so they’ve got holes in.

但是哈利已经到了楼上。

THREE BROTHERS Harry’s was owned by his dad, so it’s not exactly new, is it, but it’s just . . . perfect!”

卢娜在她卧室天花板上装饰了五张画得很漂亮的脸庞：哈利、罗恩、赫敏、金妮、纳威。它们不像霍格沃茨里的画像那样会动，但也有一定的魔力——哈利觉得它们有呼吸。画像周围有精细的金链子把它们连在一起。但细看了一两分钟后，哈利意识到链子实际上都是一个词，用金色墨水写了上千遍：朋友……朋友……朋友……

“Yes, all right, but Ron, the stone . . .”

哈利心头涌上一股对卢娜的好感。他环顾四周，床边有一张很大的照片，是幼年的卢娜和一位与她很像的女士拥抱在一起。照片中的卢娜打扮得比哈利见过的任何一次都漂亮。照片上满是灰尘，这让哈利觉得有点蹊跷，他仔细审视着这个房间。

As they argued in whispers, Harry moved around the room, only half listening. Reaching the spiral stair, he raised his eyes absently to the next level and was distracted at once. His own face was looking back at him from the ceiling of the room above.

一定是出问题了。淡蓝色的地毯上也落满了灰尘，衣柜门微开，柜里没有衣服，床看起来冷清清的，好像几星期没有人睡过了。一张孤零零的蜘蛛网结在最近的窗户上，划过血红的天空。

After a moment’s bewilderment, he realized that it was not a mirror, but a painting. Curious, he began to climb the stairs.

“出什么问题了？”当哈利走下楼梯时，赫敏问道。他还没来得及回答，谢诺菲留斯已经从厨房楼梯上来了，端着个托盘，里面有几只碗。

“Harry, what are you doing? I don’t think you should look around when he’s not here!”

“洛夫古德先生，”哈利说，“卢娜在哪儿？”

But Harry had already reached the next level.

“什么？”

Luna had decorated her bedroom ceiling with five beautifully painted faces: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. They were not moving as the portraits at Hogwarts moved, but there was a certain magic about them all the same: Harry thought they breathed. What appeared to be fine golden chains wove around the pictures, linking them together, but after examining them for a minute or so, Harry realized that the chains were actually one word, repeated a thousand times in golden ink: friends . . . friends . . . friends . . .

“卢娜在哪儿？”

Harry felt a great rush of affection for Luna. He looked around the room. There was a large photograph beside the bed, of a young Luna and a woman who looked very like her. They were hugging. Luna looked rather better-groomed in this picture than Harry had ever seen her in life. The picture was dusty. This struck Harry as slightly odd. He stared around.

谢诺菲留斯停在了最上面一级楼梯上。

Something was wrong. The pale blue carpet was also thick with dust. There were no clothes in the wardrobe, whose doors stood ajar. The bed had a cold, unfriendly look, as though it had not been slept in for weeks. A single cobweb stretched over the nearest window, across a bloodred sky.

“我——我已经告诉你们了。她在下面的谷底桥，捕彩球鱼呢。”

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked as Harry descended the staircase, but before he could respond, Xenophilius reached the top of the stairs from the kitchen, now holding a tray laden with bowls.

谢诺菲留斯试图说话，但是没有声音出来，只听见印刷机的连续的咔啦咔啦声，以及托盘发出的轻微的咯嗒声——他的手在颤抖。

“Mr. Lovegood,” said Harry. “Where’s Luna?”

“我看卢娜都好几个星期不在家了，”哈利说，“她的衣服不见了，床也好久没有睡过。她在哪儿？您又为什么一直朝窗外张望？”

“Excuse me?”

托盘从谢诺菲留斯手里滑落下来，碗弹了几下后摔碎了。哈利、罗恩和赫敏都掏出了魔杖。谢诺菲留斯呆住了，手刚要伸进口袋。就在那一刻，印刷机发出一声巨响，大量的《唱唱反调》杂志从桌布下涌到地板上，印刷机终于没有声息了。

“Where’s Luna?”

赫敏弯腰捡起一本杂志，魔杖仍指着洛夫古德先生。

Xenophilius halted on the top step.

“哈利，瞧这个。”

“I — I’ve already told you. She is down at Bottom Bridge, fishing for Plimpies.”

哈利尽量迅速地从乱糟糟的地上走过去。《唱唱反调》的封面上印着他的照片，醒目地写着“头号不良分子”并注有悬赏金额。

“So why have you only laid that tray for four?”

“《唱唱反调》换了一个角度看问题，啊？”哈利冷冷地问道，脑子转得飞快，“洛夫古德先生，当你去花园时，是派猫头鹰给魔法部送信了吧？”

Xenophilius tried to speak, but no sound came out. The only noise was the continued chugging of the printing press, and a slight rattle from the tray as Xenophilius’s hands shook.

谢诺菲留斯舔了舔嘴唇。

“I don’t think Luna’s been here for weeks,” said Harry. “Her clothes are gone, her bed hasn’t been slept in. Where is she? And why do you keep looking out of the window?”

“他们带走了我的卢娜，”他低声说道，“因为我写的东西。他们带走了我的卢娜，我不知道她在哪儿，她怎么样了。但他们有可能会把她还给我，只要我——只要我——”

Xenophilius dropped the tray: The bowls bounced and smashed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew their wands: Xenophilius froze, his hand about to enter his pocket. At that moment the printing press gave a huge bang and numerous Quibblers came streaming across the floor from underneath the tablecloth; the press fell silent at last.

“把哈利交给他们？”赫敏替他说完。

Hermione stooped down and picked up one of the magazines, her wand still pointing at Mr. Lovegood.

“没门儿，”罗恩断然说道，“闪开，我们走。”

“Harry, look at this.”

谢诺菲留斯看起来面如死灰，苍老得像有一百岁，他牵动嘴角，露出一丝可怕的冷笑。

THREE BROTHERS

“他们马上就到，我必须救卢娜，我不能没有卢娜，你们不准离开。”

He strode over to her as quickly as he could through all the clutter. The front of The Quibbler carried his own picture, emblazoned with the words Undesirable Number One and captioned with the reward money.

他伸开双臂挡在了楼梯前，此时哈利眼前突然闪现出婴儿床前，自己母亲所做的同样动作。

“The Quibbler’s going for a new angle, then?” Harry asked coldly, his mind working very fast. “Is that what you were doing when you went into the garden, Mr. Lovegood? Sending an owl to the Ministry?”

“不要逼我们伤害你，”哈利说，“闪开，洛夫古德先生。”

Xenophilius licked his lips.

“哈利！”赫敏尖叫道。

“They took my Luna,” he whispered. “Because of what I’ve been writing. They took my Luna and I don’t know where she is, what they’ve done to her. But they might give her back to me if I — if I —”

骑着飞天扫帚的身影从窗口掠过。趁他们三人朝外看时，谢诺菲留斯拔出了魔杖。哈利及时意识到了错误，他纵身向外一跃，同时猛推了罗恩和赫敏一把，谢诺菲留斯发射的昏迷咒呼啸而过，穿过屋子击中了毒角兽的角。

“Hand over Harry?” Hermione finished for him.

巨大的爆炸声惊天动地，响得似乎把屋子炸开了花，木头、碎纸和石块四处乱飞，伴随着无法穿透的厚厚的白色尘雾。哈利飞了起来，重重地摔在地板上，胳膊护着脑袋，碎片像下雨一样砸在他身上，什么都看不见。他听到了赫敏的尖叫，罗恩的高喊，还有一连串令人发晕的金属撞击声，他知道谢诺菲留斯也被炸飞了，顺着螺旋楼梯滚了下去。

“No deal,” said Ron flatly. “Get out of the way, we’re leaving.”

哈利半个身子被埋在碎石中，试图站起来。由于灰尘，他几乎不能呼吸或睁眼。半个天花板掉了下来，卢娜的床脚悬在豁口处。拉文克劳的半身石像躺在他身边，少了半张脸，空气里飘浮着羊皮纸碎片，印刷机大部分侧倒过来，堵住了通往厨房的楼梯口。旁边另一个白色的身影动了起来，是赫敏，满身是灰，仿佛一座雕像，一根手指放在嘴唇上。

Xenophilius looked ghastly, a century old, his lips drawn back into a dreadful leer.

楼底下的门被撞开了。

“They will be here at any moment. I must save Luna. I cannot lose Luna. You must not leave.”

“我没告诉过你不用着急吗，特拉弗斯？”一个粗暴的声音说，“我没告诉过这个疯子又在胡说吗？”

He spread his arms in front of the staircase, and Harry had a sudden vision of his mother doing the same thing in front of his crib.

砰的一声，谢诺菲留斯痛苦地尖叫起来。

“Don’t make us hurt you,” Harry said. “Get out of the way, Mr. Lovegood.”

“不……不……在楼上……波特！”

“HARRY!” Hermione screamed.

“上星期我告诉过你，洛夫古德，如果没有可靠的消息，我们是不会来的！还记得上星期吗？你想用那个愚蠢的破头饰换你的女儿吗？还有上上星期——”砰，又一声惨叫，“——你以为如果你能证明有弯角——”砰“——鼾兽——”砰“——我们就会把她还给你吗？”

Figures on broomsticks were flying past the windows. As the three of them looked away from him, Xenophilius drew his wand. Harry realized their mistake just in time: He launched himself sideways, shoving Ron and Hermione out of harm’s way as Xenophilius’s Stunning Spell soared across the room and hit the Erumpent horn.

“不——不——我求求你！”谢诺菲留斯哭诉着，“真的是波特！真的！”

There was a colossal explosion. The sound of it seemed to blow the room apart: Fragments of wood and paper and rubble flew in all directions, along with an impenetrable cloud of thick white dust. Harry flew through the air, then crashed to the floor, unable to see as debris rained upon him, his arms over his head. He heard Hermione’s scream, Ron’s yell, and a series of sickening metallic thuds, which told him that Xenophilius had been blasted off his feet and fallen backward down the spiral stairs.

“现在证明你叫我们来就是想把我们炸死！”食死徒咆哮着，一连串的砰砰声，夹杂着谢诺菲留斯痛苦的尖叫。

Half buried in rubble, Harry tried to raise himself: He could barely breathe or see for dust. Half of the ceiling had fallen in, and the end of Luna’s bed was hanging through the hole. The bust of Rowena Ravenclaw lay beside him with half its face missing, fragments of torn parchment were floating through the air, and most of the printing press lay on its side, blocking the top of the staircase to the kitchen. Then another white shape moved close by, and Hermione, coated in dust like a second statue, pressed her finger to her lips.

“这地方看上去就要塌了，塞尔温，”一个冷静的声音从炸坏的楼梯上传上来，“楼梯都堵死，能清通吗？可能会把房子搞塌的。”

The door downstairs crashed open.

“你这撒谎的狗东西，”那个名叫塞尔温的巫师大喊，“你这辈子从没见过波特，是不是？你想把我们骗过来杀死，是吗？你认为这样会弄回你的女儿？”

“Didn’t I tell you there was no need to hurry, Travers?” said a rough voice. “Didn’t I tell you this nutter was just raving as usual?”

“我发誓……我发誓……波特在楼上！”

There was a bang and a scream of pain from Xenophilius.

“人形显身。”楼梯底下的声音说道。

“No . . . no . . . upstairs . . . Potter!”

哈利听到赫敏惊叫一声，他有一种奇怪的感觉，有什么东西低低地朝着他飞来，把他的身体笼罩在它的影子里。

“I told you last week, Lovegood, we weren’t coming back for anything less than some solid information! Remember last week? When you wanted to swap your daughter for that stupid bleeding headdress? And the week before” — another bang, another squeal — “when you thought we’d give her back if you offered us proof there are Crumple” — bang — “Headed” — bang — “Snorkacks?”

“上面确实有人，塞尔温。”第二个人急速地说道。

THREE BROTHERS

“是波特，我说了，是波特！”谢诺菲留斯呜咽道，“请……请……把卢娜还给我，给我卢娜……”

“No — no — I beg you!” sobbed Xenophilius. “It really is Potter! Really!”

“你可以要回你的女儿，洛夫古德，”塞尔温说，“如果你到楼上把哈利给带下来的话。但如果这是一个阴谋，一个诡计，如果楼上埋伏着你的帮凶，我们会考虑是否给你一点你女儿的尸骨让你埋葬。”

“And now it turns out you only called us here to try and blow us up!” roared the Death Eater, and there was a volley of bangs interspersed with squeals of agony from Xenophilius.

谢诺菲留斯发出一声充满恐惧和绝望的哀号，然后是急促的脚步声和刨挖声——谢诺菲留斯正在试图穿过楼梯上的废墟。

“The place looks like it’s about to fall in, Selwyn,” said a cool second voice, echoing up the mangled staircase. “The stairs are completely blocked. Could try clearing it? Might bring the place down.”

“快点儿，”哈利悄声道，“我们必须离开这里。”

“You lying piece of filth,” shouted the wizard named Selwyn. “You’ve never seen Potter in your life, have you? Thought you’d lure us here to kill us, did you? And you think you’ll get your girl back like this?”

以谢诺菲留斯在楼梯上弄出的声响为掩护，哈利开始把自己挖掘出来。罗恩被埋得最深，哈利和赫敏尽可能轻地从废墟中爬到他身边，试图撬开压在他腿上的沉重的五斗橱。谢诺菲留斯的撞击声和刨挖声越来越近，赫敏用悬停魔咒帮助罗恩脱出身来。

“I swear . . . I swear . . . Potter’s upstairs!”

“好了。”赫敏压着嗓子说，此时遮住楼梯口的破印刷机开始摇动，谢诺菲留斯离他们只有几步之遥了。赫敏仍然满身白灰。“你相信我吗，哈利？”

“Homenum revelio,” said the voice at the foot of the stairs.

哈利点点头。

Harry heard Hermione gasp, and he had the odd sensation that something was swooping low over him, immersing his body in its shadow.

“那好，”赫敏小声道，“给我隐形衣。罗恩，你穿上它。”

“There’s someone up there all right, Selwyn,” said the second man sharply.

“我？那哈利——”

“It’s Potter, I tell you, it’s Potter!” sobbed Xenophilius. “Please . . . please . . . give me Luna, just let me have Luna. . . .”

“拜托，罗恩！哈利，抓紧我的手，罗恩，抓住我的肩膀。”

“You can have your little girl, Lovegood,” said Selwyn, “if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. But if this is a plot, if it’s a trick, if you’ve got an accomplice waiting up there to ambush us, we’ll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury.”

哈利用左手抓住她。罗恩消失在隐形衣下面。堵住楼梯口的印刷机在振动，谢诺菲留斯正试图用悬停魔咒搬开它。哈利不知道赫敏还在等什么。

Xenophilius gave a wail of fear and despair. There were scurryings and scrapings: Xenophilius was trying to get through the debris on the stairs.

“抓紧，”她低语道，“抓紧……随时……”

“Come on,” Harry whispered, “we’ve got to get out of here.”

谢诺菲留斯那纸一般煞白的脸从餐具柜顶上露了出来。

He started to dig himself out under cover of all the noise Xenophilius was making on the staircase. Ron was buried deepest: Harry and Hermione climbed, as quietly as they could, over all the wreckage to where he lay, trying to prise a heavy chest of drawers off his legs. While Xenophilius’s banging and scraping drew nearer and nearer, Hermione managed to free Ron with the use of a Hover Charm.

“一忘皆空！”赫敏用魔杖指着他的脸大声喊，然后指向脚下的地板，“房塌地陷！”

“All right,” breathed Hermione, as the broken printing press blocking the top of the stairs began to tremble; Xenophilius was feet away from them. She was still white with dust. “Do you trust me, Harry?”

她在起居室的地板上炸开一个洞，他们像大石头一样跌落下去。哈利仍然拼命紧紧抓住她的手。底下一声尖叫，他瞥见两个大汉在慌忙躲闪，从粉碎的天花板上掉下的大量碎石和破家具纷纷坠落。赫敏在半空中旋转起来，房屋倒塌的声音回响在哈利耳际，她拉着他，再次消失在黑暗里。

Harry nodded.

“Okay then,” Hermione whispered, “give me the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, you’re going to put it on.”

“Me? But Harry —”

“Please, Ron! Harry, hold on tight to my hand, Ron, grab my shoulder.”

Harry held out his left hand. Ron vanished beneath the Cloak. The printing press blocking the stairs was vibrating: Xenophilius was trying to shift it using a Hover Charm. Harry did not know what Hermione was waiting for.

“Hold tight,” she whispered. “Hold tight . . . any second . . .”

Xenophilius’s paper-white face appeared over the top of the sideboard.

“Obliviate!” cried Hermione, pointing her wand first into his face, then at the floor beneath them. “Deprimo!”

THREE BROTHERS

She had blasted a hole in the sitting room floor. They fell like boulders, Harry still holding onto her hand for dear life; there was a scream from below, and he glimpsed two men trying to get out of the way as vast quantities of rubble and broken furniture rained all around them from the shattered ceiling. Hermione twisted in midair and the thundering of the collapsing house rang in Harry’s ears as she dragged him once more into darkness.