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哈利·波特与凤凰社
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

英文中文双语对照双语交替

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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - Careers Advice

第二十九章　就业咨询

'But why haven't you got Occlumency lessons any more?' said Hermione, frowning.

“可为什么你不再上大脑封闭术课了？”赫敏皱着眉头问道。

'I've told you,' Harry muttered. 'Snape reckons I can carry on by myself now I've got the basics.'

“我跟你说过了，”哈利嘟哝说，“斯内普觉得我现在有了些基础，可以自己接着学了。”

'So you've stopped having funny dreams?' said Hermione sceptically.

“那你不做那些离奇古怪的梦了？”赫敏怀疑地说。

'Pretty much,' said Harry, not looking at her.

“差不多吧。”哈利说，并没有看着她。

'Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!' said Hermione indignantly. 'Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask - '

“不，我觉得斯内普不应该停止上大脑封闭术课，除非你完全有把握，能自己控制那些梦！”赫敏愤愤不平地说，“哈利，我觉得你应该去找他，请——”

'No,' said Harry forcefully. 'Just drop it, Hermione, OK?'

“不，”哈利坚决地说，“别谈这个了，赫敏，好吗？”

It was the first day of the Easter holidays and Hermione, as was her custom, had spent a large part of the day drawing up revision timetables for the three of them. Harry and Ron had let her do it; ii. was easier than arguing with her and, in any case, they might come in useful.

今天是复活节假期的头一天，赫敏按照老习惯，花了大半天时间给他们三个制订复习时间表。哈利和罗恩由着她去做，这比跟她争论要容易多了，再说，时间表也许能够派上用场。

Ron had been startled to discover there were only six weeks left until their exams.

罗恩在发觉离考试只有六个星期时吃了一惊。

'How can that come as a shock?' Hermione demanded, as she tapped each little square on Ron's timetable with her wand so that il flashed a different colour according to its subject.

“这有什么好惊讶的？”赫敏一边问一边用魔杖轻轻敲了敲罗恩那份时间表上的每个小方格，于是不同的科目就闪现出了不同的色彩。

'I dunno,' said Ron, 'there's been a lot going on.'

“我也不知道，”罗恩说，“发生的事情太多了。”

'Well, there you are,' she said, handing him his timetable, 'if you follow that you should do fine.'

“好了，给你，”赫敏说着把时间表递给他，“如果你跟着这个进度来，应该会有不错的表现。”

Ron looked down it gloomily, but then brightened.

罗恩沮丧地低头看了看时间表，接着高兴起来。

'You've given me an evening off every week!'

“你每星期给我留了一个晚上休息！”

'That's for Quidditch practice,' said Hermione.

“那是为了魁地奇训练。”赫敏说。

The smile faded from Ron's face.

罗恩脸上的笑容渐渐消失了。

'What's the point?' he said dully. 'We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister for Magic.'

“有什么用啊？”他说，“我们今年赢得魁地奇杯的机会就跟我爸爸当上魔法部部长的机会差不多。”

Hermione said nothing; she was looking at Harry, who was staring blankly at the opposite wall of the common room while Crookshanks pawed at his hand, trying to get his ears scratched.

赫敏什么也没说，她正看着哈利，哈利茫然地盯着对面公共休息室的墙壁，这时克鲁克山用爪子扒拉着他的手，想让他替它挠挠耳朵。

'What's wrong, Harry?'

“出什么事了，哈利？”

'What?' he said quickly. 'Nothing.'

“什么？”他马上说，“没事。”

He seized his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and pretended to be looking something up in the index. Crookshanks gave him up as a bad job and slunk away under Hermione's chair.

他抓起自己那本《魔法防御理论》，假装在目录里查找什么。克鲁克山觉得自己是白费力气，就离开哈利溜到了赫敏的椅子底下。

'I saw Cho earlier,' said Hermione tentatively. 'She looked really miserable, too . . . have you two had a row again?'

“前一阵我看到秋·张了，”赫敏试探着说，“她看上去很难过……你们两个又吵架了？”

'Wha- oh, yeah, we have,' said Harry, seizing gratefully on the excuse.

“什——哦，是的，我们吵架了。”哈利说，挺高兴地抓住了这个借口。

'What about?'

“为什么吵架啊？”

That sneak friend of hers, Marietta,' said Harry.

“为她那个鬼鬼祟祟的朋友，玛丽埃塔。”哈利说。

'Yeah, well, I don't blame you!' said Ron angrily, setting down his revision timetable. 'If it hadn't been for her . . .'

“噢，是这样，我一点儿也不怪你！”罗恩气冲冲地说着放下了自己的复习时间表，“要不是因为她……”

Ron went into a rant about Marietta Edgecombe, which Harry found helpful; all he had to do was look angry, nod and say 'Yeah' and That's right' whenever Ron drew breath, leaving his mind free to dwell, ever more miserably, on what he had seen in the Pensieve.

罗恩开始慷慨激昂地大声数落玛丽埃塔·艾克莫，哈利觉得罗恩这么做真是在帮自己的忙；他只要摆出一副生气的样子，趁罗恩换口气的时候点点头，说声“是”或者“没错”就行了，他可以一门心思地仔细想一想在冥想盆里看到的那些事情，尽管越想越难过。

He felt as though the memory of it was eating him from inside. He had been so sure his parents were wonderful people that he had never had the slightest difficulty in disbelieving the aspersions Snape cast on his father's character. Hadn't people like Hagrid and Sirius told Harry how wonderful his father had been? (Yeah, well, look what Sirius was like himself, said a nagging voice inside Harry's head . . . he was as bad, wasn't he?) Yes, he had once overheard Professor McGonagall saying that his father and Sirius had been troublemakers at school, but she had described them as forerunners of the Weasley twins, and Harry could not imagine Fred and George dangling someone upside-down for the fun of it . . . not unless they really loathed them . . . perhaps Malfoy or somebody who really deserved it .

他觉得冥想盆里的那些记忆好像正在啮噬自己的内心。他一直深信自己的父母都是很出色的人。关于爸爸的性格，他向来一点儿也不相信斯内普抛出的那些中伤、诽谤。像海格和小天狼星这些人不是告诉过哈利，他的爸爸有多出色吗？（是啊，嗯，看看小天狼星自己像什么样吧，一个挑剔的声音在哈利脑袋里说道……他一样坏，不是吗？）是的，他以前无意中听麦格教授说起过，他爸爸和小天狼星是学校里最能惹麻烦的人，她把他们描述成韦斯莱双胞胎的先驱者，可哈利无法想象弗雷德和乔治会为了寻开心，把什么人头朝下倒挂起来……除非他们俩非常讨厌这个人……也许是马尔福，要么就是那些罪有应得的人……

Harry tried to make a case for Snape having deserved what he had suffered at James's hands: but hadn't Lily asked, 'What's he done to you?' And hadn't James replied, 'It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean.' Hadn't James started it all simply because Sirius had said he was bored? Harry remembered Lupin saying back in Grimmauld Place that Dumbledore had made him prefect in the hope that he would be able to exercise some control over James and Sirius . . . but in the Pensieve, he had sat there and let it all happen . . .

哈利想努力找出一些理由，好证明斯内普活该在詹姆手里受那些罪，但是莉莉问过：“他怎么惹着你了？”而詹姆回答：“其实主要是因为他的存在，要是你理解我的意思……”詹姆不是仅仅为了小天狼星说自己觉得很无聊就挑起了事端吗？哈利记得卢平以前在格里莫广场说过，邓布利多让他当级长，是希望他能约束一下詹姆和小天狼星……但是在冥想盆里，他却坐在那里，任由这件事发生……

Harry kept reminding himself that Lily had intervened; his mother had been decent. Yet, the memory of the look on her face as she had shouted at James disturbed him quite as much as anything else; she had clearly loathed James, and Harry simply could not understand how they could have ended up married. Once or twice he even wondered whether James had forced her into it . . .

哈利一直提醒自己，莉莉干预了这件事，他的妈妈很正直。但是，他记得莉莉对詹姆大喊大叫时脸上的那种表情，这和其他的事情一样让他心烦意乱；很显然，莉莉讨厌詹姆，哈利实在不明白他们后来怎么会结婚。有几次，他甚至怀疑詹姆是不是强迫她……

For nearly five years the thought of his father had been a source of comfort, of inspiration. Whenever someone had told him he was like James, he had glowed with pride inside. And now . . . now he felt cold and miserable at the thought of him.

几乎五年了，对爸爸的思念一直是他感到安慰和鼓舞的源泉。每当有人说他很像詹姆，他心中就洋溢着自豪。可现在……现在他一想起詹姆就觉得寒心、难过。

The weather grew breezier, brighter and warmer as the Easter holidays passed, but Harry, along with the rest of the fifth- and seventh-years, was trapped inside, revising, traipsing back and forth to the library. Harry pretended his bad mood had no other cause but the approaching exams, and as his fellow Gryffindors were sick of studying themselves, his excuse went unchallenged.

复活节假期结束以后，刮起微风的日子越来越多，天气一天比一天晴朗、温暖，但是哈利，还有其他五年级和七年级的学生，都被困在屋子里，复习，疲惫地在图书馆里进进出出。哈利假装自己的坏心情全都是正在临近的考试引起的。他的格兰芬多同学们已经被功课压得心烦意乱，所以没人怀疑他的借口。

'Harry, I'm talking to you, can you hear me?'

“哈利，我跟你说话呢，你听见了吗？”

'Huh?'

“啊？”

He looked round. Ginny Weasley, looking very windswept, had joined him at the library table where he had been sitting alone. It was late on Sunday evening: Hermione had gone back to Gryffindor Tower to revise Ancient Runes, and Ron had Quidditch practice.

哈利扭头看了看。刚才他一直独自坐在图书馆的桌子旁，浑然不觉头发被风吹得乱七八糟的金妮·韦斯莱已经在他旁边坐下了。这是星期天的晚上，时间已经不早了，赫敏已经回到格兰芬多塔楼去复习古代魔文，罗恩在训练魁地奇球。

'Oh, hi,' said Harry, pulling his books towards him. 'How come you're not at practice?'

“哦，嘿，”哈利说着把书朝自己拉过来，“你怎么没去训练？”

'It's over,' said Ginny. 'Ron had to take Jack Sloper up to the hospital wing.'

“结束了。”金妮说，“罗恩必须送杰克·斯劳珀去学校医院。”

'Why?'

“为什么？”

'Well, we're not sure, but we think he knocked himself out with

“唉，我们也不太清楚，不过我们猜想，他是被自己的球棒打昏了。”她重重地叹了口气，“不管怎样……刚刚收到一个包裹，它勉强通过了乌姆里奇的新审查程序。”

his own bat.' She sighed heavily. 'Anyway . . . a package just arrived, it's only just got through Umbridge's new screening process.'

她举起一个包着牛皮纸的盒子，把它放到桌子上；盒子显然被打开过，然后又被马马虎虎地重新包上，上面横贴着一张用红墨水潦草写下的条子，内容是：已通过霍格沃茨高级调查官的审查。

She hoisted a box wrapped in brown paper on to the table; it had clearly been unwrapped and carelessly re-wrapped. There was a scribbled note across it in red ink, reading: Inspected and Passed by the Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

“是妈妈寄来的复活节彩蛋，”金妮说，“有一个是给你的……给你。”

'It's Easter eggs from Mum,' said Ginny. There's one for you . . . there you go.'

她递给哈利一个漂亮的巧克力蛋，上面装饰着一些用糖衣做的小飞贼，而且从包装上看，里面还有一包滋滋蜜蜂糖。哈利看了它一会儿，接着他害怕地感觉到，自己的喉咙哽住了。

She handed him a handsome chocolate egg decorated with small, iced Snitches and, according to the packaging, containing a bag of Fizzing Whizzbees. Harry looked at it for a moment, then, to his horror, felt a lump rise in his throat.

“你还好吗，哈利？”金妮轻轻地问道。

'Are you OK, Harry?' Ginny asked quietly.

“是啊，我挺好的。”哈利声音粗哑地说。喉咙里哽得发疼。他不明白为什么一个复活节彩蛋会让自己产生这种感觉。

'Yeah, I'm fine,' said Harry gruffly. The lump in his throat was painful. He did not understand why an Easter egg should have made him feel like this.

“你近来好像确实有些垂头丧气的，”金妮坚持说，“你知道，我能肯定，只要你和秋·张谈谈……”

'You seem really down lately,' Ginny persisted. 'You know, I'm sure if you just talked to Cho . . .'

“我不想和秋·张谈话。”哈利生硬无礼地说。

'It's not Cho I want to talk to,' said Harry brusquely.

“那你想和谁谈？”金妮问道。

'Who is it, then?' asked Ginny, watching him closely.

“我……”

'I . . .'

他向四周扫了一眼，好确定没人在听他们讲话。平斯夫人在几个书架以外，正为表情紧张的汉娜·艾博借出的一堆书盖章。

He glanced around to make quite sure nobody was listening. Madam Pince was several shelves away, stamping out a pile cf books for a frantic-looking Hannah Abbott.

“我希望和小天狼星谈谈，”他低声说，“不过我知道自己办不到。”

'I wish I could talk to Sirius,' he muttered. 'But I know I can't.'

哈利剥下复活节彩蛋的包装，掰下一大块放进嘴里，他倒不是很想吃彩蛋，主要是想给自己找点事情做。

Ginny continued to watch him thoughtfully. More to give himself something to do than because he really wanted any, Harry unwrapped his Easter egg, broke off a large bit and put it into his mouth.

“嗯，”金妮慢慢地说，自己也吃了一小块彩蛋，“要是你真想和小天狼星谈谈，我认为我们可以想出个办法来。”

'Well,' said Ginny slowly, helping herself to a bit of egg, too, 'if you really want to talk to Sirius, I expect we could think of a way to do it.'

“得了，”哈利说，“就在乌姆里奇监视着炉火、查阅我们所有的信件的时候？”

'Come on,' said Harry dully. 'With Umbridge policing the fires and reading all our mail?'

“弗雷德和乔治现在越来越相信，”金妮若有所思地说道，“如果你胆量够大，你就会觉得任何事情都能办到。”

The thing about growing up with Fred and George,' said Ginny thoughtfully, 'is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.'

哈利看着她。或许是巧克力的效果吧——卢平总是建议在遭遇摄魂怪后吃一些巧克力——也可能仅仅是因为他终于把心里憋了一个星期的愿望说了出来，他觉得自己抱的希望更多了一些。

Harry looked at her. Perhaps it was the effect of the chocolate - '- Lupin had always advised eating some after encounters with Dementors - or simply because he had finally spoken aloud the wish that had been burning inside him for a week, but he felt a bit more hopeful.

“你们在干什么？”

'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?'

“哦，该死，”金妮小声说着跳了起来，“我忘了——”

'Oh damn,' whispered Ginny, jumping to her feet. 'I forgot - '

平斯夫人正向他们猛扑过来，她那张满是皱纹的脸都气歪了。

Madam Pince was swooping down on them, her shrivelled face contorted with rage.

“在图书馆里吃巧克力！”她尖声喊道，“出去——出去——出去！”

'Chocolate in the library!' she screamed. 'Out - out - OUT!' And whipping out her wand, she caused Harry's books, bag and ink bottle to chase him and Ginny from the library, whacking them repeatedly over the head as they ran.

她猛地拔出魔杖，哈利的课本、书包和墨水瓶从图书馆里追向他和金妮，在他们奔跑的时候不停地猛烈敲打他们的脑袋。

就像是为了强调他们即将来临的考试是多么重要，在假期即将结束时，一批关于各种魔法职业的小册子、宣传单和通知出现在格兰芬多塔楼里的桌子上，同时另外还有一则通知贴在布告栏上，上面写着：

As though to underline the importance of their upcoming examinations, a batch of pamphlets, leaflets and notices concerning various wizarding careers appeared on the tables in Gryffindor Tower shortly before the end of the holidays, along with yet another notice on the board, which read:

就业咨询

CAREERS ADVICE

所有五年级学生必须在夏季学期的第一周参加一次简短的会谈，与他们的学院院长讨论未来的就业问题。具体时间列表如下。

All fifth-years are required to attend a short meeting with their

哈利低头看了看列表，发现自己将要在星期一两点半去麦格教授的办公室，这意味着会错过大部分占卜课。复活节假期的最后一个周末，哈利和其他五年级学生花了相当多的时间，阅读那些留在塔楼里让他们详细查阅的就业资料。

Head of House during the first week of the summer term to discuss

“嗯，我可不想当治疗师。”罗恩在假期的最后一个晚上说。他刚才在专心地读一张宣传单，宣传单正面印着圣芒戈医院的徽章，交叉起来的骨头和魔杖。“这上面说，你在N．E．W．Ts考试中，魔药学、草药学、变形学、魔咒学和黑魔法防御术至少需要达到‘E’。我的意思是……哎呀……他们的要求还不算太高，对吧？”

their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below.

“对啊，那是一份责任重大的工作，不是吗？”赫敏心不在焉地说。她正细心地阅读一张粉红色、橘黄色相间的宣传单，标题是：你觉得自己愿意从事麻瓜联络工作吗？“和麻瓜联络好像不需要很多资格；他们只要求一张O．W．Ls麻瓜研究证书：最重要的是你的热情、耐心和良好的幽默感！”

Harry looked down the list and found that he was expected in Professor McGonagall's office at half past two on Monday, which would mean missing most of Divination. He and the other fifth-years spent a considerable part of the final weekend of the Easter break reading all the careers information that had been left there for their perusal.

“要是你和我姨夫联络，只有良好的幽默感可不够，”哈利忧郁地说，“有良好的逃跑感那还差不多。”他已经把一本关于巫师银行业的小册子读了一半。“听听这个：旅行、冒险、在险境中寻找宝藏获得丰厚的奖金，你正在寻求这种具有挑战性的工作吗？那就考虑一下古灵阁巫师银行的工作吧，本行目前正招募解咒员，享有令人激动的出国机会……可是，他们要求学过算术占卜。你可以做这种工作，赫敏！”

'Well, I don't fancy Healing,' said Ron on the last evening of the holidays. He was immersed in a leaflet that carried the crossed bone-and-wand emblem of St Mungo's on its front. 'It says here you need at least "E" at NEWT level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts. I mean . . . blimey . . . don't want much, do they?'

“我不太喜欢银行业，”赫敏含含糊糊地说，正专心地看着：“你知道怎样训练巨怪保安吗？”

'Well, it's a very responsible job, isn't it?' said Hermione absently.

“嘿。”一个声音在哈利耳边说。他扭头一看，弗雷德和乔治走到了他们身边。“金妮跟我们谈了谈你的事，”弗雷德说道，他的双腿伸到了他们面前的桌子上，把几本介绍魔法部职业的小册子碰落在地板上，“她说你想和小天狼星谈谈？”

She was poring over a bright pink and orange leaflet, that was headed, 'SO YOU THINK YOU'D LIKE TO WORK IN MUGGLE RELATIONS?' 'You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles; all they want is an OWL in Muggle Studies: Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience and a good sense of fun!'

“什么？”赫敏尖声说，她正想捡起“在魔法事故和灾害司获得成功”，可一只手才伸出去一半就僵住不动了。

'You'd need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle,' said Harry darkly. 'Good sense of when to duck, more like.' He was halfway through a pamphlet on wizard banking. 'Listen to this: Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse-Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad . . . They want Arithmancy, though; you could do it, Hermione!'

“是啊……”哈利说，努力让自己的口气随便一些，“是啊，我觉得我想要——”

'I don't much fancy banking,' said Hermione vaguely, now immersed in: 'HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO TRAIN SECURITY TROLLS?'

“别傻了，”赫敏说着直起身子看着他，就像不能相信自己眼睛似的，“就在乌姆里奇在炉火里四处搜索，对所有的猫头鹰进行搜身的时候？”

'Hey,' said a voice in Harry's ear. He looked round; Fred and George had come to join them. 'Ginny's had a word with us about you,' said Fred, stretching out his legs on the table in front of them and causing several booklets on careers with the Ministry of Magic to slide off on to the floor. 'She says you need to talk to Sirius?'

“嗯，我们认为我们能够找到一个办法躲过去，”乔治一边说一边笑着伸展着身体，“这是个很简单的调虎离山行动。好了，你有没有注意到，复活节假期里，我们在蓄意破坏的前线上一直相当安静呢？”

'What?' said Hermione sharply, freezing with her hand halfway towards picking up 'MAKE A BANG AT THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL ACCIDENTS AND CATASTROPHES'.

“我们问自己，破坏闲暇时间有什么意义呢？”弗雷德接着说，“我们回答自己，根本没意义。当然了，要是我们这么做，就会干扰大家复习功课，而这正是我们最不想做的事情。”

'Yeah . . .' said Harry, trying to sound casual, 'yeah, I thought I'd like - '

他装出庄重的样子朝赫敏轻轻地点了点头。赫敏听了这些想法，显得相当吃惊。

'Don't be so ridiculous,' said Hermione, straightening up and looking at him as though she could not believe her eyes. 'With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?'

“但是从明天开始，工作就恢复正常了。”弗雷德轻快地接着说道，“而且既然我们想要引起一些骚动，那为什么不利用这个机会让哈利和小天狼星聊一聊呢？”

'Well, we think we can find a way around that,' said George, stretching and smiling. 'It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?'

“是啊，但是尽管如此，”赫敏说，脸上的神情就像是在对某个非常迟钝的人解释一些非常简单的事情，“就算你们确实能做到调虎离山，可哈利该怎么和他谈话呢？”

'What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?' continued Fred. 'No point at all, we answered ourselves. And of course, we'd have messed up people's revision, too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do.'

“乌姆里奇的办公室。”哈利轻轻地说。

He gave Hermione a sanctimonious little nod. She looked rather taken aback by this thoughtfulness.

这件事他已经考虑了两个星期，再也想不出别的办法了。乌姆里奇亲口对哈利说过，只有她自己的炉火没有被监视。

'But it's business as usual from tomorrow,' Fred continued briskly. 'And if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?'

“你——疯——了？”赫敏压低声音说。

'Yes, but still,' said Hermione, with an air of explaining something very simple to somebody very obtuse, 'even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?'

罗恩已经放下了手里关于真菌栽培业工作的宣传单，正在留心地听着他们交谈。

'Umbridge's office,' said Harry quietly.

“我不这么认为。”哈利耸了耸肩膀说。

He had been thinking about it for a fortnight and could come up with no alternative. Umbridge herself had told him that the only fire that was not being watched was her own.

“首先，你怎么进入那里呢？”

'Are - you - insane?' said Hermione in a hushed voice.

哈利对这个问题已经有了准备。

Ron had lowered his leaflet on jobs in the Cultivated Fungus Trade and was watching the conversation warily.

“小天狼星的小刀。”他说。

'I don't think so,' said Harry, shrugging.

“对不起？”

'And how are you going to get in there in the first place?'

“在上上个圣诞节，小天狼星送了一把小刀给我，什么锁都能打开，”哈利说，“所以就算她给房门施了魔法，阿拉霍洞开起不了作用，我确信她一定用了——”

Harry was ready for this question.

“你怎么看这个想法？”赫敏问罗恩，这不禁使哈利想起自己头一次在格里莫广场吃晚饭时，韦斯莱夫人向自己的丈夫求助的情形。

'Sirius's knife,' he said.

“我不知道。”罗恩说，要求他发表意见让他显得有些紧张，“如果哈利想这么做，那就该让他自己决定，对不对？”

'Excuse me?'

“这么说才像真正的朋友和韦斯莱家的人。”弗雷德说着用力拍了拍罗恩的后背，“那好吧。我们打算明天行动，就在放学以后，因为大家都在走廊里的时候，才能产生最大的影响——哈利，我们会在城堡东边的什么地方动手，立刻把她从自己的办公室里引开——我认为我们能保证给你——多少？二十分钟？”他看着乔治说。

'Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock,' said Harry. 'So even if she's bewitched the door so Alahomora won't work, which I bet she has - '

“没问题。”乔治说。

'What do you think about this?' Hermione demanded of Ron, and Harry was reminded irresistibly of Mrs Weasley appealing to her husband during Harry's first dinner in Grimmauld Place.

“怎样调虎离山呢？”罗恩问道。

'I dunno,' said Ron, looking alarmed at being asked to give an opinion. 'If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?'

“你会看到的，小老弟。”弗雷德说，这时他和乔治又站了起来，“如果明天你五点钟左右赶到马屁精格雷戈里的走廊，就肯定能看到。”

'Spoken like a true friend and Weasley,' said Fred, clapping Ron hard on the back. 'Right, then. We're thinking of doing it tomorrow, just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact ii everybody's in the corridors - Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office - I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?' he said, looking at George.

第二天，哈利很早就醒了，他觉得几乎像去魔法部参加受审那天早晨一样焦虑。不仅仅是要破门闯入乌姆里奇的办公室，用她的炉火和小天狼星谈话让他觉得紧张，尽管这已经够糟糕的了——今天他还要接近斯内普，自从斯内普把他扔出自己的办公室以后，这还是头一次。

'Easy,' said George.

哈利在床上躺了一会儿，想了想今天将要发生的事情，然后他蹑手蹑脚地下了床，走到对面纳威床边的窗户旁，望着外面十分明媚的早晨。晴朗的蓝天上蒙着淡淡的雾气，透出乳白色的光。就在哈利正前方，哈利可以看到那棵高耸的山毛榉树，以前他的父亲就是在那下面欺负斯内普的。他不知道小天狼星可能会对自己说些什么，来合理地解释他在冥想盆里看到的事情，但是他渴望听到小天狼星本人对那些事情的看法，他想知道任何可能存在的，能减轻自己痛苦的因素，还有任何能为他爸爸的行为开脱的理由……

'What sort of diversion is it?' asked Ron.

一些动静吸引了哈利的注意力：禁林边有动静。哈利迎着阳光眯起眼睛，看到海格从树木间走了出来。他好像一瘸一拐的。哈利看到，海格摇摇晃晃地走到自己的小屋门边，消失在屋子里。哈利盯着小屋看了几分钟。海格没有再出现，但是炊烟翻滚着从烟囱里冒了出来。看来海格的伤势还不至于严重到没办法生火的程度。

'You'll see, little bro', said Fred, as he and George got up again. 'At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow.'

哈利从窗前转过身，走回自己的大箱子，开始穿衣服。

想到将要闯入乌姆里奇的办公室，哈利觉得今天肯定不会过得很轻松，但是他没料到，赫敏几乎不停地劝阻他，想让他不要去做他计划在五点钟做的事情。她头一次跟哈利和罗恩一样，在宾斯教授的魔法史课上那么不专心，一直滔滔不绝地小声提出忠告，哈利想方设法不去理睬她。

Harry awoke very early the next day, feeling almost as anxious as he had done on the morning of his disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic. It was not only the prospect of breaking into Umbridge's office and using her fire to speak to Sirius that was making him feel nervous, though that was certainly bad enough; today also happened to be the first time Harry would be in close proximity to Snape since Snape had thrown him out of his office.

“……而且要是她真的在那里抓到你，除了你被开除以外，她还能猜到你是在和伤风谈话，这次她肯定会强迫你喝吐真剂，回答她的问题……”

After lying in bed for a while thinking about the day ahead, Harry got up very quietly and moved across to the window beside Neville's bed, and stared out on a truly glorious morning. The sky was a clear, misty, opalescent blue. Directly ahead of him, Harry could see the towering beech tree below which his father had once tormented Snape. He was not sure what Sirius could possibly say to him that would make up for what he had seen in the Pensieve, but he was desperate to hear Sirius's own account of what had happened, to know of any mitigating factors there might have been, any excuse at all for his fathers behaviour . . .

“赫敏，”罗恩低声愤愤不平地说，“你别再责备哈利了，听听宾斯教授讲课吧，要不然非得让我自己记笔记吗？”

Something caught Harry's attention: movement on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry squinted into the sun and saw Hagrid emerging from between the trees. He seemed to be limping. As Harry watched, Hagrid staggered to the door of his cabin and disappeared inside it. Harry watched the cabin for several minutes. Hagrid did not emerge again, but smoke furled from the chimney, so Hagrid could not be so badly injured that he was unequal tc stoking the fire.

“你就改变一下，记一回笔记吧，又不会要你的命！”

Harry turned away from the window, headed back to his trunk and started to dress.

他们来到地下教室时，哈利和罗恩都不跟赫敏说话。可是没用，她利用他们不吭气的机会，一直不断急切地警告着，这些话都是她压低声音说出来的，就像猛烈的咝咝声，弄得西莫白白花了五分钟检查自己的坩埚是不是漏了。此时斯内普似乎拿定了主意，摆出就像看不到哈利的样子。哈利当然已经非常习惯这种做法了，因为这是弗农姨夫最喜欢的做法之一，而且他挺庆幸自己没有遇到更糟糕的情况。实际上，与平时必须忍受斯内普那种嘲弄和暗中挖苦的话语相比，他觉得这种新方法倒是有几分改善。他还高兴地发现，斯内普不搭理他以后，他竟能很轻松地调制出一份活力滋补剂。快下课时，他舀了一些魔药盛到细颈瓶里，盖上塞子送到斯内普的桌子上让他打分，觉得自己也许总算能拿到一个“E”了。

With the prospect of forcing entry into Umbridge's office ahead. Harry had never expected the day to be a restful one, but he had not reckoned on Hermione's almost continual attempts to dissuade him from what he was planning to do at five o'clock. For the first time ever, she was at least as inattentive to Professor Binns in

他刚转过身，就听到一声打碎东西的声音。马尔福开心地大笑了一声。哈利猛地转过身。他的魔药样品已经摔碎在地板上，斯内普正带着得意洋洋的表情望着他。

History of Magic as Harry and Ron were, keeping up a stream of whispered admonitions that Harry tried very hard to ignore.

“糟糕，”他轻轻地说，“那么，又一个零分，波特。”

'. . . and if she does catch you there, apart from being expelled, she'll be able to guess you've been talking to Snuffles and this time I expect she'll force you to drink Veritaserum and answer her questions . . .'

哈利气得说不出话。他大步走回自己的坩埚旁，打算再盛满另一个细颈瓶，非要斯内普打分不可，但是他吃惊地看到，坩埚里剩下的东西已经不见了。

'Hermione,' said Ron in a low and indignant voice, 'are you going to stop telling Harry off and listen to Binns, or am I going to have to take my own notes?'

“对不起！”赫敏说着用双手捂住了嘴巴，“真是对不起，哈利。我以为你已经做完了，所以我就整理干净了！”

'You take notes for a change, it won't kill you!'

哈利想不出该怎么回答，铃声一响，他头也不回地匆匆走出地下教室，而且吃午饭时，他特地在纳威和西莫之间找了个座位，所以赫敏就不能跟他不停地唠叨不能使用乌姆里奇的办公室的事情了。

By the time they reached the dungeons, neither Harry nor Ron was speaking to Hermione. Undeterred, she took advantage of their silence to maintain an uninterrupted flow oi dire warnings, all uttered under her breath in a vehement hiss that caused Seamus to waste five whole minutes checking his cauldron for leaks.

他去上占卜课时心情很坏，完全忘了和麦格教授的就业咨询预约，直到罗恩问他为什么不去麦格教授的办公室，他才想起来。他飞快地冲到楼上，上气不接下气地赶到了麦格教授的办公室，仅仅迟到了几分钟。

Snape, meanwhile, seemed to have decided to act as though Harry were invisible. Harry was, of course, well-used to this tactic, as it was one of Uncle Vernons favourites, and on the whole was grateful he had to suffer nothing worse. In fact, compared to what he usually had to endure from Snape in the way of taunts and snide remarks, he found the new approach something of an improvement, and was pleased to find that when left well alone, he was able to concoct an Invigoration Draught quite easily. At the end of the lesson he scooped some of the potion into a flask, corked it and took it up to Snape's desk for marking, feeling that he might at last have scraped an 'E'.

“对不起，教授，”他关上门时气喘吁吁地说，“我忘记了。”

He had just turned away when he heard a smashing noise. Malfoy gave a gleeful yell of laughter. Harry whipped around. His potion sample lay in pieces on the floor and Snape was surveying him with a look of gloating pleasure.

“没关系，波特。”麦格教授轻快地说，可是当她说话时，有人在角落里吸了吸鼻子。哈利扭头看了看。

'Whoops,' he said softly. 'Another zero, then, Potter.'

乌姆里奇教授就坐在那儿，膝头放着写字板，脖子上绕着一圈花里胡哨的圆形荷叶边，脸上挂着几许讨厌的洋洋自得的笑容。

Harry was too incensed to speak. He strode back to his cauldron, intending to fill another flask and force Snape to mark it, but saw to his horror that the rest of the contents had vanished.

“坐下吧，波特。”麦格教授简短地说。她推开自己桌子上散乱的小册子，双手微微有些颤抖。

'I'm sorry!' said Hermione, with her hands over her mouth. I'm really sorry, Harry. I thought you'd finished, so I cleared up!'

哈利背对着乌姆里奇坐下来，竭力装作没有听到她的羽毛笔在写字板上发出的沙沙声。

Harry could not bring himself to answer. When the bell rang, he hurried out of the dungeon without a backwards glance, and made sure that he found himself a seat between Neville and Seamus for lunch so that Hermione could not start nagging him again about using Umbridge's office.

“嗯，波特，这次谈话要详细地谈谈你对今后的职业可能有的任何想法，好帮助你决定进入六年级和七年级后继续学习什么科目。”麦格教授说，“你有没有想过离开霍格沃茨后要干什么？”

He was in such a bad mood by the time he got to Divination that he had quite forgotten his careers appointment with Professor McGonagall, remembering it only when Ron asked him why he wasn't in her office. He hurtled back upstairs and arrived out of breath, only a few minutes late.

“哦——”哈利说。

'Sorry, Professor,' he panted, as he closed the door. 'I forgot.'

他发现身后的沙沙声很让人分心。

'No matter, Potter,' she said briskly, but as she spoke, somebody else sniffed from the corner. Harry looked round.

“怎么？”麦格教授催促哈利说。

Professor Umbridge was sitting there, a clipboard on her knee, a fussy little pie-frill around her neck and a small, horribly smug smile on her face.

“嗯，我觉得，也许，当个傲罗吧。”哈利喃喃地说。

'Sit down, Potter,' said Professor McGonagall tersely. Her hands shook slightly as she shuffled the many pamphlets littering her desk.

“为此你需要有最好的成绩，”麦格教授说，她从桌子上那一大堆东西下面抽出一张黑色的小宣传单展开，“我知道，他们要求至少要有五张N．E．W．Ts证书，成绩都不能低于‘良好’。然后你必须在傲罗办公室经历一系列严格的性格和智能测验。这是一条艰难的职业道路，波特，他们只收最好的。实际上，我记得最近三年没有人被录用。”

Harry sat down with his back to Umbridge and did his best to pretend he could not hear the scratching of her quill on her clipboard.

这时，乌姆里奇教授非常轻地咳嗽了一声，就像是她想试试自己能咳嗽得有多轻。麦格教授没理她。

'Well, Potter, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into the sixth and seventh years,' said Professor McGonagall. 'Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?'

“我猜你想知道自己应该学习哪些科目吧？”她接着说，嗓门比刚才稍稍提高了一些。

'Er - ' said Harry.

“是的，”哈利说，“我想，有黑魔法防御术吧？”

He was finding the scratching noise from behind him very distracting.

“那当然了。”麦格教授干脆地说，“我还要建议——”

'Yes?' Professor McGonagall prompted Harry.

乌姆里奇教授又咳嗽了一声，这回音量响了一些。麦格闭了一会眼睛，然后又睁开，接着像什么事也没发生一样继续说了下去。

'Well, I thought of, maybe, being an Auror,' Harry mumbled.

“我还要建议你学习变形学，因为傲罗在工作中常常需要改变容貌或者保持容貌。而且我现在应当告诉你，波特，除非学生在普通巫师等级考试中达到‘良好’或者更高的成绩，否则我不会同意让他们进入我的N．E．W．Ts班级。我要说，你现在的平均成绩是‘及格’，所以你需要在考试前十分努力地学习，好有机会继续进修。你还应该学习魔咒学，那总是很有用处的，还有魔药学。是的，波特，魔药学，”她补充说，脸上掠过一丝笑容，“魔药和解毒剂是傲罗必备的学问。而且我必须告诉你，斯内普教授绝对不会接受在O．W．Ls考试中有任何一门低于‘优秀’的学生，所以——”

'You'd need top grades for that,' said Professor McGonagall, extracting a small, dark leaflet from under the mass on her desk and opening it. They ask for a minimum of five NEWTs, and nothing under "Exceeds Expectations" grade, I see. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. It's a difficult career path, Potter, they only take the best. In fact, I don't think anybody has been taken on in the last three years.'

但是乌姆里奇教授很响地咳嗽了一声。

At this moment, Professor Umbridge gave a very tiny cough, as though she was trying to see how quietly she could do it. Professor McGonagall ignored her.

“我可以给你一片止咳片吗，多洛雷斯？”麦格教授不客气地问道，对乌姆里奇教授看都不看。

'You'll want to know which subjects you ought to take, I suppose?' she went on, talking a little louder than before.

“哦，不用，太谢谢你了，”乌姆里奇说道，脸上带着假笑，让哈利厌恶透了，“我只是想知道，我是否可以稍稍打断一下你的话，米勒娃？”

'Yes,' said Harry. 'Defence Against the Dark Arts, I suppose?'

“我认为你肯定已经发现你可以这么做。”麦格教授紧咬牙根说。

'Naturally,' said Professor McGonagall crisply. 'I would also advise -'

“我刚才在怀疑，波特先生的性格是否很适合当傲罗？”乌姆里奇教授甜甜地说。

Professor Umbridge gave another cough, a little more audible this time. Professor McGonagall closed her eyes for a moment, opened them again, and continued as though nothing had happened.

“是吗？”麦格教授高傲地说。“对了，波特，”她接着说，就像没有被打断过一样，“要是你真的想实现这个理想，我建议你集中精力提高变形学和魔药学的成绩，好达到要求。我看到弗立维教授最近两年给你的评定是在‘及格’和‘良好’之间，所以你的魔咒功课似乎还符合要求。至于黑魔法防御术，你的分数一般都比较高，卢平教授特别提到过你——你真觉得自己用不着吃一片止咳片吗，多洛雷斯？”

'I would also advise Transfiguration, because Aurors frequently need to Transfigure or Untransfigure in their work. And I ought to tell you now, Potter, that I do not accept students into my NEWT classes unless they have achieved "Exceeds Expectations" or higher at Ordinary Wizarding Level. I'd say you're averaging "Acceptable" at the moment, so you'll need to put in some good hard work before the exams to stand a chance of continuing. Then you ought to do Charms, always useful, and Potions. Yes, Potter, Potions,' she added, with the merest flicker of a smile. 'Poisons and antidotes are essential study for Aurors. And I must tell you that Professor Snape absolutely refuses to take students who get anything other than "Outstanding" in their OWLs, so - '

“哦，不需要，谢谢你米勒娃。”乌姆里奇一脸假笑，她刚才又在用最响的音量咳嗽，“我刚才在担心，你可能没有看到你面前的哈利最近的黑魔法防御术成绩。我能肯定，我已经把它塞进一份记录里了。”

Professor Umbridge gave her most pronounced cough yet.

“什么，这玩意儿吗？”麦格教授一边从哈利档案中的纸页之间抽出一张粉红色羊皮纸，一边用反感的语气问。她低头扫了一眼羊皮纸，微微扬起了眉毛，然后一言不发地把它放回了文件夹。

'May I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?' Professor McGonagall asked curtly, without looking at Professor Umbridge.

“是啊，正如我刚才说的，波特，卢平教授认为你在这个科目上显然很有天分，很明显，对一个傲罗——”

'Oh, no, thank you very much,' said Umbridge, with that simpering laugh Harry hated so much. 'I just wondered whether I could make the teensiest interruption, Minerva?'

“你没看懂我的便条吗，米勒娃？”乌姆里奇教授用动听的语气问道，完全忘了咳嗽。

'I daresay you'll find you can,' said Professor McGonagall through tightly gritted teeth.

“我当然看懂了。”麦格教授说，她的牙关咬得太紧，这些话说出来都有些瓮声瓮气了。

'I was just wondering whether Mr Potter has quite the temperament for an Auror?' said Professor Umbridge sweetly.

“是吗，那我就不明白了……恐怕我不能完全理解，你为什么要让波特先生产生不现实的希望，使——”

'Were you?' said Professor McGonagall haughtily. 'Well, Potter,' she continued, as though there had been no interruption, if you are serious in this ambition, I would advise you to concentrate hard on bringing your Transfiguration and Potions up to scratch. I see Professor Flitwick has graded you between "Acceptable" and "Exceeds Expectations" for the last two years, so your Charmwork seems satisfactory. As for Defence Against the Dark Arts, your marks have been generally high, Professor Lupin in particular thought you - are you quite sure you wouldn't like a cough drop, Dolores?'

“不现实的希望？”麦格教授重复说，还是不愿意回头看看乌姆里奇教授，“他在所有的黑魔法防御术考试中都拿到了高分——”

'Oh, no need, thank you, Minerva,' simpered Professor Umbridge, who had just coughed her loudest yet. 'I was just concerned that you might not have Harry's most recent Defence Against the Dark Arts marks in front of you. I'm quite sure I slipped in a note.'

“我必须反驳你，对此我极为抱歉，米勒娃，但是在我给你的便条中你会看到，哈利在我的课上得到了很差的成绩——”

'What, this thing?' said Professor McGonagall in a tone of revulsion, as she pulled a sheet of pink parchment from between the leaves of Harry's folder. She glanced down it, her eyebrows slightly raised, then placed it back into the folder without comment.

“我应该把自己的意思说得更明白些，”麦格教授说，终于转过身径直盯着乌姆里奇的双眼，“在那些能胜任自己工作的老师安排的课上，他在所有黑魔法防御术考试中都得到了高分。”

'Yes, as I was saying, Potter, Professor Lupin thought you showed a pronounced aptitude for the subject, and obviously for an Auror - '

乌姆里奇教授的笑容一瞬间消失得无影无踪。她朝椅子背上一靠，翻过写字板上的一页纸，开始飞快地写起来，她那对癞蛤蟆眼珠在左右移动着。麦格朝哈利转过身，薄薄的鼻翼向外张了张，眼中闪着怒火。

'Did you not understand my note, Minerva?' asked Professor Umbndge in honeyed tones, quite forgetting to cough.

“有什么问题要问吗，波特？”

'Of course I understood it,' said Professor McGonagall, her teeth clenched so tightly the words came out a little muffled.

“有，”哈利说，“如果得到了足够的N．E．W．Ts证书，魔法部会进行什么样的性格和智能测试呢？”

'Well, then, I am confused . . . I'm afraid I don't quite understand how you can give Mr Potter false hope that - '

“是这样的，你需要在承受压力时表现出良好的反应能力等等，”麦格教授说道，“你还要有百折不挠的毅力和献身精神，因为傲罗还要接受长达三年的训练，更不用说在实际运用防御术时需要极为熟练的技术了。这意味着即使离开学校也要学习很多东西，所以除非你准备——”

'False hope?' repeated Professor McGonagall, still refusing to look round at Professor Umbridge. 'He has achieved high marks in all his Defence Against the Dark Arts tests - '

“我想你还会发现，”乌姆里奇说，现在她的语气冷冰冰的，“魔法部会审查那些申请成为傲罗的人的记录。他们的违法记录。”

'I'm terribly sorry to have to contradict you, Minerva, but as you will see from my note, Harry has been achieving very poor results in his classes with me - '

“——除非你准备离开霍格沃茨后接受更多的考试，不然你确实应该考虑另一个——”

'I should have made my meaning plainer,' said Professor McGonagall, turning at last to look Umbridge directly in the eyes. 'He has achieved high marks in all Defence Against the Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher.'

“那就意味着，这个男孩成为一个傲罗的机会跟邓布利多回到这所学校的机会一样大。”

Professor Umbridge's smile vanished as suddenly as a light bulb blowing. She sat back in her chair, turned a sheet on her clipboard and began scribbling very fast indeed, her bulging eyes rolling from side to side. Professor McGonagall turned back to Harry, her thin nostrils flared, her eyes burning.

“那么说机会很大了。”麦格教授说。

'Any questions, Potter?'

“波特有违法记录。”乌姆里奇响亮地说。

'Yes,' said Harry. 'What sort of character and aptitude tests do the Ministry do on you, if you get enough NEWTs?'

“所有对波特的指控都撤消了。”麦格更响亮地说。

'Well, you'll need to demonstrate the ability to react well to pressure and so forth,' said Professor McGonagall, 'perseverance and dedication, because Auror training takes a further three years, not to mention very high skills in practical Defence. It will mean a lot more study even after you've left school, so unless you're prepared to - '

乌姆里奇教授站了起来。她这么矮，就算站起来也跟坐着的时候没有太大的差别，但是她那种做作的举止和满脸的假笑变成了一脸狂怒，这使她那张松垂的阔脸看上去格外凶恶。

'I think you'll also find,' said Umbridge, her voice very cold now, 'that the Ministry looks into the records of those applying to be Aurors. Their criminal records.'

“哈利没有任何机会成为一个傲罗!”

'- unless you're prepared to take even more exams after Hogwarts, you should really look at another - '

麦格教授也站了起来，对她来说，这个动作给人的印象要深得多，她高高地矗立在乌姆里奇教授面前。

'Which means that this boy has as much chance of becoming an Auror as Dumbledore has of ever returning to this school.'

“波特，”她用清脆响亮的音调说，“我会帮助你成为一个傲罗，哪怕这是我能做到的最后一件事！如果我每晚辅导你，我保证让你达到所需要的成绩！”

'A very good chance, then,' said Professor McGonagall.

“魔法部永远不会雇用哈利·波特！”乌姆里奇说道，怒不可遏地提高了嗓门。

'Potter has a criminal record,' said Umbridge loudly.

“等到波特准备成为傲罗的时候，很可能会有个新魔法部部长了！”麦格教授喊道。

'Potter has been cleared of all charges,' said McGonagall, even more loudly.

“啊哈！”乌姆里奇教授尖声喊道，用一根短粗的手指指着麦格说，“对！对，对，对！当然了！这就是你想看到的，对吗，米勒娃·麦格？你希望邓布利多代替康奈利·福吉！你认为你会坐在我这个位子上，对吗？魔法部高级副部长外加校长？！”

Professor Umbridge stood up. She was so short that this did not make a great deal of difference, but her fussy, simpering demeanour had given place to a hard fury that made her broad, flabby face look oddly sinister.

“你在胡说八道。”麦格教授极为轻蔑地说，“波特，我们的就业咨询谈话结束了。”

'Potter has no chance whatsoever of becoming an Auror!'

哈利把书包甩到肩膀上，急忙走出了房间，不敢去看乌姆里奇教授。他顺着走廊走去，一路上都能听见她和麦格教授还在冲着对方大喊大叫。

Professor McGonagall got to her feet, too, and in her case this was a much more impressive move: she towered over Professor Umbridge.

这天下午，乌姆里奇教授大步走进来给他们上黑魔法防御术课时仍然在喘着粗气，就像她刚刚参加过赛跑似的。

'Potter,' she said in ringing tones, 'I will assist you to become an Auror if it is the last thing I do! If I have to coach you nightly, I will make sure you achieve the required results!'

“我希望你重新考虑一下，不要做你计划要做的事情，哈利，”赫敏小声说道，这时他们把书翻到了“第三十四章，非报复手段以及谈判”那一页，“乌姆里奇看起来已经非常生气……”

The Minister for Magic will never employ Harry Potter!' said Umbridge, her voice rising furiously.

乌姆里奇不时恶狠狠地对哈利瞪上几眼，哈利一直低着头，盯着《魔法防御理论》，他目光茫然，心里想着……

There may well be a new Minister for Magic by the time Potter is ready to join!' shouted Professor McGonagall.

如果在麦格为他担保后仅仅几个小时，他就在擅自进入乌姆里奇教授的办公室时被抓住的话，他能料到麦格教授对此会有什么反应……他只有回到格兰芬多塔楼里，然后盼着在下个暑假期间的什么时候，能找个机会跟小天狼星谈谈自己在冥想盆里亲眼看见的情景……此外别无选择，但是一想到要采取这种明智的行为，他就觉得胃里像被扔进了一块沉重的铅块……更何况弗雷德和乔治，他们已经计划好了，更别提小天狼星送给他的小刀了，它现在就在他的书包里，和他爸爸的旧隐形衣放在一起。

'Aha! shrieked Professor Umbridge, pointing a stubby linger at McGonagall. 'Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Of course! That's what you want, isn't it, Minerva McGonagall? You want Cornelius Fudge replaced by Albus Dumbledore! You think you'll be where I am, don't you: Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and Headmistress to boot!'

但是他仍然在想着如果自己被抓住了……

'You are raving,' said Professor McGonagall, superbly disdainful. Totter, that concludes our careers consultation.'

“邓布利多自己做出了牺牲，好让你留在学校里，哈利！”赫敏小声说，举起课本挡住自己的脸，以免乌姆里奇看见，“要是你今天被赶出学校，那他这么做就毫无意义了！”

Harry swung his bag over his shoulder and hurried out of the room, not daring to look at Professor Umbridge. He could hear her and Professor McGonagall continuing to shout at each other all the way back along the corridor.

他可以放弃这个计划，学会忍受那些关于他爸爸在二十多年前的一个夏日的记忆……

Professor Umbridge was still breathing as though she had just run a race when she strode into their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson that afternoon.

接着他记起了小天狼星在楼上格兰芬多公共休息室的炉火里时……

'I hope you've thought better of what you were planning to do, Harry,' Hermione whispered, the moment they had opened their books to 'Chapter Thirty-four, Non-Retaliation and Negotiation'. 'Umbridge looks like she's in a really bad mood already . . .'

你不如我想象的那么像你父亲……冒险会让詹姆觉得很有意思……

Every now and then Umbridge shot glowering looks at Harry, who kept his head down, staring at Defensive Magical Theory, his eyes unfocused, thinking . . .

但是他还愿意跟自己的父亲那么相像吗？

He could just imagine Professor McGonagall's reaction if he was caught trespassing in Professor Umbridge's office mere hours after she had vouched for him . . . there was nothing to stop him simply going back to Gryffindor Tower and hoping that some time during the next summer holidays he would have a chance to ask Sirius about the scene he had witnessed in the Pensieve . . . nothing, except that the thought of taking this sensible course of action made him feel as though a lead weight had dropped into his stomach . . . and then there was the matter of Fred and George, whose diversion was already planned, not to mention the knife Sirius had given him, which was currently residing in his schoolbag along with his father's old Invisibility Cloak.

“哈利，别这么干，求求你别这么干！”下课铃响时赫敏苦苦地哀求他。

But the fact remained that if he was caught . . .

他没有回答，他不知道该怎么办。

'Dumbledore sacrificed himself to keep you in school, Harry!' whispered Hermione, raising her book to hide her face from

罗恩好像已经决定既不说出自己的想法也不提出建议；他不愿意去看哈利，不过当赫敏张开嘴巴想再劝劝哈利时，他低声说：“歇一会吧，好吗？他能自己拿主意。”

Umbridge. 'And if you get thrown out today it will all have been for nothing!'

哈利离开教室时心跳得飞快。他沿着外面的走廊走去，半路上就清楚地听到了远处调虎离山行动已经开始进行的声音。在楼上的某个地方，回荡着一片尖叫声和大喊声；哈利周围那些正在走出教室的人都原地停了下来，害怕地抬起头看着天花板——

He could abandon the plan and simply learn to live with the memory of what his father had done on a summer's day more than twenty years ago . . .

乌姆里奇迅速奔出自己的教室，用两条短腿尽快向前跑去。她抽出自己的魔杖，朝相反的方向匆匆赶去。要么现在行动，要么就再也没机会了。

And then he remembered Sirius in the fire upstairs in the Gryffindor common room . . .

“哈利——求你了！”赫敏无力地恳求道。

You're less like your father than I thought . . . the risk would've been what made it fun for James . . .

但是他已经拿定了主意，他把书包更牢靠地系在肩膀上，动身跑了起来，他左闪右躲，避开那些迎面而来，急着去看城堡东边为什么那么混乱的学生。

But did he want to be like his father any more?

哈利跑到通向乌姆里奇办公室的走廊，发现那里空无一人。他猛冲到一副巨大的盔甲后面，这副盔甲的头盔吱吱嘎嘎地转过来想看看他。他拉开书包，抓起小天狼星的小刀，穿上了隐形衣，然后蹑手蹑脚、小心翼翼地慢慢从那副盔甲后面走出来，沿着走廊来到乌姆里奇的办公室门前。

'Harry, don't do it, please don't do it!' Hermione said in anguished tones as the bell rang at the end of the class.

他把魔法小刀的刀身插进门缝，轻轻地上下来回移动，然后抽了出来。随着轻微的咔哒一声，门开了。他急忙俯身进入办公室，迅速关上背后的门，接着四下里看了看。

He did not answer; he did not know what to do.

在被没收的飞天扫帚上方，那些难看的猫咪正在墙上的盘子里嬉戏玩闹，除此以外，什么动静也没有。

Ron seemed determined to give neither his opinion nor his advice; he would not look at Harry, though when Hermione opened her mouth to try dissuading Harry some more, he said in a low voice, 'Give it a rest, OK? He can make up his own mind.'

哈利拉下隐形衣，大步走向壁炉，几秒钟之内就发现了自己想找的东西：一个装着亮晶晶的飞路粉的小盒子。

Harry's heart beat very fast as he left the classroom. He was halfway along the corridor outside when he heard the unmistakeable sounds of a diversion going off in the distance. There were screams and yells reverberating from somewhere above them; people exiting the classrooms all around Harry were stopping in their tracks and looking up at the ceiling fearfully - '

他在空空的炉膛前蹲了下来，双手在颤抖。尽管他认为自己知道怎么使用飞路粉，但是他以前从没有亲手用过。他把脑袋伸进壁炉，抓起一大把飞路粉，投在身子下面码放得整整齐齐的原木上。它们立刻蹿起了碧绿的火焰。

Umbridge came pelting out of her classroom as fast as her short legs would carry her. Pulling out her wand, she hurried off in the opposite direction: it was now or never.

“格里莫广场12号！”哈利响亮清楚地说。

'Harry - please!' Hermione pleaded weakly.

这是他经历过的最奇异的感觉。当然了，他以前用飞路粉旅行过，可当时是他的整个身体在火焰中不停地旋转，穿过遍布全国的巫师壁炉网络。这一次，他的双膝仍然稳稳地跪在乌姆里奇办公室冰凉的地板上，只有他的脑袋猛地冲过碧绿的火焰……

But he had made up his mind; hitching his bag more securely on to his shoulder, he set off at a run, weaving in and out of students now hurrying in the opposite direction to see what all the fuss was about in the east wing.

接着，突如其来的旋转突然停止了。哈利觉得有点恶心，而且脑袋上就像是围了一条特别热的围巾。他睁开眼睛，发现自己正从厨房的壁炉里抬眼看着外面长长的木头餐桌，有个男人正坐在那里专心地看着一张羊皮纸。

Harry reached the corridor to Umbridge's office and found it deserted. Dashing behind a large suit of armour whose helmet creaked around to watch him, he pulled open his bag, seized Sirius's knife and donned the Invisibility Cloak. He then crept slowly and carefully back out from behind the suit of armour and along the corridor until he reached Umbridge's door.

“小天狼星？”

He inserted the blade of the magical knife into the crack around it and moved it gently up and down, then withdrew it. There was a tiny click, and the door swung open. He ducked inside the office, closed the door quickly behind him and looked around.

那个男人吓了一跳，四下里张望着。他不是小天狼星，而是卢平。

Nothing was moving except the horrible kittens that were still frolicking on the wall plates above the confiscated broomsticks.

“哈利！”他说，看上去十分吃惊，“你在——怎么了，没出什么事吧？”

Harry pulled off his Cloak and, striding over to the fireplace, found what he was looking for within seconds: a small box containing glittering Floo powder.

“是的，”哈利说，“我只是想知道——我是说，我只是很想——和小天狼星谈谈。”

He crouched down in front of the empty grate, his hands shaking. He had never done this before, though he thought he knew how it must work. Sticking his head into the fireplace, he took a large pinch of powder and dropped it on to the logs stacked neatly beneath him. They exploded at once into emerald green flames.

“我去叫他，”卢平说着站起来，表情还是有些困惑，“他上楼找克利切去了，他好像又藏到阁楼里了……”

'Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!' Harry said loudly and clearly

哈利看到卢平匆匆走出了厨房。现在他只能一个人看着椅子和桌子腿。他心里挺纳闷，不知道小天狼星为什么从来没提起过在炉火里讲话非常不舒服，他的膝盖长时间跪在硬邦邦的石头地板上，已经开始发疼了。

It was one of the most curious sensations he had ever experienced. He had travelled by Floo powder before, of course, but then it had been his entire body that had spun around and around ir. the flames through the network of wizarding fireplaces that stretchec over the country. This time, his knees remained firm upon the cole floor of Umbridge's office, and only his head hurtled through the emerald fire . . .

过了一会儿，卢平回来了，小天狼星紧跟在他后面。

And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the spinning stopped. Feeling rather sick and as though he were wearing an exceptionally hot muffler around his head, Harry opened his eyes to find that he was looking up out of the kitchen fireplace at the long, wooden table, where a man sat poring over a piece of parchment.

“怎么了？”小天狼星急切地问道，把黑色的长发从眼前拨开，坐在了炉火前，这样他就和哈利一样高了。卢平也跪下了，表情还是很不安。“你没事吗？你需要帮助吗？”

'Sirius?'

“不，”哈利说，“不是那种事……我只是想谈谈……我爸爸。”

The man jumped and looked around. It was not Sirius, bu. Lupin.

卢平和小天狼星非常惊讶地交换了一下眼色，但是哈利没工夫感到尴尬或窘迫了；他的膝盖这时更疼了，而且他估计调虎离山行动从开始起已经过去了五分钟；乔治只保证给他二十分钟。所以他立刻讲起了自己在冥想盆里看到的事情。

'Harry!' he said, looking thoroughly shocked. 'What are you - 'what's happened, is everything all right?'

他讲完以后，有一阵儿小天狼星和卢平都没吭声。然后卢平轻轻地说：“我不希望你根据在那儿看到的事情来判断你父亲，哈利。他只有十五岁——”

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'I just wondered - I mean, I just fancied a - 'a chat with Sirius.'

“我也是十五岁！”哈利激动地说。

'I'll call him,' said Lupin, getting to his feet, still looking perplexed, 'he went upstairs to look for Kreacher, he seems to be hiding in the attic again . . .'

“瞧，哈利，”小天狼星用安抚的口气说，“詹姆和斯内普自打第一眼看到对方，就开始互相讨厌，他们俩的那些事你只看到了其中一件，你能理解吗？我觉得詹姆能够做到斯内普想做的每件事情——他人缘很好，他擅长玩魁地奇球，他几乎擅长做任何事情。而斯内普只是个一门心思盯着黑魔法的小怪物，但是詹姆——不管你对他可能还有什么别的印象，哈利——总是讨厌黑魔法的。”

And Harry saw Lupin hurry out of the kitchen. Now he was left with nothing to look at but the chair and table legs. He wondered why Sirius had never mentioned how very uncomfortable it was to speak out of the fire; his knees were already objecting painfully to their prolonged contact with Umbridge's hard stone floor.

“是的，”哈利说，“但是他只是为了毫无道理的理由去攻击斯内普，只是因为——嗯，只是因为你说你觉得很无聊。”他用带着几分歉意的口气说完了这句话。

Lupin returned with Sirius at his heels moments later.

“现在我并没有为自己这么做感到自豪。”小天狼星马上说。

'What is it?' said Sirius urgently, sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes and dropping to the ground in front of the fire, so that he and Harry were on a level. Lupin knelt down too, looking very concerned. 'Are you all right? Do you need help?'

卢平看了看身旁的小天狼星，然后说：“瞧，哈利，你必须明白的是，在上学的时候，你爸爸和小天狼星在各个方面都是最出色的——人人都认为他们是最棒的——尽管他们有时有点缺乏自制力——”

'No,' said Harry, 'it's nothing like that . . . I just wanted to talk . . . about my dad.'

“你的意思是，尽管我们有时是傲慢自大的小傻瓜。”小天狼星说。

They exchanged a look of great surprise, but Harry did not have time to feel awkward or embarrassed; his knees were becoming sorer by the second and he guessed five minutes had already passed from the start of the diversion; George had only guaranteed him twenty. He therefore plunged immediately into the story of what he had seen in the Pensieve.

卢平笑了。

When he had finished, neither Sirius nor Lupin spoke for a moment. Then Lupin said quietly, 'I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen - '

“他总是弄乱自己的头发。”哈利用难过的口气说。

'I'm fifteen' said Harry heatedly.

小天狼星和卢平笑了起来。

'Look, Harry' said Sirius placatingly, 'James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Snape wanted to be - he was popular, he was good at Quidditch - good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts, and James - whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry - always hated the Dark Arts.'

“我都忘记他过去经常这么做了。”小天狼星满怀深情地说。

'Yeah,' said Harry, 'but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because - well, just because you said you were bored,' he finished, with a slightly apologetic note in his voice.

“他当时在耍弄那个飞贼吗？”卢平热切地问。

'I'm not proud of it,' said Sirius quickly.

“是的，”哈利说，那些往事让小天狼星和卢平微笑起来，哈利莫名其妙地看着他们，“嗯……我觉得他有点儿像个傻瓜。”

Lupin looked sideways at Sirius, then said, 'Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did - everyone thought they were the height of cool - if they sometimes got a bit carried away - '

“他当然有点儿像个傻瓜！”小天狼星兴冲冲地说，“我们过去都是傻瓜！不过……月亮脸不那么傻。”他看着卢平实事求是地说。

'If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean,' said Sirius.

但是卢平摇了摇头。“我曾经让你们放过斯内普吗？”他说，“我曾经下决心告诉你们，我认为你们违反了校规吗？”

Lupin smiled.

“没有，不过，”小天狼星说，“有时你让我们觉得很惭愧，那有点……”

'He kept messing up his hair,' said Harry in a pained voice.

“还有，”哈利固执地说道，既然已经到这儿了，他决定索性把心事都说出来，“他总是看着湖边的那些女生，想让她们注意自己！”

Sirius and Lupin laughed.

“哦，是这样，只要莉莉在附近，他总是变得傻头傻脑的，”小天狼星耸耸肩膀说，“只要一靠近莉莉，他就忍不住想炫耀自己。”

'I'd forgotten he used to do that,' said Sirius affectionately.

“她怎么会嫁给他呢？”哈利难过地说，“她讨厌他！”

'Was he playing with the Snitch?' said Lupin eagerly.

“不，她不讨厌詹姆。”小天狼星说。

'Yeah,' said Harry, watching uncomprehendingly as Sirius and Lupin beamed reminiscently. 'Well . . . I thought he was a bit of an idiot.'

“上七年级的时候，她开始和詹姆出去玩了。”卢平说。

'Of course he was a bit of an idiot!' said Sirius bracingly, 'we were all idiots! Well - not Moony so much,' he said fairly, looking at Lupin.

“因为詹姆不那么自大了。”小天狼星说。

But Lupin shook his head. 'Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?' he said. 'Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?'

“还因为他不再为了取乐对别人施咒语了。”卢平说。

'Yeah, well,' said Sirius, 'you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes . . . that was something . . .'

“甚至包括斯内普？”哈利说。

'And,' said Harry doggedly, determined to say everything that was on his mind now he was here, 'he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!'

“嗯，”卢平缓缓地说，“斯内普是个特殊情况，我的意思是，他从来不放过诅咒詹姆的机会，所以你实在不能指望詹姆不反抗，对吗？”

'Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around,' said Sirius, shrugging, 'he couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her.'

“而我妈妈也同意他这么做？”

'How come she married him?' Harry asked miserably. 'She hated him!'

“跟你说实话吧，她对这些事情知道得不多。”小天狼星说道，“我的意思是，詹姆不会在和莉莉约会的时候攻击斯内普，也不会在莉莉面前对斯内普施咒语，对吧？”

'Nah, she didn't,' said Sirius.

小天狼星皱起眉头，看着表情还是不太信服的哈利。

'She started going out with him in seventh year,' said Lupin.

“瞧，”他说，“你爸爸是我最好的朋友，他是个好人。很多人在十五岁时都是傻乎乎的。他长大后就不再那样了。”

'Once James had deflated his head a bit,' said Sirius.

“是啊，好吧。”哈利慢吞吞地说，“我只是从来没想到，自己会为斯内普感到难过。”

'And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it,' said Lupin.

“既然你提起了这件事，”卢平说着微微皱起眉头，“斯内普发现你看到了这些事情时，他是什么反应？”

'Even Snape?' said Harry.

“他告诉我再也不会教我大脑封闭术了，”哈利无所谓地说，“就好像那会让我很失——”

'Well,' said Lupin slowly, 'Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?'

“他什么？”小天狼星喊道，哈利被吓了一跳，吸了满嘴烟灰。

'And my mum was OK with that?'

“你是说真的吗，哈利？”卢平马上说，“他不再教你了？”

'She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth,' said Sirius. 'I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?'

“是啊。”哈利说，他很惊讶，觉得他们俩的反应也太过火了。

Sirius frowned at Harry, who was still looking unconvinced.

“我要去那里跟斯内普谈谈！”小天狼星激动地说道，实际上他已经要站起来，但是卢平用力按住了他。

'Look,' he said, 'your father was the best friend I ever had and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it.'

“如果需要和斯内普谈谈这件事的话，我会去的！”他斩钉截铁地说，“但是哈利，首先，你要回去找斯内普，告诉他绝对不能停止给你上课——要是邓布利多听说——”

'Yeah, OK,' said Harry heavily. 'I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape.'

“我不能这么跟他说，他会宰了我的！”哈利恼火地说，“你没看到我从冥想盆里出来时他是什么样子。”

'Now you mention it,' said Lupin, a faint crease between his eyebrows, 'how did Snape react when he found you'd seen all this?'

“哈利，没有任何事情比你学习大脑封闭术更要紧！”卢平严厉地说，“你明白我的话吗？没有任何事情！”

'He told me he'd never teach me Occlumency again,' said Harry indifferently, 'like that's a big disappoint-

“好吧，好吧，”哈利说，他已经心烦意乱，更不用说生气了，“我会……我会试着跟他说说……但是这不会——”

'He WHAT?' shouted Sirius, causing Harry to jump and inhale a mouthful of ashes.

他不说话了。他能听到远处有脚步声。

'Are you serious, Harry?' said Lupin quickly. 'He's stopped giving you lessons?'

“那是克利切在下楼吗？”

'Yeah,' said Harry, surprised at what he considered a great over-reaction. 'But it's OK, I don't care, it's a bit of a relief to tell you the - '

“不是，”小天狼星朝身后瞥了一眼说，“一定是你那头有什么人。”

'I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!' said Sirius forcefully, and he actually made to stand up, but Lupin wrenched him back down again.

哈利的心跳停了几下。

'If anyone's going to tell Snape it will be me!' he said firmly. 'But Harry, first of all, you're to go back to Snape and tell him that on no account is he to stop giving you lessons - when Dumbledore hears - '

“我还是离开的好！”他匆匆地说着，从格里莫广场的炉火里抽回了脑袋。有一阵儿他的脑袋就像是在自己的肩膀上旋转，然后他发觉自己跪在乌姆里奇的炉火面前，脑袋不再转动了，翠绿的火焰在他的注视下摇曳着熄灭了。

'I can't tell him that, he'd kill me!' said Harry, outraged. 'You didn't see him when we got out of the Pensieve.'

“赶快，赶快！”他听到一个喘息的声音在办公室门口嘟哝着，“啊，她把门开着呢——”

'Harry there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency!' said Lupin sternly. 'Do you understand me? Nothing!'

哈利扑向隐形衣，他刚把它重新穿好，费尔奇就闯进了办公室。他看上去正为什么事情感到非常高兴，穿过屋子时还兴奋地自言自语。他拉开乌姆里奇桌子上的一个抽屉，开始在里面的文件中翻找起来。

'OK, OK,' said Harry, thoroughly discomposed, not to mention annoyed. 'I'll . . . I'll try and say something to him . . . but it won't be - '

“《鞭刑批准令》……《鞭刑批准令》……我总算可以这么做了……他们这些年早就该挨鞭子了……”

He fell silent. He could hear distant footsteps.

他抽出一张羊皮纸，在上面亲了亲，然后把它紧捂在胸前拖着步子迅速走出了房门。

'Is that Kreacher coming downstairs?'

哈利急忙跳起来，确认已经带上了书包，隐形衣也完全遮住了自己。他扭开房门，赶紧跟在费尔奇后面走出办公室，费尔奇正沿着走廊一瘸一拐地走着，哈利从来没见过他走得这么快。

'No,' said Sirius, glancing behind him. 'It must be somebody your end.'

走到乌姆里奇办公室楼下的楼梯平台时，哈利觉得可以安全地重新现形了。他脱下隐形衣，把它塞进书包里，急忙向前走去。从门厅传来一片喊叫声和脚步声。他从大理石楼梯上跑了下去，发现好像学校里的大多数人都聚集在门厅里。

Harry's heart skipped several beats.

现在可真像特里劳妮被解雇的那天晚上。学生们沿着墙壁围成一大圈（哈利注意到，他们有些人身上沾满了看上去像是臭汁的东西）；老师和幽灵们也在人群中。在旁观者中，最显眼的是那些调查行动组的成员，他们都显得兴高采烈，在人们头顶上飘来飘去的皮皮鬼正盯着下面的弗雷德和乔治，他们俩站在门厅中央，脸上显露出视死如归的表情。

'I'd better go!' he said hastily and pulled his head backwards out of the Grimmauld Place fire. For a moment his head seemed to be revolving on his shoulders, then he found himself kneeling in front of Umbridge's fire with it firmly back on and watching the emerald flames flicker and die.

“好啊！”乌姆里奇得意扬扬地说。哈利意识到乌姆里奇就站在下面，和自己只隔了几级台阶，她又一次轻蔑地看着自己的猎物。“好啊——你们觉得把学校的一条走廊变成沼泽很有趣，对吗？”

'Quickly, quickly!' he heard a wheezy voice mutter right outside the office door. 'Ah, she's left it open - '

“非常有趣，没错。”弗雷德抬眼望着她说，一点害怕的样子都没有。

Harry dived for the Invisibility Cloak and had just managed to pull it back over himself when Filch burst into the office. He looked absolutely delighted about something and was talking to himself feverishly as he crossed the room, pulled open a drawer in Umbridge's desk and began rifling through the papers inside it.

费尔奇从人群中挤到乌姆里奇身边，高兴得都快哭出来了。

'Approval for Whipping . . . Approval for Whipping . . . I can do it at last . . . they've had it coming to them for years . . .'

“我拿到那东西了，校长，”他声音嘶哑地说，一边挥动着哈利刚才看见他从乌姆里奇的桌子里拿走的那张羊皮纸，“我拿到那东西了，准备好了鞭子……哦，让我现在就动手吧……”

He pulled out a piece of parchment, kissed it, then shuffled rapidly back out of the door, clutching it to his chest.

“很好，阿格斯。”乌姆里奇说。“你们两个，”她盯着下面的弗雷德和乔治接着说，“将会知道在我的学校里干坏事的人会有什么下场。”

Harry leapt to his feet and, making sure he had his bag and that the Invisibility Cloak was completely covering him, he wrenched open the door and hurried out of the office after Filch, who was hobbling along faster than Harry had ever seen him go.

“知道什么啊？”弗雷德说，“我不认为我们会知道。”

One landing down from Umbridge's office, Harry thought it was safe to become visible again. He pulled off the Cloak, shoved it in his bag and hurried onwards. There was a great deal of shouting and movement coming from the Entrance Hall. He ran down the marble staircase and found what looked like most of the school assembled there.

他朝自己的双胞胎兄弟转过身去。

It was just like the night when Trelawney had been sacked. Students were standing all around the walls in a great ring (some of them, Harry noticed, covered in a substance that looked very like Stinksap); teachers and ghosts were also in the crowd. Prominent among the onlookers were members of the Inquisitorial Squad, who were all looking exceptionally pleased with themselves, and Peeves, who was bobbing overhead, gazed down at Fred and George who stood in the middle of the floor with the unmistakeable look of two people who had just been cornered.

“乔治，”弗雷德说道，“我觉得我们已经长大了，不用再接受全日制教育了。”

'So!' said Umbridge triumphantly. Harry realised she was standing

“是啊，我也一直这么想。”乔治愉快地说。

just a few stairs in front of him, once more looking down upon her prey. 'So - you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?'

“现在该到现实社会中检验一下我们的才干了，你觉得呢？”弗雷德问道。

'Pretty amusing, yeah,' said Fred, looking up at her without the slightest sign of fear.

“一点儿不错。”乔治说。

Filch elbowed his way closer to Umbridge, almost crying with happiness.

没等乌姆里奇说一个字，他们就扬起了自己的魔杖同时说。

'I've got the form, Headmistress,' he said hoarsely, waving the piece of parchment Harry had just seen him take from her desk. 'I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting . . . oh, let me do it now . . .'

“飞天扫帚飞来！”

'Very good, Argus,' she said. 'You two,' she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, 'are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school.'

哈利听到远处传来很响的爆裂声。他朝左边一看，及时俯身躲了过去。弗雷德和乔治的飞天扫帚沿着走廊朝自己的主人迅速飞去，有一把扫帚的尾巴上还拖着乌姆里奇用来把它们拴在墙上的沉重铁链和铁栓；它们朝左一转，急速飞下楼梯，猛地停在双胞胎面前，铁链在带着旗帜标志的石头地板上发出了响亮的哗啦声。

'You know what?' said Fred. 'I don't think we are.'

“我们不会跟你再见了。”弗雷德对乌姆里奇教授说着，抬腿跨上了自己的飞天扫帚。

He turned to his twin.

“对，别费心保持联络了。”乔治说着，骑上了自己的飞天扫帚。

'George,' said Fred, 'I think we've outgrown full-time education.'

弗雷德看了看周围那些挤在一起、沉默、警惕的学生们。

'Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself,' said George lightly.

“要是有谁想购买便携式沼泽，就是楼上演示的那种，到对角巷93号——韦斯莱魔法笑料店去就行了，”他响亮地说，“那是我们的店址！”

Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?' asked Fred.

“霍格沃茨的学生只要发誓用我们的产品赶走这只老蝙蝠，就可以享受优惠价。”乔治指着乌姆里奇教授加了一句。

'Definitely,' said George.

“拦住他们！”乌姆里奇尖声喊道，但是太晚了。调查行动组逼近时，弗雷德和乔治双脚一蹬离开了地板，冲上了十五英尺高的空中，铁栓在扫帚下面吓人地荡来荡去。弗雷德望着跟自己同一高度的喜欢恶作剧的皮皮鬼正在门厅对面的人群头顶上飘来飘去。

And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together:

“为了我们，送她下地狱吧，皮皮鬼。”

'Accio brooms!'

哈利以前从来没见过皮皮鬼听从学生的命令，可皮皮鬼却突然挥动自己漏斗形的帽子向弗雷德和乔治行了个礼，他们俩在下面学生们热烈的掌声中猛地掉转方向，飞快地冲出敞开的前门，飞进了外面美丽的落日余晖中。

Harry heard a loud crash somewhere in the distance. Looking to his left, he ducked just in time. Fred and George's broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg with which Umbridge had fastened them to the wall, were hurtling along the corridor towards their owners; they turned left, streaked down the stairs and stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged stone floor.

'We won't be seeing you,' Fred told Professor Umbridge, swinging his leg over his broomstick.

'Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch,' said George, mounting his own.

Fred looked around at the assembled students, at the silent, watchful crowd.

'It anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley - Weasley' Wizarding Wheezes,' he said in a loud voice. 'Our new premises!'

'Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat,' added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.

'STOP THEM!' shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.

'Give her hell from us, Peeves.'

And Peeves, who Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.