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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 THREE THE DURSLEYS DEPARTING

第三章　德思礼一家离开

The sound of the front door slamming echoed up the stairs and a voice yelled, “Oi! You!”

前门重重关上的声音传到楼上，一个人高喊道：“喂！你！”

Sixteen years of being addressed thus left Harry in no doubt whom his uncle was calling; nevertheless, he did not immediately respond. He was still gazing at the mirror fragment in which, for a split second, he had thought he saw Dumbledore’s eye. It was not until his uncle bellowed, “BOY!” that Harry got slowly to his feet and headed for the bedroom door, pausing to add the piece of broken mirror to the rucksack filled with things he would be taking with him.

哈利十六年来都被这样呼来喝去。他知道姨父在喊谁，但他没有立刻回答。他仍然凝视着破碎的镜片，刚才那一刹那间，他恍惚在里面看见了邓布利多的眼睛。直到姨父怒吼一声“小子！”哈利才慢吞吞地站起身，朝卧室门口走去，半路停下来把破碎的镜片塞进背包，那里面已经装满了他打算带走的东西。

“You took your time!” roared Vernon Dursley when Harry appeared at the top of the stairs. “Get down here, I want a word!”

“磨蹭什么？”弗农·德思礼看到哈利出现在楼梯口，气呼呼地吼道，“快下来，我有话要说！”

Harry strolled downstairs, his hands deep in his jeans pockets. When he reached the living room he found all three Dursleys. They were dressed for traveling: Uncle Vernon in a fawn zip-up jacket, Aunt Petunia in a neat salmon-colored coat, and Dudley, Harry’s large, blond, muscular cousin, in his leather jacket.

哈利双手插在牛仔裤的口袋里，慢慢地走下楼梯。他来到客厅，发现德思礼一家三口都在。他们一副出远门的打扮——弗农姨父穿着一件浅黄褐色的拉链夹克，佩妮姨妈穿着一件式样简洁的浅橙色上衣，哈利那位大块头、黄头发、肌肉发达的表哥达力，穿着皮夹克。

DEPARTING

“有事吗？”哈利问。

“Yes?” asked Harry.

“坐下！”弗农姨父说。哈利扬起眉毛。“请！”弗农姨父赶紧找补道，一边皱了皱眉，似乎这个字刺着了他的喉咙。

“Sit down!” said Uncle Vernon. Harry raised his eyebrows. “Please!” added Uncle Vernon, wincing slightly as though the word was sharp in his throat.

哈利坐下了。他似乎猜到了是什么事。姨父开始在房间里踱来踱去，佩妮姨妈和达力用目光追随着姨父，一副忧心忡忡的样子。最后，弗农姨父在哈利面前停下脚步，绛紫色的大脸膛皱成一团，开口说话了。

Harry sat. He thought he knew what was coming. His uncle began to pace up and down, Aunt Petunia and Dudley following his movements with anxious expressions. Finally, his large purple face crumpled with concentration, Uncle Vernon stopped in front of Harry and spoke.

“我改主意了。”他说。

“I’ve changed my mind,” he said.

“真让人吃惊。”哈利说。

“What a surprise,” said Harry.

“不许用那种口气——”佩妮姨妈尖声嚷道，弗农姨父挥挥手叫她闭嘴。

“Don’t you take that tone —” began Aunt Petunia in a shrill voice, but Vernon Dursley waved her down.

“都是些骗人的鬼话，”弗农姨父用一双小猪眼睛盯着哈利，“我决定一个字也不相信。我们不走，哪儿也不去。”

“It’s all a lot of claptrap,” said Uncle Vernon, glaring at Harry with piggy little eyes. “I’ve decided I don’t believe a word of it. We’re staying put, we’re not going anywhere.”

哈利抬头看着姨父，觉得又气恼又好笑。在过去的四个星期里，弗农·德思礼每隔二十四小时就要改变一次主意，每次改变主意都要折腾一番，把行李搬上车，搬下车，再搬上车。哈利觉得最可爱的是弗农姨父想把行李重新拎进汽车后备箱，却不知道达力这次把哑铃装进了行李，结果被坠得摔倒在地，又气又疼，破口大骂。

Harry looked up at his uncle and felt a mixture of exasperation and amusement. Vernon Dursley had been changing his mind every twenty-four hours for the past four weeks, packing and unpacking and repacking the car with every change of heart. Harry’s favorite moment had been the one when Uncle Vernon, unaware that Dudley had added his dumbbells to his case since the last time it had been unpacked, had attempted to hoist it back into the boot and collapsed with roars of pain and much swearing.

“照你说来——”这会儿弗农·德思礼说着，又在客厅里踱起步来，“我们——佩妮，达力和我——都有危险。危险来自——来自——”

“According to you,” Vernon Dursley said now, resuming his pacing up and down the living room, “we — Petunia, Dudley, and I — are in danger. From — from —”

“‘我们那类’里的一些人，没错。”哈利说，

“Some of ‘my lot,’ right,” said Harry.

“哼，我不相信，”弗农姨父又说了一遍，再次在哈利面前停住脚步，“我昨天半夜没睡，盘算着这个事情，肯定是阴谋，想霸占房子。”

“Well, I don’t believe it,” repeated Uncle Vernon, coming to a halt in front of Harry again. “I was awake half the night thinking it all over, and I believe it’s a plot to get the house.”

“房子？”哈利问，“什么房子？”

“The house?” repeated Harry. “What house?”

“这所房子！”弗农姨父尖声叫道，额头上的血管开始突突地跳动，“我们的房子！这附近的房价涨得厉害！你想把我们支走，然后搞点儿鬼把戏，不等我们明白过来，房契上的名字就成了你的——”

“This house!” shrieked Uncle Vernon, the vein in his forehead starting to pulse. “Our house! House prices are skyrocketing around here! You want us out of the way and then you’re going to do a bit of hocus-pocus and before we know it the deeds will be in your name and —”

“你糊涂了吗？”哈利问，“密谋霸占这所房子？难道你真像你的模样一样傻吗？”

“Are you out of your mind?” demanded Harry. “A plot to get this house? Are you actually as stupid as you look?”

“你怎么敢——！”佩妮姨妈尖叫起来，弗农又一次挥手叫她闭嘴，似乎跟他所识破的危险相比，相貌遭到一些侮辱就算不得什么了。

“Don’t you dare — !” squealed Aunt Petunia, but again, Vernon waved her down: Slights on his personal appearance were, it seemed, as nothing to the danger he had spotted.

“恐怕你是忘了，”哈利说，“我已经有了一所房子，我教父留给我的。我还要这所房子干什么？为了所有那些愉快的往事？”

“Just in case you’ve forgotten,” said Harry, “I’ve already got a house, my godfather left me one. So why would I want this one? All the happy memories?”

沉默。哈利认为这番话把姨父给镇住了。

There was silence. Harry thought he had rather impressed his uncle with this argument.

“你声称，”弗农姨父说道，又开始踱步，“这个魔王——”

“You claim,” said Uncle Vernon, starting to pace yet again, “that this Lord Thing —”

“——伏地魔，”哈利不耐烦地说，“这件事我们已经讨论过一百遍了。不是声称，是事实，邓布利多去年就告诉过你，金斯莱和韦斯莱先生——”

“— Voldemort,” said Harry impatiently, “and we’ve been through this about a hundred times already. This isn’t a claim, it’s fact, Dumbledore told you last year, and Kingsley and Mr. Weasley —”

弗农·德思礼气呼呼地弓起肩膀，哈利猜想姨父是想摆脱那段回忆。当时哈利刚放暑假没几天，两个成年巫师突然来访。金斯莱·沙克尔和亚瑟·韦斯莱出现在门口，给德思礼一家带来了极不愉快的惊吓。哈利不得不承认，韦斯莱先生曾经把半个客厅捣成了废墟，他的再次露面肯定不会让弗农姨父感到高兴。

Vernon Dursley hunched his shoulders angrily, and Harry guessed that his uncle was attempting to ward off recollections of the unannounced visit, a few days into Harry’s summer holidays, of two fully grown wizards. The arrival on the doorstep of Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley had come as a most unpleasant shock to the

“——金斯莱和韦斯莱先生也解释过了，”哈利不为所动地继续说道，“我一满十七岁，保护我安全的符咒就会解除，我和你们就会暴露。凤凰社相信伏地魔会把目标锁定你们，或者折磨你们，拷问我的下落，或者以为把你们扣为人质我就会赶去援救。”

DEPARTING Dursleys. Harry had to admit, however, that as Mr. Weasley had once demolished half of the living room, his reappearance could not have been expected to delight Uncle Vernon.

弗农姨父和哈利的目光相遇了。这一刻，哈利相信两人心里产生了同样的疑问。然后，弗农姨父又开始踱步，哈利接着说道：“你们必须躲起来，凤凰社愿意帮忙，给你们提供最好的、最严密的保护。”

“— Kingsley and Mr. Weasley explained it all as well,” Harry pressed on remorselessly. “Once I’m seventeen, the protective charm that keeps me safe will break, and that exposes you as well as me. The Order is sure Voldemort will target you, whether to torture you to try and find out where I am, or because he thinks by holding you hostage I’d come and try to rescue you.”

弗农姨父没说话，继续踱来踱去。外面，太阳低低地悬在女贞树篱上。隔壁邻居家的割草机又熄火了。

Uncle Vernon’s and Harry’s eyes met. Harry was sure that in that instant they were both wondering the same thing. Then Uncle Vernon walked on and Harry resumed, “You’ve got to go into hiding and the Order wants to help. You’re being offered serious protection, the best there is.”

“不是有个魔法部吗？”弗农·德思礼突然问道。

Uncle Vernon said nothing, but continued to pace up and down. Outside the sun hung low over the privet hedges. The next-door neighbor’s lawn mower stalled again.

“不错。”哈利感到意外。

“I thought there was a Ministry of Magic?” asked Vernon Dursley abruptly.

“那么，他们为什么不能保护我们？在我看来，我们作为无辜的受害者，除了收养了一个嫌疑犯外，没干过任何坏事，应该得到政府的保护！”

“There is,” said Harry, surprised.

哈利笑出了声。他忍不住要笑。姨父就是这样——总是把希望寄托于权势部门，即使是在那个他敌视和不信任的世界里。

“Well, then, why can’t they protect us? It seems to me that, as innocent victims, guilty of nothing more than harboring a marked man, we ought to qualify for government protection!”

“你听见了韦斯莱先生和金斯莱说的话，”哈利回答，“我们认为魔法部混进了坏人。”

Harry laughed; he could not help himself. It was so very typical of his uncle to put his hopes in the establishment, even within this world that he despised and mistrusted.

弗农姨父大步踱到壁炉前又返回来，呼哧呼哧地喘着粗气，浓密的黑色八字胡也跟着波动起伏，大脸膛仍然涨成紫红色。

“You heard what Mr. Weasley and Kingsley said,” Harry replied. “We think the Ministry has been infiltrated.”

“好吧，”他说，再次停在了哈利面前，“好吧，姑且这么说吧，我们接受这种保护。但我还是不明白为什么不能让那个大个子金斯莱保护我们。”

Uncle Vernon strode to the fireplace and back, breathing so heavily that his great black mustache rippled, his face still purple with concentration.

哈利使劲忍了忍，才没有转动眼珠子。这个问题也已经提过六七遍了。

“All right,” he said, stopping in front of Harry yet again. “All right, let’s say, for the sake of argument, we accept this protection. I still don’t see why we can’t have that Kingsley bloke.”

“我告诉过你，”哈利咬着牙说道，“金斯莱在保护麻——我是说你们的首相。”

Harry managed not to roll his eyes, but with difficulty. This question had also been addressed half a dozen times.

“这就对了——他是最棒的！”弗农姨父指着空白的电视屏幕说。德思礼一家在新闻里见过金斯莱，他在麻瓜首相访问医院时悄悄地跟在后面。凭这一点，还有金斯莱掌握了麻瓜的穿衣窍门，更重要的是他那低沉、缓慢的声音里有某种令人宽慰的东西，使德思礼一家在巫师中独独对金斯莱另眼相看，不过呢，他们从来没见过金斯莱戴耳环的样子。

“As I’ve told you,” he said through gritted teeth, “Kingsley is protecting the Mug — I mean, your Prime Minister.”

“他已经有任务了，”哈利说，“海丝佳·琼斯和德达洛·迪歌更适合这项工作——”

“Exactly — he’s the best!” said Uncle Vernon, pointing at the blank television screen. The Dursleys had spotted Kingsley on the news, walking along discreetly behind the Muggle Prime Minister as he visited a hospital. This, and the fact that Kingsley had mastered the knack of dressing like a Muggle, not to mention a certain reassuring something in his slow, deep voice, had caused the Dursleys to take to Kingsley in a way that they had certainly not done with any other wizard, although it was true that they had never seen him with his earring in.

“哪怕让我们看看简历……”弗农姨父话没说完，哈利就失去了耐心。他腾地站起来，走到姨父面前，也用手指着电视机。

“Well, he’s taken,” said Harry. “But Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle are more than up to the job —”

“这些事故都不是事故——爆炸、飞机坠毁、火车出轨，还有我们上次看新闻之后发生的所有事情。有人失踪、死亡，这一切的背后都是他——伏地魔。我跟你说过不知多少遍了，他以屠杀麻瓜为乐。就连那大雾——也是摄魂怪弄出来的，如果你想不起摄魂怪是什么，就问问你儿子吧！”

“If we’d even seen CVs . . .” began Uncle Vernon, but Harry lost patience. Getting to his feet, he advanced on his uncle, now pointing at the TV set himself.

达力猛地抬手捂住嘴巴。看到父母和哈利都盯着他，他才慢慢把手放下，问道：“他们……还有更多？”

“These accidents aren’t accidents — the crashes and explosions and derailments and whatever else has happened since we last watched the news. People are disappearing and dying and he’s behind it — Voldemort. I’ve told you this over and over again, he kills

“还有更多？”哈利笑了起来，“你是说，除了上次攻击我们的那两个？当然有，有好几百，现在说不定有好几千了，因为它们靠恐惧和绝望活着——”

DEPARTING Muggles for fun. Even the fogs — they’re caused by dementors, and if you can’t remember what they are, ask your son!”

“行了，行了，”弗农·德思礼咆哮道，“你已经说清楚了——”

Dudley’s hands jerked upward to cover his mouth. With his parents’ and Harry’s eyes upon him, he slowly lowered them again and asked, “There are . . . more of them?”

“希望如此，”哈利说，“因为我一满十七岁，所有那些家伙——食死徒、摄魂怪，说不定还有阴尸——就是被黑巫师施了魔法的死尸——都能找到你们，而且肯定会对你们下手。如果你还记得上次跟巫师较量的情景，我想你会承认你们需要帮助。”

“More?” laughed Harry. “More than the two that attacked us, you mean? Of course there are, there are hundreds, maybe thousands by this time, seeing as they feed off fear and despair —”

片刻的沉默，海格打烂一扇木门的声音，似乎隔着这么多年的岁月远远地传来。佩妮姨妈看着弗农姨父，达力瞪着哈利。最后，弗农姨父突然说道：“可是我的工作怎么办？达力的学校怎么办？我想，一帮游手好闲的巫师是不会管这些事情的——”

“All right, all right,” blustered Vernon Dursley. “You’ve made your point —”

“你还不明白吗？”哈利喊道，“他们会折磨你们，杀死你们，就像对我的父母那样！”

“I hope so,” said Harry, “because once I’m seventeen, all of them — Death Eaters, dementors, maybe even Inferi — which means dead bodies enchanted by a Dark wizard — will be able to find you and will certainly attack you. And if you remember the last time you tried to outrun wizards, I think you’ll agree you need help.”

“爸爸，”达力大声说，“爸爸——我想跟凤凰社的那些人走。”

There was a brief silence in which the distant echo of Hagrid smashing down a wooden front door seemed to reverberate through the intervening years. Aunt Petunia was looking at Uncle Vernon; Dudley was staring at Harry. Finally Uncle Vernon blurted out, “But what about my work? What about Dudley’s school? I don’t suppose those things matter to a bunch of layabout wizards —”

“达力，”哈利说，“你这辈子第一次说了句明白话。”

“Don’t you understand?” shouted Harry. “They will torture and kill you like they did my parents!”

他知道胜局已定。既然达力吓得愿意接受凤凰社的帮助，他的父母肯定会陪着他：他们怎么可能离开他们的小宝贝达达呢？哈利看了看壁炉台上的旅行钟。

“Dad,” said Dudley in a loud voice, “Dad — I’m going with these Order people.”

“再有一分钟左右他们就来了。”他说，德思礼一家谁也没有回答，他便离开了客厅。想到他和姨妈、姨父、表哥就此分离——也许永不再见——他的心头不无欢喜，但气氛还是有些尴尬。在十六年的极度厌恶之后，互相之间还能说什么呢？

“Dudley,” said Harry, “for the first time in your life, you’re talking sense.”

回到卧室，哈利漫无目的地摆弄着他的背包，又往海德薇的笼子里塞了几粒猫头鹰食。它们噗噗落在笼子底部，海德薇没有理睬。

He knew that the battle was won. If Dudley was frightened enough to accept the Order’s help, his parents would accompany him: There could be no question of being separated from their Diddykins. Harry glanced at the carriage clock on the mantelpiece.

“我们很快就要离开这里了，真的很快，”哈利告诉它，“那时你就又可以飞了，”门铃响了。哈利犹豫了一下，离开房间，走下楼来，要指望海丝佳和德达洛单独对付德思礼一家，恐怕有点不切实际。

“They’ll be here in about five minutes,” he said, and when none of the Dursleys replied, he left the room. The prospect of parting — probably forever — from his aunt, uncle, and cousin was one that he was able to contemplate quite cheerfully, but there was nevertheless a certain awkwardness in the air. What did you say to one another at the end of sixteen years’ solid dislike?

“哈利·波特，”哈利刚打开门，一个激动的声音就尖叫起来。一位头戴淡紫色高顶礼帽的小个子男人朝他深深鞠了一躬。“不胜荣幸！”

Back in his bedroom, Harry fiddled aimlessly with his rucksack, then poked a couple of owl nuts through the bars of Hedwig’s cage. They fell with dull thuds to the bottom, where she ignored them.

“谢谢，德达洛，”哈利说着，朝黑头发的海丝佳尴尬地微微一笑，“你们真是太好了……他们就在这儿，我的姨妈、姨父和表哥……”

“We’re leaving soon, really soon,” Harry told her. “And then you’ll be able to fly again.”

“你们好，哈利·波特的亲戚们！”德达洛一边大步走进客厅，一边乐呵呵地说。德思礼一家听到这样的称呼似乎一点儿也不高兴。哈利隐约担心他们又要改变主意。达力看到这两个男女巫师，吓得又往妈妈跟前缩了缩。

The doorbell rang. Harry hesitated, then headed back out of his room and downstairs. It was too much to expect Hestia and Dedalus to cope with the Dursleys on their own.

“你们收拾了东西，做好了准备。太好了！计划很简单，就像哈利告诉你们的一样，”德达洛说着，从马甲里掏出一块巨大的怀表看了看，“我们先走，哈利后走。由于在你们家里使用魔法有危险——哈利还没有成年，这会使魔法部有借口逮捕他——我们先把车开出去，这么说吧，开出十英里左右，然后再幻影移形，到我们为你们选择的安全地方去。我想，您会开车吧？”他很有礼貌地问弗农姨父。

“Harry Potter!” squeaked an excited voice, the moment Harry had opened the door; a small man in a mauve top hat was sweeping him a deep bow. “An honor, as ever!”

“会开——？我当然会他妈的开车！”弗农姨父急吼吼地说。

“Thanks, Dedalus,” said Harry, bestowing a small and embarrassed smile upon the dark-haired Hestia. “It’s really good of you to do this. . . . They’re through here, my aunt and uncle and cousin. . . .”

“您真聪明，先生，真聪明，我一看到那么多按键和旋钮就彻底糊涂了。”德达洛说。他显然以为自己是在恭维弗农·德思礼，而德思礼对计划的信心，显然在随着德达洛说的每一句话而逐渐丧失。

“Good day to you, Harry Potter’s relatives!” said Dedalus happily, striding into the living room. The Dursleys did not look at all happy to be addressed thus; Harry half expected another change of mind. Dudley shrank nearer to his mother at the sight of the witch and wizard.

“连车都不会开。”他低声嘟囔，气得胡子直抖，幸好德达洛和海丝佳好像都没听见。

DEPARTING

“你，哈利，”德达洛继续说，“在这里等你的警卫。安排上有了点小小的变化——”

“I see you are packed and ready. Excellent! The plan, as Harry has told you, is a simple one,” said Dedalus, pulling an immense pocket watch out of his waistcoat and examining it. “We shall be leaving before Harry does. Due to the danger of using magic in your house — Harry being still underage, it could provide the Ministry with an excuse to arrest him — we shall be driving, say, ten miles or so, before Disapparating to the safe location we have picked out for you. You know how to drive, I take it?” he asked Uncle Vernon politely.

“你说什么？”哈利立刻说，“我记得疯眼汉要来带我随从显形的呀？”

“Know how to — ? Of course I ruddy well know how to drive!” spluttered Uncle Vernon.

“不成了，”海丝佳生硬地说，“疯眼汉会解释的。”

“Very clever of you, sir, very clever, I personally would be utterly bamboozled by all those buttons and knobs,” said Dedalus. He was clearly under the impression that he was flattering Vernon Dursley, who was visibly losing confidence in the plan with every word Dedalus spoke.

德思礼一家满脸疑惑地听着这些对话，突然一个声音尖叫起来：“快点！”他们吓了一跳。哈利在客厅里左右张望着，这才发现声音是德达洛的怀表发出来的。

“Can’t even drive,” he muttered under his breath, his mustache rippling indignantly, but fortunately neither Dedalus nor Hestia seemed to hear him.

“不错，我们时间很紧，”德思礼朝他的怀表点点头，又把它塞进马甲里，“我们打算，哈利，你在你的家人幻影移形的同时离开这所房子。这样，符咒破除时，你们都奔向了安全地。”他转向德思礼一家，“怎么样，行李都收拾好了吗？我们准备走吧？”

“You, Harry,” Dedalus continued, “will wait here for your guard. There has been a little change in the arrangements —”

没人回答。弗农姨父仍然胆战心惊地盯着德达洛马甲口袋里的那个鼓包。

“What d’you mean?” said Harry at once. “I thought Mad-Eye was going to come and take me by Side-Along-Apparition?”

“也许我们应该在外面厅里等，德达洛。”海丝佳低声说。她显然觉得哈利和德思礼一家要温情脉脉，说不定还要热泪盈眶地互相告别，他们留在屋里是不合适的。

“Can’t do it,” said Hestia tersely. “Mad-Eye will explain.”

“没必要。”哈利嘟囔道。

The Dursleys, who had listened to all of this with looks of utter incomprehension on their faces, jumped as a loud voice screeched, “Hurry up!” Harry looked all around the room before realizing that the voice had issued from Dedalus’s pocket watch.

弗农姨父的话使更多的解释变得没有必要，他大声说：“得，这就告别了，小子。”他把右胳膊往前一伸，想跟哈利握手，但在最后一刻似乎无法面对，便把手掌握成拳头，像节拍器一样前后摆动着。

“Quite right, we’re operating to a very tight schedule,” said Dedalus, nodding at his watch and tucking it back into his waistcoat. “We are attempting to time your departure from the house with your family’s Disapparition, Harry; thus, the charm breaks at the moment you all head for safety.” He turned to the Dursleys. “Well, are we all packed and ready to go?”

“准备好了，达达？”佩妮姨妈问，一边没事找事地检查手包的搭扣，为的是根本不看哈利。

None of them answered him. Uncle Vernon was still staring, appalled, at the bulge in Dedalus’s waistcoat pocket.

达力没有回答，他站在那里，嘴巴微微张着，这使哈利隐约想起了巨人格洛普。

“Perhaps we should wait outside in the hall, Dedalus,” murmured Hestia. She clearly felt that it would be tactless for them to remain in the room while Harry and the Dursleys exchanged loving, possibly tearful farewells.

“快走吧。”弗农姨父说。

“There’s no need,” Harry muttered, but Uncle Vernon made any further explanation unnecessary by saying loudly,

他已经走到客厅门口了，忽听达力嘟囔道，“我不明白。”

“Well, this is good-bye, then, boy.”

“有什么不明白的，宝贝？”佩妮姨妈抬头看着儿子问。

He swung his right arm upward to shake Harry’s hand, but at the last moment seemed unable to face it, and merely closed his fist and began swinging it backward and forward like a metronome.

达力举起一只火腿般粗胖的手指着哈利。

“Ready, Diddy?” asked Aunt Petunia, fussily checking the clasp of her handbag so as to avoid looking at Harry altogether.

“他为什么不跟我们一起走？”

Dudley did not answer, but stood there with his mouth slightly ajar, reminding Harry a little of the giant, Grawp.

弗农姨父和佩妮姨妈怔在原地，呆呆地望着达力，就好像达力刚刚表示想当一名芭蕾舞演员。

“Come along, then,” said Uncle Vernon.

“什么？”弗农姨父大声问。

He had already reached the living room door when Dudley mumbled, “I don’t understand.”

“他为什么不一起走？”达力问。

“What don’t you understand, popkin?” asked Aunt Petunia, looking up at her son.

“噢，他——他不想走，”弗农姨父说完，转过脸瞪着哈利问道，“你不想走，对不对？”

Dudley raised a large, hamlike hand to point at Harry.

“一点儿也不想。”哈利说。

“Why isn’t he coming with us?”

“这下行了吧，”弗农姨父对达力说，“好了，我们走吧。”

DEPARTING

弗农姨父大步走出客厅。屋里的人听见前门打开的声音，可是达力没有动，佩妮姨妈踉踉跄跄地走了几步，也停下了。

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia froze where they stood, staring at Dudley as though he had just expressed a desire to become a ballerina.

“又怎么啦？”弗农姨父又出现在门口，咆哮着问。

“What?” said Uncle Vernon loudly.

达力好像在努力对付一些难以用语言表达的思想。经过片刻看似很痛苦的内心挣扎之后，他说：“可是他去哪儿呢？”

“Why isn’t he coming too?” asked Dudley.

佩妮姨妈和弗农姨父面面相觑。显然，达力把他们吓坏了。海丝佳·琼斯打破了沉默。

“Well, he — he doesn’t want to,” said Uncle Vernon, turning to glare at Harry and adding, “You don’t want to, do you?”

“可是……你们当然知道你们的外甥要去哪儿，不是吗？”她一脸迷惑地问道。

“Not in the slightest,” said Harry.

“我们当然知道，”弗农·德思礼说道，“他跟你们那类的几个人走，不是吗？好了，达力，我们快上车吧，你听见那个人说了，时间很紧。”

“There you are,” Uncle Vernon told Dudley. “Now come on, we’re off.”

弗农·德思礼又一次大步流星地走到前门，可是达力并没有跟上去。

He marched out of the room. They heard the front door open, but Dudley did not move and after a few faltering steps Aunt Petunia stopped too.

“跟我们这类的几个人走？”

“What now?” barked Uncle Vernon, reappearing in the doorway.

海丝佳好像被惹恼了。哈利以前也碰到过这种态度。巫师们看到与大名鼎鼎的哈利·波特关系最近的亲戚对他这样漠不关心，似乎都很震惊。

It seemed that Dudley was struggling with concepts too difficult to put into words. After several moments of apparently painful internal struggle he said, “But where’s he going to go?”

“算了，”哈利劝解道，“没什么，真的没什么。”

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked at each other. It was clear that Dudley was frightening them. Hestia Jones broke the silence.

“没什么？”海丝佳跟着说了一句，声音提得很高，透着不详，“这些人知不知道你经历了什么？知不知道你面临着什么危险？知不知道你在反伏地魔运动的核心中所处的独特位置？”

“But . . . surely you know where your nephew is going?” she asked, looking bewildered.

“呃——不知道，他们不知道。”哈利说，“实际上，他们以为我是废物一个，不过我也习惯了——”

“Certainly we know,” said Vernon Dursley. “He’s off with some of your lot, isn’t he? Right, Dudley, let’s get in the car, you heard the man, we’re in a hurry.”

“我不认为你是废物。”

Again, Vernon Dursley marched as far as the front door, but Dudley did not follow.

如果不是看到达力的嘴唇在动，哈利大概不会相信。他瞪了达力几秒钟，才终于承认刚才是达力在说话，至少他看见达力的脸涨得通红。哈利自己也是又尴尬又诧异。

“Off with some of our lot?”

“噢……噢……谢谢你，达力。”

Hestia looked outraged. Harry had met this attitude before: Witches and wizards seemed stunned that his closest living relatives took so little interest in the famous Harry Potter.

达力似乎又在对付一些难以表达的思想，他最后喃喃地说道：“你救过我的命。”

“It’s fine,” Harry assured her. “It doesn’t matter, honestly.”

“不能这么说，”哈利说，“摄魂怪要掳走的是你的灵魂……”

“Doesn’t matter?” repeated Hestia, her voice rising ominously. “Don’t these people realize what you’ve been through? What danger you are in? The unique position you hold in the hearts of the antiVoldemort movement?”

他好奇地打量着表哥。这个暑假和上个暑假，他们几乎没有什么接触，哈利回到女贞路的时间很短，而且总是待在自己的房间里。哈利这才隐约明白过来，那天早晨他踢到的那杯凉茶也许根本不是什么恶作剧。他虽然很感动，但看到达力表达感情的能力似乎已经消耗殆尽，他还是感到松了口气。达力张了张嘴，满脸通红，没再说话。

“Er — no, they don’t,” said Harry. “They think I’m a waste of space, actually, but I’m used to —”

佩妮姨妈哭了起来。海丝佳·琼斯赞许地看着她，没想到佩妮姨妈冲过去搂抱的不是哈利，而是达力，海丝佳顿时怒容满面。

“I don’t think you’re a waste of space.”

“真——真乖，达达……”她贴着达力宽阔的胸脯哭起来，“多——多么可爱的孩——孩子……会——会说谢谢……”

If Harry had not seen Dudley’s lips move, he might not have believed it. As it was, he stared at Dudley for several seconds before accepting that it must have been his cousin who had spoken; for one thing, Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself.

“他根本没说谢谢！”海丝佳气愤地说，“他只说他认为哈利不是废物！”

“Well . . . er . . . thanks, Dudley.”

“是啊，不过这话从达力嘴里说出来，就像‘我爱你’一样了。”哈利说，佩妮姨妈继续紧紧地搂住达力，好像达力刚把哈利从一座着火的房子里救出来一样，哈利看着不禁又气恼又好笑。

Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unwieldy for expression before mumbling, “You saved my life.”

“我们还走不走啊？”弗农姨父又一次出现在客厅门口，粗声吼道，“不是时间很紧嘛！”

“Not really,” said Harry. “It was your soul the dementor would have taken. . . .”

“对——对，”德达洛·迪歌说，他刚才一头雾水地看着这些场景，这会儿似乎回过神来，“我们真的得走了。哈利——”他匆匆上前，用两只手紧紧攥住哈利的手。“——祝你好运。希望我们后会有期。巫师界的希望就落在你的肩上了。”

He looked curiously at his cousin. They had had virtually no contact during this summer or last, as Harry had come back to Privet Drive so briefly and kept to his room so much. It now dawned on Harry, however, that the cup of cold tea on which he had trodden that morning might not have been a booby trap at all. Although rather touched, he was nevertheless quite relieved that Dudley appeared to have exhausted his ability to express his feelings. After

“噢，”哈利说，“好的，谢谢了。”

DEPARTING opening his mouth once or twice more, Dudley subsided into scarletfaced silence.

“再见，哈利，”海丝佳也紧紧地拉住他的手说，“我们会挂念你的。”

Aunt Petunia burst into tears. Hestia Jones gave her an approving look that changed to outrage as Aunt Petunia ran forward and embraced Dudley rather than Harry.

“希望一切顺利。”哈利说着，看了一眼佩妮姨妈和达力。

“S-so sweet, Dudders . . .” she sobbed into his massive chest. “S-such a lovely b-boy . . . s-saying thank you . . .”

“哦，我相信我们会成为好朋友的。”迪歌愉快地说，挥挥帽子，离开了客厅。海丝佳也跟了出去。

“But he hasn’t said thank you at all!” said Hestia indignantly. “He only said he didn’t think Harry was a waste of space!”

达力轻轻挣脱母亲的搂抱，朝哈利走来。哈利不得不克制住想用魔法威胁他的冲动。达力伸出他那只肥大的、粉红色的手。

“Yeah, but coming from Dudley that’s like ‘I love you,’ ” said Harry, torn between annoyance and a desire to laugh as Aunt Petunia continued to clutch at Dudley as if he had just saved Harry from a burning building.

“天哪，达力，”哈利的声音盖过佩妮姨妈重新响起的啜泣，“难道摄魂怪给你灌输了另一种性格吗？”

“Are we going or not?” roared Uncle Vernon, reappearing yet again at the living room door. “I thought we were on a tight schedule!”

“不知道，”达力低声说，“再见，哈利。”

“Yes — yes, we are,” said Dedalus Diggle, who had been watching these exchanges with an air of bemusement and now seemed to pull himself together. “We really must be off. Harry —”

“好的……”哈利说着握了握达力的手，“也许吧。保重，D哥。”

He tripped forward and wrung Harry’s hand with both of his own.

达力几乎是笑了笑，然后蹒跚地走出客厅。哈利听见他沉重的脚步踏在砾石车道上，然后砰的一声，车门关上了。

“— good luck. I hope we meet again. The hopes of the Wizarding world rest upon your shoulders.”

听见这声音，一直把脸埋在手帕里的佩妮姨妈抬头张望着。她似乎没有料到自己会和哈利单独待在一起。她匆匆把湿漉漉的手帕塞进口袋，说了声：“好了——再见吧。”然后看也不看哈利，就大步朝门口走去。

“Oh,” said Harry, “right. Thanks.”

“再见。”哈利说。

“Farewell, Harry,” said Hestia, also clasping his hand. “Our thoughts go with you.”

佩妮姨妈停住脚步，回过头来。一时间，哈利有一种特别奇怪的感觉，好像佩妮姨妈想对他说点什么：她用古怪而胆怯的目光看看他，似乎迟疑着想说话，可随即她猛地把头一摆，冲出房门，追她的丈夫和儿子去了。

“I hope everything’s okay,” said Harry with a glance toward Aunt Petunia and Dudley.

“Oh, I’m sure we shall end up the best of chums,” said Diggle brightly, waving his hat as he left the room. Hestia followed him.

Dudley gently released himself from his mother’s clutches and walked toward Harry, who had to repress an urge to threaten him with magic. Then Dudley held out his large, pink hand.

“Blimey, Dudley,” said Harry over Aunt Petunia’s renewed sobs, “did the dementors blow a different personality into you?”

“Dunno,” muttered Dudley. “See you, Harry.”

“Yeah . . .” said Harry, taking Dudley’s hand and shaking it. “Maybe. Take care, Big D.”

Dudley nearly smiled, then lumbered from the room. Harry heard his heavy footfalls on the graveled drive, and then a car door slammed.

Aunt Petunia, whose face had been buried in her handkerchief, looked around at the sound. She did not seem to have expected to find herself alone with Harry. Hastily stowing her wet handkerchief into her pocket, she said, “Well — good-bye,” and marched toward the door without looking at him.

“Good-bye,” said Harry.

She stopped and looked back. For a moment Harry had the strangest feeling that she wanted to say something to him: She gave him an odd, tremulous look and seemed to teeter on the edge of speech, but then, with a little jerk of her head, she bustled out of the room after her husband and son.