哈利·波特与混血王子 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 英文  中文  双语对照  双语交替 首页  目录  上一章   下一章

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CHAPTER FOUR HORACE SLUGHORN

第四章　霍拉斯·斯拉格霍恩

Despite the fact that he had spent every waking moment of the past few days hoping desperately that Dumbledore would indeed come to fetch him, Harry felt distinctly awkward as they set off down Privet Drive together. He had never had a proper conversation with the headmaster outside of Hogwarts before; there was usually a desk between them. The memory of their last face-to-face encounter kept intruding too, and it rather heightened Harry’s sense of embarrassment; he had shouted a lot on that occasion, not to mention done his best to smash several of Dumbledore’s most prized possessions.

在过去的日子里，哈利只要醒着，就无时无刻不在热切地盼望着邓布利多真的会来接他，可是，当两人一同出发，走在女贞路上时，他却觉得非常别扭。以前，他从来没有在霍格沃茨之外跟校长正经交谈过，他们中间一般都隔着一张桌子。他忍不住想起他们最后一次见面的情形，这更增加了他的尴尬。在那次见面时，他不仅大吵大嚷，而且还不顾一切地打碎了邓布利多几件最宝贵的东西。

Dumbledore, however, seemed completely relaxed.

邓布利多却显得非常随和。

“Keep your wand at the ready, Harry,” he said brightly.

“把魔杖准备好，哈利。”他语调轻快地说。

“But I thought I’m not allowed to use magic outside school, sir?”

“可是，我在校外好像不能使用魔法吧，先生？”

“If there is an attack,” said Dumbledore, “I give you permission to use any counterjinx or curse that might occur to you. However, I do not think you need worry about being attacked tonight.”

“如果遇到袭击，”邓布利多说，“我允许你使用你能想到的任何魔法和咒语去反击。不过，我认为你今晚用不着担心遭到袭击。”

“Why not, sir?”

“为什么呢，先生？”

“You are with me,” said Dumbledore simply. “This will do, Harry.”

“因为你和我在一起，”邓布利多简单地说，“这就没事了，哈利。”

He came to an abrupt halt at the end of Privet Drive.

他在女贞路的路口突然停住了脚步。

“You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test,” he said.

“你肯定还没有通过幻影显形的考试吧？”他问。

“No,” said Harry. “I thought you had to be seventeen?”

“没有，”哈利回答说，“我记得好像要年满十七岁才行。”

“You do,” said Dumbledore. “So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly. My left, if you don’t mind — as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment.”

“是啊，”邓布利多说道，“那么你就需要紧紧抓住我的胳膊。是我的左胳膊，如果你不介意的话——你肯定注意到了，我拿魔杖的胳膊目前有点儿不得劲儿。”

Harry gripped Dumbledore’s proffered forearm.

哈利抓住了邓布利多伸过来的前臂。

“Very good,” said Dumbledore. “Well, here we go.”

“很好。”邓布利多说，“好了，我们出发。”

Harry felt Dumbledore’s arm twist away from him and redoubled his grip; the next thing he knew, everything went black; he was being pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his eardrums were being pushed deeper into his skull and then —

哈利觉得邓布利多的胳膊好像要从他手里挣脱，便赶紧抓得更牢了，随即他发现周围变得一片漆黑。他受到来自各个方向的强烈挤压，一点也透不过气来，胸口像是被几道铁箍紧紧地勒着。他的眼球被挤回了脑袋里，耳膜被压进了头颅深处，接着——

He gulped great lungfuls of cold night air and opened his streaming eyes. He felt as though he had just been forced through a very tight rubber tube. It was a few seconds before he realized that Privet Drive had vanished. He and Dumbledore were now standing in what appeared to be a deserted village square, in the center of which stood an old war memorial and a few benches. His comprehension catching up with his senses, Harry realized that he had just Apparated for the first time in his life.

他大口大口地吸着夜晚寒冷的空气，睁开流泪的双眼。他觉得自己刚才似乎是从一根非常狭窄的橡皮管子里挤了出来。几秒钟后他才缓过神来，发现女贞路已经消失。他和邓布利多现在站着的这个地方，像是某个被遗弃的村落的场院，中间竖着一座古老的战争纪念碑，还有几条长凳。哈利的理解跟上了他的感觉，意识到他刚才经历了生平第一次幻影显形。

“Are you all right?” asked Dumbledore, looking down at him solicitously. “The sensation does take some getting used to.”

“你没事吧？”邓布利多低下头关切地看着他问道。“这种感觉需要慢慢适应。”

“I’m fine,” said Harry, rubbing his ears, which felt as though they had left Privet Drive rather reluctantly. “But I think I might prefer brooms. . . .”

“我挺好的，”哈利揉着耳朵说，他觉得他的耳朵似乎是很不情愿地离开了女贞路，“但我好像更喜欢骑着扫帚飞行。”

Dumbledore smiled, drew his traveling cloak a little more tightly around his neck, and said, “This way.”

邓布利多笑了，他用旅行斗篷紧紧裹住脖子，说道：“这边走。”

He set off at a brisk pace, past an empty inn and a few houses. According to a clock on a nearby church, it was almost midnight.

他迈着轻快的脚步走着，经过了一家空荡荡的小酒馆和几所房屋。

“So tell me, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “Your scar . . . has it been hurting at all?”

从附近一座教堂的钟上看，时间差不多已经是午夜了。

Harry raised a hand unconsciously to his forehead and rubbed the lightning-shaped mark.

“那么你告诉我，哈利，”邓布利多说，“你的伤疤……它一直在疼吗？”

“No,” he said, “and I’ve been wondering about that. I thought it would be burning all the time now Voldemort’s getting so powerful again.”

哈利下意识地把手伸到额头上，摸了摸那道闪电形的伤疤。

He glanced up at Dumbledore and saw that he was wearing a satisfied expression.

“没有，”他说，“我也一直在纳闷呢。现在伏地魔卷土重来，我还以为伤疤会一直火辣辣地疼呢。”

“I, on the other hand, thought otherwise,” said Dumbledore. “Lord Voldemort has finally realized the dangerous access to his thoughts and feelings you have been enjoying. It appears that he is now employing Occlumency against you.”

他抬眼看了看邓布利多，发现他脸上露出一种满意的神情。

“Well, I’m not complaining,” said Harry, who missed neither the disturbing dreams nor the startling flashes of insight into Voldemort’s mind.

“我的想法跟你不同。”邓布利多说，“伏地魔终于意识到你一直能够进入他的思想和情感，他觉得这是很危险的。看来他现在对你使用大脑封闭术了。”

They turned a corner, passing a telephone box and a bus shelter. Harry looked sideways at Dumbledore again. “Professor?”

“那好，我巴不得这样呢。”哈利说，他并不怀念那些折磨人的噩梦，也不怀念那些突然洞悉伏地魔心理活动的可怕经历。

“Harry?”

他们拐过一个街角，经过了一个电话亭和一个公共汽车候车亭。哈利又偏头看了看邓布利多。

“Er — where exactly are we?”

“教授？”

“This, Harry, is the charming village of Budleigh Babberton.”

“哈利？”

“And what are we doing here?”

“嗯——我们到底在哪儿呢？”

“Ah yes, of course, I haven’t told you,” said Dumbledore. “Well, I have lost count of the number of times I have said this in recent years, but we are, once again, one member of staff short. We are here to persuade an old colleague of mine to come out of retirement and return to Hogwarts.”

“这儿就是迷人的巴德莱·巴伯顿村庄，哈利。”

“How can I help with that, sir?”

“我们到这儿来做什么呢？”

“Oh, I think we’ll find a use for you,” said Dumbledore vaguely. “Left here, Harry.”

“啊，对了，我还没有告诉你。”邓布利多说，“唉，我都记不清最近几年这件事我说过多少遍了，可是没办法，现在我们又短缺一名教师。我们是来劝说我的一名退休的同事重新出来工作，回到霍格沃茨的。”

They proceeded up a steep, narrow street lined with houses. All the windows were dark. The odd chill that had lain over Privet Drive for two weeks persisted here too. Thinking of dementors, Harry cast a look over his shoulder and grasped his wand reassuringly in his pocket.

“我能帮上什么忙呢，先生？”

“Professor, why couldn’t we just Apparate directly into your old colleague’s house?”

“噢，我想我们会让你派上用场的。”邓布利多含糊地说道，“向左转，哈利。”

“Because it would be quite as rude as kicking down the front door,” said Dumbledore. “Courtesy dictates that we offer fellow wizards the opportunity of denying us entry. In any case, most Wizarding dwellings are magically protected from unwanted Apparators. At Hogwarts, for instance —”

他们走上了一条陡直、狭窄的街道，两边是一排排住房。笼罩了女贞路两个星期的寒气在这里也滞留不去。哈利想到了摄魂怪，转过头去朝后看了看，用手抓住口袋里的魔杖给自己壮胆。

“— you can’t Apparate anywhere inside the buildings or grounds,” said Harry quickly. “Hermione Granger told me.”

“教授，我们为什么不能直接幻影显形到你的老同事家里呢？”

“And she is quite right. We turn left again.”

“因为那就像踢开别人家的大门一样无礼。”邓布利多说，“礼貌要求我们向别的巫师提供拒绝我们的机会。不过，大多数巫师住宅都有魔法抵御不受欢迎的幻影显形者。比如，在霍格沃茨——”

The church clock chimed midnight behind them. Harry wondered why Dumbledore did not consider it rude to call on his old colleague so late, but now that conversation had been established, he had more pressing questions to ask.

“——在城堡和猎场里都不可以幻影显形，”哈利抢着说，“赫敏·格兰杰告诉我的。”

“Sir, I saw in the Daily Prophet that Fudge has been sacked. . . .”

“她说得不错。我们再往左拐。”

“Correct,” said Dumbledore, now turning up a steep side street. “He has been replaced, as I am sure you also saw, by Rufus Scrimgeour, who used to be Head of the Auror office.”

在他们身后，教堂响起了午夜的钟声。哈利心里纳闷：邓布利多怎么不认为这么晚去拜访老同事是失礼呢？但现在谈话已经展开，他还有更加迫切的问题要问。

“Is he . . . Do you think he’s good?” asked Harry.

“先生，我在《预言家日报》上看到，福吉已经下台了……”

“An interesting question,” said Dumbledore. “He is able, certainly. A more decisive and forceful personality than Cornelius.”

“不错，”邓布利多说着，拐上了另一条笔直的小街，“我相信你已经看到了，接替他的是鲁弗斯·斯克林杰，他以前是傲罗办公室主任。”

“Yes, but I meant —”

“他……你认为他这个人怎么样？”哈利问。

“I know what you meant. Rufus is a man of action and, having fought Dark wizards for most of his working life, does not underestimate Lord Voldemort.”

“这是个有趣的问题。”邓布利多说，“他很有能力，这是不用说的。比康奈利更果断、更有魄力。”

Harry waited, but Dumbledore did not say anything about the disagreement with Scrimgeour that the Daily Prophet had reported, and he did not have the nerve to pursue the subject, so he changed it. “And . . . sir . . . I saw about Madam Bones.”

“是啊，不过我指的是——”

“Yes,” said Dumbledore quietly. “A terrible loss. She was a great witch. Just up here, I think — ouch.”

“我知道你指的是什么。鲁弗斯是个雷厉风行的人，他参加工作后的大部分精力都致力于对付黑巫师，所以对伏地魔的力量不会低估。”

He had pointed with his injured hand.

哈利等待着，但邓布利多只字不提《预言家日报》报道的他跟斯克林杰的那场争执，而哈利也不敢追问，便改变了话题。

“Professor, what happened to your — ?”

“还有……先生……我看到了博恩斯夫人的事。”

“I have no time to explain now,” said Dumbledore. “It is a thrilling tale, I wish to do it justice.”

“是啊，”邓布利多轻声说，“一个惨重的损失。她是一个了不起的巫师。我想就在那上边——哎哟！”

He smiled at Harry, who understood that he was not being snubbed, and that he had permission to keep asking questions.

他用来指路的是那只受伤的手。

“Sir — I got a Ministry of Magic leaflet by owl, about security measures we should all take against the Death Eaters. . . .”

“教授，你这是怎么弄的——？”

“Yes, I received one myself,” said Dumbledore, still smiling. “Did you find it useful?”

“现在没有时间解释了。”邓布利多说，“这是一个惊心动魄的故事，我希望能够展开来描述。”

“Not really.”

他微笑地看着哈利，哈利明白他没有受到斥责，还可以继续再提问题。

“No, I thought not. You have not asked me, for instance, what is my favorite flavor of jam, to check that I am indeed Professor Dumbledore and not an impostor.”

“先生——我收到猫头鹰送来的一份魔法部的小册子，讲的是对付食死徒的安全措施……”

“I didn’t . . .” Harry began, not entirely sure whether he was being reprimanded or not.

“是啊，我也收到一份。”邓布利多仍然笑眯眯地说，“你觉得有用吗？”

“For future reference, Harry, it is raspberry . . . although of course, if I were a Death Eater, I would have been sure to research my own jam preferences before impersonating myself.”

“不太有用。”

“Er . . . right,” said Harry. “Well, on that leaflet, it said something about Inferi. What exactly are they? The leaflet wasn’t very clear.”

“是啊，我也认为没用。比如，你并没有问我最喜欢哪一种果酱，以此来检验我是否确实是邓布利多教授，而不是一个冒牌货。”

“They are corpses,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Dead bodies that have been bewitched to do a Dark wizard’s bidding. Inferi have not been seen for a long time, however, not since Voldemort was last powerful. . . . He killed enough people to make an army of them, of course. This is the place, Harry, just here. . . .”

“我没有……”哈利没有说完，他不能肯定他是不是受到了批评。

They were nearing a small, neat stone house set in its own garden. Harry was too busy digesting the horrible idea of Inferi to have much attention left for anything else, but as they reached the front gate, Dumbledore stopped dead and Harry walked into him.

“为了将来用得着，我不妨告诉你，哈利，我最喜欢的是覆盆子果酱……不过，当然啦，如果我是个食死徒，我肯定会把我喜欢什么果酱弄清楚了再去冒充我自己的。”

“Oh dear. Oh dear, dear, dear.”

“嗯……是这样。”哈利说，“对了，小册子上还提到了阴尸。它们到底是什么呢？小册子上说得不太清楚。”

Harry followed his gaze up the carefully tended front path and felt his heart sink. The front door was hanging off its hinges.

“它们是死尸，”邓布利多平静地说道，“是被施了巫术、为黑巫师效劳的死尸。不过，阴尸已经有很长时间没见过了，自从伏地魔上次失势之后就绝迹了……不用说，他当时杀了许多人，制造了大批阴尸。我们到了，哈利，就是这儿……”

Dumbledore glanced up and down the street. It seemed quite deserted.

他们走近了一幢坐落在花园里的整洁的小石头房子。哈利一门心思只顾琢磨着关于阴尸的可怕说法，没留心周围的事情。他们走到大门前，邓布利多突然停住了脚步，哈利猝不及防，撞到了他身上。

“Wand out and follow me, Harry,” he said quietly.

“噢，天哪。噢，天哪，天哪，天哪。”

He opened the gate and walked swiftly and silently up the garden path, Harry at his heels, then pushed the front door very slowly, his wand raised and at the ready.

哈利顺着邓布利多的目光，朝精心养护的小路那边望去，心顿时往下一沉。前门的铰链开了，门歪歪斜斜地悬着。

“Lumos.”

邓布利多望了望街道两边，似乎一个人也没有。

Dumbledore’s wand tip ignited, casting its light up a narrow hallway. To the left, another door stood open. Holding his illuminated wand aloft, Dumbledore walked into the sitting room with Harry right behind him.

“哈利，拔出魔杖，跟我来。”他小声说。

A scene of total devastation met their eyes. A grandfather clock lay splintered at their feet, its face cracked, its pendulum lying a little farther away like a dropped sword. A piano was on its side, its keys strewn across the floor. The wreckage of a fallen chandelier glittered nearby. Cushions lay deflated, feathers oozing from slashes in their sides; fragments of glass and china lay like powder over everything. Dumbledore raised his wand even higher, so that its light was thrown upon the walls, where something darkly red and glutinous was spattered over the wallpaper. Harry’s small intake of breath made Dumbledore look around.

他推开前门，悄没声儿地快步走上花园的小路，哈利紧随其后。然后邓布利多慢慢推开前门，手里举着魔杖，随时准备出击。

“Not pretty, is it?” he said heavily. “Yes, something horrible has happened here.”

“荧光闪烁！”

Dumbledore moved carefully into the middle of the room, scrutinizing the wreckage at his feet. Harry followed, gazing around, half-scared of what he might see hidden behind the wreck of the piano or the overturned sofa, but there was no sign of a body.

邓布利多的魔杖顶端亮了，映照出一道狭窄的门廊。左边还有一扇敞开着的门。邓布利多高高地举着发亮的魔杖，走进那间客厅，哈利紧紧跟在后面。

“Maybe there was a fight and — and they dragged him off, Professor?” Harry suggested, trying not to imagine how badly wounded a man would have to be to leave those stains spattered halfway up the walls.

眼前是一片狼藉，一只老爷钟摔碎在他们脚边，钟面裂了，钟摆躺在稍远一点的地方，像一把被遗弃的宝剑。一架钢琴翻倒在地上，琴键散落在四处。近旁还有一盏摔散的枝形吊灯的碎片在闪闪发光。垫子乱七八糟地扔得到处都是，已经瘪瘪的了，羽毛从裂口处钻了出来。碎玻璃和碎瓷片像粉末一样洒了一地。邓布利多把魔杖举得更高一些，照亮了墙壁，墙纸上溅了许多暗红色的黏糊糊的东西。哈利小声抽了口气，邓布利多听见了，四下里看了看。

“I don’t think so,” said Dumbledore quietly, peering behind an overstuffed armchair lying on its side.

“不太好看，是吗？”他沉重地说，“是啊，这儿发生了一起恐怖事件。”

“You mean he’s — ?”

邓布利多小心地走到屋子中间，仔细地观察着脚边的破碎残片。哈利跟了过去，打量着四周，隐隐地担心会看见什么可怕的东西藏在残破的钢琴或翻倒的沙发后面，但他并没有看见尸体的影子。

“Still here somewhere? Yes.”

“也许有过一场搏斗，后来——后来他们把他拖走了，是吗，教授？”哈利猜测道，他尽量不去想象一个人受了多么严重的伤，才会在墙上那么高的地方溅上那些血迹。

And without warning, Dumbledore swooped, plunging the tip of his wand into the seat of the overstuffed armchair, which yelled, “Ouch!”

“我不认为是这样。”邓布利多平静地说，一边朝翻倒在地的一把鼓鼓囊囊的扶手椅后面看了看。

“Good evening, Horace,” said Dumbledore, straightening up again.

“你是说他——？”

Harry’s jaw dropped. Where a split second before there had been an armchair, there now crouched an enormously fat, bald, old man who was massaging his lower belly and squinting up at Dumbledore with an aggrieved and watery eye.

“仍然在这里？没错。”

“There was no need to stick the wand in that hard,” he said gruffly, clambering to his feet. “It hurt.”

说时迟那时快，邓布利多突然出手，把魔杖尖扎进了鼓鼓囊囊的扶手椅的椅垫，椅子发出一声惨叫：“哎哟！”

The wandlight sparkled on his shiny pate, his prominent eyes, his enormous, silver, walruslike mustache, and the highly polished buttons on the maroon velvet jacket he was wearing over a pair of lilac silk pajamas. The top of his head barely reached Dumbledore’s chin.

“晚上好，霍拉斯。”邓布利多说着重新站直了身子。

“What gave it away?” he grunted as he staggered to his feet, still rubbing his lower belly. He seemed remarkably unabashed for a man who had just been discovered pretending to be an armchair.

哈利吃惊地张大了嘴巴。刚才还是一把扶手椅，眨眼之间却变成了一个秃顶的胖老头儿蹲在那里。他揉着小肚子，眯起一只痛苦的、泪汪汪的眼睛看着邓布利多。

“My dear Horace,” said Dumbledore, looking amused, “if the Death Eaters really had come to call, the Dark Mark would have been set over the house.”

“你没必要用魔杖扎得那么狠嘛。”他气呼呼地说，费劲地爬了起来，“疼死我了。”

The wizard clapped a pudgy hand to his vast forehead.

魔杖的光照着他那明晃晃的秃头、那鼓起的双眼、那海象般的银白色胡须，还照着他淡紫色睡衣外面那件褐紫色天鹅绒衣服上亮闪闪的纽扣。他的头顶只及邓布利多的下巴。

“The Dark Mark,” he muttered. “Knew there was something . . . ah well. Wouldn’t have had time anyway, I’d only just put the finishing touches to my upholstery when you entered the room.”

“是怎么露馅儿的？”他粗声粗气地问，一边踉踉跄跄地站起来，仍然揉着小肚子。看来他的脸皮厚得惊人，要知道他刚刚可是装成了一把扶手椅被人识破的。

He heaved a great sigh that made the ends of his mustache flutter.

“我亲爱的霍拉斯，”邓布利多似乎觉得很可笑，说道，“如果食死徒真的来过，肯定会在房子上空留下黑魔标记的。”

“Would you like my assistance clearing up?” asked Dumbledore politely.

巫师用胖乎乎的手拍了一下宽大的前额。

“Please,” said the other.

“黑魔标记。”他嘟囔道，“我就觉着还缺点儿什么……啊，对啦。不过，也来不及了。我刚把椅套调整好，你们就进屋了。”

They stood back to back, the tall thin wizard and the short round one, and waved their wands in one identical sweeping motion.

他重重地叹了一口气，将两根胡子尖都吹得翘了起来。

The furniture flew back to its original places; ornaments reformed in midair, feathers zoomed into their cushions; torn books repaired themselves as they landed upon their shelves; oil lanterns soared onto side tables and reignited; a vast collection of splintered silver picture frames flew glittering across the room and alighted, whole and untarnished, upon a desk; rips, cracks, and holes healed everywhere, and the walls wiped themselves clean.

“要我帮你收拾吗？”邓布利多彬彬有礼地问。

“What kind of blood was that, incidentally?” asked Dumbledore loudly over the chiming of the newly unsmashed grandfather clock.

“请吧。”那人说。

“On the walls? Dragon,” shouted the wizard called Horace, as, with a deafening grinding and tinkling, the chandelier screwed itself back into the ceiling.

他们背对背站了起来，一个又高又瘦，一个又矮又胖，两人步调一致地挥舞着魔杖。

There was a final plunk from the piano, and silence.

家具一件件跳回了原来的位置，装饰品在半空中恢复了原形，羽毛重新钻回软垫里，破损的图书自动修复，整整齐齐地排列在书架上。油灯飞到墙边的小桌上，重新点亮了。一大堆碎裂的银色像框闪闪烁烁地飞到了房间那头，落在一张写字台上，重又变得光亮如新。房间各处破损、撕裂、豁开的地方都恢复如初。墙上的污迹也自动擦干净了。

“Yes, dragon,” repeated the wizard conversationally. “My last bottle, and prices are sky-high at the moment. Still, it might be reusable.”

“顺便问一句，那是什么血呀？”邓布利多问道，声音盖过了刚修好的老爷钟的钟摆声。

He stumped over to a small crystal bottle standing on top of a sideboard and held it up to the light, examining the thick liquid within.

“墙上的？是火龙血。”这位名叫霍拉斯的巫师大声喊着回答，这时那盏枝形吊灯自动跳回了天花板上，吱吱嘎嘎、丁丁当当的声音震耳欲聋。

“Hmm. Bit dusty.”

随着钢琴最后发出丁冬一响，房间里总算安静下来。

He set the bottle back on the sideboard and sighed. It was then that his gaze fell upon Harry.

“是啊，火龙血，”巫师谈兴很浓地说，“我的最后一瓶，目前价格贵得惊人。不过，也许还能用。”

“Oho,” he said, his large round eyes flying to Harry’s forehead and the lightning-shaped scar it bore. “Oho!”

他迈着沉重的脚步走到餐具柜前，拿起柜顶上的一只小水晶瓶，对着光线仔细看了看里面黏稠的液体。

“This,” said Dumbledore, moving forward to make the introduction, “is Harry Potter. Harry, this is an old friend and colleague of mine, Horace Slughorn.”

“嗯，有点儿脏了。”

Slughorn turned on Dumbledore, his expression shrewd. “So that’s how you thought you’d persuade me, is it? Well, the answer’s no, Albus.”

他把小瓶重新放回到餐具柜上，叹了一口气。这时，他的目光才落在哈利的身上。

He pushed past Harry, his face turned resolutely away with the air of a man trying to resist temptation.

“嗬，”他说，圆圆的大眼睛立刻望向哈利的额头，以及额头上那道闪电形的伤疤，“嗬！”

“I suppose we can have a drink, at least?” asked Dumbledore. “For old time’s sake?”

“这位，”邓布利多走上前去做介绍，“是哈利·波特。哈利，这是我的一位老朋友、老同事，叫霍拉斯·斯拉格霍恩。”

Slughorn hesitated.

斯拉格霍恩转向邓布利多，脸上一副机敏的表情。

“All right then, one drink,” he said ungraciously.

“你以为靠这个就能说服我，是吗？我告诉你，阿不思，答案是不行！”

Dumbledore smiled at Harry and directed him toward a chair not unlike the one that Slughorn had so recently impersonated, which stood right beside the newly burning fire and a brightly glowing oil lamp. Harry took the seat with the distinct impression that Dumbledore, for some reason, wanted to keep him as visible as possible. Certainly when Slughorn, who had been busy with decanters and glasses, turned to face the room again, his eyes fell immediately upon Harry.

他推开哈利走了过去，并且坚决地把脸转向一边，像在抵御什么诱惑似的。

“Hmpf,” he said, looking away quickly as though frightened of hurting his eyes. “Here —” He gave a drink to Dumbledore, who had sat down without invitation, thrust the tray at Harry, and then sank into the cushions of the repaired sofa and a disgruntled silence. His legs were so short they did not touch the floor.

“我想，我们至少可以喝一杯吧？”邓布利多问，“为了过去的时光？”

“Well, how have you been keeping, Horace?” Dumbledore asked.

斯拉格霍恩迟疑着。

“Not so well,” said Slughorn at once. “Weak chest. Wheezy. Rheumatism too. Can’t move like I used to. Well, that’s to be expected. Old age. Fatigue.”

“好吧，就喝一杯。”他态度生硬地说。

“And yet you must have moved fairly quickly to prepare such a welcome for us at such short notice,” said Dumbledore. “You can’t have had more than three minutes’ warning?”

邓布利多朝哈利笑了笑，领着他走向一把椅子。这把椅子很像斯拉格霍恩刚才冒充过的那把，椅子旁边是刚刚燃起的炉火和一盏明亮的油灯。

Slughorn said, half irritably, half proudly, “Two. Didn’t hear my Intruder Charm go off, I was taking a bath. Still,” he added sternly, seeming to pull himself back together again, “the fact remains that I’m an old man, Albus. A tired old man who’s earned the right to a quiet life and a few creature comforts.”

哈利在椅子上坐了下来，他有一种感觉，似乎邓布利多出于某种原因，尽量把他安排在显眼的地方。果然，斯拉格霍恩对付完那些瓶子和杯子、重新转过脸来时，他的目光一下子就落在了哈利身上。

He certainly had those, thought Harry, looking around the room. It was stuffy and cluttered, yet nobody could say it was uncomfortable; there were soft chairs and footstools, drinks and books, boxes of chocolates and plump cushions. If Harry had not known who lived there, he would have guessed at a rich, fussy old lady.

“哼，”他赶紧移开目光，好像害怕眼睛会受伤似的，“给——”他递了一杯给已经坐下来的邓布利多，又把托盘朝哈利面前一推，然后坐进了那张刚刚修复的沙发上的一堆软垫里，板着脸陷入了沉默。他的腿因为太短，够不着地面。

“You’re not yet as old as I am, Horace,” said Dumbledore.

“怎么样，霍拉斯，近来你身子骨还好吧？”邓布利多问。

“Well, maybe you ought to think about retirement yourself,” said Slughorn bluntly. His pale gooseberry eyes had found Dumbledore’s injured hand. “Reactions not what they were, I see.”

“不太好，”斯拉格霍恩立刻说道，“透不过气来。哮喘，还有风湿，腿脚不像以前那么灵便了。唉，这也是意料中的。人老了，不中用了。”

“You’re quite right,” said Dumbledore serenely, shaking back his sleeve to reveal the tips of those burned and blackened fingers; the sight of them made the back of Harry’s neck prickle unpleasantly. “I am undoubtedly slower than I was. But on the other hand . . .”

“不过，你在这么短的时间里就准备了这么一个欢迎现场，动作肯定够敏捷的。”邓布利多说，“你得到警报的时间不会超过三分钟吧？”

He shrugged and spread his hands wide, as though to say that age had its compensations, and Harry noticed a ring on his uninjured hand that he had never seen Dumbledore wear before: It was large, rather clumsily made of what looked like gold, and was set with a heavy black stone that had cracked down the middle. Slughorn’s eyes lingered for a moment on the ring too, and Harry saw a tiny frown momentarily crease his wide forehead.

斯拉格霍恩半是恼怒半是得意地说道：“两分钟。我在洗澡，没听见我的入侵咒被解除的警报。不过，”他似乎重新镇静下来，板着脸说道，“事实不可否认，我是个老头子啦，阿不思。一个疲惫的老头子，有权过一种清静的生活，得到一些物质享受。”

“So, all these precautions against intruders, Horace . . . are they for the Death Eaters’ benefit, or mine?” asked Dumbledore.

他无疑并不缺乏物质享受，哈利看了看房间里的摆设，想道。房间里又挤又乱，但没有人会说它不舒适。这里有软椅、垫脚凳、饮料和书籍，还有一盒盒巧克力和一堆鼓鼓囊囊的靠垫。如果哈利不知道是谁住在这里，他准会猜想是一位挑剔讲究的贵妇人。

“What would the Death Eaters want with a poor broken-down old buffer like me?” demanded Slughorn.

“你的年龄还没我大呢，霍拉斯。”邓布利多说。

“I imagine that they would want you to turn your considerable talents to coercion, torture, and murder,” said Dumbledore. “Are you really telling me that they haven’t come recruiting yet?”

“是啊，也许你自己也该考虑退休了。”斯拉格霍恩直话直说。他那双浅绿色的眼睛盯住了邓布利多受伤的手。“看得出来，反应不如过去那么敏捷了。”

Slughorn eyed Dumbledore balefully for a moment, then muttered, “I haven’t given them the chance. I’ve been on the move for a year. Never stay in one place more than a week. Move from Muggle house to Muggle house — the owners of this place are on holiday in the Canary Islands — it’s been very pleasant, I’ll be sorry to leave. It’s quite easy once you know how, one simple Freezing Charm on these absurd burglar alarms they use instead of Sneakoscopes and make sure the neighbors don’t spot you bringing in the piano.”

“你说得对，”邓布利多平静地说，把袖子往上抖了抖，露出了烧焦变黑的手指的指尖。哈利看了，觉得脖子后面一阵异样的刺痛。“我显然是比过去迟钝了。可是另一方面……”

“Ingenious,” said Dumbledore. “But it sounds a rather tiring existence for a broken-down old buffer in search of a quiet life. Now, if you were to return to Hogwarts —”

他耸耸肩膀，摊开了两只手，似乎想说年老也有年老的好处。这时哈利注意到邓布利多那只没有受伤的手上戴着一枚戒指，他以前从没见他戴过。

“If you’re going to tell me my life would be more peaceful at that pestilential school, you can save your breath, Albus! I might have been in hiding, but some funny rumors have reached me since Dolores Umbridge left! If that’s how you treat teachers these days —”

戒指很大，似乎是金子做的，工艺粗糙，上面嵌着一块沉甸甸的、中间有裂纹的黑石头。斯拉格霍恩的目光也在戒指上停留了片刻，哈利看见他微微蹙起眉头，宽脑门上出现了几道皱纹。

“Professor Umbridge ran afoul of our centaur herd,” said Dumbledore. “I think you, Horace, would have known better than to stride into the forest and call a horde of angry centaurs ‘filthy halfbreeds.’ ”

“那么，霍拉斯，所有这些抵挡入侵者的安全措施……是针对食死徒的，还是针对我的呢？”邓布利多问。

“That’s what she did, did she?” said Slughorn. “Idiotic woman. Never liked her.”

“食死徒要我这把不中用的老骨头有什么用？”斯拉格霍恩反问道。

Harry chuckled and both Dumbledore and Slughorn looked round at him.

“我想，他们想让你把你的聪明才智用于镇压、酷刑和谋杀。”邓布利多说道，“你敢说他们没有来拉你入伙吗？”

“Sorry,” Harry said hastily. “It’s just — I didn’t like her either.”

斯拉格霍恩恶狠狠地瞪了邓布利多片刻，然后低声说道：“我没有给他们机会。一年来，我一直行踪不定。待在一个地方从来不超过一个星期。从一处麻瓜住宅搬到另一处麻瓜住宅——这幢房子的主人正在加那利群岛①度假呢。我在这儿住得很舒服，真舍不得离开。一旦找到窍门就很容易啦，他们不用窥镜，而用那些可笑的防盗警报器，你只要在上面施一个冰冻魔咒，还有，搬钢琴进来时别让邻居们看见就行了。”

Dumbledore stood up rather suddenly.

“真巧妙。”邓布利多说，“不过，对于一个想过清静日子的不中用的老家伙来说，这种生活不是太累人了吗？想一想，如果你回到霍格沃茨——”

“Are you leaving?” asked Slughorn at once, looking hopeful.

“如果你想告诉我在那所讨厌的学校里我会生活得更平静，阿不思，你不妨省省力气，别再往下说了！不错，我是在到处东躲西藏，但自从多洛雷斯·乌姆里奇离开以后，我也听说了一些离奇的传言！如果你们现在就是这样对待教师的——”

“No, I was wondering whether I might use your bathroom,” said Dumbledore.

“乌姆里奇教授跟我们的那些马人发生了冲突。”邓布利多说道，“我想，霍拉斯，你肯定不会大摇大摆地走进禁林，管一群愤怒的马人叫‘肮脏的杂种’吧。”

“Oh,” said Slughorn, clearly disappointed. “Second on the left down the hall.”

“她竟然做出这种事情？”斯拉格霍恩说道，“真是个傻婆娘，我一向讨厌她。”

Dumbledore strode from the room. Once the door had closed behind him, there was silence. After a few moments, Slughorn got to his feet but seemed uncertain what to do with himself. He shot a furtive look at Harry, then crossed to the fire and turned his back on it, warming his wide behind.

哈利轻轻地笑出了声，邓布利多和斯拉格霍恩都扭过头来看着他。

“Don’t think I don’t know why he’s brought you,” he said abruptly.

“对不起，”哈利赶紧说道，“只是——我也不喜欢她。”

Harry merely looked at Slughorn. Slughorn’s watery eyes slid over Harry’s scar, this time taking in the rest of his face.

邓布利多突然站了起来。

“You look very like your father.”

“你要走了吗？”斯拉格霍恩立刻满脸期待地问。

“Yeah, I’ve been told,” said Harry.

“不，我只想问一下我能不能用用你的卫生间。”邓布利多说。

“Except for your eyes. You’ve got —”

“噢——”斯拉格霍恩显然很失望，说道，“顺着门厅，左边的第二个门就是。”

“My mother’s eyes, yeah.” Harry had heard it so often he found it a bit wearing.

邓布利多向房间那头走去。门在他身后关上后，房间里静下来。过了片刻，斯拉格霍恩站起身，但似乎拿不定主意要做什么。他偷偷瞥了一眼哈利，然后大步走到壁炉前，转身背对炉火，烘烤着他的大屁股。

“Hmpf. Yes, well. You shouldn’t have favorites as a teacher, of course, but she was one of mine. Your mother,” Slughorn added, in answer to Harry’s questioning look. “Lily Evans. One of the brightest I ever taught. Vivacious, you know. Charming girl. I used to tell her she ought to have been in my House. Very cheeky answers I used to get back too.”

“别以为我不知道他为什么把你带来。”他突然说道。

“Which was your House?”

哈利只是看着斯拉格霍恩。斯拉格霍恩那双泪汪汪的眼睛瞟向哈利的伤疤，而且这次把他的整个脸都看清楚了。

“I was Head of Slytherin,” said Slughorn. “Oh, now,” he went on quickly, seeing the expression on Harry’s face and wagging a stubby finger at him, “don’t go holding that against me! You’ll be Gryffindor like her, I suppose? Yes, it usually goes in families. Not always, though. Ever heard of Sirius Black? You must have done — been in the papers for the last couple of years — died a few weeks ago —”

“你长得很像你父亲。”

It was as though an invisible hand had twisted Harry’s intestines and held them tight.

“是的，别人也这么说。”哈利说。

“Well, anyway, he was a big pal of your father’s at school. The whole Black family had been in my House, but Sirius ended up in Gryffindor! Shame — he was a talented boy. I got his brother, Regulus, when he came along, but I’d have liked the set.”

“只是眼睛不像。你的眼睛——”

He sounded like an enthusiastic collector who had been outbid at auction. Apparently lost in memories, he gazed at the opposite wall, turning idly on the spot to ensure an even heat on his backside.

“像我母亲，是的。”这话哈利听了无数遍，都觉得有点腻烦了。

“Your mother was Muggle-born, of course. Couldn’t believe it when I found out. Thought she must have been pure-blood, she was so good.”

“哼，是啊。当然啦，作为一名教师，是不应该偏爱学生的，但我就是偏爱她。你的母亲，”斯拉格霍恩看到哈利疑问的目光，补充道，“莉莉·伊万丝，是我教过的最聪明的学生之一。活泼可爱。一个迷人的姑娘。我经常对她说，她应该在我的学院才是。我经常得到她很不客气的回答。”

“One of my best friends is Muggle-born,” said Harry, “and she’s the best in our year.”

“你在哪个学院？”

“Funny how that sometimes happens, isn’t it?” said Slughorn.

“我当时是斯莱特林的院长。”斯拉格霍恩说。

“Not really,” said Harry coldly.

“哦，得了，”他看到哈利脸上的表情，立刻朝他晃着一根短粗的手指道，“别因为这个就对我有敌意！我想，你一定像她一样，是格兰芬多的吧？是啊，一般都是世代相传的。不过也有例外。听说过小天狼星布莱克吗？你肯定听说过——前两年报上经常出现的——几个星期以前死了——”

Slughorn looked down at him in surprise. “You mustn’t think I’m prejudiced!” he said. “No, no, no! Haven’t I just said your mother was one of my all-time favorite students? And there was Dirk Cresswell in the year after her too — now Head of the Goblin Liaison Office, of course — another Muggle-born, a very gifted student, and still gives me excellent inside information on the goings-on at Gringotts!”

似乎有一双无形的手紧紧地揪住了哈利的五脏六腑。

He bounced up and down a little, smiling in a self-satisfied way, and pointed at the many glittering photograph frames on the dresser, each peopled with tiny moving occupants.

“是啊，想当年，他可是你父亲在学校的好朋友。布莱克家的人都在我的学院，没想到小天狼星却到了格兰芬多！真可惜——他是个很有天分的男孩。他弟弟雷古勒斯一来我就把他弄到手了，但要是两个人都在我那儿就好了。”

“All ex-students, all signed. You’ll notice Barnabas Cuffe, editor of the Daily Prophet, he’s always interested to hear my take on the day’s news. And Ambrosius Flume, of Honeydukes — a hamper every birthday, and all because I was able to give him an introduction to Ciceron Harkiss, who gave him his first job! And at the back — you’ll see her if you just crane your neck — that’s Gwenog Jones, who of course captains the Holyhead Harpies. . . . People are always astonished to hear I’m on first-name terms with the Harpies, and free tickets whenever I want them!”

他说话的口气，就像一位热心的收藏家在拍卖中输给了对手。他显然陷入了回忆，眼睛望着对面的墙壁，身子懒洋洋地原地转动，好让整个后背均匀受热。

This thought seemed to cheer him up enormously.

“当然啦，你母亲是麻瓜出身。当我发现这一点时简直不敢相信。我本来以为，她那么优秀，肯定是纯种的。”

“And all these people know where to find you, to send you stuff?” asked Harry, who could not help wondering why the Death Eaters had not yet tracked down Slughorn if hampers of sweets, Quidditch tickets, and visitors craving his advice and opinions could find him.

“我有一个最好的朋友也是麻瓜出身，”哈利说，“她是全年级最优秀的学生。”

The smile slid from Slughorn’s face as quickly as the blood from his walls.

“有时候就会有这种事，真奇怪，是不是？”斯拉格霍恩说。

“Of course not,” he said, looking down at Harry. “I have been out of touch with everybody for a year.”

“不奇怪。”哈利冷冷地说。

Harry had the impression that the words shocked Slughorn himself; he looked quite unsettled for a moment. Then he shrugged.

斯拉格霍恩吃惊地低头看着他。

“Still . . . the prudent wizard keeps his head down in such times. All very well for Dumbledore to talk, but taking up a post at Hogwarts just now would be tantamount to declaring my public allegiance to the Order of the Phoenix! And while I’m sure they’re very admirable and brave and all the rest of it, I don’t personally fancy the mortality rate —”

“你可别以为我有偏见！”他说，“不，不，不！我不是刚说过，你母亲是我这辈子最喜欢的学生之一吗？还有比她低一级的德克·克莱斯韦——现在是妖精联络处的主任——也是麻瓜出身，一个资质很高的学生，现在仍然经常向我透露古灵阁里宝贵的内部消息！”

“You don’t have to join the Order to teach at Hogwarts,” said Harry, who could not quite keep a note of derision out of his voice: It was hard to sympathize with Slughorn’s cosseted existence when he remembered Sirius, crouching in a cave and living on rats. “Most of the teachers aren’t in it, and none of them has ever been killed — well, unless you count Quirrell, and he got what he deserved seeing as he was working with Voldemort.”

他脸上带着得意的笑容，往上跳了跳，指着柜子上那许多闪闪发亮的像框，每个像框里都有活动的小人儿。

Harry had been sure Slughorn would be one of those wizards who could not bear to hear Voldemort’s name spoken aloud, and was not disappointed: Slughorn gave a shudder and a squawk of protest, which Harry ignored.

“这些都是我以前的学生，都是签名照片。你会看见巴拿巴斯·古费，《预言家日报》的编辑，他总是很有兴趣听我对时局发表见解。还有蜜蜂公爵糖果店的安布罗修·弗鲁姆——每年我过生日时，他都要送我一个礼品篮，因为当年是我把他介绍给了西塞隆·哈基斯，使他得到了他的第一份工作！还有后面——你伸长脖子就能看见——是格韦诺格·琼斯，霍利黑德哈比②队的队长……人们经常奇怪我为什么跟哈比队队员的交情那么好，只要我愿意，就能搞到不花钱的球票！”

“I reckon the staff are safer than most people while Dumbledore’s headmaster; he’s supposed to be the only one Voldemort ever feared, isn’t he?” Harry went on.

说到这里，他似乎情绪大振。

Slughorn gazed into space for a moment or two: He seemed to be thinking over Harry’s words.

“这些人都知道在哪儿能找到你，能把东西送给你吗？”哈利问，他忍不住怀疑，既然装满糖果的礼品篮、魁地奇球票以及征询他的观点和忠告的那些人都能找到斯拉格霍恩，食死徒怎么会追查不到他的下落呢？

“Well, yes, it is true that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has never sought a fight with Dumbledore,” he muttered grudgingly. “And I suppose one could argue that as I have not joined the Death Eaters, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named can hardly count me a friend . . . in which case, I might well be safer a little closer to Albus. . . . I cannot pretend that Amelia Bones’s death did not shake me. . . . If she, with all her Ministry contacts and protection . . .”

斯拉格霍恩脸上的笑容突然消失了，就像刚才墙上的血迹一样。

Dumbledore reentered the room and Slughorn jumped as though he had forgotten he was in the house.

“当然不能，”他低头看着哈利说，“我已经一年没有跟任何人联系了。”

“Oh, there you are, Albus,” he said. “You’ve been a very long time. Upset stomach?”

哈利感觉到斯拉格霍恩被自己的话吓了一跳。一时间，他显得有点儿不安，接着耸了耸肩。

“No, I was merely reading the Muggle magazines,” said Dumbledore. “I do love knitting patterns. Well, Harry, we have trespassed upon Horace’s hospitality quite long enough; I think it is time for us to leave.”

“不过，这年头，谨慎的巫师都尽量不抛头露面。邓布利多说得也有道理，但这个时候到霍格沃茨任职，就等于公开宣布我是拥护凤凰社的！尽管我相信他们勇敢无畏，令人钦佩，但我这个人不太喜欢死亡率——”

Not at all reluctant to obey, Harry jumped to his feet. Slughorn seemed taken aback.

“你到霍格沃茨来教书，不一定要加入凤凰社啊。”哈利说，口气里忍不住透着一点嘲笑。想到小天狼星躲在山洞里，靠吃老鼠活命，他很难同情斯拉格霍恩这种养尊处优的生活。“大多数教师都不是凤凰社成员，而且没有一个人被害——当然啦，除非你把奇洛算上，但那是他活该，因为他是替伏地魔卖命的。”

“You’re leaving?”

哈利知道斯拉格霍恩肯定会像其他巫师一样，听到他大声说出伏地魔的名字就吓得不行。果然不出所料，斯拉格霍恩打了个激灵，大声发出了抗议，但哈利没有理会。

“Yes, indeed. I think I know a lost cause when I see one.”

“我认为，只要邓布利多担任校长，学校的教工就会比大多数人都安全。据说，伏地魔只害怕他一个人，是不是？”哈利继续说。

“Lost. . . ?”

斯拉格霍恩出了一会儿神，似乎在仔细考虑哈利的话。

Slughorn seemed agitated. He twiddled his fat thumbs and fidgeted as he watched Dumbledore fasten his traveling cloak, and Harry zip up his jacket.

“唉……是啊，那个连名字都不能提的大魔头确实从来没敢跟邓布利多较量过。”他满不情愿地嘟囔道，“我想，既然我没有加入食死徒，那个连名字都不能提的魔头就不可能把我当成朋友……那样的话，我待在阿不思身边恐怕会更安全些……我不能假装阿米莉亚·博恩斯的死对我毫无触动……她在部里有那么多熟人、那么多保护，都……”

“Well, I’m sorry you don’t want the job, Horace,” said Dumbledore, raising his uninjured hand in a farewell salute. “Hogwarts would have been glad to see you back again. Our greatly increased security notwithstanding, you will always be welcome to visit, should you wish to.”

邓布利多重新走进了屋里，斯拉格霍恩吓了一跳，他似乎忘记了邓布利多还没离开这幢房子。

“Yes . . . well . . . very gracious . . . as I say . . .”

“哦，你回来了，阿不思，”他说，“你去的时间可不短啊，闹肚子了？”

“Good-bye, then.”

“没有，我只是翻了翻那些麻瓜杂志。”邓布利多说，“我很喜欢毛衣编织图案。好了，哈利，我们已经叨扰了霍拉斯很长时间，我认为我们应该走了。”

“Bye,” said Harry.

哈利欣然从命，立刻站了起来。斯拉格霍恩似乎吃了一惊。

They were at the front door when there was a shout from behind them.

“你们要走了？”

“All right, all right, I’ll do it!”

“是啊。我想，我能看得出来败局已定。”

Dumbledore turned to see Slughorn standing breathless in the doorway to the sitting room.

“败局……？”

“You will come out of retirement?”

斯拉格霍恩显得很不安。他摆弄着两根胖胖的大拇指，焦虑地看着邓布利多裹紧了旅行斗篷，哈利拉上了他的夹克衫拉链。

“Yes, yes,” said Slughorn impatiently. “I must be mad, but yes.”

“唉，我很遗憾你不肯接受这份工作，霍拉斯，”邓布利多说着举起那只没有受伤的手，做了个告别的姿势，“如果你能回来，霍格沃茨会很高兴的。我们大大加强了安全防范措施，只要你愿意，随时欢迎你过来看看。”

“Wonderful,” said Dumbledore, beaming. “Then, Horace, we shall see you on the first of September.”

“好……唉……太客气了……我说过……”

“Yes, I daresay you will,” grunted Slughorn.

“那就再见了。”

As they set off down the garden path, Slughorn’s voice floated after them, “I’ll want a pay rise, Dumbledore!”

“再见。”哈利说。

Dumbledore chuckled. The garden gate swung shut behind them, and they set off back down the hill through the dark and the swirling mist.

他们刚走到前门，就听见身后传来一声喊叫。

“Well done, Harry,” said Dumbledore.

“好吧，好吧，我干！”

“I didn’t do anything,” said Harry in surprise.

邓布利多一转身，看见斯拉格霍恩正气喘吁吁地站在客厅门口。

“Oh yes you did. You showed Horace exactly how much he stands to gain by returning to Hogwarts. Did you like him?”

“你愿意重新出来工作？”

“Er . . .”

“是啊，是啊，”斯拉格霍恩不耐烦地说，“我肯定是疯了，但是没错，我愿意。”

Harry wasn’t sure whether he liked Slughorn or not. He supposed he had been pleasant in his way, but he had also seemed vain and, whatever he said to the contrary, much too surprised that a Muggle-born should make a good witch.

“太好了，”邓布利多顿时喜形于色，“那么，霍拉斯，我们9月1日见。”

“Horace,” said Dumbledore, relieving Harry of the responsibility to say any of this, “likes his comfort. He also likes the company of the famous, the successful, and the powerful. He enjoys the feeling that he influences these people. He has never wanted to occupy the throne himself; he prefers the backseat — more room to spread out, you see. He used to handpick favorites at Hogwarts, sometimes for their ambition or their brains, sometimes for their charm or their talent, and he had an uncanny knack for choosing those who would go on to become outstanding in their various fields. Horace formed a kind of club of his favorites with himself at the center, making introductions, forging useful contacts between members, and always reaping some kind of benefit in return, whether a free box of his favorite crystalized pineapple or the chance to recommend the next junior member of the Goblin Liaison Office.”

“好吧，没问题。”斯拉格霍恩嘟囔道。

Harry had a sudden and vivid mental image of a great swollen spider, spinning a web around it, twitching a thread here and there to bring its large and juicy flies a little closer.

他们走在花园的小径上时，身后又传来了斯拉格霍恩的声音。

“I tell you all this,” Dumbledore continued, “not to turn you against Horace — or, as we must now call him, Professor Slughorn — but to put you on your guard. He will undoubtedly try to collect you, Harry. You would be the jewel of his collection; ‘the Boy Who Lived’ . . . or, as they call you these days, ‘the Chosen One.’ ”

“我会要求涨工资的，邓布利多！”

At these words, a chill that had nothing to do with the surrounding mist stole over Harry. He was reminded of words he had heard a few weeks ago, words that had a horrible and particular meaning to him: Neither can live while the other survives . . .

邓布利多轻声笑了。花园的门在他们身后自动关上了，他们穿过黑压压的袅袅绕绕的浓雾，朝山下走去。

Dumbledore had stopped walking, level with the church they had passed earlier.

“干得不错，哈利。”邓布利多说。

“This will do, Harry. If you will grasp my arm.”

“我什么也没做呀。”哈利吃惊地说。

Braced this time, Harry was ready for the Apparition, but still found it unpleasant. When the pressure disappeared and he found himself able to breathe again, he was standing in a country lane beside Dumbledore and looking ahead to the crooked silhouette of his second favorite building in the world: the Burrow. In spite of the feeling of dread that had just swept through him, his spirits could not help but lift at the sight of it. Ron was in there . . . and so was Mrs. Weasley, who could cook better than anyone he knew. . . .

“噢，你做了。你让霍拉斯看到了他回到霍格沃茨能得到多少好处。你喜欢他吗？”

“If you don’t mind, Harry,” said Dumbledore, as they passed through the gate, “I’d like a few words with you before we part. In private. Perhaps in here?”

“嗯……”

Dumbledore pointed toward a run-down stone outhouse where the Weasleys kept their broomsticks. A little puzzled, Harry followed Dumbledore through the creaking door into a space a little smaller than the average cupboard. Dumbledore illuminated the tip of his wand, so that it glowed like a torch, and smiled down at Harry.

哈利不能肯定自己是不是喜欢斯拉格霍恩。他觉得斯拉格霍恩在某些方面还是挺讨人喜欢的，但他似乎有些虚荣。还有，虽然他嘴上说的是另外一套，但他对于一个麻瓜出身的人竟能成为出色的女巫，表露出了太多的惊讶。

“I hope you will forgive me for mentioning it, Harry, but I am pleased and a little proud at how well you seem to be coping after everything that happened at the Ministry. Permit me to say that I think Sirius would have been proud of you.”

“霍拉斯喜欢物质享受，”邓布利多接着说道，哈利就用不着把他这些心里想法说出来了，“还喜欢结交著名的、成功的、有权有势的人物。他喜欢那种听他摆布的感觉。他自己从来不想掌管大权，而更喜欢屈居次要位置——那样天地更宽，更加游刃有余。他在霍格沃茨时，总喜欢挑选自己最喜欢的学生，有时是因为他们的抱负或智慧，有时是因为他们的魅力或天赋，而且他有一种很不寻常的本领，总能挑选到那些日后会在各行各业出人头地的人。霍拉斯以自己为核心搞了一个俱乐部，由他的得意门生组成。他让他们之间互相认识，建立有用的联系，最后总能获得某种好处，或是免费得到一箱他最喜欢的菠萝蜜饯，或是有机会向妖精联络处推荐一名办事员。”

Harry swallowed; his voice seemed to have deserted him. He did not think he could stand to discuss Sirius; it had been painful enough to hear Uncle Vernon say “His godfather’s dead?” and even worse to hear Sirius’s name thrown out casually by Slughorn.

哈利脑海里立刻出现了一只胖鼓鼓的大蜘蛛，它这里吐一根丝，那里吐一根丝，在身体周围结了一张网，把美味多汁的大苍蝇引到自己身边来。

“It was cruel,” said Dumbledore softly, “that you and Sirius had such a short time together. A brutal ending to what should have been a long and happy relationship.”

“我告诉你这些，”邓布利多继续说，“不是叫你对霍拉斯——我们现在必须称他为斯拉格霍恩教授了——产生反感，而是希望你保持警惕。他肯定会来拉拢你的，哈利。你会成为他收藏品中的瑰宝：大难不死的男孩……或者，用他们最近对你的称呼，‘救世之星’。”

Harry nodded, his eyes fixed resolutely on the spider now climbing Dumbledore’s hat. He could tell that Dumbledore understood, that he might even suspect that until his letter arrived, Harry had spent nearly all his time at the Dursleys’ lying on his bed, refusing meals, and staring at the misted window, full of the chill emptiness that he had come to associate with dementors.

听了这些话，哈利身上起了一丝寒意，这寒意与周围的浓雾没有关系。他想起了几个星期前听到的那句话，那句对他有着可怕而特殊含义的话：

“It’s just hard,” Harry said finally, in a low voice, “to realize he won’t write to me again.”

两个人不能都活着……

His eyes burned suddenly and he blinked. He felt stupid for admitting it, but the fact that he had had someone outside Hogwarts who cared what happened to him, almost like a parent, had been one of the best things about discovering his godfather . . . and now the post owls would never bring him that comfort again. . . .

邓布利多已经停下脚步，站在与他们先前经过的那座教堂平行的地方。

“Sirius represented much to you that you had never known before,” said Dumbledore gently. “Naturally, the loss is devastating. . . .”

“行了，哈利。你只要抓紧我的胳膊。”

“But while I was at the Dursleys’ . . .” interrupted Harry, his voice growing stronger, “I realized I can’t shut myself away or — or crack up. Sirius wouldn’t have wanted that, would he? And anyway, life’s too short. . . . Look at Madam Bones, look at Emmeline Vance. . . . It could be me next, couldn’t it? But if it is,” he said fiercely, now looking straight into Dumbledore’s blue eyes gleaming in the wandlight, “I’ll make sure I take as many Death Eaters with me as I can, and Voldemort too if I can manage it.”

这次，哈利对幻影显形有了心理准备，但仍觉得很不舒服。当压力消失、他发现自己又能顺畅地呼吸时，他已和邓布利多并肩站在一条乡村小路上，而面前那个歪歪斜斜的剪影，正是他在这个世界上第二个最喜欢的地方：陋居。尽管刚才有一丝恐惧侵入了他的内心，但一看到陋居，他的情绪就不由得欢快起来。罗恩在这里……还有韦斯莱夫人，她做的饭菜，比他认识的任何人做的都好吃……

“Spoken both like your mother and father’s son and Sirius’s true godson!” said Dumbledore, with an approving pat on Harry’s back. “I take my hat off to you — or I would, if I were not afraid of showering you in spiders.

“如果你不反对，哈利，”他们穿过大门时，邓布利多说，“分手前我想跟你说几句话。不想让别人听见。也许就在那里？”

“And now, Harry, on a closely related subject . . . I gather that you have been taking the Daily Prophet over the last two weeks?”

邓布利多指着房子外面一间破败的小石屋，那是韦斯莱一家放扫帚的地方。哈利有些困惑地跟着邓布利多走进了嘎吱作响的小门，来到一个比普通的碗柜大不了多少的地方。邓布利多点亮魔杖，让它像火把一样照着，然后他微笑地看着哈利。

“Yes,” said Harry, and his heart beat a little faster.

“哈利，希望你能原谅我提起这个话题，但是在部里发生了那些事情之后，你似乎一直对付得不错，对此我很高兴，还有点儿自豪。请允许我说一句，我认为小天狼星也会为你感到自豪的。”

“Then you will have seen that there have been not so much leaks as floods concerning your adventure in the Hall of Prophecy?”

哈利咽了口唾沫，他的声音好像弃他而去了。他认为他无法忍受谈论小天狼星。那天听弗农姨父说“他的教父死了？”就已经使他很痛苦了，后来听斯拉格霍恩那么轻描淡写地吐出小天狼星的名字，更让他感到伤心。

“Yes,” said Harry again. “And now everyone knows that I’m the one —”

“这很残酷，”邓布利多温和地说，“你和小天狼星只在一起待了那么短的时间。你们本来应该在一起度过许多快乐的时光，这种结局真让人难受。”

“No, they do not,” interrupted Dumbledore. “There are only two people in the whole world who know the full contents of the prophecy made about you and Lord Voldemort, and they are both standing in this smelly, spidery broom shed. It is true, however, that many have guessed, correctly, that Voldemort sent his Death Eaters to steal a prophecy, and that the prophecy concerned you.

哈利点了点头，眼睛固执地盯着一只正往邓布利多帽子上爬的蜘蛛。

“Now, I think I am correct in saying that you have not told anybody that you know what the prophecy said?”

他可以感觉到邓布利多是理解他的，邓布利多甚至可能猜到，哈利在收到那封信之前，几乎从早到晚都躺在德思礼家的床上，不吃不喝，盯着水汽模糊的窗户，内心充满了如同摄魂怪留下的那种空洞和寒意。

“No,” said Harry.

“很难相信，”哈利终于低声说道，“他再也不会给我写信了。”

“A wise decision, on the whole,” said Dumbledore. “Although I think you ought to relax it in favor of your friends, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger. Yes,” he continued, when Harry looked startled, “I think they ought to know. You do them a disservice by not confiding something this important to them.”

他的眼睛突然火辣辣的，赶紧眨了眨眼皮。他不好意思承认，实际上，找到教父之后给他带来的最美好的一件事情，就是知道有一个人在霍格沃茨校外像父母一样时刻关心着他……如今，送信的猫头鹰再也不会带给他那种慰藉了……

“I didn’t want —”

“对你来说，小天狼星代表着许多你以前从不知道的东西。”邓布利多温和地说，“失去他肯定令你感到无比痛苦……”

“— to worry or frighten them?” said Dumbledore, surveying Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles. “Or perhaps, to confess that you yourself are worried and frightened? You need your friends, Harry. As you so rightly said, Sirius would not have wanted you to shut yourself away.”

“可是我在德思礼家的时候，”哈利打断了他的话，声音变得有力了，“我知道我不能把自己封闭起来，也不能——不能自暴自弃。小天狼星肯定不愿意这样，是吗？而且生命太短暂了……看看博恩斯夫人，看看爱米琳·万斯……下一个可能就是我，对吗？如果真的轮到我，”他直视着邓布利多那双在魔杖的亮光下闪烁的蓝眼睛，激动地说道，“我一定要尽量多消灭几个食死徒，如果可能的话，就跟伏地魔同归于尽。”

Harry said nothing, but Dumbledore did not seem to require an answer. He continued, “On a different, though related, subject, it is my wish that you take private lessons with me this year.”

“说得好，不愧是你父母的儿子、小天狼星的教子！”邓布利多说着赞许地拍了拍哈利的后背，“我要脱帽向你表示敬意——我很想这么做，但我担心会弄得你满身都是蜘蛛。

“Private — with you?” said Harry, surprised out of his preoccupied silence.

“另外，哈利，还有一个与此密切相关的话题……我想，最近两个星期你一直都在订阅《预言家日报》吧？”

“Yes. I think it is time that I took a greater hand in your education.”

“是的。”哈利说，心脏突然跳得更快了。

“What will you be teaching me, sir?”

“那你就会看到，你在预言厅的那场经历像洪水一样泄露出去了，是吗？”

“Oh, a little of this, a little of that,” said Dumbledore airily.

“是啊，”哈利又说道，“现在大家都知道我是——”

Harry waited hopefully, but Dumbledore did not elaborate, so he asked something else that had been bothering him slightly.

“不，他们不知道，”邓布利多打断了他的话，“世界上只有两个人知道那个关于你和伏地魔的预言的完整内容，而这两个人眼下都站在这间臭烘烘的、爬满蜘蛛的扫帚棚里。不错，许多人确实猜到了伏地魔曾派他的食死徒去盗取一个预言球，而那个预言跟你有关。

“If I’m having lessons with you, I won’t have to do Occlumency lessons with Snape, will I?”

“那么，我可不可以断言，你没有把预言的内容告诉任何人呢？”

“Professor Snape, Harry — and no, you will not.”

“没有。”哈利说。

“Good,” said Harry in relief, “because they were a —”

“总的来说，这么做是明智的，”邓布利多说，“不过我认为你不妨在你的朋友罗恩·韦斯莱先生和赫敏·格兰杰小姐面前松松口。是啊，”看到哈利惊愕的神色，他又说道，“我认为可以让他们知道。你把这么重要的事情瞒着他们，会伤害他们的感情的。”

He stopped, careful not to say what he really thought.

“我不想——”

“I think the word ‘fiasco’ would be a good one here,” said Dumbledore, nodding.

“——让他们担惊受怕？”邓布利多从他的半月形眼镜片上方打量着哈利，说道，“或者，不想坦白你自己的担心和恐惧？哈利，你需要朋友。你刚才说得对，小天狼星肯定不愿意你把自己封闭起来。”

Harry laughed.

哈利什么也没说，但邓布利多似乎并不需要他做出回答。他接着说道：“再谈另外一个与此有关的话题，我希望这学期给你单独上课。”

“Well, that means I won’t see much of Professor Snape from now on,” he said, “because he won’t let me carry on Potions unless I get ‘Outstanding’ in my O.W.L., which I know I haven’t.”

“单独上课——跟你？”哈利太惊讶了，从沉思中突然回过神来。

“Don’t count your owls before they are delivered,” said Dumbledore gravely. “Which, now I think of it, ought to be some time later today. Now, two more things, Harry, before we part.

“是的。我想，现在我应该更多地管管你的教育了。”

“Firstly, I wish you to keep your Invisibility Cloak with you at all times from this moment onward. Even within Hogwarts itself. Just in case, you understand me?”

“你会教我什么呢，先生？”

Harry nodded.

“噢，教一点这个，教一点那个呗。”邓布利多轻描淡写地说。

“And lastly, while you stay here, the Burrow has been given the highest security the Ministry of Magic can provide. These measures have caused a certain amount of inconvenience to Arthur and Molly — all their post, for instance, is being searched at the Ministry before being sent on. They do not mind in the slightest, for their only concern is your safety. However, it would be poor repayment if you risked your neck while staying with them.”

哈利还等着往下听，但邓布利多不再多说了，于是哈利就问了一件一直困扰着他的事情。

“I understand,” said Harry quickly.

“如果我跟你上课，就用不着跟斯内普学习大脑封闭术了，是吗？”

“Very well, then,” said Dumbledore, pushing open the broom shed door and stepping out into the yard. “I see a light in the kitchen. Let us not deprive Molly any longer of the chance to deplore how thin you are.”

“是斯内普教授，哈利——是的，用不着了。”

“太好了，”哈利如释重负，“那些课简直就是——”

他停住了，强忍着没把心里的想法说出来。

“我认为‘彻底失败’这个词用在这里很合适。”邓布利多点点头说。

哈利笑了起来。

“啊……那就意味着我从此不大见得到斯内普教授了，”他说道，“除非我O．W．Ls得了‘优秀’，不然他是不会让我选修魔药学的，而我知道我肯定得不到‘优秀’。”

“成绩没送来之前，先别忙着想选修课。”邓布利多沉着脸说，“我想就在今天什么时候，成绩就能送到了。好了，哈利，分手之前，还有两件事。

“第一，我希望从此以后，你把你的隐形衣时刻带在身上，即使是在霍格沃茨校内。以防万一，明白吗？”

哈利点点头。

“最后，你住在这里时，陋居得到了魔法部所能提供的最严密的安全保护。这些措施给亚瑟和莫丽带来了一定程度的不便——比如，他们所有的邮件都要经部里审查后才能送达。但他们丝毫不介意，一心只牵挂着你的安全。可是，如果你跟他们住在一起时冒险胡来，可就太对不起他们了。”

“我明白。”哈利赶紧说道。

“那就好，”邓布利多说完，推开了扫帚棚的门，走到外面的院子里，“我看见厨房里亮着灯。我们就让莫丽赶紧有机会哀叹你有多么瘦吧。”

①加那利群岛，位于北大西洋东部，1497年起沦为西班牙殖民地，后改为西班牙的两个省。

②哈比，希腊罗马神话中的怪物，脸和躯干似女人，而翅膀、尾巴和爪子似鸟，性情残忍、贪婪。关于霍利黑德哈比队，详情请见《神奇的魁地奇球》第37页，人民文学出版社，2001年10月版。

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