哈利·波特与阿兹卡班的囚徒 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 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 TEN THE MARAUDER'S MAP

第十章　活点地图

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend. He didn't argue or complain, but he wouldn't let her throw away the shattered remnants of his Nimbus Two Thousand. He knew he was being stupid, knew that the Nimbus was beyond repair, but Harry couldn't help it; he felt as though he'd lost one of his best friends.

庞弗雷夫人要哈利在医院里待到周末。他既没有和她争辩，也没有抱怨，只是不让她扔掉光轮2000的碎片。他知道这是犯傻，知道光轮已经无法修复，但他情不自禁地要这样做，他觉得好像是失去了一个最好的朋友。

He had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering him up. Hagrid sent him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get-well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit. The Gryffindor team visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Harry (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blame

许多人来看他，都一心一意想让他高兴起来。海格送给他一束地蜈蚣花，看上去像是黄色的大白菜；金妮韦斯莱来的时候满脸通红，给了他一张自制的康复卡，如果哈利不把这张卡闭拢并且把它压在碗碟或是水果下面，它就会尖声唱起歌来。格兰芬多球队的队员星期天早上又来看哈利了，这次伍德也来了，伍德嗓音空洞、全无生气，他对哈利说，他一点儿也不怪哈利。罗恩和赫敏只是到了晚上才离开哈利床边。但是，不管别人说什么做什么，都不能让哈利觉得好过一点儿，因为人们所知道的只是他烦恼的一半而已。

him in the slightest. Ron and Hermione left Harry's bedside only at night- But nothing anyone said or did could make Harry feel any better, because they knew only half of what was troubling him.

他没有把他看到不祥的事告诉任何人，就连罗恩和赫敏也没有，因为他知道罗恩会惊慌失措，而赫敏会嘲笑他。然而，事实是它已经出现两次了，两次出现以后都发生了差不多致人死命的事件：第一次，他差点儿被骑士公共汽车轧死；第二次，他从离地五十英尺的飞天扫帚上掉下来。不祥难道要一直缠着他、直到他真的死了吗？他的余生难道要一直提防着这头畜生吗？然后还有那些摄魂怪。每次想起它们，哈利都觉得恶心和羞辱。大家都说它们可怕，但是别人谁也没有像他那样，它们一走近就昏倒呀……别人谁也没有在脑子里反复听到正要死去的父母的说话声呀。

He hadn't told anyone about the Grim, not even Ron -and Hermione, because he knew Ron would panic and Hermione would scoff. The fact remained, however, that it had now appeared twice, and both appearances had been followed by near-fatal accidents; the first time, he had nearly been run over by the Knight Bus; the second, fallen fifty feet from his broomstick. Was the Grim going to haunt him until he actually died? Was he going to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for the beast?

因为现在哈利知道那是谁的声音了。夜里，他躺在医院里，醒着，瞪眼看着天花板上一道道的月光。这时候，他昕到了她的话，听到这些话一次又一次地重复着。那些摄魂怪走近他的时候，他听到了妈妈临终时的声音。她努力保护他，不让他受到伏地魔的伤害；他还听到了伏地魔在杀死妈妈以前的笑声……哈利时不时地睡过去，在睡眠中做着梦：到处是潮湿黏滑、已经腐烂的手和令人毛骨悚然的乞求声。他一下子惊醒了，却又听到了妈妈的声音。

And then there were the dementors. Harry felt sick and humiliated every time he thought of them. Everyone said the dementors were horrible, but no one else collapsed every time they went near one. No one else heard echoes in their head of their dying parents.

星期一，哈利回到了学校本部的喧闹忙碌之中，这真让他松了一口气。尽管他还要忍受马尔福的奚落，但在学校里他只能想其他事情。马尔福看到格兰芬多球赛失败。高兴得几乎要发狂了。他终于拿掉了绷带，精神饱满地模仿哈利从飞天扫帚上跌下来的样子，以此来庆祝他又可以充分使用两条胳膊了。在以后的魔药课上，马尔福有许多次穿过城堡主楼都要模仿那些摄魂怪；罗恩最后发怒了，把一个又大又滑的鳄鱼心脏对准马尔福扔了过去，正扔中他的脸，气得斯内普扣了格兰芬多五十分。

Because Harry knew who that screaming voice belonged to now. He had heard her words, heard them over and over again during the night hours in the hospital wing while he lay awake, staring at the strips of moonlight on the ceiling. When the dementors approached him, he heard the last moments of his mother's life, her attempts to protect him, Harry, from Lord Voldemort, and Voldemort's laughter before he murdered her.... Harry dozed fitfully, sinking into dreams full of clammy, rotted hands and petrified pleading, jerking awake to dwell again on his mother's voice.

“如果斯内普再来上黑魔法防御术课，我就请病假。”罗恩说，这时他们已经吃罢午饭，正要去上卢平教授的课。“赫敏，去看看是谁来上课。”

It was a relief to return to the noise and bustle of the main school on Monday, where he was forced to think about other things, eve', if he had to endure Draco Malfoys taunting. Malfoy was almost beside himself with glee at Gryffindor's defeat. He had finally taken off his bandages, and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Harry falling off his broom. Malfoy spent much of their next Potions class doing dementor imitations across the dungeon; Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor.

赫敏在教室门边张望了一下。

"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," said Ron as they headed toward Lupin's classroom after lunch. "Check who's in there, Hermione."

“没事！”

Hermione peered around the classroom door.

卢平教授回来上课了。他看上去的确生过病。他的旧袍子穿在身上更加松松垮垮，他眼睛下面有黑影。虽然如此，全班同学坐下时，他对他们笑了笑。而他们立刻狠狠地埋怨起斯内普在卢平生病时的所作所为。

"It's okay!"

“不公平，他只是来代课罢了，为什么要给我们留作业？”

Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while Lupin had been ill.

“我们不知道什么叫狼人——”

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"

“——两卷羊皮纸！”

"We don't know anything about werewolves two rolls of parchment!"

“你们没有告诉斯内普教授说我们还没有学到哪里吗？”卢平问道，略微皱起眉头。

"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly.

大家又纷纷说起来。

The babble broke out again.

“说了，但是他说我们太落后了——”

"Yes, but he said we were really behind he wouldn't listen --"

“——他不听——”

"-- two rolls of parchment!"

“——两卷羊皮纸！”

Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face.

大家都是一脸义愤，卢平教授只是微微一笑。

"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."

“别担心。我会对斯内普教授说的。你们不必写那篇论文。”

"Oh no," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!"

“哦，不，”赫敏说。很失望的样子，“我已经写完了。”

They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.

这一课上得很愉快。卢平教授带来了一个玻璃水箱，里面是欣克庞克，一条腿的家伙，看上去像是一缕缕的烟做成的，很脆弱，而且看上去也没有想伤害人的样子。

"Lures travelers into bogs," said Professor Lupin as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead -people follow the light -- then --"

“引诱旅行者陷入沼泽。”卢平教授说，学生们记着笔记。“你们注意到它前脚上垂下的那盏灯了吗？在前面跳跃——人们跟着光走——于是——”

The hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.

欣克庞克头顶玻璃，发出一阵可怕的咯吱咯吱的声音。

When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Harry among them, but --

下课铃响了，大家收拾好东西向门口走去，哈利也在其中，但是——“等一下，哈利，”卢平招呼他，“我有话要跟你说。”

"Wait a moment, Harry," Lupin called. "I'd like a word."

哈利折了回来。看着卢平教授把装有欣克庞克的盒子蒙上了一层布。

Harry doubled back and watched Professor Lupin covering the hinkypunk's box with a cloth.

“我听说那场比赛的事了，”卢平说着，转身到讲台桌上把书装到他的公文包里，“你的飞天扫帚的事我也很遗憾。还能修吗？”

"I heard about the match," said Lupin, turning back to his desk and starting to pile books into his briefcase, "and I'm sorry about your broomstick. Is there any chance of fixing it?"

“不能了，”哈利说，“那棵树把它打得粉碎。”

"No," said Harry. "The tree smashed it to bits."

卢平叹了口气。“我到霍格沃茨的那一年，他们种了这棵树。人们过去时常玩一种游戏。就是试着去碰那棵树。最后，一个叫做戴维格杰恩的男孩几乎丢掉了一只眼睛，后来就不让我们走近那棵树了。飞天扫帚当然不能幸免啦。”

Lupin sighed.

“你也听说了那些摄魂怪吗？”

"They planted the Whomping Willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts. People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have a chance."

卢平迅速看了他一眼。“对，听说了。我想，我们谁也没有见过邓布利多教授那样发怒。一些日子以来，那些家伙越来越不安定了……因为不能进入校园怒气冲冲……我想是它们弄得你掉下来的吧？”

"Did you hear about the dementors too?" said Harry with difficulty.

“是的。”哈利说。他踌躇起来，然后他不得不问的那个问题脱口而出，想要住口已经来不及了。“为什么？为什么它们会那样地影响我？我是不是——”

Lupin looked at him quickly.

“这和软弱没有关系。”卢平教授尖锐地说。好像一眼看穿了哈利在想些什么。“那些摄魂怪对你的影响比对别人厉害，那是因为别人没有你以前有过的恐怖感觉。”

"Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time -- furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds.... I suppose they were the reason you fell?"

一缕冬日的阳光照进教室，照亮了卢平的灰色头发和他年轻脸庞上的皱纹。

"Yes," said Harry. He hesitated, and then the question he had to ask burst from him before he could stop himself." Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just --?"

“摄魂怪是地球上最可恶的生物之一。它们成群结队地出没在最黑暗最肮脏的地方，欢呼腐败和绝望，把它们周围空气中的和平、希望和快乐都吸干了。就连麻瓜们也感觉得到它们的存在，虽然他们看不到这些家伙。过于靠近一个摄魂怪，你的任何良好感觉、任何快乐的记忆都会被它吸走。如果做得到的话，它会长期靠你为生，最后将你弄得和它一样——没有灵魂，而且邪恶。留给你的只有你一生中最坏的记忆。在你身上已经发生的最坏的事情，哈利，已经足够让任何人从飞天扫帚上掉下来。你没有什么可害羞的。”

"It has nothing to do with weakness," said Professor Lupin sharply, as though he had read Harry's mind. "The dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don't have."

“它们靠近我的时候——”哈利瞪着卢平的书桌说，喉咙发紧，“我能够听到伏地魔在杀害我的妈妈。”

A ray of wintery sunlight fell across the classroom, illuminating Lupin's gray hairs and the lines on his young face.

卢平的手臂突然一动，好像要去抓住哈利的肩膀，但又改变了主意。沉寂了一会儿，然后——

"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soul-less and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to feel ashamed of."

“它们为什么要到比赛场地来呢？”哈利痛苦地问道。

"When they get near me --" Harry stared at Lupin's desk, his throat tight. "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."

“它们饿了。”卢平冷淡地说，啪的一声关上了他的公文包。“邓布利多不让它们进入学校，所以供给它们的人类牺牲品就用完了。我认为魁地奇比赛场周围的大批人群对它们是很大的诱惑。所有那些兴奋……激情高涨……在它们看来就是一场盛宴。”

Lupin made a sudden motion with his arm as though to grip Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it. There was a moment's Silence, then --

“阿兹卡班一定很可怕。”哈利嘟囔着说。

"Why did they have to come to the match?" said Harry bitterly.

卢平阴郁地点点头。“城堡坐落在一个小岛上，在出海的路上，但是那里不需要用围墙和水来关犯人，因为犯人都在它们的掌握之中，犯人本身不会有最简单的思想。多数犯人几周之内就疯了。”

"They're getting hungry," said Lupin coolly, shutting his briefcase with a snap. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up.... I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement ... emotions running high... it was their idea of a feast."

“但是布莱克从它们手中逃了出来，”哈利慢慢地说，“他逃走了……”

"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered. Lupin nodded grimly.

卢平的公文包从桌子上滑了下去，他不得不迅速弯下腰去捡。

"The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheery thought. Most of them go mad within weeks."

“是的，”他直起身子来说道，“布莱克一定找到了和它们斗的办法。我是不相信他能够……如果巫师和摄魂怪待在一起的时候太长，它们就会使巫师失去法力……”

"But Sirius Black escaped from them," Harry said slowly. "He got away..."

“你让火车上的那个摄魂怪退却了。”哈利突然说。

Lupin's briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it.

“有——某些防御方法是人们可以应用的，”卢平说，“不过当时火车上只有一个那样的家伙。它们的数目越多，就越难抵御。”

"Yes," he said, straightening up, "Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it possible.... Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if he is left with them too long...."

“什么样的防御方法啊？”哈利马上问，“您能教给我吗？”

"You made that dementor on the train back off," said Harry suddenly.

“我可不想假装是抵御摄魂怪的专家，哈利——事情正相反……”

"There are -- certain defenses one can use," said Lupin. "But there was only one dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist."

“但是如果再有魁地奇比赛的时候，它们又来了，那我可得有办法对付它们啊——”

"What defenses?" said Harry at once. "Can you teach me?"

卢平看着哈利那张坚定的脸，踌躇了，然后说：“唔……好吧。我想办法帮你。但这件事恐怕要等到下学期。放假以前我有许多事情要做。我生病真生得不是时候。”

"I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Harry, quite the contrary..."

卢平答应教哈利妇何防御摄魂怪，哈利认为自己也许再也不会听到妈妈临死前的声音了。十一月底拉文克劳队打败了赫奇帕奇队。这些事加在一起，使哈利的情绪明显高涨起来。格兰芬多队毕竟还有比赛的机会，尽管他们现在可不能再输一场球了。伍德又精力充沛起来，在一直延续到十二月的寒冷刺骨的风雨中仍旧不遗余力地抓紧训练他的球队。哈利在校园里没有看到任何摄魂怪的踪迹。邓布利多的怒火似乎把它们限制在学校入口处的岗位上了。

"But if the dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them --"

学期结束前两个星期的时候，天空突然放晴，呈现出炫目的蛋白色，泥泞的场地也在一天早晨蒙上了一层发亮的霜。城堡里面，到处有着圣诞节的气氛。魔咒课教师弗立维教授已经用有微光闪烁的光源在装饰他的教室，这些光源其实是真正的不断振翅的小仙女。学生们都在快乐地讨论度假计划。罗恩和赫敏都决定留在霍格沃茨，罗恩说他可忍受不了有两个星期的时间和珀西待在一起，赫敏则坚持说她要去图书馆，但哈利心里明白：他们这样做是为了陪他，他很感激。

Lupin looked into Harry's determined face, hesitated, then said, "Well... all right. I'll try and help. But it'll have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."

学期的最后一周，又可以到霍格莫德村去一次；除了哈利之外，大家都很高兴。

What with the promise of anti-dementor lessons from Lupin, the thought that he might never have to hear his mother's death again, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Harry's mood took a definite upturn. Gryffindor were not out of the running after all, although they could not afford to lose another match. Wood became repossessed of his manic energy, and worked his team as hard as ever in the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December. Harry saw no hint of a dementor within the grounds. Dumbledore's anger seemed to be keeping them at their stations at the entrances.

“我们想买的圣诞节东西都可以在那里买！”赫敏说，“妈妈和爸爸实在是喜欢从蜂蜜公爵那里买来的毛毛牙薄荷糖！”

Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn't stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, Harry wasn't fooled; they were doing it to keep him company, and he was very grateful.

哈利又是惟一留校的三年级学生，对此他十分愤慨，就从伍德那里借了一本《分类飞天扫帚》来看，而且决定把这一天花在了解不同样式的飞天扫帚上。在球队练习的时候，他骑过学校的一把扫帚，那是一把古老的流星，又慢又摇晃。他肯定需要有一把自己的新扫帚。

To everyone's delight except Harry's, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term.

在大家去霍格莫德村的那个星期六的早晨，哈利和披着斗篷、围着围巾的罗恩、赫敏道了别，然后独自踏上那道大理石楼梯回格兰芬多塔楼去了。窗外飘起了雪花，城堡非常安静。

"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!"

“噫——哈利！”哈利在四楼的走廊半中腰转过身来，看见弗雷德和乔治从一个独眼驼背的女巫雕像后面向他窥望。

Resigned to the fact that he would be the only third year staying behind again, Harry borrowed a copy of Which Broomstick from Wood, and decided to spend the day reading up on the different makes. He had been riding one of the school brooms at team practice, an ancient Shooting Star, which was very slow and jerky; he definitely needed a new broom of his own.

“你们在干吗？”哈利好奇地问道，“你们怎么没有到霍格莫德村去呢？”

On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Harry bid good-bye to Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned up the marble staircase alone, and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet.

“我们走以前来给你一点儿节日气氛。”弗雷德说，神秘地眨了一下眼睛，“到这里来……”他向独眼雕像左边的一间空教室点了一下头，哈利跟着弗雷德和乔治进去了。乔治轻轻关上门，然后转过身来，满脸是笑，看着哈利。“提早给你送圣诞礼物呢，哈利。”他说。

"Psst -- Harry!"

弗雷德手一挥从斗篷里面抽出了一个东西，把它放在一张空桌上。那是一张大大的、方方正正的、很旧的羊皮纸，上面什么也没有写。哈利以为这又是弗雷德和乔治的玩笑，瞪眼看着它。

He turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at him from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch.

“你们说这是什么呀？”

"What are you doing?" said Harry curiously. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

“这个嘛，哈利，是我们成功的秘密。”乔治说道，多情地拍了拍那张羊皮纸。

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here...."

“把它给你真有点儿舍不得，”弗雷德说，“不过昨晚我们认定你比我们更需要它。”

He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry.

“不管怎么说，我们已经记住它的内容了。”乔治说，“我们把它送给你。我们不再需要它了。”

"Early Christmas present for you, Harry," he said.

“这样一小张破旧的羊皮纸，我要它干吗？”哈利问。

Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it.

“一小张破旧的羊皮纸！”弗雷德说，闭起眼睛做了个鬼脸，好像哈利小瞧了他似的。“解释一下，乔治。”

"What's that supposed to be?"

“好吧……我们一年级的时候，哈利——年轻、无忧无虑，又天真——”

"This, Harry, is the secret of our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly.

哈利鼻子里哼了一声。他怀疑弗雷德和乔治是否天真过。

"It's a wrench, giving it to you," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours."

“——唔，比我们现在天真——我们和费尔奇之间发生了一点儿麻烦。”

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

“我们在走廊里放了个大粪弹，出于某种缘故，这个炸弹让他很沮丧——”

"And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?" said Harry.

“所以他把我们拉到他的办公室里去了，开始用那种通常的——”

"A bit of old parchment!" said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

“——关禁闭——”

"Well... when we were in our first year, Harry -- young, carefree, and innocent --"

“——把我们的肠子掏出来——”

Harry snorted. He doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.

“——而我们忍不住注意到了他的档案柜抽屉，其中有一个抽屉上写着：没收物资，高度危险。”

"Well, more innocent than we are now -- we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

“别告诉我——”哈利说，开始笑了。

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason --"

“唔，你会怎么做呢？”弗雷德说，“乔治又扔了个大粪弹，分散了他的注意力。我飞快地拉开抽屉，一把抓住——这个。”

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual --" detention disembowelment and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous.

“这件事不像听起来的那么坏，你知道，”乔治说，“我们认为费尔奇从来没有发现怎么使用这张羊皮纸。不过他很可能猜到了这是什么东西，要不然他也不会没收它。”

"Don't tell me --" said Harry, starting to grin.

“你们知道怎么使用吗？”

"Well, what would you've done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed -- this."

“哦，是啊，”弗雷德痴笑着说，“这个小小的漂亮东西教会我们的可要比全校老师教的还要多。”

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

“你们在哄骗我吧。”哈利说，一面看着那张破破烂烂的羊皮纸。

"And you know how to work it?"

“哦，我们骗你吗？”乔治说。他拿出魔杖，轻轻触了一下那张羊皮纸说：“我庄严宣誓我没干好事。”像蜘蛛网一样细细的墨水线条立刻从魔杖刚才碰过的地方开始出现了。这些线条彼此汇合、彼此交叉，延伸到这张羊皮纸的每个角落；然后羊皮纸上方开始出现字迹，是弯曲的绿色大字，它们是：

"Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

魔法恶作剧制作者的辅助物供应商月亮脸、虫尾巴、大脚板和尖头叉子诸位先生自豪地献上活点地图

"You're winding me up," said Harry, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment.

这张地图详尽地画出了霍格沃茨城堡和各场地的一切细节。但是，真正值得注意的东西是沿着地图移动的小小的墨水点，每个墨水点都用极小的字母标出一个姓名。哈利大为惊讶，他俯身细看。左上角的一个小墨水点显示邓布利多教授正在书房里踱步；费尔奇的猫洛丽丝夫人正在三楼徘徊，而爱捉弄人的幽灵皮皮鬼正在奖品室里跳来跳去。哈利的眼光在他所熟悉的走廊里上下扫动。这时，他又注意到了什么东西。

"Oh, are we?" said George.

这张地图显示出一系列他以前从来没有进去过的通道。这些通道之中有许多好像是通往——

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

“正是通往霍格莫德村的，”弗雷德用手指沿着一条通道指着说，“一共有七条呢。喏，费尔奇知道这四条——”他把那四条一一指出来，“——但是我们肯定只有我们知道这几条。不必为五楼镜子后面的那条费神，去年冬天以前我们一直用它，但是它倒塌了——完全堵塞住了。这一条我们认为谁也没有走过，因为那棵打人柳就种在它的入口处。但是，这条一直通到蜂蜜公爵的地窖那里，我们走过许多次了。你也许已经注意到，入口正好就在这间房间下面，要通过这个独眼老太婆的驼背。”

And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

“月亮脸、虫尾巴、大脚板、尖头叉子，”乔洽叹息着，拍拍这张地图的标题，“我们欠他们好多情哟。”

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

“高尚的人啊，不倦地工作，为的是帮助新一代破坏法规的人。”弗雷德庄严地说。

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP

“对，”乔治轻快地说，“别忘记用完了擦掉——”

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Harry's eyes traveled up and down the familiar corridors, he noticed something else.

“——要不然别人会看到的。”弗雷德警告说。

This map showed a set of passages he had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead -

“只要再轻轻敲一下，说：‘恶作剧完毕！’它就又变成一张空白的羊皮纸了。”

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" -- he pointed them out -- "but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in -- completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

“那么，年轻的哈利，”弗雷德怪模怪样学着珀西的腔调说，“记着要规矩点。”

"Moony, Wormtaill Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."

“在蜂蜜公爵那里见。”乔治眨着眼说。他们离开了，两人都心满意足地傻笑着。

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.

哈利站在那里，瞪着那张神奇的地图。他看着代表洛丽丝夫人的小墨水点向左边转去，停下来，嗅着地板上的什么东西。如果费尔奇真的不知道的话……他根本就不必从那些摄魂怪面前走过了……但就在他满心兴奋地站在那里的时候，他脑子里却浮现出了有一次听到的韦斯莱先生的话：要是你看不到它的脑子在哪里，那就永远不要信任任何能够自己思考的东西。

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

这张地图就是韦斯莱先生曾经提出过警告的那种危险的魔法物体……魔法恶作剧制造者的辅助物……但是，哈利推理道，他只想利用这张地图到霍格莫德村去，这可不是说他想偷什么东西或者是攻击什么人……弗雷德和乔治用这张地图已经好几年了，并没有发生什么可怕的事情……哈利用手指沿着通往霍格莫德村的通道指着。

"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

然后，突然间，好像是听到了什么命令一样，他卷起地图，把它塞到他的袍子里面，匆忙走到教室门口。他把门打开了两英寸。外面没有人。他很小心地慢慢走出这间教室，溜到那座独眼女巫的雕像后面。

"So, young Harry," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."

他必须做什么呢？他又拿出地图来看，惊讶地看见地图上有了一个新的墨水点，它标明是“哈利波特”。这个小人儿正好在真正的哈利所在的地方，大约在四楼走廊的半中腰。哈利仔细地看着。小小的墨水人儿哈利似乎正在用小魔杖轻敲那女巫，没有什么动静。他又去看那张地图，地图上的哈利旁边出现了最小的泡沫组成的咒语：“左右分离”。

"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking.

“左右分离！”哈利自语道，又去轻敲那石头女巫。

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

雕像的驼背立即开启了，大得足够让一个稍瘦的人进去。哈和迅速向走廊前后看了一眼，然后把地图掖了起来，脑袋向前爬进那个洞中，然后在洞里前进。

Harry stood there, gazing at the miraculous map. He watched the tiny ink Mrs. Norris turn left and pause to sniff at something on the floor. If Filch really didn't know... he wouldn't have to pass the dementors at all....

他滑了相当长的一段路，那段路像是石头滑梯一样，然后他碰到了寒冷潮湿的土地。他站了起来，向四周看了看。四周乌黑一片。他举起魔杖咕哝道：“荧光闪烁！”于是就看见自己在一条很狭窄低矮的通道里。他举起地图，用魔杖的末端轻敲它并且咕哝道：“恶作剧完毕！”地图马上就变成了一片空白。他仔细地卷起地图，把它塞到袍子里面，然后，由于兴奋和害怕，心跳得很快。他就这样出发了。

But even as he stood there, flooded with excitement, something Harry had once heard Mr. Weasley say came floating out of his memory.

这条通道弯弯越曲，和兔子的地道没有什么两样。哈利匆匆地走着，由于地面不平，时不时地跌跌绊绊，一路上他都把魔杖举在面前。

Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain.

走了很长很长时间，但是哈利有蜂蜜公爵的前景在鼓舞着他前进。大约一个小时以后，通道向上伸去。哈利喘息着加快速度，脸是红的，双脚却是冷的。

This map was one of those dangerous magical objects Mr. Weasley had been warning against.... Aids for Magical Mischief Makers... but then, Harry reasoned, he only wanted to use it to get into Hogsmeade, it wasn't as though he wanted to steal anything or attack anyone... and Fred and George had been using it for years without anything horrible happening....

十分钟后，他走到了一道破损的石阶脚下，石阶一直伸展到上面他看不见的地方。哈利小心不弄出声音来，开始向上爬去。一百级、二百级，他边爬边数，后来就数乱了。他爬呀爬，注意着自己的双脚……然后，他冷不丁一头撞到了什么坚硬的东西上。

Harry traced the secret passage to Honeydukes with his finger.

这好像是扇地板门。哈利站在那里，摸着自己被撞痛的脑袋，听着。他听不到上面有什么声音。他很慢地推开那扇地板门，偷偷地向外窥看。

Then, quite suddenly, as though following orders, he rolled up the map, stuffed it inside his robes, and hurried to the door of the classroom. He opened it a couple of inches. There was no one outside. Very carefully, he edged out of the room and behind the statue of the one-eyed witch.

他是在一间地窖里，周围放满了木椅子和木箱子。哈利爬出地板门，轻轻把它关好——这扇门和满是灰尘的地板浑然一体，真看不出来地板上会有这样一扇门。哈利慢慢地爬向那道通向楼上的木楼梯。现在他确信自己听见了各种人的说话声，更不要说摇铃和开关门的声音了。

What did he have to do? He pulled out the map again and saw to his astonishment, that a new ink figure had appeared upon it, labeled Harry Potter. This figure was standing exactly where the real Harry was standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor.

哈利不知道自己应该做什么，正在这时，他突然听到很近的地方有一扇门开了，有人正要下楼。

Harry watched carefully. His little Ink self appeared to be tapping the witch with his minute wand. Harry quickly took out his real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. He looked back at the map. The tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to his figure. The word inside said, "Dissendium."

“再拿一箱果冻鼻涕虫，亲爱的，他们快要把我们的存货买光了……”一个妇女的声音说道。

"Dissendium!" Harry whispered, tapping the stone witch again.

一双脚下楼来了。哈利跳到了一只巨大的木板箱后面，等待脚步声远去。

At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Harry glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then tucked the map away again, hoisted himself into the hole headfirst, and pushed himself forward.

他听到那男子在对面的墙那里搬动箱子。他也许不会再有机会了——哈利迅速地、不声不响地从躲藏的地方出来，上了楼梯；他回头一望，看到一个宽阔无比的后背和一个发亮的脑袋埋在一口箱子下面。哈利走到楼梯顶端的门边，溜出门，发现自己来到了蜂蜜公爵的柜台后面——他弯下身子，向侧面爬去，然后直起身子。

He slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. He stood up, looking around. It was

蜂蜜公爵里挤满了霍格沃茨的学生，因此没有人会对哈利多看一眼。哈利在他们中间溜边走着，一面四处观看。如果现在达力能够看到哈利在什么地方，他那张肮脏的脸上会出现什么样的表情呢，哈利想到这里就忍不住要笑出声来。店里摆放着一个货架又一个货架，上面放满了人们能够想象得到的最引入入胜的糖果。大块的奶油花生糖、一块块发微光的粉红色椰子冰糕、排列得整整齐齐的成百种各式各样的巧克力、一大桶多味豆、一桶滋滋蜜蜂糖、罗恩提到过的飘浮在空中的果子露饮料，沿着另外一堵墙的是“具有特殊效果”的各种糖果：吹宝超级泡泡糖（它能使整个房间充满蓝色风铃草颜色的泡泡，几天都不会破灭）、奇异的碎片状的毛毛牙薄荷糖、小巧的黑胡椒小顽童（“为你的朋友从鼻子里向外喷火！”）、冰耗子（“听到你的牙齿打战和咯吱咯吱的声音！”）、形状像蟾蜍的奶油薄荷糖（“真的会在胃里跳动！”）、松脆的糖羽毛笔和会爆炸的夹心糖。

pitch dark. He held up his wand, muttered, "Lumos! " and saw that he was in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway. He raised the map, tapped it with the tip of his wand, and muttered, "Mischief managed!" The map went blank at once. He folded it carefully, tucked it inside his robes, then, heart beating fast, both excited and apprehensive, he set off.

哈利从六年级的学生中挤了过去，看到这家店铺最远的角落里挂着一块招牌（“不同寻常的口味”）。罗恩和赫敏站在这块招牌下面，正仔细端详着一盘有血腥气的棒棒糖。哈利偷偷走到他们身后。

The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. Harry hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, holding his wand out in front of him.

“唔，不，哈利不会要它的，这是给吸血鬼的，我想。”赫敏正在说。

It took ages, but Harry had the thought of Honeydukes to sustain him. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, Harry sped up, his face hot, his feet very cold.

“那这个怎么样？”罗恩问，把一罐挤成一团的蟑螂塞到赫敏的鼻子底下。

Ten minutes later, he came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above him. Careful not to make any noise, Harry began to climb. A hundred steps, two hundred steps, he lost count as he climbed, watching his feet.... Then, without warning, his head hit something hard.

“肯定不要。”哈利说。罗恩差点儿没摔了罐子。

It seemed to be a trapdoor. Harry stood there, massaging the top of his head, listening. He couldn't hear any sounds above him. Very slowly, he pushed the trapdoor open and peered over the edge.

“哈利！”赫敏尖叫，“你在这里干什么？你怎么——怎么来的？”

He was in a cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. Harry climbed out of the trapdoor and replaced it -- it blended so perfectly with the dusty floor that it was impossible to tell it was there. Harry crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now he could definitely hear voices, not to mention the tinkle of a bell and the opening and shutting of a door.

“哇！”罗恩说。像是得到了深刻的印象，“你学会潜形了！”

Wondering what he ought to do, he suddenly heard a door open much closer at hand; somebody was about to come downstairs.

“我当然没有。”哈利说。他放低了声音以免六年级学生听到，然后把有关活点地图的事详尽地告诉了他们。

"And get another box of Jelly Slugs, dear, they've nearly cleaned us out --" said a woman's voice.

“弗雷德和乔治怎么就从来没有给我呢！”罗恩说，气得不可开交，“我可是他们的弟弟啊！”

A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Harry leapt behind an enormous crate and waited for the footsteps to pass. He heard the man shifting boxes against the opposite wall. He might not get another chance --

“但是哈利不会长期占用的！”赫敏说，好像这个想法很荒谬可笑。“他会把这张地图交给麦格教授的，是不是，哈利？”

Quickly and silently, Harry dodged out from his hiding place and climbed the stairs; looking back, he saw an enormous backside and shiny bald head, buried in a box. Harry reached the door at the top of the stairs, slipped through it, and found himself behind the counter of Honeydukes -- he ducked, crept sideways, and then straightened up.

“不，我不交！”哈利说。

Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that no one looked twice at Harry. He edged among them, looking around, and suppressed a laugh as he imagined the look that would spread over Dudley's piggy face if he could see where Harry was now.

“你疯啦？”罗恩说，瞪着赫敏，“把这么好的东西交了？”

There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbert balls that Ron had mentioned; along yet another wall were "Special Effects" -- sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ("breathe fire for your friends!"), Ice Mice ("hear your teeth chatter and squeak!"), peppermint creams shaped like toads ("hop realistically in the stomach!"), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons.

“要是我交了，我就不得不说我是从哪里拿到的！费尔奇就会知道是弗雷德和乔治拿的！”

Harry squeezed himself through a crowd of sixth years and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop (UNUSUAL TASTES). Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavored lollipops. Harry sneaked up behind them.

“但是布莱克呢？”赫敏咬着牙齿说，“他可以利用这张地图上的一条通道进入城堡！老师们一定会知道！”

"Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect," Hermione was saying.

“他不可能从通道进来，”哈利迅速地说，“地图上有七条秘密通道，对不对？弗雷德和乔治估计费尔奇可能知道其中的四条。其他三条——一条已经倒塌了，谁也不能从那条通道进来。一条的入口处种了那棵打人柳，进去就出不来。我刚刚走过的那一条——唔——在地窖里真的很难看到它的入口在哪里——所以除非他知道有这条秘密通道——”

"How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.

哈利踌躇了，如果布莱克的确知道有这条通道呢？然而，罗恩一本正经地清了清嗓子，指着糖果店大门里面贴着的一张通告。

"Definitely not," said Harry.

奉魔法部命令顾客注意：在另有通知之前，摄魂怪将于每天日落后在霍格莫德街道上巡逻。此举纯为霍格莫德居民之安全而设，一俟小天狼星布莱克再度被捉拿归案即予取消。望顾客于傍晚之前采购完毕是幸。圣诞快乐！

Ron nearly dropped the jar.

“看见啦？”罗恩平静地说道，“这里到处有摄魂怪，我倒想看看布莱克在这种情形下怎么能够闯进糖果店。不管怎么样，赫敏，糖果店老板总会听到有人闯进来的，对不对？他们就住在糖果店楼上！”

"Harry!" squealed Hermione. "What are you doing here? How -- how did you --?"

“是的，不过——不过——”赫敏好像努力再从什么地方挑刺儿。“看，哈利还是不应该到霍格莫德村来，他没有交签过字的申请表啊！如果有人发现哈利到这里来了，哈利就会遇到大麻烦的！而且现在天还亮着呢——要是小天狼星布莱克今天、现在就出现了呢？”

"Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you've learned to Apparate!"

“他要发现哈利在这里也不容易呢。”罗恩说，隔着有竖框的窗子向外面纷飞的大雪点头。“得了吧，赫敏，这是圣诞节，哈利应该放松一下了。”

"'Course I haven't," said Harry. He dropped his voice so that none of the sixth years could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map.

赫敏咬着嘴唇，一副很担心的样子。

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" said Ron, outraged. "I'm their brother!"

“你打算告发我吗？”哈利笑嘻嘻地问她。

"But Harry isn't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"

“哦——当然不——但是老实说，哈利——”

"No, I'm not!" said Harry.

“看到那滋滋蜜蜂糖了吧，哈利？”罗恩说，抓住哈利领他到了那个大桶边上。“还有那果冻鼻涕虫？还有那酸棒糖？我七岁的时候，弗雷德给过我一根，它恰恰就在我舌头上烧了个洞。我记得妈妈用扫帚猛打弗雷德。”罗恩沉思地看着那放酸棒糖的纸箱子。“要是我告诉弗雷德说那是花生，你想他会不会把蟑螂团子咬上一口呢？”

"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"

罗恩和赫敏付清了他们买糖果的钱，三个人就离开糖果店走到外面的暴风雪里去了。

"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!"

霍格莫德村看上去就像是一张圣诞贺卡：小茅屋和店铺都盖上了一层松脆的雪，各家各户的门上都有冬青扎成的花环，施过魔法的蜡烛成串地挂在树上。

"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!"

哈利冷得发抖，他不像那两人，他没有穿斗篷。他们在街上走着，低着脑袋以抵御寒风。罗恩和赫敏隔着围巾大喊起来。

"He can't be getting in through a passage," said Harry quickly. "There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them. And of the other three -- one of them's caved in, so no one can get through it. one of them's got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can't get out of it. And the one I just came through -well - - it's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar, so unless he knew it was there..."

“那就是邮局——”

Harry hesistated. What if Black did know the passage was there?

“佐科店就在那边——”

Ron, however, cleared his throat significantly, and pointed to a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door.

“我们可以到那座尖叫棚屋去——”

--------BY ORDER OF -------- THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

“告诉你们怎么办，”罗恩说，冷得牙齿直打战，“我们去三把扫帚喝黄油啤酒好吗？”哈利再愿意不过了，风狂雪骤，他的手快冻僵了。于是他们穿过马路，几分钟以后，就进了那家小旅馆。那里拥挤嘈杂，温暖而烟雾腾腾，一个身材婀娜、脸庞标致的妇女正在吧台那里照料一帮子吵吵闹闹的男巫。“那是罗斯默塔女士。”罗恩说，“我去叫酒，好吗？”他加上一句，脸有点儿红。

Customers are reminded that until further notice, dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall.

哈利和赫敏走到房间后部，那里的窗子和美丽的圣诞树之间有一张小桌子空着，还靠近壁炉。五分钟后，罗恩回来了，拿着三大杯冒着泡沫的热黄油啤酒。

Merry Christmas!

“圣诞快乐！”他高兴地说，举起他的大杯子。哈利大大地喝了一口。这是他喝过的味道最好的饮料，而且这酒似乎让他从内而外地暖和起来了。突然，一阵微风拂过他的头发，三把扫帚的门又开了。哈利从大杯子的边上往门口看去，这一看，几乎把他噎住了。

"See?" said Ron quietly. "I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!"

麦格教授和弗立维在一阵雪花飞扬中刚刚走进小酒馆，后面紧跟着海格，他和一位头戴暗黄绿色圆顶硬礼帽、身披细条斗篷、举止庄重的男子正谈得热闹，此人正是魔法部长康奈利福吉。

"Yes, but but --" Hermoine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet -- what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?"

罗恩和赫敏立即都把手放在哈利脑袋上，使劲把他往桌子下面按。哈利嘴边滴着黄油啤酒，蹲在人们看不见他的地方，手里紧握空杯，眼睛看着老师们和福吉的脚走向吧台，停下来，然后回转身，直接向他们走来。

"He'd have a job spotting Harry in this," said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. Harry deserves a break."

在他头上的什么地方，赫敏悄声说：“移形幻影！”

Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried.

他们桌子旁的圣诞树上升到了离地面几英寸的地方，向边上移动，轻轻地一声钝响，正落在他们桌子前面，把他们遮住了。哈利透过圣诞树下部浓密的枝叶往外看，只见邻桌的四张椅子的脚往后退去，然后听到老师们和福吉坐了下来，嘴里咕哝着并且发出叹息。

"Are you going to report me?" Harry asked her, grinning.

然后他又看见一双脚，穿着华丽的青绿色高跟鞋，还听到了一位妇女的说话声。

"Oh -- of course not -- but honestly, Harry --"

“一小杯峡谷水——”

"Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?" said Ron, grabbing him and leading him over to their barrel. "And the Jelly Slugs? And the Acid Pops? Fred gave me one of those when I was seven -- it burnt a hole right through my tongue. I remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick." Ron stared broodingly into the Acid Pop box. "Reckon Fred'd take a bit of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?"

“我的。”麦格教授的声音。

When Ron and Hermione had paid for all their sweets, the three of them left Honeydukes for the blizzard outside.

“四品脱蜂蜜酒——”

Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees.

“谢谢，罗斯默塔。”海格说。

Harry shivered; unlike the other two, he didn't have his cloak. They headed up the street, heads bowed against the wind, Ron and Hermione shouting through their scarves.

“一份雪利果汁苏打水加冰和伞螺——”

"That's the post office

“唔！”弗立维教授说，还咂着嘴唇。

"Zonko's is up there --"

“那您的就是红醋栗糖酒了，部长。”

"We could go up to the Shrieking Shack

“谢谢你，罗斯默塔，亲爱的，”福吉的声音说，“我一定要说，又看见你真高兴。你也来一杯吧，好不好？来和我们坐在一起……”

"Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?"

“好吧。多谢您，部长。”

Harry was more than willing; the wind was fierce and his hands were freezing, so they crossed the road, and in a few minutes were entering the tiny inn.

哈利看着那双发亮的高跟鞋走开又回来了。他的心一直跳到了嗓子眼儿，很不舒服。他怎么就没有想到：对老师们来说这也是本学期最后一周？他们要在这里坐多久？要是他打算今晚回学校的话，他就需要时间以便偷偷回到蜂蜜公爵糖果店去……赫敏的腿在他旁边不安地扭动了一下。

It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlock' up at the bar.

“什么风把您吹到这里来了，部长？”这是罗斯默塔的声音。

"That's Madam Rosmerta," said Ron. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?" he added, going slightly red.

哈利看到福吉粗壮的下半身在椅子上扭动了一下，好像是在察看周围有没有人偷听。然后他安静地说：“除了小天狼星布莱克还会有什么事呢，亲爱的？我敢说你已经听到万圣节前夕在学校发生的事了吧？”

Harry and Hermione made their way to the back of the room, ,,her, there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying three foaming tankards of hot butterbeer.

“我是听到传言了。”罗斯默塔女士承认说。

"Merry Christmas!" he said happily, raising his tankard.

“你有没有告诉整个酒馆的人啊，海格？”麦格教授愤怒地说。

Harry drank deeply. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside.

“您认为布莱克还在这一带吗，部长？”罗斯默塔女士低声问道。

A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Harry looked over the rim of his tankard and choked.

“肯定的。”福吉简短地说。

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak -- Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

“您知道摄魂怪已经把我的小酒馆搜查了两次吗？”罗斯默塔女士说，声音里有一点点锋芒。“把我的顾客都吓跑了……这对做生意很不好，部长。”

In an instant, Ron and Hermione had both placed hands on the top of Harry's head and forced him off his stool and under the table. Dripping with butterbeer and crouching out of sight, Harry clutched his empty tankard and watched the teachers' and Fudge's feet move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right toward him.

“罗斯默塔，亲爱的，我和你一样，我也不喜欢它们呀。”福吉不安地说，“必要的防备……但你说得对……我刚才还遇到几个。它们对邓布利多恼火极了——他不让它们走进城堡场地。”

Somewhere above him, Hermione whispered, Mobiliarbus!"

“我认为是不应该让它们进去的，”麦格教授尖锐地说，“这些可怕的东西到处飘浮着，我们怎么教学呀？”

The Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of their table, hiding them from view. Staring through the dense lower branches, Harry saw four sets of chair legs move back from the table right beside theirs, then heard the grunts and sighs If the teachers and minister as they sat down.

“听啊，听啊！”身材矮小的弗立维教授尖声叫道，他的脚悬在那里，离地足有一英尺。

Next he saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels, and heard a woman's voice. "A small gillywater --"

“都知道布莱克能……”

"Mine," said Professor McGonagall's voice.

“您知道吗，我仍旧不大能相信这一点，”罗斯默塔女士沉思着说，“在堕落到坏人堆中去的所有人当中，小天狼星布莱克是我最没想到会这样做的人……我的意思是说，我记得他在霍格沃茨还是个孩子的时候，如果你在那个时候就告诉我，说他会变成什么样子，那我就会说你酒喝多了。”

"Four pints of mulled mead --"

“你对事情真相知道的还不到一半，罗斯默塔。”福吉态度生硬地说，“很少有人知道他做过的最坏的事。”

"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.

“最坏的？”罗斯默塔女士说，声音里充满了好奇，“您的意思是说，比杀掉那么多可怜的人还要坏吗？”

"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella --"

“当然啦。”福吉说。

"Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips.

“我没法相信。还有什么能比这更坏呢？”

"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."

“你说你记得他在霍格沃茨的情况，罗斯默塔，”麦格教授喃喃地说，“你还记得他最好的朋友是谁吗？”

"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge's voice. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us...."

“当然记得，”罗斯默塔女士说道，浅浅笑了一声，“两人形影不离，是不是？我看见他们在这里的次数——哦，他们总弄得我大笑。一对好搭档，小天狼星布莱克和詹姆波特！”

"Well, thank you very much, Minister."

哈利当的一声掉下了手中的大杯子。罗恩踢了他一下。

Harry watched the glittering heels march away and back again. His heart was pounding uncomfortably in his throat. Why hadn't it occurred to him that this was the last weekend of term for the teachers to& And how long were they going to sit there? He needed time to sneak back into Honeydukes if he wanted to return to school tonight.... Hermione's leg gave a nervous twitch next to him.

“一点儿不错，”麦格教授说，“布莱克和波特。他们那个小集团的头子。两个人都很聪明，当然——说实在的，是特别的聪明——但是我想我们从来没有遇到过这样一对能惹麻烦的人——”

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" came Madam Rosmerta's voice.

“我不知道，”海格吃吃笑着说，“弗雷德和乔治韦斯莱是不是可以和他们来一番激烈的竞争。”

Harry saw the lower part of Fudge's thick body twist in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. Then he said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?"

“你都会以为布莱克和波特是兄弟呢！”弗立维教授插话表示赞成道，“形影不离！”

I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta.

“他们当然是形影不离啦，”福吉说，“波特信任布莱克，这种信任超过了对其他所有朋友的信任。他们毕业离校的时候还是这样的。詹姆和莉莉结婚的时候，布莱克是伴郎。然后他们又叫布莱克做哈利的教父。哈利当然不知道。你们可以想象得到，知道这一点会折磨他到什么程度。”

"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.

“是因为布莱克后来和神秘人结成了一伙吗？”罗斯默塔低声问道。

"Do you think Blacks still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

“比这还要糟呢，亲爱的……”福吉压低嗓门以一种低沉的声音说了下去，“许多人并不知道波特夫妇明白神秘人在追他们。邓布利多自然是一直不倦地反对神秘人的，他有许多能干的探子。其中一个探子就把这件事告诉了邓布利多，邓布利多马上就告诉了詹姆和莉莉。他劝他们躲起来。邓布利多对他们说，他们最好的机会是那道赤胆忠心魔咒。”

"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.

“那玩艺儿怎么起作用啊？”罗斯默塔女士问，因为感兴趣而喘不上气来。

"You know that the dementors have searched the whole village twjce?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away... It's very bad for business, Minister."

弗立维教授清了清嗓子。“非常复杂的咒语，”他吱吱地尖声说道，“涉及用魔法把一个秘密隐藏在一个活人的灵魂之中。这个秘密藏在选中的那个人，或者说保密人心里，从此就不可能发现这个秘密了——当然，除非这个保密人存心泄露。只要保密人拒绝说话，神秘人就是搜查波特夫妇居住多年的村庄，也永远我不到他们，哪怕他在他们夫妇起居室外面的玻璃窗上压扁了自己的鼻子也找不到！”

"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution... unfortunate, but there YOU are.... I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore -- he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

“那么说布莱克就是波特夫妇的保密人了？”

"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

“自然，”麦格教授说，“詹姆波特告诉邓布利多说，布莱克宁可自己死也不会说出他们在哪里，还说布莱克自己也打算藏起来……就是这样，邓布利多还是担心。我记得他提出他自己来做波特夫妇的保密人。”

"Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot from the ground.

“他信不过布莱克吗？”罗斯默塔女士喘着气问道。

"All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse.... We all know what Black's capable of..."

“他肯定在接近波特夫妇的人当中，一定有谁一直在把他们的行踪告诉神秘人，”麦格教授阴郁地说，“的确，他在相当长的时间里怀疑我们这边有人成了叛徒，把许多信息告诉了神秘人。”

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

“但是詹姆坚持要用布莱克是吗？”

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."

“是的，”福吉沉重地说，“然而，施用了赤胆忠心魔咒以后还不到一星期——”

"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity, "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

“布莱克背叛了他们吗？”罗斯默塔问。

"I certainly do," said Fudge.

“他的确背叛了他们。布莱克厌倦了两面派角色。准备公开宣布他支持神秘人，似乎打算就在波特死去的时刻这样做。但是，正如我们都知道的那样。神秘人在小哈利波特那里失了手。他失去了法力，极其衰弱，只能逃走了。这就弄得布莱克进退两难了。布莱克刚刚暴露了他的叛徒真面目，他的主子就倒台了。他别无选择，只能奔跑逃命了——”

"I ca'A believe that. What could possibly be worse?" "You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," mur- mured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his-best friend was?"

“肮脏、发臭的叛徒！”海格说，声音很响，以至整个酒吧都静了下来。

"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here -- ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

“嘘！”麦格教授说。

Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Ron kicked him.

“我遇到过他！”海格吼道，“在他杀死许多人以前，我一定是最后见到他的人！在那些人都被杀死以后，是我从詹姆和莉莉的家里把哈利救出来的！我是把他从废墟里救出来的，可怜的小东西，前额上还有一道长长的伤口，而且他的父母都死了……这时小天狼星布莱克出现了，骑在他那平时常骑的飞行摩托上。我一直搞不清他在那里干什么。我不知道他是詹姆和莉莉的保密人。当时我以为他听说了神秘人发动攻击的消息，是到那里看看他能做些什么呢。当时他面色苍白，浑身发抖。你们知道我做了什么吗？我安慰了那个杀人的叛徒！”海格咆哮道。

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course -- exceptionally bright, in fact -- but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers --"

“海格，别！”麦格教授说，“声音放低一些！”

"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."

“我怎么知道他不是在为莉莉和詹姆伤心啊？他关心的是神秘人！然后他说道：‘把哈利给我吧，海格，我是他的教父，我会照顾他的——’哈！但是邓布利多吩咐过我，于是我对布莱克说不行，邓布利多说哈利应该到他的姨妈和姨父那里去。布莱克不同意，但最后他让步了。叫我骑他的摩托把哈利送到那里去。‘我不再需要这辆摩托了。’这是他说的。

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"

“那时我本来应该知道这里面有些什么可疑的地方。他喜爱那辆摩托，他把摩托给我干吗？他为什么不再需要那辆摩托了？其实这再容易理解不过了。邓布利多知道他曾经是波特夫妇的保密人。布莱克知道他当天晚上就要逃命，知道不要几个钟头魔法部就会来追捕他。

"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

“但是要是我把哈利给了他又会怎样呢？我打赌半路上他就会把哈利从摩托上扔到海里去。他最好的朋友的儿子！不过要是一个男巫堕落了，他就会对任何事情任何人都满不在乎了……”

"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

海格说完了，大家一阵长时间的静默。然后罗斯默塔女士带着一定程度的满足说话了。“但是他没有想办法躲起来，是不是？第二天魔法部就抓到了他！”

"Worse even than that, rn'dear...." Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."

“哎呀，要是我们抓到他就好了，”福吉痛苦地说，“找到他的不是我们。而是小矮星彼得——波特的另外一个朋友。他肯定是悲哀得疯狂了，他知道布莱克曾经是波特夫妇的保密人，所以他自己就去追布莱克了。”

"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

“小矮星彼得……那个胖胖的小男孩，在霍格沃茨一直跟在他们后面的那个吗？”罗斯默塔问道。

"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find -- unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"

“把波特和布莱克当英雄来崇拜，”麦格教授说，“要是数聪明，从来不是他们一伙的。我时常对他很凶。你们可以想象现在我是多么……多么后悔……”她声音发涩，好像突然患了感冒。

"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

“好啦，米勒娃，”福吉宽容地说，“小矮星彼得死得英雄。目击者——是麻瓜们，事后我们自然抹去了他们的记忆——告诉我们说，小矮星彼得是怎样把布莱克逼到绝地的。他们说他在抽泣。‘莉莉和詹姆，小天狼星！你怎么能！’然后他拿起魔杖。当然，布莱克比他快。小矮星彼得就这样被炸成了碎片。”

"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself... and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."

麦格教授擤了擤鼻子，激动地说：“笨孩子，傻孩子……他在决斗的时候总是糟得不行……应该让魔法部来动手的……”

"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.

“我告诉你，要是我在小矮星彼得之前抓到布莱克，我可不用什么魔杖——我会折断——一个一个地折断他的四肢。”海格咆哮道。

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

“你都不知道你在说什么，海格。”福吉尖锐地说，“只有魔法法律执行队经过训练的打击手，也许才能在布莱克没有到走到绝境的时候打败他。那时我是魔法灾难部的副部长，我也是在布莱克杀了那么多人之后第一批赶到现场的。我——我永远不会忘记那场面。有时我做梦还梦见呢。街道中间有一个大坑，深得把下面的下水管道也弄破了。到处是尸体。麻瓜们尖叫着。而布莱克站在那里狂笑，小矮星彼得的残骸就在他面前……一堆血迹斑斑的袍子和不多——不多的碎块……”

"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"

福吉突然住了口。传来五个人擤鼻子的声音。

"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed --" "Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.

“好吧，故事你知道了，罗斯默塔，”福吉沙哑地说，“布莱克被魔法法律执行队的二十名巡逻员带走了，小矮星彼得则得到了一级梅林爵士勋章。我想这对他可怜的妈妈多少算是安慰吧。自从那以后，布莱克一直关在阿兹卡班。”

"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it --"

罗斯默塔女士长叹一声。“他疯了，是真的吗，部长？”

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.

“但愿他是疯了，”福吉慢慢地说，“我相信他的主子失败这件事让他在一段时期以内精神失常了。杀死小矮星彼得和那么多麻瓜，这是一个走投无路、绝望的人做的事……残酷……没有目的。但是上一次我视察阿兹卡班时遇到了布莱克。你们知道，那里的犯人多数坐在那里，在黑暗中对自己嘟嘟嚷嚷，他们已经没有什么意识了……但是，让我震惊的是，布莱克似乎很正常。他对我说的话很有条理。我感到烦恼不安。你们会以为他只是感到厌烦罢了——他问我有没有看完报纸，冷静得不得了，说他想做报纸上的纵横填字游戏。那些摄魂怪竟然没有对他产生什么影响，这真叫我震惊——而且他还是那里的要犯，看管他的人特别多，你们知道。狱卒就在他门口，白天黑夜都有。”

"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.

“但是，你想他逃出来要干什么呢？”罗斯默塔女士问。“天哪。部长。他不会又去找神秘人，会不会啊？”

"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead... an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.

“我敢说这是他的——哦——最终计划，”福吉含含糊糊地说道，“但是早在那以前我们就希望抓住布莱克。我必须说，如果神秘人是孤身一人，又没有朋友，这是一种局面……但要是把他最忠诚的仆人还给他，想到他会很快地东山再起，我就不寒而栗……”

"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"

玻璃和木头相碰的声音，很小。有人把杯子放到了桌子上。“你知道，康奈利，如果你要和校长一起吃晚饭，那我们不如现在就回城堡。”麦格教授说。

"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him --' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says.

哈利面前的脚再次一双一双地载着它们主人的身体移动了；斗篷的边沿映入眼里，罗斯默塔女士发亮的鞋跟消失在吧台后面。三把扫帚的门又开了，卷进来一阵雪花，老师们走了。

"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him.

“哈利？”

"But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd 've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore...."

罗恩和赫敏的脸出现在桌子下面。他们都瞪着他，一句话也说不出来。

A long silence followed Hagrid's story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!"

"Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew -- another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself."

"Pettigrew... that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta.

"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather ,harp with him. You can imagine how I -how I regret that now..." She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold.

"There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses -- Muggles, of course, we wiped their, memories later -- told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens...."

Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy ... foolish boy... he was always hopeless at dueling... should have left it to the Ministry...."

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't 've messed around with wands -- I'd 've ripped him limb -- from -- limb," Hagrid growled.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I -- I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him... a heap of bloodstained robes and a few -- a few fragments --"

Fudge's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown.

"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," said Fudge thickly. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement 'Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Blades been in Azkaban ever since."

Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh.

"Is it true he's mad, Minister?"

"I wish I could say that he was," said Fudge slowly. "I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man -- cruel... pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them... but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored -- asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the dementors seemed to be having on him -- and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."

"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?"

I daresay that is his -- er -- eventual plan," said Fudge evasively. "But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing... but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again...."

There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.

"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, he'd better head back up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall.

One by one, the pairs of feet in front of Harry took the weight of their owners once more; hems of cloaks swung into sight, and Madam Rosemerta's glittering heels disappeared behind the bar. The door of the Three Broomsticks opened again, there was another flurry of snow, and the teachers had disappeared.

"Harry?"

Ron's and Hermione's faces appeared under the table. They were both staring at him, lost for words.

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