OK阅读网

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

CHAPTER TWO AUNT MARGE'S BIG MISTAKE

第二章　玛姬姑妈的大错误

Harry went down to breakfast the next morning to find the three Dursleys already sitting around the kitchen table. They were watching a brand-new television, a welcome-home-for-the-summer present for Dudley, who had been complaining loudly about the long walk between the fridge and the television in the living room. Dudley had spent most of the summer in the kitchen, his piggy little eyes fixed on the screen and his five chins wobbling as he ate continually.

第二天早上，哈利下楼去吃早饭，这时他发现德思礼一家三口都已经坐在厨房的饭桌旁了。他们正在看一台崭新的电视机，这是为欢迎达力回家过暑假而买给他的礼物，达力一直在大声抱怨，说起居室里的冰箱离电视机太远了。在夏季的大部分时间，达力都泡在厨房里，他那双贪婪的小眼睛盯着电视机的荧屏，一面不断地吃东西，那五层下巴不断地颤动。

Harry sat down between Dudley and Uncle Vernon, a large, beefy man with very little neck and a lot of mustache. Far from wishing Harry a happy birthday, none of the Dursleys made any sign that they had noticed Harry enter the room, but Harry was far too used to this to care. He helped himself to a piece of toast and then looked up at the reporter on the television, who was halfway through a report on an escaped convict:

哈利在达力和弗农姨父之间坐了下来。弗农姨父是个粗壮的大个子，脖子很短，唇髭很重。德思礼一家人不但没有祝哈利生日快乐，而且根本没有表示出他们看见哈利走进厨房来了，但哈利对这种冷淡早已习以为常。他自己拿了一片吐司，然后看看电视上的新闻播音员，那播音员正在播报一名在逃罪犯的新闻，正说到了一半。

"... The public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."

“……公众必须注意布莱克带有武器，极其危险。已经特地设了一条热线，谁知道布莱克的踪迹，必须马上报告。”

"No need to tell us he's no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!"

“不用告诉我们他不怀好意，”弗农姨父哼着鼻子说，眼睛越过他正看着的报纸上方瞪着那名犯人，“瞧他那德性，一副脏相！看他那头发！”

He shot a nasty look sideways at Harry, whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon. Compared to the man on the television, however, whose gaunt face was surrounded by a matted, elbow-length tangle, Harry felt very well groomed indeed.

他恶意地斜着看了哈利一眼，哈利的一头乱发一直使弗农姨父看了就恼怒。然而，屏幕上那个人脸庞瘦削，周围都是纠结在一起、足有一尺长的乱发，与他相比，哈利觉得自己的确很整洁。

The reporter had reappeared.

新闻播音员又出现在屏幕上了。“农业和渔业部长今天将宣布——”

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today --"

“说下去！”弗农姨父咆哮道，狂怒地盯着这位播音员，“你还没有告诉我们这个疯子是从哪里逃出来的！这有什么用？疯子可能就要到这条街上来了！”

"Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from! \What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!"

佩妮姨妈骨瘦如柴，长着一张马脸，她突然转过身子，目不转睛地从厨房的窗子向外张望。哈利知道佩妮姨妈就是热切地想成为拨通热线电话的人。她是世界上最能吵吵嚷嚷的妇人，她一生中大部分时间都花在暗中监视她那些守法而令人厌烦的邻居这件事上了。

Aunt Petunia, who was bony and horse-faced, whipped around and peered intently out of the kitchen window. Harry knew Aunt Petunia would simply love to be the one to call the hot line number. She was the nosiest woman in the world and spent most of her life spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbors.

“他们什么时候才能明白，”弗农姨父用他那紫色的大拳头擂着桌子，说，“只有绞刑才能对付这种人！”

"When will they learn," said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?"

“说得是呀。”佩妮姨妈说，她还在斜眼看着邻居家的红花菜豆。

"Very true," said Aunt Petunia, who was still squinting into next door's runner beans.

弗农姨父喝干了他的茶杯，朝手表溜了一眼，又说：“我不如马上走的好，佩妮，玛姬的火车十点钟就到了。”

Uncle Vernon drained his teacup, glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten."

哈利本来还在想着楼上的飞天扫帚维修工具箱，听到这句话不禁一跳，很不愉快地回到现实中来了。“玛姬姑妈？”他脱口问道，“她——她不是要到这里来吧，是吗？”

Harry, whose thoughts had been upstairs with the Broomstick Servicing Kit, was brought back to earth with an unpleasant bump.

玛姬姑妈是弗农姨父的姐妹。尽管她不是哈利的血亲（哈利的妈妈和佩妮姨妈是姐妹），但是人们一直逼哈利叫她姑妈。玛姬姑妈住在乡下，房子周围有一个大花园，她在那里养叭喇狗。她不常到女贞路来，因为她舍不得离开她那些珍贵的狗，但她每次来访都给哈利留下可怕的、历历如新的记忆。

"Aunt Marge?" he blurted out. "Sh -- she's not coming here, is she?"

在达力五岁的生日宴会上，玛姬姑妈曾经用手杖痛打哈利的小腿，不让他在音乐造型游戏①中胜过达力。几年以后，她在圣诞节的时候来过，给达力的礼物是装有电脑的机器人，给哈利的是一盒狗饼干。她上一次来访的时候，正是哈利到霍格沃茨上学的前一年，哈利无意中踩了她的爱狗的爪子，这条狗就把哈利一直追到花园里，把他逼得爬上了树，而玛姬姑妈到了午夜以后才肯把狗叫回屋。达力家的人一说起这件事，至今还会捧腹大笑。

Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister. Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia's sister), he had been forced to call her "Aunt" all his life. Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs, but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry's mind.

“玛姬要在这里住上一个星期，”弗农姨父咆哮道，“既然我们说到了这件事，”他的一只肥胖的手指着哈利，“在我去接她以前，我们有必要把事情说说清楚。”

At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Margo had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues. A few years later, she had turned up at Christmas with a computerized robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for Harry. On her last visit, the year before Harry started at Hogwarts, Harry had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favorite dog. Ripper had chased Harry out into the garden and up a tree, and Aunt Marge had refused to call him off until past midnight. The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to Dudley's eyes.

达力痴笑起来，把视线从电视上收回了。达力看着哈利受父亲的欺负，因为这是他喜爱的娱乐方式。

"Marge'll be here for a week," Uncle Vernon snarled, 11 and while we're on the subject" -- he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry -- "we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her."

“第一，”弗农姨父吼道，“不准对玛姬说话无礼。”

Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television. Watching Harry being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favorite form of entertainment.

“好的，”哈利痛苦地说，“只要她对我说话时有礼。”

"Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge."

“第二，”弗农姨父说，装作没听见哈利的回答，“玛姬还不知道你那些不正常的地方，所以，她在这里的时候，我可不要——不要看见任何古怪的事情。你要规矩点，听懂了吗？”

"All right," said Harry bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to me.

“只要她守规矩。”哈利咬着牙说。

"Secondly," said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your abnormality, I don't want any -- any funny stuff while she's here.

“还有第三点，”弗农姨父说，现在他那双卑鄙的小眼睛在他那张紫色的大脸上成了两条缝，“我们已经告诉玛姬，说你上的是圣布鲁斯安全中心少年犯学校。”

You behave yourself, got me?"

“什么？”哈利嚷道。

"I will if she does," said Harry through gritted teeth.

“你必须坚持这样说，小子，要不然就会有麻烦的。”弗农姨父愤怒地说。

"And thirdly," said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now slits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys."

哈利坐在那里，心中大怒，气得脸发白，他瞪眼看着弗农姨父，简直不能相信这种说法。玛姬姑妈要来这里住一个星期——在德思礼家给他的生日礼物中，这是最坏的，包括弗农姨父的那双旧袜子在内。

"What?" Harry yelled.

“好吧，佩妮，”弗农姨父说，沉重地站起身来，“那我就到火车站去了。达力，要和我一起去吗？”

"And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, or there'll be trouble, spat Uncle Vernon.

“不去。”达力说，既然父亲已经对哈和威胁完毕，他的注意力又回到电视上去了。

Harry sat there, white-faced and furious, staring at Uncle Vernon, hardly able to believe it. Aunt Marge coming for a weeklong visit -- it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given him, including that pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.

“达力为了迎接姑妈的到来，要把自已打扮得漂亮一点，”佩妮姨妈说，抚摸着达力浓密的金发，“妈妈已经给你买了一个可爱的领结。”

"Well, Petunia," said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?"

弗农姨父拍拍达力那肥厚的肩膀。“那么，回头见了。”弗农姨父说，于是他离开了厨房。

"No," said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon had finished threatening Harry.

哈利本来是被吓得恍惚出神地坐在那里，这时忽然有了主意。他丢下那片吐司，迅速地站起来，跟着弗农姨父走到了前门。弗农姨父正在穿外套。

"Duddy's got to make himself smart for his auntie," said Aunt Petunia, smoothing Dudley's thick blond hair. "Mummy's bought him a lovely new bow tie."

“我可不带你去。”他回身看见哈利在看着他，就这样吼道。

Uncle Vernon clapped Dudley on his porky shoulder. "See you in a bit, then," he said, and he left the kitchen.

“好像我想去似的，”哈利冷冷地说，“我有事想问您。”

Harry, who had been sitting in a kind of horrified trance, had a sudden idea. Abandoning his toast, he got quickly to his feet and followed Uncle Vernon to the front door.

弗农姨父猜疑地看着他。

Uncle Vernon was pulling on his car coat.

“霍格——我们学校的三年级学生有时可以访问那座村子。”哈利说。

"I'm not taking you," he snarled as he turned to see Harry watching him.

“那又怎样？”弗农姨父厉声说，从大门旁边的一个钩子上取下车钥匙。

"Like I wanted to come," said Harry coldly. "I want to ask you something."

“我需要您给我签字表示同意。”哈利一口气说出来。

Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously.

“我干吗要同意？”弗农姨父嘲讽地说。

"Third years at Hog -- at my school are allowed to visit the village sometimes," said Harry.

“好吧，”哈利说，一面小心地选择字眼，“在玛姬姑妈面前假装我是在圣什么地方上学，这是一桩很难的事……”

"So?" snapped Uncle Vernon, taking his car keys from a hook next to the door.

“圣布鲁斯安全中心少年犯学校！”弗农姨父怒吼道。

"I need you to sign the permission form," said Harry in a rush.

哈利从他的声音里听出明显有惊慌的成分，心里很高兴。“正是，”哈利说道，镇静地看着弗农姨父那张紫色的大脸，“太长了，不好记啊。我总要说得像那么回事吧？要是我不小心说走了嘴呢？”

"And why should I do that?" sneered Uncle Vernon.

“你想吃点苦头，是吗？”弗农姨父怒吼起来，举着拳头就冲哈利走过来。

"Well," said Harry, choosing his words carefully, "it'll be hard work, pretending to Aunt Marge I go to that St. Whatsits --"

但哈利站在原地没动。“如果我吃了苦头，玛姬姑妈就不会忘记我可能告诉她的事情了。”哈利阴郁地说。

"St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, and Harry was pleased to hear a definite note of panic in Uncle Vernon's voice.

弗农姨父停住了，拳头仍旧举在半空中，脸气得成了紫褐色。

"Exactly," said Harry, looking calmly up into Uncle Vernon's large, purple face. "It's a lot to remember. I'll have to make it sound convincing, won't I? What if I accidentally let something slip?"

“但是，如果您在我的同意表上签字，”哈利迅速地说下去，“我发誓我会记住我是到哪里去上学的，而且我会像麻——像平常人一样说话做事的。”

"You'll get the stuffing knocked out of you, won't you?" roared Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry with his fist raised. But Harry stood his ground.

哈利可以看出弗农姨父正在考虑，尽管他的牙齿露了出来，太阳穴那里有一根血管在跳动。

"Knocking the stuffing out of me won't make Aunt Marge forget what I could tell her," he said grimly.

“好吧，”他终于厉声说，“玛姬在的时候，我会小心监视你的行为的。如果，一直到最后，你守规矩，一直那么说，我就在你那倒霉的表上签字。”

Uncle Vernon stopped, his fist still raised, his face an ugly puce.

他转过身去，拉开前门，再使劲关上，他使的劲儿那么大，以至于门顶上玻璃都掉下来一块。

"But if you sign my permission form," Harry went on quickly, "I swear I'll remember where I'm supposed to go to school, and I'll act like a Mug -- like I'm normal and everything."

哈利没有回到厨房去。他回到楼上自己的卧室里去了。如果他要像真正的世俗之人一样行事，不如现在就开始。他缓慢而忧伤地把他所有的礼物和生日贺卡收集在一起，再把它们和他的家庭作业一块儿藏到那块松动的地板下面。然后他走向海德薇的笼子。埃罗尔好像已经恢复了，它和海德薇都睡着了，脑袋藏在翅膀下面。哈利叹了口气，然后把它们两个都捅醒了。

Harry could tell that Uncle Vernon was thinking it over, even if his teeth were bared and a vein was throbbing in his temple.

“海德薇，”他闷闷不乐地说，“你必须离开这里一星期。和埃罗尔一起去吧，罗恩会照顾你的。我会给他写张便条，向他解释。不要这样地看着我，”海德薇琥珀色的大眼睛充满了谴责的神色，“这不是我的过错。只有这样，我才能得到允许，和罗恩、赫敏一块儿到霍格莫德去。”

"Right," he snapped finally. "I shall monitor your behavior carefully during Marge's visit. If, at the end of it, you've toed the line and kept to the story, I'll sign your ruddy form."

十分钟以后，埃罗尔和海德薇（它腿上绑着给罗恩的便条）飞出了窗子。飞得看不见了。哈利现在感到了彻底地悲哀，把海德薇的空笼子收到衣橱里去了。

He wheeled around, pulled open the front door, and slammed it so hard that one of the little panes of glass at the top fell out.

但是哈利沉思的时间并不久。不一会儿，佩妮姨妈就从楼梯那里尖叫着要哈利下楼准备迎接客人了。

Harry didn't return to the kitchen. He went back upstairs to his bedroom. If he was going to act like a real Muggle, he'd better start now. Slowly and sadly he gathered up all his presents and his birthday cards and hid them under the loose floorboard with his homework. Then he went to Hedwig's cage. Errol seemed to have recovered; he and Hedwig were both asleep, heads under their wings. Harry sighed, then poked them both awake.

哈利认为把自己的头发弄平没有什么意思。玛姬姑妈就是喜欢批评哈利，所以，哈利越是不整洁，她就越高兴。

"Hedwig," he said gloomily, "you're going to have to clear off for a week. Go with Errol. Ron'll look after you. I'll write him a note, explaining. And don't look at me like that" -- Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful -- "it's not my fault. It's the only way I'll be allowed to visit Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione."

一会儿工夫，就传来小石子儿的嘎吱声，这是弗农姨父的车子开回门前的车道上了，然后是汽车门关上的声音，还有花园小路上的脚步声。

Ten minutes later, Errol and Hedwig (who had a note to Ron bound to her leg) soared out of the window and out of sight. Harry, now feeling thoroughly miserable, put the empty cage away inside the wardrobe.

“到门口去！”佩妮姨妈尖叫着对哈利说道。

But Harry didn't have long to brood. In next to no time, Aunt Petunia was shrieking up the stairs for Harry to come down and get ready to welcome their guest.

哈利心里老大不情愿地打开了门。

"Do something about your hair!" Aunt Petunia snapped as he reached the hall.

玛姬姑妈站在门槛上。她和弗农姨父长得很像：大个子、粗壮、紫色的脸，甚至还有唇髭，只不过没有弗农姨父那样重。她一手提着个巨大的手提箱，另一边的腋下夹着一头脾气很坏的老叭喇狗利皮。

Harry couldn't see the point of trying to make his hair lie flat. Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier he looked, the happier she would be.

“我的达力儿哪里去了？”玛姬姑妈叫道，“我的宝贝侄子呢？”

All too soon, there was a crunch of gravel outside as Uncle Vernon's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors and footsteps on the garden path.

达力摇摇摆摆地从厅里走了过来，他的金发平平地贴在他那扁平的脑袋上，在他的多层下巴下面，一个领结隐约可见。玛姬姑妈把手提箱一把推到哈利的怀里，抵得他喘不过气来，她一手紧紧搂住达力，同时在达力面颊上大大地亲了一口。哈利清清楚楚地知道，达力之所以能容忍玛姬姑妈的拥抱，完全是因为他会得到很好的报酬。事情也果然如此，这两人分开以后，达力的胖拳头里就攥着一张崭新的二十英镑钞票。

"Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Harry.

“佩妮！”玛姬姑妈叫道，大步跨过哈利，就好像哈利只不过是个帽架子似的。玛姬姑妈和佩妮姨妈亲吻，或者不如说，玛姬姑妈的大下巴在佩妮姨妈瘦瘦的颊骨上撞了一下。

A feeling of great gloom in his stomach, Harry pulled the door open.

弗农姨父现在进来了，关门的时候显得很高兴。“喝茶吗，玛姬？”他问，“利皮喝点什么呢？”

On the threshold stood Aunt Marge. She was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple- faced, she even had a mustache, though not as bushy as his. In one hand she held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog.

“利皮从我的茶托里喝一点就成了。”玛姬姑妈说道，于是他们鱼贯进入厨房，只留下哈利一个人拿着手提箱站在厅里。但是哈利并不抱怨，对于他来说，不和玛姬姑妈在一起的任何借口都是好的，所以他开始努力地将这只箱子抱到楼上的空闲房间里去，尽量拖长做这件事的时间。

"Where's my Dudders?" roared Aunt Marge. "Where's my neffy-poo?"

等他回到厨房的时候，玛姬姑妈已经喝上了茶，吃上了水果蛋糕，利皮则在角落里喧闹地舔食。佩妮姨妈见到她洁净地板上斑驳的茶渍和口水，不觉畏缩了一下，哈利看在眼里。佩妮姨妈痛恨动物。

Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins. Aunt Marge thrust the suitcase into Harry's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, seized Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, and planted a large kiss on his cheek.

“剩下的狗谁在照顾呀，玛姬？”弗农姨父问道。

Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley only put up with Aunt Marge's hugs because he was well paid for it, and sure enough, when they broke apart, Dudley had a crisp twenty-pound note clutched in his fat fist.

“哦，我叫富布斯特上校照管它们，”玛姬姑妈满脸生辉地说，“他现在退休了，有点事情做做对他有好处。我离不开可怜的利皮。要是它不在我身边，它就会消瘦的。”

"Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, striding past Harry as though he was a hat stand. Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather, Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunia's bony cheekbone.

正当哈利坐下来的时候，利皮开始吠叫起来。玛姬姑妈这才第一次把注意力转向哈利。

Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door.

“这么说！”玛姬姑妈怒气冲冲地说，“你还在这里，是不是？”

"Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?"

“是。”哈利说。

"Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer," said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving Harry alone in the hall with the suitcase. But Harry wasn't complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was fine by him, so he began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as he could.

“不要用这种不知道好歹的腔调说‘是’，”玛姬姑妈咆哮道，“弗农和佩妮收留了你，他们真是够好的了。要是我才不干呢。要是有人把你扔到我的大门口，你早就直截了当地到孤儿院了。”

By the time he got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Harry saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Aunt Petunia hated animals.

哈利真想说他宁愿待在孤儿院也不愿意和德思礼家人住在一起，但他想到那张同意表，就忍住了没说。他勉强在脸上挤出痛苦的笑容来。

"Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked.

“别对我假笑！”玛姬姑妈声音隆隆地说道，“我看得出来，自从上次我看见你以来，你没有什么进步。我希望学校能强迫你学会些礼貌。”她吞下一大口茶，擦擦她的唇髭，又说：“弗农，我又忘了，你把他送到什么地方去了啊？”

"Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them," boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me."

“圣布鲁斯，”弗农姨父立即说，“对于那些无可救药的人来说，那是家第一流的机构。”

Ripper began to growl again as Harry sat down. This directed Aunt Marge's attention to Harry for the first time.

“我明白了。”玛姬姑妈说，“小子，圣布鲁斯的人使用藤杖吗？”她隔着桌子对哈利怒气冲冲地说。

"So!" she barked. "Still here, are you?"

“唔……”弗农姨父在玛姬姑妈背后简短地点了一下头。

"Yes," said Harry.

“是啊。”哈利说。然后，他觉得似乎应该把事情做得像样些，就说：“一直用的。”

"Don't you say yes' in that ungrateful tone," Aunt Marge growled. "It's damn good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd have gone straight to an orphanage if you'd been dumped on my doorstep."

“太好了，”玛姬姑妈说，“我可不要听那些哼哼叽叽、空洞无聊的废话，说什么不要打那些该打的人。十之八九，这类人需要好好地痛打一顿。你时常挨打吗？”

Harry was bursting to say that he'd rather live in an orphanage than with the Dursleys, but the thought of the Hogsmeade form stopped him. He forced his face into a painful smile.

“哦，是的，”哈利说，“许多次了。”

"Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge. "I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you." She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her mustache, and said, "Where is it that you send him, again, Vernon?"

玛姬姑妈把眼睛眯起来。“我仍旧不喜欢你说话的腔调，小子。”她说道，“如果你能够用这种随随便便的口气说出你挨打的事，那他们显然打你打得不够狠。佩妮，我要是你的话，我会给学校写信的，写清楚你同意对这小子使用极端力量。”

"St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases."

也许弗农姨父担心哈利会忘记他们之间的交易，不管怎么说，他突然改变了话题。“听到今天早晨的新闻了吗，玛姬？那个在逃的犯人怎样了，嗯？”

"I see," said Aunt Marge. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy?" she barked across the table.

玛姬姑妈开始安顿下来，哈利却发现自己几乎在渴望这家里过着没有玛姬的日子。弗农姨父和佩妮姨妈通常告诫哈利不要碍他们的事，哈利也巴不得他们这样对待他。玛姬姑妈却正相反，什么时候都要哈利在她眼皮子底下，以便她能提出让他改进的意见来。她喜欢拿哈利和达力进行比较，她对哈利总是怒目注视，同时给达力买昂贵的礼物，这样做事她感到极大地愉抉，好像在向他挑战，看他敢不敢质问为什么他不能得到礼物。她还不断阴险地暗示哈利为什么会成为这样一个不知感恩的人。

"Er --"

“你一定不要为这家伙竟然会是这副样子而谴责自己，弗农。”第三天她在午饭时说，“如果骨子里有什么东西腐败了，那就谁也没办法了。”

Uncle Vernon nodded curtly behind Aunt Marge's back.

哈利努力把注意力只放在食物上，但他的手抖了起来，他的脸因生气而涨得通红。记住那张表，他告诉自己。想想霍格莫德。不要说什么话。不要站——

"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "all the time."

玛姬姑妈起身去够她那瓶葡萄酒。“这是育种的一条基本规则，”她说道，“你看养狗就一直是这样的。如果母狗有什么不对头的地方，小狗也必定有什么地方不好——”

"Excellent," said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have you been beaten often?"

这时，玛姬姑妈手里握着的酒瓶爆炸了。玻璃碎片飞向四面八方，玛姬姑妈因生气而激动起来，眼睛眨巴着，酒在她那张大脸上直往下流。

"Oh, yeah," said Harry, "loads of times."

“玛姬！”佩妮姨妈尖叫起来，“玛姬，你没事吧？”

Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes.

“不必担心，”玛姬姑妈咕哝着说，用餐巾揩着脸，“一定是刚才握得太紧了。那天在富布斯特上校那里也出过同样的事。不用慌张，佩妮，我是很坚强的……”

"I still don't like your tone, boy," she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case."

但是佩妮姨妈和弗农姨父都用怀疑的眼光看着哈利，所以哈利认为他不如放弃布丁，尽快离开餐桌为好。

Perhaps Uncle Vernon was worried that Harry might forget their bargain; in any case, he changed the subject abruptly.

他走到厅里，靠在墙上，深深地呼吸。从他上一次失去控制并且使某个东西爆炸到现在，已经有很长时间了。他可不能再让这种事情发生。去霍格莫德的那张表还不是现在最需要考虑的事情——如果他这样干下去，魔法部就会找他的麻烦了。

"Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?"

哈利还是未成年的男巫，魔法界的法律禁止他在学校以外的地方施展魔法。他的记录可不是很好，就在去年夏天，他得到一次正式警告，警告说得很清楚：如果魔法部得到风声，说他如果在女贞路再次施展魔法，那霍格沃茨就有可能开除哈利。

As Aunt Marge started to make herself at home, Harry caught himself thinking almost longingly of life at number four without her. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged Harry to stay out of their way, which Harry was only too happy to do. Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted Harry under her eye at all times, so that she could boom out suggestions for his improvement. She delighted in comparing Harry with Dudley, and took huge pleasure in buying Dudley expensive presents while glaring at Harry, as though daring him to ask why he hadn't got a present too. She also kept throwing out dark hints about what made Harry such an unsatisfactory person.

他听到德思礼一家人离开了餐桌，于是他急忙上楼避开他们。

"You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it."

以后的三天里，只要姑妈瞪着哈利，他就强迫自己想想那本《飞天扫帚护理手册》。这个办法很能奏效，尽管这么做让他有一种发呆的样子，因为玛姬姑妈开始发表意见说他精神不正常。

Harry tried to concentrate on his food, but his hands shook and his face was starting to burn with anger. Remember the form, he told himself Think about Hogsmeade. Don't say anything. Don't rise

最后，终于到了这一天，这是玛姬姑妈在这里做客的最后一个晚上，佩妮姨妈准备了高级的正餐，弗农姨父打开了好几瓶葡萄酒。大家喝了汤，吃了大马哈鱼，一次也没有提到哈利的种种不是。在吃柠檬蛋白酥皮馅饼的时候，弗农姨父絮絮不休地谈到他那制造钻机的格朗宁公司，让大家都感到心烦。然后佩妮姨妈烧了咖啡，弗农姨父拿出一瓶白兰地来。

Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine.

“玛姬，你也来一点吧？”

"It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup --"

玛姬姑妈已经喝了不少葡萄酒了，她那张大脸已经很红了。“那么，少喝一点，”她咯咯笑着说，“比这个多一点……再多一点……这就妥了。”

At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping.

达力正在吃第四片馅饼。佩妮姨妈正翘着小指头啜饮咖啡。哈利真想回到自己的房间去，但他遇到了弗农姨父愤怒的小眼睛，于是他知道他必须一直坐到最后大家都吃完的时候。

"Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?"

“啊，”玛姬姑妈说，咂咂嘴唇，把已经喝空的杯子放了下来，“点心做得真好，佩妮。通常我晚上只吃一份油炸食品，我有十二条狗要照顾啊……”她响亮地打着嗝儿，拍拍她那大肚子。“原谅我。不过我的确喜欢看到健康正常的孩子，”她继续说下去，向达力眨眨眼，“你会长成身材正常的男人的，达力儿，就像你的爸爸一样。哦，弗农，我还想要一点白兰地……”

"Not to worry," grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip..."

“喏，这一个——”她把脑袋向哈利一扬，哈利感到胃里一阵紧。手册，他提醒自己。“这一个有一副卑鄙自私、比正常人要小的样子。狗就有这种情况。去年我就叫富布斯特上校淹死了一条狗。那是一条像耗子一样的小东西，它很瘦弱，发育不好。”哈利努力回忆着手册第十二页的内容：纠正脑筋不愿拐弯的魔咒。

But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at Harry suspiciously, so he decided he'd better skip dessert and escape from the table as soon as he could.

“这都是由于血统不好，那天我就是这样说的。坏的血统会表现出来的。我不是在说你家庭的坏话，佩妮——”她用她那像小铲子一样的手拍拍佩妮那瘦骨嶙嶙的手，“但是你的妹妹是坏家伙。她出身于最好的家庭。然后她跟一个饭桶跑了，其后果现在就在我们眼前。”

Outside in the hall, he leaned against the wall, breathing deeply It had been a long time since he'd lost control and made something explode. He couldn't afford to let it happen again. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake -- if he carried on like that, he'd be in trouble with the Ministry of Magic.

哈利瞪着他的盘子，耳朵里有一种奇异的声音。牢牢抓住扫帚尾部，他心里念叨着。但底下还有什么他就记不住了。

Harry was still an underage wizard, and he was forbidden by wizard law to do magic outside school. His record wasn't exactly clean either. Only last summer he'd gotten an official warning that had stated quite clearly that if the Ministry got wind of any more magic in Privet Drive, Harry would face expulsion from Hogwarts.

玛姬姑妈的声音好像直钻进了他的心里，就像弗农姨父的钻机一样。“这个波特，”玛姬姑妈大声说，一面抓住那个白兰地酒瓶，又向她的酒杯里和桌布上泼泼洒洒地倒了一些酒，“你怎么从来没有告诉过我他是做什么的呢？”

He heard the Dursleys leaving the table and hurried upstairs out of the way.

弗农姨父和佩妮姨妈看上去神情极其专注。达力甚至从他的馅饼上抬起头，目瞪口呆地看着他的双亲。

Harry got through the next three days by forcing himself to think about his Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare whenever Aunt Marge started on him. This worked quite well, though it seemed to give him a glazed look, because Aunt Marge started voicing the opinion that he was mentally subnormal.

“他——不工作的，”弗农姨父说，偷眼看了看哈利，“失业了。”

At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge's stay arrived. Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine. They got all the way through the soup and the salmon without a single mention of Harry's faults; during the lemon meringue pie, Uncle Vernon bored them A with a long talk about Grunnings, his drill-making company; then Aunt Petunia made coffee and Uncle Vernon brought out a bottle of brandy.

“我猜的没错吧！”玛姬姑妈说着，喝了一大口白兰地，用袖子擦了擦嘴。“一个没有价值、一无是处、懒惰的乞讨者，这种人——”

"Can I tempt you, Marge?"

“他不是这种人。”哈利突然说道。餐桌上没人说话，很安静。哈利浑身发抖，他一生之中还从来没有这样动过怒。

Aunt Marge had already had quite a lot of wine. Her huge face was very red.

“再来一点白兰地！”弗农姨父嚷道，他的脸已经很白了。他把瓶里的酒都倒在了玛姬姑妈的杯子里。“你，小子，”他对哈利粗暴地说道，“睡觉去，去——”

"Just a small one, then," she chuckled. "A bit more than that... and a bit more... that's the ticket."

“别，弗农。”玛姬姑妈打着嗝儿说，一面举起手来，她那双充血的小眼睛紧盯着哈利。“说下去，小子。为你的双亲骄傲，对吗？他们出门，遇到车祸，死了（我想，是喝醉了吧）——”

Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie. Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out. Harry really wanted to disappear into his bedroom, but he met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew he would have to sit it out.

“他们不是因为车祸才死的！”哈利说，不知不觉，他已经站了起来。

"Aah," said Aunt Marge, smacking her lips and putting the empty brandy glass back down. "Excellent nosh, Petunia. It's normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after...." She burped richly and patted her great tweed stomach. "Pardon me. But I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she went on, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon...."

“他们是因为车祸死的，你这个小撒谎精！他们还把你这个负担丢下来，丢给他们体面的、努力工作的亲戚！”玛姬姑妈尖叫道，愤怒得一塌糊涂。“你是个傲慢无礼、不知感激的小——”

"Now, this one here --"

但玛姬姑妈突然住嘴不说了。有一会儿工夫，好像她张口结舌，说不出话来似的。她似乎由于没法形容的愤怒而膨胀开来了——但是这种膨胀并没有停止。她那张通红的大脸开始扩展，她那双小眼睛向外突出，她的嘴张得太大，没法说话。过了一秒钟，好几枚纽扣从她的花呢衣服上进了下来，砰砰地撞在墙上——她膨胀着，活像一只大得吓人的气球，她的肚子胀得挣开了那根花呢腰带，她的每一根手指都胀得像香肠那样粗……

She jerked her head at Harry, who felt his stomach clench. The Handbook, he thought quickly.

“玛姬！”

"This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was- Weak. Underbred."

弗农姨父和佩妮姨妈一起大叫道，此时玛姬姑妈的整个身体开始离开她的座椅，向天花板升去。现在她完全是圆的了，她像个有一双小眼睛的救生圈一样，在她向空中飘浮的时候。她的双手和双脚古怪地伸着，发出一阵阵爆破声。利皮溜进房间，发疯似的吠叫着。

Harry was trying to remember page twelve of his book: A Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers. "It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day.

“别——”

Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia" she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovellike one "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result right in front of us."

弗农姨父抓住玛姬姑妈的一条腿，想把她拉下来，但他自己也差一点儿被拉得离开了地板。又过了一秒钟，利皮向前一跳，咬住了弗农姨父的腿。

Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears. Grasp your broom firmly by the tail, he thought. But he couldn't remember what came next. Aunt Marge's voice seemed to be boring into him like one of Uncle Vernon's drills.

在还未来得及阻止哈利以前，哈利就离开了这个房间，冲向楼梯下面的那个碗柜。他走到那里去的时候，碗柜的门神秘地打开了。几秒钟之内，他已经用力举起他的衣箱放到了大门口。他全速奔跑上楼，一头钻到床下，猛然掀开那块松动的地板，抓出那个装满了他的书和生日礼物的枕套。他扭动着身子从床底下退出来，一把抓住海德薇的空笼子，冲下楼梯奔向他的衣箱，这时弗农姨父正好从餐室出来。他的裤腿成了破破烂烂的布条。

"This Potter, 5) said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?"

“回到这里来！”他咆哮道，“回来，把事情弄好！”

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents.

但是，哈利正在不顾一切的狂怒之中。他一脚踢开那只衣箱，拉出了他的魔杖，用魔杖指着弗农姨父。“她活该，”哈利说，呼吸急促，“她是自作自受。你离我远点儿。”

"He -- didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at Harry. "Unemployed."

他在身后摸索着寻找门栓。

"As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who --"

“我走了，”哈利说。“我受够了。”

"He was not," said Harry suddenly. The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over. He had never felt so angry in his life.

一会儿，他就出门到了黑暗、安静的街上了，他身后拖着沉重的衣箱，胁下夹着海德薇的笼子。

"MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white. He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass. "You, boy," he snarled at Harry. "Go to bed, go on --"

①音乐造型游戏，参加者随音乐声原地旋转，听到音乐终止后立即停住。然后评判各人的滑稽姿势。

"No, Vernon," hiccuped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Harry's. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect) --"

'They didn't die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet.

"They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little --"

But Aunt Marge suddenly stopped speaking. For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her. She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger -- but the swelling didn't stop. Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech -- next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls -- she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami --

"MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises. Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself. A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg.

Harry tore from the dining room before anyone could stop him, heading for the cupboard under the stairs. The cupboard door burst magically open as he reached it. In seconds, he had heaved his trunk to the front door. He sprinted upstairs and threw himself under the bed, wrenching up the loose floorboard, and grabbed the pillowcase full of his books and birthday presents. He wriggled out, seized Hedwig's empty cage, and dashed back downstairs to his trunk, just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters.

"COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"

But a reckless rage had come over Harry. He kicked his trunk open, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon.

"She deserved it," Harry said, breathing very fast. "She deserved what she got. You keep away from me."

He fumbled behind him for the latch on the door.

"I'm going," Harry said. "I've had enough."

And in the next moment, he was out in the dark, quiet street, heaving his heavy trunk behind him, Hedwig's cage under his arm.