OK阅读网

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

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN THE LIGHTNING STRUCK TOWER

第二十七章　被闪电击中的塔楼

Once back under the starry sky, Harry heaved Dumbledore onto the top of the nearest boulder and then to his feet. Sodden and shivering, Dumbledore’s weight still upon him, Harry concentrated harder than he had ever done upon his destination: Hogsmeade. Closing his eyes, gripping Dumbledore’s arm as tightly as he could, he stepped forward into that feeling of horrible compression.

回到布满繁星的夜空下，哈利把邓布利多拖到离他们最近的那块巨型卵石顶上，扶他站了起来。邓布利多浑身透湿，瑟瑟发抖，全身的重量仍然压在哈利身上。哈利全神贯注，所有的意念都集中于他的目的地——霍格莫德村。他闭上眼睛，紧紧抓着邓布利多的胳膊，一下子跨进了那种恐怖的挤压感中。

He knew it had worked before he opened his eyes: The smell of salt, the sea breeze had gone. He and Dumbledore were shivering and dripping in the middle of the dark High Street in Hogsmeade. For one horrible moment Harry’s imagination showed him more Inferi creeping toward him around the sides of shops, but he blinked and saw that nothing was stirring; all was still, the darkness complete but for a few streetlamps and lit upper windows.

没等睁开眼睛，他就知道成功了——海风和海腥味都消失了。他和邓布利多站在霍格莫德村漆黑的马路上，浑身发抖，衣服往下滴着水。恍惚间，哈利似乎看见又有阴尸从一些商店旁边钻出来，朝他一步步紧逼过来，可是他眨眨眼睛，却发现什么动静也没有。四下里一片寂静，夜黑得很深，只看见几盏路灯和楼上几扇亮灯的窗户。

“We did it, Professor!” Harry whispered with difficulty; he suddenly realized that he had a searing stitch in his chest. “We did it! We got the Horcrux!”

“我们成功了，教授！”哈利费了很大的力气低声说，他突然发现他的胸口火辣辣地痛。“我们成功了！我们拿到了魂器！”

Dumbledore staggered against him. For a moment, Harry thought that his inexpert Apparition had thrown Dumbledore off balance; then he saw his face, paler and damper than ever in the distant light of a streetlamp.

邓布利多东倒西歪地撞在他的身上。哈利起初还以为是他的幻影移形不够熟练，使邓布利多脚下失去了平衡，紧接着他看见了邓布利多的脸，在远处一盏路灯的映照下，这张脸比任何时候都苍白、没有生气。

“Sir, are you all right?”

“先生，你没事吧？”

“I’ve been better,” said Dumbledore weakly, though the corners of his mouth twitched. “That potion . . . was no health drink. . . .”

“没有以前好了，”邓布利多虚弱地说，他的嘴角在抽搐，“那种药水……可不是什么健康饮料……”

And to Harry’s horror, Dumbledore sank onto the ground.

令哈利大为惊恐的是，邓布利多一下子瘫倒在地上。

“Sir — it’s okay, sir, you’re going to be all right, don’t worry —”

“先生——没事了，先生，你很快就会好的，别担心——”

He looked around desperately for help, but there was nobody to be seen and all he could think was that he must somehow get Dumbledore quickly to the hospital wing.

他焦急地四处张望着，想找人来帮忙，可是看不见一个人影，他只知道必须想办法赶紧把邓布利多送到校医院去。

“We need to get you up to the school, sir. . . . Madam Pomfrey . . .”

“我们需要把你送到学校，先生……庞弗雷夫人……”

“No,” said Dumbledore. “It is . . . Professor Snape whom I need. . . . But I do not think . . . I can walk very far just yet. . . .”

“不，”邓布利多说，“我需要的……是斯内普教授……不过我认为……我走不了多远……”

“Right — sir, listen — I’m going to knock on a door, find a place you can stay — then I can run and get Madam —”

“好的——先生，听我说——我去敲一户人家的门，找个地方让你待着——然后我就可以跑去找庞弗雷——”

“Severus,” said Dumbledore clearly. “I need Severus. . . .”

“西弗勒斯，”邓布利多清清楚楚地说，“我需要西弗勒斯……”

“All right then, Snape — but I’m going to have to leave you for a moment so I can —”

“好吧，斯内普——但是我需要暂时离开你一会儿，好去——”

Before Harry could make a move, however, he heard running footsteps. His heart leapt: Somebody had seen, somebody knew they needed help — and looking around he saw Madam Rosmerta scurrying down the dark street toward them on high-heeled, fluffy slippers, wearing a silk dressing gown embroidered with dragons.

然而，哈利还没动身，就听见奔跑的脚步声。他的心欢跳起来——有人看见了，有人知道他们需要帮助了——他扭头一看，罗斯默塔夫人顺着漆黑的街道朝他们跑来，脚上穿着毛绒高跟拖鞋，身上是一件绣着火龙的丝绸晨衣。

“I saw you Apparate as I was pulling my bedroom curtains!

“我刚才拉上卧室窗帘时，看见你们幻影显形来着！谢天谢地，谢天谢地，我真不知道该——咦，阿不思这是怎么啦？”

STRUCK TOWER Thank goodness, thank goodness, I couldn’t think what to — but what’s wrong with Albus?”

她刹住脚步，瞪大眼睛，低头望着邓布利多。

She came to a halt, panting, and stared down, wide-eyed, at Dumbledore.

“他受伤了。”哈利说，“罗斯默塔夫人，能不能让他到三把扫帚里待一会儿，我到学校里找人来帮忙？”

“He’s hurt,” said Harry. “Madam Rosmerta, can he come into the Three Broomsticks while I go up to the school and get help for him?”

“你不能独自回去！你没有发现——你没有看见吗——？”

“You can’t go up there alone! Don’t you realize — haven’t you seen — ?

“麻烦你帮我扶他一下，”哈利没有听她说话，只管对她说道，“我想我们可以把他弄进去——”

“If you help me support him,” said Harry, not listening to her, “I think we can get him inside —”

“出什么事了？”邓布利多问，“罗斯默塔，怎么回事？”

“What has happened?” asked Dumbledore. “Rosmerta, what’s wrong?”

“黑——黑魔标记，阿不思。”

“The — the Dark Mark, Albus.”

她用手指着霍格沃茨方向的天空。哈利听见这几个字，内心顿时充满了恐惧……他转眼望去。

And she pointed into the sky, in the direction of Hogwarts. Dread flooded Harry at the sound of the words. . . . He turned and looked.

它果然在那儿，悬挂在学校上空：那个绿得耀眼的骷髅，嘴里吐出蛇信子般的舌头，食死徒们无论什么时候闯入一座建筑物……无论在什么地方杀了人……都要留下这样的标记……

There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building . . . wherever they had murdered. . . .

“它是什么时候出现的？”邓布利多问，他挣扎着站了起来，手把哈利的肩膀抓得生疼。

“When did it appear?” asked Dumbledore, and his hand clenched painfully upon Harry’s shoulder as he struggled to his feet.

“一定是在几分钟前，我把猫放出去的时候它还不在那儿，可是等我上了楼——”

“Must have been minutes ago, it wasn’t there when I put the cat out, but when I got upstairs —”

“我们要立刻回城堡去。”邓布利多说，“罗斯默塔，”他虽然脚步还有些踉跄，但似乎已经开始主动控制局面，“我们需要交通工具——飞天扫帚——”

“We need to return to the castle at once,” said Dumbledore. “Rosmerta” — and though he staggered a little, he seemed wholly in command of the situation — “we need transport — brooms —”

“我的酒吧后面有两把，”罗斯默塔说，神色非常惊恐，“要不要我跑去取来——？”

“I’ve got a couple behind the bar,” she said, looking very frightened. “Shall I run and fetch — ?”

“不，哈利可以办到。”

“No, Harry can do it.”

哈利立刻举起魔杖。

Harry raised his wand at once.

“罗斯默塔的扫帚飞来！”

“Accio Rosmerta’s Brooms!”

一秒钟后，他们就听见砰的一声巨响，酒吧的前门被撞开了。两把扫帚嗖地蹿到街上，你追我赶地冲到了哈利身边，然后突然停在腰那么高的位置上，微微地颤动着。

A second later they heard a loud bang as the front door of the pub burst open; two brooms had shot out into the street and were racing each other to Harry’s side, where they stopped dead, quivering slightly at waist height.

“罗斯默塔，请给魔法部送一个情报。”邓布利多说着骑上了离他最近的那把扫帚，“也许霍格沃茨内部的人还不知道已经出事了……哈利，穿上你的隐形衣。”

“Rosmerta, please send a message to the Ministry,” said Dumbledore, as he mounted the broom nearest him. “It might be that nobody within Hogwarts has yet realized anything is wrong. . . . Harry, put on your Invisibility Cloak.”

哈利从口袋里掏出隐形衣披在身上，然后骑上了他的扫帚。当哈利和邓布利多一蹬地面，飞向空中时，罗斯默塔夫人已经跌跌撞撞地朝她的酒吧跑去了。两把扫帚迅疾地朝着城堡飞去，哈利侧眼看了看邓布利多，想在他万一摔落时拉他一把，没想到，黑魔标记的出现似乎给邓布利多注入了一针强心剂，他俯身伏在扫帚上，眼睛紧紧地盯着黑魔标记，银白色的长头发和胡须在他身后的夜空中飘荡。哈利便也朝那个骷髅望去，恐惧像一个有毒的气泡一样膨胀着，挤压着他的肺部，他已根本没有心思考虑其他不适……

Harry pulled his Cloak out of his pocket and threw it over himself before mounting his broom: Madam Rosmerta was already tottering back toward her pub as Harry and Dumbledore kicked off from the ground and rose up into the air. As they sped toward the castle, Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore, ready to grab him should he fall, but the sight of the Dark Mark seemed to have acted upon Dumbledore like a stimulant: He was bent low over his broom, his eyes fixed upon the Mark, his long silver hair and beard flying behind him on the night air. And Harry too looked ahead at the skull, and fear swelled inside him like a venomous bubble, compressing his lungs, driving all other discomfort from his mind. . . .

他们离开了多久？罗恩、赫敏和金妮的好运气用完了没有？难道是他们中间的哪个人使得黑魔标记出现在学校上空？或者是纳威、卢娜，或者D．A．的其他某个成员？如果真是那样……是他叫他们在走廊上巡逻的，是他叫他们离开安全的床铺的……难道，他又要为一位朋友的死负责吗？

How long had they been away? Had Ron, Hermione, and Ginny’s luck run out by now? Was it one of them who had caused the Mark to be set over the school, or was it Neville, or Luna, or some other member of the D.A.? And if it was . . . he was the one

他们飞过先前走过的那些漆黑的、蜿蜒曲折的小巷，晚风在哈利耳边呼啸掠过，在这声音之外，他听见邓布利多又在用某种奇怪的语言低声说着什么。他们飞过围墙、进入场地时，他的扫帚颤抖了一会儿，哈利知道这其中的原因：邓布利多正在解开他亲手设置在城堡周围的那些魔法，这样他们才能迅速进入学校。黑魔标记是在城堡的制高点——天文塔的上空闪烁着。难道这意味着死亡就发生在那里？

STRUCK TOWER who had told them to patrol the corridors, he had asked them to leave the safety of their beds. . . . Would he be responsible, again, for the death of a friend?

邓布利多已经越过了钝锯齿形的城堡围墙，正从扫帚上下来。几秒钟后，哈利降落在他身边，朝四周张望着。

As they flew over the dark, twisting lane down which they had walked earlier, Harry heard, over the whistling of the night air in his ears, Dumbledore muttering in some strange language again. He thought he understood why as he felt his broom shudder when they flew over the boundary wall into the grounds: Dumbledore was undoing the enchantments he himself had set around the castle so they could enter at speed. The Dark Mark was glittering directly above the Astronomy Tower, the highest of the castle. Did that mean the death had occurred there?

围墙里一片荒凉，通向城堡内的旋转楼梯的门都是关着的。四下里看不见搏斗、奋力抗争的迹象，也看不见一具尸体。

Dumbledore had already crossed the crenellated ramparts and was dismounting; Harry landed next to him seconds later and looked around.

“这是什么意思？”哈利问邓布利多，他抬头望着空中的绿色骷髅，它那蛇信子般的舌头在他们头顶上闪烁着邪恶的光芒，“这个标记是真的吗？真的有人被——教授？”

The ramparts were deserted. The door to the spiral staircase that led back into the castle was closed. There was no sign of a struggle, of a fight to the death, of a body.

就着黑魔标记发出的昏暗绿光，哈利看见邓布利多正用那只焦黑的手揪着自己的胸口。

“What does it mean?” Harry asked Dumbledore, looking up at the green skull with its serpent’s tongue glinting evilly above them. “Is it the real Mark? Has someone definitely been — Professor?”

“去把西弗勒斯叫醒，”邓布利多有气无力，但十分清晰地说，“告诉他发生了什么事，叫他赶紧来见我。除此之外，什么也不要做，不要跟任何人说话，也不要脱掉你的隐形衣。我在这里等着。”

In the dim green glow from the Mark, Harry saw Dumbledore clutching at his chest with his blackened hand.

“可是——”

“Go and wake Severus,” said Dumbledore faintly but clearly. “Tell him what has happened and bring him to me. Do nothing else, speak to nobody else, and do not remove your cloak. I shall wait here.”

“你发誓要服从我的，哈利——快去！”

“But —”

哈利匆匆跑向旋转楼梯的门，但他刚握住铁门环，就听见门的另一边传来奔跑的脚步声。他转脸看着邓布利多，邓布利多示意他往后退。哈利退后几步，一边拔出了自己的魔杖。

“You swore to obey me, Harry — go!”

门突然被撞开了，一个人闯了进来，同时喊道：“除你武器！”

Harry hurried over to the door leading to the spiral staircase, but his hand had only just closed upon the iron ring of the door when he heard running footsteps on the other side. He looked around at Dumbledore, who gestured him to retreat. Harry backed away, drawing his wand as he did so.

哈利的身体顿时变得十分僵硬，他感到自己跌跌撞撞地退到塔楼的围墙边，像一座雕像一样立在那里，浑身动弹不得，也说不出话来。他不明白这是怎么回事——“除你武器”并不是一个冰冻魔咒啊——

The door burst open and somebody erupted through it and shouted, “Expelliarmus!”

这时，就着黑魔标记的绿光，他看见邓布利多的魔杖在空中划出一道弧线，飞出了围墙外，他明白了……邓布利多用无声咒定住了哈利，他念这个咒语用去的一秒钟时间，使他失去了保护自己的机会。

Harry’s body became instantly rigid and immobile, and he felt himself fall back against the tower wall, propped like an unsteady statue, unable to move or speak. He could not understand how it had happened — Expelliarmus was not a Freezing Charm —

邓布利多背靠围墙站在那里，脸色惨白，但仍然没有表现出丝毫的惊慌或忧虑。他只是望着那个除去他武器的人，说道：“晚上好，德拉科。”

Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore’s wand flying in an arc over the edge of the ramparts and understood. . . . Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilized Harry, and the second he had taken to perform the spell had cost him the chance of defending himself.

马尔福朝前逼近几步，迅速打量了一下四周，想看看除了他和邓布利多之外是否还有别人。他的目光落在第二把扫帚上。

Standing against the ramparts, very white in the face, Dumbledore still showed no sign of panic or distress. He merely looked across at his disarmer and said, “Good evening, Draco.”

“还有谁在这儿？”

Malfoy stepped forward, glancing around quickly to check that he and Dumbledore were alone. His eyes fell upon the second broom.

“我正想问你这个问题呢。你是一个人在单独行动吗？”

“Who else is here?”

在黑魔标记的绿光下，哈利看见马尔福那双浅色的眼睛又盯住了邓布利多。

“A question I might ask you. Or are you acting alone?”

“不是，”他说，“有人支持我。今天晚上食死徒闯进了你的学校。”

Harry saw Malfoy’s pale eyes shift back to Dumbledore in the greenish glare of the Mark.

“很好，很好，”邓布利多说，就好像马尔福给他看了一份雄心勃勃的作业计划，“确实不错。是你想办法把他们放进来的，是吗？”

“No,” he said. “I’ve got backup. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight.”

“没错，”马尔福说，他的呼吸有些急促，“就在你的眼皮底下，你一直没有发现！”

“Well, well,” said Dumbledore, as though Malfoy was showing

“多么巧妙，”邓布利多说道，“不过……冒昧问一句……他们此刻在哪儿呢？你好像孤立无援啊。”

STRUCK TOWER him an ambitious homework project. “Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?”

“他们碰到了你的几个警卫，在下面搏斗呢。不会耽搁太久的……我自己先上来。我——我要完成一项工作。”

“Yeah,” said Malfoy, who was panting. “Right under your nose and you never realized!”

“好，那你就动手干吧，我亲爱的孩子。”邓布利多温和地说。

“Ingenious,” said Dumbledore. “Yet . . . forgive me . . . where are they now? You seem unsupported.”

沉默。哈利被囚禁在他的隐形衣下，身体动弹不得。他眼睛望着面前的两个人，耳朵专心地听着远处食死徒们搏斗的声音。在他面前，德拉科·马尔福只是呆呆地盯着阿不思·邓布利多，而邓布利多竟然不可思议地笑了。

“They met some of your guards. They’re having a fight down below. They won’t be long. . . . I came on ahead. I — I’ve got a job to do.”

“德拉科啊德拉科，你不是一个杀人的人。”

“Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy,” said Dumbledore softly.

“你怎么知道？”马尔福立刻问道。

There was silence. Harry stood imprisoned within his own invisible, paralyzed body, staring at the two of them, his ears straining to hear sounds of the Death Eaters’ distant fight, and in front of him, Draco Malfoy did nothing but stare at Albus Dumbledore, who, incredibly, smiled.

他似乎也意识到这句话听上去多么幼稚。在黑魔标记的绿光下，哈利看到他的脸红了。

“Draco, Draco, you are not a killer.”

“你不知道我的能力，”马尔福说，语气变得凶狠起来，“你不知道我都做了什么！”

“How do you know?” said Malfoy at once.

“噢，我当然知道。”邓布利多和蔼地说，“你差点杀死了凯蒂·贝尔和罗恩·韦斯莱。整个这一年你都在想办法杀死我，而且越来越迫不及待。原谅我这么说，德拉科，但是你的做法很蹩脚……说实在的，真是太蹩脚了，我简直怀疑你有没有用心去做……”

He seemed to realize how childish the words had sounded; Harry saw him flush in the Mark’s greenish light.

“我当然用心了！”马尔福激动地说道，“我整整一年都在忙这件事，今晚——”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of,” said Malfoy more forcefully. “You don’t know what I’ve done!”

哈利听见下面城堡内的什么地方传来一声沉闷的喊叫。马尔福僵住了，扭头往身后望去。

“Oh yes, I do,” said Dumbledore mildly. “You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts. . . . So feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it.”

“有人正在奋力抵抗呢。”邓布利多态度随和地说道，“你刚才说到……对了，你说你终于成功地让食死徒进了我的学校，我承认，我原来以为这是不可能的……你是怎么做到的？”

“It has been in it!” said Malfoy vehemently. “I’ve been working on it all year, and tonight —”

可是马尔福没有回答，他仍然在倾听着下面的动静，似乎跟哈利一样被定住了，动弹不得。

Somewhere in the depths of the castle below Harry heard a muffled yell. Malfoy stiffened and glanced over his shoulder.

“也许你应该一个人把活儿给干了。”邓布利多给他出主意道，“如果你的后援被我的警卫打败了呢？你恐怕也发现了，今晚这里还有凤凰社的成员。你反正并不需要帮助……我此刻没有魔杖……没有办法保护自己。”

“Somebody is putting up a good fight,” said Dumbledore conversationally. “But you were saying . . . yes, you have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school, which, I admit, I thought impossible. . . . How did you do it?”

马尔福只是呆呆地盯着他。

But Malfoy said nothing: He was still listening to whatever was happening below and seemed almost as paralyzed as Harry was.

“我明白了，”邓布利多看到马尔福既不行动也不说话，就温和地对他说，“你很害怕，要等他们上来才敢动手。”

“Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone,” suggested Dumbledore. “What if your backup has been thwarted by my guard? As you have perhaps realized, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight too. And after all, you don’t really need help. . . . I have no wand at the moment. . . . I cannot defend myself.”

“我才不怕呢！”马尔福凶狠地吼道，但是他仍然没有动手伤害邓布利多，“感到害怕的应该是你！”

Malfoy merely stared at him.

“可是为什么呢？我认为你不会杀死我，德拉科。杀人并不像一般人以为的那么简单……好吧，就趁我们等候你的朋友们一的这点儿工夫，你跟我说说……你是怎么把他们偷偷弄进来的？你似乎花了很长时间才想出了这个办法。”

“I see,” said Dumbledore kindly, when Malfoy neither moved nor spoke. “You are afraid to act until they join you.”

马尔福似乎在拼命克制自己，不让自己叫喊或呕吐出来。他咽了咽唾沫，深深吸了几口气，眼睛狠狠地瞪着邓布利多，魔杖直指邓布利多的胸膛。然后，他似乎不由自主地说道：“我不得不把那个多年没人使用的破消失柜修好。就是去年蒙太关在里面出不来的那个柜子。”

“I’m not afraid!” snarled Malfoy, though he still made no move to hurt Dumbledore. “It’s you who should be scared!”

“啊——”邓布利多的叹息像是一声呻吟。他闭了一会儿眼睛。“很聪明的主意……我记得柜子有两个呢，是不是？”

“But why? I don’t think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe. . . . So tell me, while we wait for your friends . . . how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it.”

“另一个在博金－博克商店里，”马尔福说，“他们在两个柜子之间修了一条通道。蒙太告诉我，他被关在霍格沃茨那个柜子里时，全身动弹不得，但有时候能听见学校里的动静，有时候又能听见商店里发生的事情，就好像柜子在这两个地方跑来跑去似的，但是谁也听不见他的声音……最后，他总算通过幻影显形逃了出来，尽管他的考试没有及格。他的幻影显形差点要了他的命。大家都以为这是个很好玩的故事，只有我意识到了其中的含义——就连博金也不知道——只有我意识到，只要我把那个破柜子修好，就能通过两个消失柜进入霍格沃茨。”

Malfoy looked as though he was fighting down the urge to shout, or to vomit. He gulped and took several deep breaths, glaring at Dumbledore, his wand pointing directly at the latter’s heart. Then, as though he could not help himself, he said, “I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one’s used for years. The one Montague got lost in last year.”

“很好，”邓布利多喃喃地说，“这样食死徒就能从博金－博克商店进入学校来帮助你……一个巧妙的计划，一个十分巧妙的计划……而且，正如你说的，就在我的眼皮底下……”

STRUCK TOWER

“是啊，”马尔福说，奇怪的是他似乎从邓布利多的赞扬中获得了勇气和安慰，“没错，就是这样！”

“Aaaah.” Dumbledore’s sigh was half a groan. He closed his eyes for a moment. “That was clever. . . . There is a pair, I take it?”

“可是有些时候，”邓布利多继续说道，“你不能肯定是否能把柜子修好，对吗？这时你就采取了一些笨拙的、考虑不周的措施，比如捎给我一条中了魔法的项链，其实它肯定会落到别人手里……还有往蜂蜜酒里下毒，其实我喝那个酒的可能性微乎其微……”

“In Borgin and Burkes,” said Malfoy, “and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the cabinet was traveling between them, but he couldn’t make anyone hear him. . . . In the end, he managed to Apparate out, even though he’d never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a really good story, but I was the only one who realized what it meant — even Borgin didn’t know — I was the one who realized there could be a way into Hogwarts through the cabinets if I fixed the broken one.”

“是啊，但你仍然不知道这些事情是谁策划的，是吧？”马尔福讥笑道，这时邓布利多的身体贴着墙壁往下出溜了一点儿，显然他的腿脚已经没有力气，说不出话的哈利拼命挣扎，想摆脱束缚他的魔咒，但毫无结果。

“Very good,” murmured Dumbledore. “So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you. . . . A clever plan, a very clever plan . . . and, as you say, right under my nose.”

“实际上我早就知道了。”邓布利多说，“我相信是你干的。”

“Yeah,” said Malfoy, who bizarrely seemed to draw courage and comfort from Dumbledore’s praise. “Yeah, it was!”

“那你为什么不阻止我呢？”马尔福问。

“But there were times,” Dumbledore went on, “weren’t there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands . . . poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink. . . .”

“我试过，德拉科。斯内普教授听从我的吩咐一直在监视你——”

“Yeah, well, you still didn’t realize who was behind that stuff, did you?” sneered Malfoy, as Dumbledore slid a little down the ramparts, the strength in his legs apparently fading, and Harry struggled fruitlessly, mutely, against the enchantment binding him.

“他才没有听从你的吩咐呢，他答应过我母亲——”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” said Dumbledore. “I was sure it was you.

“他当然会跟你这么说，德拉科，可是——”

“Why didn’t you stop me, then?” Malfoy demanded.

“他是个双重间谍，你这个愚蠢的老头儿，他根本就没有替你卖命，你还被蒙在鼓里呢！”

“I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders —”

“就让我们彼此保留不同意见吧，德拉科。我碰巧很信任斯内普教授——”

“He hasn’t been doing your orders, he promised my mother —”

“哼，你正在失去对他的控制！”马尔福讥笑道，“他一直提出要帮我——想把功劳占为己有——想插手做点什么——‘你在干什么？那条项链是你弄的？太愚蠢了，会把事情都暴露出去的——’但是我没有告诉他我在那间有求必应屋里做什么，等他明天一早醒来，事情已经大功告成，他再也不会是黑魔王的宠儿了，他跟我一比什么都不是，什么都不是！”

“Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but —”

“多么令人快慰。”邓布利多温和地说，“我们都希望自己的辛勤努力得到别人的赏识，这是不用说的……但你肯定有一个同伙……在霍格莫德有一个人，可以塞给凯蒂那条——那条——啊……”

“He’s a double agent, you stupid old man, he isn’t working for you, you just think he is!”

邓布利多又闭上眼睛，微微点了点头，似乎快要睡着了。

“We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape —”

“……不用说……是罗斯默塔。她中夺魂咒有多长时间了？”

“Well, you’re losing your grip, then!” sneered Malfoy. “He’s been offering me plenty of help — wanting all the glory for himself— wanting a bit of the action — ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything —’ But I haven’t told him what I’ve been doing in the Room of Requirement, he’s going to wake up tomorrow and it’ll all be over and he won’t be the Dark Lord’s favorite anymore, he’ll be nothing compared to me, nothing!”

“你终于想明白了，是吗？”马尔福嘲笑地说。

“Very gratifying,” said Dumbledore mildly. “We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course. But you must have had an accomplice, all the same . . . someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the — the — aaaah . . .”

下面又传来一声喊叫，比刚才的那声更响。马尔福再次不安地扭过头去，然后又回过头来望着邓布利多。

Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as though he was about to fall asleep. “. . . of course . . . Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?”

邓布利多继续说道：“因此，可怜的罗斯默塔只好躲在她自己的厕所里，把那条项链塞给了任何一个独自上厕所的霍格沃茨学生？还有那瓶下过毒的蜂蜜酒……当然啦，罗斯默塔可以替你在那瓶酒里兑上毒药，再把它卖给斯拉格霍恩，以为它会作为圣诞礼物送给我……是啊，非常巧妙……非常巧妙……可怜的费尔奇怎么也想不到要检查罗斯默塔夫人卖出的酒……那么你告诉我，你和罗斯默塔是怎么联系的呢？对于所有进出学校的通讯联络，我们都要严格检查的呀。”

“Got there at last, have you?” Malfoy taunted.

“魔法硬币，”马尔福说，他似乎必须不停地往下说，他举着魔杖的那只手抖得很厉害，“我有一枚硬币，她也有一枚，我可以向她传递消息——”

There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last.

“就是去年那个自称‘邓布利多军’的小组采用的秘密联络方式？”邓布利多问。他的声音随和亲切，但哈利看见他说话时身子又往墙下滑了一英寸。

STRUCK TOWER Malfoy looked nervously over his shoulder again, then back at Dumbledore, who went on: “So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead . . . well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present. . . . Yes, very neat . . . very neat . . . Poor Mr. Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta’s. Tell me, how have you been communicating with Rosmerta? I thought we had all methods of communication in and out of the school monitored.”

“对，我是跟他们学的。”马尔福狞笑着说，“给蜂蜜酒下毒的主意是从泥巴种格兰杰那里听来的，我听见她在图书馆里说费尔奇认不出药水……”

“Enchanted coins,” said Malfoy, as though he was compelled to keep talking, though his wand hand was shaking badly. “I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages —”

“请不要在我面前使用那个侮辱性的词。”邓布利多说。

“Isn’t that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore’s Army used last year?” asked Dumbledore. His voice was light and conversational, but Harry saw him slip an inch lower down the wall as he said it.

马尔福发出一阵难听的大笑。

“Yeah, I got the idea from them,” said Malfoy, with a twisted smile. “I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger as well, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognizing potions.”

“眼看我就要取你的性命了，你还在意我说一句‘泥巴种’？”

“Please do not use that offensive word in front of me,” said Dumbledore.

“是的，我很在意。”邓布利多说，这时哈利看见他双脚在地面上打了一个滑，使劲撑着不让自己瘫倒，“至于你要取我性命的事，德拉科，已经过去好几分钟了。周围没有别人，我现在手无寸铁，你做梦也不会想到有这样的好机会，可你还是没有动手……”

Malfoy gave a harsh laugh. “You care about me saying ‘Mudblood’ when I’m about to kill you?”

马尔福的嘴唇不由自主地扭曲着，好像在品尝一种很苦的东西。

“Yes, I do,” said Dumbledore, and Harry saw his feet slide a little on the floor as he struggled to remain upright. “But as for being about to kill me, Draco, you have had several long minutes now, we are quite alone, I am more defenseless than you can have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted. . . .”

“再说说今晚的事，”邓布利多继续说道，“我还是有点儿不明白……你知道我离开学校了？当然啦，”邓布利多自己回答了这个问题，“罗斯默塔看见我离开的，我想，她一定用你们那种巧妙的硬币把消息告诉了你……”

Malfoy’s mouth contorted involuntarily, as though he had tasted something very bitter.

“没错，”马尔福说，“但她说你只是去喝一杯，很快就会回来……”

“Now, about tonight,” Dumbledore went on, “I am a little puzzled about how it happened. . . . You knew that I had left the school? But of course,” he answered his own question, “Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I’m sure.

“是啊，我确实是去喝了些东西……现在我回来了……勉强回来了，”邓布利多轻声嘟囔道，“所以你就决定给我设置一个陷阱？”

“That’s right,” said Malfoy. “But she said you were just going for a drink, you’d be back. . . .”

“我们决定在塔楼上空悬挂黑魔标记，逼你急忙赶回来看看谁遇害了。”马尔福说，“这个办法果然有效！”

“Well, I certainly did have a drink . . . and I came back . . . after a fashion,” mumbled Dumbledore. “So you decided to spring a trap for me?”

“噢……也不一定……”邓布利多说，“那么，我是不是可以这样理解：目前还没有人遇害？”

“We decided to put the Dark Mark over the tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who’d been killed,” said Malfoy. “And it worked!”

“有一个人死了，”马尔福说，他的声音突然升高了一个八度，“一个你们的人……不知道是谁，天太黑了……我从尸体上跨过来的……我应该在这上面等你回来的，都怪你们那些凤凰社的人出来挡道……”

“Well . . . yes and no . . .” said Dumbledore. “But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?”

“不错，正是这样。”邓布利多说。

“Someone’s dead,” said Malfoy, and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. “One of your people . . . I don’t know who, it was dark. . . . I stepped over the body. . . . I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way. . . .”

下面又传来了碰撞声和人们的喊叫声，比刚才更响了，似乎有人就在通向邓布利多、马尔福和哈利这边的旋转楼梯上搏斗。哈利的心在他看不见的胸膛里狂跳，却没有人能够听见……死了一个人……马尔福从尸体上跨过来的……那会是谁呢？

“Yes, they do that,” said Dumbledore.

“没有多少时间了，”邓布利多说，“何去何从，德拉科，我们讨论一下你的选择吧。”

There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever; it sounded as though people were fighting on the actual spiral staircase that led to where Dumbledore, Malfoy, and Harry stood, and

“我的选择——”马尔福大声说道，“我拿着魔杖站在这里——我要杀死你——”

STRUCK TOWER Harry’s heart thundered unheard in his invisible chest. . . . Someone was dead. . . . Malfoy had stepped over the body . . . but who was it?

“亲爱的孩子，我们别再演戏了。如果你真的要杀死我，刚才除去我的武器之后你就会动手了，而不会是停下来跟我愉快地谈论这些措施和方法。”

“There is little time, one way or another,” said Dumbledore. “So let us discuss your options, Draco.”

“我没有选择！”马尔福说道，他的脸色突然变得和邓布利多的一样惨白，“我非做不可！他会杀死我！他会杀死我的全家！”

“My options!” said Malfoy loudly. “I’m standing here with a wand — I’m about to kill you —”

“我理解你的处境，”邓布利多说，“不然我为什么在此之前一直没有跟你碰面呢？我知道如果伏地魔发现我对你起了疑心，你就会被暗杀的。”

“My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means.”

马尔福听到那个名字，害怕地抽搐了一下。

“I haven’t got any options!” said Malfoy, and he was suddenly white as Dumbledore. “I’ve got to do it! He’ll kill me! He’ll kill my whole family!”

“我知道你接受了那个任务，但我不敢跟你谈起这件事，生怕他会对你使用摄神取念咒。”邓布利多继续说道，“现在我们终于可以开诚布公地说话了……你没有造成任何破坏，没有伤害任何人，你真是很幸运，被你误伤的那些人都活了下来……我可以帮助你，德拉科。”

“I appreciate the difficulty of your position,” said Dumbledore. “Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you.”

“不，不可能，”马尔福说，他握着魔杖的那只手颤抖得非常厉害，“谁也不可能。他叫我做这件事，不然就会杀死我。我别无选择。”

Malfoy winced at the sound of the name.

“站到正确的道路上来吧，德拉科，我们可以把你藏在绝对安全的地方，比你所能想象的还要安全。而且，我今晚就可以派凤凰社的成员去把你母亲也藏起来。你父亲目前在阿兹卡班还不会有危险……到时候我们也会保护他的……站到正确的道路上来吧，德拉科……你不是一个杀人的人……”

“I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you,” continued Dumbledore. “But now at last we can speak plainly to each other. . . . No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived. . . . I can help you, Draco.”

马尔福呆呆地望着邓布利多。

“No, you can’t,” said Malfoy, his wand hand shaking very badly indeed. “Nobody can. He told me to do it or he’ll kill me. I’ve got no choice.”

“可是我已经走了这么远，不是吗？”他语速很慢地说，“他们以为我不等大功告成就会丧命，可是我还活着……而且你被我控制住了……现在拿魔杖的是我……你听我的摆布……”

“Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban. . . . When the time comes, we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco . . . you are not a killer. . . .”

“不，德拉科，”邓布利多平静地说，“现在是你听我摆布，而不是我听你摆布。”

Malfoy stared at Dumbledore.

德拉科没有说话。他的嘴巴张得大大的，握着魔杖的那只手仍在抖个不停。哈利仿佛觉得它往下降了一点儿——

“But I got this far, didn’t I?” he said slowly. “They thought I’d die in the attempt, but I’m here . . . and you’re in my power. . . . I’m the one with the wand. . . . You’re at my mercy. . . .”

突然，一阵脚步声嗵嗵嗵地上了楼梯，一眨眼间，马尔福被拨拉到一边，四个穿着黑袍的人破门而出，拥到了围墙边。哈利仍然动弹不得，他怀着惊恐的心情，眼睛一眨不眨地盯着这四个陌生人。看来食死徒在下面的搏斗中占了上风。

“No, Draco,” said Dumbledore quietly. “It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.”

一个身材粗壮、脸上带着古怪狞笑的歪嘴男人发出了呼哧带喘的笑声。

Malfoy did not speak. His mouth was open, his wand hand still trembling. Harry thought he saw it drop by a fraction —

“邓布利多被逼到墙角了！”他说完便转向一个壮实的小个子女人，她看上去像是他的妹妹，脸上也带着迫不及待的笑容，“邓布利多没有魔杖，邓布利多孤立无援！干得漂亮，德拉科，干得漂亮！”

But suddenly footsteps were thundering up the stairs, and a second later Malfoy was buffeted out of the way as four people in black robes burst through the door onto the ramparts. Still paralyzed, his eyes staring unblinkingly, Harry gazed in terror upon four strangers: It seemed the Death Eaters had won the fight below.

“晚上好，阿米库斯，”邓布利多语气十分平静，就像是在欢迎那人参加茶会，“你还带来了阿莱克托……太可爱了……”

A lumpy-looking man with an odd lopsided leer gave a wheezy giggle.

那女人恼怒地假笑了一声。

“Dumbledore cornered!” he said, and he turned to a stocky little woman who looked as though she could be his sister and who was grinning eagerly. “Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!”

“你都死到临头了，还以为这些小玩笑能救你的命？”她讥笑道。

“Good evening, Amycus,” said Dumbledore calmly, as though welcoming the man to a tea party. “And you’ve brought Alecto too. . . . Charming . . .”

“玩笑？不，不，这是礼貌。”邓布利多回答。

STRUCK TOWER

“动手吧。”站得离哈利最近的那个陌生人说，他四肢修长，灰色的头发和络腮胡子都纠结在一起，那件食死徒的黑袍子很不舒服地紧紧勒在身上。他的声音很古怪，是哈利从来没听过的：一种嘶哑刺耳的咆哮。哈利还闻到他身上散发出一股冲鼻的怪味儿，混杂着泥土味、汗味，以及——毫无疑问——血腥味。他肮脏的手指上留着长长的黄指甲。

The woman gave an angry little titter. “Think your little jokes’ll help you on your deathbed then?” she jeered.

“是你吗，芬里尔？”邓布利多问。

“Jokes? No, no, these are manners,” replied Dumbledore.

“没错，”那人用刺耳的声音说，“见到我很高兴吧，邓布利多？”

“Do it,” said the stranger standing nearest to Harry, a big, rangy man with matted gray hair and whiskers, whose black Death Eater’s robes looked uncomfortably tight. He had a voice like none that Harry had ever heard: a rasping bark of a voice. Harry could smell a powerful mixture of dirt, sweat, and, unmistakably, of blood coming from him. His filthy hands had long yellowish nails.

“不，不能说很高兴……”

“Is that you, Fenrir?” asked Dumbledore.

芬里尔·格雷伯克咧嘴一笑，露出尖尖的牙齿。鲜血滴到他的下巴上，他慢慢地、令人恶心地舔着嘴唇。

“That’s right,” rasped the other. “Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?”

“但你知道我是多么喜欢孩子，邓布利多。”

“No, I cannot say that I am.”

“我是否可以这样理解：现在即使在月亮不圆的日子你也要咬人？这可真奇怪……你养成了这种吃人肉的癖好，一个月一次都不能满足吗？”

Greyback grinned, showing pointed teeth. Blood trickled down his chin and he licked his lips slowly, obscenely.

“说得对，”格雷伯克说道，“让你震惊了，是不是，邓布利多？让你害怕了？”

“But you know how much I like kids, Dumbledore.”

“唉，坦白地说，确实让我感到有些恶心，”邓布利多说，“而且，我是有点儿震惊：这位德拉科竟然偏偏把你请到他的朋友们居住的学校里来……”

“Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual. . . . You have developed a taste for human flesh that cannot be satisfied once a month?”

“我没有，”马尔福喘着气说。他没有看格雷伯克，似乎连瞄都不愿瞄他一眼。“我不知道他要来——”

“That’s right,” said Fenrir Greyback. “Shocks you that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?”

“我可不愿意错过到霍格沃茨来的美差，邓布利多。”格雷伯克用刺耳的声音说，“有这么多的喉咙可以撕开……味道真好，味道真好啊……”

“Well, I cannot pretend it does not disgust me a little,” said Dumbledore. “And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the school where his friends live. . . .”

说着，他举起一根黄黄的指甲剔起了大门牙，一边朝邓布利多狞笑着。

“I didn’t,” breathed Malfoy. He was not looking at Fenrir; he did not seem to want to even glance at him. “I didn’t know he was going to come —”

“我可以把你当成餐后的甜食，邓布利多……”

“I wouldn’t want to miss a trip to Hogwarts, Dumbledore,” rasped Greyback. “Not when there are throats to be ripped out. . . Delicious, delicious . . .”

“不行。”第四个食死徒厉声说道。他满脸横肉，一副凶相。“我们有命令的。必须让德拉科动手。好了，德拉科，快行动吧。”

And he raised a yellow fingernail and picked at his front teeth, leering at Dumbledore. “I could do you for afters, Dumbledore.”

马尔福更加没有斗志了。他看上去很害怕，呆呆地瞪着邓布利多的脸。邓布利多的脸色越发苍白，个头也显得比平常矮了许多，因为他靠在墙上的身体一直在往下出溜。

“No,” said the fourth Death Eater sharply. He had a heavy, bru-tal-looking face. “We’ve got orders. Draco’s got to do it. Now, Draco, and quickly.”

“要我说，他在这个世界上的日子反正也不多了！”那个歪嘴男人说，他妹妹在一旁呼哧呼哧地笑着给他助阵，“你看看他——你这是怎么回事啊，邓老头儿？”

Malfoy was showing less resolution than ever. He looked terrified as he stared into Dumbledore’s face, which was even paler, and rather lower than usual, as he had slid so far down the rampart wall.

“唉，体力不支，反应迟钝啊，阿米库斯。”邓布利多说，“总之，年老不中用啦……总有一天，你也会落到这步田地……如果你幸运的话……”

“He’s not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!” said the lopsided man, to the accompaniment of his sister’s wheezing giggles. “Look at him — what’s happened to you, then, Dumby?”

“这话是什么意思？这话是什么意思？”食死徒喊道，突然变得凶狠起来，“你还是老样子，是不是，邓老头儿？满嘴空话，不干实事，我真弄不懂黑魔王为什么要把你干掉！好了，德拉科，快动手吧！”

“Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus,” said Dumbledore. “Old age, in short . . . One day, perhaps, it will happen to you . . . if you are lucky. . . .”

就在这时，下面又传来许多人混战的声音，其中一个人喊道：“他们把楼梯堵住了——粉身碎骨！粉身碎骨！”

“What’s that mean, then, what’s that mean?” yelled the Death Eater, suddenly violent. “Always the same, weren’t yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing. I don’t even know why the Dark Lord’s bothering to kill yer! Come on, Draco, do it!”

哈利的心欢跳起来——这么说，这四个人并没有把对手完全消灭，他们只是突围出来跑到了塔楼顶上，而且，听下面的声音，他们好像在身后筑了一道路障——

But at that moment there were renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted, “They’ve blocked the stairs — Reducto! REDUCTO !”

“快，德拉科，快动手吧！”一脸凶相的男人恼怒地说。

Harry’s heart leapt: So these four had not eliminated all opposition, but merely broken through the fight to the top of the tower, and, by the sound of it, created a barrier behind them —

可是马尔福抖得太厉害了，没有办法瞄准目标。

“Now, Draco, quickly!” said the brutal-faced man angrily.

“我来吧。”格雷伯克恶狠狠地说着，就朝邓布利多逼了过去，他张开两只手，露出了嘴里的尖牙。

But Malfoy’s hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim.

“我说过不行！”一脸凶相的男人喊道。一道强光一闪，狼人被击到一边，撞在墙上，差点摔倒，脸上一副恼羞成怒的样子。哈利站在那儿，被邓布利多的魔咒束缚着，心咚咚跳得像打鼓一样，但竟然谁也听不见，这简直不可思议——只要他能够动弹，他就可以从隐形衣下面射出魔咒——

STRUCK TOWER

“德拉科，快动手，不然就闪开，让我们——”那女人尖声尖气地说。

“I’ll do it,” snarled Fenrir, moving toward Dumbledore with his hands outstretched, his teeth bared.

然而就在这时，通向围墙的门又一次被撞开了，斯内普攥着魔杖站在那里，一双黑眼睛迅速地扫视着面前的场景，从瘫倒在墙上的邓布利多到那四个食死徒——其中包括气势汹汹的狼人，还有马尔福。

“I said no!” shouted the brutal-faced man; there was a flash of light and the werewolf was blasted out of the way; he hit the ramparts and staggered, looking furious. Harry’s heart was hammering so hard it seemed impossible that nobody could hear him standing there, imprisoned by Dumbledore’s spell — if he could only move, he could aim a curse from under the cloak —

“我们遇到难题了，斯内普，”体格粗壮的阿米库斯说，他的目光和魔杖都牢牢地盯住邓布利多，“这小伙子好像不能——”

“Draco, do it or stand aside so one of us —” screeched the woman, but at that precise moment, the door to the ramparts burst open once more and there stood Snape, his wand clutched in his hand as his black eyes swept the scene, from Dumbledore slumped against the wall, to the four Death Eaters, including the enraged werewolf, and Malfoy.

但是另外一个人念着斯内普的名字，声音很轻很轻。

“We’ve got a problem, Snape,” said the lumpy Amycus, whose eyes and wand were fixed alike upon Dumbledore, “the boy doesn’t seem able —”

“西弗勒斯……”

But somebody else had spoken Snape’s name, quite softly.

这声音比哈利整晚经历的任何事情都叫他害怕。邓布利多在哀求，这可是破天荒的第一次。

“Severus . . .”

斯内普没有说话，他走上前，粗暴地把马尔福推到一边。三个食死徒一言不发地闪到了后面，就连狼人似乎也被吓住了。

The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading.

斯内普凝视了邓布利多片刻，他脸上粗犷的线条里刻着深深的厌恶和仇恨。

Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the werewolf seemed cowed.

“西弗勒斯……请求你……”

Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.

斯内普举起魔杖，直指邓布利多。

“Severus . . . please . . .”

“阿瓦达索命！”

Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore.

斯内普的魔杖尖上射出一道绿光，不偏不倚地击中了邓布利多的胸膛。哈利惊恐的尖叫声被憋在了喉咙里，他发不出声音，也动弹不得，只能眼睁睁地望着邓布利多被击到空中。邓布利多似乎在那闪亮的骷髅下停留了一秒钟，然后像一个破烂的大玩偶似的，慢慢地仰面倒下去，从围墙的垛口上栽下去不见了。

“Avada Kedavra!”

A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape’s wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Harry’s scream of horror never left him; silent and unmoving, he was forced to watch as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. For a split second, he seemed to hang suspended beneath the shining skull, and then he fell slowly backward, like a great rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight.