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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

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CHAPTER FOUR THE LEAKY CAULDRON

第四章　破釜酒吧

It took Harry several days to get used to his strange new freedom. Never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied. He could even go wherever he pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world.

哈利过了好几天才习惯了他奇异的新自由。以前他从来不能什么时候想睡就睡，想吃就吃。现在他甚至可以到他想去的任何地方，只要那地方在对角巷里面就行，这条长长的铺满小石子的街道两旁都是世界上最让人着迷的魔法商店。因此，哈利并不想破坏他对福吉许下的诺言，没有偏离正道又到麻瓜的世界里去。

Harry ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where he liked watching the other guests: funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woollen balaclava.

哈利每天早晨在破釜酒吧吃早饭，他喜欢在那里观察其他住客：乡下来的有趣的小女巫到这里来是为了一整天进行采购；看上去易受伤害的男巫们就《今日变形术》上的新文章进行争论；野头野脑的巫师、喧闹的侏儒；还有，有一次，一个头戴厚厚的巴拉克拉瓦盔帽、看上去令人怀疑是鬼怪的人要了一碟子生肝。

After breakfast Harry would go out into the backyard, take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bit,, and stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall.

早饭后，哈利往往到后院去，拿出他的魔杖，敲敲垃圾桶上方从左面数第三块砖头，然后后退一步，看着墙上打开的通向对角巷的拱道。

Harry spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, where his fellow diners were showing one another their purchases ( " it , s a lunascope, old boy -- no more messing around with moon charts, see?") or else discussing the case of Sirius Black ("personalty, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban"). Harry didn't have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour.

哈利把长长的夏日花在逛商店和在咖啡店外色彩鲜艳的遮阳伞下吃东西上，与他同时进餐的人在那里彼此展览买到的东西（“这是一架望月镜，伙计——再不用摆弄月亮图表了，明白吗？”）或者讨论小天狼星布莱克案件（“我个人认为，在他回到阿兹卡班以前，任何小孩都不能单独出门。”）。哈利再也不用躲在被单下拿着手电筒做家庭作业了，现在他可以坐在弗洛林冷饮店外面的灿烂阳光下，完成他所有的论文，有时候还能得到弗洛林本人的指导，弗洛林除了在中世纪焚烧女巫方面具有广泛的知识以外，还每隔半小时就免费供给哈利一盒冰淇淋。

Once Harry had refilled his money bag with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from his vault at Gringotts, he had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend the whole lot at once. He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spellbooks, to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point). He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson. But the thing that tested Harry's resolution most appeared in his favorite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, a week after he'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.

哈利一旦把钱袋又放满了金加隆、银西可和铜纳特以后，他就需要实行自我控制，以免把钱一下子花光。他必须不断提醒自己：他还要在霍格沃茨过五年，而且，向德思礼家人要钱买魔法书会是什么滋味，这样他才能忍住不买一套漂亮的结结实实的金戈布石（魔法界的一种游戏，有点像弹子戏，在这种游戏中，谁丢了一分，那些小石子儿就会把发臭的液体喷射到他脸上）。有一种大玻璃球，里面是美妙的活动星座模型，有了它，就可以不必再上天文学课了；哈利也很想买。但最使哈利动心的东西在他最喜爱的商店，魁地奇精品专卖店里，这是他到了破釜酒吧一星期以后的事。

Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, Harry edged his way inside and squeezed in among the excited witches and wizards until he glimpsed a newly erected podium, on which was mounted the most magnificent broom he had ever seen in his life.

当时有许多人挤在那里看，哈利很好奇，于是便挤了进去。他挤在兴奋的女巫和男巫中间，直到他看到在一个新树立起来的墩座上，有一把扫帚，那是他平生所见过的漂亮得令人吃惊的扫帚。

"Just come out -- prototype --" a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion.

“刚刚问世……样品扫帚……”一个长着方下巴的男巫在告诉他的同伴。

"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?" squeaked a boy younger than Harry, who was swinging off his father's arm.

“这是世界上最快的扫帚，是不是，爸爸？”一个比哈利小的男孩尖声问他的爸爸，这个男孩正吊在他爸爸的手臂上摇晃着。

"Irish International Side's Just put in an order for seven of these beauties!" the proprietor of the shop told the crowd. "And they're favorites for the World Cup!"

“爱尔兰国际队刚刚订购了七把这样漂亮的扫帚！”店主对大家说，“这种产品是世界杯赛上的宠儿！”

A large witch in front of Harry moved, and he was able to read the sign next to the broom:

哈利前面一个高大的女巫走开了，因此他得以读到这把扫帚旁边的说明：

** THE FIREBOLT **

火弩箭

THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART PACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND HAND- NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST.

此类飞天扫帚代表目前最高工艺水平，其帚把系用白蜡树木材精制而成，呈流线型，精美无比，经硬如钻石之擦光剂加以处理，并有手工镂刻之注册号码。本产品尾部的每一扫帚细枝皆经过筛选，务使其流线型臻于完美，故本产品在平衡与精确度方面无与伦比。火弩箭十秒之内加速可达每小时一百五十英里，且其制动装置魅力无穷。价格面议。

Price on request... Harry didn't like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life -- but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nim bus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already? Harry didn't ask for the price, but he returned, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt.

价格面议……哈利不愿意去想这种火弩箭值多少钱。在他整个一生中，从来没有像现在这样渴望得到它——但是他骑着“光轮2000”，在魁她奇比赛中从来没有败过。他既然已经有了一把很好的扫帚，那他倾囊而出购买火弩箭有什么意义呢？哈利没有询问价格，但在这以后，他几乎每天都到那家店里去，为的是能看看那火弩箭。

There were, however, things that Harry needed to buy. He went to the Apothecary to replenish his store of potions ingredients, and as his school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones. Most important of all, he had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.

然而，有些东西是哈利必须买的。他到药店去补充药剂的各种成分，而且，由于他的校服与四肢相比短了好几英寸，他去了摩金夫人长袍专卖店买了几件新袍子。最重要的是，他必须购买新的教科书，这类书包括两门新课程，即保护神奇生物和占卜术。

Harry got a surprise as he looked in at the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold- embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.

哈利看了看书店的橱窗，不觉吓了一跳。书店橱窗里通常展示的是有地砖那么大、带金色浮雕的咒语书，现在这类书不见了，取而代之的是一个大铁笼子，里面装着约有一百本《妖怪们的妖怪书》。这些书关在一起，狂怒地进行着角力竞赛，好战成性地猛咬、打斗，破碎的书页到处飞扬。

Harry pulled his booklist out of his pocket and consulted it for the first time. The Monster Book of Monsters was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet.

哈利从口袋里抽出书单，第一次加以查阅。《妖怪们的妖怪书》被列为保护神奇生物这门课必备的书。现在哈利懂得海格为什么说这本书他可能用得着了，他感到松了一口气。他以前一直想不通，以为海格养了几个可怕的新宠物，需要帮助。

As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him.

哈利走进这家书店，经理急忙迎上前来。“霍格沃茨的吗？”他出其不意地问道，“是来买新书的吗？”

"Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books?"

“是的，”哈利说，“我需要——”

"Yes," said Harry, "I need --"

“请让开一点儿。”经理不耐烦地说，把哈利推向一边。他戴上一副很厚的手套，拿起一根很粗的、满是节疤的手杖，走向那装有《妖怪们的妖怪书》的铁笼子。

"Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage.

“等一等，”哈利急忙说，“这本书我已经有了。”

"Hang on," said Harry quickly, "I've already got one of those."

“已经有了吗？”经理的脸上马上露出大为宽慰的神色，“多谢老天了，今天早晨我已经被咬了五次了。”

"Have you?" A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning --"

忽然传来一阵响亮的撕扯声音，两本《妖怪们的妖怪书》抓住了第三本，合力将它撕散。

A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.

“住手！住手！”经理嚷道，把那根手杖从铁条之间伸进去，把这几本书打开。“我再也不储存这些书了，永远不！简直闹得不可开交！我们以前进过两百本《隐形术的隐形书》，我还以为没有什么比它们更糟的了——那些书好贵啊，而且我们永远没有……好吧，你要别的什么书吗？”

"Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility -cost a fortune, and we never found them.... Well... is there anything else I can help you with?"

“要的，”哈利说，看着他的书单，“我需要一本卡桑德拉瓦布拉斯基著的《拨开迷雾看未来》。”

"Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist, "I need Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky."

“啊，开始要学预言了，是不是？”经理说着就脱下了手套，把哈利领到书店的后半部去了。

"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager, stripping off his gloves and leading Harry into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling. A small table was stacked with volumes such as Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul.

那里有一个角落，放的全都是占卜方面的书。一张小桌子上放了许多书，如《预言无法预见的事：使你自己免受打击》和《破碎的球：命运不济的时候》。

"Here you are,,' said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down a thick, black- bound book. "Unfogging the Future. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods - palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails.

“这里就是，”经理说，他爬上梯子拿下一本黑色封面的厚书，“《拨开迷雾看未来》对你所有的基本占卜方法——看手相、水晶球、鸟类内脏……都具备很有用的指导作用。”

But Harry wasn't listening. His eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: Death Omens.- What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming.

但哈利并没有听他说话。他的眼光落到了另外一本书上，那是放在小桌子上的一本书：《死亡预兆：当你知道最坏的事即将到来的时侯，你该怎么办？》。

"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death. "

“哦，我要是你，我可不看这样的书。”书店的店员看到哈利的目光落在那本书上，便轻松地说，“你看了这本书，就会看到死亡的预兆无处不在，这本书会吓死人的。”

But Harry continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar...

但是哈利仍然瞪着那本书的封面：封面上有一条狗，差不多有熊那么大，两眼发光。这条狗看上去出奇地眼熟……书店店员把《拨开迷雾看未来》这本书塞到了哈利手中。

The manager pressed Unfogging the Future into Harry's hands.

“还要什么吗？”他说。

"Anything else?" he said.

“要的，”哈利说，好不容易眼睛才离开了那条狗，昏昏然地查阅他那张书单，“哦——我要《中级变形术》和《标准咒语（三级）》。”

"Yes," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist. "Er -- I need Intermediate Transfiguration and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three."

十分钟以后，哈利从书店里走了出来，腋下夹着新书，往破釜酒吧走去，几乎没有注意自己在往哪里去，一路上撞了好几个人。

Harry emerged from Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later with his new books under his arms and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people.

他脚步沉重地上楼回到自己的房间，把新买的书都倾卸到床上。有人进房间打扫过了，窗子是开着的，阳光倾泻而进。哈利可以听到从他身后看不见的麻瓜街上传来的汽车声，也听得到对角巷中看不见的人群声。他从洗手池上方的镜子里看到了自己。

He tramped up the stairs to his room, went inside, and tipped his books onto his bed. Somebody had been in to tidy; the windows were open and sun was pouring inside. Harry could hear the buses rolling by in the unseen Muggle street behind him and the sound of the invisible crowd below in Diagon Alley. He caught sight of himself in the mirror over the basin.

“那不会是死亡的预兆，”他不顾一切地对镜中的自己说，“我在木兰花新月看到它的时候，正在神魂不定呢。那可能只不过是一条迷路的狗罢了……”

"It can't have been a death omen," he told his reflection defiantly. "I was panicking when I saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent.... It was probably just a stray dog...."

他机械地举起了手，想抚平头发。

He raised his hand automatically and tried to make his hair lie flat

“你在打一场要失败的战争呢，亲爱的。”他的镜子气喘吁吁地说道。

"You're fighting a losing battle there, dear," said his mirror in a vvheezy voice.

日子一天天过去了，哈利开始到什么地方都盼望着能遇到罗恩或是赫敏。现在，霍格沃茨学校的许多学生都到对角巷来了，因为不久就要开学了。哈利遇到西莫斐尼甘和迪安托马斯，他们都是他在格兰芬多院的同学，他们也在魁地奇精品专卖店贪婪地盯视那把火弩箭；他还在书店外面碰到过真正的纳威隆巴顿，一个圆脸、爱忘事的男孩。哈利没有停下来和他闲谈；纳威似乎把他的书单不知搁在什么地方了，因而被他那位看上去很可怕的祖母数落了一番。哈利希望她一直不会发现他在逃离女贞路时假冒过纳威的名字。

As the days slipped by, Harry started looking wherever he went for a sign of Ron or Hermione. Plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley now, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were ogling the Firebolt; he also ran into the real Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy, outside Flourish and Blotts. Harry didn't stop to chat; Neville appeared to have mislaid his booklist and was being told off by his very formidable-looking grandmother. Harry hoped she never found out that he'd pretended to be Neville while on the run from the Ministry of Magic.

哈利在暑假的最后一天醒来，认为他至少第二天会在霍格沃茨特快专列上遇到罗恩和赫敏。他起床后，穿戴整齐，最后一次去看火弩箭。正在考虑上哪儿吃饭，这时，有人使劲叫他的名字，他回过头来。

Harry woke on the last day of the holidays, thinking that he would at least meet Ron and Hermione tomorrow, on the Hogwarts Express. He got up, dressed, went for a last look at the Firebolt, and was just wondering where he'd have lunch, when someone yelled his name and he turned.

“哈利！哈利！”他们在那里，两个人都在，坐在弗洛林冷饮店外面，罗恩看上去令人难以置信地奇特，赫敏晒得成了棕色，两人都在拼命向他招手。“到底看见你了！”罗恩说道，在哈利坐下来的时候对他咧嘴笑着，“我们到破釜酒吧去过了，但是他们说你已经走了，于是我们去了书店，去了摩金夫人那里，还——”

"Harry! HARRY!"

“上周我已经买齐了学校需要的所有东西。”哈利解释说，“你们怎么知道我住在破釜酒吧的？”

They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor -- Ron looking incredibly freckly, Her,,one very brown, both waving frantically at him.

“我爸说的。”罗恩简短地说。韦斯莱先生在魔法部工作，当然会听到整个故事，知道玛姬姑妈的遭遇。

"Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and --"

“你真的把你姑妈吹胀了吗，哈利？”赫敏问道，声调是很认真的。

"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come You knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?" "Dad," said Ron simply.

“我不是有意要这样做的，”哈利说，这时罗恩笑得不可开交，“我只不过——一时失控罢了。”

Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge.

“这事没什么好笑的，罗恩。”赫敏尖锐地说，“说实在的，没开除哈利，我真感到奇怪。”

"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione in a very serious voice.

“我也一样。”哈利承认说，“我忘记了开除的事，我原来以为我要被抓起来的。”他看了看罗恩，“你爸不知道福吉为什么放过我吧，他知道吗？”

"I didn't mean to," said Harry, while Ron roared with laughter. "I just -- lost control."

“很可能因为是你的缘故，不是吗？”罗恩耸耸肩膀，还咯咯地笑着，“著名的哈利波特啊什么的。要是我吹胀了我的姑妈，魔法部肯定不会放过我的。听着，他们首先要把我挖出来，我妈会杀了我的。不管怎么样，今天晚上你自己可以问我爸。今天晚上我们也要在破釜酒吧过夜！所以你明天可以和我们一起到国王十字车站去！赫敏也在那里！”

"It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."

赫敏点点头，满脸是笑：“我妈和我爸今天早上把我和我所有在霍格沃茨要用的东西都留在了那里。”

"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"

“太棒了！”哈利高兴地说，“那么，你新书什么的都买齐了吗？”

"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!"

“看，”罗恩说，从书包里抽出一个细长的匣子，打开了，“崭新的魔杖，十四英寸长，柳条的，有一根独角兽的尾毛。而且我们把书都买齐了——”他指了指自己椅子下面的一个大书包，“那些妖怪书怎么样，呃？我们说要两本的时候，那店员差一点没哭出来。”

Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."

“那些东西是什么呀，赫敏？”哈利指着她身旁椅子上不是一个而是三个鼓鼓囊囊的书包问道。

"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

“噢，我不是选课比你们多吗？”赫敏说，“那些是算术占卜、保护神奇生物、占卜、古代魔文研究、麻瓜研究方面的书——”

"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books --" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."

“你选麻瓜研究干吗？”罗恩说，一面对哈利转动着眼珠，“你已经很了解麻瓜了！”

"What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her.

“但是，从魔法界的角度去研究他们会很叫人入迷的。”赫敏真诚地说。

,,Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't IF' said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies --"

“你今年还打算吃饭睡觉吗，赫敏？”哈利问道，罗恩在一旁偷偷地笑。

"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes at Harry. "You're Muggle- born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"

赫敏不理他们。“我已有了十个金加隆，”赫敏查看着她的钱包说，“我的生日在九月份，我妈和我爸给了我一些钱，让我给自己提前买生日礼物。”

"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly.

“买一本好书怎么样？”罗恩装傻问道。

"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron sniggered. Hermione ignored them.

“不，我不想买书，”赫敏平静地说，“我真的想要一只猫头鹰。我的意思是说，哈利有他的海德薇，你有埃罗尔——”

"I've still got ten Galleons," she said, checking her purse. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."

“我可没有，”罗恩说，“埃罗尔是我们一家的。我所有的只不过是斑斑罢了。”他从口袋里掏出他的宠物小耗子来。“我想送它去检查一下，”他又说，一面把斑斑放在他们面前的桌子上，“我认为埃及对它不合适。”斑斑看上去比以前更瘦了，它的胡须明显地搭拉下来。

"How about a nice book? said Ron innocently.

“那边有一家神奇生物商店，”哈利说，现在他已经很熟悉对角巷了，“你可以看看在那里是不是可以给斑斑买点什么，赫敏也可以在那里买到猫头鹰。”

"No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol --"

于是他们付了三份冰淇淋的钱，穿过大街，来到了那家叫做神奇动物园的店铺。

"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."

里面没有多大空间。墙上每一英寸的地方都挂着笼子。店里又臭又闹。因为笼子里的小生物都在发出各种叫声。柜台后面的女巫已经在告诉一位男巫如何照顾双尾蝾螈，因此哈利、罗恩和赫敏就等在一旁，一面看着那些笼子。

Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers.

一对有着巨大眼睛的紫色蟾蜍坐在那里，不讨人喜欢地狼吞虎咽，正享用着一只死丽蝇。一只硬壳上有宝石镶饰的大乌龟在靠近窗子的地方炫耀。有毒的橘色蜗牛正从它们的玻璃箱的边缘慢慢地冒出来。一只肥胖的白兔予不断地变成一顶丝质的高顶礼帽以后又变回来，发出响亮的噗噗声。然后是各种颜色的猫、一笼吵吵闹闹的渡鸦、一篮子可笑的芥末色的软毛球大声哼哼着，柜台上有一个大笼子，里面是柔滑的黑色耗子，正在用它们长长的秃尾巴玩着某种蹦跳游戏。

"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry, who knew Diagon Alley very well by now. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl,"

养双尾蝾螈的男巫走了，罗恩走近柜台。“这是我的耗子，”他对那女巫说道，“自从我把它从埃及带回来以后，它就一直有点不大好。”

So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie.

“把它放到柜台上。”那女巫说，一面从她的口袋里掏出一副沉重的黑眼镜来。罗恩把斑斑从他里面的口袋里拿了出来，放在离它的同类耗子不远的地方。笼子里的耗子不玩蹦跳游戏了，纷纷挤到笼子边上，想看得清楚些。

There wasn't much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants Of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing. The witch behind the counter was already advising a wizard on the care of double-ended newts, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited, examining the cages.

斑斑就像罗恩占有的所有东西一样是旧货（他曾经属于罗恩的哥哥珀西），而且有一点伤痕累累的样子。和笼子里油光水滑的耗子相比，它看上去特别地愁眉苦脸。

A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise. Then there were cats of every color, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-colored furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails.

“哼，”那女巫说，把斑斑拿了起来，“这只耗子多大年纪了？”

The double-ended newt wizard left, and Ron approached the counter.

“不知道，”罗恩说，“很老了。它原来是我哥哥的。”

"It's my rat," he told the witch. "He been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."

“它有什么能耐？”女巫说，仔细检查着斑斑。

"Bang him on the counter," said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket.

“哦——”罗恩说。

Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping tricks and scuffled to the wire for a better took.

实际情况是斑斑从来就没有显示过一丁点儿让人感兴趣的能耐。这位女巫的眼睛从斑斑扯碎的耳朵上转到它的前爪上，那里少了一个趾头，女巫嘴里发出啧啧的声音。“它受过一番苦，这只耗子。”她说。

Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was secondhand (he had once belonged to Ron's brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.

“珀西把它给我的时候，它就是这副模样。”罗恩为自己辩护说。

"Hm," said the witch, picking up Scabbers. "How old is this rat?"

“像这样的普通家鼠或园鼠，你就别指望它能活过三年以上。”这位女巫说道，“喏，如果你想寻找比较耐久的动物，你可能会喜欢这里面的一只……”她指指那些黑耗子，它们马上又开始蹦跳起来。

"Dunno," said Ron. "Quite old. He used to belong to my brother."

罗恩咕哝道：“爱表现的家伙。”

"What powers does he have?" said the witch, examining Scabbers closely.

“好吧，如果你不想换掉它，你可以试试这种药剂。”这位女巫说，伸手到柜台底下取出一个小红瓶子。

"Er --" The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers. The witchs eyes moved from Scabbers's tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing, and tutted loudly.

“好，”罗恩说，“多少钱——哎哟！”

"He's been through the mill, this one," she said.

一个姜黄色的巨大东西从最上面的笼子里跳了下来，跳到罗恩头上，然后蓄势向前，对着斑斑呼噜呼噜地怒叫着。

"He was like that when Percy gave him to me," said Ron defensively.

“别！克鲁克山，别！”女巫惊叫道，但是斑斑从她手里像一块肥皂似的滑脱了，四肢着地地落到地板上，然后向门边逃去。

"An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so," said the witch. "Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these --"

“斑斑！”罗恩大叫，跟着它向店外飞跑；哈利跟在后面。

She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again. Ron muttered, "Show-offs."

他们大概花了十分钟才找到了斑斑，它躲在魁地奇精品专卖店外面的废纸篓下面。罗恩把这只颤抖不已的小耗子仍旧放回他的口袋，然后直起身来，摸摸自己的头。

"Well, if you Don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle.

“那是什么？”

"Okay," said Ron. "How much -- OUCH!"

“要么是一只很大的猫，要么是一只很小的虎。”哈利说。

Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers.

“赫敏在哪里？”

"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch, but Scabbers, shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.

“很可能在买猫头鹰。”

"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed.

他们又从那条拥挤的街上折回去，仍旧回到神奇动物园。他们走到的时候，赫敏正好出来，但她拿的不是猫头鹰。她手臂里紧紧抱着的是那只巨大的姜黄色的猫。

It took them nearly ten minutes to catch Scabbers, who had taken refuge under a wastepaper bin outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron stuffed the trembling rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head.

“你把这只怪物买下来了吗？”罗恩问，惊讶得嘴都合不拢。

"What was that?"

“它的皮毛挺灿烂的，不是吗？”赫敏笑嘻嘻地说。

"It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger," said Harry.

这是一种看法，哈利想道。这只猫的姜黄色皮毛浓密而蓬松，但它的腿显然有点弯曲，它的脸看上去陴气粗暴，而且一副被压扁了的怪样子，好像它什么时候曾经一头冲到了墙上似的。斑斑已经不见了，这只猫也就在赫敏的怀抱里满意地打着呼噜。

"Where's Hermione?"

“赫敏。这鬼东西差点儿抓下了我的头皮！”罗恩说。

"Probably getting her owl

“它不是有意的，你不是有意的吧，克鲁克山？”

They made their way back up the crowded street to the Magical Menagerie. As they reached it, Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat.

“那么斑斑怎么办？”罗恩说，指着他胸袋上那一块鼓起来的地方。“它需要休息和放松！有这东西在旁边，它怎么能休息放松啊？”

"You bought that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open.

“这倒提醒了我，你忘了你的耗子补药了。”赫敏说着，把那只小红瓶子塞到罗恩手里。“别担心，克鲁克山会睡在我的宿舍里，而斑斑在你那里。那还有什么问题？可怜的克鲁克山，那女巫说它在那里好久好久了，一直投人要它。”

"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" said Hermione, glowing.

“我不知道这是什么缘故。”罗恩讽刺说，这时他们向着破釜酒吧出发了。

That was a matter of opinion, thought Harry. The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall. Now that Scabbers was out of sight, however, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's arms.

他们发现韦斯莱先生坐在酒吧间里，读着《预言家日报》。

"Herinione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron.

“哈利！”他说，拾起头来微笑地看着他，“你好吗？”

"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione.

“好的，谢谢您。”哈利说，他、罗恩和赫敏三个人带着他们买来的东西和韦斯莱先生坐在一起。韦斯莱先生放下了报纸，哈利看到小天狼星布莱克那张熟悉的照片正瞪着他看。

"And what about Scabbers?" said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. "He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?"

“他们还没有抓到他吗？”他问道。

"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron's hand. "And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him."

“没有。”韦斯莱先生说，看上去极其严肃的样子。“在部里，他们叫我们丢下手头的工作，想办法去找到他，不过到现在我们还没有这份运气。”

"Wonder why," said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron.

“如果我们抓到了他，会给我们奖赏吗？”哈利问道。“再能拿到点钱是很好的——”

They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the Daily prophet.

“别胡说，哈利，”韦新莱先生说，仔细看看他，就会发现他显得很紧张，“布莱克是不会被一个十三岁的小男巫抓住的。把他抓回去的将是阿兹卡班的守卫，你记着我的话。”

"Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up. "How are you?"

这时，韦斯莱太太到酒吧间来了。手上拿着买来的许多东西，她后面跟着那对双胞胎弗雷德和乔治，他们将在霍格沃茨开始他们第五年的学业，还跟着那位新当选的男生学生会主席珀西和韦斯莱家最小的孩子，也是他们家惟一的女儿金妮。

"Fine, thanks," said Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione joined Mr. Weasley with A their shopping.

金妮一直很喜欢哈利，她看到哈利，似乎比平时更显得尴尬，也许这是因为他在霍格沃茨救过她的命。她满脸通红，咕哝着说了声“你好”，看都没看他。

Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him.

然而，珀西却庄严地伸出手来，好像他和哈利从没见过面似的。他说：“哈利，看见你真高兴。”

"They still haven't caught him, then?" he asked.

“你好，珀西。”哈利说，忍着没笑出来。

"No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."

“你过得不错吧？”珀西装腔作势地说，和他握手。那副样子好像是被介绍给市长似的。

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money --"

“很好，谢谢——”

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, You mark my words."

“哈利！”弗雷德说，用肘部把珀西推开，然后深深地鞠躬，“见到你真荣幸，老伙计——”

At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys' youngest child and only girl, Ginny.

“妙极了，”乔治说，把弗雷德推开，这可轮到他抓住哈利的手了，“绝对是绝妙的。”

Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their previous year at Hogwarts. She went very red and muttered "hello" without looking at him. Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he and Harry had never met and said, "Harry. How nice to see you.

珀西吼了一声。

"Hello, Percy," said Harry, trying not to laugh.

“够了，喏。”韦斯莱先生说。

I hope you're well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands. It was rather like being introduced to the mayor.

“妈妈！”弗雷德说，好像才发现了她似的，也抓住了她的手，“看到你真好啊——”

"Very well, thanks --"

“我说，这就够了。”韦新莱太太说着，一面把买来的东西都放到一把空着的椅子上。“你好，哈利，亲爱的。我想你已经听到那叫人兴奋的消息了吧？”她指指珀西胸前别着的那枚崭新的银色徽章。“这个家里的第二个男生头儿！”她说，自豪得很。

"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy --"

“好不容易啊。”弗雷德低声说。

"Marvelous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing."

“对这一点我不怀疑，”韦斯莱太太说，突然皱起了眉头，“我注意到人家没有让你们俩当级长。”

Percy scowled.

“我们干吗要去当级长啊？”乔治说，对这种说法表示出反叛的态度，“那样，生活就一点劲都没有了。”

"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley.

金妮傻笑起来。

"Mum!" said Fred as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand too. "How really corking to see you --"

“你倒是给妹妹树立个好榜样啊！”韦斯莱太太厉声说。

"I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride.

“金妮有其他哥哥给她树榜样呢，妈妈。”珀西高傲地说，“我要去换衣服准备用晚餐……”他消失了。

"And last," Fred muttered under his breath.

乔治叹了口气。“我们原来要把他关到金字塔里来着，”他告诉哈利，“可惜让妈妈发现了。”

I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

那天的晚餐大家都很尽兴。小酒吧老板汤姆在餐厅里把三张桌子拼在一起，于是韦斯莱家的七位成员、哈利和赫敏一口气吃完了五道美味大菜。

"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

“明天我们怎么样去国王十字车站啊，爸爸？”弗雷德问道，这时大家正在努力吃那块豪华的巧克力布丁。

Ginny giggled.

“魔法部明天会提供两辆车的。”

"Yo u want to set a better example for your sister!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.

大家都抬头看着韦斯莱先生。

"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy loftily. "I'm going up to change for dinner..."

“为什么？”珀西好奇地问。

He disappeared and George heaved a sigh.

“那是为了你啊，珀西，”乔治严肃地说，“帽子上插着小旗，小旗上还有缩写字母HB①——”

"We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Harry. "But Mum spotted us."

“——就是奇大无比的大脑袋②啊。”弗雷德说道。

Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses.

除了珀西和韦斯莱太太以外，大家都冲着自己面前的布丁嗤笑起来。

"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding.

“魔法部为什么要提供汽车呢，爸爸？”珀西再次问道，声调很是庄重。

"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley.

“唔，因为我们部里就有两辆车啊，”韦斯莱先生说道，“而且我在部里工作，他们这是照顾我……”他的声音是随随便便的，但是哈利不禁注意到韦斯莱先生的耳朵红了，就像罗恩感到有压力时那样。

Everyone looked up at him.

“他们做得不错。”韦斯莱太太活泼地说，“你们知道大家一共有多少行李吗？到了麻瓜的火车站，那一大堆可真够瞧的。你们都打好行李了吗？”

"Why?" said Percy curiously.

“罗恩还没有把他新买的东西都放到箱子里去呢，”珀西说，听上去像是受了很久的罪，“他把东西都倒在我床上了。”

"It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them"

“你不如赶快去好好收拾，罗恩，因为我们明早不会有很多时间。”韦斯莱太太从餐桌远处对罗恩说。罗恩怒视珀西。

"-- for Humongous Bighead," said Fred.

晚饭以后，大家都觉得又饱又困。他们一个个上楼回房检查明天要带走的东西。罗恩和珀西住哈利隔壁。哈利刚刚把自己的衣箱合上锁好，就听见隔壁传来恼怒的声音，他过去看看发生了什么事情。十二号房间的门开了一条缝，珀西正在大声叫喊。

Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding.

“本来就在这儿，在床头柜上，我把它拿去擦擦亮——”

"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.

“我碰也没有碰过，懂吗？”罗恩也对珀西大叫道。

"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley,

“什么事啊？”哈利问道。

"-- and as I work there, they're doing me a favor --"

“我的男生学生会主席徽章不见了。”珀西转身对哈利说。

His voice was casual, but Harry couldn't help noticing that Mr. Weasley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under Pressure.

“斑斑的药也不见了，”罗恩说，把东西从衣箱里一件件地扔出来看，“我想我是不是把它落在酒吧间了——”

"Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground.... You are all packed, aren't you?"

“找到我的徽章以前，你哪儿也不许去！”珀西嚷道。

"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."

“我去找斑斑的药，我装好箱子了。”哈利对罗恩说，然后就下楼去了。

"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy.

哈利在通往酒吧间的那条又窄又黑的过道里只走到一半，就听到小客厅里又传来两个人愤怒的声音。他立刻辨别出那是韦斯莱夫妇在说话。他踌躇了一下，不想让他们知道他听到他们吵嘴，但是他听到了自己的名字，于是他向小客厅又走近了一些。

After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. Ron and Percy were next door to Harry. He had just closed and locked his own trunk when he heard angry voices through the wall, and went to see what was going on.

“……不告诉他是没有任何意义的，”韦斯莱先生激动地说道，“哈利有权知道。我曾经设法告诉福吉，可是他坚持要把哈利当小孩子看。哈利已经十三岁了，而且——”

The door of number twelve was ajar and Percy was shouting.

“亚瑟，真相会把他吓坏的！”韦斯莱太太尖声说，“难道你真想让哈利带着这样的精神负担回学校吗？看在老天的份上。不知道的时候，他是快活的！”

"It was here, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing

“我不是要让他感到悲惨，我想让他提防！”韦斯莱先生反驳道，“你知道哈利和罗恩是怎样的孩子，他们总是自己溜开去玩——他们已经有两次走到禁林里去了！但是哈利今年一定不能再这样了！那天晚上他从家里逃出来，路上什么事都可能发生，我想到这儿，心里就发毛！如果骑士公共汽车没有接到他，我敢打赌。在魔法部找到他以前，他早就死了。”

"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back.

“但是他没有死啊，他好好儿的，所以，有什么必要告——”

"What's up?" said Harry.

“莫丽，他们说小天狼星布莱克疯了，他也许是疯了，但他聪明得足以从阿兹卡班逃脱，这件事常人是做不到的。现在已经三个星期了，大家连布莱克的一根头发也没有见到，我不管福吉一直对《预言家日报》说些什么，在捕获布莱克方面，我们的进展和发明自己会念咒语的魔杖差不多。我们惟一明确知道的事就是布莱克在追什么——”

"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on Harry.

“但是哈利在霍格沃茨是绝对安全的。”

"So's Scabbers's rat tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might've left it in the bar --"

“我们认为阿兹卡班是绝对安全的。如果布莱克能够从阿兹卡班逃出来，他就能冲进霍格沃茨。”

"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy.

“但是谁也不能肯定布莱克就是在追哈利——”

"I'll get Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed," Harry said to Ron, and he went downstairs.

咚的一声响，哈利肯定是书斯莱先生用拳头擂了一下桌子。

Harry was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when he heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. A second later, he recognized them as Mr. and Mrs.

“莫丽，我要告诉你多少遍啊？报上没有报道这一点，因为福吉不让，但是布莱克从阿兹卡班逃走的那天晚上，福吉到阿兹卡班去了。守卫告诉福吉，布莱克说梦话已经有一段时间了。总是说同样的话：‘他在霍格沃茨……他在霍格沃茨……’布莱克神经不正常了，莫丽，而且他要哈利死。如果你问我的话，他认为杀死哈利就可以让神秘人重新掌权。哈利阻止了神秘人的那天晚上，布莱克失去了一切，而且他已经在阿兹卡班单独待了十二年，有足够的时间去想这……”

Weasleys'. He hesitated, not wanting them to know he'd heard them arguing, when the sound of his own name made him stop, then move closer to the parlor door.

一片静寂。哈利又向门靠近了一点儿，极想多听到一些。

"--makes no sense not to tell him," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He's thirteen years old and --"

“好吧，亚瑟，你以为是正确的事情，你就坚持去做好了。但是你忘了阿不思邓布利多了。我认为只要邓布利多在当霍格沃茨的校长，那就什么东西也伤害不了哈利。我想所有这些事他都知道吧？”

"Arthur, the truth would terrify him!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's happy not knowing!"

“他当然知道。我们必须问他：阿兹卡班的守卫在学校周围所有入口驻防，他介意不介意。他对这一点不太高兴，不过他同意了。”

"I don't want to make him miserable, I want to put him on his guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves -- they've ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice! But Harry mustn't do that this year! When I think what could have happened to him that night he ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm prepared to bet he would have been dead before the Ministry found him."

“不高兴？如果他们在那里抓到布莱克，他能不高兴吗？”

"But he's not dead, he's fine, so what's the point

“邓布利多不喜欢阿兹卡班的守卫。”韦斯莱先生沉重地说道，“我也不喜欢。如果到了这一步……但是当你和布莱克这样的男巫打交道的时候，有的时候你不得不和你本来想避开的家伙联合起来。”

"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the Daily Prophet, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after

“如果他们救了哈利——”

"But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."

“——那么我就再也不说一句反对他们的话了。”韦斯莱先生不耐烦地说，“不早了。莫丽，我们还是上楼去吧……”

"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."

哈利听见椅子拖动的声音。他尽量轻手轻脚地走完通往酒吧的过道，不让他们看见。小客厅门开了，几秒钟以后，脚步声告诉他，韦斯莱夫妇正在上楼。装耗子补药的那个瓶子躺在他们早先坐过的那张桌子下面。哈利等到他听见韦斯莱夫妇卧室的门关上了，才拿着瓶子又上了楼。

"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry

弗雷德和乔治正蹲在楼梯平台的阴暗处，听着珀西为了寻找那男生头儿的徽章而把他和罗恩的卧室闹得天翻地覆，笑得喘不过气来。

There was a thud on wood, and Harry was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table.

“我们找到了徽章，”弗雷德对哈利耳语道，“我们已经把它改良了。现在徽章上写的是‘大头男孩’”。

"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Blacks been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to pow er. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You- Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that...."

哈利勉强大笑，走去将耗子补药给了罗恩，然后把自己关在房间里，躺在了床上。

There was a silence. Harry leaned still closer to the door, desperate to hear more.

这么说，小天狼星布莱克是在找他。这就把什么都说清楚了。福吉对他那么宽大，因为发现他还活着，就大松了一口气。他已经让哈利保证待在对角巷不出去，对角巷有许多巫师，可以密切注视着他。明天他还派魔法部的两辆车送他们大家到车站去，以便韦斯莱一家可以在哈利上火车以前照看他。

"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?"

哈利躺在那里，听着隔壁房间闷闷地传来了大叫大喊的声音，心里不明白自己为什么没有更加害怕。小天狼星布莱克曾经用一句咒语就杀死了十三个人。韦斯莱夫妇显然认为，哈利如果知道事实真相，就会吓得要死。但是，哈利正好完全同意韦斯莱太太的话，那就是，邓布利多先生在哪里，哪里就是世界上最安全的地方。人们不是一直在说邓布利多先生是伏地魔惟一怕过的人吗？布莱克是伏地魔的左膀右臂，那他不是也肯定怕邓布利多先生吗？还有那些人们一直在谈论的阿兹卡班守卫。他们似乎把所有的人都吓得手足无措，如果他们驻扎在学校周围，布莱克潜进学校的可能性就微乎其微了吧。

"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."

总而言之，最让哈利烦心的是，他访问霍格莫德的机会现在似乎是零了。在布莱克被捕以前，谁也不会让哈利离开那座安全的城堡；其实，哈利猜想，在危险过去以前，他的每一个行动都会受到严密监视的。

"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"

他怒视着黑暗的天花板。人们以为他不会照顾自己吗？他已经从伏地魔手下逃脱了三次，他不是完全没有用的啊……木兰花新月街阴影里的那只野兽突然出现在他脑海里。当你知道最坏的事即将到来的时候，你该怎么办？

"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am 1, if it comes to that... but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."

“我不会被人谋杀的。”哈利大声说。

"If they save Harry then I will never say another word against them, said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up...."

“人就要有这点精神，亲爱的。”他的镜子睡意朦胧地说。

Harry heard chairs move. As quietly as he could, he hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlor door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs.

①即Head boy,男生学生会主席，或男生头儿。

The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom door close, then headed back upstairs with the bottle.

②“奇大无比的大脑袋”的英文（Humungous bighead）字母缩写也是HB。这里弗雷德在故意取笑珀西。

Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge.

"We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry. "We've been improving it."

The badge now read Bighead Boy.

Harry forced a laugh, went to give Ron the rat tonic, then shut himself in his room and lay down on his bed.

So Sirius Black was after him. This explained everything. Fudge had been lenient with him because he was so relieved to find him alive. He'd made Harry promise to stay in Diagon Alley where there were plenty of wizards to keep an eye on him. And he was sending two Ministry cars to take them all to the station tomorrow, so that the Weasleys could look after Harry until he was on the train.

Harry lay listening to the muffled shouting next door and wondered why he didn't feel more scared. Sirius Black had murdered thirteen people with one curse; Mr. and Mrs, Weasley obviously thought Harry would be panic-stricken if he knew the truth. But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of? Surely Black, as Voldemort's right-hand man, would be just as frightened of him?

And then there were these Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to scare most people senseless, and if they were stationed all around the school, Black's chances of getting inside seemed very remote.

No, all in all, the thing that bothered Harry most was the fact that his chances of visiting Hogsmeade now looked like zero. Nobody would want Harry to leave the safety of the castle until Black was caught; in fact, Harry suspected his every move would be carefully watched until the danger had passed.

He scowled at the dark ceiling. Did they think he couldn't look after himself? He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times; he wasn't completely useless....

Unbidden, the image of the beast in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent crossed his mind. What to do when you know the worst is coming...

"I'm not going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.

"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.