哈利·波特与密室 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 英文  中文  双语对照  双语交替 首页  目录  上一章   下一章

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CHAPTER FIVE THE WHOMPING WILLOW

第五章　打人柳

The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Harry’s liking. He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at the Burrow had been the happiest of his life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when he thought of the Dursleys and the sort of welcome he could expect next time he turned up on Privet Drive.

哈利觉得暑假结束得太快了。他盼望回到霍格沃茨，可是在陋居的一个月是他一生中最快乐的时光。想到德思礼一家和他下次回女贞路时可能受到的待遇，他没法不嫉妒罗恩。

On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of Harry’s favorite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

最后一夜，韦斯莱夫人变出了一桌丰盛的晚饭，都是哈利最喜欢的食品，最后一道是看了就让人流口水的蜜汁布丁。弗雷德和乔治的费力拔烟火表演使这个夜晚更加完美。厨房里布满了红色和蓝色的星星，在天花板和墙壁之间蹦来蹦去至少有半个小时之久。尽兴之后，每人喝了一杯热巧克力，就上床睡觉去了。

It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny’s trunk to the car.

第二天早上动身花了很长时间。鸡一叫他们就起床了，可是仍然好像有很多事情要做。韦斯莱夫人冲来冲去地寻找备用的袜子和被子，心情烦躁。大家老是在楼梯上撞在一起，衣服穿了一半，手里拿着吃剩的一点儿面包。韦斯莱先生把金妮的箱子扛到车上时，在院子被一只鸡绊了一下，差点儿摔断了脖子。

Harry couldn’t see how eight people, six large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. He had reckoned, of course, without the special features that Mr. Weasley had added.

哈利心里纳闷，这八个人、六只大箱子、两只猫头鹰和一只老鼠，怎么可能塞进一辆小小的福特安格里亚车里呢？当然，他没有想到韦斯莱先生添加的那些设计。

“Not a word to Molly,” he whispered to Harry as he opened the trunk and showed him how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.

“别告诉莫丽。”他打开行李箱，向哈利展示它怎样被神奇地扩大了，足以放下那些箱子。

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, “Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don’t they?” She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. “I mean, you’d never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?”

当他们终于都坐进车里后，韦斯莱夫人朝后排看了一眼，哈利、罗恩、弗雷德、乔治和珀西舒适地并排坐在那里。她和金妮坐在前面，那个座位也被加长到像公园的长凳一样。

Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. He barely had time to wonder when he’d see it again when they were back — George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she’d left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

“麻瓜真是比我们想象的要聪明，”她说道，“从外面看不出车里有这么宽敞，是不是？”

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

韦斯莱先生发动引擎，汽车开出了院子。哈利回头看了这所房子最后一眼。他还没来得及想什么时候才能再见到它，他们又回来了：乔治把他的费力拔烟火忘在家里了。五分钟之后，汽车又在院子里刹住了，好让弗雷德跑回去拿他的飞天扫帚。快上高速公路时，金妮又尖叫起来，说她忘带日记本了。等她爬进汽车时，时间已经很晚，人们的火气也已经很旺。

“Molly, dear —”

韦斯莱先生看了一眼手表，然后看着他的妻子。

“No, Arthur —”

“莫丽，亲爱的——”

“No one would see — this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed — that’d get us up in the air — then we fly above the clouds. We’d be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser —”

“不行，亚瑟。”

“I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight —”

“没人会看见。这里有个小按钮，是我安装的隐形助推器——它能把我们送到天上——然后我们在云层上面飞，十分钟就到了，谁也不会知道……”

They reached King’s Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.

“我说了不行，亚瑟，在这种光天化日之下。”

Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn’t visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn’t hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.

他们差一刻十一点到了国王十字车站。韦斯莱先生冲过马路去找运行李的小车，大家匆匆跑进车站。

“Percy first,” said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

哈利去年乘过霍格沃茨特快列车。窍门是要登上9又3/4站台，这个站台是麻瓜看不见的。你得穿过第9和第10站台之间的隔墙。一点儿也不痛，可是要小心别让麻瓜看到你消失了。

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed.

“珀西第一个。”韦斯莱夫人紧张地看着挂钟说。

“I’ll take Ginny and you two come right after us,” Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron, grabbing Ginny’s hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.

他们必须在五分钟内装作漫不经心地穿墙而过。珀西快步走过去，消失了。韦斯莱先生跟着也过去了，接着是弗雷德和乔治。

“Let’s go together, we’ve only got a minute,” Ron said to Harry.

“我带着金妮，你们俩紧紧跟上。”韦斯莱夫人对哈利和罗恩说完，抓住金妮的手走向前去，一转眼就消失了。

Harry made sure that Hedwig’s cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley around to face the barrier. He felt perfectly confident; this wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder. Both of them bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and —

“咱俩一起过吧，只有一分钟了。”罗恩说。

CRASH.

哈利看了看海德薇的笼子是否在箱子顶上插牢了，然后把小行李车转过来对着隔墙。他非常自信，这远不像用飞路粉那样难受。他们俩猫起腰，坚定地推着车子朝隔墙走去，逐渐加快步伐。离墙还有几英尺时，他们跑了起来——两辆车撞在隔墙上弹了回来。罗恩的箱子重重地砸到地上，哈利被撞倒了；海德薇的笼子弹到了光亮的地板上，滚到一边；海德薇愤怒地尖叫着。许多人围着他们看，旁边一个警卫喊道：“你们到底在搞什么名堂？”

Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron’s trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig’s cage bounced onto the shiny floor, and she rolled away, shrieking indignantly; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, “What in blazes d’you think you’re doing?”

“车子脱手了。”哈利喘着气说，捂着肋骨爬起来。

“Lost control of the trolley,” Harry gasped, clutching his ribs as he got up. Ron ran to pick up Hedwig, who was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd.

罗恩跑过去捡起海德薇，它还在那里大吵大叫，使得许多围观的人说他们虐待动物。

“Why can’t we get through?” Harry hissed to Ron.

“我们为什么过不去？”哈利小声问罗恩。

“I dunno —”

“我不知道——”

Ron looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them.

罗恩焦急地看看四周，还有十几个人好奇地注视着他们。

“We’re going to miss the train,” Ron whispered. “I don’t understand why the gateway’s sealed itself —”

“我们要误车了，”罗恩小声说，“我不懂通道为什么自己封上了……”

Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ten seconds . . . nine seconds . . .

哈利抬头看看大钟，他有些眩晕，觉得仿佛要吐。十秒……九秒……他小心地把车子抵到墙边，使出全身力气一推，隔墙还是纹丝不动。

He wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid.

“完了，”罗恩呆呆地说，“火车开了。如果爸爸妈妈不能过来接我们怎么办？你身上带着麻瓜的钱吗？”

Three seconds . . . two seconds . . . one second . . .

哈利干笑了一声，“德思礼一家六年没给我零花钱了。”

“It’s gone,” said Ron, sounding stunned. “The train’s left. What if Mum and Dad can’t get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?”

罗恩把耳朵贴到冰冷的隔墙上。“什么声音也没有，”他紧张地说，“我们怎么办呢？不知道爸妈要多久才能回来找我们。”

Harry gave a hollow laugh. “The Dursleys haven’t given me pocket money for about six years.”

他们朝四周望望，还有一些人在看着他们，这主要是由于海德薇在不停地尖叫。

Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier.

“我想咱们最好回汽车旁边等着，”哈利说，“这里太招人注……”

“Can’t hear a thing,” he said tensely. “What’re we going to do? I don’t know how long it’ll take Mum and Dad to get back to us.”

“哈利！”罗恩眼睛一亮，叫道，“汽车！”

They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of Hedwig’s continuing screeches.

“怎么了？”

“I think we’d better go and wait by the car,” said Harry. “We’re attracting too much atten —”

“我们可以开车飞到霍格沃茨！”

“Harry!” said Ron, his eyes gleaming. “The car!”

“可是我想——”

“What about it?”

“咱们被困住了，对吧？咱们必须赶回学校去，是不是？在真正紧急的情况下，小巫师也可以使用魔法的。《限制条例》第十九款还是第几款有规定……”

“We can fly the car to Hogwarts!”

哈利由惊慌一下子转为兴奋。“你会开吗？”

“But I thought —”

“没问题。”罗恩说着，把小车掉头朝向出口，“快走吧，要是赶一赶，咱们还能跟得上霍格沃茨特快列车。”

“We’re stuck, right? And we’ve got to get to school, haven’t we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it’s a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy —”

他们快步穿过好奇的人群，走出车站，回到停在辅路上的那辆老福特安格里亚车旁边。罗恩用魔杖连点几下，打开了宽敞的行李箱。他们把箱子搬了进去，把海德薇放在后排座位上，然后坐进前排。

“But your mum and dad . . .” said Harry, pushing against the barrier again in the vain hope that it would give way. “How will they get home?”

“看一眼有没有人在注意我们。”罗恩说，又用魔杖一点，发动了汽车。哈利把头伸出窗外：干道上有隆隆行驶的车辆，可他们这条街上空空荡荡的。

“They don’t need the car!” said Ron impatiently. “They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home! They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we’re all underage and we’re not allowed to Apparate yet. . . .”

“没人。”

Harry’s feeling of panic turned suddenly to excitement.

罗恩按下仪表板上的一个小小的银色按钮。他们的汽车消失了——他们俩也消失了。哈利能感到座位在震动，能听到引擎的声音，能感到他的双手放在膝盖上，眼镜戴在鼻梁上，他能看到一切。但他自己只剩下了一双眼睛，离地面几英尺，在一条停满汽车的脏兮兮的街道上飘浮。

“Can you fly it?”

“起飞。”罗恩的声音在他右边说。

“No problem,” said Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. “C’mon, let’s go. If we hurry we’ll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express —”

两旁的地面和肮脏的建筑物沉落下去，一会儿就看不见了。汽车越升越高，几秒钟后，整个伦敦城展现在他们下方，烟雾蒙蒙，微微地闪着亮光。突然噗的一声，汽车、哈利和罗恩又重新显现了。

And they marched off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the old Ford Anglia was parked.

“唉呀，”罗恩捅着隐形助推器说，“这开关有毛病——”

Ron unlocked the cavernous trunk with a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, put Hedwig on the back seat, and got into the front.

他们一起猛敲那个按钮。汽车消失了，但很快又闪闪烁烁地现了形。

“Check that no one’s watching,” said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling along the main road ahead, but their street was empty.

“坐好！”罗恩喊了一声，猛踩油门，他们笔直射入低空棉絮状的云层里，一切都暗淡模糊起来。

“Okay,” he said.

“现在怎么办？”哈利问，从四面压过来的云块让他感到有些晃眼。

Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished — and so did they. Harry could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose, but for all he could see, he had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars.

“我们需要看到火车才能知道往哪个方向走。”罗恩说。

“Let’s go,” said Ron’s voice from his right.

“还是降下去——快——”

And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them.

他们重新降到云层下面，扭过身体眯眼向地面搜寻。

Then there was a popping noise and the car, Harry, and Ron reappeared.

“看到了！”哈利喊道，“就在前面——那儿！”

“Uh-oh,” said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. “It’s faulty —”

霍格沃茨特快列车像一条红蛇在他们下方疾驰。

Both of them pummeled it. The car vanished. Then it flickered back again.

“正北，”罗恩对了对仪表板上的罗盘说，“好，我们只要每半小时下来看一眼就行了。坐好……”汽车急速钻入云层。一分钟后，他们就冲进了炫目的阳光中。

“Hold on!” Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy.

这是另一个世界。车轮掠着松软的云海飞行，在耀眼的白日映照下，天空一片明亮蔚蓝，无边无际。

“Now what?” said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.

“现在我们只要当心飞机就可以了。”罗恩说。

“We need to see the train to know what direction to go in,” said Ron.

他们仿佛进入了一个神话般的梦境。哈利想，这无疑是最好的旅行方式：坐在一辆充满阳光的汽车里，在漩涡状、塔林状的白云间穿行，仪表板下面有一大包太妃糖，还可以想象当他们神奇地从天而降，平稳地停在霍格沃茨城堡前的大草坪上时，弗雷德和乔治脸上嫉妒的表情。

“Dip back down again — quickly —”

他们一直朝北飞去，隔一段时间就核对一下火车行驶的方向，每次下降都可以看到一幅不同的景象。伦敦很快被远远地甩在后面，代替它的是平整的绿色田野，然后是广阔的紫色沼泽、一座座村庄，村里的教堂像是小孩子的玩具，接着是一个繁忙的大城市，无数车辆像密密麻麻的彩色蚂蚁。

They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground.

可是，几小时之后，哈利不得不承认一些乐趣在逐渐消失。太妃糖使他们口渴难当，又没有水喝。他和罗恩都脱掉了罩衣，可哈利的衬衫湿得贴在椅背上，眼镜老往鼻尖上滑。他已经无心欣赏那些云彩的奇幻形状，而想念起数十英里之下的火车来，那里有胖胖的女巫推着小车叫卖冰镇南瓜汁。他们为什么没能进入9又3/4站台呢？

“I can see it!” Harry yelled. “Right ahead — there!”

“不会有多远了吧？”又过了一个小时，罗恩声音沙哑地说。太阳开始沉到云层之下，把云海染成一片粉红。“再下去看一眼火车好吗？”

The Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them like a scarlet snake.

火车还在他们下方，正蜿蜒绕过一座白雪覆盖的高山。在云层下面，天色要暗得多。

“Due north,” said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. “Okay, we’ll just have to check on it every half hour or so — hold on —”

罗恩踩住油门，又向上升去，可是引擎开始发出哀鸣。

And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight.

哈利和罗恩不安地面面相觑。

It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun.

“也许它只是累了，”罗恩说，“它从来没走过这么远……”

“All we’ve got to worry about now are airplanes,” said Ron.

随着天空越来越暗，哀鸣声也越来越响，他们都假装没有注意。夜幕中亮起了点点繁星，哈利穿上罩衣，尽量装作没看见挡风玻璃上的雨刷在无力地摆动，好像是一种抗议。

They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn’t stop.

“不远了，”罗恩更像是对汽车而不是对哈利说，“现在不远了。”他紧张地拍了拍仪表板。

It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Harry, was surely the only way to travel — past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Fred’s and George’s jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Hogwarts castle.

过了一会儿，他们又飞到云层之下，眯起眼在黑暗中寻找一个熟悉的地面目标。

They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors, a great city alive with cars like multicolored ants, villages with tiny toy churches.

“那儿！”哈利喊道，把罗恩和海德薇都吓了一跳，“就在前面！”

Several uneventful hours later, however, Harry had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. He and Ron had pulled off their sweaters, but Harry’s T-shirt was sticking to the back of his seat and his glasses kept sliding down to the end of his sweaty nose. He had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch. Why hadn’t they been able to get onto platform nine and three-quarters?

在黑暗的地平线上，在湖对面高高的悬崖顶端，耸立着霍格沃茨城堡的角楼和高塔的剪影。

“Can’t be much further, can it?” croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. “Ready for another check on the train?”

可是汽车开始颤抖并逐渐减速。

It was still right below them, winding its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds.

“帮帮忙，”罗恩好言好语地哄劝着，并轻轻地摇了摇方向盘，“差不多到了，帮帮忙——”

Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine.

引擎呻吟着，引擎罩下喷出股股蒸气。他们朝湖上飞去时，哈利不禁攥紧了座椅边沿。

Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.

汽车剧烈地摇晃了一下。哈利瞥了一眼窗外，看见了一英里之下平静漆黑、光滑如镜的水面。罗恩握着方向盘的手指节都发白了。汽车又摇晃起来。

“It’s probably just tired,” said Ron. “It’s never been this far before. . . .”

“帮帮忙。”罗恩喃喃道。

And they both pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest.

他们飞过湖面……城堡就在前头……罗恩踩下油门。

“Not far,” said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, “not far now,” and he patted the dashboard nervously.

哐啷一响，接着噼啪一声，引擎彻底熄火了。

When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew.

“哎呀。”罗恩在一片寂静中说。

“There!” Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. “Straight ahead!”

车头朝下一倾，他们开始坠落，速度越来越快，直朝着城堡的围墙撞去。

Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle.

“不——！”罗恩大喊道，拼命转动方向盘。汽车拐了一个大圆弧，擦墙而过，飞过黑暗的温室、菜地，飞到外面黑色的草坪上方，一直在坠落。

But the car had begun to shudder and was losing speed.

罗恩干脆放开方向盘，从背后的衣袋里拔出魔杖。

“Come on,” Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, “nearly there, come on —”

“停下！停下！”他抽打着仪表板和挡风玻璃高喊，可是他们还是在快速下落，地面向他们扑来……

The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew toward the lake.

“当心那棵树！”哈利大叫，扑过去抓方向盘，可是太晚了——

The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again.

咔啦啦。

“Come on,” Ron muttered.

一阵金属与树木撞击的巨响，他们撞在了粗大的树干上，落到地上，车身猛地一震。变了形的引擎盖下面冒出滚滚蒸气；海德薇在惊恐地尖叫；哈利的头撞到了挡风玻璃上，鼓起一个高尔夫球那么大的肿包；罗恩在他右边绝望地低声呻吟。

They were over the lake — the castle was right ahead — Ron put his foot down.

“你没事吧？”哈利着急地问。

There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.

“我的魔杖，”罗恩声音颤抖着说，“看看我的魔杖。”

“Uh-oh,” said Ron, into the silence.

它几乎断成了两截，上端搭拉下来，只有几丝木片连着。

The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.

哈利刚想说到了学校一定能把它修好，可是还没有来得及说出口，什么东西撞上了他这面的车身。那股力量大得像一头猛冲的公牛，把他撞得倒向罗恩，这时车顶又被同样重重地撞了一下。

“Noooooo!” Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time.

“怎么回事——？”

Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket —

罗恩倒吸一口冷气，盯着挡风玻璃；哈利转过头，刚好看见一条像蟒蛇那么粗的树枝撞到玻璃上。是车子撞到的那棵树在袭击他们。它的树干弯成弓状，多节的树枝狠揍着车身上它能够到的每一块地方。

“STOP! STOP!” he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them —

“啊——！”罗恩叫道，又一根扭曲的粗枝把他的车门砸了一个大坑，无数手指关节般粗细的小树枝发动了雹子般的猛烈敲击，震得挡风玻璃瑟瑟颤抖，一根有攻城槌那么粗的树枝正在疯狂地捣着车顶，车顶好像要凹陷下来了——

“WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!” Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late —

“快跑！”罗恩大喊一声，使出浑身力气推门。可是就在这时，另一根树枝给了他一记狠毒的上钩拳，把他打得跌倒在哈利的腿上。

CRUNCH.

“我们完了！”他看着车顶塌陷下来，呻吟道。可是车底突然震动起来——引擎重新发动了。

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig was shrieking in terror; a golf-ball-sized lump was throbbing on Harry’s head where he had hit the windshield; and to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan.

“倒车！”哈利大喊，汽车嗖地朝后退去。那棵树还想打他们，拼命用枝条朝迅速逃离的车子抽来。它弯着身子向前够着，几乎把树干都要撕裂了。他们能听见树根在嘎吱作响。

“Are you okay?” Harry said urgently.

“妈呀，真悬哪。”罗恩气喘吁吁地说，“好样的，汽车。”

“My wand,” said Ron, in a shaky voice. “Look at my wand —”

可是，汽车的忍耐已经到了极限。嘭嘭两声，车门弹开，哈利感到座椅朝旁边一歪，还没弄清是怎么回事，他已经趴在潮湿的土地上了。重重的响声告诉他汽车把他们的行李也抛出来了。海德薇的笼子飞到空中，笼门开了，它飞出来，愤怒地高叫一声，头也不回地朝城堡飞去。然后，汽车带着遍体的伤痕和大坑，冒着蒸气，隆隆驶进黑暗中，尾灯还在愤怒地闪耀着。

It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters.

“回来！”罗恩挥舞着破魔杖在它后面喊，“爸爸会杀了我的！”

Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they’d be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.

可是汽车的排气管最后喷了一口气，消失在视线之外。

“What’s happen — ?”

“你能相信有这么倒霉的运气吗？”罗恩苦着脸说道，俯身抱起他的老鼠斑斑，“那么多的树，咱们偏偏撞上了会打人的那棵。”

Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach.

他回头看着那棵古树，它还在威胁地挥动着它的枝条。

“Aaargh!” said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving —

“走吧，”哈利疲惫地说，“咱们最好进学校去……”

“Run for it!” Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Harry’s lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch.

完全不是他们原先想象的胜利抵达，他们四肢僵硬，身上又冷又痛。他们抓起摔破的箱子，开始往草坡上拖，朝着那两扇栎木大门走去。

“We’re done for!” he moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating — the engine had restarted.

“我想宴会已经开始了。”罗恩把他的箱子丢在台阶脚下，悄悄走到一扇明亮的窗户前，向里面窥视。“嘿，哈利，快来看——在分院呢！”

“Reverse!” Harry yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.

哈利赶过去，和罗恩一起往大礼堂里看。

“That,” panted Ron, “was close. Well done, car —”

无数根蜡烛停在半空中，照着四张围满了人的长桌子，照得那些金色的盘子和高脚杯闪闪发光。

The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Harry felt his seat tip sideways: Next thing he knew he was sprawled on the damp ground. Loud thuds told him that the car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig’s cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.

天花板上群星璀璨，这天花板是被施了魔法的，永远能反映出外面的天空。

“Come back!” Ron yelled after it, brandishing his broken wand. “Dad’ll kill me!”

越过一片密密麻麻的黑色尖顶霍格沃茨帽，哈利看到新生们排着长队提心吊胆地走进礼堂。金妮也在其中，她那一头韦斯莱家特有的红发十分显眼。与此同时，戴着眼镜、头发紧紧地束成一个小圆髻的麦格教授，把那顶著名的霍格沃茨分院帽放在新生面前的凳子上。

But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.

每年，这顶打着补丁、又脏又破的旧帽子把新生们分到霍格沃茨的四个学院（格兰芬多、赫奇帕奇、拉文克劳和斯莱特林）。哈利清楚地记得一年前他戴上这顶帽子时的情形：他惶恐地听着它在耳边嘀嘀咕咕，等待它做出决定。有几秒钟，他恐惧地以为帽子要把他分到斯莱特林，这个学院出的黑巫师比其他学院都多——可后来他被分到格兰芬多，和罗恩、赫敏和韦斯莱兄弟在一起。上学期，哈利和罗恩为格兰芬多赢得了学院杯冠军，这是他们学院七年来第一次打败斯莱特林。

“Can you believe our luck?” said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers. “Of all the trees we could’ve hit, we had to get one that hits back.”

一个非常瘦小的灰头发男孩被叫到前面，戴上了分院帽。哈利的目光移到了坐在教师席上观看分院仪式的邓布利多校长身上，他银白的长须和半月形的眼镜在烛光下闪闪发亮。再过去几个座位，哈利看到了穿一身水绿色长袍的吉德罗洛哈特。最顶头坐着虎背熊腰、须发浓密的海格，正举着杯子大口地喝酒。

He glanced over his shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly.

“等等……”哈利低声对罗恩说，“教师席上有一个位子空着……斯内普哪儿去了？”

“Come on,” said Harry wearily, “we’d better get up to the school. . . .”

西弗勒斯斯内普教授是哈利最不喜欢的老师，而哈利碰巧又是斯内普最不喜欢的学生。斯内普为人残忍刻薄，除了他自己学院（斯莱特林）的学生以外，大家都不喜欢他。他教授的是魔药学。

It wasn’t at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy slope, toward the great oak front doors.

“也许他病了！”罗恩满怀希望地说。

“I think the feast’s already started,” said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. “Hey — Harry — come and look — it’s the Sorting!”

“也许他走了，”哈利说，“因为他又没当上黑魔法防御术课教师！”

Harry hurried over and, together, he and Ron peered in at the Great Hall.

“也许他被解雇了！”罗恩兴奋地说，“你想，所有的人都恨他——”

Innumerable candles were hovering in midair over four long, crowded tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle. Overhead, the bewitched ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside, sparkled with stars.

“也许，”一个冰冷的声音在他们背后说，“他在等着听你们两个说说为什么没坐校车来。”

Through the forest of pointed black Hogwarts hats, Harry saw a long line of scared-looking first years filing into the Hall. Ginny was among them, easily visible because of her vivid Weasley hair. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, a bespectacled witch with her hair in a tight bun, was placing the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a stool before the newcomers.

哈利一转身，西弗勒斯斯内普就站在眼前，黑袍子在凉风中抖动着。他身材枯瘦，皮肤灰黄，长着一个鹰钩鼻，油油的黑发披到肩上。此刻他脸上的那种笑容告诉哈利，他和罗恩的处境非常不妙。

Every year, this aged old hat, patched, frayed, and dirty, sorted new students into the four Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin). Harry well remembered putting it on, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified, for its decision as it muttered aloud in his ear. For a few horrible seconds he had feared that the hat was going to put him in Slytherin, the House that had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other — but he had ended up in Gryffindor, along with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys. Last term, Harry and Ron had helped Gryffindor win the House Championship, beating Slytherin for the first time in seven years.

“跟我来。”斯内普说。

A very small, mousy-haired boy had been called forward to place the hat on his head. Harry’s eyes wandered past him to where Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, sat watching the Sorting from the staff table, his long silver beard and half-moon glasses shining brightly in the candlelight. Several seats along, Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in robes of aquamarine. And there at the end was Hagrid, huge and hairy, drinking deeply from his goblet.

哈利和罗恩都不敢看他，跟着斯内普登上台阶，走进点着火把的空旷而有回声的门厅。从大礼堂飘来食物的香味，可是斯内普带着他们离开了温暖和光明，沿着狭窄的石梯下到了地下教室里。

“Hang on . . .” Harry muttered to Ron. “There’s an empty chair at the staff table. . . . Where’s Snape?”

“进去！”他打开阴冷的走廊上的一扇房门，指着里面说道。

Professor Severus Snape was Harry’s least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape’s least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own House (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions.

他们哆嗦着走进斯内普的办公室。四壁昏暗，沿墙的架子上摆着许多大玻璃罐，罐里悬浮着各种令人恶心的东西，哈利此刻并不想知道它们的名字。壁炉空着，黑洞洞的。斯内普关上门，转身看着他们俩。

“Maybe he’s ill!” said Ron hopefully.

“啊，”他轻声说，“著名的哈利波特和他的好伙伴韦斯莱嫌坐火车不够过瘾，想玩个刺激的，是不是？”

“Maybe he’s left,” said Harry, “because he missed out on the Defense Against the Dark Arts job again!”

“不，先生，是国王十字车站的隔墙，它——”

“Or he might have been sacked !” said Ron enthusiastically. “I mean, everyone hates him —”

“安静！”斯内普冷冷地说，“你们对汽车做了什么？”

“Or maybe,” said a very cold voice right behind them, “he’s waiting to hear why you two didn’t arrive on the school train.”

罗恩张口结舌。斯内普又一次让哈利感到他能看穿别人的心思。可是不一会儿疑团就解开了，斯内普展开了当天的《预言家晚报》。

Harry spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble.

“你们被人看见了，”他无情地说，并把报上的标题给他们看：福特安格里亚车会飞，麻瓜大为惊诧。

“Follow me,” said Snape.

他高声念道：“伦敦两名麻瓜确信他们看到一辆旧轿车飞过邮局大楼……中午在诺福克，赫蒂贝利斯夫人晒衣服时……皮伯斯的安格斯·弗利特先生向警察报告……一共有六七个麻瓜。我记得你父亲是在禁止滥用麻瓜物品司工作吧？”他抬眼看着罗恩，笑得更加险恶。“哎呀呀……他自己的儿子……”

Not daring even to look at each other, Harry and Ron followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches. A delicious smell of food was wafting from the Great Hall, but Snape led them away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase that led into the dungeons.

哈利感到他的腹部好像被那棵疯树的大枝猛抽了一下。要是有人发现韦斯莱先生对汽车施了魔法……他没有想过这一点……

“In!” he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.

“我在检查花园时发现，一棵非常珍贵的打人柳似乎受到了很大的损害。”斯内普继续说。

They entered Snape’s office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn’t really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.

“那棵树对我们的损害比……”罗恩冲口而出。

“So,” he said softly, “the train isn’t good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick, Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we, boys?”

“安静！”斯内普再次厉声呵斥。“真可惜，你们不是我学院的学生，我无权作出开除你们的决定。我去把真正拥有这个愉快特权的人找来。你们在这儿等着。”

“No, sir, it was the barrier at King’s Cross, it —”

哈利和罗恩脸色苍白地对望着。哈利不再觉得饿了，他感到非常不舒服，尽量不去看斯内普桌后架子上那个悬浮在绿色液体里的黏糊糊的大东西。如果斯内普把麦格教授找来，也好不到哪儿去。她可能比斯内普公正一点儿，可是同样严厉得要命。

“Silence!” said Snape coldly. “What have you done with the car?”

十分钟后，斯内普回来了，他旁边果然跟着麦格教授。哈利以前看见麦格教授发过几回火，可也许是他忘了她发火时嘴唇抿得多紧，也许是他从来没见过她像现在这样生气。总之，麦格教授的模样令哈利觉得陌生。她一进屋就举起了魔杖，哈利和罗恩都退缩了一下，可她只是点了一下空空的壁炉，炉里立即燃起了火苗。

Ron gulped. This wasn’t the first time Snape had given Harry the impression of being able to read minds. But a moment later, he understood, as Snape unrolled today’s issue of the Evening Prophet.

“坐。”她说，他们俩都退到炉边的椅子上。

“You were seen,” he hissed, showing them the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. He began to read aloud: “Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower . . . at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing . . . Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police . . . Six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?” he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. “Dear, dear . . . his own son . . .”

“解释吧。”她的眼镜片不祥地闪烁着。

Harry felt as though he’d just been walloped in the stomach by one of the mad tree’s larger branches. If anyone found out Mr. Weasley had bewitched the car . . . he hadn’t thought of that. . . .

罗恩急匆匆地讲起来，从车站的隔墙不让他们通过说起。

“I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow,” Snape went on.

“……我们没有别的办法，老师，我们上不了火车。”

“That tree did more damage to us than we —” Ron blurted out.

“为什么不派猫头鹰送信给我们呢？我相信你是有一只猫头鹰的吧？”麦格教授冷冷地对哈利说。

“Silence!” snapped Snape again. “Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that happy power. You will wait here.”

哈利张口结舌。经她一提，用猫头鹰送信好像是很容易想到的办法。

Harry and Ron stared at each other, white-faced. Harry didn’t feel hungry anymore. He now felt extremely sick. He tried not to look at a large, slimy something suspended in green liquid on a shelf behind Snape’s desk. If Snape had gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, they were hardly any better off. She might be fairer than Snape, but she was still extremely strict.

“我——我没想——”

Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. Harry had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either he had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or he had never seen her this angry before. She raised her wand the moment she entered; Harry and Ron both flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted.

“那是很容易想到的。”麦格教授说。

“Sit,” she said, and they both backed into chairs by the fire.

有人敲门，斯内普过去开，脸上的表情更加愉快了。门外站着他们的校长，邓布利多教授。

“Explain,” she said, her glasses glinting ominously.

哈利全身都麻木了。邓布利多的表情异常严肃，目光顺着他的弯鼻梁朝下看着他们。哈利突然希望他和罗恩还在那里遭受打人柳的殴打。长久的沉默。然后邓布利多说：“请解释你们为什么要这么做。”

Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let them through.

他要是大声嚷嚷还好一些，哈利真怕听到他那种失望的语气。不知为什么，他不能正视邓布利多的眼睛，只好对着他的膝盖说话。他把一切都告诉了邓布利多，只是没提那辆车是韦斯莱先生的，好像他和罗恩是碰巧发现车站外有一辆会飞的汽车的。他知道邓布利多一眼就会看穿，但邓布利多没有问汽车的问题。哈利讲完后，他只是继续透过眼镜盯着他们。

“— so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn’t get on the train.”

“我们去拿东西。”罗恩绝望地说。

“Why didn’t you send us a letter by owl? I believe you have an owl?” Professor McGonagall said coldly to Harry.

“你在说什么，韦斯莱？”麦格教授喊道。

Harry gaped at her. Now she’d said it, that seemed the obvious thing to have done.

“我们被开除了，是不是？”罗恩说。

“I — I didn’t think —”

哈利赶紧去看邓布利多。

“That,” said Professor McGonagall, “is obvious.”

“今天没有，韦斯莱先生，”邓布利多说道，“但我必须让你们感到自己行为的严重性，我今晚就给你们家里写信。我还必须警告你们，要是再有这样的行为，我就只能开除你们了。”

There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.

斯内普的表情，就好像是听说圣诞节被取消了一样。他清了清喉咙，说道：“邓布利多教授，这两个学生无视限制未成年巫师使用魔法的法令，对一棵珍贵的古树造成了严重的破坏……这种性质的行为当然……”

Harry’s whole body went numb. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He stared down his very crooked nose at them, and Harry suddenly found himself wishing he and Ron were still being beaten up by the Whomping Willow.

“让麦格教授来决定对这两个学生的惩罚，西弗勒斯，”邓布利多平静地说道，“他们是她学院里的学生，应当由她负责。”他转向麦格教授，“我必须回到宴会上去了，米勒娃，我要宣布几个通知。来吧，西弗勒斯，有一种蛋奶果馅饼看上去很不错，我想尝一尝。”

There was a long silence. Then Dumbledore said, “Please explain why you did this.”

斯内普恶狠狠地瞪了哈利和罗恩一眼，被拉出了办公室。屋里只剩下他们俩和麦格教授。她仍然像愤怒的老鹰一样盯着他们。

It would have been better if he had shouted. Harry hated the disappointment in his voice. For some reason, he was unable to look Dumbledore in the eyes, and spoke instead to his knees. He told Dumbledore everything except that Mr. Weasley owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he and Ron had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station. He knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Harry had finished, he merely continued to peer at them through his spectacles.

“你最好去趟医务室，韦斯莱，你在流血。”

“We’ll go and get our stuff,” said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.

“没什么。”罗恩赶紧用衣袖擦擦眼睛上的伤口，“老师，我想看看我妹妹的分院仪式——”

“What are you talking about, Weasley?” barked Professor McGonagall.

“分院仪式已经结束了。”麦格教授说，“你妹妹也在格兰芬多。”

“Well, you’re expelling us, aren’t you?” said Ron.

“哦，太好了。”罗恩说。

Harry looked quickly at Dumbledore.

“提起格兰芬多——”麦格教授严厉地说，可哈利插了进来：“老师，我们坐上汽车的时候还没有开学，所以——所以不应该给格兰芬多扣分，对不对？”他说完了，急切地看着她。

“Not today, Mr. Weasley,” said Dumbledore. “But I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you.”

麦格教授严厉地看了他一眼，可是他认为她似乎有了点笑容。反正，她的嘴唇不再抿得那么紧了。

Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled. He cleared his throat and said, “Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree — surely acts of this nature —”

“我不会给格兰芬多扣分的。”她说，哈利心里轻松了许多，“但要把你们关在这里。”

“It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys’ punishments, Severus,” said Dumbledore calmly. “They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility.” He turned to Professor McGonagall. “I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I’ve got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there’s a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample —”

这比哈利预料的好得多了。至于邓布利多写信给德思礼夫妇，那完全没有关系。哈利知道他们只会遗憾打人柳没有把他揍扁。

Snape shot a look of pure venom at Harry and Ron as he allowed himself to be swept out of his office, leaving them alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle.

麦格教授又举起魔杖，朝斯内普的桌子一指，桌上出现了一大盘三明治、两只银杯子和一壶冰镇南瓜汁。

“You’d better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you’re bleeding.”

“你们就在这里吃，然后直接回宿舍。”她说道，“我也必须回到宴会上去了。”

“Not much,” said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. “Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted —”

门关上后，罗恩轻轻吹了一声长长的口哨。

“The Sorting Ceremony is over,” said Professor McGonagall. “Your sister is also in Gryffindor.”

“我以为咱们要倒霉了。”他抓起一块三明治说。

“Oh, good,” said Ron.

“我也是。”哈利也抓了一块。

“And speaking of Gryffindor —” Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Harry cut in: “Professor, when we took the car, term hadn’t started, so — so Gryffindor shouldn’t really have points taken from it — should it?” he finished, watching her anxiously.

“可你能相信咱们的运气这么背吗？”罗恩嘴里塞满了鸡肉和火腿，含糊地说，“弗雷德和乔治肯定飞过五六次了，没有一个麻瓜看见。”他把嘴里的食物咽了下去，又咬了一大口。“咱们为什么过不了那堵墙？”

Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway.

哈利耸耸肩。“不过，咱们以后可得注意点儿了，”他轻松地痛饮了一口南瓜汁说，“真希望能到宴会上去……”

“I will not take any points from Gryffindor,” she said, and Harry’s heart lightened considerably. “But you will both get a detention.”

“她不想让咱们去炫耀，”罗恩明智地说，“不想让别人觉得，开一辆会飞的汽车来上学是一件很光彩的事。”

It was better than Harry had expected. As for Dumbledore’s writing to the Dursleys, that was nothing. Harry knew perfectly well they’d just be disappointed that the Whomping Willow hadn’t squashed him flat.

他们吃到肚皮里实在装不下了（因为盘子里的三明治一吃掉马上就会自动添满），然后离开办公室，踏着熟悉的小径走向格兰芬多塔楼。城堡里静悄悄的，宴会好像结束了。他们走过自言自语的肖像和嘎吱作响的盔甲，爬上一段窄窄的石阶，来到了格兰芬多塔楼秘密入口的走廊上，那个入口藏在一幅油画后面，画上有一位穿着粉红色绸衣的胖夫人。

Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape’s desk. A large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.

“口令？”他们走近时，胖夫人问。

“You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory,” she said. “I must also return to the feast.”

“哦——”哈利答不上来。

When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle.

他们还没有碰到一位格兰芬多的级长，所以不知道新学年的口令，但救星几乎马上就到了。他们听见身后有急促的脚步声，回头一看，是赫敏朝他们奔来。

“I thought we’d had it,” he said, grabbing a sandwich.

“你们俩在这儿！你们上哪儿去了？大家都在纷纷议论，说法可荒唐了——有人说你们开了一辆会飞的汽车，被学校开除了。”

“So did I,” said Harry, taking one, too.

“我们没被开除。”哈利安慰她说。

“Can you believe our luck, though?” said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. “Fred and George must’ve flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw them.” He swallowed and took another huge bite. “Why couldn’t we get through the barrier?”

“你难道是说你们真是飞来的？”赫敏的口气几乎和麦格教授一样严厉。

Harry shrugged. “We’ll have to watch our step from now on, though,” he said, taking a grateful swig of pumpkin juice. “Wish we could’ve gone up to the feast. . . .”

“别给我们上课了，”罗恩不耐烦地说，“把口令告诉我们吧。”

“She didn’t want us showing off,” said Ron sagely. “Doesn’t want people to think it’s clever, arriving by flying car.”

“口令是‘食蜜鸟’，”赫敏不耐烦地说，“可问题不在这儿——”

When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself), they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower. The castle was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armor, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

但是她的话被打断了，胖夫人的肖像应声旋开，里面爆发出一阵雷鸣般的掌声。好像格兰芬多院的同学们都还没睡，全挤在圆形的公共休息室里等着他们。好多双手从洞口伸出来，把哈利和罗恩拉了进去，赫敏只好自己爬进去。

“Password?” she said as they approached.

“太妙了！”李乔丹高呼，“真了不起！多精彩的方式！开着会飞的汽车撞到打人柳上，人们会议论很多年的！”

“Er —” said Harry.

“好样的。”一个从来没和哈利讲过话的五年级学生说；有人拍着哈利的后背，好像他刚获得了马拉松第一名似的；弗雷德和乔治挤到跟前，一起问：“为什么不把我们叫回去呢？”

They didn’t know the new year’s password, not having met a Gryffindor prefect yet, but help came almost immediately; they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Hermione dashing toward them.

罗恩满面通红，难为情地笑着，但哈利看得出有一个人一点也不高兴。珀西站在一些兴奋的新生身后，似乎正要挤过来数落他们。哈利捅了捅罗恩的肋部，把头朝珀西那边一点，罗恩立刻会意。

“There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors — someone said you’d been expelled for crashing a flying car —”

“要上楼去了——有点儿累。”他说。两人朝房间另一头的门口挤去，门外有螺旋式楼梯通到他们的卧室。“晚安。”哈利回头对赫敏喊道，她和珀西一样绷着脸。

“Well, we haven’t been expelled,” Harry assured her.

他们终于挤到了休息室的另一头，这时还有人在拍着他们的后背。门外是僻静的楼梯，两人一口气跑上楼，来到他们的旧宿舍门前，门上现在有一块牌子写着“二年级”。他们走进熟悉的圆形房间，重新看到了那五张装饰着红天鹅绒的四柱床，以及那几扇又高又窄的窗子。他们的箱子已经搬上来了，就放在床头。

“You’re not telling me you did fly here?” said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.

罗恩惭愧地朝哈利笑着，“我知道我不应该觉得得意，可是——”

“Skip the lecture,” said Ron impatiently, “and tell us the new password.”

宿舍门一下开了，另外几个格兰芬多的二年级男生冲了进来，他们是西莫斐尼甘、迪安托马斯和纳威隆巴顿。

“It’s ‘wattlebird,’ ” said Hermione impatiently, “but that’s not the point —”

“真不敢相信！”西莫眉开眼笑。

Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after them.

“酷。”迪安说。

“Brilliant!” yelled Lee Jordan. “Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people’ll be talking about that one for years —”

“太惊人了。”纳威敬佩地说。

“Good for you,” said a fifth year Harry had never spoken to; someone was patting him on the back as though he’d just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, “Why couldn’t we’ve come in the car, eh?” Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but Harry could see one person who didn’t look happy at all. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy’s direction. Ron got the point at once.

哈利再也忍不住。他也笑了。

“Got to get upstairs — bit tired,” he said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.

“ ’Night,” Harry called back to Hermione, who was wearing a scowl just like Percy’s.

They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having their backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase. They hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying second years. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its five four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds.

Ron grinned guiltily at Harry.

“I know I shouldn’t’ve enjoyed that or anything, but —”

The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second year Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom.

“Unbelievable!” beamed Seamus.

“Cool,” said Dean.

“Amazing,” said Neville, awestruck.

Harry couldn’t help it. He grinned, too.

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