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哈利·波特与凤凰社
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

英文中文双语对照双语交替

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CHAPTER NINE - The Woes of Mrs Weasley

第九章　韦斯莱夫人的烦恼

Dumbledore's abrupt departure took Harry completely by surprise. He remained sitting where he was in the chained chair, struggling with his feelings of shock and relief. The Wizengamot were all getting to their feet, talking, gathering up their papers and packing them away. Harry stood up. Nobody seemed to be paying him the slightest bit of attention, except the toadlike witch on Fudge's right, who was now gazing down at him instead of at Dumbledore. Ignoring her, he tried to catch Fudge's eye, or Madam Bones's, wanting to ask whether he was free to go, but Fudge seemed quite determined not to notice Harry, and Madam Bones was busy with her briefcase, so he took a lew tentative steps towards the exit and, when nobody called him back, broke into a very fast walk.

邓布利多的突然离去使哈利感到十分意外。他一动不动地坐在缠着链条的椅子上，努力使自己从惊愕和如释重负的感觉中缓过来。威森加摩的成员们纷纷站起身来，一边说着话一边整理收拾文件。哈利也站了起来。似乎没有一个人在注意他，只有福吉右边那个癞蛤蟆般的女巫例外，她刚才一直盯着邓布利多，现在又盯着哈利了。哈利假装没有看见，他试着去捕捉福吉或博恩斯女士的目光，想问问他是不是可以走了，但福吉似乎打定主意不理睬哈利，博恩斯女士则忙着整理自己的公文包。于是哈利犹豫不决地朝门口走了几步，见没有人叫他回去，便赶紧加快了脚步。

He took the last lew steps at a run, wrenched open the door and almost collided with Mr Weasley, who was standing right outside, looking pale and apprehensive.

他几乎是小跑着走完了最后几步，拧开房门，差点跟站在外面的韦斯莱先生撞了个满怀。韦斯莱先生脸色苍白，显得惶恐不安。

'Dumbledore didn't say - '

“邓布利多没有说——”

'Cleared,' Harry said, pulling the door closed behind him, 'of all charges!'

“澄清了，”哈利反手把门关上，说道，“所有的指控都不成立。”

Beaming, Mr Weasley seized Harry by the shoulders.

韦斯莱先生顿时眉开眼笑，一把抓住哈利的两个肩膀。

'Harry, that's wonderful! Well, of course, they couldn't have found you guilty, not on the evidence, but even so, I can't pretend I wasn't - '

“哈利，真是太棒了！其实，当然啦，他们是不可能判你有罪的，你有证人嘛，但我还是不能假装自己不——”

But Mr Weasley broke off, because the courtroom door had ust opened again. The Wizengamot were filing out.

韦斯莱先生猛地顿住了，因为这时审判室的门又开了，威森加摩的成员鱼贯而出。

'Merlin's beard!' exclaimed Mr Weasley wonderingly, pulling Harry aside to let them all pass. 'You were tried by the lull court?'

“我的天哪——”韦斯莱先生惊讶地喊了起来，把哈利拉到一边，让他们过去，“他们正式开庭审判你？”

'I think so,' said Harry quietly.

“我想是的。”哈利轻声说。

One or two of the wizards nodded to Harry as they passed and a few, including Madam Bones, said, 'Morning, Arthur,' to Mr Weasley, but most averted their eyes. Cornelius Fudge and the toadlike witch were almost the last to leave the dungeon. Fudge acted as though Mr Weasley and Harry were part of the wall, hut again, the witch looked almost appraisingly at Harry as she passed. Last of all to pass was Percy. Like Fudge, he completely ignored his father and Harry; he marched past clutching a large roll of parchment and a handful of spare quills, his back rigid and his nose in the air. The lines around Mr Weasley's mouth tightened slightly, but other than this he gave no sign that he had seen his third son.

一两个巫师走过时冲着哈利点了点头，还有几个，包括博恩斯女士，对韦斯莱先生说：“早上好，亚瑟。”但大多数人都把眼睛望着别处。康奈利和那个癞蛤蟆样的女巫几乎是最后离开暗室的。福吉只当韦斯莱先生和哈利是墙壁的一部分，而那个女巫走过时，又一次用几乎是审视的目光打量着哈利。最后走过的是珀西，他和福吉一样，完全无视他父亲和哈利的存在。他抓着一大卷羊皮纸和一大把备用的羽毛笔，背挺得直直的，鼻孔朝天，大步流星地走了过去。韦斯莱先生嘴巴周围的线条紧了一紧，但除此之外，他没有表露出见到他三儿子的任何迹象。

'I'm going to take you straight back so you can tell the others the good news,' he said, beckoning Harry forwards as Percy's heels disappeared up the steps to Level Nine. 'I'll drop you off on the way to that toilet in Bethnal Green. Come on . . .'

“我想直接把你送回去，你可以把这个好消息告诉大家。”他说，当珀西的脚跟消失在通往第九层楼的阶梯上时，他示意哈利往前走，“我要去贝斯纳绿地的那间厕所，顺便把你捎回去。走吧……”

'So, what will you have to do about the toilet?' Harry asked, grinning. Everything suddenly seemed five times funnier than usual. It was starting to sink in: he was cleared, he was going back to Hogwarts.

“那么，你准备怎么对付那间厕所呢？”哈利咧嘴笑着问。突然之间，所有的事情似乎都比平常好玩了五倍。他终于开始明白：他被宣告无罪了，他就要回霍格沃茨去了。

'Oh, it's a simple enough anti-jinx,' said Mr Weasley as they mounted the stairs, 'but it's not so much having to repair the damage, it's more the attitude behind the vandalism, Harry. Muggle-baiting might strike some wizards as funny, but it's an expression of something much deeper and nastier, and I for one - '

“哦，只需一个反恶咒的魔法，再简单不过了。”他们上楼时，韦斯莱先生说，“修好被弄坏的东西倒没有什么，主要是这种破坏行为背后的态度，哈利。有些巫师可能会觉得捉弄麻瓜挺好玩的，但它可能表达了一种更深刻、更丑恶的东西，我作为一个——”

Mr Weasley broke off in mid-sentence. They had just reached the ninth-level corridor and Cornelius Fudge was standing a few feet away from them, talking quietly to a tall man with sleek blond hair and a pointed, pale face.

韦斯莱先生话说到一半突然打住了。他们刚走到第九层楼的走廊上，康奈利·福吉站在离他们几步远的地方，正和一个高个子男人小声交谈着，那人一头油光水滑的金黄色头发，一张尖脸白煞煞的。

The second man turned at the sound of their footsteps. He, too, broke off in mid-conversation, his cold grey eyes narrowed and fixed upon Harry's face.

听到他们的脚步声，那个高个子男人转过脸来。他也是话没说完就突然停住了，眯起冷冰冰的灰眼睛，死死地盯着哈利的脸。

'Well, well, well . . . Patronus Potter,' said Lucius Malfoy coolly.

“好啊，好啊，好啊……守护神波特！”卢修斯·马尔福冷冷地说。

Harry felt winded, as though he had just walked into something solid. He had last seen those cold grey eyes through slits in a Death Hater's hood, and last heard that man's voice jeering in a dark graveyard while Lord Voldemort tortured him. Harry could not believe that Lucius Malfoy dared look him in the face; he could not believe that he was here, in the Ministry of Magic, or that Cornelius Fudge was talking to him, when Harry had told Fudge mere weeks ago that Malfoy was a Death Eater.

哈利突然觉得透不过气来，似乎他一脚跨进了某个凝固的东西里。他上次看见这两只冷冰冰的灰眼睛时，它们隐藏在食死徒兜帽的两道狭缝后面；他上次听见这个男人的声音，是在阴暗的墓地里发出的阵阵嘲笑，而当时伏地魔正在折磨他。哈利不敢相信卢修斯·马尔福竟然还敢当面看着他，他不敢相信马尔福竟然出现在这里，在堂堂的魔法部，而康奈利·福吉竟然在跟他说话，要知道哈利几个星期前曾亲口对福吉说过马尔福是个食死徒。

The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape, Potter,' drawled Mr Malfoy. 'Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes . . . snakelike, in fact.'

“部长刚告诉了我你侥幸逃脱的经过，波特，”马尔福先生拿腔做调地说，“真是令人惊诧，你能够不断地从很狭窄的洞里钻出来……说实在的，真像蛇一样。”

Mr Weasley gripped Harry's shoulder in warning.

韦斯莱先生紧紧抓住哈利的肩膀，警告他不要轻举妄动。

'Yeah,' said Harry, 'yeah, I'm good at escaping.'

“是啊，”哈利说，“是啊，我很善于逃脱。”

Lucius Malfoy raised his eyes to Mr Weasley's face.

卢修斯·马尔福抬起目光望着韦斯莱先生的脸。

'And Arthur Weasley too! What are you doing here, Arthur?'

“还有亚瑟·韦斯莱！你在这里做什么呢，亚瑟？”

'I work here,' said Mr Weasley curtly.

“我在这里工作。”韦斯莱先生没好气地说。

'Not here, surely?' said Mr Malfoy, raising his eyebrows and glancing towards the door over Mr Weasley's shoulder. 'I thought you were up on the second floor . . . don't you do something that involves sneaking Muggle artefacts home and bewitching them?'

“肯定不是这里吧？”马尔福说着扬起眉毛，扫了一眼韦斯莱先生身后的那扇门，“我记得你好像是在二楼……你的那份工作所涉及的不就是把麻瓜物品偷回家，给它们施魔法吗？”

'No,' Mr Weasley snapped, his fingers now biting into Harry's shoulder.

“不是。”韦斯莱先生粗暴地说，他的手指已深深陷进了哈利的肩膀。

'What are you doing here, anyway?' Harry asked Lucius Malfoy.

“那么你在这里做什么呢？”哈利问卢修斯·马尔福。

'I don't think private matters between myself and the Minister are any concern of yours, Potter,' said Malfoy, smoothing the front of his robes. Harry distinctly heard the gentle clinking of what sounded like a full pocket of gold. 'Really, just because you are Dumbledore's favourite boy, you must not expect the same indulgence from the rest of us . . . shall we go up to your office, then, Minister?'

“我认为，我自己和部长之间的一些私事不需要你来过问，波特。”马尔福说着抹了抹他长袍的前襟。哈利清楚地听见了一阵轻微的丁零丁零的声音，似乎他的口袋里装满了金子。“说实在的，你可不能因为自己是邓布利多的宠儿，就指望我们其他人也对你骄纵放任……好了，部长，我们这就去你的办公室吧？”

'Certainly,' said Fudge, turning his back on Harry and Mr Weasley. This way, Lucius.'

“当然，”福吉说着把背转向了哈利和韦斯莱先生，“这边走，卢修斯。”

They strode off together, talking in low voices. Mr Weasley did not let go of Harry's shoulder until they had disappeared into the lift.

他们迈开大步走了，一边低声交谈着。韦斯莱先生一直等到他们消失在电梯里，才松开了哈利的肩膀。

'Why wasn't he waiting outside Fudge's office if they've got business to do together?' Harry burst out furiously. What was he doing down here?'

“如果他们要一起谈事情，他为什么不在福吉的办公室外面等着呢？”哈利气呼呼地问道，“他到这下面来做什么？”

'Trying to sneak down to the courtroom, if you ask me,' said Mr Weasley, looking extremely agitated and glancing over his shoulder as though making sure they could not be overheard. Trying to find out whether you'd been expelled or not. I'll leave a note for Dumbledore when I drop you off, he ought to know Malfoy's been talking to Fudge again.'

“照我看，他是想偷偷溜进审判室，”韦斯莱先生说道，他显得十分心烦意乱，不住地扭头看看有没有人在偷听，“想弄清你到底是不是被开除了。我把你送回去时要给邓布利多留一个短信，他应该知道马尔福又在跟福吉嘀咕什么。”

'What private business have they got together, anyway?'

“他们之间到底有什么私事呢？”

'Gold, I expect,' said Mr Weasley angrily. 'Malfoy's been giving generously to all sorts of things for years . . . gets him in with the right people . . . then he can ask favours . . . delay laws he doesn't want passed . . . oh, he's very well-connected, Lucius Malfoy.'

“我想是金子吧。”韦斯莱先生气愤地说，“许多年来，马尔福一直对各种各样的人出手很大方……好使自己跟有权势的人攀上交情……然后可以要求特殊照顾……让那些他不想通过的法律一拖再拖……哦，卢修斯·马尔福，他真是能量不小，神通广大。”

The lift arrived; it was empty except for a flock of memos that flapped around Mr Weasley's head as he pressed the button for the Atrium and the doors clanged shut. He waved them away irritably.

电梯来了，里面没有人，只有一群字条在韦斯莱先生的头顶上飞来飞去。他按了一下到正厅的按钮，电梯门哐啷啷关上了。他不耐烦地挥手驱赶着字条。

'Mr Weasley,' said Harry slowly, 'if Fudge is meeting Death Eaters like Malfoy, if he's seeing them alone, how do we know they haven't put the Imperius Curse on him?'

“韦斯莱先生，”哈利慢吞吞地说道，“如果福吉跟马尔福这样的食死徒来往，我们怎么知道他们没有给他施夺魂咒呢？”

'Don't think it hasn't occurred to us, Harry,' said Mr Weasley quietly. 'But Dumbledore thinks Fudge is acting of his own accord at the moment - which, as Dumbledore says, is not a lot of comfort. Best not talk about it any more just now, Harry.'

“别以为我们没有想到这一点，哈利，”韦斯莱先生小声说，“但邓布利多认为福吉先生目前是按照自己的意愿在行事——但是，用邓布利多的话说，这并不能给人带来多少安慰。现在最好还是别谈这件事，哈利。”

The doors slid open and they stepped out into the now almost-deserted Atrium. Eric the watchwizard was hidden behind his Daily Prophet again. They had walked straight past the golden fountain before Harry remembered.

电梯门滑开了，他们走了出来，正厅里现在几乎空无一人。值班的巫师埃里克又藏在《预言家日报》后面了。他们径直从金色喷泉旁边走过时，哈利突然想起了一件事。

'Wait . . .' he told Mr Weasley, and, pulling his moneybag from his pocket, he turned back to the fountain.

“等一等……”他对韦斯莱先生说，然后从口袋里掏出钱袋，返身朝喷泉走去。

He looked up into the handsome wizard's face, but close-to Harry thought he looked rather weak and foolish. The witch was wearing a vapid smile like a beauty contestant, and from what Harry knew of goblins and centaurs, they were most unlikely to be caught staring so soppily at humans of any description. Only the house-elf's attitude of creeping servility looked convincing. With a grin at the thought of what Hermione would say if she could see the statue of the elf, Harry turned his moneybag upside-down and emptied not just ten Galleons, but the whole contents into the pool.

他抬头仔细端详着那位英俊的巫师的面孔，现在离得近了，哈利觉得他显得很柔弱，很愚蠢。那女巫脸上堆着一个空洞的笑容，像是在参加选美比赛，而且就哈利对妖精和马人的了解，他们绝不可能这样含情脉脉地仰望任何人。只有家养小精灵那副怯生生的奴隶般的神态还令人信服。不知赫敏看到这个小精灵的雕像会说什么。哈利想到这儿，脸上露出调皮的笑容，他把钱袋倒过来，不是数出十个加隆，而是把里面的钱都倒进了水潭。

“我早就知道！”罗恩挥拳击打着空气，喊道，“你总是能侥幸逃脱的！”

'I knew it!' yelled Ron, punching the air. 'You always get away with stuff!'

“他们肯定会宣告你无罪的，”赫敏说，刚才哈利走进厨房时，她看上去紧张得都快晕倒了，而现在她正用一只颤抖的手捂住眼睛，“没有理由给你判罪，根本就没有。”

'They were bound to clear you,' said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen and was now holding a shaking hand over her eyes, 'there was no case against you, none at all.'

“虽说你们都早就知道我不会有事，但每个人似乎都松了一口气呢。”哈利笑眯眯地说。

'Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off,' said Harry, smiling.

韦斯莱夫人正用她的围裙擦眼泪，弗雷德、乔治和金妮跳起了一种战舞①，嘴里一遍又一遍地唱道：“他没事啦，他没事啦，他没事啦……”

Mrs Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: 'He got off, he got off, he got off . . .'

“够了！安静一点！”韦斯莱先生喊道，但他脸上也笑眯眯的，“听着，小天狼星，卢修斯·马尔福也在部里——”

That's enough! Settle down!' shouted Mr Weasley, though he too was smiling. 'Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry - '

“什么？”小天狼星警觉地问。

'What?' said Sirius sharply.

“他没事啦，没事啦，没事啦，没事啦……”

'He got off, he got off, he got off . . .'

“安静，安静，你们三个！是的，我们看见他在九楼跟福吉说话，然后他们一起进了福吉的办公室。这事儿应该让邓布利多知道。”

'Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know.'

“一点不错，”小天狼星说，“我们会告诉他的，不要担心。”

'Absolutely,' said Sirius. 'We'll tell him, don't worry.'

“好了，我得走了，贝斯纳绿地还有一间正在呕吐的厕所等着我呢。莫丽，我大概会晚点儿回来，我要替换唐克斯，不过金斯莱可能过来吃晚饭——”

'Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me in Bethnal Green. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner - '

“他没事啦，没事啦，没事啦，没事啦……”

'He got off, he got off, he got off . . .'

“够了——弗雷德——乔治——金妮！”韦斯莱先生走出厨房后，韦斯莱夫人说道，“哈利，亲爱的，过来坐下吃点午饭吧，你早饭几乎没怎么吃。”

That's enough - Fred - George - Ginny!' said Mrs Weasley, as Mr Weasley left the kitchen. 'Harry, dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast.'

罗恩和赫敏坐在哈利对面，看上去比他刚到格里莫广场的那天还要高兴。哈利心头那份令他感到晕眩的如释重负的感觉，曾经因为与卢修斯·马尔福狭路相逢而受到了一点影响，现在又重新在心里激荡起来。突然之间，这座昏暗阴森的房子显得是那么温暖、那么热情好客。就连克利切把脑袋探进厨房、看看这里闹哄哄的在做什么时，他那猪鼻子般的大鼻子也不显得那么难看了。

Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him, looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at Grimmauld Place, and Harry's feeling of giddy relief, which had been somewhat dented by his encounter with Lucius Malfoy, swelled again. The gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; even Kreacher looked less ugly as he poked his snoutlike nose into the kitchen to investigate the source of all the noise.

“只要邓布利多出面支持你，他们就不可能给你定罪，这是不用说的。”罗恩兴高采烈地说，一边把大块大块的土豆泥分进每人的盘子里。

'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you,' said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potato on to everyone's plates.

“是啊，他帮我摆平了这件事。”哈利说。他觉得如果自己现在说“我希望他跟我说两句话，哪怕看我一眼也好”，会显得很不知好歹，更不用说是多么幼稚了。

'Yeah, he swung it for me,' said Harry. He felt it would sound highly ungrateful, not to mention childish, to say, 'I wish he'd talked to me, though. Or even looked at me.'

想到这里，他额头上的伤疤突然一阵剧痛，他赶紧伸手捂住了它。

And as he thought this, the scar on his forehead burned so badlyt:hat he clapped his hand to it..

“怎么啦？”赫敏问，显得很惊慌。

'What's up?' said Hermione, looking alarmed.

“伤疤，”哈利含混地说，“没关系……现在经常有这种情况……”

'Scar,' Harry mumbled. 'But it's nothing . . . it happens all the time now . . .'

其他人谁都没有注意到。这会儿他们都在一边动手盛饭菜，一边为哈利的侥幸脱身而欢欣鼓舞。弗雷德、乔治和金妮还在唱歌。赫敏看上去忧心忡忡，但没等她再说什么，罗恩就开心地说：“我猜邓布利多今晚肯定会来，你知道的，跟我们一块儿庆祝呀。”

None of the others had noticed a thing; all of them were now helping themselves to food while gloating over Harry's narrow escape; Fred, George and Ginny were still singing. Hermione looked rather anxious, but before she could say anything, Ron had said happily, 'I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening, to celebrate with us, you know.'

“我想他可能来不了，罗恩，”韦斯莱夫人说着，把一大盘烤鸡放在哈利面前，“他眼下确实忙得够呛。”

'[ don't think he'll be able to, Ron,' said Mrs Weasley, setting a huge plate of roast chicken down in front of Harry. 'He's really very busy at the moment.'

“他没事啦，没事啦，没事啦……”

'HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF. HE GOT OFF'

“闭嘴！”韦斯莱夫人大吼一声。

'SHUT UP!' roared Mrs Weasley.

在接下来的几天里，哈利不由自主地注意到格里莫广场12号里有一个人似乎对他能够重返霍格沃茨并不十分高兴。最初听到这个消息时，小天狼星表现出非常喜悦的样子，紧紧地攥住了哈利的手，像其他人一样满脸喜色。可是，没过多久，他就变得比以前还要沉闷、忧郁，话越来越少了，甚至跟哈利也没有几句话可说，他把自己关在他母亲房间里的时间越来越多，只与巴克比克为伴。

“你不要觉得内疚！”赫敏斩钉截铁地说。这已是几天以后，他们三个在四楼擦洗一个发霉的小橱时，哈利把自己内心的想法透露给了她和罗恩，“你属于霍格沃茨，小天狼星知道这一点。我个人认为，他这样很自私。”

Over the next few days Harry could not help noticing that there was one person within number twelve, Grimmauld Place, who did not seem wholly overjoyed that he would be returning to Hogwarts. Sirius had put up a very good show of happiness on first hearing the news, wringing Harry's hand and beaming just like the rest of them. Soon, however, he was moodier and surlier than before, talking less to everybody, even Harry, and spending increasing amounts of time shut up in his mother's room with Buckbeak.

“这么说太尖刻了。”罗恩一边说一边皱着眉头，使劲刮掉一块牢牢粘在他手指上的霉斑，“换了你你也不愿意困在这个房子里，没有人做伴。”

'Don't you go feeling guilty!' said Hermione sternly, after Harry had confided some of his feelings to her and Ron while they scrubbed out a mouldy cupboard on the third floor a few days later. 'You belong at Hogwarts and Sirius knows it. Personally, I think he's being selfish.'

“会有人跟他做伴的！”赫敏说，“这里是凤凰社的指挥部，是不是？他只是心里起了希望，觉得哈利可能会过来和他住在一起。”

'That's a bit harsh, Hermione,' said Ron, frowning as he attempted to prise off a bit of mould that had attached itself firmly to his finger, 'you wouldn't want to be stuck inside this house without any company.'

“我认为不是这样的。”哈利拧干抹布说道，“当我问他我能不能住在这里时，他都不肯直截了当地回答我。”

'He'll have company!' said Hermione. 'It's Headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it? He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him.'

“他只是不想让自己的希望变得更强烈。”赫敏显得很有见解地说，“他大概自己也感到有点内疚，因为我想他心里确实在隐约地希望你被开除。然后你们俩就都是被驱逐的人了。”

'I don't think that's true,' said Harry, wringing out his cloth. 'He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could.'

“别胡说了！”哈利和罗恩异口同声地说，赫敏只是耸了耸肩膀。

'He just didn't want to get his own hopes up even more,' said Hermione wisely. 'And he probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd both be outcasts together.'

“随你们怎么想吧。但我有时认为罗恩的妈妈说得对，哈利，小天狼星确实搞不清你到底是你还是你父亲。”

'Come off it!' said Harry and Ron together, but Hermione merely shrugged.

“这么说你认为他头脑有点儿不正常？”哈利恼火地问。

'Suit yourselves. But I sometimes think Ron's mum's right and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry.'

“不是，我只是认为他很长时间来一直很孤独。”赫敏简单地说。

'So you think he's touched in the head?' said Harry heatedly.

就在这时，韦斯莱夫人走进了他们身后的卧室。

'No, I just think he's been very lonely for a long time,' said Hermione simply.

“还没有弄完吗？”她说着把脑袋探进了小橱。

At this point, Mrs Weasley entered the bedroom behind them.

“我还以为你会过来叫我们休息一会儿呢！”罗恩气呼呼地说，“你知道我们来这里已经清除多少霉菌了吗？”

'Still not finished?' she said, poking her head into the cupboard.

“你们这么热心想帮助凤凰社，”韦斯莱夫人说，“把指挥部打扫得能够住人也算是你们的一份贡献嘛。”

'I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break!' said Ron bitterly. 'D'you know how much mould we've got rid of since we arrived here?'

“我觉得自己像个家养小精灵。”罗恩嘟囔道。

'You were so keen to help the Order,' said Mrs Weasley, 'you can do your bit by making Headquarters fit to live in.'

“是啊，现在你该明白他们过着多么悲惨的生活了吧，也许你会更积极地对待S．P．E. W．了！”赫敏满怀希望地说，韦斯莱夫人径自走开了。“你们知道吗，让人们体会到从早到晚都在打扫卫生是多么可怕，这个主意倒不坏——我们可以发起一个打扫格兰芬多公共休息室的活动，所有的收益都归S．P．E．W．，这样不仅可以筹集资金，还能提高人们的觉悟。”

'I feel like a house-elf,' grumbled Ron.

“我拜托你别再谈什么‘呕吐’了。”罗恩不耐烦地咕哝道，但声音很低，只有哈利能听见。

'Well, now you understand what dreadful lives they lead, perhaps you'll be a bit more active in SPEW!' said Hermione hopefully, as Mrs Weasley left them to it. 'You know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to show people exactly how horrible it is to clean all the time - we could do a sponsored scrub of Gryffindor common room, all proceeds to SPEW, it would raise awareness as well as funds.'

随着假期即将结束，哈利发现自己一天比一天更想念霍格沃茨了。他迫不及待地想看到海格，想打魁地奇球，甚至想穿过菜地走向草药课的温室。离开这座肮脏、腐臭的老房子真是太让人愉快了，这里还有一半的橱柜都锁得紧紧的，克利切总在你经过时躲在阴影里恶声恶气地谩骂，不过哈利得留心不在小天狼星能听见的地方说这些抱怨的话。

'I'll sponsor you to shut up about SPEW,' Ron muttered irritably, but only so Harry could hear him.

事实上，住在反伏地魔的总指挥部里，一点儿也不像哈利原先想像的那样有趣，那样激动人心。尽管凤凰社的成员定期出出进进，有时留下来吃饭，有时则只停留几分钟，说几句悄悄话，但韦斯莱夫人确保不让哈利和其他人（无论是用人耳还是伸缩耳）听到任何消息。没有一个人认为哈利除了刚来的那天晚上听到的那些，还需要知道更多的事情，就连小天狼星也是这样想的。

假期最后一天，哈利正在清扫衣柜顶上海德薇的粪便，罗恩拿着两个信封走进了卧室。

Harry found himself daydreaming about Hogwarts more and more as the end of the holidays approached; he could not wait to see Hagrid again, to play Quidditch, even to stroll across the vegetable patches to the Herbology greenhouses; it would be a treat just to leave this dusty, musty house, where half of the cupboards were still bolted shut and Kreacher wheezed insults out of the shadows as you passed, though Harry was careful not to say any of this within earshot of Sirius.

“书目来了。”他说，把一个信封扔给了站在椅子上的哈利，“也该来了，我还以为他们忘记了呢，往年早就来了……”

The fact as that living at the Headquarters of the anti-Voldemort movement was not nearly as interesting or exciting as Harry would have expected before he'd experienced it. Though members of the Order of the Phoenix came and went regularly, sometimes staying for meals, sometimes only for a few minutes of whispered conversation, Mrs Weasley made sure that Harry and the others were kept well out of earshot (whether Extendable or normal) and nobody, not even Sirius, seemed to feel that Harry needed to know anything more than he had heard on the night of his arrival.

哈利把最后一点粪便扫进一只垃圾袋，然后从罗恩的头顶上把袋子扔进墙角的废纸篓。废纸篓吞下垃圾袋，大声打起嗝来。哈利这才拆开他的信，里面有两张羊皮纸：一张照例是提醒他9月1日开学，另一张告诉他下一学年需要哪些书。

On the very last day of the holidays Harry was sweeping up Hedwig's owl droppings from the top of the wardrobe when Ron entered their bedroom carrying a couple of envelopes.

“只有两本新书，”他读着那张单子说道，“《标准咒语（五级）》，米兰达·戈沙克著，和《魔法防御理论》，威尔伯特·斯林卡著。”

'Booklists have arrived,' he said, throwing one of the envelopes up to Harry, who was standing on a chair. 'About time, I thought they'd forgotten, they usually come much earlier than this . . .'

啪！

Harry swept the last of the droppings into a rubbish bag and threw the bag over Ron's head into the wastepaper basket in the corner, which swallowed it and belched loudly. He then opened his letter. It contained two pieces of parchment: one the usual reminder that term started on the first of September; the other telling him which books he would need for the coming year.

弗雷德和乔治幻影显形，突然出现在哈利身边。他现在对他们这一套已经习以为常，不会再被吓得从椅子上摔下来。

'Only two new ones,' he said, reading the list, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk, and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard.'

“我们正在纳闷是谁订下斯林卡的那本书的。”弗雷德很温和地说。

Crack.

“因为这就意味着邓布利多找到黑魔法防御术课的新老师了。”乔治说。

Fred and George Apparated right beside Harry. He was so used to them doing this by now that he didn't even fall off his chair.

“也该找到了。”弗雷德说。

'We were just wondering who set the Slinkhard book,' said Fred conversationally

“这是什么意思？”哈利一边问一边跳下来落在他们旁边。

'Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,' said George.

“噢，几个星期前，我们用伸缩耳偷听了妈妈和爸爸的谈话。”弗雷德告诉哈利，“从他们的谈话中可以听出，邓布利多为了找到一个这学年能胜任这份工作的人，可是费尽了周折。”

'And about time too,' said Fred.

“你看看以前那四个老师的遭遇，就觉得这并不奇怪了，是吧？”乔治说。

'What d'you mean?' Harry asked, jumping down beside them.

“一个被开除了，一个死了，一个被消除了记忆，还有一个被锁在箱子里整整九个月。”哈利掰着指头一个个地数，“是啊，我明白你们的意思了。”

Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back,' Fred told Harry, 'and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year.'

“罗恩，你怎么啦？”弗雷德问。

'Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?' said George.

罗恩没有回答。哈利转过头一看，罗恩一动不动地站在那里，嘴巴微张，呆呆地望着霍格沃茨给他的那封信。

'One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed and one locked in a trunk for nine months,' said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. 'Yeah, I see what you mean.'

“怎么回事呀？”弗雷德不耐烦地问，一边绕到罗恩身后，从他肩膀上探头望着那张羊皮纸。

'What's up with you, Ron?' asked Fred.

弗雷德也吃惊地张大了嘴巴。

Ron did not answer. Harry looked round. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.

“级长？”他不敢相信地瞪着那封信，说道，“级长？”

'What's the matter?' said Fred impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment.

乔治冲上前，一把抢过罗恩另一只手里的信封，把它倒了过来。哈利看见一个红色和金色的东西掉进了乔治的手心。

Fred's mouth fell open, too.

“不可能。”乔治压低声音说。

'Prefect?' he said, staring incredulously at the letter. 'Prefect?'

“肯定是弄错了，”弗雷德把信从罗恩手里一把抢了过去，高高举在光线底下，似乎要检查上面的水印，“头脑正常的人，谁会选罗恩当级长呢？”

George leapt forwards, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand and turned it upside-down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm.

双胞胎的脑袋齐刷刷地转了过来，四只眼睛同时盯着哈利。

'No way,' said George in a hushed voice.

“我们还以为肯定是你呢！”弗雷德说，听他的口气，好像哈利在某种程度上欺骗了他们似的。

'There's been a mistake,' said Fred, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. 'No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect.'

“我们以为邓布利多肯定会选你！”乔治愤愤不平地说。

The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry.

“赢得了三强争霸赛，做了那么多事！”弗雷德说。

'We thought you were a cert!' said Fred, in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.

“我猜想肯定是那些离奇的话拖了他的后腿。”乔治对弗雷德说。

'We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!' said George indignantly.

“是啊，”弗雷德慢吞吞地说道，“是啊，你制造的麻烦太多了，哥们儿。嘿，至少你们俩中间有一个人被他们优先考虑到了。”

'Winning the Triwizard and everything!' said Fred.

他大步走到哈利身边，拍了拍他的后背，同时朝罗恩刻薄地瞪了一眼。

'I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him,' said George to Fred.

“级长……小罗尼②当上了级长。”

'Yeah,' said Fred slowly. 'Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right.'

“哦哦，妈妈肯定要令人恶心了。”乔治唉声叹气地说，把级长的徽章塞进罗恩手里，好像生怕它会玷污了自己似的。

He strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look.

罗恩仍然一句话也没有说，只是接过徽章呆呆地望了一会儿，然后递过来给哈利，似乎在无声地请求哈利证实徽章是货真价实的。哈利接了过来。格兰芬多的狮子身上镶着一个大大的字母“Ｐ”字。他在进入霍格沃茨的第一天，曾在珀西的胸前看见过一个这样的徽章。

'Prefect . . . ickle Ronnie the Prefect.'

砰的一声，门被推开了，赫敏一头冲进房间，脸上红通通的，头发都飘了起来。她手里拿着一个信封。

'Ohh, Mum's going to be revolting,' groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.

“你——你得到了——？”

Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large 'P' was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.

她一眼看到哈利手里的徽章，发出一声尖叫。

The door banged open. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.

“我早就知道！”她兴奋地说，挥舞着手里的信封，“我也是，哈利，我也是！”

'Did you - did you get - ?'

“不，”哈利赶紧说道，把徽章塞还到罗恩手里，“是罗恩，不是我。”

She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.

“是——什么？”

'I knew it!' she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. 'Me too, Harry, me too!'

“罗恩是级长，不是我。”哈利说。

'No,' said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand. 'It's Ron, not me.'

“罗恩？”赫敏说，吃惊得嘴巴都合不拢了，“可是……你能肯定吗？我是说——”

'It - what?'

这时罗恩转过脸望着她，脸上带着一副挑衅的表情，她的脸腾地红了。

'Ron's prefect, not me,' Harry said.

“信上是我的名字。”他说。

'Ron?' said Hermione, her jaw dropping. 'But . . . are you sure? I mean - '

“我……”赫敏说，似乎完全被弄糊涂了，“我……好吧……哇！罗恩，太棒了！这真是——”

She turned red as Ron looked round at her with a defiant expression on his lace.

“没有想到。”乔治说着点了点头。

'It's my name on the letter,' he said.

“不是，”赫敏说，脸红得比刚才更厉害了，“不，不是的……罗恩也做了许多……他真的很……”

'I . . .' said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. 'I . . . well . . . wow! Well done, Ron! That's really - '

她身后的房门又被推开了一点儿，韦斯莱夫人抱着一堆刚洗干净的衣服后退着走了进来。

'Unexpected,' said George, nodding.

“金妮说书目终于来了。”她说着扫了一眼大家手里的信封，一边朝床边走去，然后开始把衣服分成两堆，“如果你们把书目给我，我今天下午就到对角巷去给你们把书买来，你们在家收拾行李。罗恩，我要给你再买一套睡衣，这一套短了至少六英寸，真不敢相信你怎么长得这么快……你想要什么颜色的？”

'No,' said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, 'no it's not . . . Ron's done loads of . . . he's really . . .'

“给他买红色和金色相间的，配他的徽章。”乔治坏笑着说。

The door behind her opened a little wider and Mrs Weasley bucked into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.

“配他的什么？”韦斯莱夫人心不在焉地说，卷起一双褐紫色的袜子放在罗恩的那堆衣服上。

'Ginny said the booklists had come at last,' she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. 'If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pyjamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing . . . what colour would you like?'

“他的徽章，”弗雷德说道，似乎长痛不如短痛，索性一口气都说了出来，“他那可爱的、崭新的、闪闪发亮的级长徽章。”

'Get him red and gold to match his badge,' said George, smirking.

韦斯莱夫人脑子里还在想着睡衣，过了好一会儿才明白了弗雷德的话。

'Match his what?' said Mrs Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.

“他的……可是……罗恩，你该不是……？”

'His badge,' said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. 'His lovely shiny new prefect's badge.'

罗恩举起了他的徽章。

Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs Weasley's preoccupation with pyjamas.

韦斯莱夫人发出一声尖叫，跟赫敏刚才一模一样。

'His . . . but . . . Ron, you're not . . .?'

“我真不敢相信！我真不敢相信！哦，罗恩，真是太棒了！级长！家里的每个人都是级长！”

Ron held up his badge.

“弗雷德和我算什么？隔壁邻居吗？”乔治愤愤不平地说，他母亲把他推到一边，张开双臂搂住了她最小的儿子。

Mrs Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.

“你父亲听说了该有多高兴啊！罗恩，我真是太为你感到骄傲了，多么令人高兴的消息，你以后可能会像比尔和珀西一样当上男生学生会主席呢，这是第一步啊！哦，最近烦心事这么多，没想到有了这么一个大喜讯，我真是太激动了，哦，罗尼——”

'I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!'

弗雷德和乔治都在韦斯莱夫人后面发出很响的干呕声，但韦斯莱夫人没有注意到。她用胳膊紧紧搂住罗恩的脖子，在他脸上左一下右一下地亲着，罗恩的脸涨得比他的徽章还要鲜红耀眼。

'What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?' said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.

“妈妈……不要……妈妈，控制一下……”他喃喃地说，拼命想把她推开。

'Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie - '

韦斯莱夫人放开了他，气喘吁吁地说：“那么，想要什么呢？我们给了珀西一只猫头鹰，可是当然啦，你已经有一只了。”

Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Mrs Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

“你——你说什么？”罗恩说，似乎不敢相信自己的耳朵。

'Mum . . . don't . . . Mum, get a grip . . .' he muttered, trying to push her away.

“你必须因此得到奖励！”韦斯莱夫人慈爱地说，“一套漂亮的新礼袍怎么样？”

She let go of him and said breathlessly, 'Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course.'

“我们已经给他买了一套了。”弗雷德没好气地说，看样子他从心底里懊悔他的这份慷慨。

'W-what do you mean?' said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.

“或者一只新坩埚，查理的那只旧坩埚已经生满了锈，或者一只新老鼠，你以前一直那么喜欢斑斑——”

'You've got to have a reward for this!' said Mrs Weasley fondly. 'How about a nice new set of dress robes?'

“妈妈，”罗恩满怀希望地说，“我能得到一把新扫帚吗？”

'We've already bought him some,' said Fred sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.

韦斯莱夫人的脸微微沉了沉，飞天扫帚是很贵的。

'Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers -

“不要特别好的！”罗恩赶紧说道，“只要——只要一把新的就行，换换口味……”

'Mum,' said Ron hopefully, 'can I have a new broom?'

韦斯莱夫人犹豫了一下，然后笑了。

Mrs Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.

“当然可以，好了，我怎么也得走了，还要买一把扫帚呢。我们待会儿再见……小罗尼，级长！你们别忘了收拾箱子……级长……哦，我真是太高兴了！”

'Not a really good one!' Ron hastened to add. 'Just - just a new one for a change , . .'

她又在罗恩的脸上亲了一口，很响地抽了抽鼻子，匆匆忙忙地走出了房间。

Mrs Weasley hesitated, then smiled.

弗雷德和乔治交换了一下目光。

'Of course you can . . . well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later . . . little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks . . . a prefect . . . oh, I'm all of a dither!'

“我们不亲你，你不介意吧，罗恩？”弗雷德装出一种诚惶诚恐的声音问。

She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.

“如果你愿意，我们可以行屈膝礼。”乔治说。

Fred and George exchanged looks.

“哦，闭嘴！”罗恩说，气呼呼地瞪着他们。

'You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?' said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.

“不然就怎么样？”弗雷德说，脸上露出一副坏笑，“要关我们禁闭吗？”

'We could curtsey, if you like,' said George.

“我倒想看看他敢不敢呢。”乔治哧哧笑着说。

'Oh, shut up,' said Ron, scowling at them.

“如果你们不小心点儿，他就能！”赫敏气愤地说。

'Or what?' said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. 'Going to put us in detention?'

弗雷德和乔治哈哈大笑，罗恩低声说：“别这么说，赫敏。”

'I'd love to see him try' sniggered George.

“乔治，我们以后可得多加小心了，”弗雷德假装浑身发抖地说道，“有这两个人盯着我们……”

'He could if you don't watch out!' said Hermione angrily.

“是啊，我们违法乱纪的日子眼看就要结束了。”乔治说着摇了摇头。

Fred and George burst out laughing, and Ron muttered, 'Drop it, Hermione.'

随着又一声震耳欲聋的“啪”，一对双胞胎幻影移形了。

'We're going to have to watch our step, George,' said Fred, pretending to tremble, 'with these two on our case . . .'

“这两个人！”赫敏气恼地说，抬眼望着天花板，他们可以听见弗雷德和乔治在楼上的房间里放声大笑，“别理睬他们，罗恩，他们只是在嫉妒！”

'Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over,' said Cieorge, shaking his head.

“我认为不是的，”罗恩怀疑地说，也抬头望着天花板，“他们总是说，只有傻瓜才会当级长……不过，”他的语气又高兴起来，“他们从来没有得到过新扫帚！真希望我能跟妈妈一起去，亲自挑选……她肯定买不起‘光轮’，但现在有新款的‘横扫’上市了，那肯定很棒……对啊，我想我得去告诉她，我要‘横扫’，这样她就知道了……”

And with another loud crack, the twins Disapparated.

他一头冲出房间，把哈利和赫敏撇在身后。

'Those two!' said Hermione furiously, staring up at the ceiling, through which they could now hear Fred and George roaring with laughter in the room upstairs. 'Don't pay any attention to them, Ron, they're only jealous!'

不知怎的，哈利发现自己不愿意看着赫敏。他转身走到床边，抱起韦斯莱夫人刚才放在上面的那堆干净衣服，朝房间那头他的箱子走去。

'I don't think they are,' said Ron doubtfully, also looking up at the ceiling. They've always said only prats become prefects . . . still,' he added on a happier note, 'they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mum and choose . . . she'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out, that'd be great . . . yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows . . .'

“哈利？”赫敏迟疑不决地说。

He dashed from the room, leaving Harry and Hermione alone.

“太棒了，赫敏，”哈利说道，热情得有些夸张，听上去根本不像是他的声音，而且他的眼睛仍然没看赫敏，“太出色了。级长。真了不起。”

For some reason, Harry found he did not want to look at Hermione. He turned to his bed, picked up the pile of clean robes Mrs Weasley had laid on it and crossed the room to his trunk.

“谢谢，”赫敏说，“嗯——哈利——我能借海德薇用一下吗？我想告诉我的爸爸妈妈。他们肯定会很高兴的——我是说当级长这件事他们是能明白的。”

'Harry?' said Hermione tentatively.

“行，没问题，”哈利说道，仍然是那种热情过分、不像是他自己的语气，“拿去吧！”

'Well done, Hermione,' said Harry, so heartily it did not sound like his voice at all, and, still not looking at her, 'brilliant. Prefect. Great.'

他弯腰俯在箱子上，把那堆衣服放在箱子底下，假装在里面翻找什么，这时赫敏走到衣柜前唤海德薇下来。过了一会儿，哈利听见门关上了，但他仍然弯着腰，侧耳倾听，四下里没有别的声音，只有墙上那张空白的油画又在哧哧发笑，还有墙角的废纸篓在咳嗽，想把猫头鹰的粪便吐出来。

'Thanks,' said Hermione. 'Erm - Harry - could I borrow Hedwig so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased - I mean prefect is something they can understand.'

他直起身，看看身后，赫敏已经走了，海德薇也不见了。哈利慢慢走回到床边，一头倒在床上，两眼失神地望着衣柜的脚。

'Yeah, no problem,' said Harry, still in the horrible hearty voice that did not belong to him. Take her!'

他已经把五年级要挑选级长的事情忘得一干二净。他一直忧心忡忡地担心会被开除，根本没有心思去想徽章正扇动着翅膀朝某些人飞来。但如果他没有忘记……如果他曾经想过……他会希望有什么结果呢？

He leaned over his trunk, laid the robes on the bottom of it and pretended to be rummaging for something while Hermione crossed to the wardrobe and called Hedwig down. A few moments passed; Harry heard the door close but remained bent double, listening; the only sounds he could hear were the blank picture on the wall sniggering again and the wastepaper basket in the corner coughing up the owl droppings.

不是这个。他脑袋里一个诚实的小声音说道。

He straightened up and looked behind him. Hermione had left and Hedwig had gone. Harry hurried across the room, closed the door, then returned slowly to his bed and sank on to it, gazing unseeingly at the foot of the wardrobe.

哈利的脸皱成了一团，埋在双手里。他不能对自己撒谎。如果他知道要选级长，他肯定希望选中的是自己，而不是罗恩。他这是不是像德拉科·马尔福一样狂妄自大呢？他难道认为自己比别人都了不起？他真的相信自己比罗恩出色？

He had forgotten completely about prefects being chosen in the fifth year. He had been too anxious about the possibility of being expelled to spare a thought for the fact that badges must be winging their way towards certain people. But if he had remembered . . . if he had thought about it . . . what would he have expected?

不。那个小声音斩钉截铁地说。

Not this, said a small and truthful voice inside his head.

真的吗？哈利疑惑地想，急于把自己的感觉探究个水落石出。

Harry screwed up his face and buried it in his hands. He could not lie to himself; if he had known the prefect badge was on its way, he would have expected it to come to him, not Ron. Did this make him as arrogant as Draco Malfoy? Did he think himself superior to everyone else? Did he really believe he was better than Ron?

我魁地奇球玩得比他棒，那个声音说，但在其他方面并不比他出色。

No, said the small voice defiantly.

那是千真万确的，哈利想道，他的功课并不比罗恩优秀。可是功课以外的事情呢？自从进入霍格沃茨后，他、罗恩和赫敏共同经历的那些奇遇呢？而且还经常冒着比开除更可怕的危险！

Was that true? Harry wondered, anxiously probing his own feelings.

是啊，大多数时候罗恩和赫敏都和我在一起。哈利脑袋里的那个声音说。

I'm better at Quidditch, said the voice. But I'm not better at anything else.

不是总在一起，哈利同自己辩论道。他们没有和我一起同奇洛搏斗。他们没有跟里德尔和蛇怪较量。他们没有在小天狼星逃跑的那天晚上摆脱那些摄魂怪。在伏地魔回来的那天夜里，他们没有在墓地里和我在一起……

That was definitely true, Harry thought; he was no better than Ron in lessons. But what about outside lessons? What about those adventures he, Ron and Hermione had had together since starting at Hogwarts, often risking much worse than expulsion?

想到这里，他刚来的那天晚上感到自己受到不公平待遇的那种强烈感觉又一次在心头翻滚。我绝对做得更多，哈利气愤不平地说。我做得比他们俩都多！

Well, Ron and Hermione were with me most of the time, said the voice in Harry's head.

可是，那个小声音公正地说，也许邓布利多选级长并不看中他们经历过多少危险处境……也许他选级长看的是其他因素……罗恩肯定具有一些你所没有的东西……

Not all the time, though, Harry argued with himself. They didn't fight Quirrell with me. They didn't take on Riddle and the Basilisk. They didn't get rid of all those Dementors the night Sirius escaped. They weren't in that graveyard with me, the night Voldemort returned . . .

哈利睁开眼睛，透过手指缝望着衣柜爪子形的脚，想起了弗雷德说过的话：“头脑清楚的人，谁会选罗恩当级长呢……”

And the same feeling of ill-usage that had overwhelmed him on the night he had arrived rose again. I've definitely done more, Harry thought indignantly. I've done more than either of them!

哈利发出一声嘲讽的轻笑，但随即又为自己感到恶心。

But maybe, said the small voice fairly, maybe Dumbledore doesn't choose prefects because they've got themselves into a load of dangerous situations . . . maybe he chooses them for other reasons . . . Ron must have something you don't . . .

罗恩并没有要求邓布利多给他级长的徽章。这不是罗恩的错。而他，哈利，罗恩在世界上最好的朋友，难道就因为自己没有得到徽章，就要闷闷不乐，就要和双胞胎一起在罗恩背后嘲笑他，诋毁他？就因为罗恩第一次在某件事上胜过了哈利？

Harry opened his eyes and stared through his fingers at the wardrobe's clawed feet, remembering what. Fred had said: 'No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect . . .'

就在这时，哈利听见楼梯上又传来罗恩的脚步声。他站起来，正了正眼镜，急忙在脸上摆出一个微笑，罗恩连蹦带跳地冲了进来。

Harry gave a small snort of laughter. A second later he felt sickened with himself.

“正好追上了她！”他高兴地说，“她说如果可能，就给我买‘横扫’。”

Ron had not asked Dumbledore to give him the prefect badge. This was not Ron's fault. Was he, Harry, Ron's best friend in the world, going to sulk because he didn't, have a badge, laugh with the twins behind Ron's back, ruin this for Ron when, for the first time, he had beaten Harry at something?

“真酷！”哈利说，他听见自己热情的声音已不再那么虚假，总算松了一口气，“你听我说——罗恩——太棒了，哥们儿。”

At this point Harry heard Ron's footsteps on the stairs again. He stood up, straightened his glasses, and hitched a grin on to his face as Ron bounded back through the door.

罗恩脸上的笑容消失了。

'Just caught her!' he said happily. 'She says she'll get the Cleansweep if she can.'

“我压根儿没想到会是我！”他说着摇了摇头，“我还以为会是你呢！”

'Cool,' Harry said, and he was relieved to hear that his voice had stopped sounding hearty. 'Listen - Ron - well done, mate.'

“不，我惹的麻烦太多了。”哈利重复着弗雷德的话。

The smile faded off Ron's face.

“是啊，”罗恩说，“是啊，我猜想……好了，我们最好还是收拾箱子吧，好吗？”

'I never thought it would be me!' he said, shaking his head. 'I thought it would be you!'

自从来这里以后，他们的东西居然散落得到处都是，真是不可思议。下午的大部分时间，他们都在从房子的各个角落找回自己的书本和其他东西，重新塞进上学用的箱子。哈利注意到，罗恩不停地把他的级长徽章摆来摆去，先是放在床头柜上，然后塞进牛仔裤口袋里，接着又拿出来放在叠好的长袍上，似乎要看看红色衬在黑色上的效果如何。后来乔治和弗雷德进来了一下，提出要用永久粘贴咒把徽章粘在他的额头上，罗恩这才用褐紫色的袜子把它仔仔细细地包好，锁在了箱子里。

'Nah, I've caused too much trouble,' Harry said, echoing Fred.

大约六点钟的时候，韦斯莱夫人从对角巷回来了，抱着一大堆书，还拎着一个长长的、棕色厚纸包着的东西，罗恩充满渴望地叹息了一声，从她手里拿了过来。

'Yeah,' said Ron, 'yeah, I suppose . . . well, we'd better get our trunks packed, hadn't we?'

“先别忙着打开，大家要来吃晚饭了，我希望你们都下楼去。”韦斯莱夫人说，可是她刚走开，罗恩就急不可耐地扯开包装纸，上上下下、仔仔细细地端详着他的新扫帚，脸上是一种欣喜若狂的表情。

It was odd how widely their possessions seemed to have scattered themselves since they had arrived. It took them most of the afternoon to retrieve their books and belongings from all over the house and stow them back inside their school trunks. Marry noticed that Ron kept moving his prefect's badge around, first placing it on his bedside table, then putting it into his jeans pocket, then taking it out and lying it on his folded robes, as though to see the effect of the red on the black. Only when Fred and George dropped in and offered to attach it to his forehead with a Permanent Sticking Charm did he wrap it tenderly in his maroon socks and lock it in his trunk.

在下面的地下室里，韦斯莱夫人在无比丰盛的饭桌上方挂出一条鲜红色的横幅，上面写着：

Mrs Weasley returned from Diagon Alley around six o'clock, laden with books and carrying a long package wrapped in thick brown paper that Ron took from her with a moan of longing.

热烈祝贺罗恩和赫敏当选级长

'Never mind unwrapping it now, people are arriving for dinner, I want you all downstairs,' she said, but the moment she was out of sight Ron ripped off the paper in a frenzy and examined every inch of his new broom, an ecstatic expression on his face.

她情绪非常好，整个假期哈利都没见她这么高兴过。

Down in the basement Mrs Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read:

“我想我们应该搞一个小小的晚会，而不是一本正经地坐着吃饭，”看到哈利、罗恩、赫敏、弗雷德、乔治和金妮走进厨房，她对他们说道，“你父亲和比尔正在路上呢，罗恩。我派猫头鹰给他们俩都送了信，他们都激动坏了。”她满脸喜色地补充道。

CONGRATULATIONS

弗雷德翻了翻眼睛。

RON AND HERMIONE

小天狼星、卢平、唐克斯和金斯莱·沙克尔已经到了，哈利给自己倒了一杯黄油啤酒后不久，疯眼汉穆迪就脚步沉重地走了进来。

NEW PREFECTS

“哦，阿拉斯托，你来了我真高兴。”疯眼汉脱掉身上的旅行斗篷时，韦斯莱夫人高兴地说，“我们好长时间一直想问问你——你能不能看看客厅的那张写字台，告诉我们里面是什么东西？我们一直不敢打开，生怕那是个特别讨厌的家伙。”

She looked in a better mood than Harry had seen her all holiday.

“没问题，莫丽……”

'I thought we'd have a little party not a sit-down dinner,' she told Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny as they entered the room. 'Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron. I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled,' she added, beaming.

穆迪那电光般的蓝眼睛滴溜溜往上一转，死死盯着厨房的天花板。

Fred rolled his eyes.

“客厅……”他粗声粗气地说，两个瞳孔缩小了，“墙角的写字台？啊，我看见了……是的，是一个博格特……需要我上去把它弄出来吗，莫丽？”

Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt were already

“不，不用了，我待会儿自己来吧。”韦斯莱夫人眉开眼笑地说，“你喝点儿酒吧。实际上，我们在搞一个小小的庆祝活动……”她指了指鲜红色的横幅，“家里第四个级长！”她揉揉罗恩的头发，慈爱地说。

there and Mad-Eye Moody stumped in shortly after Harry had got himself a Butterbeer.

“级长，哦？”穆迪低吼道，那只普通的眼睛望着罗恩，那只带魔法的眼睛滴溜溜一转，从脑袋里朝旁边凝视着。哈利有一种很不舒服的感觉，似乎那眼睛正在望着自己，他转身朝小天狼星和卢平走去。

'Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here,' said Mrs Weasley brightly, as Mad-Eye shrugged off his travelling cloak. 'We've been wanting to ask you for ages - could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it. just in case it's something really nasty.'

“好啊，祝贺祝贺，”穆迪说，仍然用他那只普通的眼睛盯着罗恩，“权威人士总会招来麻烦，但我想邓布利多一定认为你能够抵抗大多数厉害的恶咒，不然他不会选中你的……”

'No problem, Molly . . .'

罗恩听到这样的说法，似乎很吃了一惊，但正好这时他爸爸和大哥回来了，他也就用不着费心做出回答了。韦斯莱夫人喜气洋洋，甚至没有埋怨他们把蒙顿格斯也带了来。蒙顿格斯穿着一件长长的大衣，上面东一块西一块鼓鼓囊囊的，显得很奇怪，而且他还不肯把大衣脱下来跟穆迪的旅行斗篷放在一起。

Moody's electric-blue eye swivelled upwards and stared fixedly through the ceiling of the kitchen.

“好了，我想我们可以举杯了，”每个人都拿到饮料后，韦斯莱先生说，举起了他的高脚酒杯，“祝贺罗恩和赫敏当选格兰芬多的级长！”

Drawing room . . .' he growled, as the pupil contracted. 'Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it . . . yeah, it's a Boggart . . . want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?'

大家都举杯祝贺，然后热烈鼓掌，罗恩和赫敏高兴得满脸放光。

No, no, I'll do it myself later,' beamed Mrs Weasley, 'you have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually . . .' She gestured at the scarlet banner. 'Fourth prefect in the family!' she said fondly, ruffling Ron's hair.

“我自己从没当过级长。”大家都凑在桌子跟前取食物时，唐克斯在哈利身后兴高采烈地说。今天她的头发红得像西红柿，一直拖到腰际，看上去活像金妮的姐姐。“我们学院的院长说我缺乏某些必要的素质。”

'Prefect, eh?' growled Moody, his normal eye on Ron and his magical eye swivelling around to gaze into the side of his head. Harry had the very uncomfortable feeling it was looking at him and moved away towards Sirius and Lupin.

“比如说什么呢？”正在挑一个烤土豆的金妮问道。

'Well, congratulations,' said Moody, still glaring at Ron with his normal eye, 'authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you . . .'

“比如不能够循规蹈矩。”唐克斯说。

Ron looked rather startled at this view of the matter but was saved the trouble of responding by the arrival of his father and eldest brother. Mrs Weasley was in such a good mood she did not even complain that they had brought Mundungus with them; he was wearing a long overcoat that seemed oddly lumpy in unlikely places and declined the offer to remove it and put it with Moody's travelling cloak.

金妮哈哈大笑。赫敏似乎不知道是不是也该笑一笑，便采取个折中的办法，端起杯子喝了一大口黄油啤酒，结果被呛着了。

'Well, I think a toast is in order,' said Mr Weasley, when everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!'

“你呢，小天狼星？”金妮拍着赫敏的后背问道。

Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them, and then applauded.

坐在哈利旁边的小天狼星发出他惯常的那种短促刺耳的笑声。

'I was never a prefect myself,' said Tonks brightly from behind Harry as everybody moved towards the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato red and waist-length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. 'My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities.'

“没有人会选我当级长的，我花了那么多时间跟詹姆一起关禁闭。卢平是个好孩子，他得到了徽章。”

'Like what?' said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.

“我想，邓布利多大概希望我能对我的好朋友进行一些管束。”卢平说道，“不用说，我很悲惨地失败了。”

'Like the ability to behave myself,' said Tonks.

哈利的情绪突然好了起来。他父亲当年也不是级长。顿时，晚会似乎变得好玩多了。他把盘子装得满满的，觉得自己加倍地喜爱房间里的每一个人。

Ginny laughed; Hermione looked as though she did not know whether to smile or not and compromised by taking an extra large gulp of Butterbeer and choking on it.

罗恩逢人就热情洋溢地介绍他的新扫帚。

'What about you, Sirius?' Ginny asked, thumping Hermione on the back.

“……十秒钟内就从零到七十，不坏吧？要知道《飞天扫帚大全》上说，彗星290只有零到六十，而且还需要有一股顺风推着呢。”

Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual bark-like laugh.

赫敏正在十分恳切地跟卢平谈论她对小精灵权益的看法。

'No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge.'

“我的意思是，这就跟狼人需要隔离一样，都是一派胡言，是吗？其根源都是巫师那种可怕的偏见，认为自己比别的生物优越……”

'I think Dumbledore might have hoped I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends,' said Lupin. 'I need scarcely say that I failed dismally.'

韦斯莱夫人和比尔又在争论那个老掉牙的问题：比尔的头发。

Harry's mood suddenly lifted. His father had not been a prefect either. All at once the party seemed much more enjoyable; he loaded up his plate, feeling doubly fond of everyone in the room.

“……越来越没法收拾了，其实你长得挺精神的，如果头发短一点儿会好看得多，你说是不是呢，哈利？”

Ron was rhapsodising about his new broom to anybody who would listen.

“哦——我不知道——”哈利说，没想到韦斯莱夫人居然来征求他的意见，他有点儿惊慌。他偷偷地离开他们，朝弗雷德和乔治那边走去，他们正和蒙顿格斯一起挤在一个角落里。

'. . . nought to seventy in ten seconds, not bad, is it? When you think the Comet Two Ninety's only nought to sixty and that's with a decent tailwind according to Which Broomstick?'

蒙顿格斯一看见哈利就停住话头，但弗雷德眨眨眼睛，示意哈利过去。

Hermione was talking very earnestly to Lupin about her view of elf rights.

“没关系，”他对蒙顿格斯说，“我们完全可以信任哈利，他是我们的资助人！”

'I mean, it's the same kind of nonsense as werewolf segregation, isn't it? It all stems from this horrible thing wizards have of thinking they're superior to other creatures . . .'

“看看顿格给我们带来了什么，”乔治说着摊开手掌给哈利看，那上面是一堆枯干的黑豆荚般的东西，虽然一动不动，却发出轻微的哗啦哗啦的声音。

Mrs Weasley and Bill were having their usual argument about Bill's hair.

“毒触手的种子，”乔治说，“我们的速效逃课糖要用到它们，但这是一种Ｃ类禁止贸易物品，所以我们一直很难搞到。”

'. . . getting really out of hand, and you're so good-looking, it would look much better shorter, wouldn't it, Harry?'

“这么些给十个加隆吧，顿格？”弗雷德说。

Oh - I dunno - ' said Harry, slightly alarmed at being asked his opinion; he slid away from them in the direction of Fred and George, who were huddled in a corner with Mundungus.

“这可是我费了九牛二虎之力才弄到的！”蒙顿格斯说，他那松弛的、充血的眼睛拉得更狭长了，“对不起，小伙子们，低于二十我绝不出手。”

Mundungus stopped talking when he saw Harry, but Fred winked and beckoned Harry closer.

“顿格就喜欢开点儿小玩笑。”弗雷德对哈利说。

'It's OK,' he told Mundungus, 'we can trust Harry, he's our financial backer.'

“是啊，他最精彩的一个玩笑就是一袋疙瘩羽毛笔要价六西可。”乔治说。

'Look what Dung's got us,' said George, holding out his hand to Harry. It was full of what looked like shrivelled black pods. A faint rattling noise was coming from them, even though they were completely stationary.

“小心点儿。”哈利轻声提醒他们。

'Venomous Tentacula seeds,' said George. 'We need them for the Skiving Snackboxes but they're a Class C Non-Tradeable Substance so we've been having a bit of trouble getting hold of them.'

“怎么啦？”弗雷德说，“妈妈忙着跟级长罗恩情意绵绵地说悄悄话呢，我们没事儿的。”

'Ten Galleons the lot, then, Dung?' said Fred.

“可是穆迪可能在用眼睛盯着你们。”哈利指出这一点。

'Wiv all the trouble I went to to get 'em?' said Mundungus, his saggy, bloodshot eyes stretching even wider. 'I'm sorry, lads, but I'm not taking a Knut under twenty.'

蒙顿格斯紧张地扭头看了看。

'Dung likes his little joke,' Fred said to Harry.

“说得对。”他嘟哝道，“好吧，小伙子们，十个就十个吧，只要你们赶紧把它们弄走。”

'Yeah, his best one so far has been six Sickles for a bag of Knarl quills,' said George.

“谢谢你了，哈利！”弗雷德高兴地说，蒙顿格斯已经把口袋里的东西都倒在双胞胎伸出来的手里，然后匆匆走过去取东西吃了。“我们最好把这些东西拿到楼上去……”

'Be careful,' Harry warned them quietly.

哈利望着他们的背影，心里隐隐有些不安。他突然想到，韦斯莱先生和韦斯莱夫人肯定很纳闷弗雷德和乔治怎么会有本钱做笑话商店的生意，然后不可避免地，他们就会弄清是怎么回事。把三强争霸赛的奖金送给双胞胎，这在当时似乎是一件很简单的事情，但如果它又导致一场家庭风波，使亲人疏远，就像珀西那样呢？如果韦斯莱夫人发现是因为哈利才使得弗雷德和乔治能够开创一种她认为很不合适的职业，她还会觉得哈利像她的亲生儿子一样好吗？

'What?' said Fred. 'Mum's busy cooing over Prefect Ron, we're OK.'

双胞胎走后，哈利独自站在那里，内心只有一种沉甸甸的负疚感。突然，他听见有人在说他的名字。金斯莱·沙克尔那低沉浑厚的声音，即使在周围的一片嘈杂声中也能听见。

'But Moody could have his eye on you.' Harry pointed out.

“……邓布利多为什么不选哈利当级长呢？”金斯莱问。

Mundungus looked nervously over his shoulder.

“他准有他自己的道理。”卢平回答。

'Good point, that,' he grunted. 'All right, lads, ten it is, if you'll take 'em quick.'

“但是那样会表现出对他的信任。换了我，我就会那么做，”金斯莱执意地说，“特别是在《预言家日报》三天两头地给他造谣……”

'Cheers, Harry!' said Fred delightedly, when Mundungus had emptied his pockets into the twins' outstretched hands and scuttled off towards the food. 'We'd better get these upstairs . . .'

哈利没有转过头去。他不想让卢平和金斯莱知道他听见了。他尽管一点儿也不饿，但还是跟着蒙顿格斯回到了饭桌旁。他刚才突然产生的参加晚会的快乐又一下子消失得无影无踪。他真希望自己躺在楼上的床上。

Harry watched them go, feeling slightly uneasy. It had just occurred to him that Mr and Mrs Weasley would want to know how Fred and George were financing their joke shop business when, as was inevitable, they finally found out about it. Giving the twins his Triwizard winnings had seemed a simple thing to do at the time, but what if it led to another family row and a Percy-like estrangement? Would Mrs Weasley still feel that Harry was as good as her son if she found out he had made it possible for Fred and George to start a career she thought quite unsuitable?

疯眼汉穆迪用残缺不全的鼻子嗅了嗅一根鸡腿，显然他没有发现任何下毒的痕迹，因为他用牙齿扯下了一大块鸡肉。

Standing where the twins had left him, with nothing but a guilty weight in the pit of his stomach for company, Harry caught the sound of his own name. Kingsley Shacklebolts deep voice was audible even over the surrounding chatter.

“……扫帚把是用西班牙栎木做的，涂着防恶咒的清漆，还有内置的振动控制——”罗恩在对唐克斯说。

'. . . why Dumbledore didn't make Potter a prefect?' said Kingsley.

韦斯莱夫人打了个大大的哈欠。

'He'll have had his reasons,' replied Lupin.

“好了，我先去把那个博格特弄出来再上床睡觉……亚瑟，我不希望这些人闹得太晚，好吗？晚安，哈利，亲爱的。”

'But it would've shown confidence in him. It's what I'd've done,' persisted Kingsley, ' 'specially with the Daily Prophet having a go at him every few days . . .'

她说完就离开了厨房。哈利把盘子放在桌上，不知道能不能神不知鬼不觉地跟她一起离去。

Harry did not look round; he did not want Lupin or Kingsley to know he had heard. Though not remotely hungry, he followed Mundungus back towards the table. His pleasure in the party had evaporated as quickly as it had come; he wished he were upstairs in bed.

“你没事吧，波特？”穆迪瓮声瓮气地问。

Mad-Eye Moody was sniffing at a chicken-leg with what remained of his nose; evidently he could not detect any trace of poison, because he then tore a strip off it with his teeth.

“没事呀，挺好的。”哈利没说实话。

'. . . the handle's made of Spanish oak with anti-jinx varnish and in-built vibration control - ' Ron was saying to Tonks.

穆迪对着他的弧形酒壶喝了一大口，那只电光蓝色的魔眼斜过来望着哈利。

Mrs Weasley yawned widely.

“来吧，我这儿有件东西，你可能会感兴趣。”他说。

'Well, I think I'll sort out that Boggart before I turn in . . . Arthur, I don't want this lot up too late, all right? Night, Harry, dear.'

穆迪从长袍里面的口袋里掏出一张很破旧的魔法照片。

She left the kitchen. Harry set down his plate and wondered whether he could follow her without attracting attention.

“最初的凤凰社，”穆迪声音低沉地说，“昨天晚上找我那件备用的隐形衣时发现的，看来波德摩不太懂规矩，不打算把我最好的那件还给我了……我想可能有人愿意看看。”

'You all right, Potter?' grunted Moody.

哈利接过照片，上面有一小群人抬头望着他，有的朝他挥手致意，有的举起手里的酒杯。

'Yeah, fine,' lied Harry.

“这是我。”穆迪指着自己说，其实这毫无必要。照片上的穆迪是不可能认错的，尽管他那会儿头发不像现在这么白，鼻子也完好无损。“我旁边是邓布利多，另一边是德达洛·迪歌……这是马琳·麦金农，拍完这张照片两个星期后，她就被杀害了，他们还把她全家都抓了去。那是弗兰克·隆巴顿和艾丽斯·隆巴顿——”

Moody took a swig from his hipflask, his electric-blue eye staring sideways at Harry.

哈利心里本来就不舒服，现在望着艾丽斯·隆巴顿，心里更是一阵发紧。他尽管从没见过她，却非常熟悉她那张圆圆的、充满友善的脸，因为她儿子纳威和她长得一模一样。

'Come here, I've got something that might interest you,' he said.

“——可怜的人，”穆迪粗声粗气地说，“死了也比遭那份罪强……这是爱米琳·万斯，你见过她的，这个显然是卢平……本吉·芬威克，他也遭了不幸，我们只找到了他的部分尸体……往旁边挪挪。”他用手碰碰照片，上面的小人儿都朝旁边移去，让那些本来被遮住的人挪到了前面。

From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered old wizarding photograph.

“那是埃德加·博恩斯……阿米莉亚·博恩斯的哥哥，他们也抓走了他的全家，他是个很了不起的巫师……斯多吉·波德摩，天哪，他看上去真年轻……卡拉多克·迪尔伯恩，照片拍完后六个月就失踪了，一直没有找到他的尸体……海格，这不用说了，看上去还是这副老样子……埃非亚斯·多吉，你见过的，我都忘记他以前老戴着那顶傻乎乎的帽子……吉迪翁·普威特，动用了五个食死徒才将他和他弟弟费比安杀死，他们战斗得英勇顽强……且战且退，且战且退……”

'Original Order of the Phoenix,' growled Moody. 'Found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing as Podmore hasn't had the manners to return my best one . . . thought people might like to see it.'

照片上的小人儿挤在一起，让那些隐藏在后面的人出现在画面前。

Harry took the photograph. A small crowd of people, some waving at him, others lifting their glasses, looked back up at him.

“这是邓布利多的弟弟阿不福思，我只见过他那一次，是个奇怪的家伙……这是多卡斯·梅多斯，伏地魔亲手杀害了她……小天狼星，那时候他还留着短头发……还有……就是这些，我想你可能会有兴趣！”

'There's me,' said Moody, unnecessarily pointing at himself. The Moody in the picture was unmistakeable, though his hair was slightly less grey and his nose was intact. 'And there's Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side . . . that's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That's Frank and Alice Longbottom - '

哈利心里像打翻了五味瓶。他的妈妈和爸爸笑眯眯地望着他，他们俩中间坐着一个眼睛水汪汪的小个子男人，哈利一眼就认了出来，那是虫尾巴，就是他向伏地魔告发了哈利父母的下落，造成了他们俩的惨死。

Harry's stomach, already uncomfortable, clenched as he looked at Alice Longbottom; he knew her round, friendly face very well, even though he had never met her, because she was the image of her son, Neville.

“嗯？”穆迪说。

' - poor devils,' growled Moody. 'Better dead than what happened to them . . . and that's Emmeline Vance, you've met her, and that there's Lupin, obviously . . . Benjy Fenwick, he copped it too, we only ever found bits of him . . . shift aside there,' he added, poking the picture, and the little photographic people edged sideways, so that those who were partially obscured could move to the front.

哈利抬头看着穆迪伤痕累累、坑坑洼洼的脸。显然，穆迪还以为自己给了哈利一件很希罕的好东西呢。

'That's Edgar Bones . . . brother of Amelia Bones, they got him and his family, too, he was a great wizard . . . Sturgis Podmore, blimey, he looks young . . . Caradoc Dearborn, vanished six months after this, we never found his body . . . Hagrid, of course, looks exactly the same as ever . . . Elphias Doge, you've met him, I'd forgotten he used to wear that stupid hat . . . Gideon Prewett, it took five Death Eaters to kill him and his brother Fabian, they fought like heroes . . . budge along, budge along . . .'

“不错，”哈利说，又一次想勉强挤出一个笑容，“嗯……对了，我刚想起来，我忘记收拾我的……”

The little people in the photograph jostled among themselves and those hidden right at the back appeared at the forefront of the picture.

他用不着绞尽脑汁编造一个他忘记收拾的东西了，因为小天狼星正好说道：“你在那儿做什么，疯眼汉？”穆迪转身朝那边望去。哈利赶紧走向厨房那头，不等有人来得及把他叫回去，就轻手轻脚地出了房门向楼上走去。

That's Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, only time I ever met him, strange bloke . . . that's Dorcas Meadowes, Voldemort killed her personally . . . Sirius, when he still had short hair . . . and . . . there you go, thought that would interest you!'

他不知道他为什么感到如此震惊。其实他以前看见过爸爸妈妈的照片，还亲眼看见过虫尾巴……可是他们在他最不防备的时候那样突然地跳到他面前……谁都不会喜欢的，他生气地想……

Harry's heart turned over. His mother and father were beaming up at him, sitting on either side of a small, watery-eyed man whom Harry recognised at once as Wormtail, the one who had betrayed his parents' whereabouts to Voldemort and so helped to bring about their deaths.

还有，看见他们周围所有那些愉快的面孔……本吉·芬威克，只找到一些尸体的残片，吉迪翁·普威特，像英雄一样勇敢战死，还有隆巴顿夫妇，被折磨成了疯子……他们都永远在照片上愉快地挥着手，谁也不知道前面等着他们的厄运……唉，穆迪大概会觉得这很有趣……他，哈利，觉得这让人心神不安……

'Eh?' said Moody.

哈利踮着脚尖走上门厅的楼梯，走过那些挤在一起的家养小精灵的脑袋，他很高兴终于可以一个人清静一会儿了，可是就在他走近二楼的楼梯平台时他听见了一个声音。有人在客厅里哭泣。 “喂？”哈利说。

Harry looked up into Moody s heavily scarred and pitted face. Evidently Moody was under the impression he had just given Harry a bit of a treat.

没有人回答，哭泣声在继续。他一步两级地走完最后几级楼梯，走过平台，推开了客厅的门。

'Yeah,' said Harry, once again attempting to grin. 'Er . . . listen, I've just remembered, I haven't packed my . . .'

有一个人蜷缩在黑暗的墙边，手里拿着魔杖，哭得整个身体都在颤抖。而四肢伸展着躺在灰扑扑的旧地毯上，躺在皎洁的月光下的，正是罗恩，显然已经死了。

He was spared the trouble of inventing an object he had not packed. Sirius had just said, 'What's that you've got there, Mad-Eye?' and Moody had turned towards him. Harry crossed the kitchen, slipped through the door and up the stairs before anyone could call him back.

哈利一下子觉得肺里的空气似乎都被吸空了，他觉得自己正朝着地板下面坠落，大脑里一片冰冷——罗恩死了，不，这不可能——

He did not know why it had been such a shock; he had seen pictures of his parents before, after all, and he had met Wormtail . . . but to have them sprung on him like that, when he was least expecting it . . . no one would like that, he thought angrily . . .

可是等一等，这不可能呀——罗恩在楼下呢——

And then, to see them surrounded by all those other happy faces . . . Benjy Fenwick, who had been found in bits, and Gideon Prewett, who had died like a hero, and the Longbottoms, who had been tortured into madness . . . all waving happily out of the photograph forever more, not knowing that they were doomed . . . well, Moody might find that interesting . . . he, Harry, found it disturbing . . .

“韦斯莱夫人？”哈利哑着嗓子说。

Harry tiptoed up the stairs in the hall past the stuffed elf-heads, glad to be on his own again, but as he approached the first landing he heard noises. Someone was sobbing in the drawing room.

“滑——滑——滑稽滑稽！”韦斯莱夫人啜泣着说，用颤抖的魔杖指着罗恩的尸体。

'Hello?' Harry said.

啪！

There was no answer but the sobbing continued. He climbed the remaining stairs two at a time, walked across the landing and opened the drawing-room door.

罗恩的尸体变成比尔的，伸展四肢仰面躺着，空洞失神的眼睛睁得大大的。韦斯莱夫人哭得比刚才更厉害了。

Someone was cowering against the dark wall, her wand in her hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. Sprawled on the dusty old carpet in a patch of moonlight, clearly dead, was Ron.

“滑——滑稽滑稽！”她又抽抽搭搭地说。

All the air seemed to vanish from Harry's lungs; he felt as though he were falling through the floor; his brain turned icy cold - Ron dead, no, it couldn't be - '

啪！

But wait a moment, it couldn't be - Ron was downstairs -

韦斯莱先生的尸体取代了比尔的，眼镜歪在一边，一道鲜血从脸上流下来。

'Mrs Weasley?' Harry croaked.

“不！”韦斯莱夫人呻吟道，“不……滑稽滑稽！滑稽滑稽！滑稽滑稽！”

'R - r - riddikulus!' Mrs Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.

啪！死去的双胞胎。啪！死去的珀西。啪！死去的哈利……

Crack,

“韦斯莱夫人，赶紧离开这里！”哈利瞪着地板上他自己的尸体喊道，“让别人——”

Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs Weasley sobbed harder than ever.

“出什么事了？”

'R - riddikulus!' she sobbed again.

卢平跑进了房间，后面紧跟着小天狼星，穆迪拖着沉重的脚步也来了。卢平望望韦斯莱夫人，又望望地板上哈利的尸体，似乎一下子全明白了。他拔出自己的魔杖，清清楚楚、毫不含糊地说：“滑稽滑稽！”

Crack.

哈利的尸体不见了。一个银色的圆球悬浮在尸体刚才躺着的上空。卢平又挥了一下魔杖，圆球化成一股烟雾消失了。

Mr Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.

“哦——哦——哦！”韦斯莱夫人抽噎着，然后突然用手捂住了脸，号啕大哭。

'No!' Mrs Weasley moaned. 'No . . . riddikulus! Riddikulus! RID-DIKULUS!'

“莫丽，”卢平忧郁地说，一边朝她走去，“莫丽，不要……”

Crack. Dead twins. Crack. Dead Percy. Crack. Dead Harry . . .

一眨眼间，她扑在卢平的肩膀上，哭得伤心欲绝。

'Mrs Weasley, just get out of here!' shouted Harry, staring down at his own dead body on the floor. 'Let someone else - '

“莫丽，那只是一个博格特，”卢平拍着她的脑袋，安慰她道，“是一个愚蠢的博格特……”

'What's going on?'

“我总是看见他们死——死——死了！”韦斯莱夫人靠在他的肩膀上抽泣着说，“总是看——看见！做——做梦也梦见……”

Lupin had come running into the room, closely followed by Sirius, with Moody stumping along behind them. Lupin looked from Mrs Weasley to the dead Harry on the floor and seemed to understand in an instant. Pulling out his own wand, he said, very firmly and clearly:

小天狼星盯着刚才博格特装成哈利的尸体躺过的地方。穆迪看着哈利，哈利则躲避着他的目光。他有一种奇怪的感觉，似乎穆迪的那只带魔法的眼睛一直追随着他走出了厨房。

'Riddikulus!'

“不——不——不要告诉亚瑟，”韦斯莱夫人这时忍住呜咽，用袖口使劲地擦着眼睛，“我不——不——不想让他知道……我这么傻……”

Harry's body vanished. A silvery orb hung in the air over the spot where it had lain. Lupin waved his wand once more and the orb vanished in a puff of smoke.

卢平递给她一块手帕，她擤了擤鼻子。

'Oh - oh - oh!' gulped Mrs Weasley, and she broke into a storm of crying, her face in her hands.

“哈利，真对不起。你会怎么看我呢？”她声音颤抖地说，“连一个博格特都对付不了……”

'Molly' said Lupin bleakly, walking over to her. 'Molly don't . . .'

“别说傻话了。”哈利说，想勉强露出一点儿笑容。

Next second, she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin's shoulder.

“我只是太——太——太担心了，”她说，眼泪又从眼睛里扑簌簌地滚落下来，“家——家——家里一半的人都在凤凰社里，除非出现奇迹我们才都会死里逃生……珀——珀——珀西不跟我们说话了……如果发生了可——可——可怕的事情，我们永远没有机会跟——跟——跟他和解怎么办呢？如果亚瑟和我被杀害了，那可如何是好呢，谁会来照——照——照顾罗恩和金妮呢？”

'Molly it was just a Boggart,' he said soothingly, patting her on the head. 'Just a stupid Boggart . , .'

“莫丽，够了。”卢平果断地说，“这和上次不一样。现在凤凰社的组织更加严密，我们有了一个有利的开端，知道伏地魔打算做什么——”

'I see them d - d - dead all the time!' Mrs Weasley moaned into his shoulder. 'All the t - t - time! I d - d - dream about it . . .'

韦斯莱夫人一听见那个名字，惊恐地发出了一声尖叫。

Sirius was staring at the patch of carpet where the Boggart, pretending to be Harry's body, had lain. Moody was looking at Harry, who avoided his gaze. He had a funny feeling Moody's magical eye had followed him all the way out of the kitchen.

“哦，莫丽，勇敢点儿，现在你应该习惯听到他的名字了——听着，我没法保证不会有人受到伤害，谁也不可能保证这一点，但我们的情况比上次好得多。你那时候不在凤凰社里，你不明白。上次食死徒的人数是我们的二十倍，他们是把我们一个一个地干掉的……”

'D - d - don't tell Arthur,' Mrs Weasley was gulping now, mopping her eyes frantically with her cuffs. 'I d - d - don't want him to know . . . being silly . . .'

哈利又想起了那张照片，想起了他爸爸妈妈洋溢着欢笑的脸。他知道穆迪还在注视着他。

Lupin handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose.

“不要担心珀西，”小天狼星突然说道，“他会回心转意的。伏地魔总有一天会暴露他的真面目，到那个时候，整个魔法部都会请求我们原谅他们。而我还不知道会不会接受他们的道歉呢。”他又尖刻地添上最后一句。

'Harry, I'm so sorry. What must you think of me?' she said shakily. 'Not even able to get rid of a Boggart . . .'

“至于如果你和亚瑟遇害了，由谁来照顾罗恩和金妮，”卢平微微带笑地说道，“你以为我们会怎么做，会让他们饿肚子吗？”

'Don't be stupid,' said Harry, trying to smile.

韦斯莱夫人颤抖地笑了笑。

'I'm just s - s - so worried,' she said, tears spilling out of her eyes again. 'Half the f - f - family's in the Order, it'll b - b - be a miracle if we all come through this . . . and P - P - Percy's not talking to us . . . what if something d-d - dreadful happens and we've never m - m - made it up with him? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's g - g - going to look after Ron and Ginny?'

“真是太傻了。”她又低声说了一句，擦了擦眼睛。

'Molly, that's enough,' said Lupin firmly. This isn't like last time. The Order are better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to - '

可是十分钟后，当哈利反手关上卧室的房门时，他无法认为韦斯莱夫人是在犯傻。他仍然能够看见他爸爸妈妈从那张破烂的旧照片上笑眯眯地望着他，他们像周围的那么多人一样，浑然不知他们的生命就要终结。哈利眼前不断闪现着博格特轮番变出韦斯莱夫人家每个人的尸体的景象。

Mrs Weasley gave a little squeak of fright at the sound of the name.

突然，他额头上的伤疤一阵剧痛，胃里也翻腾开了。

'Oh, Molly, come on, it's about time you got used to hearing his name - look, I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time. You weren't in the Order then, you don't understand. Last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one . . .'

“停下！”他坚决地说，一边揉着伤疤，疼痛减轻了。

Harry thought of the photograph again, of his parents' beaming faces. He knew Moody was still watching him.

“疯狂的第一个迹象，就是自己跟自己说话。”墙上那张空白画里一个诡秘的声音说道。

'Don't worry about Percy,' said Sirius abruptly. 'He'll come round. It's only a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology,' he added bitterly.

哈利没去理它。他感到自己一下子长大了很多，以前从没有过这种感觉，可就在一个小时前，他还在担心笑话商店的事，担心谁得到了级长的徽章，这使他觉得不可思议。

'And as for who's going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died,' said Lupin, smiling slightly, 'what do you think we'd do, let them starve?'

①原始部落战前做准备或战后庆祝胜利时跳的一种仪式性舞蹈。

Mrs Weasley smiled tremulously.

②罗恩的呢称。

'Being silly,' she muttered again, mopping her eyes.

But Harry, closing his bedroom door behind him some ten minutes later, could not think Mrs Weasley silly. He could still see his parents beaming up at him from the battered old photograph, unaware that their lives, like so many of those around them, were drawing to a close. The image of the Boggart posing as the corpse of each member of Mrs Weasley's family in turn kept flashing before his eyes.

Without warning, the scar on his forehead seared with pain again and his stomach churned horribly.

'Cut it out,' he said firmly, rubbing the scar as the pain receded.

'First sign of madness, talking to your own head,' said a sly voice from the empty picture on the wall.

Harry ignored it. He felt older than he had ever felt in his life and it seemed extraordinary to him that barely an hour ago he had been worried about a joke shop and who had got a prefects badge.