Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban哈利·波特与阿兹卡班的囚徒

Chapter 19

THE SERVANT OF LORD VOLDEMORT伏地魔的仆人

Hermione screamed. Black leapt to his feet. Harry jumped as though he’d received a huge electric shock.
赫敏尖叫起来。布莱克一跳站了起来。哈利跳了起来，好像猛然触了电。
“I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow,” said Snape, throwing the Cloak aside, careful to keep his wand pointing directly at Lupin’s chest. “Very useful, Potter, I thank you. . . .”
“我在打人柳树根底下发现了它，”斯内普说，把隐形衣扔到一边，同时仍旧小心不让他的魔杖偏离卢平的胸膛，“很有用，波特。我谢谢你了……”
Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph. “You’re wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?” he said, his eyes glittering. “I’ve just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did . . . lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight.”
斯内普稍稍有点儿喘不上气来，但他一脸压不住的胜利感。“你也许不明白我怎么会知道你在这里?”他说。眼睛发着光，“我刚刚到你的办公室去了，卢平。你今晚忘记吃药了，所以我拿了一大杯过去。幸而我这样做……我意思是说，我走运。有张地图放在你的桌子上。看一眼，我就明白了我需要明白的一切。我看见你沿着这条过道走，然后就消失了。”
“Severus —” Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.
“西弗勒斯……”卢平开始说话，但斯内普打断了他。
“I’ve told the headmaster again and again that you’re helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here’s the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout —”
“卢平，我反复告诉校长你在帮助你的老朋友布莱克进入城堡，现在我有证据了。但就连我也没有想到你竟然敢于使用这个老地方做你的巢穴。”
“Severus, you’re making a mistake,” said Lupin urgently. “You haven’t heard everything — I can explain — Sirius is not here to kill Harry —”
“西弗勒斯，你错了，”卢平急切地说，“你没有听到全部内容……我可以解释小天狼星来这里不是要杀哈利……”
“Two more for Azkaban tonight,” said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically. “I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this. . . . He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin . . . a tame werewolf —”
“今晚又要多两个人去阿兹卡班了，”斯内普说，这时他的眼睛狂热地发亮，“我倒有兴趣看看邓布利多听到这些会怎么样……他相信你是无害的，你知道的，卢平……一个驯服的狼人……”
“You fool,” said Lupin softly. “Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?”
“你这傻瓜，”卢平温和地说，“一个学生水平的投诉就能把一个无辜的人送到阿兹卡班去吗?”
BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape’s wand and twisted themselves around Lupin’s mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black’s eyes.
砰!斯内普的魔杖末端爆发出蛇一样的带子，并且自动缠绕在卢平的嘴、手腕和脚踝上。卢平失去平衡，倒在地板上，不能动了。布莱克怒吼一声，向斯内普扑去，但是斯内普的魔仗直指布莱克的双眼之间。
“Give me a reason,” he whispered. “Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will.”
“给我一个理由吧，”他低声说。“给我一个宰了你的理由，我发誓我会干的。”
Black stopped dead. It would have been impossible to say which face showed more hatred.
布莱克一点儿不动了。这时，人们没法判断谁脸上露出的仇恨更深。
Harry stood there, paralyzed, not knowing what to do or whom to believe. He glanced around at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked just as confused as he did, still fighting to keep hold on the struggling Scabbers. Hermione, however, took an uncertain step toward Snape and said, in a very breathless voice, “Professor Snape — it — it wouldn’t hurt to hear what they’ve got to say, w-would it?”
哈利站在那里，不知道应该做什么，也不知道应该相信谁。他看看罗恩和赫敏。罗恩像他一样搞不清，只是还在努力抓住不断挣扎的斑斑。然而，赫敏却犹犹豫豫地向斯内普跨出一步，喘不过气似的说：“斯内普教授……听……听听他们非说不可的话，这也没有什么妨碍，是不是?”
“Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school,” Snape spat. “You, Potter, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue.”
“格兰杰小姐，你已经面临着暂时停学的危险了，”斯内普吐了一口唾沫。“你、波特和罗恩太不像话了，竟然与证明有罪的谋杀者还有狼人为伍。保持沉默吧。哪怕你这辈子就这一次。”
“But if — if there was a mistake —”
“不过要是……要是以前有过错误……”
“KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!” Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. “DON’T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” A few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointed at Black’s face. Hermione fell silent.
“住嘴，你这傻丫头!”斯内普大声喝道，突然之间发起狂来。“不要对你不懂的事情妄加议论!”他的魔杖末端冒出几粒火花，这魔杖仍旧指着布莱克的脸。赫敏不说话了。
“Vengeance is very sweet,” Snape breathed at Black. “How I hoped I would be the one to catch you. . . .”
“复仇的滋味是很甜蜜的。”斯内普对布莱克说，“我曾经多么希望抓到你的人就是我啊……”
“The joke’s on you again, Severus,” Black snarled. “As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle” — he jerked his head at Ron — “I’ll come quietly. . . .”
“那次玩笑又在对你起作用了，西弗勒斯，”布莱克咆哮着说，“只要那男孩把斑斑带回城堡，”他脑袋往罗恩那边一摆。“我就安安静静地跟你走……”
“Up to the castle?” said Snape silkily. “I don’t think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They’ll be very pleased to see you, Black . . . pleased enough to give you a little Kiss, I daresay. . . .”
“到城堡去?”斯内普奉承讨好地说，“我认为我们不必走那么远。我要做的只是，一走出那棵柳树，就叫来那些摄魂怪。它们看见你会非常高兴的，布莱克……我敢说，会高兴得给你一个小小的吻呢……”
What little color there was in Black’s face left it.
布莱克脸上残存的一点儿血色现在也没有了。
“You — you’ve got to hear me out,” he croaked. “The rat — look at the rat —”
“你——你一定要听我说完，”他嘶哑着嗓子说，“那耗子——看那耗子……”
But there was a mad glint in Snape’s eyes that Harry had never seen before. He seemed beyond reason.
但是斯内普眼睛里有一种疯狂的光芒，是哈利以前从来没有见过的。斯内普好像已经失去理智了。
“Come on, all of you,” he said. He clicked his fingers, and the ends of the cords that bound Lupin flew to his hands. “I’ll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a Kiss for him too —”
“来吧，你们大家。”他说。他一弹手指，捆卢平的带子的末端就都飞到了他手里。“我来拖这个狼人。也许摄魂怪也会吻他一下的……”
Before he knew what he was doing, Harry had crossed the room in three strides and blocked the door.
哈利想也没想就三大步跨过房间，堵住了门。
“Get out of the way, Potter, you’re in enough trouble already,” snarled Snape. “If I hadn’t been here to save your skin —”
“让开，波特，你的麻烦已经够多的了，”斯内普咆哮道，“要是我不在这儿救了你……”
“Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year,” Harry said. “I’ve been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn’t he just finish me off then?”
“卢平教授今年有一百次机会可以杀了我，”哈利说，“我有许多次单独和他在一起，向他学抵抗摄魂怪的方法。如果他是布莱克一伙的，那时他为什么不结果了我?”
“Don’t ask me to fathom the way a werewolf’s mind works,” hissed Snape. “Get out of the way, Potter.”
“别问我狼人的心态。”斯内普声音尖厉地说，“让开，波特。”
“YOU’RE PATHETIC!” Harry yelled. “JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON’T EVEN LISTEN —”
“你真可怜!”哈利大叫，“只不过因为当学生时他们和你开过玩笑，你就连听他们说话都不……”
“SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!” Snape shrieked, looking madder than ever. “Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he’d killed you! You’d have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black — now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!”
“住嘴!不准对我这样说话!”斯内普尖叫着，看上去更加疯狂了。“有其父，必有其子。波特!我刚刚救了你的命。你应该跪下来感谢我才是!如果他杀了你，那你是活该!你就会和你爸爸一样地死去吧，太傲慢自大，不相信自己对布莱克看走了眼——现在，让开，要不然我就强迫你让开。让开，波特!”
Harry made up his mind in a split second. Before Snape could take even one step toward him, he had raised his wand.
片刻之间，哈利就下定了决心。斯内普还没有来得及向他跨出一步，他已经举起了魔杖。
“Expelliarmus!” he yelled — except that his wasn’t the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.
“除你武器!”他大叫道——不过这样叫的不止他一个人。一声爆炸，震得那扇门在铰链那儿摇晃起来；斯内普离地而起，撞到墙上，然后又滑到地板上，从头发下面渗出一缕鲜血。他被打昏了。
Harry looked around. Both Ron and Hermione had tried to Disarm Snape at exactly the same moment. Snape’s wand soared in a high arc and landed on the bed next to Crookshanks.
哈利四面一看，罗恩和赫敏恰巧都在同一时刻设法解除了斯内普的武装。斯内普的魔杖高高地飞出一个弧形，掉在床上克鲁克山旁边。
“You shouldn’t have done that,” said Black, looking at Harry. “You should have left him to me. . . .”
“你们不应该这样做，”布莱克看着哈利说，“你们应该让我来对付他……”
Harry avoided Black’s eyes. He wasn’t sure, even now, that he’d done the right thing.
哈利躲开布莱克的眼睛，到现在他也不清楚自己做得对不对。
“We attacked a teacher. . . . We attacked a teacher . . . ,” Hermione whimpered, staring at the lifeless Snape with frightened eyes. “Oh, we’re going to be in so much trouble —”
“我们攻击了教师……我们攻击了教师……”赫敏啜泣着说，害怕地看着了无生气的斯内普。“哦，我们的麻烦大了……”
Lupin was struggling against his bonds. Black bent down quickly and untied him. Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.
卢平在挣脱束缚。布莱克迅速弯下腰给他解开。卢平伸展了一下四肢，抚摸着带子在双臂上勒出的印痕。
“Thank you, Harry,” he said.
“谢谢你，哈利。”他说。
“I’m still not saying I believe you,” Harry retorted.
“我还没说我相信你呢。”哈利回嘴说。
“Then it’s time we offered you some proof,” said Black. “You, boy — give me Peter. Now.”
“那么现在正是我们向你们提供一些证据的时候，”布莱克说，“你，孩子，把彼得给我。现在。”
Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest.
罗恩把斑斑抓得更加靠近了自己的胸膛。
“Come off it,” he said weakly. “Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean . . .” He looked up at Harry and Hermione for support. “Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat — there are millions of rats — how’s he supposed to know which one he’s after if he was locked up in Azkaban?”
“别动它。”他有气无力地说，“你难道要说，你逃出阿兹卡班只是为了要对斑斑下手吗?我意思是……”他看看哈利和赫敏，寻求他们的支持。“好吧，就说小矮星彼得会变成了耗子——世界上的耗子成千上万——他关在阿兹卡班，他怎么能知道哪一只耗子是他要找的呢?”
“You know, Sirius, that’s a fair question,” said Lupin, turning to Black and frowning slightly. “How did you find out where he was?”
“你要知道，小天狼星，这问题提得公平，”卢平说，转向布莱克，略略皱起了眉头，“你怎么发现他在哪里的?”
Black put one of his clawlike hands inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat and held out to show the others.
布莱克把一只鸟爪一样的手伸到了袍子里面，拿出一张皱皱巴巴的纸来。他把纸抚平了，拿给大家看。
It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron’s shoulder, was Scabbers.
那是罗恩一家的照片，去年夏天在《预言家日报》上登过的，罗恩的肩头上就是斑斑。
“How did you get this?” Lupin asked Black, thunderstruck.
“你怎么将这张报纸拿到手的?”卢平问布莱克，大吃了一惊。
“Fudge,” said Black. “When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page . . . on this boy’s shoulder. . . . I knew him at once . . . how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts . . . to where Harry was. . . .”
“福吉，”布莱克说，“去年他到阿兹卡班视察的时候，给了我这张报纸。那就是彼得，在报纸头版上……在那男孩肩头……我立刻就认出他来了……我看见他变形有多少次了?照片下的解说词说，这男孩将回到霍格沃茨上学……到哈利所在的地方……”
“My God,” said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. “His front paw . . .”
“上帝啊，”卢平温和地说，看看斑斑，又看看报纸上的照片，再看看斑斑，“它的前爪……”
“What about it?” said Ron defiantly.
“那又怎么样?”罗恩不管不顾地说。
“He’s got a toe missing,” said Black.
“它缺一个趾头。”布莱克说。
“Of course,” Lupin breathed. “So simple . . . so brilliant . . . he cut it off himself?”
“当然啦，”卢平低语道，“这么简单……这么聪明……是他自己断掉的吗?”
“Just before he transformed,” said Black. “When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I’d betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself — and sped down into the sewer with the other rats. . . .”
“就在他变形以前，”布莱克说，“我把他逼得没处逃了，他就嚷得整条街都听见了，他说是我背叛了詹姆和莉莉。然后，在我未及诅咒他以前，他就用藏在背后的魔杖炸了整条街，杀死了他周围二十英尺之内的所有人，然后和其他耗子一起逃到阴沟里去了……”
“Didn’t you ever hear, Ron?” said Lupin. “The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger.”
“听到了吗，罗恩?”卢平说，“人们找到的彼得的最大一块遗骸，就是他的手指。”
“Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He’s been in my family for ages, right —”
“那，斑斑可能和别的耗子或是别的什么东西打过架!它在我们家有好些年了……”
“Twelve years, in fact,” said Lupin. “Didn’t you ever wonder why he was living so long?”
“十二年了，对不对?”卢平说，“你从来没想过它怎么能活这么长吗?”
“We — we’ve been taking good care of him!” said Ron.
“我们……我们一直小心照顾它!”罗恩说。
“Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?” said Lupin. “I’d guess he’s been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again. . . .”
“不过它现在看上去并不太好呀，是不是?”卢平说，“我猜它自从听说布莱克在逃以来体重就一直下降……”
“He’s been scared of that mad cat!” said Ron, nodding toward Crookshanks, who was still purring on the bed.
“它是给那只疯猫吓的!”罗恩说。对克鲁克山点点头，克鲁克山还在床上满足地呜呜叫着。
But that wasn’t right, Harry thought suddenly. . . . Scabbers had been looking ill before he met Crookshanks . . . ever since Ron’s return from Egypt . . . since the time when Black had escaped. . . .
但这不对呀，哈利忽然想道……斑斑在遇到克鲁克山以前就病恹恹的了……自从罗恩一家从埃及回来……自从布莱克逃走以后……
“This cat isn’t mad,” said Black hoarsely. He reached out a bony hand and stroked Crookshanks’s fluffy head. “He’s the most intelligent of his kind I’ve ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me. . . . Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he’s been helping me. . . .”
“这只猫没有发疯。”布莱克哑着嗓子说，伸出瘦骨嶙峋的手去抚摸克鲁克山那毛烘烘的脑袋。“它是我遇到过的最聪明的猫。它马上就认出了彼得是什么东西。它遇到我的时候，就知道我不是狗。过了好一阵子它才相信我。最后，我想办法和它沟通，告诉它我想干什么，于是它一直在帮助我……”
“What do you mean?” breathed Hermione.
“你这是什么意思?”赫敏低声问道。
“He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn’t . . . so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me. . . . As I understand it, he took them from a boy’s bedside table. . . .”
“它想办法把彼得带给我，但是做不到……所以它为我偷了进入格兰芬多塔楼的口令……就我所知，是从一个男生的床头柜上偷来的……”
Harry’s brain seemed to be sagging under the weight of what he was hearing. It was absurd . . . and yet . . .
哈利听到这许多东西之后，他的大脑似乎不胜负担了。很荒唐……不过……
“But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it. . . .” croaked Black. “This cat — Crookshanks, did you call him? — told me Peter had left blood on the sheets. . . . I supposed he bit himself. . . . Well, faking his own death had worked once. . . .”
“但是彼得听到了风声，知道事情的进展，于是就逃了……这只猫——克鲁克山，你们是这么叫的吗?告诉我彼得在床单上留下了血迹……我想他是咬了自己……唔，假装自己死了，这种做法已经成功了一次……”
These words jolted Harry to his senses.
这些话让哈利脑子清楚起来了。
“And why did he fake his death?” he said furiously. “Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!”
“他为什么要装死呢?”他大怒着说，“因为他知道你会杀死他，就像当年你杀死我父母一样!”
“No,” said Lupin, “Harry —”
“不对，”卢平说，“哈利——”
“And now you’ve come to finish him off!”
“你现在来是要结果他!”
“Yes, I have,” said Black, with an evil look at Scabbers.
“对，我是这样打算的。”布莱克说，恶狠狠地看着斑斑。
“Then I should’ve let Snape take you!” Harry shouted.
“那我应该让斯内普抓住你!”哈利大叫。
“Harry,” said Lupin hurriedly, “don’t you see? All this time we’ve thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down — but it was the other way around, don’t you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father — Sirius tracked Peter down —”
“哈利，”卢平匆忙说，“你还不懂吗?我们一直认为布莱克背叛了你的父母，而彼得追杀布莱克——但实际情况正好相反，你知道吗?彼得背叛了你的妈妈和爸爸，小天狼星追踪彼得——”
“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” Harry yelled. “HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!”
“那不是真的!”哈利大叫，“他是他们的保密人!你来以前他是这样说的，他说他杀了他们!”
He was pointing at Black, who shook his head slowly; the sunken eyes were suddenly overbright.
他指着布莱克，布莱克慢慢地摇头，那双凹陷的眼睛突然亮了起来。
“Harry . . . I as good as killed them,” he croaked. “I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me. . . . I’m to blame, I know it. . . . The night they died, I’d arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he’d gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn’t feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents’ house straightaway. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies . . . I realized what Peter must’ve done . . . what I’d done. . . .”
“哈利……我等于是杀了他们。”他嘶哑着嗓子说，“我说服莉莉和詹姆，在最后一刻把我换成彼得，说服他们利用他充当保密人，而不是我……该怪我，我知道……他们死去的那天晚上，我去看过彼得，确保他安全无恙，但是我到达他躲藏的地方的时候，他已经走了。但是那里没有搏斗的痕迹。我觉得不对头。我害怕起来。我直接就到了你父母住的地方。我看见他们的房子的时候，房子被摧毁了，我还看见了他们的尸体——我知道彼得一定已经干了什么坏事了。知道我犯了多大错误。”
His voice broke. He turned away.
他说不下去了，他回过身子。
“Enough of this,” said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice Harry had never heard before. “There’s one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat.”
“别再说这些事了。”卢平说，卢平的声音坚如钢铁，哈利以前从来没有听过他这样说话。“有一种方法肯定能够证明过去真正发生过什么事。罗恩，把那耗子给我。”
“What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?” Ron asked Lupin tensely.
“要是我给了你，你会对它怎么样?”罗恩紧张地问卢平。
“Force him to show himself,” said Lupin. “If he really is a rat, it won’t hurt him.”
“强迫他现出原形，”卢平说，“如果它真是耗子，这不会伤害它。”
Ron hesitated. Then at long last, he held out Scabbers and Lupin took him. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head.
罗恩踌躇了，然后他终于交出了斑斑，卢平把它拿了过去。斑斑开始不断地尖叫，不断扭动，小小的黑眼睛鼓了出来。
“Ready, Sirius?” said Lupin.
“准备好了吗，小天狼星?”卢平说。
Black had already retrieved Snape’s wand from the bed. He approached Lupin and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes suddenly seemed to be burning in his face.
布莱克已经从床上拿起斯内普的魔杖。他走近卢平和那只挣扎不已的耗子，他湿润的眼睛在脸上突然像是燃烧起来了。
“Together?” he said quietly.
“一起吗?”他平静地问。
“I think so,” said Lupin, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. “On the count of three. One — two — THREE!”
“我想是的，”卢平说，一手紧握着斑斑，另一手拿着魔杖，“数到三。一——二——三!”
A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly — Ron yelled — the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then —
两根魔杖都发出了蓝白色光芒；有一会儿工夫，斑斑悬在半空中，它那黑色的小身体疯狂地扭动着——罗恩大叫起来——那耗子掉了下来，落到地板上。又一阵炫目的闪光，然后——
It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands. Crookshanks was spitting and snarling on the bed; the hair on his back was standing up.
那就像是观察树木生长的快镜头。地上出现了一个脑袋；四肢也伸出来了；再过一会儿，一个男子站在刚才斑斑所在的地方，畏缩地绞着双手。克鲁克山在床上轻蔑地咆哮着，背上的毛都竖了起来。
He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers’s fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes. He looked around at them all, his breathing fast and shallow. Harry saw his eyes dart to the door and back again.
这人很矮，比哈利和赫敏高不了多少。他那稀薄的淡色头发蓬乱不堪，头顶上还秃了一大块。他的外表就像是一个肥胖的人短时间内体重下降了许多的样子。他的皮肤显得很脏，几乎和斑斑的皮毛差不多，他那尖尖的鼻子和水汪汪的小眼睛还带有耗子的特色。他看着大家，呼吸急促无力。哈利看到他的眼睛向门那边一溜又赶快收回了。
“Well, hello, Peter,” said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. “Long time, no see.”
“噢，你好，彼得，”卢平愉快地说，似乎他身边经常发生耗子变成老同学的事，“好久不见了。”
“S-Sirius . . . R-Remus . . .” Even Pettigrew’s voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted toward the door. “My friends . . . my old friends . . .”
“小—小天狼星……卢—卢平……”小矮星彼得的嗓音也是尖尖的。他的眼睛又迅速往门那边看了看。“我的朋友们——我的老朋友们——”
Black’s wand arm rose, but Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning look, then turned again to Pettigrew, his voice light and casual.
布莱克拿魔杖的手臂举起来了，但是卢平抓住他的手腕，警告性地看了他一眼。然后卢平又转向小矮星彼得，卢平说话的声音既轻松又随意。
“We’ve been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed —”
“我们刚才在闲谈，彼得，谈的是莉莉和詹姆死的那天发生了什么事。你刚才在床上一味尖叫，可能有些细节没听到——”
“Remus,” gasped Pettigrew, and Harry could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, “you don’t believe him, do you . . .? He tried to kill me, Remus. . . .”
“卢平，”小矮星彼得气喘吁吁地说，哈利看见小矮星彼得苍白的脸上迸出大粒汗珠，“你不相信他，是不……那时他想杀我，卢平……”
“So we’ve heard,” said Lupin, more coldly. “I’d like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you’d be so —”
“我们听说了，”卢平说，声音比较冷漠了，“我想找你澄清一两件小事情，彼得，要是你肯——”
“He’s come to try and kill me again!” Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Black, and Harry saw that he used his middle finger, because his index was missing. “He killed Lily and James and now he’s going to kill me too. . . . You’ve got to help me, Remus. . . .”
“他又来这里想杀我了!”小矮星彼得突然指着布莱克尖叫起来，哈利看见他用的是中指，因为他的食指断了。“他杀了莉莉和詹姆，现在他又要杀我……你务必要帮我啊，卢平……”
Black’s face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.
布莱克那双深不可测的眼睛瞪着小矮星彼得，他的脸比以前更像骷髅了。
“No one’s going to try and kill you until we’ve sorted a few things out,” said Lupin.
“在我们弄清楚几件事情以前，没人想杀你。”卢平说。
“Sorted things out?” squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again, the only door. “I knew he’d come after me! I knew he’d be back for me! I’ve been waiting for this for twelve years!”
“把事情弄清楚?”小矮星彼得尖叫着说，再次仓皇四顾，眼睛注意到了那些钉着木板的窗子，也再次看看那惟一的一扇门。“我知道他在追我!我知道他回来找我!我等待这件事已经十二年了!”
“You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?” said Lupin, his brow furrowed. “When nobody has ever done it before?”
“你知道小天狼星会逃出阿兹卡班吗?”卢平皱着眉头说，“以前不是没有人逃出来过吗?”
“He’s got Dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!” Pettigrew shouted shrilly. “How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!”
“他有我们其他人只能梦想的邪法!”小矮星彼得尖声大叫道，“要不然他怎么能从那里逃出来?我猜想那个连名字都不能提的人曾经教了他一些招数!”
Black started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room.
布莱克开始大笑，一种可怕、没有欢乐的大笑充满了整个房间。
“Voldemort, teach me tricks?” he said.
“伏地魔，教我招数?”
Pettigrew flinched as though Black had brandished a whip at him.
小矮星彼得畏缩了一下，好像布莱克用鞭子抽了他似的。
“What, scared to hear your old master’s name?” said Black. “I don’t blame you, Peter. His lot aren’t very happy with you, are they?”
“什么?害怕听到你旧主子的名字吗?”布莱克说，“我不怪你，彼得。他手下的那些人可不怎么喜欢你啊，是不是?”
“Don’t know what you mean, Sirius —” muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.
“不知道——你在说什么，小天狼星——”小矮星彼得嘟囔道，汗出得更快了，现在整张脸都是汗津津的。
“You haven’t been hiding from me for twelve years,” said Black. “You’ve been hiding from Voldemort’s old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter. . . . They all think you’re dead, or you’d have to answer to them. . . . I’ve heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters’ on your information . . . and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort’s supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they’ve seen the error of their ways. . . . If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter —”
“十二年来，你并不是在躲避我。”布莱克说，“你一直在躲避伏地魔以前的支持者。我在阿兹卡班听说了一些事情呢。彼得……他们都以为你已经死了，要不然你必须给他们一个说法……我听到他们在梦中尖叫，说出各种事情来。听上去他们好像认为骗子骗了他们。伏地魔根据你的情报到了波特家……伏地魔在那里失手了。伏地魔的支持者最后并不是全部到了阿兹卡班，是不是?这里还有很多，在等待时机，假装他们已经认识了自己的错误……要是他们得到风声。知道你还活着，彼得……”
“Don’t know . . . what you’re talking about . . . ,” said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. “You don’t believe this — this madness, Remus —”
“不知道……你在说什么……”小矮星彼得又说，声音比以前更尖了。他用袖子擦脸，抬头看卢平，“你不相信这……这个疯子，卢平……”
“I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat,” said Lupin evenly.
“我必须承认，彼得，我理解不了：一个无辜的人为什么愿意花十二年工夫做耗子。”卢平平淡地说。
“Innocent, but scared!” squealed Pettigrew. “If Voldemort’s supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban — the spy, Sirius Black!”
“无辜，但是吓坏了!”小矮星彼得尖叫，“如果伏地魔的支持者在追我，那是因为我把他们最能干的一个人弄到阿兹卡班去了——那个奸细，小天狼星·布莱克!”
Black’s face contorted.
布莱克的脸扭曲了。
“How dare you,” he growled, sounding suddenly like the bear-sized dog he had been. “I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter — I’ll never understand why I didn’t see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who’d look after you, didn’t you? It used to be us . . . me and Remus . . . and James. . . .”
“你竟敢这样说，”他咆哮道，听上去就像是有熊那么大的狗在咆哮，他以前变的就是这样的狗。“我，伏地魔的奸细?我什么时候在比我强大比我有影响得多的人身边偷偷地转来转去?但是你，彼得——我真不明白我为什么没有一开始就认准你就是那奸细。你一直喜欢比你强大的朋友，好让他们照顾你，是不是?以前一直是我们……我和卢平……还有詹姆……”
Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath.
小矮星彼得又擦了擦脸上的汗，他的呼吸几乎是上气不接下气了。
“Me, a spy . . . must be out of your mind . . . never . . . don’t know how you can say such a —”
“我，奸细……你必定是疯了……从来不……不明白你怎么竟会说这样的……”
“Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it,” Black hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. “I thought it was the perfect plan . . . a bluff. . . . Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they’d use a weak, talentless thing like you. . . . It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters.”
“只不过由于我的建议，莉莉和詹姆才让你做他们的保密人。”布莱克咬牙切齿地说，说得那么凶狠，小矮星彼得不觉往后退了一步。“我以为那是最完善的计划……是妙计……伏地魔肯定会来追我，永远不会想到他们利用你这样软弱愚笨的东西……你告诉伏地魔说，你可以把波特夫妇交给他，那个时刻必定是你可怜的一生中最得意的时刻了。”
Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; Harry caught words like “far-fetched” and “lunacy,” but he couldn’t help paying more attention to the ashen color of Pettigrew’s face and the way his eyes continued to dart toward the windows and door.
小矮星彼得心烦意乱地嘟囔着；哈利听到的话有“荒唐”和“疯狂”，但他忍不住更加注意小矮星彼得了，他此刻面如死灰，而且他的眼睛仍旧不断向窗子和门那边溜。
“Professor Lupin?” said Hermione timidly. “Can — can I say something?”
“卢平教授?”赫敏胆怯地问，“我能——能说几句话吗?”
“Certainly, Hermione,” said Lupin courteously.
“当然可以，赫敏。”卢平有礼貌地说。
“Well — Scabbers — I mean, this — this man — he’s been sleeping in Harry’s dormitory for three years. If he’s working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?”
“唔……斑斑……我意思是说，这个——这个人——他在哈利的宿舍里睡了三年。如果他是为神秘人工作的，那他以前怎么从来没有试着去伤害哈利呢?”
“There!” said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. “Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry’s head! Why should I?”
“说得对!”小矮星彼得尖叫道，用那只残缺不全的手指着赫敏。“谢谢你!明白了。卢平?我从来没有伤害过哈利的一根毛发!我为什么要伤害他呢?”
“I’ll tell you why,” said Black. “Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort’s been in hiding for twelve years, they say he’s half dead. You weren’t about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore’s nose, for a wreck of a wizard who’d lost all of his power, were you? You’d want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn’t you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren’t you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him. . . .”
“我来告诉你这是为什么，”布莱克说，“因为，要是你认为对你没好处，你是不会为任何人做任何事的。伏地魔躲起来已经十二年了。据说他已经是半死不活的了。你不会就在邓布利多鼻子底下，为一个已经失去全部法力、身体很糟的男巫而去杀人，对不对?在你回到他手下以前，你必定要拿准了他在圈子里是最有势力的大佬，对不对?要不然你为什么找了个魔法家庭住下?这样你可以时时听到新情况，对不对，彼得?你想知道万一你旧日的保护人又有力量了，回到他那里可保安全了……”
Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.
小矮星彼得张开嘴又闭上，这样有好几次，他好像已经丧失了说话能力。
“Er — Mr. Black — Sirius?” said Hermione.
“哦……布莱克先生……小天狼星?”赫敏胆怯地说。
Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though being spoken to politely was something he’d long forgotten.
布莱克听见这样的称呼真正吓了一跳，他瞪眼看着赫敏，好像他早已忘记了这回事：别人会这样有礼貌地对他说话。
“If you don’t mind me asking, how — how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn’t use Dark Magic?”
“要是你不介意我问的话，你……是怎样逃出阿兹卡班的，要是你没有使用黑魔法的话?”
“Thank you!” gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at her. “Exactly! Precisely what I —”
“谢谢你!”小矮星彼得喘着气说，对赫敏大点其头，“正是!正是我要问……”
But Lupin silenced him with a look. Black was frowning slightly at Hermione, but not as though he were annoyed with her. He seemed to be pondering his answer.
但是卢平看了他一眼，他就沉默了。布莱克对赫敏微微皱眉，但看上去并不气恼。他似乎在考虑怎么回答。
“I don’t know how I did it,” he said slowly. “I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn’t a happy thought, so the dementors couldn’t suck it out of me . . . but it kept me sane and knowing who I am . . . helped me keep my powers . . . so when it all became . . . too much . . . I could transform in my cell . . . become a dog. Dementors can’t see, you know. . . .” He swallowed. “They feel their way toward people by sensing their emotions. . . . They could tell that my feelings were less — less human, less complex when I was a dog . . . but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn’t trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand. . . .
“我不知道自己是怎么做到的，”他慢慢地说。“我想，我没有丧失理智的惟一原因是，我知道自己是无辜的。这不是什么愉快的念头，所以那些摄魂怪没有把它从我脑子里吸出去……这样我就能保持头脑清楚，而且知道自己是什么人……有助于我保存法力……所以，要是周围情况让我忍受不下去……太难忍受了……我可以在囚室里变形……变成一条狗，摄魂怪看不见，你们知道的……”他咽了口唾沫，“它们意识到人的感情，从而感觉到怎样才能走近人……它们能判断出我的感情比较……比较不像人的感情……不那么复杂，我当狗的时候就是这样的……但是，当然啰，它们认为我就像那里的其他人一样，正在丧失理智，因此它们并不担心。但是我虚弱，很虚弱，没有魔杖，我就没有希望把它们从我身边赶走……
“But then I saw Peter in that picture . . . I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry . . . perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again. . . .”
“但是。那时我在报纸登的照片上看见彼得了……我获悉他在霍格沃茨，同哈利在一起……要是他得到一点儿风声，知道黑势力正在聚集力量的话。从那里开始采取行动真是再合适不过了……”
Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Black as though hypnotized.
小矮星彼得摇头，嘴巴无声地动着，但一直瞪着布莱克，仿佛被催眠了。
“. . . ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies . . . and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who’d dare say he’d betrayed Lord Voldemort? He’d be welcomed back with honors. . . .
“……一旦他肯定自己有同盟者，他就会动手……把波特家最后一个人交给他们。如果他把哈利交给他们，那么，谁还敢说他曾经背叛过伏地魔?他会满载荣誉而归……”
“So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive. . . .”
“所以你们要明白，我必须采取行动。我是惟一知道彼得还活在世上的人……”
Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had told Mrs. Weasley. “The guards say he’s been talking in his sleep . . . always the same words . . . ‘He’s at Hogwarts.’”
哈利记起韦斯莱先生告诉韦斯莱太太的话：“守卫说他在睡梦中说过——‘他在霍格沃茨。’”
“It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn’t destroy it. . . . It wasn’t a happy feeling . . . it was an obsession . . . but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog. . . . It’s so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused. . . . I was thin, very thin . . . thin enough to slip through the bars. . . . I swam as a dog back to the mainland. . . . I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I’ve been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry. . . .”
“好像有人在我脑子里点了把火，摄魂怪不能压灭这把火……这不是令人愉快的感觉……这是一种执著……但这念头给了我力量，让我脑子清楚起来。这样，有一天晚上，它们打开我的房门送食物，我，作为一条狗，就从它们身边溜了出去……要它们感觉到动物的感情就比较难，因为动物的感情是混乱的……那时我很瘦，非常瘦……瘦得能从铁栅栏之间溜出去……作为狗，我游泳回到大陆……我向北方走去，作为狗，我来到霍格沃茨……自从我到霍格沃茨以来，我一直住在禁林里……当然，我去看魁地奇比赛的时候除外……你飞得和你爸爸一样好，哈利……”
He looked at Harry, who did not look away.
他看看哈利，哈利的眼睛没有避开。
“Believe me,” croaked Black. “Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them.”
“相信我，”布莱克嘶哑着嗓子说，“相信我。我从来没有背叛过詹姆和莉莉。我宁可死掉，也不会背叛他们。”
And at long last, Harry believed him. Throat too tight to speak, he nodded.
哈利最后终于相信他了。哈利喉头哽咽，不能说话，只是点了点头。
“No!”
“别!”
Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry’s nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.
小矮星彼得跪在地上，好像哈利那一点头就宣判了他的死刑一样。他匍匐着膝行而前，双手合十，像是在祷告。
“Sirius — it’s me . . . it’s Peter . . . your friend . . . you wouldn’t . . .”
“小天狼星……是我……是彼得……你的朋友……你不会……”
Black kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.
布莱克举脚一踢，小矮星彼得畏缩后退。
“There’s enough filth on my robes without you touching them,” said Black.
“不用你来碰。我的袍子已经够脏的了。”布莱克说。
“Remus!” Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. “You don’t believe this . . . Wouldn’t Sirius have told you they’d changed the plan?”
“莱姆斯!”小矮星彼得尖叫道，转向卢平，在卢平面前扭曲着身体哀求。“你不相信这些话……如果他们更换了保密人，小天狼星会不告诉你吗?”
“Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter,” said Lupin. “I assume that’s why you didn’t tell me, Sirius?” he said casually over Pettigrew’s head.
“要是他以为我是奸细，他就不会告诉我，彼得。”卢平说，“我想这就是你没有告诉我的缘故，是不是。小天狼星?”他在小矮星彼得脑袋上方不经意地问布莱克。
“Forgive me, Remus,” said Black.
“原谅我，卢平。”布莱克说。
“Not at all, Padfoot, old friend,” said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. “And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?”
“没事，大脚板，老朋友。”卢平说着卷起了袖子。“反过来，我也曾经认为你是奸细，你也原谅我，好不好?”
“Of course,” said Black, and the ghost of a grin flitted across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves. “Shall we kill him together?”
“当然。”布莱克说，那张瘦削的脸上掠过一丝笑影。他也开始卷起袖子。“我们一起杀死他吗?”
“Yes, I think so,” said Lupin grimly.
“对，我想是这样的。”卢平阴郁地说。
“You wouldn’t . . . you won’t . . . ,” gasped Pettigrew. And he scrambled around to Ron.
“你们不会……你们不会……”小矮星彼得喘息着说。他在罗恩身边爬行。
“Ron . . . haven’t I been a good friend . . . a good pet? You won’t let them kill me, Ron, will you . . . you’re on my side, aren’t you?”
“罗恩……我不一直是你的好朋友……好宠物吗?你不会让他们杀了我，是不是……你在我一边，是不是?”
But Ron was staring at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion.
但罗恩极端嫌恶地瞪着小矮星彼得。
“I let you sleep in my bed!” he said.
“他曾经在我床上睡觉!”罗恩说。
“Kind boy . . . kind master . . .” Pettigrew crawled toward Ron, “you won’t let them do it. . . . I was your rat. . . . I was a good pet. . . .”
“仁慈的孩子……仁慈的主人……”小矮星彼得向罗恩爬去，“你不会让他们干的……我是你的耗子……我是一个好宠物……”
“If you made a better rat than a human, it’s not much to boast about, Peter,” said Black harshly. Ron, going still paler with pain, wrenched his broken leg out of Pettigrew’s reach. Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward, and seized the hem of Hermione’s robes.
“要是你耗子当得比人好，那也没有什么值得吹嘘的，彼得。”布莱克哑声说。罗恩抱着他那条断腿躲开了，不让小矮星彼得碰到他，这一来，腿痛弄得他面色更加苍白。小矮星彼得跪着转身，摇晃向前，抓住赫敏袍子的边缘。
“Sweet girl . . . clever girl . . . you — you won’t let them. . . . Help me. . . .”
“好姑娘……聪明的姑娘……你……你不会让他们……帮帮我……”
Hermione pulled her robes out of Pettigrew’s clutching hands and backed away against the wall, looking horrified.
赫敏把袍子从小矮星彼得紧抓着的手中拔出来。自己后退到墙根，看上去很害怕。
Pettigrew knelt, trembling uncontrollably, and turned his head slowly toward Harry.
小矮星彼得跪着，全身不能控制地抖着，慢慢地把脑袋转向哈利。
“Harry . . . Harry . . . you look just like your father . . . just like him. . . .”
“哈利……哈利……你长得真像你爸……就像他……”
“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?” roared Black. “HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?”
“你怎么敢对哈利说话?”布莱克大吼，“你怎么还敢面对他?你怎么竟敢在他面前说到詹姆?”
“Harry,” whispered Pettigrew, shuffling toward him, hands outstretched. “Harry, James wouldn’t have wanted me killed. . . . James would have understood, Harry . . . he would have shown me mercy. . . .”
“哈利，”小矮星彼得低语道，拖着脚走向他，双手张开，“哈利，詹姆不会让我被杀的……詹姆会理解的，哈利……他会对我发慈悲的……”
Both Black and Lupin strode forward, seized Pettigrew’s shoulders, and threw him backward onto the floor. He sat there, twitching with terror, staring up at them.
布莱克和卢平都向前走去，抓住小矮星彼得的肩膀。把他扔到地板上。他坐在那里，抬眼瞪着他们。
“You sold Lily and James to Voldemort,” said Black, who was shaking too. “Do you deny it?”
“你把莉莉和詹姆出卖给伏地魔，”布莱克说，他也在发抖，“你否认吗?”
Pettigrew burst into tears. It was horrible to watch: He looked like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor.
小矮星彼得大哭起来。那副样子真可怕；他看上去像特大号的秃头婴儿，在地板上发抖。
“Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord . . . you have no idea . . . he has weapons you can’t imagine. . . . I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. . . . He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me —”
“小天狼星，小天狼星，我能怎么做呢?那黑魔头……你不知道……他的武器你想象不到……我当时是害怕了，小天狼星，我一直没有你、卢平，还有詹姆那样勇敢。我从来不是故意那样干的……那个连名字都不能提的人强迫我……”
“DON’T LIE!” bellowed Black. “YOU’D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!”
“别说谎!”布莱克咆哮道，“莉莉和詹姆死以前，你就一直在向他传递情报，有一年了!你是他的奸细!”
“He — he was taking over everywhere!” gasped Pettigrew. “W-what was there to be gained by refusing him?”
“他……他什么地方都插手!”小矮星彼得喘着气说，“拒绝他，有……有什么好处?”
“What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?” said Black, with a terrible fury in his face. “Only innocent lives, Peter!”
“同有史以来最邪恶的魔头斗争有什么好处?”布莱克说，脸上露出令人恐惧的狂怒。“就是为了拯救无辜的生命，彼得!”
“You don’t understand!” whined Pettigrew. “He would have killed me, Sirius!”
“你不懂!”小矮星彼得哀叹，“他会杀了我的，小天狼星!”
“THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!” roared Black. “DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!”
“那你就是该死!”布莱克吼道。“死了总比背叛朋友强，我们也会为你这样做的!”
Black and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.
布莱克和卢平并肩站着，举起了魔杖。
“You should have realized,” said Lupin quietly, “if Voldemort didn’t kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter.”
“你应该明白，”卢平平静地说，“如果伏地魔没有杀死你，我们会杀死你。再会，彼得。”
Hermione covered her face with her hands and turned to the wall.
赫敏双手掩面，转身向墙。
“NO!” Harry yelled. He ran forward, placing himself in front of Pettigrew, facing the wands. “You can’t kill him,” he said breathlessly. “You can’t.”
“不!”哈利大叫。他向前跑去，挡在小矮星彼得身前，面对着那两条魔杖。“你们不能杀他，”他说着，气都喘不过来了，“你们不能。”
Black and Lupin both looked staggered.
布莱克和卢平两人都大为震惊。
“Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents,” Black snarled. “This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family.”
“哈利，这个歹徒害得你失去双亲啊，”布莱克咆哮道，“这个卑躬屈膝的肮脏家伙看着你死会毫不动心的。你听到他刚才说的话了，他自己的臭皮囊比你全家的命都重要。”
“I know,” Harry panted. “We’ll take him up to the castle. We’ll hand him over to the dementors. . . . He can go to Azkaban . . . but don’t kill him.”
“我明白，”哈利喘着气说，“我们把他带到城堡里去。我们把他交给摄魂怪。他可以到阿兹卡班去……只是别杀掉他。”
“Harry!” gasped Pettigrew, and he flung his arms around Harry’s knees. “You — thank you — it’s more than I deserve — thank you —”
“哈利!”小矮星彼得喘息着说，两臂去抱哈利的膝盖，“你——谢谢你……这是对我开恩了……谢谢你……”
“Get off me,” Harry spat, throwing Pettigrew’s hands off him in disgust. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it because I don’t reckon my dad would’ve wanted his best friends to become killers — just for you.”
“放开我，”哈利唾弃地说，厌恶地甩开小矮星彼得的手，“我这样做不是为了你。我这样做，因为我认为我爸不会愿意他最好的朋友杀人——特别是杀你这种人。”
No one moved or made a sound except Pettigrew, whose breath was coming in wheezes as he clutched his chest. Black and Lupin were looking at each other. Then, with one movement, they lowered their wands.
除了小矮星彼得以外，没有人动弹，也没有人发出声音。小矮星彼得抓紧自己的胸膛，大口喘着气。布莱克和卢平彼此对望。过了一会儿，他们的魔杖放低了。
“You’re the only person who has the right to decide, Harry,” said Black. “But think . . . think what he did. . . .”
“你是惟一有权作出决定的人，哈利，”布莱克说，“但是，想一想……想想他都做了些什么……”
“He can go to Azkaban,” Harry repeated. “If anyone deserves that place, he does. . . .”
“他可以到阿兹卡班去，”哈利又说，“如果有谁该去那里，那就是他……”
Pettigrew was still wheezing behind him.
小矮星彼得仍然在他身后大口喘气。
“Very well,” said Lupin. “Stand aside, Harry.”
“很好，”卢平说，“站开，哈利。”
Harry hesitated.
哈利踌躇了。
“I’m going to tie him up,” said Lupin. “That’s all, I swear.”
“我要把他捆起来，”卢平说，“没有别的意思。我发誓。”
Harry stepped out of the way. Thin cords shot from Lupin’s wand this time, and next moment, Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.
哈利让开了。这次是卢平的魔杖上射出了带子。不一会儿，小矮星彼得就被捆了起来，嘴里也塞上了东西，在地板上扭动着。
“But if you transform, Peter,” growled Black, his own wand pointing at Pettigrew too, “we will kill you. You agree, Harry?”
“不过要是你变形，彼得，”布莱克咆哮道，他自己的魔杖也指着小矮星彼得，“我们就杀了你。你同意吗，哈利?”
Harry looked down at the pitiful figure on the floor and nodded so that Pettigrew could see him.
哈利低头看着地板上那可怜的东西，点了点头，让小矮星彼得也能看见。
“Right,” said Lupin, suddenly businesslike. “Ron, I can’t mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it’s best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing.”
“好，”卢平说，忽然就事论事起来，“罗恩，我接骨的本事不如庞弗雷夫人，所以我想，最好的办法是我们先把你的腿用带子捆扎起来，然后送你到校医院去。”
He hurried over to Ron, bent down, tapped Ron’s leg with his wand, and muttered, “Ferula.” Bandages spun up Ron’s leg, strapping it tightly to a splint. Lupin helped him to his feet; Ron put his weight gingerly on the leg and didn’t wince.
他忙走到罗恩身边，弯下腰，用魔杖轻触罗恩的腿，喃喃说道：“阿魏啦。”绷带跳到罗恩褪上，把腿紧紧包扎好，固定在薄木条上。卢平扶他站起来。罗恩战战兢兢地把身体重量都放到了一条腿上，没有畏缩。
“That’s better,” he said. “Thanks.”
“这就好些了，”他说，“谢谢。”
“What about Professor Snape?” said Hermione in a small voice, looking down at Snape’s prone figure.
“斯内普教授怎么办?”赫敏小声问，低头看着斯内普那俯伏着的身体。
“There’s nothing seriously wrong with him,” said Lupin, bending over Snape and checking his pulse. “You were just a little — overenthusiastic. Still out cold. Er — perhaps it will be best if we don’t revive him until we’re safely back in the castle. We can take him like this. . . .”
“他没什么大事儿。”卢平说，弯下腰，摸着斯内普的脉，“你们不过有一点……热情过高罢了。他仍旧昏迷。哦……也许最好的做法是等我们平安到达城堡以后再让他醒过来。我们可以这样带着他……”
He muttered, “Mobilicorpus.” As though invisible strings were tied to Snape’s wrists, neck, and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, head still lolling unpleasantly, like a grotesque puppet. He hung a few inches above the ground, his limp feet dangling. Lupin picked up the Invisibility Cloak and tucked it safely into his pocket.
他咕哝道：“移形幻影。”好像有无形的绳子缚在斯内普的手腕、脖子和膝盖上，他被拉为站立姿态，仍旧令人不愉快地垂着头。像个奇形怪状的木偶。他双脚离地几英寸，脚软软地搭拉着。卢平拾起那件隐形衣，把它妥当地放到自己的衣袋里。
“And two of us should be chained to this,” said Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. “Just to make sure.”
“我们之中的两个人应该和这个东西拴在一起，”布莱克说，用大脚趾碰了碰小矮星彼得，“以防万一。”
“I’ll do it,” said Lupin.
“我来。”卢平说。
“And me,” said Ron savagely, limping forward.
“还有我。”罗恩狂怒着说，一跛一拐地走向前。
Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin’s right, right arm to Ron’s left. Ron’s face was set. He seemed to have taken Scabbers’s true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high.
布莱克从稀薄的空气里召唤来沉重的手铐；小矮星彼得很快就又站直了，左臂铐在卢平右臂上，右臂在罗恩的左臂上。罗恩的脸板着，他似乎把斑斑的真实身份当作对他个人的侮辱。克鲁克山从床上轻松地跳下来，领头出了房间，那瓶刷似的尾巴洋洋得意地翘得老高。