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

Chapter 17

EDUCATIONAL DECREE NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR第二十四号教育令

Harry felt happier for the rest of the weekend than he had done all term. He and Ron spent much of Sunday catching up with all their homework again, and although this could hardly be called fun, the last burst of autumn sunshine persisted, so rather than sitting hunched over tables in the common room, they took their work outside and lounged in the shade of a large beech tree on the edge of the lake. Hermione, who of course was up to date with all her work, brought more wool outside with her and bewitched her knitting needles so that they flashed and clicked in midair beside her, producing more hats and scarves.
这个周末余下的时光，哈利觉得比整个学期都开心。他和罗恩星期天花了不少时间赶家庭作业，虽然这很难说是乐趣，但秋天最后的灿烂阳光依旧照耀着，所以他们没有伏在公共休息室的书桌前，而是把作业拿到外面，坐在湖边一棵大山毛榉树底下。赫敏的功课当然都做完了，她又带了些毛线出来，对织针施了魔法，让它们在她身边咔哒咔哒地飞舞，织出更多的帽子和围巾。
The knowledge that they were doing something to resist Umbridge and the Ministry, and that he was a key part of the rebellion, gave Harry a feeling of immense satisfaction. He kept reliving Saturday’s meeting in his mind: all those people, coming to him to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts . . . and the looks on their faces as they had heard some of the things he had done . . . and Cho praising his performance in the Triwizard Tournament. . . . The knowledge that all those people did not think him a lying weirdo, but someone to be admired, buoyed him up so much that he was still cheerful on Monday morning, despite the imminent prospect of all his least favorite classes.
想到他们在反抗乌姆里奇和魔法部，自己是反叛的关键人物，哈利感到极大的满足。他不断地在脑子里重温星期六的聚会：那么多人来向他学习黑魔法防御术……他们听了他的事迹之后的表情……秋赞扬他在三强争霸赛中的表现……大家没有把他当成说谎的怪物，而是当成钦佩的对象，这使他情绪高涨，直到星期一早晨还很兴奋，尽管还要上所有他最不喜欢的课。
He and Ron headed downstairs from their dormitory together, discussing Angelina’s idea that they were to work on a new move called the Sloth Grip Roll during that night’s Quidditch practice, and not until they were halfway across the sunlit common room did they notice the addition to the room that had already attracted the attention of a small group of people.
他和罗恩一起走下宿舍楼梯，一边讨论着安吉利娜的主意：在当晚的魁地奇比赛中练习树懒抱树滚新招术。走到阳光明亮的公共休息室中间，他们才发现屋里多了点东西，它已经吸引了一小群人的注意。
A large sign had been affixed to the Gryffindor notice board, so large that it covered everything else on there — the lists of secondhand spellbooks for sale, the regular reminders of school rules from Argus Filch, the Quidditch team training schedule, the offers to barter certain Chocolate Frog cards for others, the Weasleys’ new advertisement for testers, the dates of the Hogsmeade weekends, and the lost-and-found notices. The new sign was printed in large black letters and there was a highly official-looking seal at the bottom beside a neat and curly signature.
格兰芬多的布告栏上贴了一张大告示，大得盖住了布告栏上其他的一切——拍卖二手咒语书的单子、阿格斯·费尔奇定期提醒的校规、魁地奇球队训练日程、交换巧克力蛙画片的条子、韦斯莱兄弟找人做试验的新广告、到霍格莫德村过周末的日期，还有失物招领。新告示上印着大黑体字，底下有一个看上去很正式的印章，旁边是工整的花体签名。
——— BY ORDER OF ———
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts
霍格沃茨高级调查官令
All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.
An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.
Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).
No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.
兹解散一切学生组织、协会、团队和俱乐部。兹定义，组织、协会、团队和俱乐部指三名以上学生的定期集会。可向高级调查官（乌姆里奇教授）请求重组。未经高级调查官批准，不得存在任何学生组织、协会、团队和俱乐部。
Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.
如发现有学生未经高级调查官批准而组建或参加任何组织、协会、团队和俱乐部。立即开除。
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.
以上条例符合《第二十四号教育令》。签名：高级调查官多洛雷斯·简·乌姆里奇
Harry and Ron read the notice over the heads of some anxious-looking second years.
哈利和罗恩越过一些二年级学生的头顶读着告示，那几人显得有些担忧。
“Does this mean they’re going to shut down the Gobstones Club?” one of them asked his friend.
“他们会关掉高布石俱乐部吗？”其中一个问他的朋友。
“I reckon you’ll be okay with Gobstones,” Ron said darkly, making the second year jump. “I don’t think we’re going to be as lucky, though, do you?” he asked Harry as the second years hurried away.
“我想你们的高布石没事。”罗恩阴沉地说，把那二年级学生吓了一跳。“但我们可能不会那么幸运，你觉得呢？”他问哈利，二年级学生急忙走了。
Harry was reading the notice through again. The happiness that had filled him since Saturday was gone. His insides were pulsing with rage.
哈利重新读着告示，星期六以来满心的快乐消失了，他义愤填膺。
“This isn’t a coincidence,” he said, his hands forming fists. “She knows.”
“这不是巧合，”他攥着拳头说，“她知道了。”
“She can’t,” said Ron at once.
“不可能。”罗恩马上说。
“There were people listening in that pub. And let’s face it, we don’t know how many of the people who turned up we can trust. . . . Any of them could have run off and told Umbridge . . .”
“酒吧里人多耳杂。正视事实吧，我们不知道在场的有多少人可以信任……任何人都可能跑去向乌姆里奇告密……”
And he had thought they believed him, thought they even admired him . . .
而他还以为他们相信他，甚至钦佩他……
“Zacharias Smith!” said Ron at once, punching a fist into his hand. “Or — I thought that Michael Corner had a really shifty look too —”
“扎卡赖斯·史密斯。”罗恩一拳砸在掌心里，“或是——我觉得那个迈克尔·科纳也有些鬼鬼祟祟的一”
“I wonder if Hermione’s seen this yet?” Harry said, looking around at the door to the girls’ dormitories.
“不知道赫敏看了这个没有？”哈利扭头望望通往女生宿舍的门。
“Let’s go and tell her,” said Ron. He bounded forward, pulled open the door, and set off up the spiral staircase.
“我们去告诉她。”罗恩说。他一个箭步跳过去，拉开门冲上了螺旋形的楼梯。
He was on the sixth stair when it happened. There was a loud, wailing, klaxonlike sound and the steps melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide. There was a brief moment when Ron tried to keep running, arms working madly like windmills, then he toppled over backward and shot down the newly created slide, coming to rest on his back at Harry’s feet.
他跑到第六级的时候出了事故。在一阵高音汽笛般的响声中，楼梯融化了，变成一条长长的、光溜溜的石滑梯。一刹那间，罗恩还想往前跑，胳膊像风车一样乱舞，然后他向后倒去，顺着新生成的滑梯倒栽下来，躺在哈利的脚下。
“Er — I don’t think we’re allowed in the girls’ dormitories,” said Harry, pulling Ron to his feet and trying not to laugh.
“哦——我想我们不能进入女生宿舍。”哈利忍着笑把罗恩拉了起来。
Two fourth-year girls came zooming gleefully down the stone slide.
两个四年级女生开心地从石滑梯上滑下。
“Oooh, who tried to get upstairs?” they giggled happily, leaping to their feet and ogling Harry and Ron.
“哦，谁想上楼？”她们咯咯地笑着跳起来，眼睛盯着哈利和罗恩。
“Me,” said Ron, who was still rather disheveled. “I didn’t realize that would happen. It’s not fair!” he added to Harry, as the girls headed off for the portrait hole, still giggling madly. “Hermione’s allowed in our dormitory, how come we’re not allowed — ?”
“我，”罗恩说，他的衣服还乱着，“没想到会这样。这不公平。”他对哈利说，两个女生朝肖像洞口走去，还在咯咯疯笑，“赫敏可以进我们宿舍，为什么不许我们——？”
“Well, it’s an old-fashioned rule,” said Hermione, who had just slid neatly onto a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet, “but it says in Hogwarts: A History that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?”
“这是一条古板的规矩，”赫敏说，她轻轻巧巧地滑到他们面前的坐毯上。正在站起身来，“可是《霍格沃茨，一段校史》说学校创始人认为男孩没有女孩可靠。好啦，你们为什么想进去？”
“To see you — look at this!” said Ron, dragging her over to the notice board.
“找你——你看。”罗恩把她拽到布告栏前。
Hermione’s eyes slid rapidly down the notice. Her expression became stony.
赫敏的目光顺着告示迅速下移，面容凝重起来。
“Someone must have blabbed to her!” Ron said angrily.
“一定有人告密。”罗恩愤然道。
“They can’t have done,” said Hermione in a low voice.
“不可能。”赫敏低声说。
“You’re so naive,” said Ron, “you think just because you’re all honorable and trustworthy —”
“你太天真了，”罗恩说，“你以为就因为你是正直可靠的——”
“No, they can’t have done because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed,” said Hermione grimly. “Believe me, if anyone’s run off and told Umbridge, we’ll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it.”
“不，不可能，因为我在我们签字的那张羊皮纸上加了一个魔咒。”赫敏严肃地说，“相信我，如果有人去向乌姆里奇告密，我们准能知道，而且他们会真正后悔的。”
“What’ll happen to them?” said Ron eagerly.
“他们会怎么样？”罗恩急切地问。
“Well, put it this way,” said Hermione, “it’ll make Eloise Midgen’s acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let’s get down to breakfast and see what the others think. . . . I wonder whether this has been put up in all the Houses?”
“这么说吧，它会让爱洛伊丝·米德根的青春痘看上去像一些可爱的雀斑。”赫敏说，“走，我们去吃早饭，看看别人怎么想……是不是所有学院都贴了？”
It was immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge’s sign had not only appeared in Gryffindor Tower. There was a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables conferring on what they had read. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George, and Ginny descended upon them.
一进礼堂他们就看出乌姆里奇的告示不仅贴在格兰芬多楼内。礼堂里有一种特殊的紧张气氛，叽叽喳喳，异常纷乱，人们跑来跑去谈论着看到的消息。哈利、罗恩和赫敏刚坐下，纳威、迪安、弗雷德、乔治、金妮就冲了过来。
“Did you see it?”
“你们看到了吗？”
“D’you reckon she knows?”
“你认为她知道了吗？”
“What are we going to do?”
“我们怎么办？”
They were all looking at Harry. He glanced around to make sure there were no teachers near them.
他们都看着哈利。他朝四周扫了一眼，确保附近没有教师。
“We’re going to do it anyway, of course,” he said quietly.
“我们当然还是要干。”他小声道。
“Knew you’d say that,” said George, beaming and thumping Harry on the arm.
“就知道你会这么说。”乔治眉开眼笑，重重地一拍哈利的胳膊。
“The prefects as well?” said Fred, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione.
“级长们也要干吗？”弗雷德疑问地望着罗恩和赫敏。
“Of course,” said Hermione coolly.
“当然。”赫敏冷静地说。
“Here comes Ernie and Hannah Abbott,” said Ron, looking over his shoulder. “And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith . . . and no one looks very spotty.”
“厄尼和汉娜·艾博过来了，”罗恩回头看着，“还有拉文克劳的那些小子和史密斯……谁也没长多少粉刺。”
Hermione looked alarmed.
赫敏神色惊慌。
“Never mind spots, the idiots can’t come over here now, it’ll look really suspicious — sit down!” she mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing frantically to them to rejoin the Hufflepuff table. “Later! We’ll — talk — to — you — later!”
“别管粉刺了，那些傻瓜现在不能过来，会显得可疑的——坐下。”她用口型对厄尼和汉娜说，使劲打手势让他们坐回赫奇帕奇餐桌旁，“等会儿！我们——等会儿——再聊。”
“I’ll tell Michael,” said Ginny impatiently, swinging herself off her bench. “The fool, honestly . . .”
“我去告诉迈克尔，”金妮不耐烦地说，一甩腿跳下凳子，“这个笨蛋，真是……”
She hurried off toward the Ravenclaw table; Harry watched her go. Cho was sitting not far away, talking to the curly-haired friend she had brought along to the Hog’s Head. Would Umbridge’s notice scare her off meeting them again?
她快步走向拉文克劳的餐桌，哈利望着她。秋坐在不远处，正跟她带到猪头酒吧的那个鬈发女朋友聊天。乌姆里奇的告示会不会吓得她不敢来聚会呢？
But the full repercussions of the sign were not felt until they were leaving the Great Hall for History of Magic.
可是，直到他们离开餐厅去上魔法史课时才感受到告示的全面影响。
“Harry! Ron!”
“哈利，罗恩。”
It was Angelina and she was hurrying toward them looking perfectly desperate.
是安吉利娜，她匆匆走来，一脸的绝望。
“It’s okay,” said Harry quietly, when she was near enough to hear him. “We’re still going to —”
“没事，”等她走到足够近时，哈利小声说，“我们还会——”
“You realize she’s including Quidditch in this?” Angelina said over him. “We have to go and ask permission to re-form the Gryffindor team!”
“你发现她把魁地奇球也包括在内了吗？”安吉利娜盖过他的声音说，“我们得去请求重组格兰芬多球队。”
“What?” said Harry.
“什么？”哈利说。
“No way,” said Ron, appalled.
“不可能。”罗恩震惊地叫道。
“You read the sign, it mentions teams too! So listen, Harry . . . I am saying this for the last time. . . . Please, please don’t lose your temper with Umbridge again or she might not let us play anymore!”
“你们读了告示，上面提到团队！听着，哈利……我说最后一遍……求你，求你不要再跟乌姆里奇闹脾气，不然她可能再也不让我们比赛了。”
“Okay, okay,” said Harry, for Angelina looked as though she was on the verge of tears. “Don’t worry, I’ll behave myself . . .”
“好，好，”哈利说，因为安吉利娜好像快要哭出来了，“别担心，我会注意的……”
“Bet Umbridge is in History of Magic,” said Ron grimly, as they set off for Binns’s lesson. “She hasn’t inspected Binns yet. . . . Bet you anything she’s there . . .”
“我敢打赌乌姆里奇在魔法史课上，”他们赶着去上课时，罗恩阴郁地说，“她还没有听过宾斯的课……我可以拿一切打赌她在那儿……”
But he was wrong; the only teacher present when they entered was Professor Binns, floating an inch or so above his chair as usual and preparing to continue his monotonous drone on giant wars. Harry did not even attempt to follow what he was saying today; he doodled idly on his parchment ignoring Hermione’s frequent glares and nudges, until a particularly painful poke in the ribs made him look up angrily.
可是他错了，课堂上只有一位教师，就是宾斯教授。他像往常一样飘在他的座椅上方一英寸处，准备继续他那关于巨人战争的嗡嗡说教。哈利甚至没有试图去听他今天讲的内容，他在羊皮纸上信手涂画，不管赫敏多次的瞪眼和推搡，直到肋部特疼的一戳使他恼火地抬起头来。
“What?”
“干什么？”
She pointed at the window. Harry looked around. Hedwig was perched on the narrow window ledge, gazing through the thick glass at him, a letter tied to her leg. Harry could not understand it; they had just had breakfast, why on earth hadn’t she delivered the letter then, as usual? Many of his classmates were pointing out Hedwig to each other too.
她指指窗外。哈利扭头一看，海德薇栖在窄窄的窗台上，透过厚厚的玻璃看着他，脚上系着一封信。哈利不明白，他们刚刚吃过早餐，它为什么不像往常一样在那时送信呢？许多同学也在指点着海德薇。
“Oh, I’ve always loved that owl, she’s so beautiful,” Harry heard Lavender sigh to Parvati.
“哦，我一直喜欢那只猫头鹰，它真漂亮。”哈利听见拉文德对帕瓦蒂赞叹说。
He glanced around at Professor Binns who continued to read his notes, serenely unaware that the class’s attention was even less focused upon him than usual. Harry slipped quietly off his chair, crouched down, and hurried along the row to the window, where he slid the catch and opened it very slowly.
他瞟了一眼讲台，宾斯教授继续安详地念着讲义，没发觉全班的注意力比平常更不集中在他身上。哈利悄悄溜下座位，猫着腰快步走到窗前，拨开窗钩，慢慢地打开窗户。
He had expected Hedwig to hold out her leg so that he could remove the letter and then fly off to the Owlery, but the moment the window was open wide enough she hopped inside, hooting dolefully. He closed the window with an anxious glance at Professor Binns, crouched low again, and sped back to his seat with Hedwig on his shoulder. He regained his seat, transferred Hedwig to his lap, and made to remove the letter tied to her leg.
他以为海德薇会伸脚让他把信取下，然后飞回猫头鹰棚屋，可是窗户一开到足够宽，它就跳了进来，哀叫着。他关上窗，担心地瞥了一眼宾斯教授，猫腰溜回座位，海德薇蹲在他的肩头。他坐下后，把海德薇放到腿上，开始取它脚上的信。
It was only then that he realized that Hedwig’s feathers were oddly ruffled; some were bent the wrong way, and she was holding one of her wings at an odd angle.
这时他才发现海德薇的羽毛异常蓬乱，有的倒折着。
“She’s hurt!” Harry whispered, bending his head low over her. Hermione and Ron leaned in closer; Hermione even put down her quill. “Look — there’s something wrong with her wing —”
赫敏和罗恩凑过来，赫敏甚至放下了她的羽毛笔。“看——它的翅膀不对劲——”
Hedwig was quivering; when Harry made to touch the wing she gave a little jump, all her feathers on end as though she was inflating herself, and gazed at him reproachfully.
海德薇在颤抖，哈利碰到她的翅膀时，它惊跳了一下，羽毛全部竖起来，好像充了气一般，它责怪地看着他。
“Professor Binns,” said Harry loudly, and everyone in the class turned to look at him. “I’m not feeling well.”
“宾斯教授，”哈利大声说，全班都回过头来，“我不舒服。”
Professor Binns raised his eyes from his notes, looking amazed, as always, to find the room in front of him full of people.
宾斯教授从讲义上抬起眼睛，像往常一样似乎很惊讶，发现屋子里坐满了人。
“Not feeling well?” he repeated hazily.
“不舒服？”他恍惚地重复道。
“Not at all well,” said Harry firmly, getting to his feet while concealing Hedwig behind his back. “So I think I’ll need to go to the hospital wing.”
“很不舒服，”哈利坚定地说，把海德薇藏在身后站了起来，“我想我需要去校医院。”
“Yes,” said Professor Binns, clearly very much wrong-footed. “Yes . . . yes, hospital wing . . . well, off you go, then, Perkins . . .”
“对，”宾斯教授显然有些手足无措，“对……对，校医院……好，那你去吧，珀金斯……”
Once outside the room Harry returned Hedwig to his shoulder and hurried off up the corridor, pausing to think only when he was out of sight of Binns’s door. His first choice of somebody to cure Hedwig would have been Hagrid, of course, but as he had no idea where Hagrid was, his only remaining option was to find Professor Grubbly-Plank and hope she would help.
一出教室，哈利就把海德薇放回肩头，沿着走廊疾行，直到看不见宾斯的门才停下来思考。他想到的给海德薇疗伤的第一人选当然是海格，但是不知道海格在哪儿，惟一的选择只有去找格拉普兰教授，希望她能帮忙。
He peered out of a window at the blustery, overcast grounds. There was no sign of her anywhere near Hagrid’s cabin; if she was not teaching, she was probably in the staffroom. He set off downstairs, Hedwig hooting feebly as she swayed on his shoulder.
他透过窗户朝狂风大作、阴云笼罩的场地上张望着。海格的小屋附近看不到她的踪影，如果没在上课，她可能在教师办公室。他往楼下跑去，海德薇在他肩上摇晃，微弱地叫着。
Two stone gargoyles flanked the staffroom door. As Harry approached, one of them croaked, “You should be in class, sunny Jim.”
教师办公室门口立着一对石兽，哈利走近时，其中一头声音沙哑地说：“你该在教室里，快乐的吉姆。”
“This is urgent,” said Harry curtly.
“迫不得已。”哈利简短地答道。
“Ooooh, urgent, is it?” said the other gargoyle in a high-pitched voice. “Well, that’s put us in our place, hasn’t it?”
“哦，迫不得已，是吗？”另一只石兽尖声说，“我们在这儿也是如此，对不对？”
Harry knocked; he heard footsteps and then the door opened and he found himself face-to-face with Professor McGonagall.
哈利敲敲门，脚步声响起，门开了，站在他面前的是麦格教授。
“You haven’t been given another detention!” she said at once, her square spectacles flashing alarmingly.
“你不会又被关禁闭了吧。”她一见他就说，方眼镜片闪着震惊的光。
“No, Professor!” said Harry hastily.
“没有，教授。”哈利急忙说。
“Well then, why are you out of class?”
“那你为什么没上课？”
“It’s urgent, apparently,” said the second gargoyle snidely.
“显然是迫不得已。”第二只石兽讥讽道。
“I’m looking for Professor Grubbly-Plank,” Harry explained. “It’s my owl, she’s injured.”
“我想找格拉普兰教授，”哈利解释道，“我的猫头鹰受伤了。”

“Injured owl, did you say?”

Professor Grubbly-Plank appeared at Professor McGonagall’s shoulder, smoking a pipe and holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.
“受伤的猫头鹰？”格拉普兰教授出现在麦格教授身旁，吸着烟斗，手拿一份《预言家日报》。
“Yes,” said Harry, lifting Hedwig carefully off his shoulder, “she turned up after the other post owls and her wing’s all funny, look —”
“是的，”哈利小心地把海德薇从肩上举了起来，“它比其他猫头鹰到得都晚，而且它的翅膀有问题，看——”
Professor Grubbly-Plank stuck her pipe firmly between her teeth and took Hedwig from Harry while Professor McGonagall watched.
格拉普兰教授把烟斗紧紧咬在嘴里，从哈利手中接过海德薇，麦格教授在一旁看着。
“Hmm,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank, her pipe waggling slightly as she talked. “Looks like something’s attacked her. Can’t think what would have done it, though. . . . Thestrals will sometimes go for birds, of course, but Hagrid’s got the Hogwarts thestrals well trained not to touch owls . . .”
“嗯，”格拉普兰教授说，嘴里的烟斗一动一动的，“看来它遭到了袭击，可是想不出会是什么东西……当然，夜骐有时会袭击鸟类，但霍格沃茨的夜骐已经被海格训练过，不会袭击猫头鹰……”
Harry neither knew nor cared what thestrals were, he just wanted to know that Hedwig was going to be all right. Professor McGonagall, however, looked sharply at Harry and said, “Do you know how far this owl’s traveled, Potter?”
哈利既不知道也不关心夜骐是什么，他只想知道海德薇有没有事。但麦格教授锐利地看着哈利说：“你知道这只猫头鹰飞了多远吗，波特？”
“Er,” said Harry. “From London, I think.”
“嗯，”哈利说，“是从伦敦飞过来的吧，我想。”
He met her eyes briefly and knew that she understood “London” to mean “number twelve, Grimmauld Place” by the way her eyebrows had joined in the middle.
他匆匆接触到她的目光，从她眉心拧起的样子看出，她把“伦敦”理解为“格里莫广场12号”了。
Professor Grubbly-Plank pulled a monocle out of the inside of her robes and screwed it into her eye to examine Hedwig’s wing closely. “I should be able to sort this out if you leave her with me, Potter,” she said. “She shouldn’t be flying long distances for a few days, in any case.”
格拉普兰教授从袍子里抽出一只镜片，安到她的眼睛上，仔细检查海德薇的翅膀。“如果你把它留在我这儿，我应该可以查清楚，波特。”她说，“反正它几天内不应长途飞行。”
“Er — right — thanks,” said Harry, just as the bell rang for break.
“呃——好的——谢谢。”哈利说，这时下课铃响了。
“No problem,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank gruffly, turning back into the staffroom.
“没什么。”格拉普兰教授粗声说道，转身走进了教师办公室。
“Just a moment, Wilhelmina!” said Professor McGonagall. “Potter’s letter!”
“等会儿，威尔米娜。”麦格教授叫道，“波特的信。”
“Oh yeah!” said Harry, who had momentarily forgotten the scroll tied to Hedwig’s leg. Professor Grubbly-Plank handed it over and then disappeared into the staffroom carrying Hedwig, who was staring at Harry as though unable to believe he would give her away like this. Feeling slightly guilty, he turned to go, but Professor McGonagall called him back.
“哦，对了。”哈利说，他一时忘了系在海德薇脚上的纸卷。格拉普兰教授把它递了过来，带着海德薇消失在屋内。海德薇一直耵着哈利，似乎不能相信他会这样把它交出去。他有点内疚地转身离开，但麦格教授把他叫住了。
“Potter!”
“波特。”
“Yes, Professor?”
“是，教授？”
She glanced up and down the corridor; there were students coming from both directions.
她朝走廊上看看，两头都有学生走来。
“Bear in mind,” she said quickly and quietly, her eyes on the scroll in his hand, “that channels of communication in and out of Hogwarts may be being watched, won’t you?”
“记住，”她小声急促地说，眼睛望着他手里的纸卷，“霍格沃茨内外的通信渠道可能被监视了，知道吗？”
“I —” said Harry, but the flood of students rolling along the corridor was almost upon him. Professor McGonagall gave him a curt nod and retreated into the staffroom, leaving Harry to be swept out into the courtyard with the crowd. Here he spotted Ron and Hermione already standing in a sheltered corner, their cloak collars turned up against the wind. Harry slit open the scroll as he hurried toward them and found five words in Sirius’s handwriting:
“我——”哈利说，但走廊上的人流几乎已涌到他身边。麦格教授简单地对他点点头，退回屋里，哈利被人群裹挟着走到外面，看到罗恩和赫敏已经站在一个有遮盖的角落，斗篷领子竖着，以此来挡风。哈利快步向他们走去，一边撕开纸卷，看到了小天狼星的字迹：
Today, same time, same place.
今天，老时间，老地方。
“Is Hedwig okay?” asked Hermione anxiously, the moment he was within earshot.
“海德薇没事吧？”他一走近，赫敏就焦急地问。
“Where did you take her?” asked Ron.
“你把它弄哪儿去了？”罗恩问。
“To Grubbly-Plank,” said Harry. “And I met McGonagall . . . Listen . . .”
“交给了格拉普兰，”哈利说，“我还碰到了麦格……听着……”
And he told them what Professor McGonagall had said. To his surprise, neither of the others looked shocked; on the contrary, they exchanged significant looks.
他转述了麦格教授的话，令他奇怪的是，两人都没显得震惊，而是意味深长地交换了一下眼色。
“What?” said Harry, looking from Ron to Hermione and back again.
“怎么？”哈利来回地看着罗恩和赫敏。
“Well, I was just saying to Ron . . . what if someone had tried to intercept Hedwig? I mean, she’s never been hurt on a flight before, has she?”
“我刚才还对罗恩讲……会不会有人拦截海德薇？它以前从没在飞行中受过伤，是不是？”
“Who’s the letter from anyway?” asked Ron, taking the note from Harry.
“到底是谁的信？”罗恩把纸条抓了过去。
“Snuffles,” said Harry quietly.
“伤风的。”哈利小声说。
“‘Same time, same place’? Does he mean the fire in the common room?”
“‘老时间，老地方’？他是不是指公共休息室的壁炉？”
“Obviously,” said Hermione, also reading the note. She looked uneasy. “I just hope nobody else has read this . . .”
“显然，”赫敏也在看着纸条，表情有点不安，“但愿没人看过这信……”
“But it was still sealed and everything,” said Harry, trying to convince himself as much as her. “And nobody would understand what it meant if they didn’t know where we’d spoken to him before, would they?”
“它还封得好好的，”哈利说，试图安慰她，也是想说服自己，“而且没人看得懂，除非他们知道我们上次在哪儿跟他说的话，是不是？”
“I don’t know,” said Hermione anxiously, hitching her bag back over her shoulder as the bell rang again. “It wouldn’t be exactly difficult to reseal the scroll by magic. . . . And if anyone’s watching the Floo Network . . . but I don’t really see how we can warn him not to come without that being intercepted too!”
“我没把握，”赫敏担忧地说，把书包甩到肩上，因为铃声又响了，“用魔法重新封上纸卷并不很难……要是再有人监视飞路网……可是我不知道怎么警告他不要来才能不被拦截。”
They trudged down the stone steps to the dungeons for Potions, all three of them lost in thought, but as they reached the bottom of the stairs they were recalled to themselves by the voice of Draco Malfoy, who was standing just outside Snape’s classroom door, waving around an official-looking piece of parchment and talking much louder than was necessary so that they could hear every word.
他们沉重地走下地下教室的石阶去上魔药课，三人都在沉思，可是下到底层时，他们被德拉科·马尔福的声音唤醒了。他正站在斯内普教室门外，挥舞着一张公文样的羊皮纸，提高了嗓门在嚷嚷，他们听得清清楚楚。
“Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway, I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he’s always popping in and out of the Ministry. . . . It’ll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, won’t it?”
“没错，乌姆里奇让斯莱特林魁地奇球队继续活动，我今天一早去问她的。嘿，这事办起来简直跟自动的一样。跟你说吧，她和我爸爸很熟，我爸经常出入魔法部……格兰芬多能不能继续活动就有的瞧了，是不是？”
“Don’t rise,” Hermione whispered imploringly to Harry and Ron, who were both watching Malfoy, faces set and fists clenched. “It’s what he wants . . .”
“别发火，”赫敏恳求地对哈利和罗恩说，他们俩都瞪着马尔福，脸色铁青，握着拳头，“他就想激你们……”
“I mean,” said Malfoy, raising his voice a little more, his gray eyes glittering malevolently in Harry and Ron’s direction, “if it’s a question of influence with the Ministry, I don’t think they’ve got much chance. . . . From what my father says, they’ve been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years. . . . And as for Potter . . . My father says it’s a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St. Mungo’s. . . . apparently they’ve got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic . . .”
“我是说，”马尔福又提高了一些嗓门，灰眼睛恶意地朝哈利和罗恩这边闪着，“要论对魔法部的影响，我觉得他们没什么机会……据我爸说，部里这些年一直在找理由撤掉亚瑟·韦斯莱……至于波特嘛……我爸说部里把他送到圣芒戈去只是迟早的事……他们显然有个特殊病房，专收脑子被魔法搞坏的人……”
Malfoy made a grotesque face, his mouth sagging open and his eyes rolling. Crabbe and Goyle gave their usual grunts of laughter, Pansy Parkinson shrieked with glee.
马尔福扮出一副怪相，嘴拉得老长，眼珠转来转去。克拉布和高尔像往常——
Something collided hard with Harry’s shoulder, knocking him sideways. A split second later he realized that Neville had just charged past him, heading straight for Malfoy.
什么东西猛地撞到哈利肩上，把他撞到了一边。一刹那间，他意识到纳威从他身边冲了过去，直奔马尔福。
“Neville, no!”
“纳威，不要。”
Harry leapt forward and seized the back of Neville’s robes; Neville struggled frantically, his fists flailing, trying desperately to get at Malfoy who looked, for a moment, extremely shocked.
哈利一个箭步抓住纳威袍子的后摆，纳威疯狂地挣扎，挥着拳头，拼命想去揍马尔福。马尔福一时显得惊骇万分。
“Help me!” Harry flung at Ron, managing to get an arm around Neville’s neck and dragging him backward, away from the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were now flexing their arms, closing in front of Malfoy, ready for the fight. Ron hurried forward and seized Neville’s arms; together, he and Harry succeeded in dragging Neville back into the Gryffindor line. Neville’s face was scarlet; the pressure Harry was exerting on his throat rendered him quite incomprehensible, but odd words spluttered from his mouth.
“帮帮我。”哈利对罗恩喊道，他一只胳膊搂住纳威的脖子，要把他往后拖离斯莱特林那帮人。克拉布和高尔现在也捋起了胳膊，护在马尔福身前，准备打架。罗恩急忙上前抓住纳威的手臂，和哈利一起把他拖回格兰芬多这边。纳威脸涨得通红，哈利加在他脖子上的力量使得他话语不清，但他嘴里还是蹦出了一些字眼。
“Not . . . funny . . . don’t . . . Mungo’s . . . show . . . him . . .”
“不是……开玩笑……不要……芒戈……教训……他……”
The dungeon door opened. Snape appeared there. His black eyes swept up the Gryffindor line to the point where Harry and Ron were wrestling with Neville.
地下教室的门开了，斯内普站在那儿，他的黑眼珠扫向格兰芬多这边，看到哈利、罗恩和纳威扭在一起。
“Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?” Snape said in his cold, sneering voice. “Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you.”
“打架，波特、韦斯莱、隆巴顿？”斯内普用他那冷冰冰的、讥讽的语调说，“格兰芬多扣十分。放开隆巴顿，波特，不然就关禁闭。全部进教室。”
Harry let go of Neville, who stood panting and glaring at him.
哈利放开手，纳威站在那儿喘气，对他怒目而视。
“I had to stop you,” Harry gasped, picking up his bag. “Crabbe and Goyle would’ve torn you apart.”
“我必须拦着你，”哈利气喘吁吁地说，一边拾起书包，“克拉布和高尔会把你撕碎的。”
Neville said nothing, he merely snatched up his own bag and stalked off into the dungeon.
纳威没说话，抓起他自己的书包，大步走进地下教室。
“What in the name of Merlin,” said Ron slowly, as they followed Neville, “was that about?”
“看在老天的份儿上，”他们跟在纳威后面，罗恩迟钝地说，“这是怎么回事？”
Harry did not answer. He knew exactly why the subject of people who were in St. Mungo’s because of magical damage to their brains was highly distressing to Neville, but he had sworn to Dumbledore that he would not tell anyone Neville’s secret. Even Neville did not know that Harry knew.
哈利没有回答，他了解为什么纳威最听不得脑子被魔法搞坏而进圣芒戈的话，但他对邓布利多发过誓不把纳威的秘密告诉任何人。就连纳威也不知道哈利是知情人。
Harry, Ron, and Hermione took their usual seats at the back of the class and pulled out parchment, quills, and their copies of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. The class around them was whispering about what Neville had just done, but when Snape closed the dungeon door with an echoing bang everybody fell silent immediately.
哈利、罗恩和赫敏在教室后排的老位子上坐下来，抽出羊皮纸、羽毛笔和《千种神奇草药及蕈类》课本。周围的同学都在交头接耳地议论纳威刚才的行为，但当斯内普关上地下教室的门、发出重重的回响时，全班顿时肃静下来。
“You will notice,” said Snape in his low, sneering voice, “that we have a guest with us today.”
“大家会发现，”斯内普用他那低沉的、讥讽的语调说，“我们今天有一位客人。”
He gestured toward the dim corner of the dungeon, and Harry saw Professor Umbridge sitting there, clipboard on her knee. He glanced sideways at Ron and Hermione, his eyebrows raised. Snape and Umbridge, the two teachers he hated most . . . it was hard to decide which he wanted to triumph over the other.
他朝昏暗的角落一指，哈利看到乌姆里奇教授坐在那儿，腿上放着写字板。他瞟瞟罗恩和赫敏，扬了扬眉毛。斯内普和乌姆里奇，他最讨厌的两个老师……难以决定他希望谁占上风。
“We are continuing with our Strengthening Solutions today, you will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson, if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend — instructions” — he waved his wand again — “on the board. Carry on.”
“今天继续配增强剂，你们会看到自己上节课留下的混合液，如果配得对，过了个周末应该成了。操作方法——”他又挥起魔杖，“——在黑板上。开始。”
Professor Umbridge spent the first half hour of the lesson making notes in her corner. Harry was very interested in hearing her question Snape, so interested, that he was becoming careless with his potion again.
乌姆里奇教授前半小时都在角落里记笔记。哈利一心想听她向斯内普提问，以至于配药时又粗心大意了。
“Salamander blood, Harry!” Hermione moaned, grabbing his wrist to prevent him adding the wrong ingredient for the third time. “Not pomegranate juice!”
“火蜥蜴血，哈利。”赫敏叫道，抓着他的手腕，不让他第三次加错成分。“不是石榴汁。”
“Right,” said Harry vaguely, putting down the bottle and continuing to watch the corner. Umbridge had just gotten to her feet. “Ha,” he said softly, as she strode between two lines of desks toward Snape, who was bending over Dean Thomas’s cauldron.
“好的。”哈利心不在焉地说，放下瓶子，继续注视着角落里，乌姆里奇刚刚站起来。“哈。”他轻声说。只见乌姆里奇从两排桌子间走向斯内普，此时斯内普正在俯身查看迪安·托马斯的坩埚。
“Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level,” she said briskly to Snape’s back. “Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus.”
“哎呀，这个班看来学得相当深嘛，”她轻快地对着斯内普的后背说，“但我怀疑教他们增强剂这样的药剂是否可以？我想部里会希望把它从课程中删掉的。”
Snape straightened up slowly and turned to look at her.
斯内普缓缓直起腰，转身看着她。
“Now . . . how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?” she asked, her quill poised over her clipboard.
“现在……你在霍格沃茨教课有多久了？”她问，羽毛笔做好了在写字板上记录的准备。
“Fourteen years,” Snape replied. His expression was unfathomable. His eyes on Snape, Harry added a few drops to his potion; it hissed menacingly and turned from turquoise to orange.
“十四年。”斯内普的表情深不可测。哈利紧紧盯着他，加了几滴液体，药水发出可怕的咝咝声，由青绿变成了橘黄。
“You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?” Professor Umbridge asked Snape.
“你先申请任教黑魔法防御术课，是不是？”乌姆里奇教授问斯内普。
“Yes,” said Snape quietly.
“是的。”斯内普低声说。
“But you were unsuccessful?”
“但没申请到？”
Snape’s lip curled.
斯内普撇着嘴。
“Obviously.”
“显而易见。”
Professor Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard.
乌姆里奇教授在写字板上刷刷地写着。
“And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?”
“你进校以来多次申请任教黑魔法防御术课，是不是？”
“Yes,” said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry.
“是的。”斯内普低声说，嘴唇几乎不动。他看上去很恼火。
“Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?” asked Umbridge.
“你知道邓布利多为什么屡次拒绝用你吗？”乌姆里奇问。
“I suggest you ask him,” said Snape jerkily.
“我建议你去问他。”斯内普生硬地答道。
“Oh I shall,” said Professor Umbridge with a sweet smile.
“我会的。”乌姆里奇教授笑容可掬地说。
“I suppose this is relevant?” Snape asked, his black eyes narrowed.
“这有关系吗？”斯内普问，他的黑眼睛眯缝起来。
“Oh yes,” said Professor Umbridge. “Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers’ — er — backgrounds . . .”
“有啊，”乌姆里奇教授说，“部里希望全面了解教师的——呃——背景。”
She turned away, walked over to Pansy Parkinson and began questioning her about the lessons. Snape looked around at Harry and their eyes met for a second. Harry hastily dropped his gaze to his potion, which was now congealing foully and giving off a strong smell of burned rubber.
她转身走开，踱到潘西·帕金森身边，开始向她询问课程情况。斯内普回头看看哈利，两人视线短暂相交，哈利急忙垂下眼看他的药水，它现在已经凝结成污浊不堪的一体，发出一股冲鼻的橡胶烧糊了的气味。
“No marks again, then, Potter,” said Snape maliciously, emptying Harry’s cauldron with a wave of his wand. “You will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson, do you understand?”
“又是零分，波特。”斯内普恶狠狠地说，魔杖一挥清空了哈利的坩埚，“你给我写一篇这种药剂正确配制的文章，注明你错在哪儿，为什么错，下节课交上来，听懂了吗？”
“Yes,” said Harry furiously. Snape had already given them homework, and he had Quidditch practice this evening; this would mean another couple of sleepless nights. It did not seem possible that he had awoken that morning feeling very happy. All he felt now was a fervent desire for this day to end as soon as possible.
“听懂了。”哈利愤怒地说。斯内普已经给他们布置了作业，他今晚还有魁地奇球训练，这意味着又得熬两个通宵。简直不能相信他今天早上醒来感觉还非常快乐呢，他现在只盼着这一天赶快结束。
“Maybe I’ll skive off Divination,” he said glumly as they stood again in the courtyard after lunch, the wind whipping at the hems of robes and brims of hats. “I’ll pretend to be ill and do Snape’s essay instead, then I won’t have to stay up half the night . . .”
“我也许要逃占卜课了，”午饭后他们又站在院子里时，他沮丧地说，风掀着袍摆和帽檐，“装病赶写斯内普的文章，免得熬夜……”
“You can’t skive off Divination,” said Hermione severely.
“你不能逃占卜课。”赫敏正色说。
“Hark who’s talking, you walked out of Divination, you hate Trelawney!” said Ron indignantly.
“听听谁在说话，你自己走出了占卜课的课堂，你恨特里劳妮。”罗恩打抱不平。
“I don’t hate her,” said Hermione loftily. “I just think she’s an absolutely appalling teacher and a real old fraud. . . . But Harry’s already missed History of Magic and I don’t think he ought to miss anything else today!”
“我不恨她，”赫敏高傲地说，“我只觉得她是个可怕的老师，一个真正的老骗子……但哈利已经少上了魔法史课，我觉得他今天不应该再缺课了。”
There was too much truth in this to ignore, so half an hour later Harry took his seat in the hot, over-perfumed atmosphere of the Divination classroom feeling angry at everybody. Professor Trelawney was handing out copies of The Dream Oracle yet again; he would surely be much better employed doing Snape’s punishment essay than sitting here trying to find meaning in a lot of made-up dreams.
这话中的实情不容忽视，所以半小时后，哈利坐到了占卜课那热烘烘、散发着一股香水味的课堂上，生着所有人的气。特里劳妮教授又在发《解梦指南》的课本，写斯内普罚做的文章肯定比坐在这里琢磨一堆编造的梦好得多。
It seemed, however, that he was not the only person in Divination who was in a temper. Professor Trelawney slammed a copy of the Oracle down on the table between Harry and Ron and swept away, her lips pursed; she threw the next copy of the Oracle at Seamus and Dean, narrowly avoiding Seamus’s head, and thrust the final one into Neville’s chest with such force that he slipped off his pouf.
然而，他不是占卜课上惟一一个没好气的人。特里劳妮把一本《解梦指南》掼在哈利和罗恩的桌子上，嘟着嘴大步走开，把下一本《解梦指南》朝西莫和迪安扔去，差点砸到了西莫的脑袋，又把最后一本塞到纳威胸前，推得他从凳子上滑了下去。
“Well, carry on!” said Professor Trelawney loudly, her voice high pitched and somewhat hysterical. “You know what to do! Or am I such a substandard teacher that you have never learned how to open a book?”
“好了，开始吧。”特里劳妮教授大声说，声音尖得有点歇斯底里，“你们知道该干什么！难道我教得有那么差劲，你们都没学会打开课本吗？”
The class stared perplexedly at her and then at each other. Harry, however, thought he knew what was the matter. As Professor Trelawney flounced back to the high-backed teacher’s chair, her magnified eyes full of angry tears, he leaned his head closer to Ron’s and muttered, “I think she’s got the results of her inspection back.”
全班同学困惑地看着她，面面相觑。但哈利认为他知道是怎么回事。特里劳妮教授怒冲冲地走回高背教师椅，被镜片放大的眼睛里盈满愤怒的泪水。哈利把脑袋凑向罗恩，小声说：“我想她收到了调查结果。”
“Professor?” said Parvati Patil in a hushed voice (she and Lavender had always rather admired Professor Trelawney). “Professor, is there anything — er — wrong?”
“教授？”帕瓦蒂·佩蒂尔小声问（她和拉文德一直相当钦佩特里劳妮教授），“教授，有什么——不对吗？”
“Wrong!” cried Professor Trelawney in a voice throbbing with emotion. “Certainly not! I have been insulted, certainly. . . . Insinuations have been made against me. . . . Unfounded accusations levelled . . . but no, there is nothing wrong, certainly not . . .”
“不对。”特里劳妮教授叫起来，声音激动得直发抖，“当然没有！我受了侮辱……含沙射影……毫无根据的指责……但是没有不对，当然没有……”
She took a great shuddering breath and looked away from Parvati, angry tears spilling from under her glasses.
她颤抖地深吸了一口气，扭过脸去，愤怒的泪水从眼镜下涌了出来。
“I say nothing,” she choked, “of sixteen years’ devoted service. . . . It has passed, apparently, unnoticed. . . . But I shall not be insulted, no, I shall not!”
“我不提，”她哽咽道，“十六年兢兢业业……显然没人注意……但我不应该受到侮辱，不应该。”
“But Professor, who’s insulting you?” asked Parvati timidly.
“可是教授，谁在侮辱您呢？”帕瓦蒂怯怯地问。
“The establishment!” said Professor Trelawney in a deep, dramatic, wavering voice. “Yes, those with eyes too clouded by the Mundane to See as I See, to Know as I Know . . . Of course, we Seers have always been feared, always persecuted. . . . It is — alas — our fate . . .”
“当权者。”特里劳妮教授用戏剧般的低沉颤抖的声音说，“那些眼睛被世俗蒙蔽，不能见我所见，知我所知的人……当然，我们这些先知总是让人害怕，总是受迫害……这是——唉——我们的命……”
She gulped, dabbed at her wet cheeks with the end of her shawl, and then pulled a small, embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve, into which she blew her nose very hard with a sound like Peeves blowing a raspberry. Ron sniggered. Lavender shot him a disgusted look.
她哽噎了，用披肩角擦擦湿漉漉的面颊，从袖子里抽出一块小绣花手帕，使劲地擤鼻子，声音就像皮皮鬼发出的呸呸声。罗恩偷偷地笑。拉文德鄙夷地瞪了他一眼。
“Professor,” said Parvati, “do you mean . . . is it something Professor Umbridge . . . ?”
“教授，”帕瓦蒂说，“您是说……是不是乌姆里奇教授……？”
“Do not speak to me about that woman!” cried Professor Trelawney, leaping to her feet, her beads rattling and her spectacles flashing. “Kindly continue with your work!”
“别对我提那个女人。”特里劳妮教授大喊一声，跳了起来，脑袋摇得像拨浪鼓，眼镜片一闪一闪的，“请你们做作业。”
And she spent the rest of the lesson striding among them, tears still leaking from behind her glasses, muttering what sounded like threats under her breath.
余下的时间她在班里走来走去，眼镜后还有泪水滴下，并不时地喃喃自语，好像在威胁谁。
“ . . . may well choose to leave . . . the indignity of it . . . on probation . . . we shall see . . . how she dares . . .”
“……干脆辞职算了……这种耻辱……留用察看……走着瞧……看她敢不敢……”
“You and Umbridge have got something in common,” Harry told Hermione quietly when they met again in Defense Against the Dark Arts. “She obviously reckons Trelawney’s an old fraud too. . . . Looks like she’s put her on probation.”
“你和乌姆里奇有一点相同，”他们在黑魔法防御术课上会合时，哈利悄悄对赫敏说，“她显然也认为特里劳妮是个老骗子……好像让她留用察看了。”
Umbridge entered the room as he spoke, wearing her black velvet bow and an expression of great smugness.
说话间乌姆里奇走进教室，戴着她的黑天鹅绒蝴蝶结，踌躇满志。
“Good afternoon, class.”
“下午好，同学们。”
“Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge,” they chanted drearily.
“下午好，乌姆里奇教授。”大家拖腔拖调地说。
“Wands away, please . . .”
“请收起魔杖……”
But there was no answering flurry of movement this time; nobody had bothered to take out their wands.
但这次没有一片慌乱，因为根本没人把魔杖拿出来。
“Please turn to page thirty-four of Defensive Magical Theory and read the third chapter, entitled ‘The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack.’ There will be —”
“请翻到《魔法防御理论》第三十四页，读第三章‘对魔法袭击采取非进攻性反应的理由’，看书时——”
“— no need to talk,” Harry, Ron, and Hermione said together under their breaths.
“——请不要讲话。”哈利、罗恩和赫敏在嗓子眼里说。
“No Quidditch practice,” said Angelina in hollow tones when Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the common room that night after dinner.
“没有魁地奇球训练了。”晚饭后哈利、罗恩和赫敏走进公共休息室时，安吉利娜声音空洞地说。
“But I kept my temper!” said Harry, horrified. “I didn’t say anything to her, Angelina, I swear, I —”
“可是我很克制，”哈利说，显得十分震惊，“我没对她说什么，安吉利娜，我发誓——”
“I know, I know,” said Angelina miserably. “She just said she needed a bit of time to consider.”
“我知道，我知道，”安吉利娜痛苦地说，“她只说她还要考虑考虑。”
“Consider what?” said Ron angrily. “She’s given the Slytherins permission, why not us?”
“考虑什么？”罗恩愤然说道，“她批准了斯莱特林，凭什么不批准我们？”
But Harry could imagine how much Umbridge was enjoying holding the threat of no Gryffindor Quidditch team over their heads and could easily understand why she would not want to relinquish that weapon over them too soon.
但哈利能想象出来乌姆里奇多么喜欢把格兰芬多魁地奇球队作为悬在他们头上的威胁，她当然不愿意过早放弃这个武器。
“Well,” said Hermione, “look on the bright side — at least now you’ll have time to do Snape’s essay!”
“算啦，”赫敏说，“往好的方面想吧——至少你有时间写斯内普的文章了。”
“That’s a bright side, is it?” snapped Harry, while Ron stared incredulously at Hermione. “No Quidditch practice and extra Potions?”
“这是好的方面？”哈利抢白道，罗恩难以置信地望着赫敏，“没有魁地奇球训练，魔药课又罚作业。”
Harry slumped down into a chair, dragged his Potions essay reluctantly from his bag, and set to work.
哈利跌坐到椅子上，不情愿地从书包里抽出魔药课的论文开始写作。
It was very hard to concentrate; even though he knew that Sirius was not due in the fire until much later he could not help glancing into the flames every few minutes just in case. There was also an incredible amount of noise in the room: Fred and George appeared finally to have perfected one type of Skiving Snackbox, which they were taking turns to demonstrate to a cheering and whooping crowd.
很难集中思想，尽管他知道小天狼星在火中现身还早，但还是忍不住过几分钟就朝火里看看。屋子里吵得要命：弗雷德和乔治好像终于完善了一种速效逃课糖，正在向起哄喝彩的人群演示。
First, Fred would take a bite out of the orange end of a chew, at which he would vomit spectacularly into a bucket they had placed in front of them. Then he would force down the purple end of the chew, at which the vomiting would immediately cease. Lee Jordan, who was assisting the demonstration, was lazily vanishing the vomit at regular intervals with the same Vanishing Spell Snape kept using on Harry’s potions.
弗雷德先咬橘黄色的一头，马上大口呕吐起来，吐进摆在他面前的桶里，然后又强咽下紫色的一头，呕吐立刻停止。每过一阵，李·乔丹便懒洋洋地清空呕吐物，用的是斯内普常对哈利的药水使用的消失咒。
What with the regular sounds of retching, cheering, and Fred and George taking advance orders from the crowd, Harry was finding it exceptionally difficult to focus on the correct method for Strengthening Solutions. Hermione was not helping matters; the cheers and sound of vomit hitting the bottom of Fred and George’s bucket were punctuated by loud and disapproving sniffs that Harry found, if anything, more distracting.
呕吐声、喝彩声，人们纷纷向弗雷德和乔治订货，哈利简直没法集中思想写增强剂的正确配方。赫敏也不帮忙，欢呼声和呕吐物落到桶底的声音间夹杂着赫敏不满的冷笑，哈利觉得这更让人分神。
“Just go and stop them, then!” he said irritably, after crossing out the wrong weight of powdered griffin claw for the fourth time.
“去阻止他们好了。”他烦躁地说，第四次划去写错的狮身鹰首兽爪粉的分量。
“I can’t, they’re not technically doing anything wrong,” said Hermione through gritted teeth. “They’re quite within their rights to eat the foul things themselves, and I can’t find a rule that says the other idiots aren’t entitled to buy them, not unless they’re proven to be dangerous in some way, and it doesn’t look as though they are . . .”
“我不能，他们技术上没有犯任何错误，”赫敏咬着牙说，“吃脏东西是他们自己的权利，我也找不到一条规定说别的傻瓜不能买它，除非能证明它有危险。可看上去并没有……”
She, Harry, and Ron watched George projectile-vomit into the bucket, gulp down the rest of the chew, and straighten up, beaming with his arms wide to protracted applause.
她和哈利、罗恩看着乔治把呕吐物喷射到桶里，吞下剩下的糖，直起身来微笑着张开手臂，博得长长的喝彩。
“You know, I don’t get why Fred and George only got three O.W.L.s each,” said Harry, watching as Fred, George, and Lee collected gold from the eager crowd. “They really know their stuff . . .”
“我不知道弗雷德和乔治为什么都只得了三门O.W.Ls证书，”哈利看着弗雷德、乔治和李从热切的人群中收金币，“他们学得不错嘛……”
“Oh, they only know flashy stuff that’s no real use to anyone,” said Hermione disparagingly.
“哦，他们只会一些没用的花哨东西。”赫敏轻蔑地说。
“No real use?” said Ron in a strained voice. “Hermione, they’ve got about twenty-six Galleons already . . .”
“没用？”罗恩怪叫道，“赫敏，他们已经收了二十六个加隆了。”
It was a long while before the crowd around the Weasleys dispersed, and then Fred, Lee, and George sat up counting their takings even longer, so that it was well past midnight when Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally had the common room to themselves again. At long last, Fred closed the doorway to the boys’ dormitories behind him, rattling his box of Galleons ostentatiously so that Hermione scowled. Harry, who was making very little progress with his Potions essay, decided to give it up for the night. As he put his books away, Ron, who was dozing lightly in an armchair, gave a muffled grunt, awoke, looked blearily into the fire and said, “Sirius!”
韦斯莱兄弟周围的人群很晚才散去，然后弗雷德、李和乔治又坐在那里数钱，午夜过后很久，罗恩和赫敏总算可以享有公共休息室的清静了。弗雷德终于关上了通往男生宿舍的门，炫耀地摇着他的钱盒子，惹得赫敏皱起眉头。哈利的文章没写几个字，他决定今晚放弃了。他收拾书本的时候，在扶手椅上打瞌睡的罗恩哼了一声醒过来，迷糊地望着火焰说：“小天狼星。”
Harry whipped around; Sirius’s untidy dark head was sitting in the fire again.
哈利迅速转身，小天狼星那乱莲蓬的黑脑袋又出现在火中。
“Hi,” he said, grinning.
“你们好。”他笑嘻嘻地说。
“Hi,” chorused Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all three kneeling down upon the hearthrug. Crookshanks purred loudly and approached the fire, trying, despite the heat, to put his face close to Sirius’s.
“你好。”哈利、罗恩和赫敏同声说，三人都跪到壁炉前的地毯上。克鲁克山喵喵叫着凑近炉火，不顾灼热，想去亲小天狼星的脸。
“How’re things?” said Sirius.
“情况怎么样？”小天狼星问。
“Not that good,” said Harry, as Hermione pulled Crookshanks back to stop him singeing his whiskers. “The Ministry’s forced through another decree, which means we’re not allowed to have Quidditch teams —”
“不大好，”哈利说，赫敏把克鲁克山拉了回来，免得它烤焦胡须，“部里又出了个法令，意味着我们不能有魁地奇球队了——”
“— or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?” said Sirius.
“——还有黑魔法防御小组？”小天狼星说。
There was a short pause.
片刻沉默。
“How did you know about that?” Harry demanded.
“你怎么知道的？”哈利问。
“You want to choose your meeting places more carefully,” said Sirius, grinning still more broadly. “The Hog’s Head, I ask you . . .”
“你们选聚会地点时要更谨慎些，”小天狼星的嘴咧得更开了，“猪头酒吧，我问你……”
“Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!” said Hermione defensively. “That’s always packed with people —”
“总比三把扫帚强吧。”赫敏辩解道，“那儿总是挤满了人——”
“— which means you’d have been harder to overhear,” said Sirius. “You’ve got a lot to learn, Hermione.”
“——那才不容易偷听呀，”小天狼星说，“你要学的东西还很多，赫敏。”
“Who overheard us?” Harry demanded.
“谁偷听了我们？”赫敏问。
“Mundungus, of course,” said Sirius, and when they all looked puzzled he laughed. “He was the witch under the veil.”
“当然是蒙顿格斯，”小天狼星说，看到三人疑惑的样子，他笑了起来，“就是那个披着长纱巾的女巫。”
“That was Mundungus?” Harry said, stunned. “What was he doing in the Hog’s Head?”
“那是蒙顿格斯？”哈利问，不觉惊呆了，“他在猪头酒吧干什么？”
“What do you think he was doing?” said Sirius impatiently. “Keeping an eye on you, of course.”
“你说他在干什么？”小天狼星不耐烦地说，“自然是监视你们了。”
“I’m still being followed?” asked Harry angrily.
“还有人在跟踪我？”哈利愤怒地问。
“Yeah, you are,” said Sirius, “and just as well, isn’t it, if the first thing you’re going to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defense group.” But he looked neither angry nor worried; on the contrary, he was looking at Harry with distinct pride.
“对，是这样，”小天狼星说，“而且很有必要，是不是？如果你周末放假做的第一件事就是组织一个非法的防御小组。”但他看上去既不生气也不着急，相反，他望着哈利的目光中带着明显的自豪。
“Why was Dung hiding from us?” asked Ron, sounding disappointed. “We’d’ve liked to’ve seen him.”
“顿格为什么躲着我们？”罗恩失望地问，“我们愿意见到他。”
“He was banned from the Hog’s Head twenty years ago,” said Sirius, “and that barman’s got a long memory. We lost Moody’s spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis was arrested, so Dung’s been dressing as a witch a lot lately. . . . Anyway . . . First of all, Ron — I’ve sworn to pass on a message from your mother.”
“他二十年前被禁止进猪头酒吧，那个男招待记性好极了。斯多吉被捕时我们丢掉了穆迪的隐形衣，所以顿格近来常扮成女巫……好了……首先，罗恩——我向你妈妈发了誓要转达她的口信。”
“Oh yeah?” said Ron, sounding apprehensive.
“啊？说吧。”罗恩有些害怕。
“She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group. She says you’ll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also” — Sirius’s eyes turned to the other two — “advises Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you’d all have been in real trouble, and she can’t say it for herself because she’s on duty tonight.”
“她叫你无论如何不要参加非法的黑魔法防御小组。她说你肯定会被开除，毁了你的前程。她说以后有的是时间可以学习防御术，你现在想那些还太早。她也——”小天狼星的目光转向了另外两人，“——劝哈利和赫敏不要搞这个小组，虽然她承认自己没有资格这样要求你们，但她只求你们记得，她是为你们好。她本想写信，但如果猫头鹰被抓，你们就倒霉了，她也不能自己来说，因为她今晚值班。”
“On duty doing what?” said Ron quickly.
“值什么班？”罗恩忙问。
“Never you mind, just stuff for the Order,” said Sirius. “So it’s fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it all on, because I don’t think she trusts me to.”
“别担心，只是凤凰社的事，所以我就当了信使，别忘了告诉她我把口信带到了，因为我感觉她不大信任我。”
There was another pause in which Crookshanks, mewing, attempted to paw Sirius’s head, and Ron fiddled with a hole in the hearthrug.
又是一阵沉默，克鲁克山喵喵地想去抓小天狼星的脑袋，罗恩抠着地毯上的一个小洞。
“So you want me to say I’m not going to take part in the defense group?” he muttered finally.
“这么说，你是想让我说不参加防御小组？”他终于开口喃喃地问道。
“Me? Certainly not!” said Sirius, looking surprised. “I think it’s an excellent idea!”
“我？当然不是。”小天狼星惊讶地说，“我觉得这是个好主意。”
“You do?” said Harry, his heart lifting.
“真的？”哈利说，一下子振奋起来。
“Of course I do!” said Sirius. “D’you think your father and I would’ve lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?”
“当然啦。”小天狼星说，“你想你爸爸和我会俯首听乌姆里奇那老妖婆的命令吗？”
“But — last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks —”
“可是——上学期你总叫我小心，别冒险——”
“Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!” said Sirius impatiently. “This year we know that there’s someone outside Hogwarts who’d like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!”
“上学期是霍格沃茨校内有人想杀你，哈利。”小天狼星不耐烦地说，“这学期我们知道霍格沃茨校外有人想把我们都干掉，所以我想学习自卫是很好的主意。”
“And if we do get expelled?” Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face.
“如果真被开除了呢？”赫敏的脸上带着疑问。
“Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!” said Harry, staring at her.
“赫敏，这件事都是你的主意。”哈利瞪着她说。
“I know it was. . . . I just wondered what Sirius thought,” she said, shrugging.
“我知道……我只是想听听小天狼星的看法。”她耸耸肩说。
“Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue,” said Sirius.
“宁可为自卫而被开除，也比安全地坐在学校里两眼一摸黑强。”小天狼星说。
“Hear, hear,” said Harry and Ron enthusiastically.
“听见了吧，听见了吧。”哈利和罗恩热烈欢呼。
“So,” said Sirius, “how are you organizing this group? Where are you meeting?”
“那么，你们如何组织这个小组？在哪儿聚会？”
“Well, that’s a bit of a problem now,” said Harry. “Dunno where we’re going to be able to go . . .”
“现在有点麻烦，”哈利说，“不知道能去哪儿……”
“How about the Shrieking Shack?” suggested Sirius.
“尖叫棚屋怎么样？”小天狼星提议道。
“Hey, that’s an idea!” said Ron excitedly, but Hermione made a skeptical noise and all three of them looked at her, Sirius’s head turning in the flames.
“嘿，这主意不错。”罗恩兴奋地说，但赫敏发出了怀疑声，三人都扭头看她，小天狼星的脑袋在火里转动着。
“Well, Sirius, it’s just that there were only four of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school,” said Hermione, “and all of you could transform into animals and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you’d wanted to. But there are twenty-eight of us and none of us is an Animagus, so we wouldn’t need so much an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee —”
“小天狼星，你在学校那会儿，只有你们四个人在尖叫棚屋碰头，”赫敏说，“你们都能变成动物，而且我想如果愿意的话，你们可以挤进一件隐形衣里。可是我们有二十八个人，都不会变动物，所以我们需要的不是一件隐形衣，而是一顶隐形大帐篷——”
“Fair point,” said Sirius, looking slightly crestfallen. “Well, I’m sure you’ll come up with somewhere. . . . There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practice jinxes in there —”
“言之有理，”小天狼星说，看上去有点气馁，“我想你们会找到一个地方的……五楼的大镜子后面以前有一个挺大的秘密通道，够你们练习魔咒的——”
“Fred and George told me it’s blocked,” said Harry, shaking his head. “Caved in or something.”
“弗雷德和乔治说给堵上了，”哈利摇摇头说，“好像是塌了。”
“Oh . . .” said Sirius, frowning. “Well, I’ll have a think and get back to —”
“哦……”小天狼星皱眉道，“好吧，我想想再——”
He broke off. His face was suddenly tense, alarmed. He turned sideways, apparently looking into the solid brick wall of the fireplace.
他的话音断了，脸色突然变得紧张而惊恐。他转过头，似乎在朝壁炉的砖墙里看。
“Sirius?” said Harry anxiously.
“小天狼星？”哈利担心地说。
But he had vanished. Harry gaped at the flames for a moment, then turned to look at Ron and Hermione.
可是他已经消失了。哈利对着火苗愣了片刻，转身看着罗恩和赫敏。
“Why did he — ?”
“他怎么——？”
Hermione gave a horrified gasp and leapt to her feet, still staring at the fire.
赫敏惊叫一声，跳了起来，眼睛还盯着火里。
A hand had appeared amongst the flames, groping as though to catch hold of something; a stubby, short-fingered hand covered in ugly old-fashioned rings. . . .
火里出现了一只手，摸索着像要抓住什么东西，一只五指短粗的手，戴满难看的老式戒指……
The three of them ran for it; at the door of the boys’ dormitory Harry looked back. Umbridge’s hand was still making snatching movements amongst the flames, as though she knew exactly where Sirius’s hair had been moments before and was determined to seize it.
三人吓得撒腿就跑，在男生宿舍门口哈利回头看了一眼。乌姆里奇的手还在火焰中乱抓，好像她知道小天狼星的头刚才就在那里，决心要抓住它似的。