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Aunt Petunia’s masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near theceiling.
佩妮姨妈的杰作布丁、堆得高高的奶油和撒了糖霜的堇菜，正飘浮在天花板下面。
On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.
多比蹲在角落的碗橱顶上。
“No,” croaked Harry. “Please . . . they’ll kill me. . . .”
“不要，”哈利压低嗓门说，“求求你……他们会杀了我的……”
“Harry Potter must say he’s not going back to school —”
“哈利波特必须保证不回学校——”
“Dobby . . . please . . .”
“多比……求求你……”
“Say it, sir —”
“保证吧，先生……”
“I can’t —”
“我不能！”
Dobby gave him a tragic look.
多比悲哀地看了他一眼。
“Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter’s own good.”
“那多比只能这么做了，先生，这是为哈利波特好。”
The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash.
布丁盘子当啷一声摔到地上，哈利觉得他的心跳停止了。
Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered.
盘子摔得粉碎，奶油溅得墙上、窗户上都是。
With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished.
随着一声抽鞭子似的噼啪巨响，多比不见了。
There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Harry, rigid withshock,covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia’s pudding.
餐室里发出尖叫声，弗农姨父冲进厨房，发现哈利呆若木鸡地站在那里，从头到脚溅满了佩妮姨妈的布丁。
At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over.
开始，弗农姨父似乎还可以把这件事掩饰过去。
“Just our nephew — very disturbed — meeting strangers upsets him, so we kept him upstairs. . . .”
“我家外甥——脑子有点儿毛病——见到生人就紧张，所以我们让他待在楼上……”。
He shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of hislife when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop.
他把受惊的海森夫妇哄回餐室，对哈利说等客人走后非把他揍个半死，又丢给他一个拖把。
Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and Harry, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean.
佩妮姨妈从冰箱里挖出一些冰淇淋。哈利开始擦洗厨房，身上还在打着哆嗦。
Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal — if it hadn’t been for the owl.
要不是那只猫头鹰，弗农姨父也许还能做成他的生意。
Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through thedining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason’s head, and swooped out again.
佩妮姨妈正在分发一盒餐后薄荷糖，突然一只猫头鹰旋风般从餐室窗口飞了进来，把一封信丢在梅森夫人的头上，又旋风般飞走了。
Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics.
梅森夫人尖声怪叫，马上逃出了这所住宅，口里喊着疯子、疯子。
Mr. Mason stayed just long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapesand sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke.
梅森先生多站了片刻，告诉德思礼家人，他太太对各种各样、大大小小的鸟都怕得要命，并问这是不是他们故意安排的玩笑。
Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint inhis tiny eyes.
哈利站在厨房里，攥紧拖把支撑着自己的身体。弗农姨父朝他逼过来，小眼睛里闪着恶魔般的亮光。
“Read it!” he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. “Go on — read it!”
“你读读这个！”他挥舞着猫头鹰送来的那封信，恶毒地说，“拿去——读啊！”
Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.
哈利接过信，那里面没有生日祝词。
Dear Mr. Potter,
波特先生：
We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelveminutes past nine.
我们接到报告，得知今晚九点十二分你在你的住处用了一个悬停魔咒。
As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork onyour part may lead to expulsion from said school Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery,1875,Paragraph C.
你知道，未成年巫师不许在校外使用魔法，你如再有此类行为，将有可能被本校开除（对未成年巫师加以合理约束的法令，一八七
五年，第三款）。
We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magicalcommunity Muggles is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks’ Statuteof Secrecy.
另外请记住，根据国际巫师联合会保密法第十三款，任何可能引起非魔法界成员（麻瓜）注意的魔法活动，均属严重违法行为。
Enjoy your holidays!
祝暑期愉快！
Yours sincerely, Mafalda Hopkirk improper use of magic office Ministry of Magic
马法尔达霍普柯克魔法部禁止滥用魔法司。
Harry looked up from the letter and gulped.
哈利抬起头，喉咙噎住了。
“You didn’t tell us you weren’t allowed to use magic outside school,” said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleamdancing in his eyes.
“你没告诉我们你不能在校外使用魔法，”弗农姨父说，眼里闪着疯狂的光芒，
“Forgot to mention it. . . . Slipped your mind, I daresay. . . .”
“忘说了……丢到脑后了吧，我猜……”
He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared.
他像一条大斗牛狗那样向哈利压下来，牙齿全露在外面。
“Well, I’ve got news for you, boy. . . . I’m locking you up. . . . You’re never going back to that school . .. never . . .
“啊，我有消息要告诉你，小子……我要把你关起来……你永远别想回那个学校……永远……
and if you try and magic yourself out — they’ll expel you!”
如果你用魔法逃出去——他们会开除你的！”
Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word.
弗农姨父说到做到，
The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry’s window.
第二天就找了个人给哈利的窗户上安了铁条。
He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three timesa day.
他亲自在卧室门上装了一个活板门，一天三次送一点儿食物进去。
They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening.
他们每天早晚让哈利出来上厕所，
Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.
其他时间都把他锁在屋里。
