CHAPTER ONE

1

THE BOY WHO LIVED

2

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

3

They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t?

hold

with such?

nonsense

.

hold /ho?ld/ v.?相信

nonsense /?nɑ?nsens/ n.?胡扯

4

Mr. Dursley was the?

director

?of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.

director /d??rekt?r/ n.?主管

5

He was a big,?

beefy

?man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large?

mustache

.

beefy /'bifi/ adj.?結(jié)實(shí)的

mustache /'m?st??/ n.?胡子

6

Mrs. Dursley was thin and?

blonde

?and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck,

blonde /blɑ?nd/ adj.?白膚金發(fā)碧眼的

7

which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time?

craning

?over garden fences,?

spying

?on the neighbors.

crane /kre?n/ vi.?伸著脖子看

spy /spa?/ vt.?偵察

8

The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.

9

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.

10

They didn’t think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.

11

Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley’s sister, but they hadn’t met for several years;

12

in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn’t have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.

13

The Dursleys?

shuddered

?to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.

shudder /???d?r/ vi.?發(fā)抖

14

The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him.

15

This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn’t want Dudley mixing with a child like that.

16

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the?

dull

, gray Tuesday our story starts,

dull /d?l/ adj.?陰暗的

17

there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country.

18

Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley?

gossiped

?away happily as she?

wrestled

?a screaming Dudley into his high chair.

gossip /?ɡɑ?s?p/ vi.?閑聊

wrestle /?resl/ vt.?使勁搬動

19

None of them noticed a large,?

tawny

?owl?

flutter

?past the window.

tawny /'t?ni/ adj.?黃褐色的

flutter /?fl?t?r/ vt. & vi.?拍翅膀

20

At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his?

briefcase

, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed,?

briefcase /?bri?fke?s/ n.?公文[事]包

21

because Dudley was now having a?

tantrum

?and throwing his?

cereal

?at the walls.

tantrum /?t?ntr?m/ n.?發(fā)脾氣

cereal /?s?ri?l/ n.?谷物

22

“Little tyke,”?

chortled

?Mr. Dursley as he left the house.

chortle /?t???rtl/ vi.?咯咯笑

23

He got into his car and backed out of number four’s drive.

24

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.

25

For a second, Mr. Dursley didn’t realize what he had seen — then he?

jerked

?his head around to look again.

jerk /d???rk/ vt.?猛拉

26

There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn’t a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a?

trick

?of the light.

trick /tr?k/ n.?引起錯覺的事物

27

Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.

28

As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror.?

29

It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; cats couldn’t read maps or signs.

30

Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind.

31

As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.

32

But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else.

33

As he sat in the usual morning?

traffic jam

, he couldn’t help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people?

about

. People in cloaks.

traffic jam?交通阻塞，塞車

about /??ba?t/ adv.?周圍

34

Mr. Dursley couldn’t bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the?

getups

?you saw on young people!?

getup /?ɡ?t??p/ n.?服飾

35

He supposed this was some stupid new fashion.

36

He drummed his fingers on the?

steering

?wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these?

weirdos

?standing quite close by.?

steering wheel n.?方向盤

weirdo /'w?rdo/ n.?古怪的人

37

They were whispering excitedly together.

38

Mr. Dursley was?

enraged

?to see that a couple of them weren’t young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an?

emerald-green

?cloak! The?

nerve

?of him!

enrage /?n?re?d?/ vt.?激怒

emerald-green adj.?翠綠色的

nerve /n??rv/ n.?厚顏

39

But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly?

stunt

?— these people were obviously?

collecting

?for something . . . yes, that would be it.

stunt /st?nt/ n.?作秀

collect /k?'l?kt/ v.?募捐

40

The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings?

parking lot

, his mind back on drills.

41

Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn’t, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning.

42

He didn’t see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl?

sped

?overhead.

speed /spid/ vi.?快速移動

43

Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.

44

Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning.?

45

He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.

46

He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he’d stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a?

bun

?from the?

baker

’s opposite.

bun /b?n/ n.?圓形的小面包或點(diǎn)心

baker /?be?k?r/ n.?面包師

47

He’d forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker’s. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn’t know why, but they made him uneasy.

48

This?

lot

?were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn’t see a single collecting tin.

lot /lɑ?t/ n.?一群

49

It was on his way back past them, clutching a large?

doughnut

?in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.

doughnut /'do'n?t/ n.?油炸圈餅

50

“The Potters, that’s right, that’s what I heard —”

51

“— yes, their son, Harry —”

52

Mr. Dursley stopped?

dead

. Fear?

flooded

?him.?

stop dead?突然停止

flood /fl?d/ vt.?淹沒

53

He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.

54

He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office,?

snapped

?at his?

secretary

?not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind.

snap /sn?p/ vi.?厲聲說

secretary /?sekr?teri/ n.?秘書

55

He put the receiver back down and?

stroked

?his mustache, thinking . . . no, he was being stupid.

stroke /stro?k/ vt.?輕撫

56

Potter wasn’t such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry.

57

Come to think of it, he wasn’t even sure his nephew was called Harry. He’d never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.

58

There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn’t blame her — if he’d had a sister like that . . . but all the same, those people in cloaks . . .

59

He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o’clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.

60

“Sorry,” he?

grunted

, as the tiny old man?

stumbled

?and almost fell.

grunt /ɡr?nt/ vt.?咕噥著說

stumble /?st?mbl/ vi.?絆腳

61

It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak.?

62

He didn’t seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground.

63

On the?

contrary

, his face split into a?

wide smile

?and he said in a?

squeaky

?voice that made passersby stare,

contrary /?kɑ?ntreri/ n.?相反

wide smile?燦爛的笑容

squeaky /'skwiki/ adj.?吱吱響的

64

“Don’t be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today!?

Rejoice

, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!”

rejoice /r??d???s/ vi.?高興

65

And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.

66

Mr. Dursley stood?

rooted

?to the?

spot

. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.

rooted /'rut?d/ adj.?固定不動的

spot /spɑ?t/ n.?地點(diǎn)

67

He was?

rattled

. He hurried to his car and?

set off

?for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn’t approve of imagination.

rattled /'r?tld/ adj.?慌亂的

set off?出發(fā)

68

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw — and it didn’t improve his mood — was the tabby cat he’d?

spotted

?that morning.

spot /spɑ?t/ vt.?認(rèn)出

69

It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same?

markings

?around its eyes.

marking /'mɑrk??/ n.?斑紋

70

“Shoo!” said Mr. Dursley loudly.

71

The cat didn’t move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house.

72

He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

73

Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day.

74

She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door’s problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word (“

Shan’t

!”).

shan't /??nt/ abbr. shall not?不應(yīng)該的(口語的)

75

Mr. Dursley tried to act normally.?

76

When Dudley had been?

put to bed

, he went into the living room?

in time

?to catch the last report on the evening news:

put to bed?安頓......去睡

in time?適時地

77

“And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation’s owls have been behaving very unusually today.

78

Although owls normally?

hunt

?at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of?

sightings

?of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise.

hunt /h?nt/ v.?打獵

sighting /'sa?t??/ n.?目睹(不尋?；蚨虝撼霈F(xiàn)的事物)

79

Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping?

pattern

.”

pattern /?p?t?rn/ n.?方式

80

The newscaster allowed himself a grin. “Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?”

81

“Well, Ted,” said the weatherman,

82

“I don’t know about that, but it’s not only the owls that have been acting oddly today.

83

Viewers as far?

apart

?as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they’ve had a?

downpour

?of shooting stars!

apart /??pɑ?rt/ adv.?相距

downpour /?da?np??r/ n.?傾盆大雨

84

Perhaps people have been celebrating?

Bonfire

?Night early — it’s not until next week, folks! But I can promise a?

wet

night tonight.”

bonfire /'bɑnfa??/ n.?篝火

wet /w?t/ adj.?下雨的

85

Mr. Dursley sat?

frozen

?in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters . . .

frozen /?froz?n/ adj.?嚇呆的

86

Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He’d have to say something to her.

87

He cleared his throat nervously. “Er — Petunia, dear — you haven’t heard from your sister lately, have you?”

88

As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn’t have a sister.

89

“No,” she said?

sharply

. “Why?”

sharply /?? ɑrpl?/ adv.?尖銳地

90

“Funny stuff on the news,” Mr. Dursley mumbled. “Owls . . . shooting stars . . . and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today . . .”

91

“So?” snapped Mrs. Dursley.

92

“Well, I just thought . . . maybe . . . it was something to do with . . . you know . . . her lot.”

93

Mrs. Dursley?

sipped

?her tea through?

pursed

?lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he’d heard the name “Potter.”

sip /s?p/ vi.?啜飲

purse /p??rs/ vt.?縮攏

94

He decided he didn’t dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, “Their son — he’d be about Dudley’s age now, wouldn’t he?”

95

“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.

96

“What’s his name again? Howard, isn’t it?”

97

“Harry. Nasty,?

common

?name, if you ask me.”

common /'kɑm?n/ adj.?粗俗的

98

“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. “Yes, I quite agree.”

99

He didn’t say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed.?

100

While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden.

101

The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.

102

Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did . . . if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn’t think he could bear it.

103

The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind.

104

His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley.

105

The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind. . . .

106

He couldn’t see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn’t affect them. . .?

107

How very wrong he was.

108

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness.

109

It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes?

fixed

?unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive.

fix /f?ks/ v.?凝視

110

It didn’t so much as?

quiver

?when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead.

quiver /?kw?v?r/ vt. & vi.?微顫

111

In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.

112

A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you’d have thought he’d just?

popped

?out of the ground.?

pop /pɑ?p/ v.?突然出現(xiàn)

113

The cat’s tail?

twitched

?and its eyes narrowed.

twitch /tw?t?/ vt. & vi.(使)顫動

114

Nothing like this man had ever been seen in Privet Drive.

115

He was tall, thin, and very old,?

judging by

?the silver of his hair and?

beard

, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.

judge by?根據(jù)......作出判斷

beard /b?rd/ n.?胡須

116

He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled,?

buckled

?boots.

buckle /?b?kl/ vt.?扣住

117

His blue eyes were light, bright, and?

sparkling

?behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and?

crooked

, as though it had been broken at least twice.

sparkling /'spɑrkl??/ adj.?閃耀的

crooked /?kr?k?d/ adj.?彎曲的

118

This man’s name was Albus Dumbledore.

119

Albus Dumbledore didn’t seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.

120

He was busy?

rummaging

?in his cloak, looking for something.

rummage /'r?m?d?/ n.?翻找

121

But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street.

122

For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him.?

123

He chuckled and muttered, “I should have known.”

124

He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter.

125

He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little?

pop

. He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness.

pop /pɑ?p/ n. (發(fā)出)砰的一聲

126

Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny?

pinpricks

?in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him.

pinprick /'p?npr?k/ n.?小孔

127

If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn’t be able to see anything that was happening down on the?

pavement

.

pavement /?pe?vm?nt/ n.?人行道

128

Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat.

129

He didn’t look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.

130

“

Fancy

?seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.”

fancy /?f?nsi/ v. [英](表示驚奇或震驚)真想不到

131

He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone.

132

Instead he was smiling at a rather?

severe

-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes.

severe /s??v?r/ adj.?嚴(yán)厲的

133

She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight?

bun

. She looked?

distinctlyruffled

.

bun /b?n/ n. (女子的)圓發(fā)髻

distinctly /d??st???ktl?/ adv.?清楚

ruffled /'r?fld/ adj.?氣惱的

134

“How did you know it was me?” she asked.

135

“My dear Professor, I’ve never seen a cat sit so stiffly.”

136

“You’d be stiff if you’d been sitting on a brick wall all day,” said Professor McGonagall.

137

“All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen?

feasts

?and parties on my way here.”

feast /fi?st/ n.?宴會

138

Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.

139

“Oh yes, everyone’s celebrating, all right,” she said impatiently. “You’d think they’d be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something’s going on. It was on their news.”

140

She jerked her head back at the Dursleys’ dark living-room window.

141

“I heard it. Flocks of owls . . . shooting stars. . . . Well, they’re not completely stupid. They were?

bound to

?notice something.?

bound to?一定會

142

Shooting stars down in Kent — I’ll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much?

sense

.”

sense /s?ns/ n.?理智

143

“You can’t blame them,” said Dumbledore gently. “We’ve had?

precious

?little to celebrate for eleven years.”

precious /?pre??s/ adj.?寶貴的

144

“I know that,” said Professor McGonagall?

irritably

.

irritably /??r?t?bl?/ adv.?性急地

145

“But that’s no reason to lose our heads. People are being?

downright

?careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes,?

swapping

?rumors.”

downright /'da?nra?t/ adv. (強(qiáng)調(diào)反面的)徹頭徹尾地

swap /swɑ?p/ vt. & vi.?交換

146

She threw a?

sharp

,?

sideways

?glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn’t, so she went on.

sideways /?sa?dwe?z/ adj.?向旁邊的

sharp /?ɑ?rp/ adj.?敏銳的

147

“A fine thing it would be if, on the?

very

?day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?”

very /?v?ri/ adj.?正是

148

“It certainly seems so,” said Dumbledore. “We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a?

sherbet

?lemon?”

sherbet /'??b?t/ n.?冰凍果子露

149

“A what?”

150

“A sherbet lemon. They’re a kind of Muggle sweet I’m rather?

fond of

.”

fond of?情有獨(dú)鐘

151

“No, thank you,” said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn’t think this was the moment for sherbet lemon.?

152

“As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —”

153

“My dear Professor, surely a?

sensible

?person like yourself can call him by his name?

sensible /?sens?bl/ adj.?通曉事理的

154

All this ‘You-Know-Who’ nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to?

persuade

?people to call him by his?

proper

?name: Voldemort.”

persuade /p?r?swe?d/ vt. & vi.?說服

proper /?prɑp?/ adj.?正確的

155

Professor McGonagall?

flinched

, but Dumbledore, who was?

unsticking

?two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice.

flinch /fl?nt?/ vi.?畏縮

unstick /??n'st?k/ vt.?使不再粘著

156

“It all gets so confusing if we keep saying ‘You-Know-Who.’ I have never seen any reason to be?

frightened

?of saying Voldemort’s name.”

frighten /?fra?tn/ vt. & vi. (使)驚恐

157

“I know you haven’t,” said Professor McGonagall, sounding half?

exasperated

, half admiring.

exasperate /?ɡ?z?sp?re?t/ vt.?觸怒

158

“But you’re different. Everyone knows you’re the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of.”

159

“You?

flatter

?me,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Voldemort had powers I will never have.”

flatter /?fl?t?r/ v.?奉承

160

“Only because you’re too — well —?

noble

?to use them.”

noble /?no?bl/ adj.?高尚的

161

“It’s lucky it’s dark. I haven’t?

blushed

?so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new?

earmuffs

.”

blush /bl??/ vi.?臉紅

earmuffs /'??m?fs/ n.?耳套

162

Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said,

163

“The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone’s saying? About why he’s disappeared? About what finally stopped him?”

164

It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most?

anxious

?to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day,

anxious /???k??s/ adj.?急切的

165

for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.

166

It was?

plain

?that whatever “everyone” was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true.

plain /ple?n/ adj.?清晰的

167

Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.

168

“What they’re saying,” she pressed on, “is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric’s?

Hollow

. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they’re — dead.”

hollow /?hɑ?lo?/ n.?山谷

169

Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.

170

“Lily and James . . . I can’t believe it . . . I didn’t want to believe it . . . Oh, Albus . . .”

171

Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “I know . . . I know . . .” he said heavily.

172

Professor McGonagall’s voice trembled as she went on.

173

“That’s not all. They’re saying he tried to kill the Potters’ son, Harry. But — he couldn’t. He couldn’t kill that little boy.

174

No one knows why, or how, but they’re saying that when he couldn’t kill Harry Potter, Voldemort’s power somehow broke — and that’s why he’s gone.”

175

Dumbledore nodded?

glumly

.

glumly /'gl?mli/ adv.?憂郁地

176

“It’s — it’s true?”?

faltered

?Professor McGonagall.

falter /?f??lt?r/ vi.?支吾

177

“After all he’s done . . . all the people he’s killed . . . he couldn’t kill a little boy? It’s just?

astounding

?. . . of all the things to stop him . . . but how?

in the name of heaven

?did Harry survive?”

astounding /??sta?nd??/ adj.?使人震驚的

in the name of heaven?究竟(加強(qiáng)語氣)

178

“We can only guess,” said Dumbledore. “We may never know.”

179

Professor McGonagall pulled out a?

lace

?handkerchief and?

dabbed

?at her eyes beneath her spectacles.

lace /le?s/ n.?蕾絲

dab /d?b/ vt.?抹(或敷、涂、擦)少許

180

Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and?

examined

?it.

examine /?ɡ?z?m?n/ vt.?仔細(xì)檢查

181

It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.

182

It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, “Hagrid’s late. I suppose it was he who told you I’d be here,?

by the way

?”

by the way?順便問一下

183

“Yes,” said Professor McGonagall. “And I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me why you’re here, of all places?”

184

“I’ve come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They’re the only family he has left now.”

185

“You don’t mean — you can’t mean the people who live here?” cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.

186

“Dumbledore — you can’t. I’ve been watching them all day.?

187

You couldn’t find two people who are less like us. And they’ve got this son — I saw him kicking his mother?

all the way

up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!”

all the way?一路上

188

“It’s the best place for him,” said Dumbledore?

firmly

. “His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he’s older. I’ve written them a letter.”

firmly /?f?..ml?/ adv.?堅(jiān)決地

189

“A letter?” repeated Professor McGonagall?

faintly

, sitting back down on the wall.

faintly /'feintli/ adv.?虛弱地

190

“Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He’ll be famous — a?

legend

?—

legend /?led??nd/ n.?傳奇

191

I wouldn’t be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!”

192

“Exactly,” said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses.

193

“It would be enough to turn any boy’s head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won’t even remember!

194

Can’t you see how much better off he’ll be, growing up away from all that until he’s ready to take it?”

195

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, “Yes — yes, you’re right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?”

196

She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.

197

“Hagrid’s bringing him.”

198

“You think it —?

wise

?— to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?”

wise /wa?z/ adj.?明智的

199

“I would trust Hagrid with my life,” said Dumbledore.

200

“I’m not saying his heart isn’t in the right place,” said Professor McGonagall?

grudgingly

, “but you can’t pretend he’s not careless. He does tend to — what was that?”

grudging /'ɡr?d???/ adj.?勉強(qiáng)的

201

A low?

rumbling

?sound had broken the silence around them.

rumbling /'r?mbl??/ n.?隆隆聲

202

It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight;

203

it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

204

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting?

astride

?it.

astride /?'stra?d/ prep.?跨在…上

205

He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide.

206

He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long?

tangles

?of?

bushy

?black hair and beard hid most of his face,

tangle /?t??ɡl/ n.?亂糟糟的一堆

bushy /?b??i/ adj.?濃密的

207

he had hands the size of?

trash can

?

lids

, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.

trash can?垃圾桶

lid /l?d/ n.?蓋子

208

In his?

vast

, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.

vast /v?st/ adj.?巨大的

209

“Hagrid,” said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. “At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?”

210

“Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir,” said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. “Young?

Sirius

?Black lent it to me. I’ve got him, sir.”

Sirius /'si?ri?s/ n.?天狼星

211

“No problems, were there?”

212

“No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin’ around. He fell asleep as we was flyin’ over Bristol.”

213

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets.

214

Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a?

tuft

?of?

jet-black

?hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like?

a bolt of

?lightning.

tuft /t?ft/ n.?一簇

jet-black /'d?et'bl?k/ adj.?墨黑的

a bolt of?一束

215

“Is that where — ?” whispered Professor McGonagall.

216

“Yes,” said Dumbledore. “He’ll have that scar forever.”

217

“Couldn’t you do something about it, Dumbledore?”

218

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.?

219

Well — give him here, Hagrid — we’d better get this over with.”

220

Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys’ house.

221

“Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?” asked Hagrid.

222

He bent his great,?

shaggy

?head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very?

scratchy

,?

whiskery

?kiss.?

shaggy /'??gi/ adj.?毛發(fā)粗濃雜亂的

scratchy /'skr?t?i/ adj. (衣服)粗糙的

whiskery /'hwisk?ri/ adj.?有須的

223

Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a?

wounded

?dog.

wounded /?wund?d/ adj.?受傷的

224

“Shhh!” hissed Professor McGonagall, “you’ll wake the Muggles!”

225

“S-s-sorry,” sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. “But I c-c-can’t stand it — Lily an’ James dead — an’ poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —”

226

“Yes, yes, it’s all very sad, but get a?

grip

?on yourself, Hagrid, or we’ll be found,”

grip /ɡr?p/ n.?控制

227

Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid?

gingerly

?on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door.

gingerly /?d??nd??rli/ adv.?小心謹(jǐn)慎地

228

He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry’s blankets, and then came back to the other two.

229

For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little?

bundle

;

bundle /?b?ndl/ n.?嬰兒

230

Hagrid’s shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the?

twinkling

?light that usually?

shone

?from Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to have gone out.

twinkling /?tw??kl??/ adj. (眼睛因高興兒)發(fā)亮的

shone /?on/ vi.?發(fā)光（shine的過去式及過去分詞）

231

“Well,” said Dumbledore finally, “that’s that. We’ve no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations.”

232

“Yeah,” said Hagrid in a very?

muffled

?voice, “I’d best get this bike away. G’night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir.”

muffled / ?m?fl..d/ adj.?聽不清的

233

Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

234

“I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall,” said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall?

blew

her nose in reply.

blow /blo?/ v.?擤（鼻子)

235

Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer.

236

He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange?

237

and he could make out a tabby cat?

slinking

?around the corner at the other end of the street.

slink /sl??k/ vi.?溜走

238

He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.

239

“Good luck, Harry,” he murmured. He?

turned on his heel

?and with a?

swish

?of his cloak, he was gone.

turn on one's heel?急向后轉(zhuǎn)

swish /sw??/ n.?嗖嗖聲

240

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and?

tidy

?under the?

inky

?sky, the very?

last

?place you would expect astonishing things to happen.

tidy /?ta?di/ adj.?整齊的

inky /'??ki/ adj.?漆黑的

last /l?st/ adj.?最不可能的

241

Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up.

242

One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous,

243

not knowing he would be woken in a few hours’ time by Mrs. Dursley’s scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles,

244

nor that he would spend the next few weeks being?

prodded

?and?

pinched

?by his cousin Dudley. . . .

prod /prɑ?d/ vt. & vi.?戳

pinch /p?nt?/ vt.?捏

245

He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in?

hushed

?voices:?

hush /h??/ vi.?安靜下來

246

“To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!”

247