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Harry left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day.
哈利從后門出來。外面天氣晴朗，陽光燦爛。
He crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath:
他穿過草坪，一屁股坐在花園長凳上，壓著嗓子唱了起來：
“Happy birthday to me . . . happy birthday to me . . .”
“祝我生日快樂……祝我生日快樂……”
No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist.
沒有賀卡，沒有禮物，今晚還要他假裝自己不存在。
He gazed miserably into the hedge.
他悲傷地注視著樹籬。
He had never felt so lonely.
他從未感到這樣孤獨。
More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
他分外想念他最好的朋友羅恩韋斯萊和赫敏格蘭杰，勝過想念霍格沃茨其他的一切，甚至包括魁地奇球。
They, however, didn’t seem to be missing him at all.
可他們好像一點兒也不想他。
Neither of them had written to him all summer, even though Ron had said he was going to ask Harry to come and stay.
整個暑假誰都沒有給他寫信，羅恩還說要請哈利去他家做客呢。
Countless times, Harry had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig’s cage by magic and sending her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn’t worth the risk.
一次又一次，哈利差點兒要用魔法打開海德薇的籠子，讓它捎封信給羅恩和赫敏。但這太冒險了。
Underage wizards weren’t allowed to use magic outside of school.
未成年的巫師是不能在校外使用魔法的。
Harry hadn’t told the Dursleys this;
哈利沒有把這個規定告訴德思禮一家，
he knew it was only their terror that he might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking him in the cupboard under the stairs with his wand and broomstick.
他知道，這家人只是害怕他把他們全變成金龜子，才沒有把他和魔杖、飛天掃帚一起關進樓梯下的暗柜里。
For the first couple of weeks back, Harry had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him.
回家后的頭兩個星期，哈利喜歡假裝著嘴里念念有詞，然后看達力拼命搬動他那兩條胖腿，盡快往屋外跑。
But the long silence from Ron and Hermione had made Harry feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal — and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten his birthday.
可是羅恩和赫敏遲遲不給他來信，使哈利覺得自己和魔法世界斷了聯系，連捉弄達力也失去了樂趣——現在羅恩和赫敏連他的生日都忘了。
What wouldn’t he give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard?
只要能換得霍格沃茨的一點音信，不管來自哪個女巫或男巫，他什么都會豁出去。
He’d almost be glad of a sight of his archenemy, Draco Malfoy, just to be sure it hadn’t all been a dream. . . .
他甚至樂意看一眼他的仇敵德拉科馬爾福，只要能證明這一切不是一場夢……
Not that his whole year at Hogwarts had been fun.
他在霍格沃茨的這一年并不都是好玩有趣的。
At the very end of last term, Harry had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself.
上學期末，哈利與伏地魔本人正面相遇。
Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power.
伏地魔雖然大不如從前，但依然狠毒可怕，陰險狡猾，并決心要恢復自己的魔力。
Harry had slipped through Voldemort’s clutches for a second time, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later,
哈利又一次逃脫了伏地魔的魔爪，但是很險。即使現在，已經過去好幾個星期了，
Harry kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes —
哈利還會在半夜驚醒，渾身冷汗，想著伏地魔這時會在哪里，記起他那青灰色的臉、圓睜的瘋狂的眼睛……
Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench.
哈利突然坐直了身子。
He had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge — and the hedge was staring back.
他一直心不在焉地注視著樹籬——哈利跳了起來，
Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves.
樹葉叢中閃動著兩只大得出奇的綠眼睛。
Harry jumped to his feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn.
哈利跳了起來，達力搖搖擺擺地走過來。
The huge eyes blinked and vanished.
那對大眼睛忽閃幾下，消失了。
“What?” said Harry, not taking his eyes off the spot where they had been.
“什么？”哈利說，眼睛還盯著那個地方。
“I know what day it is,” Dudley repeated, coming right up to him.
“我知道今天是什么日子。”達力又說了一遍，走到他旁邊。
“Well done,” said Harry. “So you’ve finally learned the days of the week.”
“很好，”哈利說，“你終于學會了數星期幾?！?/div>
“Today’s your birthday,” sneered Dudley.
“今天是你的生日！”達力譏諷地說，
“How come you haven’t got any cards?
“你居然沒有收到賀卡？
Haven’t you even got friends at that freak place?”
你在那個鬼地方連個朋友都沒有嗎？”
“Better not let your mum hear you talking about my school,” said Harry coolly.
“最好別讓你媽媽聽到你說我的學校?！惫淅涞卣f。
Dudley hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom.
達力提了提褲子，那褲子順著他的胖屁股往下滑。
“Why’re you staring at the hedge?” he said suspiciously.
“你盯著樹籬干什么？”他懷疑地問。
“I’m trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire,” said Harry.
“我在想用什么咒語使它燃燒起來。”哈利說。
Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face.
達力踉踉蹌蹌倒退了幾步，胖臉上顯出驚恐的表情。
“You c-can’t — Dad told you you’re not to do m-magic
“你不——不能——我爸說不許你使魔法
he said he’ll chuck you out of the house
他說要把你趕出去
and you haven’t got anywhere else to go
你沒有地方去
you haven’t got any friends to take you —”
沒有朋友收留你”
“Jiggery pokery!” said Harry in a fierce voice.
“吉格利?？死?！”哈利厲聲說，
“Hocus pocus — squiggly wiggly —”
“霍克斯波克斯……奇格利鬼格利……”
“MUUUUUUM!” howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house.
“媽——媽！”達力嚎叫起來，跌跌撞撞地朝屋里奔去。
“MUUUUM! He’s doing you know what!”
“媽——媽！他又在干那個了！”
Harry paid dearly for his moment of fun.
哈利為這片刻的開心付出了很大的代價。
As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn’t really done magic,
由于達力和樹籬都安然無恙，佩妮姨媽知道他并沒有真的施展魔法，
but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan.
但她仍然用沾著肥皂水的煎鍋朝他劈頭打來，幸虧他躲得快。
Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he wouldn’t eat again until he’d finished.
然后她支使他去干活，不干完不許吃東西。
