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Aunt Petunia’s masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near theceiling.
佩妮姨媽的杰作布丁、堆得高高的奶油和撒了糖霜的堇菜，正飄浮在天花板下面。
On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.
多比蹲在角落的碗櫥頂上。
“No,” croaked Harry. “Please . . . they’ll kill me. . . .”
“不要，”哈利壓低嗓門說，“求求你……他們會殺了我的……”
“Harry Potter must say he’s not going back to school —”
“哈利波特必須保證不回學校——”
“Dobby . . . please . . .”
“多比……求求你……”
“Say it, sir —”
“保證吧，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.”
“那多比只能這么做了，先生，這是為哈利波特好。”
The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash.
布丁盤子當啷一聲摔到地上，哈利覺得他的心跳停止了。
Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered.
盤子摔得粉碎，奶油濺得墻上、窗戶上都是。
With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished.
隨著一聲抽鞭子似的噼啪巨響，多比不見了。
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.
餐室里發出尖叫聲，弗農姨父沖進廚房，發現哈利呆若木雞地站在那里，從頭到腳濺滿了佩妮姨媽的布丁。
At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over.
開始，弗農姨父似乎還可以把這件事掩飾過去。
“Just our nephew — very disturbed — meeting strangers upsets him, so we kept him upstairs. . . .”
“我家外甥——腦子有點兒毛病——見到生人就緊張，所以我們讓他待在樓上……”。
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.
他把受驚的海森夫婦哄回餐室，對哈利說等客人走后非把他揍個半死，又丟給他一個拖把。
Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and Harry, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean.
佩妮姨媽從冰箱里挖出一些冰淇淋。哈利開始擦洗廚房，身上還在打著哆嗦。
Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal — if it hadn’t been for the owl.
要不是那只貓頭鷹，弗農姨父也許還能做成他的生意。
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.
佩妮姨媽正在分發一盒餐后薄荷糖，突然一只貓頭鷹旋風般從餐室窗口飛了進來，把一封信丟在梅森夫人的頭上，又旋風般飛走了。
Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics.
梅森夫人尖聲怪叫，馬上逃出了這所住宅，口里喊著瘋子、瘋子。
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，告訴德思禮家人，他太太對各種各樣、大大小小的鳥都怕得要命，并問這是不是他們故意安排的玩笑。
Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint inhis tiny eyes.
哈利站在廚房里，攥緊拖把支撐著自己的身體。弗農姨父朝他逼過來，小眼睛里閃著惡魔般的亮光。
“Read it!” he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. “Go on — read it!”
“你讀讀這個！”他揮舞著貓頭鷹送來的那封信，惡毒地說，“拿去——讀啊！”
Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.
哈利接過信，那里面沒有生日祝詞。
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.
我們接到報告，得知今晚九點十二分你在你的住處用了一個懸停魔咒。
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，未成年巫師不許在校外使用魔法，你如再有此類行為，將有可能被本校開除（對未成年巫師加以合理約束的法令，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.
另外請記住，根據國際巫師聯合會保密法第十三款，任何可能引起非魔法界成員（麻瓜）注意的魔法活動，均屬嚴重違法行為。
Enjoy your holidays!
祝暑期愉快！
Yours sincerely, Mafalda Hopkirk improper use of magic office Ministry of Magic
馬法爾達霍普柯克魔法部禁止濫用魔法司。
Harry looked up from the letter and gulped.
哈利抬起頭，喉嚨噎住了。
“You didn’t tell us you weren’t allowed to use magic outside school,” said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleamdancing in his eyes.
“你沒告訴我們你不能在校外使用魔法，”弗農姨父說，眼里閃著瘋狂的光芒，
“Forgot to mention it. . . . Slipped your mind, I daresay. . . .”
“忘說了……丟到腦后了吧，我猜……”
He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared.
他像一條大斗牛狗那樣向哈利壓下來，牙齒全露在外面。
“Well, I’ve got news for you, boy. . . . I’m locking you up. . . . You’re never going back to that school . .. never . . .
“啊，我有消息要告訴你，小子……我要把你關起來……你永遠別想回那個學校……永遠……
and if you try and magic yourself out — they’ll expel you!”
如果你用魔法逃出去——他們會開除你的！”
Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word.
弗農姨父說到做到，
The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry’s window.
第二天就找了個人給哈利的窗戶上安了鐵條。
He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three timesa day.
他親自在臥室門上裝了一個活板門，一天三次送一點兒食物進去。
They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening.
他們每天早晚讓哈利出來上廁所，
Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.
其他時間都把他鎖在屋里。
