14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: NORBERT THE NORWEGIAN RIDGEBACK
第14章 挪威脊背龙——诺伯
Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.
然而，奇洛肯定要比他们所想的勇敢得多。在之后的几个星期中，他看上去确实越来越苍白、消瘦，但并没有显出彻底垮掉的样子。
Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.
每次经过三搂走廊，哈利、罗恩和赫敏都要把耳朵贴在门上，听听路威是不是还在里面低声咆哮。斯内普整天在学校里大步流星地走来走去，脾气和往常一样暴躁，这无疑说明魔法石还是安全的。这些日子，哈利每次在路上碰到奇洛，都要给他一个含有鼓励意味的微笑；罗恩也开始劝说人们别再嘲笑奇洛的结巴。
Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colorcoding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.
赫敏呢，除了魔法石之外，她还操心着更多的事情。她已经开始制订复习计划，并在她所有的笔记上标出不同的颜色。哈利和罗恩本来满不在乎，但她不停地对他们唠叨，叫他们也这样做。
"Hermione, the exams are ages away."
「赫敏，考试离我们还有好几百年呢。」
"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."
「十个星期，」赫敏反驳道，「不是好几百年，对尼可勒梅来说，只是一眨眼的工夫。」
"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it A."
「可是我们也没有六百岁啊，」罗恩提醒她，「而且，不管怎么说，你为什么还要复习呢，你已经什么都知道了。」
"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me...."
「我为什么要复习？你疯了吗？你知不知道，我们要通过这些考试才能升入二年级？它们是很重要的，我应该在一个月前就开始温习的，真不知道我当时是怎么了……」
Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.
不幸的是，老师们的想法似乎和赫敏是一样的——他们布置了一大堆家庭作业，复活节假期远不如圣诞节的时候那样充满乐趣。有赫敏在旁边背诵龙血的十二种用途，或者练习魔杖的动作，你就很难轻轻松松地休息。哈利和罗恩只好用大部分空余时间陪她一起待在图书馆里，唉声叹气，哈欠连天，拼命完成繁重的功课。
"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.
「我永远也记不住这个。」一天下午，罗恩终于无法忍受了，他把羽毛笔一扔，眼巴巴地看着图书馆的窗外。几个月来，他们第一次碰到这样的好天气。天空清澈明净，蓝得像勿忘我花的颜色，空气里有一种夏天即将来临的气息。
Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"
哈利只顾埋头在《千种神奇药草和蕈类》里查找「白鲜」，突然他听见罗恩说：「海格！你到图书馆来做什么？」
Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.
海格踢踢踏踏地走了过来，把什么东西藏在了身后。他穿着鼹鼠皮大衣，显得很不合时宜。
"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"
「随便看看，」海格说，声音躲躲闪闪，一下子就引起了他们的兴趣。「你们在这里干吗？」他突然显得疑心起来。「还在查找尼可勒梅，是吗？」
"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St --"
「哦，我们几百年前就弄清他是何许人了，」罗恩得意洋洋地说，「我们还知道那条狗在看守什么，是魔法石……」
"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"
「嘘——！」海格飞快地四下张望，看有没有人听见，「不要大声嚷嚷，你们到底想干什么？」
"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy --"
「说实话，我们有几件事情想问问你，」哈利说，「是关于守护魔法石的机关，除了路威……」
"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh --"
「嘘——」海格又说，「听着——过会儿来找我，记住，我可没答应要告诉你们什么，可是别在这里瞎扯呀，有些事情学生是不应该知道的。他们会以为是我告诉你们的——」
"See you later, then," said Harry.
「那么，待会儿见。」哈利说。
Hagrid shuffled off.
海格踢踢踏踏地走了。
"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully. "Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"
「他把什么东西藏在背后？」赫敏若有所思地说，「你认为会与魔法石有关吗？」
"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working.
「我去看看他刚才在我什么书。」罗恩说，他读书早就读得不耐烦了。
He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.
一分钟后，他回来了，怀里抱着一大堆书，把它们重重地扔到桌上。
"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."
「龙！」他低声说，「海格在查找关于龙的资料！看看这些：《大不列颠和爱尔兰的龙的种类》、《从孵蛋到涅槃》、《养龙指南》。」
"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, " said Harry.
「海格一直想要一条龙，我第一次见到他时，他就对我这么说过。」哈利说道。
"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."
「但这是犯法的，」罗恩说，「一七〇九年的巫师大会上，正式通过了禁止养龙的法案，这是每个人都知道的。如果我们在后花园里养龙，就很难不让麻瓜注意到我们——而且，你很难把它们驯服，这是很危险的。你真应该看看查理身上那些被烧伤的地方，都是罗马尼亚的野龙给他留下的。」
"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Harry.
「可是不列颠就没有野龙吗？」哈利说。
"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."
「当然有，」罗恩说道，「有普通威尔士绿龙和赫布里丁黑龙。我可以告诉你，魔法部有一项工作就是隐瞒这些野龙的存在。我们的巫师不得不经常给那些看到野龙的麻瓜们念咒，使他们把这件事忘得一干二净。」
"So what on earths Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.
「那么海格到底想做什么呢？」赫敏说。
When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.
一小时后，他们敲响了狩猎场看守的小屋门。他们吃惊地发现，所有的窗帘都被拉得严严实实。海格先是喊了一句「谁呀？」才让他们进屋，接着又赶紧回身把门关上了。
It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.
小屋里热得令人窒息。尽管是这样一个温暖的晴天，壁炉里还燃着熊熊的旺火。海格给他们沏了茶，还端来了白鼬三明治，他们婉言谢绝了。
"So -- yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"
「这么说——你们有话要问我？」
"Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy."
「是的。」哈利说。没有必要拐弯抹角。「我们不知道你能不能告诉我们，除了路威以外，守护魔法石的还有什么机关？」
Hagrid frowned at him.
海格朝他们皱起了眉头。
"0' course I cant, he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It Was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."
「我当然不能说。」他说，「第一，我自己也不知道。第二，你们已经知道得太多了，所以我即使知道也不会告诉你们。那块石头在这里是很有道理的。它在古灵阁差点被人偷走——我猜你们把这些也弄得一清二楚了吧？真不明白你们怎么连路威的事都知道。」
"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice.
「哦，海格，你大概是不想告诉我们吧，你肯定知道的。这里发生的事情，有哪一件能逃过你的眼睛呢。」赫敏用一种甜甜的、奉承的口气说。
Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling.
海格的胡子抖动起来，他们看出他在笑呢。
"We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."
「实际上，我们只想知道是谁设计了那些机关。」赫敏继续说道，「我们想知道，除了你以外，邓布利多还相信谁能够帮助他呢。」
Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione.
听了最后这句话，海格挺起了胸脯。哈利和罗恩对赫敏露出满意的微笑。
"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout -- Professor Flitwick -- Professor McGonagall --" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell -- an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."
「好吧，对你们说说也无妨——让我想想——他从我这里借去路威——然后请另外几个老师施了魔法……斯普劳特教授——弗立维教授——麦格教授——」他扳着手指数着，「奇洛教授——当然啦，邓布利多自己也施了魔法。等一下，我还忘记了一个人。哦，对了，是斯内普教授。」
"Snape?"
「斯内普？」
"Yeah -- yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."
「是啊——难道你们还在怀疑他，嗯？瞧，斯内普也帮着一块儿保护魔法石了，他不会去偷它的。」
Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything -- except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.
哈利知道罗恩和赫敏内心的想法跟他一样。既然斯内普也参加了保护魔法石的工作，他一定很容易弄清楚其他老师设下了什么机关。他很可能什么都知道了——似乎只除了奇洛的魔法和怎样通过路威。
"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"
「只有你一个人知道怎样通过路威，是吗，海格？」哈利急切地问，「你不会告诉任何人的，是吗？即使是老师也不告诉，是吗？」
"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.
「除了我和邓布利多，谁也别想知道。」海格骄傲地说。
"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."
「那就好，那就好。」哈利对其他人小声咕哝了一句。「海格，我们能不能开一扇窗户呢？我热坏了。」
"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid.
「不能，哈利，对不起。」海格说。
Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too.
哈利注意到他朝壁炉那儿扫了一眼，哈利便也扭头看着炉火。
"Hagrid -- what's that?"
「海格——那是什么？」
But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.
其实他已经知道了。在炉火的正中央，在水壶的下面，卧着一只黑糊糊的大蛋。
"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's er..."
「呵，」海格局促不安地捻着胡子说，「那是——哦……」
"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."
「你从哪儿弄来的，海格？」罗恩说着，蹲到火边，更仔细地端详着那只大蛋。「肯定花了你一大笔钱吧！」
"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."
「赢来的。」海格说，「昨晚，我在村子里喝酒，和一个陌生人玩牌来着。说实在的，那人大概正巴不得摆脱它呢。」
"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.
「可是，等它孵出来以后，你打算怎么办呢？」赫敏问。
"Well, I've bin doin' some readin' , said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library -- Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit -- it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here -- how ter recognize diff'rent eggs -- what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."
「噢，我一直在看书。」海格说着，从他的枕头底下抽出一本大部头的书，「从图书馆借来的——《为消遣和盈利而养龙》——当然啦，已经有点过时了，但内容很全。要把蛋放在火里，因为它们的妈妈对着它们呼气。你们看，这里写着呢，等它孵出来后，每半个小时喂它一桶白兰地酒加鸡血。再看这里——怎样辨别不同的蛋——我得到的是一只挪威脊背龙。很稀罕的呢。」
He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.
他看上去很得意的样子，赫敏却不以为然。
"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.
「海格，别忘了你住在木头房子里。」她说。
But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.
但是海格根本没有听。他一边拨弄着炉火，一边快乐地哼着小曲儿。
So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.
现在，他们又有新的事情要操心了：如果有人发现海格在他的小屋里非法养龙，会把他怎么样呢？
"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts.
「真想知道和平安宁的日子是什么样的。」罗恩叹着气说。 一个晚上接一个晚上，他们奋力完成老师布置的那一大堆家庭作业。赫敏已经开始为哈利和罗恩制订复习计划了。这简直要把他们逼疯了。
Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching.
然后，在一天吃早饭的时候，海德薇又给哈利捎来一张海格的纸条。上面只写着四个字：快出壳了。
Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.
罗恩不想上草药课了，想直奔海格的小屋。赫敏坚决不同意。
"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"
「赫敏，我们一辈子能看见几次小龙出壳啊？」
"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing --"
「我们要上课，不然我们会惹麻烦的；如果有人发现海格做的事情，他会比我们更倒霉的……」
"Shut up!" Harry whispered.
「别说了。」哈利小声警告。
Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.
马尔福就在离他们几步远的地方，停下来听他们说话。给他听去了多少？哈利真讨厌马尔福脸上的那副表情。
Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.
在草药课上，罗恩一直在和赫敏辩论。最后，赫敏终于答应在上午课间休息时，和他们俩一起跑到海格的小屋去看看。下课的时候，城堡里刚刚传出铃声，他们三个就扔下小铲子，匆匆跑过场地，朝森林禁地的边缘奔去。海格迎接了他们，他满面红光，非常兴奋。
"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.
「快要出来了。」他把他们让进小屋。
The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.
那只蛋躺在桌上，上面已经有了一条深深的裂缝。有什么东西在里面不停地动着，传出一种很好玩的咔嗒咔嗒的声音。
They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.
他们都把椅子挪得更靠近桌子，屏住呼吸，密切注视着。
All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.
突然，随着一阵刺耳的擦刮声，蛋裂开了。小龙在桌上摇摇摆摆地扑腾着。它其实并不漂亮，哈利觉得它的样子就像一把皱巴巴的黑伞。它多刺的翅膀与它瘦瘦的乌黑身体比起来，显得特别的大。它还有一只长长的大鼻子，鼻孔是白色的，脑袋上长着角疙瘩，橘红色的眼睛向外突起。
It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.
它打了个喷嚏，鼻子里喷出几点火星。
"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.
「它很漂亮，是不是？」海格喃喃地说着，他伸出一只手，摸了摸小龙的脑袋。小龙一口咬住他的手指，露出尖尖的长牙。
"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.
「天哪，你们看，它认识它的妈妈！」海格说。
"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"
「海格，」赫敏说，「挪威脊背龙长得到底有多快？」
Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face -- he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.
海格正要回答，突然脸色刷地变自了——他一跃而起，奔向窗口。
"What's the matter?"
「怎么回事？」
"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains -- it's a kid -- he's runnin' back up ter the school."
「有人刚才透过窗帘缝儿偷看——是个男孩——正往学校里跑呢。」
Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.
哈利一下子蹿到门边，向外望去。即使隔着一段距离，他也绝不会认错。
Malfoy had seen the dragon.
马尔福看见了小龙。
Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.
在接下来的一个星期里，马尔福脸上隐藏的不怀好意的笑容使得哈利、罗恩和赫敏非常不安。他们大部分业余时间都待在海格昏暗的小屋里，对他摆事实讲道理。
"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."
「你就让它走吧，」哈利劝道，「把它放掉。」
"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."
「我不能，」海格说，「它太小了，会死掉的。」
They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.
他们打量着小龙。短短一个星期，它的长度已经是原来的三倍。一团团的烟从它鼻孔里喷出来。海格把看守狩猎场的工作撇在了一边，因为小龙弄得他手忙脚乱。地上扔满了空的白兰地酒瓶和鸡毛。
"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"
「我决定叫它诺伯，」海格用泪水模糊的眼睛看着小龙，说，「它现在真的认识我了，你们看着。诺伯！诺伯！妈妈在哪儿？」
"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear. "Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."
「海格，」哈利提高了嗓门，「再过两个星期，诺伯就会变得跟你的房子一样长。马尔福随时都可能去找邓布利多。」
Hagrid bit his lip. "I -- I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."
海格咬着嘴唇。「我——我知道我不能永远养着它，可我不能就这样把它扔掉，不能啊。」
Harry suddenly turned to Ron. Charlie, he said.
哈利突然转向罗恩。「查理。」他说。
"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"
「你也犯糊涂了，」罗恩说，「我是罗恩，记得吗？」
"No -- Charlie -- your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"
「不——查理——你的哥哥查理。在罗马尼亚，研究龙的查理。我们不妨把诺伯送给他。查理可以照料它，然后把它放回野生环境里。」
"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"
「太棒了！」罗恩说，「怎么样，海格？」
And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send -an owl to Charlie to ask him.
最后，海格总算同意他们先派一只猫头鹰去问问查理。接下来的一个星期简直度日如年。
The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.
星期三晚上，在别人都已上床睡觉之后，赫敏和哈利仍坐在公共休息室里。墙上的钟刚敲过十二点，肖像洞突然被打开了。罗恩脱下哈利的隐形衣，仿佛从天而降一般。他刚才到海格的小屋去帮他喂诺伯，诺伯现在开始吃用木板箱装的死老鼠了。
"It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."
「它咬了我！」罗恩说，给他们看他的手，上面包着沾满血迹的手绢。「我一星期都没法拿笔了。告诉你们吧，龙是我见过的最可怕的动物，可是看海格对待它的样子，你还以为它是一只毛茸茸的小兔乖乖呢。它咬了我以后，海格还不许我吓唬它。我走的时候，还听见他在给它唱摇篮曲呢。」
There was a tap on the dark window.
漆黑的窗户上传来一阵拍打声。
"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"
「是海德薇！」哈利说，赶紧过去把它放了进来。「它肯定带来了查理的回信！」
The three of them put their heads together to read the note.
三个人脑袋凑在一起，看那张纸条。
Dear Ron,
亲爱的罗恩：
How are you? Thanks for the letter -- I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.
你好吗？谢谢你给我写信——我很高兴收养那只挪威脊背龙，但是要把它弄到这儿来不太容易。我认为最好的办法是先把它送到我的几个朋友那里，他们下个星期要来看我。麻烦就在于，千万不能让别人看见他们非法携带一条龙。
Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.
你能否在星期六的午夜，把脊背龙带到最高的塔楼上？他们可以在那里与你会面，趁着天黑把龙带走。
Send me an answer as soon as possible.
请尽快给我回音。
Love,
爱你。
Charlie
查理
They looked at one another.
三个人面面相觑。
"We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult -- I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."
「我们有隐形衣呢，」哈利说，「应该不会太难——我认为隐形衣足够遮住我们两个人和诺伯。」
It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert -- and Malfoy.
罗恩和赫敏立刻就同意了，这说明下个星期的日子是多么难熬。怎么都行，只要能摆脱诺伯——还有马尔福。
There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey -- would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.
事情出了麻烦。第二天早晨，罗恩被咬的那只手肿成了原来的两倍。他不知道去找庞弗雷夫人是不是妥当——她会不会看出来这是被龙咬伤的？然而到了下午，他就没有别的选择了。伤口变成了一种难看的绿颜色。看来诺伯的牙齿是有毒的。
Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.
一天的课上完之后，哈利和赫敏飞快地赶到医院，发现罗恩躺在床上，情况非常糟糕。
"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me -- I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me -I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."
「不光是我的手，」他低声说，「虽然它疼得像要断了一样。更糟糕的是，马尔福对庞弗雷夫人说，他要向我借一本书，这样他就进来了，尽情地把我嘲笑了一通。他不停地威胁说，他要告诉庞弗雷夫人是什么东西咬了我——我对庞弗雷夫人说是狗咬的，但我认为她并不相信——我不应该在魁地奇比赛时跟马尔福打架，他现在是报复我呢。」
Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.
哈利和赫敏竭力使罗恩平静下来。
"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.
「到了星期六午夜，就一切都结束了。」赫敏说，但这丝毫没有使罗恩得到安慰。恰恰相反，他腾地从床上坐了起来，急出了一身冷汗。
"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no -- I've just remembered -- Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."
「星期六午夜！」他声音嘶哑地说道，「哦，糟糕——哦，糟糕——我刚想起来——查理的信就夹在马尔福借走的那本书里面，他一定知道我们要弄走诺伯了。」
Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.
哈利和赫敏没有来得及回答，庞弗雷夫人正好在这个时候走了进来，叫他们离开，她说罗恩需要睡觉了。
"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."
「已经来不及改变计划了，」哈利对赫敏说，「我们没有时间再派一只猫头鹰去找查理，而且这大概是我们摆脱诺伯的惟一机会了。我们不得不冒一次险。我们有隐形衣呢，这是马尔福不知道的。」
They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.
他们去通知海格时，发现大猎狗牙牙坐在门外，尾巴上包着绷带。海格打开窗户跟他们说话。
"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage -- nothin' I can't handle."
「我不能让你们进来，」他喘着气说，「诺伯现在很难对付——我拿它没有办法。」
When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.
他们把查理来信的事对他说了，他的眼里噙满泪水，不过这也可能是因为诺伯刚刚咬了他的腿。
"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot -- jus' playin' -- he's only a baby, after all."
「呵呵！没关系，它只咬了我的靴子——它是在玩耍呢——说到底，它还是个小毛娃啊。」
The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.
小毛娃用尾巴梆梆地敲着墙，震得窗户咔咔直响。哈利和赫敏走回城堡，心里盼望着星期六早点到来。
They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do.
海格就要跟诺伯告别了，哈利和赫敏如果不是忧心忡忡地想着即将采取的行动，一定会为海格感到难过的。
It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall.
那是一个漆黑的、阴云密布的夜晚，他们到达海格的小屋时已经有点晚了，因为皮皮鬼在门厅里对着墙壁打网球，他们只好一直等到他离开。
Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.
海格已经把诺伯装进一只大板条箱，准备就绪了。
"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."
「给它准备了许多老鼠，还有一些白兰地酒，够它一路上吃的了。」海格用沉闷的声音说，「我还把它的玩具熊也放了进去，免得它觉得孤单。」
From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.
板条箱里传出了撕扯的声音，哈利觉得似乎玩具熊的脑袋被扯掉了。
"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mommy will never forget you!"
「再见，诺伯！」海格抽抽搭搭地说，「妈妈不会忘记你的！」 哈利和赫敏用隐形衣罩住板条箱，随即自己也钻到了袍子下面。
How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. UP another staircase, then another -- even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.
怎么把板条箱搬到塔楼上去呢，他们心里没底。随着午夜一分一秒地临近，他们抬着诺伯走上门厅的大理石台阶，走过漆黑一片的走廊。上了一层楼，又上一层楼——尽管哈利抄了近路，也一点儿不省劲儿。
"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.
「快到了！」他们到了最高塔楼下面一层的走廊上，哈利喘着气说。
Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.
前面突然有了动静，吓得他们差点扔掉了手里的箱子。他们忘了自己已经隐形，赶紧退缩到阴影里，看着离他们十来步远的地方，两个黑糊糊的人影在互相扭打。一盏灯在闪亮。
Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.
是麦格教授，穿着格子花纹的晨衣，戴着发网，揪着马尔福的耳朵。
"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you --"
「关禁闭！」她喊道，「斯莱特林扣掉二十分！半夜三更到处乱逛，你怎么敢……」
"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming -- he's got a dragon!"
「你没有明白，教授，哈利波特要来了——他带着一条龙！」
"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on -- I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"
「完全胡说八道！你怎么敢编出这样的谎话！走——我倒要看看斯内普教授怎么处置你，马尔福！」
The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.
摆脱了马尔福之后，通向塔楼的那道陡直的旋转楼梯似乎是世界上最轻松的一段路程了。他们一直来到寒冷的夜空下，才脱掉了隐形衣。多好啊，终于又能自如地呼吸了。赫敏还跳起了一种快步舞。
"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"
「马尔福要被关禁闭了！我真想唱歌！」
"Don't," Harry advised her.
「别唱。」哈利提醒她。
Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.
他们一边等待，一边咯咯地嘲笑马尔福，诺伯在箱子里剧烈地动个不停。大约十分钟后，四把扫帚突然从黑暗中降落了。
Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.
查理的朋友都是性情快活的人。他们给哈利和赫敏看了他们临时拴好的几道绳索，这样他们就能把诺伯悬挂在他们中间了。他们七手八脚地把诺伯安全地系在绳索上，然后哈利和赫敏跟他们握了握手，又对他们说了许多感谢的话。
At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.
终于，诺伯走了……走了……不见了。
They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon -- Malfoy in detention -- what could spoil their happiness?
他们悄悄地走下旋转楼梯，总算摆脱了诺伯这个沉重的负担，他们的心情和手一样轻快。龙走了——马尔福将被关禁闭——还有什么能破坏他们的这份喜悦呢？
The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.
答案就在楼梯下面等着呢。他们一跨进走廊，费尔奇的脸就突然从黑暗里显现出来。
"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble."
「糟了，糟了，糟了，」哈利低声说，「我们有麻烦了。」
They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.
他们把隐形衣忘在塔楼顶上了。