Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy. Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn\'t have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn\'t until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday -- and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.
"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."
He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.
"You don\'t know that you\'ll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy\'s always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that\'s all talk."
Malfay certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn\'t the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he\'d spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who\'d listen about the time he\'d almost hit a hang glider on Charlie\'s old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn\'t see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean\'s poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.
Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she\'d had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.
Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn\'t learn by heart out of a book -- not that she hadn\'t tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she\'d gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione\'s lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.
Harry hadn\'t had a single letter since Hagrid\'s note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy\'s eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.
A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.
"It\'s a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things -- this tells you if there\'s something you\'ve forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red -- oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet,
"You\'ve forgotten something..."
Neville was trying to remember what he\'d forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.
Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfay, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a FLASH.
"What\'s going on?"
"Malfoy\'s got my Remembrall, Professor."
Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.
"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.
At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.
The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.
Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.
"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say \'Up!"\'
"UPF everyone shouted.
Harry\'s broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger\'s had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville\'s hadn\'t moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville\'s voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.
Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he\'d been doing it wrong for years.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle -- three -- two --"
But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch\'s lips.
"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle -- twelve feet -- twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and -
WHAM -- a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.
Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.
"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy -- it\'s all right,
up you get.". She turned to the rest of the class. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You
leave those brooms where they are or you\'ll be out of Hogwarts before
you can say \'Quidditch.\' Come on, dear." Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.
No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the GREat lump?" The other Slytherins joined in. "Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil. "Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced
Slytherin girl. "Never thought you\'d like fat little crybabies,
Parvati." "Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It\'s that stupid thing Longbottom\'s gran sent him."
The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.
"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch. Malfoy smiled nastily. "I think I\'ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find -- how about --
up a tree?" "Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn\'t been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level
with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!" Harry grabbed his broom.
"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move --you\'ll get us all into trouble."
Harry ignored her. Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him -and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he\'d found something he could do without being taught -- this was easy, this was wonderful. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.
He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.
"Give it here," Harry called, "or I\'ll knock you off that broom!" "Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.
Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfay like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.
"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called.
The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.
"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.
Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down -- next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball -- wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching -- he stretched out his hand -- a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.
"HARRY POTTER!"
His heart sank faster than he\'d just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling.
"Never -- in all my time at Hogwarts --" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "-- how dare you -- might have broken your neck --"
"It wasn\'t his fault, Professor --"
"Be quiet, Miss Patil
"But Malfoy --"
"That\'s enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."
Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle\'s triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall\'s wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he\'d done it. He hadn\'t even lasted two weeks. He\'d be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?
Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn\'t say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid\'s assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid\'s bag.
Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.
"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"
Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?
But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwicles class looking confused.
"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.
"In here."
Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.
"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.
"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood -- I\'ve found you a Seeker."
Wood\'s expression changed from puzzlement to delight.
"Are you serious, Professor?"
"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy\'s a natural. I\'ve never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"
Harry nodded silently. He didn\'t have a clue what was going on, but he didn\'t seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.
"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn\'t even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn\'t have done it."
Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.
"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.
"Wood\'s captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.
"He\'s just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light -- speedy -- we\'ll have to get him a decent broom, Professor -- a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I\'d say."
I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can\'t bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn\'t look Severus Snape in the face for weeks...."
Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.
"I want to hear you\'re training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."
Then she suddenly smiled.
"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."
"You\'re joking."
It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he\'d left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he\'d forgotten all about it.
"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never -- you must be the youngest house player in about a century, said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me."
Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.
"I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don\'t tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."
Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over.
"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We\'re on the team too -- Beaters."
"I tell you, we\'re going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven\'t won since Charlie left, but this year\'s team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."
"Anyway, we\'ve got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he\'s found a new secret passageway out of the school."
"Bet it\'s that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."
Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"
"You\'re a lot braver now that you\'re back on the ground and you\'ve got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.
"I\'d take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard\'s duel. Wands only -- no contact. What\'s the matter? Never heard of a wizard\'s duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I\'m his second, who\'s yours?"
Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.
"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We\'ll meet you in the trophy room; that\'s always unlocked."
When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. "What is a wizard\'s duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you\'re my second?"
"Well, a second\'s there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry\'s face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy\'ll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."
"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"
"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. "Excuse me."
They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.
"Can\'t a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.
Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.
"I couldn\'t help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying --"
"Bet you could," Ron muttered.
"--and you mustn\'t go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you\'ll lose Gryffindor if you\'re caught, and you\'re bound to be. It\'s really very selfish of you."
"And it\'s really none of your business," said Harry.
"Good-bye," said Ron.
All the same, it wasn\'t what you\'d call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn\'t back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you\'d better dodge it, because I can\'t remember how to block them." There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoys sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness - this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn\'t miss it.
"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we\'d better go."
They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can\'t believe you\'re going to do this, Harry."
A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.
"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"
"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy -- he\'s a prefect, he\'d put a stop to this."
Harry couldn\'t believe anyone could be so interfering.
"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady
and climbed through the hole. Hermione wasn\'t going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.
"Don\'t you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don\'t want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you\'ll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."
"Go away." "All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said
when you\'re on the train home tomorrow, you\'re so --" But what they were, they didn\'t find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.
"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.
"That\'s your problem," said Ron. "We\'ve got to go, we 3 re going to be late." They hadn\'t even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up
with them. "I\'m coming with you," she said. "You are not." "D\'you think I\'m going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me?
If he finds all three of us I\'ll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up." "You\'ve got some nerve --" said Ron loudly. "Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. I heard something." It was a sort of snuffling. "Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.
It wasn\'t Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.
"Thank goodness you found me! I\'ve been out here for hours, I couldn\'t remember the new password to get in to bed."
"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password\'s \'Pig snout\' but it won\'t help you now, the Fat Lady\'s gone off somewhere."
"How\'s your arm?" said Harry.
"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."
"Good - well, look, Neville, we\'ve got to be somewhere, we\'ll see you later --"
"Don\'t leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don\'t want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron\'s been past twice already."
Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.
"If either of you get us caught, I\'ll never rest until I\'ve learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you.
Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.
They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.
Malfoy and Crabbe weren\'t there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.
"He\'s late, maybe he\'s chickened out," Ron whispered.
Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak -and it wasn\'t Malfoy.
"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."
It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch\'s voice. Neville\'s robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.
"They\'re in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."
"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run -he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.
The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.
"RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following -- they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going -- they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.
"I think we\'ve lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.
I -- told -you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I -- told -- you."
"We\'ve got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."
"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don\'t you? He was never going to meet you -- Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."
Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn\'t going to tell her that. "Let\'s go." It wasn\'t going to be that simple. They hadn\'t gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight. "Shut up, Peeves -- please -- you\'ll get us thrown out."
Peeves cackled. "Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you\'ll get caughty."
"Not if you don\'t give us away, Peeves, please."
"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It\'s for your own good, you know." "Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR" Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the
corridor where they slammed into a door -- and it was locked. "This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We\'re done for! This is the end!" They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves\'s shouts. "Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry\'s wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, \'Alohomora!" The lock clicked and the door swung open -- they piled through it, shut
it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.
"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."
"Say \'please."\'
"Don\'t mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"
"Shan\'t say nothing if you don\'t say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.
"All right -please."
"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn\'t say nothing if you didn\'t say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.
"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we\'ll be okay -- get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry\'s bathrobe for the last minute. "What?"
Harry turned around -- and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he\'d walked into a nightmare -- this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.
They weren\'t in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.
They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.
It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren\'t already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.
Harry groped for the doorknob -- between Filch and death, he\'d take Filch.
They fell backward -- Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn\'t see him anywhere, but they hardly cared -- all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn\'t stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.
"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.
"Never mind that -- pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.
It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he\'d never speak again.
"What do they think they\'re doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."
Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don\'t use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn\'t you see what it was standing on.
"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn\'t looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."
"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It\'s obviously guarding something."
She stood up, glaring at them.
I hope you\'re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed -or worse, expelled. Now, if you don\'t mind, I\'m going to bed."
Ron stared after her, his mouth open.
"No, we don\'t mind," he said. "You\'d think we dragged her along, wouldn\'t you.
But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something.... What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide -- except perhaps Hogwarts.
It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby littie package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.
第九章午夜决斗
哈利曾以为达德里已经够讨厌的了，谁想到，遇上杰高。马尔夫之后，原来这
家伙比达德里更令人讨厌。一年级的格林芬顿学生只有药学课是和史林德林学生一
起上的，所以大家都还没有多少机会与马尔夫发生正面冲突。至少在看到那张钉在
格林芬顿公共休息室里的通知前是这样。那张通知让大家恨得牙痒痒的：飞行训练
课将于星期四开始上课——这意味着格林芬顿学生要和史林德林学生一起上课。
“又是那一套！”哈利撇撇嘴，“这正合我意，只是在马尔夫面前坐在大扫帚
上让我觉得有点像傻瓜。”
哈利比谁都想快点可以学习快迪斯。
“我不知道你坐上去会不会像傻瓜，”罗恩说，“不过，据我所知，马尔夫一
直为他的快迪斯而自豪，而且我敢打赌他现在肯定又在吹嘘自己。”
马尔夫的确正在大谈即将要上的飞行训练课。他大声地抱怨一年级的小鬼们根
本没资格加入豪斯飞行训练队，他讲了好久，当然也不忘往自己脸上贴金，他把那
个他从直升飞机上利用快迪斯逃生的故事又吹了一遍。其实，吹嘘自己有飞行经验
的人也不止马尔夫一个，谢默斯。范尼更就到处跟人说，他还是个小孩子的时候就
已经骑着大扫帚在原野上空漫游了。罗恩也煤蝶不休地大讲他经常用查理的那把旧
扫帚到处滑翔。几乎每一个来自巫术家族的孩子都在谈论快迪斯。罗恩已经和同宿
舍的迪恩。汤姆斯就足球的问题辩论了一场。罗恩实在搞不明白足球赛有什么好刺
激的，二十几个人，一个球，又不准飞起来，多无聊！罗恩甚至想劝迪恩离开汉姆
足球队呢。
尼维尔长到那么大都还没坐过一次扫帚，因为他的奶奶从来就不准他接近任何
一把扫帚。哈利倒觉得尼维尔奶奶这个决定无比英明，谁都知道啦，尼维尔是个走
在地上都会发生很多意外的人，谁敢放心让他到天上去？
荷米恩也和尼维尔一样的紧张。因为这种实践性工作可不比从书本里背知识来
得容易——况且她也从来没飞过。星期四吃早餐时，荷米恩决定把她从一本叫《快
迪斯大观》的书里学到的飞行技巧传授给同学们。她这个决定可把大家给烦死了。
尼维尔倒听得聚精会神，连一个字都不放过。他真希望这会帮助他能牢牢地坐
在大扫帚上。这时候猫头鹰邮差们来了，荷米恩的长篇大论不得不被打断，这让大
家都松了口气。
自从接到哈格力的信后，哈利再也没有收过别的什么。马尔夫马上就注意到了
这一点。他的猫头鹰经常从家里给他悄来一包又一包的糖果，他次次都神气活现将
把那些糖果哗地倒到桌子上。
尼维尔的猫头鹰从他奶奶那儿为他捎来了一个小包裹。尼维尔兴奋地打开一看，
原来是一个有着大理石花纹的玻璃球，里面好像弥漫着神秘的白烟呢。
“呀，是记忆之球！”尼维尔兴奋地向大家宣布，“奶奶知道我老爱忘东西，
所以送了我这个！要是我忘了什么的话，这个球就会提醒我。看，只要紧紧地抓住
它，如果它变成红色……呢……”他吃了一惊，因为记忆球忽然发出了耀眼的红光
：“你忘了要做一件事！”
尼维尔拼命地想，究竟自己忘了做什么呢？这时候，杰高。马尔夫刚好从他们
的桌子边经过，一下子就把记忆球抢到了手中。
哈利和罗恩马上跳了起来，他们俩早就想揍马尔夫一顿了，可麦康娜教授比他
们俩更快，一下子就出现了。
“发生了什么事？”
“马尔夫抢了我的记忆球！”
马尔夫做了个怪相，把球扔回桌子上。
“看看都不行！”他扔下这么一句，就大摇大摆地走了。他的两个死党克来伯
和高尔也赶紧跟了上去。
下午三点半，哈利、罗恩，还有其它同学，怀着兴奋的心情准备上他们的第一
堂飞行训练课。他们跑下楼梯，穿过草地，来到禁林外边。今天的天气可真好，清
朗于爽，草地上绿色的小草微微地漾着细浪，轻轻地拂过他们的脚踝，让人感觉舒
服极了。不远处，禁林里的树木也在随风摆动。
史林德林的学生早已到齐。地上整整齐齐地摆放着二十支大扫帚。哈利曾经听
过弗雷德和乔治。威斯里抱怨学校里的大扫帚质量不大好。他们说有些扫帚会在你
飞到高空的时候发颤，有些扫帚则总爱往左偏。
这时，他们的老师胡施夫人来了。她长着一头灰色的短发。她的一双黄色的眼
睛，就好像鹰的眼睛一样锋利。
“嘿，你们呆呆地站在那儿干嘛？”她大喝道，“每一个人都给我站到扫帚边
上去！快，快点！”
哈利低头看了看自己的扫帚。好旧呀，还有许多枝条突了出来，丑死了！
“把你们的右手伸到扫帚上方，”胡施夫人站在队伍前面说，“然后大声说：”
起来！‘“”起来！“大家一齐叫道。
哈利的扫帚马上就跳到他的手里了。别的同学可没他那么得心应手。荷米恩。
格兰佐的扫帚只是在地上滚了滚，尼维尔的扫帚更是动都没动。大概骑扫帚和
骑马差不多吧，你要是心里先怯了，马就会不服你骑的，扫帚也一样，哈利想。尼
维尔低声嘟着说他宁愿用脚在地上走路也不愿骑扫帚在天上飞。
胡施夫人为大家做了一次骑扫帚的示范，并且教导他们怎样才不致于坐不稳扫
帚而滑下来。做完示范后，胡施夫人让大家各自练习一次，她自己就在队伍中走来
走去，纠正他们错误的坐姿。哈利和罗恩心花怒放，因为胡施夫人大声训斥马尔夫，
说他的坐姿一点都不正确。
“现在，你们留意我的哨声。我一吹哨子，你们就用力往地面一蹬。”胡施夫
人说，“紧紧抓住你们的扫帚，试着上升几英尺高，然后向前慢慢滑行，再回到地
上来。好，注意，听我的哨声——三……”
但是尼维尔实在太紧张了，还没等胡施夫人吹哨，他的脚就不由自主地往地上
一蹬，“呼”地就飞了起来。
“你这孩子，快给我回来！”胡施夫人大叫。可是尼维尔飞得太快了，就像一
枚从香摈瓶里蹦出去的木塞子——十二英尺——二十英尺！哈利看到尼维惊恐万分，
他的脸吓得煞白，正大口大口地喘着气，哇，不好了，他好像没抓稳扫帚……滑下
来了！
砰！一声巨响，尼维尔脸朝下摔进一堆草里！他的扫帚却还在不断地往上升，
摇摇晃晃地往禁林那边飞过去，很快就消失在众人的视线里。胡施夫人弯下腰去为
尼维尔作检查，她的脸就跟尼维尔的一样白。
“手腕摔断了。”哈利听到胡施夫人低声说，“来吧，小家伙——没事的，试
着站起来。”
胡施夫人转头看着其余的同学，说：“在我送这位同学到医务室的时候，谁都
不可以擅自试飞。谁敢乱动，谁就给我滚蛋！明白吗？小家伙，来，我们走吧。”
尼维尔早已哭得稀哩哗啦了，捧着他的断了的手腕，在胡施夫人的搀扶下蹒跚
地离开了。
两人刚一走远，马尔夫就哈哈大笑起来：“你们都看到那家伙的表情了？哈哈，
真是个大笨蛋！”
史林德林的其它学生也纷纷笑了起来。
“住口，马尔夫！”帕维提帕提看不下去了。
“噢噢，为小笨蛋抱打不平的来了？”史林德林中有个叫珀茜。
帕金森的丑女孩说，“真想不到呢，帕维提你居然喜欢那个爱哭的小胖子。”
“看！”马尔夫猛地冲出队伍，在草地上捡起一件东西。“这不是那个小笨蛋
的老祖母送给他的东西吗？”
阳光下，记忆之球在他手里闪闪发光。
“把它放回原处，马尔夫！”哈利怒愤地叫嚷。每一个人都静了下来，静观事
态的发展。
马尔夫不怀好意地笑了。
“嗯，我想我应该把它藏到某个地方去，让那个小笨蛋好好地找一找——哦，
我想到了——放到树上去怎样？”
“把它放回原处！”哈利大喝道。但是马尔夫已经跨上他的扫帚并且飞了起来。
那家伙果然没有撒谎，他的飞行技术的确不错。他L 到一棵标树的最高处，向
哈利挑衅：“来呀！够胆就上来拿！波特！”
哈利一把抓起他的扫帚。
“不要去！”荷米恩大叫，“胡施夫人告诉我们谁也不要动——而巨你老是给
我们带来麻烦！”
哈利压根儿没理会她，哈利现在热血沸腾，连耳根都红了。他马上跨上他的扫
帚，用力往地上一蹬，扫帚就带着他飞到了半空里。哈利的头发都被半空中的劲风
刮乱了，他的衣服也被刮得呼呼作响——这个危险的举动反倒使哈利意识到有些东
西他完全能凭自己的力量控制好！哈利心中充满喜悦，实在太简单了！实在太神奇
了！他拉了拉扫帚头，让它飞得更高点。这时，他听到地面上的女孩子们大声尖叫
和罗恩的大声赞美。
哈利让他的扫帚飞到马尔夫的对面停下来，马尔夫看得目瞪口呆，像个白痴似
地呆在半空中。
“把那个球放回原处！”哈利大声说，“否则我会一脚把你从你的扫帚上踢下
去！”
“哦？是吗？”马尔夫勉强笑了笑，他看来似乎有点慌了。
不知怎的，哈利突然十分清楚应该怎么去控制扫帚。他双手紧紧地抓住自己的
扫帚，往上轻轻一提，扫帚就像一枚出膛的火箭炮般带着他直奔马尔夫。马尔夫差
点儿就给撞上了，幸亏他避得快。
哈利呼地在半空中来了一个漂亮的转弯，而里坐得稳稳地，一点慌乱都没有。
一些同学更在地上大声地拍起掌来。
“在这儿，你的那两个猪朋狗友克朱伯和高尔可帮不了你啦，马尔夫！”哈利
高兴地叫。
想到这一点，马尔夫也有点慌了。
“那么，希望你能接住它！哈哈！”马尔夫大叫一声，把那只玻璃球往空中一
扔就赶紧飞回地面。
哈利看得一清二楚，那只玻璃球先是往上弹，接着就往下面掉。他抓住扫帚，
调头往下直奔玻璃球而去——他这一扑的速度可真快，一秒钟之后就差不多追上那
只球了。耳边风声和大家的惊叫声混杂在一起。这时，他伸出右手——在离地还有
一英尺的地方，哈利抓住了它！而且还刚好来得及调整他的扫帚的方向！哈利紧紧
地握住记忆球，轻轻地从扫帚上跳了下来，稳稳地站在草地上。
“哈利。波特！”
哈利的心猛地往下一沉。麦康娜教授直往他们这边走过来。她走得很快，说：
“你们……你们……”
麦康娜教授气得快说不出话了，她鼻梁上的眼镜似乎都在颤抖：“……你居然
敢……这会摔断你的脖子……”
“这不是哈利的错，教授……”
“帕提，别吵！”
“可是，马尔夫他……”
“够了，威斯里，我不要再听了。波特，马上跟我走！”
临走前，哈利瞪了马尔夫一眼，他的两个跟班克来估和高尔正得意洋洋地冲他
扮鬼脸。麦康娜教授开始往城堡那边走过去，哈利机械地拖着腿跟在后边。完了，
肯定要被开除了！哈利绝望地想。
他想为自己的所作所为辨护几句，可是喉咙里好像堵住了似的，一句话也说不
出来。麦康娜教授大步流星地往前走，看都不看哈利一眼。哈利必须小跑着才能跟
上她。唉，现在自己可闯了大祸了，到这儿来学习可还不够两个星期呢！看来十分
钟之后，他就得收拾东西走人了。当达德里看到自己出现在家门前时，会怎么说他
呢？
走上前面的台阶，再走上里面的大理石楼梯，麦康娜还是一言不发。她大力地
推开每一扇门，快步穿过走廊，哈利可怜巴巴地拼命跟着。可能她要把他带到丹怕
多校长里去。哈利开始想到哈格力，他不正是被开除了的吗？现在他只能呆在禁林
边上当个狩猎场的管理员。也许自己还会被允许呆在这儿当哈格力的助手吧？想到
这个悲惨的命运，哈利的胃都翻腾起来了。到那时候，罗恩和其他同学会成为巫师，
而他，哈利。波特，只能在禁林边上扛着哈格力的大背包踟躅而行，像个小老头儿。
麦康娜教授在一间教室外停下来了，她推开门，伸了个头进去：“不好意思，
费立维克教授，打扰你一下，能不能让伍德出来一会儿？”
“木头？（英文中”伍德“与”木头“拼写与发音相同）”哈利有点摸不着头
脑。难道麦康娜教授打算用木棒来打他一顿吗？
伍德其实是一个人的名字，那是个十五岁左右的少年，身体长得相当结实。他
从费立维克教授的课室里走了出来，看他一脸迷惑，似乎也不知道麦康娜教授要做
什么。
“你们两个跟我来。”麦康娜教授说，他们一路走过走廊，伍德好奇地看了哈
利好久。
“在这儿。”
麦康娜教授领着两人走进一间教室。教室里空荡荡的，只有喧哗鬼皮维斯正忙
着在黑板上乱涂乱划。
“皮维斯，你给我出去！”麦康娜教授喝道。皮维斯用力把粉笔往粉笔盒里一
扔，骂骂咧咧地一溜烟跑了。麦康娜教授关上门，转身看着眼前两个男孩子。
“波特，这位是奥立弗。伍德。伍德——我帮你找了一位搜索员。”
伍德脸上的表情马上由迷惑转成兴奋：“你说得是真的吗，教授？”
“当然。”麦康娜教授清清楚楚地说。“这个男孩天赋异禀，我从来没见过这
样子的孩子。刚才是你第一次骑上扫帚的，对吗？波特？”
哈利点了点头。他还没弄清要发生什么呢，不过好像并不是要开除他出校。太
好了！哈利那一直只会机械地移动的腿终于有了点点知觉了。
“他在做了一个五十英尺高的俯冲之后，用他的手抓住了一件正在下落的物体。”
麦康娜教授告诉伍德。“而他自己竟能毫发不伤地落地！这种能耐，就算是查
理。
威斯里都没有。“
伍德非常高兴，好像他多年来的梦想马上就能实现了似的。他盯着哈刮，兴奋
地问：“你看过快迪斯比赛吗？”
“伍德是格林芬顿飞行队的队长。”麦康娜教授解释道。
“他简直是大生的当搜索员的材料！”伍德绕着哈利转了又转，盯着他看了又
看。“身体轻盈，反应迅速……我们得给他找个合适点的扫帚才行。教授，你说哪
一种合适点呢？‘灵光2000’型扫帚还是‘第七号清洁者’型扫帚好呢？”
“我会告知丹伯多教授并和他商量一下看能不能改一下规则，让一年级的学生
参加。上帝保佑，我们现在有一支比去年更强大的队伍了。自从上个比赛中我们被
史林德林队打败之后，我已经有好久不敢去看史纳皮那得意洋洋的脸了……”
麦康娜教授用她那眼镜后的眼睛严厉地看着哈利，说：“我希望你会努力地训
练，波特。否则的话，我就会改变我的主意，好好地惩罚你！”
接着她出人意外地笑了：“你的父亲一定会很自豪的。你知道吗？你父亲可是
一位很棒的快迪斯比赛选手。”
“你不是说笑吧？”
吃晚饭的时候，哈利把下午他跟着麦康娜教授离开草地后所发生的事一五一十
地告诉了罗恩。罗恩当时正准备把一块牛排羊肾薄饼放进嘴里，一惊之下，居然连
嘴里的薄饼都忘了嚼。
“搜索员？”他问，“可是从没有一年级生……你将会是豪斯杯选手中最年轻
的一个！有多少年没有年纪这么小的选手参赛啦？”
“……一百年吧！”哈利往嘴里塞了一块薄饼，含糊不清地说。
下午兴奋了那么久，现在他觉得非常饿。“是伍德告诉我的。”
罗恩又震惊又好奇，他呆呆地坐在那儿看着哈利，一句话都说不了。
“下一周开始，我就要参加正式的训练了。”哈利说。“对了，先别告诉别人，
伍德希望我们能保持秘密。”
弗来德和乔治走进大厅里，他们发现了哈里就走了过来。
“干得不错，小家伙！”乔治低声说。“伍德都告诉我们了。咱们现在同在一
个队啦——伙计！”
“我跟你说，我们今年非得把那快迪斯大赛的奖杯夺过来不可。”弗来德说，
“自从查理离校后，我们还没有赢过一次呢。可是今年不一样了，我们非叫他们大
吃一惊不可！哈利，你要好好干，伍德对你期望很高，他几乎是跳着告诉我们这个
的。”
“好了，我们得走了。李。乔丹认为他已经找到了一条能通向校外的秘道。”
“我敢说就是我们在第一周里找到的那条，就在那个可恶的格雷戈利雕像后面
罢了。嗯，我们走了，再见！”
弗来德和乔治前脚刚走，几个不受欢迎的人物后脚就出现了：马尔夫在克来伯
和高尔的护卫之下走了过来。
“在吃你的最后晚餐吗？波特？你准备搭什么时候的火车回你的马格人世界去？”
“刚才让你逃掉是你的幸运。怎么，带着你的猪朋狗及过来干什么？欠揍啊？”
哈利冷冷地回答。他当然不会把克来伯和高尔放在眼里，因为这大厅里老师太
多了，双方都只能冲着对方捏捏指关节和拧拧眉头而已。
“我随时乐意奉陪！”马尔夫说，“就今天晚上，怎么样？我们两人来一场巫
师之间的决斗。只许用魔法杖，不准找帮手。怎么样？我看你连什么是巫师之间的
决斗都还不知道吧？”
“他当然知道。”罗恩说，“我就是他的替补，你的替补呢？是谁？”
马尔夫看了看克来伯和高尔，心里对两人作了一番估量。
“克来伯是我的替补。”他说，“那么就约定半夜吧。我们在纪念品展览室里
见，那儿经常不上锁的。”
马尔夫走了之后，罗恩和哈利你眼看我眼。
“什么是巫师之间的决斗？” 哈利问。“还有，为什么你说你是我的替补？”
“哦，所谓替补，就是在你战死之后接替你继续战斗的人。”罗恩漫不经心地
说，拿起他那块凉了的薄饼，一口塞进嘴里。瞥了一眼哈利的表情后，罗恩很快地
又加了几句：“通常只有很特别的决斗才会死人啦！只有真正的巫师们才有这种能
力。你和马尔夫嘛，最多就互相对打一番。毕竟你们两个都还不懂什么真正能杀人
的巫术。我想，那家伙一千个希望你会出口拒绝他的挑战。”
“假如我的魔法杖帮不了我忙呢？”
“那就干脆扔掉魔法杖，对着那家伙的鼻子送他一拳尝尝！”罗恩给哈利出了
个主意。
“打扰了。”
两人抬头一看，原来是荷米恩。
“难道我们想安安静静地吃顿晚饭都不行吗？”罗恩说。
荷米恩不理他，她冲着哈利说：“刚才我听到了你和马尔夫说……”
“真希望你没有听到。”罗恩低声响咕。
“……你最好不要夜里起来在学校里走来走去。假如你被抓住的话，想想格林
芬顿将会因你而被扣掉多少分！你得为此而负责！
哼，你太自私了！“”无论怎样都不关你事！“哈利回答道。
“再见！”罗恩说。
晚上哈利在床上躺了好久都还没睡着。迪恩和谢默斯早就倒头呼呼大睡了（尼
维尔还在医务室没回来）。哈利想，今天可真是发生了好多事情哪！罗恩刚才一直
在碟蝶不休地给他出主意，比如说“如果那家伙想诅咒你的话，你可得赶快避开，
因为我可不怎么会解咒。”今天晚上他们溜出去的话十有八九会被可恶的管理员费
驰和他的诺丽丝夫人抓住。哈利觉得自己是在赌运气。难道今天还要再违反一项纪
律吗？可是马尔夫那张冷笑着的脸老在黑暗中浮现——这可也是一次能直接面对面
地打倒马尔夫的好机会。哈利实在不想错过。
“十一点半了。”罗恩凑过来说，“我们该动身了。”
他们飞快地穿上衣服，拿起魔法杖，蹑手蹑脚地走出宿舍，沿着螺旋梯往下走
一直来到公共休息室里。火炉里还有些余烬未燃尽，在微光的映射下，所有的椅子
后都拖着一道长长的黑色影子。
正当他们走到出口的那幅肖像那儿时，椅子后面忽然响起了一个声音：“哈利，
我真不敢相信你居然去做那样的事情！”
“啪”的一声，有人点着了一盏灯。是荷米恩！她穿着一件粉红色的外套，冲
着他们俩皱眉头。
“你！”罗恩气急败坏地大嚷，“快滚回你的床上去！”
“我会告诉你哥哥的！”荷米恩很生气，“看来我应该告诉班长伯希，他肯定
会阻止你们这样干的！”
哈利觉得这世界上再没有谁比荷米恩更令人心烦了。
“咱们快走！”哈利招呼罗恩。他推开肥大婶居住着的那幅画像，爬进出口。
荷米恩可不愿意这么轻易地就放过他们两个。她也爬进了出口，紧紧地跟着罗
恩不放。她一边爬，一过气呼呼地说个不停，活像一只生气的母鹅：“哼，你们究
竟有没有想过格林芬顿的声誉？
你们究竟有没有为自己着想过？我可不想让史林德林那帮家伙赢了豪斯林去。
哼哼，我上次在变形魔咒比赛里从麦康娜教授那儿好不容易拿到的加分，现在
肯定要给你们丢光了广“你别跟着我们！”
“好，我走！不过我已经警告过你们了。明天你不得不收拾东西离开学校的时
候，你们就会明白我的一片好心了！你们这些……”
但是他们现在都回不去了！荷米思爬回去推肥大婶的肖像时，发现胖大婶的那
张肖像已经变成了一片空白。那肥大婶肯定是跑到别的肖像那儿串门去了！荷米恩
现在被困在格林芬顿塔里了！
“怎么办？现在怎么办？”荷米思不禁失声尖叫起来。
“那是你的事情了。”罗恩说，“我们可要走了。你害我们差点儿迟到了。”
他们俩继续往里走，还没走到尽头，荷米恩就气喘吁吁地赶上来了。
“我要跟着你们。”她说。
“不要！”
“你以为我会傻傻地站在那里等费驰来抓我吗？我得跟着你们。
要是费驰发现了我们三个，我就告诉他我是来阻止你去干傻事的。“”你别在
这儿碍手碍脚……“罗恩大声说道。
“你们两个快别吵了！”哈利急促地说，“我好像听到了一点声音。”
那是一种沉重的鼻子呼吸声。
“诺丽丝夫人？”罗恩紧张地在黑暗中四处张望，低声说。
原来那并不是诺丽丝夫人，那个声音居然是尼维尔发出来的！
他蜷在地板的一角里，正在呼呼大睡呢！他们急忙跑过去，尼维尔这才猛地醒
过来。
“天哪！太好了，你们终于找到了我！我已经在这儿呆了好几个钟头，因为我
把回卧室的新口号给忘得一干二净了。”
“别叫得那么大声！那个新口号是‘猪鼻子’，可是现在你知道也没有什么用，
因为胖大婶不知到哪里串门去了。”
“对了，尼维尔，你的手腕怎么样了？”
“已经没事了。”尼维尔伸出手来，说，“波姆弗雷夫人不用一分钟就把我的
手腕治好了。”
“那太好了！嗯，尼维尔，我们现在得到别的地方去，你先呆在这儿，我们待
会儿再回来找你……”
“别留下我一个人！”尼维尔马上爬起来，“我不想一个人呆在这里。刚才吸
血鬼巴伦已经来过两次了。”
罗恩低头看了看手表，很不耐烦地看着荷米恩和尼维尔两人，说：“你们两个
真麻烦！要是我还记得屈拉教的定身术是怎么用的话，我一定会拿你们两个来开刀！”
荷米恩张了张嘴，似乎想告诉罗恩定身术究竟应该用在何处，但哈利示意她别
说话，然后招手叫大家继续往前走。
午夜的月光从高高的窗户外透进来，在走廊上投入斑驳的阴影。他们一行四人
小心翼翼地走着，每拐一个弯，哈利都以为费驰或诺丽丝夫人发现了他们。但是今
天晚上他们出奇的幸运，从楼梯上到三楼，一直到走进纪念品展览室，居然平安无
事。
马尔夫和克来估不在里面。陈列着纪念品的玻璃柜在月光的照耀下清晰可见，
柜里的奖杯、盾形徽章、镀金器皿和所有的铸像都在黑暗中闪闪发光。他们一个个
侧身溜进门，警觉地打量着室内的每一个角落。哈利拔出了他的魔法杖，以防马尔
夫突然跳进来动手。然而，时间一秒一秒地流逝，马尔夫和克来伯还是没有出现。
“他迟到！那家伙肯定是个胆小鬼。”罗恩低声说。
隔壁房间突然传来声响，大家吓得差点跳起来。哈利刚想举起他手中的魔法杖，
这时有人说话了——这不是马尔夫的声音。
“小乖乖，给我好好地嗅嗅，他们可能正藏在某个角落里呢。”
是费驰在和他的猫诺丽丝夫人在说话！天哪！哈利惊恐万分，拼命挥动魔法杖
示意另外三人马上跟他走。于是，大家蹑手蹑脚地向门那边跑去。当他们听到费驰
走进纪念品展览室时，尼维尔慌得手忙脚乱，他的长袍几乎把他缠住了。
“他们肯定在这里边，”大家听到费驰在自言自语，“肯定藏在某处。”
“走这边！”哈利小声说。其余三人早就吓得僵掉了。他们哆味着从那条摆满
鱼鳞盔甲的走廊爬过去。他们可以感觉到费驰就在这附近。突然，尼维尔短促他尖
叫了一声——他滑了一下，随即又拉住旁边罗恩的足踝，结果两个人浪在一起，把
一件鱼鳞盔甲组推倒了，发出“砰”地一声！
这声巨响足以使整座城堡的人都醒过来！
“快跑！”哈利大叫。四个人撒腿就跑，谁也不敢回头看看费驰是不是已经追
上来了。他们绕过一道门框，飞快地跑过一道又一道走廊。哈利跑在最前面，他根
本就没有时间去想他们跑到了哪里和他们将会跑到哪里去。最后他们钻进一大幅帷
幕，跟人一条秘道。
秘道的尽头就是他们平时上咒语课的教室。这间教室离纪念品展览室不远，看
来他们又跑回了原地。
“我想，我们已经摆脱了费驰。”哈利靠在冰冷的墙上，一边擦着前额的汗，
一边气喘吁吁地说。尼维尔一屁股坐了下来，大口大口地喘气。
“我……早已……警告过……你……”荷米恩用力地抓着胸前的衣服，喘着说。
“……早……警告过你……”
“现在我们回到了原处，”罗恩说，“赶快回去吧。”
“马尔夫是在捉弄你，”荷米恩对哈利说，“你应该明白这一点的，对不对？
他从来就没打算过要和你决斗——费驰怎么会知道有人躲在纪念品展览室里？
肯定是马尔夫向他告密的！“
哈利心里面认为荷米恩说得对，不过他并不准备告诉她。
“咱们走吧。”
要回去可也不容易。四人才走了几步，教室的门把手“噔”地动了一下，有个
人“呼”他从教室里蹦了出来。
是喧哗鬼皮维斯！他冲着四人吱吱地笑，高兴得手舞足蹈。
“别吵，皮维斯……求求你……你这样做会使我们被费驰发现的！”
皮维斯咯咯地笑：“半夜里出来散步吗？小家伙们？啧啧啧，真淘气，被费驰
抓住的话可不得了哇！”
“所以请你不要告诉他，皮维斯，求你啦！”
“嗯，我必须把这件事告诉费驰，”皮维斯故作严肃地说，他的眼睛不怀好意
地眨了眨。“这是为了你们好啊，你们要明白我的苦心。”
“快滚开！”罗恩实在不耐烦了，冲着皮维斯大嚷——他这举动可闻了个大祸。
“有学生半夜跑出来啦！”皮维斯大声高呼，“有学生半夜跑出来了！就在咒
语学习室旁边哪！”
大家一听都急了，连忙弯腰从皮维斯的下边跑了过去，慌乱之中，他们跑进了
走廊尽头右边的一扇门里。哈利随手一关，“砰！”
的一声——门锁上了。
“唉呀！”罗恩悲哀地叹息道。无论他们用什么办法也打不开那扇门，罗恩终
于绝望了：“这下我们可完了！自己走进了一条死胡同！”
费驰的脚步声越来越近了，他跑得可真快，皮维斯话音刚落，他就跑上来了。
“嘿，你们都让开！”荷米恩也急了，她一把夺过哈利手上的魔法杖，轻轻地
叩着门锁，低声说：“阿落洪摩拉！”
“啪！”锁开了，门轻轻地动了一下——他们赶紧冲去把它关上。然后大家紧
张地把耳朵贴近门边，静听事态发展。
“皮维斯，他们往哪个方向跑了？”费驰问皮维斯，“快点告诉我！”
“要说‘请’字！”
“别捣乱了，皮维斯！现在我再问一次，他们跑到哪里去了？”
“如果你不用‘请’字的话，我什么都不会告诉你。”皮维斯怪里怪气地说。
“好吧——请。”
“就不告诉你！哈哈哈！我早就跟你说了，你不用‘请’字的话，我什么都不
会告诉你！哈哈！哈哈哈！”四人听到皮维斯飞快地逃跑了，费驰骂骂咧咧地也走
了。
“他以为这门是上了锁的。”哈利低声说。“我想我们现在没事了。走吧，尼
维尔！”原来尼维尔害怕得躲进了哈利长袍的后摆。
正在发抖呢。“你干什么呀！”
哈利转过身来——这回他看到了，很清楚地看到了那个东西。
有好一阵子，哈利都不能回过神来，他以为自己正在发恶梦。这是今天晚上他
们遇到的最可怕的事情。
他们不是跑进了房间里，哈利明白过来了。他们跑进了一条走廊。三楼那条禁
止进入的走廊！现在他们终于明白为什么这条走廊要严禁进入了。
在他们的前面站着一只巨大的狗！它站在那里，它的巨头一直顶到天花板！那
只狗有三只头颅；三双圆滚滚凶恶的大眼；三只鼻子，每一只鼻子都冲着他们的方
向喷着气；三张流着口水的大嘴，每一张大嘴里都长着可怕的淡黄色犬牙。
它静静地站着，六只眼睛一动不动地盯着他们四人。哈利想，他们之所以现在
还没被那只可怕的狗撕成碎片，只因为他们突然跑进来吓了它一跳。不过它肯定很
快就会恢复过来，到时候他们就全都逃不了啦。
哈利偷偷地摸索着门把手——在费驰和死亡之中，他情愿选择费驰。
他们一齐跌出门外！哈利使劲把门一关，大家爬起来就跑！他们跑得几乎像飞
的一样快，一下子就跑出了走廊。费驰可能到别的地方去找他们了，因为他们一路
上都没有碰上他。可是谁都没有空去担心他——现在他们只想跑得离那头怪物越远
越好。他们一直跑上七楼看见肥大婶的画像才停下来。
“你们跑到哪里去了？”看到他们跑得满脸红通通的，全身都被汗浸透了，连
长袍也扯到了肩膀外，肥大婶觉得十分奇怪。
“没什么……猪鼻子！猪鼻子！”哈利气喘吁吁地说出口号。画像移动了，他
们又爬回公共休息室。一进去，每个人都像一滩烂泥似的倒在椅子上。
一直过了好久，他们才有勇气讲话。而尼维尔，可怜的，看来他快吓得再也不
会说话了。
“你们说，他们把一头那么可怕的怪物关在学校里，究竟想干什么？”罗恩第
一个发问。
荷米恩现在缓过气来了，她的坏脾气也回来了：“你们这些家伙，眼睛都长来
了干什么啦？你们没有看见它脚底下有什么东西吗？”
“你是说地板吗？”哈利很不解，“我没有留意它的脚下，我只顾着它的头。”
“不，我不是指地板。它站在一块活板门上面。很明显，它在看守着一些东西。”
荷米恩站起来，向他们瞪了一眼。
“我希望你们会吸取教训。今天晚上我们差点儿丢了性命——或者，全得被开
除。好了，我回去睡觉了。”
罗恩看着她走开，张嘴说：“快点走吧。都是她拖累了我们，哈利你说对不对？”
哈利回到床上时，他还在想着荷米恩的话。那只狗是在看守着一些东西……哈
格力曾经说过什么？他说世界上最保险的保险库在格林高斯银行——除霍格瓦彻学
校外。
看来哈利已经找到了那个从713 号地下金库取出的脏兮兮的小包和那七百一十
三块钱的所在了。
