第6章 從9?站臺開始的旅程6294words 第二部分1034words

Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector』s stand between platforms nine and ten.

一定是海格忘記告訴他什麼祕訣了,諸如敲左邊第三塊磚就可以到達對角巷之類的。他在想要不要拿出魔杖來敲第9和第10站臺之間的檢票口。

inspector /?nsp?kt?/ n. 檢查員

At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.

「— packed with Muggles, of course —」

正在這時,一羣人從他背後經過,一兩句話飄進了他的耳朵裏。

「——當然擠滿了麻瓜們」

packed with 擠滿了

Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry』s in front of him — and they had an owl.

哈利連忙轉身,只見說話的是一個矮矮胖胖的女人,正在跟四個紅頭髮的男孩說話。他們每人都推著像哈利那樣的皮箱—他們也有一隻貓頭鷹。

plump [pl?mp] 圓胖的
flaming adj.橘紅色的；火紅的

Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.

「Now, what』s the platform number?」 said the boys』 mother.

哈利的心怦怦直跳,連忙推著車緊跟著他們。他們停下來,他也跟著停在離他們不遠的地方,以便能聽見他們說話。

「好了,是幾號站臺?」孩子們的母親問。

「Nine and three-quarters!」 piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, 「Mom, can』t I go …」

「You』re not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first.」

「9?!」一個紅頭髮的小姑娘牽著媽媽的手,尖著嗓子大聲說,「媽媽,我能去嗎……?」

「你還太小,金妮,現在,別說話了。珀西,你走在最前頭。」

What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.

纔看上去年齡最大的那個男孩朝第9和第10站臺中間走去。哈利目不轉睛地盯著他,連眼也不敢眨,生怕漏掉了什麼一但正當那孩子走第9和第10站臺分界的地方時,一大羣旅客突然擁到哈利前面,等最後一隻大帆布揹包挪開時,那孩子竟然不見了。

What looked like the oldest boy 看上去年齡最大的那個男孩
in case 萬一；假使
barrier /b?r??/ n. 障礙物，屏障；界線
swarming v. （昆蟲）成羣地飛；成羣移動，蜂擁
backpack 揹包，背囊

「Fred, you next,」 the plump woman said.

「I』m not Fred, I』m George,」 said the boy. 「Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can』t you tell I』m George?」

「Sorry, George, dear.」

「弗雷德,該你了。」胖女人說。

「我不是弗雷德,我是喬治。」一個男孩說,「說實在的,您說您是我們的母親,可為什麼您認不出我是喬治呢?」

「對不起,喬治,親愛的。」

「Only joking, I am Fred,」 said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone — but how had he done it?

「開個玩笑,我是弗雷德。」這孩子說完就朝前走了。他的孿生兄弟在背後催他快點。他想必聽了兄弟的話,因為他一轉眼就不見了一可他是怎麼做的呢?

Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier — he was almost there — and then, quite suddenly, he wasn』t anywhere.

There was nothing else for it.

「Excuse me,」 Harry said to the plump woman.

這時第三個兄弟邁著輕快的步子朝隔牆走去——他剛要走到——突然,也不見了。

沒有別的辦法。

「對不起。」哈利對胖女人說。

briskly 迅速地；活潑地

「Hello, dear,」 she said. 「First time at Hogwarts? Ron』s new, too.」

She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

「喂,親愛的,」她說,「頭一回上霍格沃茨吧?羅恩也是新生。」

她指著最後、也是她最小的兒子說。這孩子又瘦又高,顯得笨手笨腳,滿臉雀斑,大手、大腳、長鼻子。

gangling[g??gl??] 動作笨拙難看的

「Yes,」 said Harry. 「The thing is — the thing is, I don』t know how to —」

「How to get onto the platform?」 she said kindly, and Harry nodded.

「是的,」哈利說,「問題是——問題是我不知道該怎麼去

「該怎麼去站臺是嗎?」她善解人意地說,哈利點點頭。

「Not to worry,」 she said. 「All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don』t stop and don』t be scared you』ll crash into it, that』s very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you』re nervous. Go on, go now before Ron.」

「Er — okay,」 said Harry.

「別擔心,」她說,「你只要照直朝第9和第10站臺之間的隔牆走就是了。別停下來,別害怕,照直往裡沖,這很重要。你要是心裡緊張,就一溜小跑。走吧,你先走,羅恩跟著你。

「哦——好吧。」哈利說。

He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.

他把小車掉過頭來,眼睛拚命盯著隔牆,它看起來還很結實呢。

trolley[tr?l?] 手推車

He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he』d be in trouble — leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — he wouldn』t be able to stop — the cart was out of control — he was a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash —

It didn』t come … he kept on running … he opened his eyes.

他開始向隔牆走去,一路上被擁向第9和第10站臺的旅客推來搡去。哈利加快腳步。他肯定會直接撞上隔牆,那樣可就麻煩了—他彎腰趴在手推車上,向前猛衝—眼看隔牆越來越近—僅一步之遙—他已無法停步手推車也失去了控制他閉著眼睛準備撞上去但什麼事也沒有發生…他繼續朝前跑著…他睜開了眼睛。

jostle /d?ɑsl/ vt. 推擠，撞；爭奪

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o』clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.

一輛深紅色蒸汽機車停靠在擠滿旅客的站臺旁。列車上掛的標牌寫著:霍格沃茨特快列車,十一點。哈利回頭一看,原來是隔牆的地方現在竟成了一條鍛鐵拱道,上邊寫著:9?站臺。他成功了。

scarlet /skɑrl?t/ adj. 深紅的
wrought [r??t] 鍛造的
wrought-iron 熟鐵的，鑄鐵的
archway n. /ɑrt?we/ 拱門；拱道

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

蒸汽機車的濃煙在嘰嘰喳喳的人羣上空繚繞,各種花色的貓在人們腳下穿來穿去。在人羣嗡嗡的說話聲和拖拉笨重行李的嘈雜聲中,貓頭鷹也刺耳地鳴叫著,你呼我應。

drifted 漂泊，漂動
hoot 鳴響,作貓頭鷹叫聲
disgruntled[d?sgr?nt(?)ld] 不滿的；不高興的
babble 含糊不清的話
scraping [skre?p??] 刮擦聲

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, 「Gran, I』ve lost my toad again.」

頭幾節車廂已經擠滿了學生,他們有的從車窗探出身來和家人說話，有的在座位上打鬧。哈利在站臺上推著小車朝前走,準備找一個空位子。他走過時,一個圓臉男孩說:「奶奶,我又把蟾蜍弄丟了。」

carriage 鐵路車廂

「Oh, Neville,」 he heard the old woman sigh.

A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.

「Give us a look, Lee, go on.」

The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.

「唉,納威呀。」他聽見一個老太婆嘆氣說。

一個留著駭人長發綹的男孩被一些孩子圍著。

「讓咱們也見識見識,李,快點。」

那個孩子把抱著的盒子打開,裡邊露出一隻毛茸茸的長腿,嚇得周圍的孩子們嘰哇亂叫,直往後退。

dreadlocks[dredl?ks] n. 長發綹；細髮辮；臟辮
shriek v. 尖叫；尖聲說

Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.

哈利從人羣中擠過去,在靠近車尾處找到了一個沒人的包廂。他先把海德薇放上去,然後連拖帶拉地把皮箱朝車門口搬。他想把皮箱搬上踏板,可是根本抬不起來。他試了兩次,箱子都重重地砸在他的腳上

shove[??v] 推
heave 舉起

「Want a hand?」 It was one of the red-haired twins he』d followed through the barrier.

「Yes, please,」 Harry panted.

「Oy, Fred! C』mere and help!」

With the twins』 help, Harry』s trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.

「Thanks,」 said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

「要幫忙嗎?」說話的正是他在檢票口碰到的那對紅頭髮李生兄弟中的一個。

「是的,勞駕搭把手吧。」哈利氣喘吁吁地說。

「喂,弗雷德,快過來幫忙!」

有孿生兄弟幫忙,哈利總算把箱子推到了包廂角落裡。

「多謝了。」哈利說,一邊把汗濕的頭髮從眼前掠開。

panted 氣喘吁吁
sweaty 出汗的

「What』s that?」 said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry』s lightning scar.

「Blimey,」 said the other twin. 「Are you — ?」

「He is,」 said the first twin. 「Aren』t you?」 he added to Harry.

「What?」 said Harry.

「Harry Potter,」 chorused the twins.

那是什麼?」孿生兄弟中的一個突然指著哈利那道閃電形傷疤

哎呀,我的天哪,」孿生兄弟中的另一個說,「莫非你是—?」

「他是……」孿生兄弟中第一個說話的說,「你是不是?」他又問哈利。

「是什麼?」哈利問。

「哈利·波特。」孿生兄弟異口同聲地說。

chorused[k??r?s] 合唱；異口同聲地說

「Oh, him,」 said Harry. 「I mean, yes, I am.」

The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train』s open door.

「Fred? George? Are you there?」

「Coming, Mom.」

With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.

「哦,他呀。」哈利說,「我是說,不錯,我就是。」

兄弟倆獃獃地盯著他看,哈利覺得臉都紅了。這時從開著的車門口傳來一陣喊聲,使哈利如釋重負。

「弗雷德?喬治?你們在車上嗎?」

「就來了,媽媽。」

孿生兄弟最後看了一眼哈利,就跳下車去了。

gawked[g??k] 獃獃地看著

Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.

哈利靠窗口坐下,半遮半掩。他能看到站臺上紅頭髮的一家人,也能聽見他們在說些什麼,孩子們的母親正掏出一塊手帕。

「Ron, you』ve got something on your nose.」

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.

「羅恩,你鼻子上有髒東西。」最小的一個正要躲閃,卻被母親一把抓住,替他擦了擦鼻子尖。

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