2 Dobby’s Warning

CHAPTER TWO DOBBY'S WARNING Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning.

第二章多比的警告哈利忍住没叫出声来，但好险啊。 床上的那个小东西长着蝙蝠一样的大耳朵和网球那么大的绿眼睛。 哈利立刻明白了，这就是那天早上在花园树篱外注视着他的东西。

As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes. "Er hello," said Harry nervously. "Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high- pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir Such an honor it is...." "Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?"

他们面面相觑的时候，哈利听见门厅里传来达力的声音。 “梅森先生和夫人，我可以帮你们拿外套吗？”那家伙从床上滑了下来，深深鞠了一躬，长而细的鼻尖都碰到了地毯。 哈利注意到它穿着一个像旧枕套一样的东西，胳膊和腿上都有破洞。 “嗯，你好。”哈利紧张地说。 “哈利·波特！”那家伙用一种哈利肯定会带着走下楼梯的尖利声音说。 “多比一直想见您，先生，真是荣幸....” “——谢谢你。”哈利说着，侧身靠着墙边，坐到他的办公椅上，旁边是海德薇，她在大笼子里睡着了。 他想问：“你是什么人？”但又觉得这听起来太粗鲁了，所以他就问：“你是谁？”

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature. "Oh really?" said Harry. "Er I don't want to be rude or anything, but this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom." Aunt Petunia's high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head. "Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?" "Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir it is difficult, sir Dobby wonders where to begin...." "Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed. To his horror, the elf burst into tears very noisy tears. "S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never never ever..."

“多比，先生，就叫多比。家养小精灵多比。”那家伙说。 “哦，真的吗？”哈利问。“呃，我不想失礼，但现在我的卧室里不适合有家养小精灵。” 客厅里传来佩妮姨妈做作的大笑。 小精灵低下了头。“不是我不高兴见到你，”哈利赶紧说，“可是，呃，你来这儿有什么特别的原因吗？”“哦，是的，先生。”多比认真地说。 “多比是来告诉你的，先生这很难，多比先生不知从何说起....” “坐下。”哈利指着床，礼貌地说。 令他惊恐的是，小精灵突然哭了起来，哭得很大声。 “坐下！”“永远永远永远……”

Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything—" "Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard like an equal—" Harry, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration. "You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up. Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

哈利好像听到楼下的声音在颤抖。 “对不起，”他小声说，“我不是有意要冒犯你什么的——”“冒犯多比！” “巫师从来没有平等地请多比坐下——”哈利一边努力说一声“嘘”，一边显出安慰的样子，把多比领回到床上，多比坐在那里打嗝，看上去像一个又大又丑的洋娃娃。 最后，他终于控制住了自己，坐了下来，两只大眼睛盯着哈利，脸上带着湿润的爱慕之情。 “你不可能遇到很多正派的巫师。”哈利说，试图使他高兴起来。 多比摇了摇头。然后，毫无征兆地，他跳了起来，开始用头猛烈地撞击窗户，喊道：“坏多比！坏多比!”

"Don't what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage. "Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir...." "Your family?" "The wizard family Dobby serves, sir. Dobby is a house-elf bound to serve one house and one family forever...." "Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously. Dobby shuddered. "Oh, no, sir, no Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir—"

“别这样，你在干什么？”哈利嘶嘶地说，跳起来把多比拉回床上。海德薇被一声特别响的尖叫惊醒了，正疯狂地用翅膀拍打着笼子的栏杆。 “多比必须惩罚自己，先生。”小精灵说，眼睛有点斗鸡眼了。 “多比差点说他家人的坏话，先生....” “你的家人?”“多比服侍的那个巫师家族，先生。 多比是家养小精灵，必须永远为一所房子、一个家庭服务....” “他们知道你在这里吗？”哈利好奇地问。 多比战栗。“哦，不，先生，不，多比会因为来看你而受到最严厉的惩罚的，先生。 多比得把耳朵堵在烤箱门里了。 如果他们知道的话，先生——”

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?" "Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments...." "But why don't you leave? Escape?" "A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir...." Harry stared. "And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?" Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude. "Please," Harry whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here—"

“但是如果你把耳朵关在烤箱门里，他们不会注意到吗？”“多比对此表示怀疑，先生。 多比总是要为一些事惩罚自己，先生。 他们让多比继续做，先生。 有时他们会提醒我额外的惩罚....” “但是你为什么不离开呢？”逃跑吗?”“家养小精灵必须被释放，先生。 这家人永远不会放多比自由的，多比会一直为这家人服务到死，先生....” 哈利盯着。他说：“我以为我在这里再待四个星期就受不了了。” 这使德思礼一家听起来几乎像人。 没人能帮你吗？我不能吗?”哈利几乎立刻后悔自己没有说话。 多比又沉浸在感激的哀号中。 “求你了，”哈利疯狂地小声说，“请安静。 如果德思礼一家听到什么风声，如果他们知道你在这里——”