feeling that this wasn’t going to be as easy as they had hoped.

201

The?

labyrinthine

?passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left.

labyrinthine /?l?b?'r?nθa?n/ adj.?迷宮(似)的

202

After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead.

203

‘Ha!’ said Ron excitedly. ‘There’s one of them now!’

204

The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn’t a Slytherin, it was Percy.

205

‘What’re you doing down here?’ said Ron in surprise.

206

Percy looked?

affronted

.

affronted /?'fr?nt/ adj.?被冒犯的

207

‘That,’ he said stiffly, ‘is none of your business. It’s Crabbe, isn’t it?’

208

‘Wh– oh, yeah,’ said Ron.

209

‘Well, get off to your dormitories,’ said Percy sternly. ‘It’s not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days.’

210

‘You are,’ Ron?

pointed out

.

point out?指出

211

‘I,’ said Percy, drawing himself up, ‘a(chǎn)m a Prefect. Nothing’s about to attack me.’

212

A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was?

strolling

?towards them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him.

stroll /str??l/ vi.?閑逛

213

‘There you are,’ he drawled, looking at them. ‘Have you two been?

pigging

?out in the Great Hall all this time? I’ve been looking for you, I want to show you something really funny.’

pig /p?g/ v. <非正式>狼吞虎咽

214

Malfoy glanced?

witheringly

?at Percy.

withering /'w?e?r??/ adj.?尖刻的

215

‘And what’re you doing down here, Weasley?’ he sneered.

216

Percy looked?

outraged

.

outraged /'autreid?id/ adj.?義憤填膺的

217

‘You want to show a bit more respect to a school Prefect!’ he said. ‘I don’t like your attitude!’

218

Malfoy sneered and?

motioned

?Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but?

caught himself

?just in time.

motion /?m???n/ vt.?向…打手勢

catch oneself?發(fā)覺自己講錯而突然住嘴

219

He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, ‘That Peter Weasley –’

220

‘Percy,’ Ron corrected him automatically.

221

‘Whatever,’ said Malfoy. ‘I’ve noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he’s up to. He thinks he’s going to catch Slytherin’s heir?

single-handed

.’

single-handed /'si?ɡl'h?ndid/ adj.?單獨一人的

222

He gave a short,?

derisive

?laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks.

derisive /d?'ra?s?v/ adj.?嘲笑的

223

Malfoy paused by a?

stretch

?of?

bare

, damp stone wall.

stretch /stret?/ n.?（土地或水域的）一片

bare /be?(r)/ adj.?無遮蓋的

224

‘What’s the new password again?’ he said to Harry.

225

‘Er –’ said Harry.

226

‘Oh yeah – pure-blood!’ said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door?

concealed

?in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it and Harry and Ron followed him.

conceal /k?n?si?l/ v.?隱藏

227

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with?

rough

?stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains.

rough /r?f/ adj.?粗糙的

228

A fire was crackling under an?

elaborately

?carved?

mantelpiece

?ahead of them, and several Slytherins were?

silhouetted

?around it in?

carved

?chairs.

elaborately /i'l?b?r?tli/ adv.?精巧地

mantelpiece /'m?nt(?)lpi?s/ n.?壁爐臺

silhouette /?s?l?'et/ v.?使現(xiàn)出影像（或輪廓）

carved /ka:vd/ adj.?有雕刻的

229

‘Wait here,’ said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. ‘I’ll go and get it – my father’s just sent it to me –’

230

Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Ron sat down, doing their best to?

look at home

.

look at home?自在的

231

Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper cutting. He?

thrust

?it under Ron’s nose.

thrust /θr?st/ vt. & vi.?猛塞

232

‘That’ll give you a laugh,’ he said.

233

Harry saw Ron’s eyes?

widen

?in shock. He read the cutting quickly, gave a very?

forced

?laugh and handed it to Harry.

widen /?wa?dn/ v.?（尤因驚訝或恐懼而眼睛）睜大

forced /f??st/ adj.?勉強的

234

It had been clipped out of the Daily Prophet, and it said:

235

ENQUIRY

?AT THE?

MINISTRY

?OF MAGIC

enquiry /?n?kwa??ri/ n.?官方調(diào)查

ministry /?m?n?stri/ n.?（政府的）部門

236

Arthur Weasley, Head of the?

Misuse

?of Muggle?

Artefacts

?Office, was today?

fined

?fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car.

misuse /m?s'ju?z/ n.?濫用

artefact /'ɑ?t?f?kt/ n.?人工制品

fine /fa?n/ vt.?處…以罰金

237

Mr Lucius Malfoy, a?

governor

?of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year,?

called

?today for Mr Weasley’s?

resignation

.

governor /?ɡ?v?n?(r)/ n.?董事

call /k??l/ v.?呼喚

resignation /?rez?ɡ?ne??n/ n.?辭職

238

‘Weasley has brought the Ministry into?

disrepute

,’ Mr Malfoy told our reporter. ‘He is clearly unfit to?

draw up

?our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be?

scrapped

?immediately.’

disrepute /?d?sr?'pju?t/ n.?壞名聲

draw up?擬定

scrap /skr?p/ v.?廢除

239

Mr Weasley was?

unavailable

?for?

comment

, although his wife told reporters to?

clear off

?or she’d set the family ghoul on them.

unavailable /?n?'ve?l?b(?)l/ adj.?不能(或不愿)交談

comment /?k?ment/ n.?評論

clear off?走開

240

‘Well?’ said Malfoy impatiently, as Harry handed the cutting back to him. ‘Don’t you think it’s funny?’

241

‘Ha, ha,’ said Harry?

bleakly

.

bleakly /?bli:kl?/ adv.?陰郁地

242

‘Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them,’ said Malfoy?

scornfully

. ‘You’d never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave.’

scornfully /'sk?:nf?li/ adv.?輕蔑地

243

Ron’s – or rather, Crabbe’s – face was?

contorted

?with?

fury

.

contort /k?n?t??t/ vt. & vi.?扭曲

fury /?fj??ri/ n.?狂怒

244

‘What’s up with you, Crabbe?’ snapped Malfoy.

245

‘Stomach ache,’ Ron?

grunted

.

grunt /gr?nt/ v.?嘟噥著說

246

‘Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me,’ said Malfoy,?

snickering

.

snicker /?sn?k?(r)/ v.?竊笑

247

‘You know, I’m surprised the Daily Prophet hasn’t reported all these attacks yet,’ he went on?

thoughtfully

.

thoughtfully /'θ?:tf?l/ adv.?若有所思地

248

‘I suppose Dumbledore’s trying to?

hush it all up

. He’ll be?

sacked

?if it doesn’t stop soon. Father’s always said Dumbledore’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to this place.

hush up?掩蓋

sack /s?k/ v. <非正式>解雇

249

He loves Muggle-borns. A decent Headmaster would never’ve let?

slime

?like that Creevey in.’

slime /sla?m/ n.?爛泥

250

Malfoy started taking pictures with an?

imaginary

?camera and did a?

cruel

?but?

accurate

?impression of Colin:

imaginary /??m?d??n?ri/ adj.?假想的

cruel /?kru??l/ adj.?殘忍的

accurate /??kj?r?t/ adj.?精確的

251

‘Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your?

autograph

? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?’

autograph /???t?ɡrɑ?f/ n.?親筆簽名

252

He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron. ‘What’s the matter with you two?’

253

Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always?

slow

?on the?

uptake

.

slow /sl??/ adj.?遲鈍的

uptake /'?pte?k/ n. <非正>(尤指對新事物的)理解力

254

‘

Saint

?Potter, the Mudbloods’ friend,’ said Malfoy slowly.

saint /se?nt/ n.?圣人

255

‘He’s another one with no?

proper

?wizard feeling, or he wouldn’t go around with that?

jumped-up

?Granger Mudblood. And people think he’s Slytherin’s heir!’

proper /?pr?p?(r)/ adj.?合乎體統(tǒng)地

jumped-up /'d??mpt?p/ adj.?自視甚高的

256

Harry and Ron waited with?

bated

?breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him. But then –

bate /be?t/ vt.?屏息

257

‘I wish I knew who it is,’ said Malfoy?

petulantly

. ‘I could help them.’

petulant /?petjul?nt/ adj.?暴躁的

258

Ron’s jaw dropped so that Crabbe’s face looked even more?

gormless

?than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy didn’t notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, ‘You must have some?

idea

?who’s behind it all …’

gormless /'g??ml?s/ adj.?笨頭笨腦的

idea /a?'d??/ n.?了解

259

‘You know I haven’t, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?’ snapped Malfoy.

260

‘And father won’t tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened, either.

261

Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept?

quiet

?and it’ll look suspicious if I know too much about it.

quiet /'kwa??t/ adj.?秘密的

262

But I know one thing: last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it’s only a matter of time before one of them’s killed this time … I hope it’s Granger,’ he said with?

relish

.

relish /?rel??/ n.?享受

263

Ron was?

clenching

?Crabbe’s gigantic fists.

clench /klent?/ vt.?緊握

264

Feeling that it would be a bit of a?

give-away

?if Ron punched Malfoy, Harry shot him a warning look and said, ‘D’you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?’

giveaway /'ɡ?v?we?/ n.?泄漏

265

‘Oh, yeah … whoever it was was expelled,’ said Malfoy. ‘They’re probably still in Azkaban.’

266

‘Azkaban?’ said Harry, puzzled.

267

‘Azkaban – the wizard prison, Goyle,’ said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief. ‘Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backwards.’

268

He shifted?

restlessly

?in his chair and said,

restlessly /'restlisli/ adv.?不安地

269

‘Father says to?

keep my head down

?and let the heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs?

ridding

?of all the Mudblood?

filth

, but not to get mixed up in it.

keep head down?保持低調(diào)

rid /r?d/ vt.?從…中清除

filth /f?lθ/ n.?污物

270

Of course, he’s got a lot?

on his plate

?at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic?

raided

?our Manor last week?’

raid /re?d/ v.?突然搜查

271

Harry tried to force Goyle’s dull face into a look of concern.

272

‘Yeah …’ said Malfoy. ‘Luckily, they didn’t find much. Father’s got some very valuable Dark arts stuff. But luckily, we’ve got our own secret chamber under the?

drawing-room

?floor –’

drawing-room?客廳

273

‘Ho!’ said Ron.

274

Malfoy looked at him. So did Harry. Ron blushed. Even his hair was turning red. His nose was also slowly?

lengthening

?– their hour was?

up

.

lengthen /?le?θ?n/ vi.?變長

up /?p/ adj. (時間)到點的

275

Ron was turning back into himself, and from the look of horror he was suddenly giving Harry, he must be, too. They both jumped to their feet.

276

‘

Medicine

?for my stomach,’ Ron grunted,

medicine /'meds(?)n/ vt.?給…用藥

277

and without further?

ado

?they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room,?

hurled

?themselves at the stone wall and dashed up the passage,?

hoping against hope

?that Malfoy hadn’t noticed anything.

ado /?'du?/ n.?無謂的忙亂

hurl /h??l/ vt.?用力投擲

hope against hope?抱一線希望

278

Harry could feel his feet slipping around in Goyle’s huge shoes and had to?

hoist

?up his robes as he shrank;

hoist /h??st/ vt.?吊起

279

they?

crashed

?up the steps into the dark Entrance Hall, which was full of a?

muffled

?pounding coming from the cupboard where they’d locked Crabbe and Goyle.

crash /kr??/ vi.?闖

muffled /'m?fld/ adj.?蒙住的

280

Leaving their shoes outside the cupboard door, they sprinted in their socks up the marble staircase towards Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.

281

‘Well, it wasn’t a complete waste of time,’ Ron panted, closing the bathroom door behind them.

282

‘I know we still haven’t found out who’s doing the attacks, but I’m going to write to Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoys’ drawing room.’

283

Harry checked his face in the cracked mirror. He was back to normal. He put his glasses on as Ron hammered on the door of Hermione’s cubicle.

284

‘Hermione, come out, we’ve got loads to tell you –’

285

‘Go away!’ Hermione squeaked.

286

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

287

‘What’s the matter?’ said Ron. ‘You must be back to normal by now, we are …’

288

But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the cubicle door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy.

289

‘Ooooooh, wait till you see,’ she said. ‘It’s awful!’

290

They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.

291

‘What’s up?’ said Ron uncertainly. ‘Have you still got Millicent’s nose or something?’

292

Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink.

293

Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had gone yellow and there were long pointed ears poking through her hair.

294

‘It was a c-cat hair!’ she howled. ‘M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the P-Potion isn’t supposed to be used for animal transformations!’

295

‘Uh oh,’ said Ron.

296

‘You’ll be?

teased

?something?

dreadful

,’ said Myrtle happily.

tease /ti?z/ vt. & vi.?取笑

dreadful /?dredfl/ adj.?令人不快的

297

‘It’s OK, Hermione,’ said Harry quickly. ‘We’ll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions …’

298

It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a?

heartyguffaw

.

hearty /'hɑ?t?/ adj.?強烈的

guffaw /ɡ??f??/ n.?狂笑

299

‘Wait till everyone finds out you’ve got a tail!’

300