The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudleyhad already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked downold Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley’s gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis,Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley’s favorite sport: Harry Hunting.
巴西红尾蚺的逃脱使哈利获得了他有史以来最长的惩罚。等他被再次允许从他的橱柜里出来，已经到暑假了，达利也已经弄坏了他新的视频播放器，摔坏了他的遥控飞机，并且在他第一次骑出他的竞赛自行车的时候，就撞到了拄着拐杖正在穿过女贞路的费格太太。哈利很开心学校放假了，但是还没有逃脱达利的同伙，他们每天都来他家。皮尔斯、丹尼斯、麦科姆还有戈登，他们都又壮又蠢，但是达利是他们中最壮最蠢的，他是头头。他们其他人都很开心能够加入达利最爱的运动，那就是揍哈利。
This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray （光线）of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn’t be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon’s old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny. “They stuff people’s heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall,” he told Harry. “Want to come upstairs and practice?” “No, thanks,” said Harry. “The poor toilet’s never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick.” Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he’d said.
这就是为什么哈利尽可能多的时间都呆在外面，在外面他才能看到一点希望，到处乱逛并且期盼着假期的结束。当九月来临的时候他将会去上初中，并且在他生命中第一次，他不会和达利一起。达利被弗农姨父的母校——私立学校斯梅廷录取了。皮尔斯·波尔基斯也要去那里。另一方面，哈利将要去石墙高中，一所当地的公立学校。大力觉得这非常有意思。“在石墙高中第一天他们会把人们的脑袋塞进马桶里”，他告诉哈利，“想要上楼练习一下吗？”“不，谢谢”哈利说。“可怜的马桶从来没有什么比把你的头塞进去更糟了——这样他会生病”，然后他跑开了，在达利弄明白他说了什么之前。
One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg’s. Mrs. Figg wasn’t as bad as usual. It turned out she’d broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn’t seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she’d had it for several years. That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren’t looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.
七月的一天，佩妮姨妈带着达利去伦敦给他买斯梅婷的校服，把哈利留给了费格太太。费格太太不像往常一样坏了。原来是她被自己的一只猫绊了一跤，摔断了腿，她似乎不像以前那么喜欢猫了。她让哈利看电视并且给了他一些巧克力蛋糕，这些蛋糕尝起来像她已经放了好几年。那天晚上，达利穿着他崭新的校服在客厅走来走去。
As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn’t believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn’t trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.
弗农姨父看着穿着新灯笼裤的达力，粗声粗气地说，这是他一生中最骄傲的时刻。佩妮姨妈突然哭了起来，说她简直不敢相信这是她的宝贝疙瘩，他看上去那么英俊，那么成熟。他想他的两根肋骨可能已经因为强忍着不笑而断裂了。
There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.
第二天早晨，哈利进厨房吃早饭时，厨房里有一股可怕的气味。闻起来是来自水槽里的一个大的金属盆。他过去看了一眼。盆儿里充满了看起来像碎布的东西在黑色的水里游来游去。
“What’s this?” he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.
“这啥呀？”他向佩妮姨妈问道。她的嘴唇紧绷着，就像它们常做的那样，如果他胆敢问问题的话。
“Your new school uniform,” she said.
“你的新校服”，她回答道
Harry looked in the bowl again.
哈利向盆里又看了一眼
“Oh,” he said, “I didn’t realize it had to be so wet.”
“呕，”他说道，“我没想到会这么湿。”
“Don’t be stupid,” snapped Aunt Petunia. “I’m dyeing some of Dudley’s old things gray for you. It’ll look just like everyone else’s when I’ve finished.”
“别傻了，”佩妮姨妈厉声道。我正在给你把达力的一些旧衣服染成灰色。当我完成的时候它会和其他人的看起来都一样。
Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.
哈利对此严重怀疑，但是认为最好还是不要去争论。他坐在桌子旁，试着不去想他去石墙高中的第一天看起来会是什么样——可能像他正穿着几块大象皮。
Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry’s new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.
达利和弗农姨父进来了，都皱着鼻子，因为哈利新校服散发的味道。弗农姨父向往成一样打开了他的报纸，达力把他随身携带的那根斯梅廷手杖砰地敲在桌子上。
They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.
他们听到信箱的咔嗒声和信件掉在门垫上的声音。
“Get the mail, Dudley,” said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.
“把信拿过来，达利”弗农姨父从他的 报纸后面说道。
“Make Harry get it.” “让哈利去拿。”
“Get the mail, Harry.” “把信拿过来，哈利”
“Make Dudley get it.” “让达利拿过来”
“Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley.”
“用你的斯梅婷手杖刺他，达利”
Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon’s sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — a letter for Harry.
哈利躲避着这个斯梅婷手杖并且去拿回了信件。三个东西躺在门垫上：一封来自弗农姐姐玛吉的明信片，她将要在怀特岛上度假，一个棕色的信封，看起来像是账单，还有——一封给哈利的信。
Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives — he didn’t belong to the library, so he’d never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:
哈利把它捡起来，盯着它看，他的心像一条巨大的橡皮筋一样砰砰地跳着。没有人，从来没有，在他全部生命中，给他写过信。会是谁呢？他没有朋友，没有其他的亲戚——他不属于图书馆，所以他甚至没有收到过要求归还图书的粗鲁便条。然而这就有，一封信，地址明显就是这不可能有错：
Mr. H. Potter 哈里波特先生
The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive 女贞路4号楼梯下的橱柜里
Little Whinging 小惠金区
Surrey 萨里郡
The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.
信封又厚又重，淡黄色的羊皮纸制成，地址用祖母绿的墨水写成。没有邮票。
Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.
把信封翻过来，他的手抖了起来。哈利看见一个紫色的蜡封，上面有一件盾形纹章;一只狮子、一只鹰、一只獾和一条蛇围绕着一个大大的字母H。
“Hurry up, boy!” shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. “What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?” He chuckled at his own joke.
“快点，小子！”弗农姨父从厨房吼道。“你在干什么，检查信件炸弹？”，他自己开的玩笑使他咯咯地笑了起来。
