HPMOR 第15章｜责任心（中英对照）
第15章里，哈利在魔咒课上被赫敏全方位碾压，在变形课上直面「变形非永久」的严苛铁律，并在课后与赫敏正式宣战并推演补课时间。
英文原文取自 HPMOR 官方第 15 章。下文保留题献、作者注与章题记，并严格按官方故事正文的 101 个自然段与 4 处分隔线（含正文内 2 处场景转换）排列，每组英文在上、中文在下；中文为依据英文独立校订的非官方译文。hpmor.xyz 对应章 仅用于核对理解、专名、术语与遗漏，未原样转载。
Love as thou Rowling.
愿你在罗琳里得其所爱。
Today's historical tidbit: The ancient Hebrews considered the boundary of a day to be sunset rather than dawn, so they said "evening and morning" not "morning and evening". (And as many reviewers noted, modern Jewish halacha asserts the same.)
今日历史小贴士：古代希伯来人认为一天的分界在日落而非黎明，因此他们习惯说「晚上和早晨」，而不是「早晨和晚上」。（正如不少书评者指出的，现代犹太律法哈拉卡同样如此认定。）
"I'm sure I'll find the time somewhere."
「我总能在某个地方挤出时间来的。」
"Frigideiro! "
「冰寒冻结！」
Harry dipped a finger in the glass of water on his desk. It should have been cool. But lukewarm it was, and lukewarm it had stayed. Again.
哈利把一根手指探进课桌上的水杯里。水本该变凉的。可水原本是温的，现在也还是温的。又一次失败。
Harry was feeling very, very cheated.
哈利感到自己被结结实实地耍了。
There were hundreds of fantasy novels scattered around the Verres household. Harry had read quite a few. And it was starting to look like he had a mysterious dark side. So after the glass of water had refused to cooperate the first few times, Harry had glanced around the Charms classroom to make sure no one was watching, and then taken a deep breath, concentrated, and made himself angry. Thought about the Slytherins bullying Neville, and the game where someone knocked down your books every time you tried to pick them up again. Thought about what Draco Malfoy had said about the ten-year-old Lovegood girl and how the Wizengamot really operated...
在维雷斯家里，到处散落着几百本奇幻小说，哈利读过不少。而且迹象表明，他体内似乎潜藏着一股神秘的黑暗面。因此在那杯水接连几次不肯配合之后，哈利朝魔咒学教室四周瞥了一眼，确认没人注意自己，跟着深吸一口气，集中精神，逼自己愤怒起来。他去想斯莱特林那伙人是怎样欺凌纳威的，去想那个只要你弯腰捡书就一次次故意把书撞飞的游戏。去想德拉科·马尔福嘴里那个十岁的洛夫古德家女孩，以及威森加摩真正的运转内幕……
And the fury had entered his blood, he had held out his wand in a hand that trembled with hate and said in cold tones "Frigideiro! " and absolutely nothing had happened.
狂怒随之涌入血管，他伸出握着魔杖的手，指关节因仇恨而微微发颤，用冰冷的语气念出：「冰寒冻结！」可现场什么也没发生。
Harry had been gypped. He wanted to write someone and demand a refund on his dark side which clearly ought to have irresistible magical power but had turned out to be defective.
哈利觉得自己亏大发了。他甚至想找个地方写信投诉，为自己的黑暗面申请全额退款——这玩意儿理应当具备无法阻挡的澎湃魔力，拿来实测却是个残次品。
"Frigideiro! " said Hermione again from the desk next to him. Her water was solid ice and there were white crystals forming on the rim of her glass. She seemed to be totally intent on her own work and not at all conscious of the other students staring at her with hateful eyes, which was either (a) dangerously oblivious of her or (b) a perfectly honed performance rising to the level of fine art.
「冰寒冻结！」邻桌的赫敏再次念道。她杯子里的水已经凝成坚硬的冰块，玻璃杯沿甚至结出了一圈白色霜晶。她整个人全神贯注地盯着自己的练习，对周围同学投来的怨念目光浑然不觉；这要么说明（a）她的危险迟钝已经到了令人担忧的地步，要么说明（b）这是一场千锤百炼、已臻化境的精湛表演。
"Oh, very good, Miss Granger!" squeaked Filius Flitwick, their Charms Professor and Head of Ravenclaw, a tiny little man with no visible signs of being a past dueling champion. "Excellent! Stupendous!"
「噢，太好了，格兰杰小姐！」菲利乌斯·弗立维教授用尖细的嗓门惊叹道。他是拉文克劳的学院院长兼魔咒学教授，身材矮小，身上看不出半点昔日决斗冠军的凶悍影子。「极其出色！叹为观止！」
Harry had expected to be, in the worst case, second behind Hermione. Harry would have preferred for her to be rivalling him, of course, but he could have accepted it the other way around.
哈利原先的设想是，自己最差也该紧随其后、屈居赫敏之下当个第二名。哈利心里当然更希望是由她来拼命追赶自己，不过就算调换过来，他也勉强能够接受。
As of Monday, Harry was headed for the bottom of the class, a position for which he was companionably rivalling all the other Muggle-raised students except Hermione. Who was all alone and rivalless at the top, poor thing.
然而截至这个星期一，哈利正一路朝着全班倒数第一的位置滑落；在这一段位上，他正与其他所有麻瓜家庭出身的新生展开势均力敌、相映成趣的抱团竞争。至于赫敏，可怜的姑娘，正孤零零、无敌手地高悬在榜首。
Professor Flitwick was standing over the desk of one of the other Muggleborns and quietly adjusting the way she was holding her wand.
弗立维教授正站在另一位麻瓜出身的女生桌旁，温和地帮她校正握魔杖的手势。
Harry looked over at Hermione. He swallowed hard. It was the obvious role for her in the scheme of things... "Hermione?" Harry said tentatively. "Do you have any idea what I might be doing wrong?"
哈利转头看向赫敏。他用力咽了咽唾沫。按眼下的局势，这显然是她发挥作用的天然时刻……「赫敏？」哈利试探着开口，「你觉得我这儿到底哪一步做错了？」
Hermione's eyes lit up with a terrible light of helpfulness and something in the back of Harry's brain screamed in desperate humiliation.
赫敏的双眼登时亮起一种极其可怕、迫不及待想要助人为乐的光芒，让哈利后脑勺深处的某些神经在绝望的屈辱中放声尖叫。
Five minutes later, Harry's water did seem noticeably cooler than room temperature and Hermione had given him a few verbal pats on the head and told him to pronounce it more carefully next time and gone off to help someone else.
五分钟后，哈利杯子里的水温确实比室温低了些许；赫敏在口头上摸了摸他的脑袋以示夸奖，嘱咐他下次念咒发音务必更严谨，随后便欢快地转身去指导别的同学了。
Professor Flitwick had given her a House point for helping him.
弗立维教授因为她帮哈利辅导，给拉文克劳加上了一分。
Harry was gritting his teeth so hard his jaw ached and that wasn't helping his pronunciation.
哈利把后槽牙咬得生疼，下颌一阵酸胀，而这显然无助于改善他的念咒发音。
I don't care if it's unfair competition. I know exactly what I am doing with two extra hours every day. I am going to sit in my trunk and study until I am keeping up with Hermione Granger.
我才不管这算不算不公平竞争。每天多出来的两个小时，我知道该怎么用了。我就待在皮箱里死磕，学到追上赫敏·格兰杰为止。
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. There was no trace of any levity upon the face of the stern old witch. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
「变形术是你们在霍格沃茨所能接触到最复杂、最危险的魔法之一，」麦格教授正色说道。这位威严的老女巫脸上没有哪怕一丝玩笑的神色。「凡是在我课堂上胡闹的人，立刻请出去，并且永远不必再来。这是我给各位的事先警告。」
Her wand came down and tapped her desk, which smoothly reshaped itself into a pig. A couple of Muggleborn students gave out small yelps. The pig looked around and snorted, seeming confused, and then became a desk again.
她的魔杖向下在讲桌上轻轻一敲，整张木桌随即平滑地重组为一头活生生的猪。几位麻瓜家庭出身的学生短促地轻叫了一声。那头猪转动脑袋环顾四周，困惑地哼哧喘着粗气，随即又变回了一张讲桌。
The Transfiguration Professor looked around the classroom, and then her eyes settled on one student.
这位变形术教授将审视的目光投向教室内，最终落在了其中一名学生身上。
"Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "You only received your schoolbooks a few days ago. Have you started reading your Transfiguration textbook?"
「波特先生，」麦格教授开口道，「你几天前才刚刚领到课本。变形术这门课的教材，你翻开看过了吗？」
"No, sorry professor," Harry said.
「还没有，很抱歉，教授，」哈利说。
"You needn't apologise, Mr. Potter, if you were required to read ahead you would have been told to do so." McGonagall's fingers rapped the desk in front of her. "Mr. Potter, would you care to guess whether this is a desk which I Transfigured into a pig, or if it began as a pig and I briefly removed the Transfiguration? If you had read the first chapter of your textbook, you would know."
「你无须道歉，波特先生，如果学校要求提前预习，自会有人向你们讲明。」麦格教授的手指在桌板上轻轻叩击。「波特先生，你愿意猜一猜，这究竟是一张被我变成猪的讲桌，还是它本就是一头猪、只是被我短暂解除了变形术？如果你翻过课本第一章，答案一目了然。」
Harry's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I'd guess it'd be easier to start with a pig, since if it started as a desk, it might not know how to stand up."
哈利的眉头微微皱起。「我猜从猪开始会更容易些，毕竟如果原本是桌子，它变出来之后未必懂得怎么站立。」
Professor McGonagall shook her head. "No fault to you, Mr. Potter, but the correct answer is that in Transfiguration you do not care to guess. Wrong answers will be marked with extreme severity, questions left blank will be marked with great leniency. You must learn to know what you do not know. If I ask you any question, no matter how obvious or elementary, and you answer 'I'm not sure', I will not hold it against you and anyone who laughs will lose House points. Can you tell me why this rule exists, Mr. Potter?"
麦格教授摇了摇头。「这不能怪你，波特先生，然而正确的答案是：在变形术面前，你决不能靠猜。答错将从严扣分，留白则会得到极大的宽大处理。你们必须学会正视自己的无知。无论我提出的问题多么直白或浅显，只要你的回答是『我不确定』，我都不会追究责任；而现场任何人胆敢为此发笑，一律扣除学院分。你能告诉我立下这条规矩的缘由吗，波特先生？」
Because a single error in Transfiguration can be incredibly dangerous. "No."
因为在变形术中哪怕犯下一个差错，其后果都可能极其危险。「不知道。」
"Correct. Transfiguration is more dangerous than Apparition, which is not taught until your sixth year. Unfortunately, Transfiguration must be learned and practised at a young age to maximise your adult ability. So this is a dangerous subject, and you should be quite scared of making any mistakes, because none of my students have ever been permanently injured and I will be extremely put out if you are the first class to spoil my record."
「回答正确。变形术的危险程度更甚于幻影显形，而幻影显形要到你们六年级才会开课。遗憾的是，变形术必须在年少时就开始学习与训练，才能将成年后的魔法潜能发挥到极致。因此这是一门极具危险性的学科，你们应当对犯错抱有充分的敬畏；在我教过的所有学生里，还从未有人落得终身伤残，倘若你们这个年级敢成为砸我招牌的第一届，我可会非常不高兴。」
Several students gulped.
好几名学生紧张地咽了口唾沫。
Professor McGonagall stood up and moved over to the wall behind her desk, which held a polished wooden board. "There are many reasons why Transfiguration is dangerous, but one reason stands above all the rest." She produced a short quill with a thick end, and used it to sketch letters in red; which she then underlined, using the same marker, in blue:
麦格教授站起身，踱步到讲桌后方的墙面旁，那里悬挂着一块打磨光亮的木制看板。「变形术之所以凶险，理由不胜枚举，但其中一条重于一切。」她摸出一支粗头的短羽毛笔，在板上用红墨勾出数个大字；随后又用同一支笔，在下方狠狠画上一道蓝色的下划线：
TRANSFIGURATION IS NOT PERMANENT!
变形并非永久！
"Transfiguration is not permanent!" said Professor McGonagall. "Transfiguration is not permanent! Transfiguration is not permanent! Mr. Potter, suppose a student Transfigured a block of wood into a cup of water, and you drank it. What do you imagine might happen to you when the Transfiguration wore off?" There was a pause. "Excuse me, I should not have asked that of you, Mr. Potter, I forgot that you are blessed with an unusually pessimistic imagination -"
「变形并非永久！」麦格教授沉声说道。「变形并非永久！变形并非永久！波特先生，假定有学生将一块木头变成了一杯水，而你将它一饮而尽。你想想看，一旦变形法术自然失效，你身上会发生什么？」她话音稍歇。「抱歉，我不该把这问题抛给你，波特先生，我一时忘了你天生有着极其悲观的想象力——」
"I'm fine," Harry said, swallowing hard. "So the first answer is that I don't know," the Professor nodded approvingly, "but I imagine there might be... wood in my stomach, and in my bloodstream, and if any of that water had gotten absorbed into my body's tissues - would it be wood pulp or solid wood or..." Harry's grasp of magic failed him. He couldn't understand how wood mapped into water in the first place, so he couldn't understand what would happen after the water molecules were scrambled by ordinary thermal motions and the magic wore off and the mapping reversed.
「我不要紧，」哈利说，喉头艰涩地滚动了一下。「首先的标准答案是我不知道，」麦格教授赞许地点头，「但我想象出来的景象大概是……胃部会凭空析出木质，血液里也会有；如果已有水分被体内的细胞组织吸收——那变回来的会是木浆还是坚硬的实木，抑或是……」哈利现有的魔法知识显然支撑不住后续推演了。他完全想不通木头起初究竟是如何被映射为水分子的，因此也无法断定在水分子经历寻常热运动被打散、魔法彻底衰退、逆向映射强制发生之后，微观层面到底会变成什么模样。
McGonagall's face was stiff. "As Mr. Potter has correctly reasoned, he would become extremely sick and require immediate Flooing to St. Mungo's Hospital if he was to have any chance of survival. Please turn your textbooks to page 5."
麦格教授面容紧绷。「正如波特先生严密推导的那样，当事人会急性重症发作，必须立刻通过飞路网紧急转送圣芒戈魔法伤病医院，才有一线生机。请诸位翻开课本第五页。」
Even without any sound in the moving picture, you could tell that the woman with horribly discolored skin was screaming.
即便动图里没有任何声音传出，你也看得出画中那个皮肤呈现可怖病变异色的女人正发出痛苦绝望的尖叫。
"The criminal who originally Transfigured gold into wine and gave it to this woman to drink, 'in payment of the debt' as he put it, received a sentence of ten years in Azkaban. Please turn to page 6. That is a Dementor. They are the guardians of Azkaban. They suck away at your magic, your life, and any happy thoughts you try to have. The picture on page 7 is of the criminal ten years later, on his release. You will note that he is dead - yes, Mr. Potter?"
「当年将黄金变成红酒并诓骗该女子喝下——按凶徒的话讲是『用来偿还债务』——的那名罪犯，被判处在阿兹卡班服刑十年。请翻到第六页。这就是摄魂怪，阿兹卡班的狱卒。它们会无休止地汲取你的魔力、生机以及脑海中试图浮现的任何快乐念头。第七页的照片是该罪犯十年后刑满获释时的留影。大家能看出他已经断气了——有什么事吗，波特先生？」
"Professor," Harry said, "if the worst happens in a case like that, is there any way of maintaining the Transfiguration?"
「教授，」哈利提问道，「如果这类灾难当真不幸降临，有没有办法持续维持变形状态？」
"No," Professor McGonagall said flatly. "Sustaining a Transfiguration is a constant drain on your magic which scales with the size of the target form. And you would need to recontact the target every few hours, which is, in a case like this, impossible. Disasters like this are unrecoverable! "
「办不到，」麦格教授冷峻地回绝道。「维持变形术需要持续消耗施法者的魔力，消耗强度与目标形体的大小成正比。此外，施法者每隔数小时就必须对变形目标重新进行物理接触，而在眼下这种局面里，物理触碰根本无法实现。此类灾祸属于不可逆转的绝症！」
Professor McGonagall leaned forwards, her face very hard. "You will absolutely never under any circumstances Transfigure anything into a liquid or a gas. No water, no air. Nothing like water, nothing like air. Even if it is not meant to drink. Liquid evaporates, little bits and pieces of it get into the air. You will not Transfigure anything that is to be burned. It will make smoke and someone could breathe that smoke! You will never Transfigure anything that could conceivably go inside anyone's body by any means. No food. Nothing that looks like food. Not even as a funny little prank where you mean to tell them about your mud pie before they actually eat it. You will never do it. Period. Inside this classroom or out of it or anywhere. Is that well understood by every single student? "
麦格教授上身前倾，面部线条严厉得像花岗岩。「在任何情境之下，你们绝对不可将任何物品变形为液体或气体。不许变水，不许变空气。任何类似于水或空气的物质都绝对不行。即便那份液体根本不是拿来喝的也不行。液体会蒸发，微细的成分会四散逸入空气。你们绝不可对任何将要投入燃烧的物品施加变形，因为燃烧会产生烟雾，有人可能会吸入那团烟雾！你们绝不可变形任何可能经由各种途径进入人体的物体。绝不可变食物。绝不可变任何长得像食物的玩意儿。哪怕只是开个自以为无伤大雅的恶作剧、打算在同伴真正咬下去之前揭穿泥巴馅饼的真相，也绝不允许。绝不可行，没有余地。无论是在本教室之内、之外还是任何角落。每一位在场学生都听明白了吗？」
"Yes," said Harry, Hermione, and a few others. The rest seemed to be speechless.
「听明白了，」哈利、赫敏以及少数几名学生齐声应道。其余大多数人似乎已被彻底震慑，哑口无言。
"Is that well understood by every single student? "
「在场的每一位同学，都听明白了吗？」
"Yes," they said or muttered or whispered.
「听明白了，」学生们纷纷应声、喃喃答复或低声附和。
"If you break any of these rules you will not further study Transfiguration during your stay at Hogwarts. Repeat along with me. I will never Transfigure anything into a liquid or gas."
「倘若有人敢违背上述任何一条戒律，在霍格沃茨就读期间将被永久取消研习变形术的资格。现在跟我一起复述：我绝不会将任何物品变形为液体或气体。」
"I will never Transfigure anything into a liquid or gas," said the students in ragged chorus.
「我绝不会将任何物品变形为液体或气体，」学生们参差不齐地齐声念道。
"Again! Louder! I will never Transfigure anything into a liquid or gas."
「重来！声音放大！我绝不会将任何物品变形为液体或气体。」
"I will never Transfigure anything into a liquid or gas."
「我绝不会将任何物品变形为液体或气体。」
"I will never Transfigure anything that looks like food or anything else that goes inside a human body."
「我绝不会变形任何貌似食物、或能以任何方式进入人体的物品。」
"I will never Transfigure anything that is to be burned because it could make smoke."
「我绝不会变形任何用于燃烧的物品，以免产生烟雾被他人吸入。」
"You will never Transfigure anything that looks like money, including Muggle money," said Professor McGonagall. "The goblins have ways of finding out who did it. As a matter of recognised law, the goblin nation is in a permanent state of war with all magical counterfeiters. They will not send Aurors. They will send an army."
「你们绝不可变形出任何外观形似货币的物品，包括麻瓜货币，」麦格教授警告道。「妖精们掌握着顺藤摸瓜查出真凶的独门手段。依据公认的魔法界成文法，妖精一族同一切魔法伪币制造者均处于永恒的交战状态。他们到时候不会差遣傲罗出面交涉，他们会直接出动一支军队。」
"I will never Transfigure anything that looks like money," repeated the students.
「我绝不会变形出任何形似货币的物品，」学生们依言重复。
"And above all," said Professor McGonagall, "you will not Transfigure any living subject, especially yourselves. It will make you very sick and possibly dead, depending on how you Transfigure yourself and how long you maintain the change." Professor McGonagall paused. "Mr. Potter is currently holding up his hand because he has seen an Animagus transformation - specifically, a human transforming into a cat and back again. But an Animagus transformation is not free Transfiguration."
「而重中之重，」麦格教授语气愈发凝重，「你们绝不可对任何有生命的实体施加变形，尤其是你们自身的肉体。根据变形的具体形式以及维持时长的不同，这会令你们罹患致命重疾甚至命丧当场。」麦格教授稍稍停顿。「波特先生眼下正举着手，因为他亲眼目睹过阿尼马格斯的形态转化——确切地说，目睹过一个大活人变形成猫又变回人形。然而阿尼马格斯转化绝非自由变形术。」
Professor McGonagall took a small chunk of wood out of her pocket. With a tap of her wand it became a glass ball. Then she said "Crystferrium! " and the glass ball became a steel ball. She tapped it with her wand one last time and the steel ball became a piece of wood once more. "Crystferrium transforms a subject of solid glass into a similarly shaped target of solid steel. It cannot do the reverse, nor can it transform a desk into a pig. The most general form of Transfiguration - free Transfiguration, which you will be learning here - is capable of transforming any subject into any target, at least so far as physical form is concerned. For this reason, free Transfiguration must be done wordlessly. Using Charms would require different words for every different transformation between subject and target."
麦格教授从兜里摸出一小块木料。魔杖轻触之下，木料随之化为一颗剔透的玻璃球。紧接着她念出：「化玻为钢！」玻璃球瞬间转变为一枚沉甸甸的实心钢球。她最后用魔杖再度一敲，钢球重新变回了最初的那截木料。「化玻为钢这道咒语能将实心玻璃目标转化为形态相仿的实心钢。它无法完成逆向转换，亦不能把桌子变成猪。而变形术最为通用的高阶形态——也就是你们将在本课堂学习的自由变形术——单就物理外形而言，足以将任意起始物重塑为任意目标物。正因如此，自由变形必须无声默发。若依赖具象咒语，任意两类物质形态之间的每一次转化都将需要独一无二的咒词配对。」
Professor McGonagall gave her students a sharp look. "Some teachers begin with Transfiguration Charms and move on to free Transfiguration afterwards. Yes, that would be much easier in the beginning. But it can set you in a poor mold which impairs your abilities later. Here you will learn free Transfiguration from the very start, which requires that you cast the spell wordlessly, by holding the subject form, the target form, and the transformation within your own mind."
麦格教授目光如炬地扫过全班。「某些教员习惯先从变形专有咒语入手，日后再过渡到自由变形。无可否认，那样入门时确实容易许多。然而这会过早给思维套上僵化的模具，从而折损你们日后真正的高阶施法水准。在我的课堂上，你们将从第一步起直接研习自由变形，这意味着你们必须摒弃口念咒语，全凭意念在脑海中牢牢锁定起始形态、目标形态以及整套蜕变机制。」
"And to answer Mr. Potter's question," Professor McGonagall went on, "it is free Transfiguration which you must never do to any living subject. There are Charms and potions which can safely, reversibly transform living subjects in limited ways. An Animagus with a missing limb will still be missing that limb after transforming, for example. Free Transfiguration is not safe. Your body will change while it is Transfigured - breathing, for example, results in a constant loss of the body's stuff to the surrounding air. When the Transfiguration wears off and your body tries to revert to its original form, it will not quite be able to do so. If you press your wand to your body and imagine yourself with golden hair, afterwards your hair will fall out. If you visualise yourself as someone with clearer skin, you will be taking a long stay at St. Mungo's. And if you Transfigure yourself into an adult bodily form, then, when the Transfiguration wears off, you will die."
「针对波特先生方才的疑问，」麦格教授继续阐释道，「你们绝对不可擅自施加在生物肉体上的，正是这种自由变形术。巫师界固然存在某些魔咒与魔药，能在严格受限的范畴内对生命体施行安全且可逆的转化。举例来说，断了一条手臂的阿尼马格斯化兽之后依然会缺损对应的前肢。而自由变形则毫无安全性可言。在变形持续期间，你的躯体依然处于动态生化过程中——单是呼吸这一项，就会持续将体内的物质损耗释放进周围环境。一旦变形法力耗尽、躯体试图逆转归回原始状态时，物质平衡已遭打破，身体根本无从完整复原。如果你拿魔杖戳着自己、幻想拥有一头耀眼的金发，法术消退后你的头发会脱落殆尽；如果你臆想让自己皮肤光滑无瑕，等待你的将是圣芒戈医院漫长的病榻看护；而倘若你试图将幼小的肉身直接变形为成年体魄，那么，当变形效力终结那一刻，你将当场丧命。」
That explained why he had seen such things as fat boys, or girls less than perfectly pretty. Or old people, for that matter. That wouldn't happen if you could just Transfigure yourself every morning... Harry raised his hand and tried to signal Professor McGonagall with his eyes.
这番话顿时解开了哈利的困惑：难怪巫师界里依然能看到小胖墩、长相平平的女孩，乃至垂暮的老人。毕竟如果每天清晨起床只要把自己变美就行，魔法界断不至如此……哈利举起手，同时用求知的眼神拼命向麦格教授示意。
"Yes, Mr. Potter?"
「又有何高见，波特先生？」
"Is it possible to Transfigure a living subject into a target that is static, such as a coin - no, excuse me, I'm terribly sorry, let's just say a steel ball."
「那有没有可能将活体目标变形成完全静止的死物呢，譬如一枚硬币——呃，不对，十分抱歉，打个比方，变作一颗实心钢球？」
Professor McGonagall shook her head. "Mr. Potter, even inanimate objects undergo small internal changes over time. There would be no visible changes to your body afterwards, and for the first minute, you would notice nothing wrong. But in an hour you would be sick, and in a day you would be dead."
麦格教授摇了摇头。「波特先生，哪怕是无机死物，随时间推移其微观内部也会发生细微嬗变。变形解除之初，你的外表看似完好无损，头一分钟你也察觉不到任何异状。可一小时后你便会重病缠身，不出一天便会命丧黄泉。」
"Erm, excuse me, so if I'd read the first chapter I could have guessed that the desk was originally a desk and not a pig," Harry said, "but only if I made the further assumption that you didn't want to kill the pig, that might seem highly probable but -"
「呃，冒昧打扰一下，这么说来，假如我预习过第一章，我的确能推断出那张桌子原本就是讲桌而非活猪，」哈利说道，「但这得建立在一个额外前提之上——即假定您并不想致那头猪于死地。这个假定看似概率极高，不过——」
"I can foresee that marking your tests will be an endless source of delight to me, Mr. Potter. But if you have other questions can I please ask you to wait until after class?"
「我完全可以预见，批改你的考卷日后定会成为我无穷无尽的乐趣源泉，波特先生。不过假若你还有其他离奇构想，能否容我请你等到下课后再来详谈？」
"No further questions, professor."
「学生没有别的问题了，教授。」
"Now repeat after me," said Professor McGonagall. "I will never try to Transfigure any living subject, especially myself, unless specifically instructed to do so using a specialised Charm or potion."
「现在跟着我复述，」麦格教授指示道。「我绝不会擅自对任何活体生物——尤其是对自己——施加变形，除非严格在专业指导下使用经过验证的专用魔咒或魔药。」
"If I am not sure whether a Transfiguration is safe, I will not try it until I have asked Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick or Professor Snape or the Headmaster, who are the only recognised authorities on Transfiguration at Hogwarts. Asking another student is not acceptable, even if they say that they remember asking the same question."
「如果我不确信某项变形是否绝对安全，我绝不会贸然尝试，除非我已事先征求麦格教授、弗立维教授、斯内普教授或校长的当面许可；他们四位是霍格沃茨内部仅有的公认变形术权威。私下向其他同学打听是绝不可取的，哪怕对方声称自己曾经问过完全一样的问题。」
"Even if the current Defence Professor at Hogwarts tells me that a Transfiguration is safe, and even if I see the Defence Professor do it and nothing bad seems to happen, I will not try it myself."
「即便霍格沃茨的现任黑魔法防御术教授拍胸脯保证某项变形万无一失，即便我亲眼看见防御术教授亲自施法且现场并未出现恶果，我也绝不会亲身效仿尝试。」
"I have the absolute right to refuse to perform any Transfiguration about which I feel the slightest bit nervous. Since not even the Headmaster of Hogwarts can order me to do otherwise, I certainly will not accept any such order from the Defence Professor, even if the Defence Professor threatens to deduct one hundred House points and have me expelled."
「对于任何令我内心感到丝毫不安的变形法术，我拥有绝对的单方面拒绝施法权。鉴于哪怕霍格沃茨校长本人亦无权强迫我违背意愿施法，我断然不会遵从黑魔法防御术教授的类似指令，即便防御术教授以扣除一百点学院分并开除学籍相威胁，我也决不妥协。」
"If I break any of these rules I will not further study Transfiguration during my time at Hogwarts."
「若我违背上述任何一项准则，我在霍格沃茨就读期间将永远丧失继续研习变形术的资格。」
"We will repeat these rules at the start of every class for the first month," said Professor McGonagall. "And now, we will begin with matches as subjects and needles as targets... put away your wands, thank you, by 'begin' I meant that you will begin taking notes."
「在开学前一个月里，我们在每节变形课开始时都要将这套规矩完整重温一遍，」麦格教授宣布道。「至于现在，我们将从以火柴为原料、以缝衣针为目标的转化起步……请收起你们的魔杖，多谢配合，我方才说的『起步』，意思是指诸位可以开始做课堂笔记了。」
Half an hour before the end of class, Professor McGonagall handed out the matches.
在临近下课前最后半小时，麦格教授将一盒盒火柴分发至每位学生手中。
At the end of the class Hermione had a silvery-looking match and the entire rest of the class, Muggleborn or otherwise, had exactly what they'd started with.
直到下课铃响起，唯独赫敏跟前立着一根泛着银白色金属光泽的火柴，而全班其余所有同学——无论是麻瓜家庭出身还是纯血巫师后代——案头上摆着的依然是原本那根毫无动静的木棍。
Professor McGonagall awarded her another point for Ravenclaw.
麦格教授当众为拉文克劳再度加上了一分。
After the Transfiguration class was dismissed, Hermione came over to Harry's desk as Harry was putting away his books into his pouch.
变形课宣告下课后，哈利正把散落的课本一一往莫克皮袋里收拾，赫敏迈步走到了他的课桌前。
"You know," Hermione said with an innocent expression on her face, "I earned two points for Ravenclaw today."
「你知道吗，」赫敏脸上浮现出一副天真无邪的模样，「我今天一共为拉文克劳赢下了两点学院分呢。」
"So you did," Harry said shortly.
「看出来了，」哈利语气干脆简短。
"But that wasn't as good as your seven points," she said. "I guess I'm just not as intelligent as you."
「不过嘛，这比起你之前立下的七分大功还是逊色不少，」她笑吟吟地说。「看来在智力层面上，我终究是不如你呀。」
Harry finished feeding his homework into the pouch and turned to Hermione with his eyes narrowed. He'd actually forgotten about that.
哈利将最后一份作业塞进皮袋，转过身来眯起双眼打量着赫敏。老实说，他方才差点把这茬给抛到脑后了。
She batted her eyelashes at him. "We have lessons every day, though. I wonder how long it will take you to find some more Hufflepuffs to rescue? Today is Monday. So that gives you until Thursday."
她故意朝他眨巴眨巴长睫毛。「不过呢，咱们每天都得按时上课。我很好奇你到底还要多久才能偶遇下一批嗷嗷待哺、等着你去拯救的赫奇帕奇落难同学？今天是星期一，所以满打满算，你撑死只能撑到周四了。」
The two of them stared into each other's eyes, unblinking.
两人互相对视着，目光寸步不让，眼睛一眨不眨。
Harry spoke first. "Of course you realise this means war."
哈利率先打破沉默：「你心里应当清楚，这等同于正式宣战。」
"I didn't know we'd been at peace."
「我可从不知道我们之间有过停战协定。」
All of the other students were now watching with fascinated eyes. All of the other students, plus, unfortunately, Professor McGonagall.
教室里其余所有留步看戏的学生此刻都两眼放光、屏息凝神地围观。全班所有看客，外加极其不幸地，还包括那位并未离席的麦格教授。
"Oh, Mr. Potter," sang Professor McGonagall from the other side of the room, "I have some good news for you. Madam Pomfrey has approved your suggestion for preventing breakage in her Spimster wickets, and the plan is to finish the job by the end of next week. I'd say that deserves... let's call it ten points for Ravenclaw."
「噢，波特先生，」麦格教授在教室另一头用欢快得近乎歌唱般的嗓调悠悠开口，「我这儿有个绝佳的好消息要通知你。庞弗雷夫人已正式批准了你关于给她的斯皮姆斯特护架增设防碎保护壳的提案，相关改造方案拟定于下周末前全面完工。依我看这理应算作……就给拉文克劳记上十分好了。」
Hermione's face was gaping in betrayal and shock. Harry imagined his own face didn't look much different.
赫敏张口结舌，满脸写着猝不及防的背叛感与极度震惊。哈利自忖自己脸上的表情恐怕也精彩得半斤八两。
"Professor..." Harry hissed.
「教授……」哈利从齿缝里挤出低嘶。
"Those ten points are unquestionably deserved, Mr. Potter. I would not hand out House points on a whim. To you it might have been a simple matter of seeing something fragile and suggesting a way to protect it, but Spimster wickets are expensive, and the Headmaster was not pleased the last time one broke." Professor McGonagall looked thoughtful. "My, I wonder if any other student has ever earned seventeen House points on his first day of lessons. I'll have to look it up, but I suspect that's a new record. Perhaps we should have an announcement at dinnertime?"
「那十分无可争议是你理应斩获的，波特先生。我断然不会凭一时兴起随性分发学院积分。在你眼中，这或许不过是察觉到器具易碎便顺口提出了加固建议；然而斯皮姆斯特护架造价极其昂贵，上次损坏摔碎一台时，校长可是相当不悦。」麦格教授装出一副若有所思的神态。「哎呀，我真有些好奇，历史上究竟曾有哪位新生在正式授课的第一天就独揽了整整十七点学院分。我得专程去查阅校史记录，不过我深信这八成创下了一项新纪录。也许我们今晚在礼堂共进晚餐时理应隆重通报表彰一番？」
"PROFESSOR! " Harry shrieked. "This is our war! Stop meddling!"
「教授！」哈利当场失声尖叫。「这是我们俩之间的私人物理决斗！请您不要横插一手！」
"Now you have until Thursday of next week, Mr. Potter. Unless, of course, you engage in some sort of mischief and lose House points before then. Addressing a professor disrespectfully, for example." Professor McGonagall put a finger on her cheek and looked reflective. "I expect you'll hit negative numbers before the end of Friday."
「这样一来，你领先的积分优势便足以维系到下个星期四了，波特先生。除非，当然了，在此之前你又搞出什么恶作剧勾当把手头的分给扣光——譬如公然用不敬的口吻顶撞授课教授。」麦格教授单指轻抵着脸颊，作沉吟状。「我估摸着，不出这个周五，你的个人积分大概就会一路跌成负数。」
Harry's mouth snapped shut. He sent his best Death Glare at McGonagall but she only seemed to find it amusing.
哈利的嘴巴像蚌壳般骤然闭紧。他祭出自己杀伤力最强的「死亡凝视」死死瞪向麦格，可对方看起来只觉得这副模样极其逗乐。
"Yes, definitely an announcement at dinner," Professor McGonagall mused. "But it wouldn't do to offend the Slytherins, so the announcement should be brief. Just the number of points and the fact of the record... and if anyone comes to you for help with their schoolwork and is disappointed that you haven't even started reading your textbooks, you can always refer them to Miss Granger."
「不错，晚餐席间务必通报，」麦格教授继续自言自语道。「不过为了顾及斯莱特林那边的情绪，致辞言简意赅即可。只需提一提具体分数与创下纪录的事实……倘若日后有同学慕名跑来找你请教课业疑难，却失望地发现你连基础课本都尚未过目，你尽可以大方地将他们引见给格兰杰小姐。」
"Professor! " said Hermione in a rather high-pitched voice.
「教授！」赫敏也忍不住用拔高的尖细声调抗议道。
Professor McGonagall ignored her. "My, I wonder how long it will take before Miss Granger does something deserving of a dinnertime announcement? I look forward to seeing it, whatever it may be."
麦格教授全然装聋作哑。「哎呀，我不知还要等待多久，格兰杰小姐才能做出足以配得上一场晚餐通报表彰的杰出壮举呢？无论那会是何等功绩，我都由衷拭目以待。」
Harry and Hermione, by unspoken mutual consent, turned and stormed out of the classroom. They were followed by a trail of hypnotised Ravenclaws.
哈利与赫敏达成了某种无需言说的默契，双双愤愤不平地甩身跨出教室大门。他们身后呼啦啦跟着一长串看傻了眼的拉文克劳同窗。
"Um," Harry said. "Are we still on for after dinner?"
「嗯，」哈利试探着打破沉默，「晚饭后原定的碰头还照旧吗？」
"Of course," said Hermione. "I wouldn't want you to fall further behind on your studying."
「那是自然，」赫敏毫不客气地接茬。「我可不希望看到你在学业进度上被甩得更远。」
"Why, thank you. And let me say that as brilliant as you are already, I can't help but wonder what you'll be like once you have some elementary training in rationality."
「哎呀，多谢关照。不过我由衷想说一句：鉴于你如今已然这般天资卓绝，我真忍不住遐想，倘若你接受过某些基础的理性思维训练，整个人到底能蜕变得何其惊人。」
"Is it really that useful? It didn't seem to help you with Charms or Transfiguration."
「真有那么大用处？瞧着在魔咒课或者变形课上也没见它帮上你半点忙呀。」
There was a slight pause.
周遭陷入了片刻尴尬的静默。
"Well, I only got my schoolbooks four days ago. That's why I had to earn those seventeen House points without using my wand."
「呃，那是因为我的课本四天前才刚到手。这正是我为何必须在魔杖派不上用场的前提下，生生拿下整整十七点学院分。」
"Four days ago? Maybe you can't read eight books in four days but you might have at least read one. How many days will it take to finish at that rate? You know all that mathematics, so can you tell me what's eight, times four, divided by zero?"
「四天前？四天时间或许不够读完八本厚书，但你起码也该通读一本吧。按照眼下的效率，你究竟要猴年马月才能念完？你不是精通各路高等数学吗，那你算算看：八乘以四再除以零，答案是多少？」
"I've got classes now, which you didn't, but weekends are free, so... limit of eight times four divided by epsilon as epsilon approaches zero plus... 10:47AM on Sunday."
「我现在白天要按部就班上课，而你此前享有整段空闲；不过周末完全归我自主支配，因此……当 ε 趋近于正零时，八乘以四除以 ε 的极限……答案是周日上午十点四十七分。」
"I did it in three days actually."
「老实告诉你，我其实只用了三天整。」
"2:47PM on Saturday it is, then. I'm sure I'll find the time somewhere."
「那就一言为定，周六下午两点四十七分收工。我总能在某个地方把时间给挤出来的。」
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
有晚上，有早晨，这是第一日。
梗与典故
- 题献句戏仿《库希尔的遗产》（Kushiel's Legacy）：章首题献「Love as thou Rowling.」是作者在 HPMOR 各卷开头的标志性用词，戏仿奇幻作家杰奎琳·凯里（Jacqueline Carey）在系列小说《库希尔的遗产》（Kushiel's Legacy）中为神明「至福埃卢亚」（Blessed Elua）所立下的核心教戒：「随心去爱」（"Love as thou wilt"）1。作者在此将代词「wilt」（亦兼具古语含义）诙谐地替换为《哈利·波特》原作者 J·K·罗琳的姓氏（Rowling）。早期中文网络民间参考译本曾误将该句意译为「在枯萎中爱」，属于对英文原文借用来源的误读。
- 犹太历日落为界与《创世记》日界句式：章首作者注阐释了古代希伯来人以日落作为一天开端的记日传统，而章末末句「And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.」（有晚上，有早晨，这是第一日）则直接回环呼应了钦定版圣经（KJV）中《创世记》第一章创世叙事的经典结尾句型（Genesis 1:5）2。在传统犹太历法体系中，一天的计算严格始于日落（傍晚）并延续至次日日落3，这构成了本章首尾的时间哲学闭环。
- 犹太律法「哈拉卡」（Halakha）：作者注中所提及的现代犹太宗教规范「哈拉卡」（Halakha），是指由《成文托拉》（Written Torah）与《口传托拉》（Oral Torah）所共同衍生的犹太宗教法律体系总集，涵盖圣经诫命、塔木德法典以及历代拉比判例汇编，字面含义接近「行走之道」或「行事指南」4。它并非仅限于某一部单一经典的孤立条文，而是约束传统犹太生活各项礼仪与时间规范的完备法制体系。
- 「这等同于正式宣战」与格劳乔·马克斯（Groucho Marx）：哈利对赫敏扬言的「Of course you realise this means war.」（你当然明白，这等同于正式宣战），是欧美影视中家喻户晓的经典流行台词。该表达最早由著名喜剧大师格劳乔·马克斯（Groucho Marx）在 1933 年电影《鸭汤》（Duck Soup）等一系列无厘头经典滑稽戏中反复演绎56，其后被华纳兄弟动画导演查克·琼斯等人在《兔八哥》（Bugs Bunny）中直接借用为兔八哥在被反派逼入绝境时的标志性反击口头禅。
- 八乘四除以零与单侧极限（One-Sided Limit）：在初等代数与实数运算体系中，除以零因会导致运算体系崩溃并破坏反比例函数的良定义性质而被明确判定为「无定义」（undefined）7。当赫敏用除以零的恶作剧难题刁难哈利时，哈利灵巧地动用了微积分工具中的单侧极限（one-sided limit）概念——令极小的正变量 从正方向趋近于零（）8，从而将除以零引发的「正无穷大」转化为利用时间转换器多出的自由时间换算出的具体时间点（周日上午十点四十七分）。
- 咒语构词：Frigideiro 与 Crystferrium：本章中出现的两个教学咒语皆为作者依照伪拉丁语习惯自创的魔法词汇。「Frigideiro」衍生自古典拉丁语形容词 frīgidus（意为「寒冷的、冰凉的」）9；而麦格教授演示将玻璃球转化为钢球的「Crystferrium」，则由前缀 crystal-（水晶/玻璃）与拉丁语名词 ferrum（意为「铁、钢铁」）10拼接而成，精准对应其物理转化的特性。
- 「正视自己的无知」与认识论谦逊：麦格教授在变形课上立下的铁律——「在变形术面前决不能靠猜」「必须学会正视自己的无知，承认自己不知道」，是理性主义认识论中关于校准与不确定性诚实的核心法则。这一思想在哲学史上与柏拉图《申辩篇》中所记录的苏格拉底式无知（Socratic ignorance）形成深刻共鸣，即智慧的起点在于清醒地认清自己知晓什么、不知晓什么，绝不将未经证实的臆测伪装成笃定的知识11。
References
- 1Kushiel's Legacy - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- 2Bible (King James)/Genesis - Wikisource
en.wikisource.org
- 3Hebrew calendar - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- 4Halakha - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- 5Duck Soup (1933 film) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- 6Groucho Marx - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- 7Division by zero - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- 8One-sided limit - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- 9frigidus - Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org
- 10ferrum - Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org
- 11I know that I know nothing - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
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