包含owlflutter的词条

英语问题

1.They were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be!

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他们与德斯理一家没有一点一样的地方、

Dursley（德斯理）是人名。un+Dursley+ish是固定用法吗？ 不是。。自己创造的。。。 un-这个词头是表否定的意思。。。

为什么后面加AS IT WAS POSSIBLE TO BE???

把unDursleyish 当成一个形容词就容易理解了，如下

as high as it was possible to be （最高也就这么高了。。）

2. None of them noticed a large, towny owl flutter past the window.

没有人注意到一只棕色大猫头鹰扑扇翅膀飞过窗户。

这是定语从句吗？为什么用flutter（意思：扑扇翅膀），而不用fluttered? 我查过了，flutter的过去式和过去分词都是fluttered。

notice sb do sth....

flutter这里是主动，猫头鹰自己振翅，是主动的。。。

小马宝莉是哪个星座

你说的是哪一个小马？我可以和你说几个重要的角色。

六主角（Mane Six）

Twilight Sparkle（紫悦/暮光闪闪）代表魔法和友谊的公主

紫悦/暮光闪闪(2张)

对话配音：Tara Strong

唱歌配音：Rebecca Shoichet

国语配音：洪海天

日语配音：泽城美雪

昵称：暮暮

性别：女

生日：1月6日

星座：摩羯座

种族：独角兽→天角兽（S3E13）

宠物：公猫头鹰 Owlowiscious（奥罗威）

在和谐之元中代表“魔法”。

【反面性格为傲慢和渴望权力】

介绍：

薰衣草紫身体、深蓝色加紫和玫红色鬃毛、宝石紫色眼睛的小马。可爱标志为一颗紫红色大六角星覆盖着一颗白色六角星，被五颗白色小六角星包围的印记。

在宇宙公主的天才皇家独角兽魔法学院就读，学习魔法知识。认真、自律、有常识，管理能力极佳，喜欢阅读书籍，懂得多数小马都不懂的历史和传说，魔法能力十分强大，可以使用许多强力的魔法，从幼驹时代已经表现出惊人的魔法天赋。在入学考试的时候因为云宝的彩虹音爆而魔力暴走成功孵化出龙蛋，被宇宙公主发现她的魔法潜力，将她收为直属学生。其孵化出来的小龙（也就是穗龙）之后一直伴随在其身边当其助手，负责写信、寄信的工作。

因宇宙公主派遣其至小马谷监督夏日祭典的工作，在过程中认识许多新朋友，并且利用友谊的魔法解决了梦魇之月事件，至此之后便接受宇宙公主的指示，留在小马谷通过日常生活学习一些道理，被要求每周写一封信汇报。在S3E13中因完善了白胡子星璇的咒语被赋予了翅膀成为天角兽，S4E26中被授予称号“友谊公主”。在S6紫悦当上了风雪之心的姑姑，并成为星光熠熠的友谊导师。在S8开设了友谊学院，学生有各种种族。S9接任管辖小马利亚。

名字由twilight(暮光)和sparkle(闪闪)组成。角色设计灵感来源于G1的Twilight，而暮暮的妈妈Twilight Velvet 的造型设计也来源于同一匹小马。

Rainbow Dash（云宝/云宝黛西）

云宝/云宝黛西

配音：Ashleigh Ball

国语配音：范楚绒（S1-S5）、严丽祯（S6-S9） [11]

日语配音：橘田泉

性别：女

生日：4月14日

星座：白羊座

种族：飞马

宠物：公陆龟 Tank（坦克）

在和谐之元中代表“忠诚”。

【反面性格为背叛（未达到变节的程度）】

介绍：

天蓝色身体，彩虹色鬃毛，瑰红色眼睛的小马。可爱标志为一朵云下面有一道彩虹闪电。

外向、勇敢、爱笑、爱恶作剧，有些男孩子气（甚至许多观众刚看到她时误以为她是男生）。擅长飞行。飞行时尾端会拖着一道彩虹，另外就算不用翅膀奔跑速度也很快（但一般情况下只要可以飞就不会走路）。与醒目露露情同手足。可以用超音速飞行产生sonic rainboom（彩虹音爆），不喜欢做任何的美容与保养（但S6做了一次修蹄）。在S6中成为闪电飞马队员。

和碧琪是一起恶作剧的好友。在小时候为了帮柔柔而跟其他的飞马比赛飞行，并使出彩虹音爆。可以说，如果她当初没使用出彩虹音爆的话其他五只小马就不会找到自己真正的天赋。可爱标志出现的契机为"忠于自我"。

狂热地崇拜无畏天马（Daring Do）。

名字由rainbow (彩虹)和dash(冲刺)组成。

Applejack（苹果嘉儿/苹果杰克）

苹果嘉儿/苹果杰克

配音：Ashleigh Ball

国语配音：李敏妍

日语配音：徳井青空

昵称：阿杰

性别：女

生日∶7月31日

星座：狮子座

种族：陆马

宠物：雌犬 Winona（薇诺娜/维萝娜）

在和谐之元中代表“诚实”。

【反面性格为欺骗（未达到狡猾的程度）】

介绍：

橙黄色身体，金色鬃毛，翡翠绿眼睛，头戴牛仔帽小马。可爱标志为三颗苹果，是小马驹系列第一代就有的元老小马。

擅长运动，会用套索做特技，力气十分大。后蹄的力气比前蹄大，很喜欢苹果，会做各种苹果料理。苹果嘉儿的家庭成员姓名几乎都与苹果有关，在甜苹果园工作，养了一些会说话的动物。和苹果丽丽关系很好，束起来的尾巴可当作球棒或刷子用，随身携带套索。

苹果嘉儿小时候非常向往都市生活，因而借住在远方的亲戚家，但是她发现都市的生活不适合她，直到看到云宝发出的彩虹音爆之后才找到自己真正的归宿，此时她的可爱标志就出现了。可爱标志出现的契机为"对自己诚实"。

名字来源为美国一种叫做“苹果白兰地”的酒。

Rarity（珍奇/瑞瑞/瑞尔提）

珍奇/瑞瑞/瑞尔提

对话配音：Tabitha St. Germain

唱歌配音：Kazumi Evans

国语配音：张安琪（S1-S3）、王燕华（S4-S9） [11]

日语配音：佐佐木未来

性别：女

星座：处女座

种族：独角兽

宠物：母猫 Opalescence（欧泊/澳宝）

在和谐之元中代表“慷慨”。

【反面性格为贪婪（未达到反派的贪婪程度）】

介绍：

白色身体、蓝紫色鬃毛、宝蓝色眼睛的小马。可爱标志一般情况下为三颗菱形蓝宝石。有时人们看到RR的可爱标志是字母“R”，是由于RR穿了白色的袍子。

魔法不强，但擅长精细蹄工艺与服装设计，是一位流行设计师。向往坎特洛特，希望自己能嫁给贵族成为上流名马，拥有自己的服饰店。喜欢帮其他小马穿搭她自己设计的服装，有洁癖，无法忍受凌乱或肮脏的事物，但是必要时不介意弄脏自己。淑女，社交女王，总试着让自己成为注目的焦点。

珍奇在小时候为了学校表演的服装而烦恼时，她的角运用魔力将她带到一块岩石前。正当她质疑角为什么带她去找一颗普通的岩石的时候，岩石被彩虹音爆的震波给震了开来，露出里面埋藏的宝石。就在珍奇大方地将这些宝石用在道具服上面时她的可爱标志就出现了。可爱标志出现的契机为"对他人慷慨"。

名字rarity原意为“稀有”

Fluttershy（柔柔/小蝶/芙萝珊）

柔柔/小蝶/芙萝珊

配音：Andrea Libman

国语配音：罗玉婷（S1-S5）、王晓彤（S6-S9） [11]

日语配音：加藤英美里

性别：女

星座：双鱼座

种族：飞马

宠物：公兔Angel（安吉尔/天使兔）（宠物之中的主角，出场率极高还担任过几次主要角色）

在和谐之元中代表“善良”。

【反面性格为恶意（未达到恶毒的程度）】

介绍：

米黄色身体、淡粉色色鬃毛、蓝绿色眼睛的小马，长相漂亮，个性胆小、内向、善良，说话总是很小声，声音甜美。可爱标志为三只粉红翅膀的蝴蝶。

小时候非常不擅长飞行，在云宝为她而举办的飞行比赛中不慎掉落到可爱标志附近的森林。在这里她很快就发现了自己善于并喜欢跟小动物接触，她的可爱标志就出现了。可爱标志出现的契机为"对他人释出善意"。目前居住在小马谷边界的地方永恒自由森林附近。在S7E5中为动物们建造了一个栖息地。

名字由flutter(飘扬)和shy(害羞)组成。

Pinkie Pie（碧琪/萍琪派）

碧琪/萍琪派

对话配音：Andrea Libman

唱歌配音：Shannon Chan-Kent

国语配音：李晔

日语配音：三森铃子

性别：女

生日：5月3日

星座：金牛座

种族：陆马

宠物：公鳄鱼 Gummy（嘎米/软糖）

在和谐之元中代表“乐观”。

【反面性格为消极（未达到悲观的程度）】

介绍：

粉色身体，桃红色鬃毛、天蓝色眼睛的小马。可爱标志为两颗蓝气球夹带一颗黄气球。

十分积极乐观，是六只小马中的开心果。个性开朗、活泼、积极、乐观，擅常滑冰，喜爱恶作剧和唱歌，剧中大部分的曲目都是她自编自唱的，有着超乎常人的精力，走路总是一跳一跳的，喜欢甜食，喜欢粉红色，擅长制作甜点，而且口味独特，认识所有小马谷的小马。

能在任何时候、任何地点举办派对，拥有秘密武器“派对大炮”，轰一下就可以瞬间把场地布置成派对。有时会穿着不知道从哪边来的cosplay服装出场。可以以近乎瞬间移动的方式到达任何地方，还精通各种乐器，有很强的第六感，可以预知即将发生的事（S1E15），甚至能打破所谓的“第四道墙”，因此获封“神驹”称号，S8末集透露出她也有某种魔法。相当害怕寂寞，在S1E25时以为大家都不理她时因情绪低落变成过去的直发，并且开始出现一些精神异常的举止，后来和大家解开误会。但在同人里则是黑化，并通常用她的本名萍卡美娜来代表她的黑化状态。

小时候碧琪的家庭是在死气沉沉的采石场工作，过着十分枯燥乏味的生活。直到有一天她看到云宝使出的彩虹音爆后使决定要改变现况。在用派对重拾她家人们的笑容后她的可爱标志就出现了。可爱标志出现的契机为"欢笑"。

她的全名叫Pinkamena Diane Pie（萍卡美娜·戴安·派），是极少数出现全名的小马之一。

在S9E26中她带着一匹雌性幼驹来到坎特洛特的城堡，并称其为"Little Cheese"。很大概率是她与芝士三明治的女儿。

名字由pinkie(小指)和pie(馅饼)组成。

在happy tree friends同人中串过场。

助理

Spike（穗龙/斯派克）

穗龙/斯派克

配音：Cathy Weseluck

国配：罗玉婷（S1-S5）、王晓彤（S6-S9） [11]

日配：熊井统子

性别：男

星座：金牛座

种族：龙

宠物：在S2E21后认养了小凤凰Peewee(于S3E11出现的照片中得知已归还给小凤凰的父母，在S8E11也可得知)

简介：

一只紫色与绿色相间的小龙，在紫悦幼年时期参加的入学考试中因紫悦暴走的魔力让它从蛋中孵化了出来。紫悦的助手兼室友，会帮着记事、整理资料、找寻书籍、写信，能够吐出绿色的火焰，用它将信烧掉之后便会传送到他指定的地方，从那边寄来的信就由自己吐出。主食是各种宝石，但是也可以吃小马的食物，擅长挖洞。每当紫悦和她的朋友有需要时，会加以帮忙，对珍奇一见钟情（到S2以前，珍奇并没有在意他的爱慕之意）。在S8E11集时生长出翅膀。

Starlight Glimmer（星光熠熠/星光灿灿）曾是大反派（S5季首和季终）

第五季的星光熠熠

配音：Kelly Sheridan

国配：严丽祯 (S5)、李晔（S6-S7）、范楚绒（S8-S9）

昵称：书记（SG的谐音）

性别：女

星座：巨蟹座

种族：独角兽

简介：

S5E1出现的新角色，一只紫色的独角兽，魔力十分强大，可以和成为天角兽的紫悦匹敌。在S6中发型由原来的齐刘海变成了斜刘海。因幼时好友Sunburst（日光耀耀/隙日）获得可爱标志后离他而去感到悲伤，因此宣称差异会导致友谊破裂，而完全的平等才是解决之道。所以她利用魔法除去其他小马的可爱标志，然后用等号取代，并以独裁的手段在边境建立起一个反乌托邦式的小镇。后被夺回可爱标志的六主角打败。

在S5E25-26中，星光熠熠从紫悦的演讲中知道六个朋友的可爱标志都源于云宝的彩虹音爆，于是通过星璇的咒语穿越到过去，阻止云宝做彩虹音爆，差点反派们毁灭小马利亚，后来紫悦说服了她回心转意。

第六季及以后的星光熠熠

在S6中成为紫悦的学生，与曾经的朋友重归于好.S6E6与特丽克西成为好友。S6E25和特丽克西等朋友共同战胜了虫茧女王。S7E1中紫悦宣布她已经正式毕业。S9E20开始担任友谊学校校长。

配角详情

编辑 语音

小马利亚公主

特别说明：紫悦在成为天角兽后也是公主之一（友谊公主），但因主角已提到，这里不做重复。

Princess Celestia（宇宙公主/塞拉斯蒂娅公主）代表太阳和白昼的公主

宇宙公主

配音：Nicole Oliver

国配：李晔

日配：井上喜久子

昵称：大公主、Celie（塞莉）、tia（提娅）

性别：女

星座：天秤座

种族：天角兽

宠物：凤凰 Philomena（菲洛米娜/菲拉美娜）

妹妹：月亮公主

简介：

淡粉白色身体，暗彩虹色流动鬃毛，紫粉色眼睛，头戴金色镶紫色宝石皇冠的小马。可爱标志为一个太阳。小马利亚至高无上的存在，既是神也是君主。体形比一般小马要大得多。精通各种魔法，担任天才独角兽学园的校长和教师，也是紫悦和音韵公主的导师。和妹妹负责整个小马利亚的日夜运作，后因为月亮公主变成梦魇之月，宇宙公主使用了和谐之元的魔法将她囚禁在月球上一千年，并同时承担日月交替的职责。S9退位并让紫悦接替。

破灭之阳

虽然贵为王族的身分让人敬畏，但其实她相当温柔美丽，一点也不严厉，甚至还有些淘气（Molestia是同人设定，并非官方）。喜欢吃蛋糕，因为在报纸上的照片似乎有些不雅（S2E23），被同人设定成吃相难看，实际上她只是被闪光灯吓到了。总是努力试着建立亲民的形象。

因相中紫悦的魔力而将她收为直属徒弟。给紫悦许多特权，探望紫悦常常御驾亲征小马镇，常指派紫悦为代表皇家去执行任务。

在S7E10中，在星光熠熠的梦中见到黑化的宇宙公主——Daybreaker（破灭之阳/拂晓）。

Princess Luna（月亮公主/露娜公主）代表月亮和黑夜的公主；曾是大反派（本作开端）

月亮公主

配音：Tabitha St. Germain

国配：范楚绒（S1-S5） 、严丽祯（S6-S9）

日配：内山夕实（梦魇之月状态下配音为本田贵子）

昵称：二公主、露露、Woona

性别：女

星座：天蝎座

种族：天角兽

姐姐：宇宙公主

简介：

有深蓝色身体，天蓝色星空般飘逸流动鬃毛，青蓝色眼睛，头戴黑色皇冠的小马。可爱标志为一轮弯月和黑色云雾。黑色云雾在公主二姐妹日记的插图中似乎并非与弯月同时出现。

梦魇之月

首度以月亮公主的身分出场时体型同于其他小马，纯蓝鬃毛，S2E4再度出场后身型高大，鬃毛也变为星空色。最初和姐姐一起司掌日月的交替，但由于小马都在夜间就寝造成的孤单转化为嫉妒而被黑暗力量掌控成为Nightmare moon(梦魇之月/噩梦之月)，后被囚禁在月球。一千年后被紫悦等六只小马用和谐之元净化，再度回归姐姐身旁，一起治理小马利亚。S9退位并让紫悦接替。

说话方式用皇家口音，出场与台词少，人气却相当高。梦境的管治者，有时会来到其他小马的梦中，帮助小马面对噩梦。

注：Luna一词源于意大利语，在意大利语中Luna的意思就是月亮。

Princess Cadence（音韵公主/韵律公主）代表爱的公主

音韵公主

配音：Britt McKillip

国配：范楚绒（S2-S3、S8-S9）、严丽祯（S4-S5）、洪海天（S6-S7）

日配：高垣彩阳

性别：女

星座：水瓶座

种族：天角兽（原种族为飞马）

简介：

又叫Mi Amore Cadenza（米阿默卡丹纱，意大利语），宇宙公主以前的学生，浅粉色身体，浅金色、紫色、玫红色三色相间鬃毛，浅紫色眼睛，头戴黄色镶紫色宝石皇冠，美丽温柔。可爱标志为镶金边的水晶爱心。S2时与闪耀盔甲结婚前她被虫茧女王抓到坎特洛特底下的岩洞里，被紫悦救出，与丈夫用爱的力量把虫茧女王打败。在S3E1,2又和紫悦一起打败了森布拉大王，和闪耀盔甲成为水晶帝国的守护者并治理帝国。她的可爱标志也正是水晶帝国的象征——水晶爱心，代表着将爱和光明传递在每人心中，她曾是紫悦的保姆。在S5E20中有了自己的宝宝风雪之心。

哈利波特与魔法石1

Chapter 01 Part 1-The boy who lived 大难不死的男孩

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. by J K Rowling

哈利波特与魔法石J K- Rowling著

CHAPTER ONE THE BOY WHO LIVED

第一章大难不死的男孩

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

家住女贞路4号的德思礼夫妇总是得意地说他们是非常规矩的人家，拜托，拜托了。

They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

他们从来跟神秘古怪的事不沾边，因为他们根本不相信那些邪门歪道。

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.

弗农•德思礼先生在一家名叫格朗宁的公司做经理，公司生产钻机。

He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.

他高大魁梧，胖得几乎连脖子都没有了，却蓄着一脸大胡子。

Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.

德思礼太太是一个瘦削的金发女人。她的脖子几乎比正常人长一倍。这样每当她花许多时间隔着花园围栏引 颈而望、窥探左邻右舍时，她的长脖子可就派上了大用场。

The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.

德思礼夫妇有一个小儿子，名叫达力。在他们看来，人世间没有比达力更优秀的孩子了。

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.

德思礼一家几乎有他们想要的一切东西。但是他们也有一个秘密，而且他们最大的担心就是有一天别人会发 现这个秘密。

They didnft think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. 他们想，一旦有人发现波特一家的事，他们会承受不住的。

Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years. 波特太太是德思礼太太的妹妹，不过她们已经有好几年不见面了。

In fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.

实际上，德思礼太太佯装自己根本没有这么个妹妹，因为她妹妹和她那一无是处的妹夫与德思礼家族的为人 处世完全不一样。

The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street.

一想到波特一家的到来会招致邻居的议论，德思礼一家就会浑身发抖。

The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never seen him. 德思礼一家知道波特家也有一个儿子，只是未曾谋面。

This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.

这个小男孩也成了德思礼一家避开波特一家的另一个借口，他们不愿让达力跟这种孩子厮混。

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday, our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country.

当德思礼先生和夫人在灰暗阴沉的星期二早晨醒来时，我们的故事便开始了。外面浓云低垂的天空并没有丝 毫迹象预示这地方即将发生神秘古怪的事情。

Mr Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work and Mrs Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his highchair. 德思礼先生一边哼着小曲一边挑了一条他最难看的领带准备去上班，德思礼夫人则一边口中念叨着一边把叫 喊的达力塞进高椅子。

None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window.

他们谁也没注意到这时有一只巨大的褐色的猫头鹰从窗外掠过。

At half-past eight, Mr Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs Dursley on the cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.

八点半，德思礼先生拿起公文包，在德思礼太太面颊上亲了一下，正要亲达力，跟这个小家伙道别，可是没 有亲成，小家伙正在发脾气，把麦片往墙上摔。

"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.

”小淘气！”德思礼先生哈哈大笑地走出家门。

He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.

他钻进车，倒若车驶出了四号车道。

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar —a cat reading a map.

当他驶到街的拐角处时，他发现了第一个不寻常的迹象——只猫在看地图。

For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realise what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again.

开始时德思礼先生还没有弄明白到自己看到了什么。于是又猛地转过头去看。

There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight.

只见那只花斑猫还蹲在女贞路口，可是地图却看不到了。

What could you have been thinking of?

你到底在想些什么？

It must have been a trick of the light.

一定是光线的问题。

Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat.

德思礼先生眨了眨眼，盯着猫看。

It stared back.

猫也盯着他。

As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror.

当德思礼先生拐过街角继续上路的时候，他从后视镜里看看那只猫。

It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive -- no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.

那只猫这时正在读着”女贞路”的路牌--不，它只是朝路牌看而已，猫是不可能会读地图或路牌的。

Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind.

德思礼先生定了定神，把猫从脑海里赶走。

As he drove towards town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.

他开车进城，一路上都在想的是希望今天他能得到一大批钻机的定单。

But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. 就快要到镇上的时候，另一件事又把钻机的事从他脑海里赶走了。

As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.

当他的车汇入清晨拥堵的车流时，他不禁注意到路边有一群穿着奇装异服的人。他们都披着斗篷。

Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the get-ups you saw on young people!

德思礼先生最看不惯别人穿得怪模怪样，瞧年轻人的那身打扮！

He supposed this was some stupid new fashion.

他猜想这大概又是一种无聊的新时尚吧。

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by.

他用手指敲击着方向盘，目光落到了离他最近的一大群怪物身上。

They were whispering excitedly together.

他们正兴致勃勃，交头接耳。

Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak!

德思礼先生很生气，因为他发现他们中间有一対根本不年轻了，那个男的显得比他年龄还大，竟然还披着一 件翡翠绿的斗篷！

The nerve of him!

真不知羞耻！

But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt -- these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it.

接着，德思礼先生突然想到这可能这是一出表演吧--这群人很明显在为什么事情募捐。是的，肯定是这样。

The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings car park, his mind back on drills.

车流移动了，几分钟后德思礼先生来到格朗宁公司的停车场，他的思绪又回到了钻机上。

Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. 德思礼先生在他+楼的办公室里，总是习惯背窗而坐。

If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. 如果不是这样，他可能会发现这一天早上他更难把思想集中到钻机的事情上了。

He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. 他没有看见成群的猫头鹰在光天化日之下从天上飞过，可街上的人群都看到了；他们目瞪口呆，指指点点， 盯着猫头鹰一只接一只从头顶上掠过。

Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.

他们绝大多数从未见过猫头鹰，即使是在夜里。

Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning.

还好，德思礼先生这天早上很正常，没有受到猫头鹰的干扰。

He yelled at five different people.

他先后对五个人大喊大叫了一遍。

He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.

又打了几个重要的电话，喊的声音更响。

He was in a very good mood until lunch-time, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the baker's opposite.

直到午饭时他的心情都很好，那时他想到自己应该活动活动筋骨了，于是走到到马路对角的面包房去买一只 小甜圆面包。

He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's.

若不是他在面包房隔壁又碰到那群披斗篷的人，他早就把他们忘了。

He eyed them angrily as he passed.

他经过他们身边时，狠狠地打量了他们一眼。

He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy.

他说不清这是为什么，只是觉得这些人让他心里别扭。

This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldnl see a single collecting tin. 这些人正喊喊喳喳，讲得起劲，但他连一只募捐箱也没有看见。

It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.

当他拎着装在袋里的一只大甜甜圈往回走，经过他们身边时，他们的话断断续续飘入他的耳鼓：

"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their son, Harry."

“波特一家，不错，我正是听说--'"'一一没错，他们的儿子，哈利一一”

Mr. Dursley stopped dead.

德思礼先生僵住了。

Fear flooded him.

恐惧紧紧地攫住了他。

He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.

他回过头看着那群人想似乎跟他们说些什么，后来又改变了主意。

He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind.

他冲到马路对面，小跑回到办公室，厉声吩咐秘书不要打扰他，然后抓起话筒，刚要拨通家里的电话，临时 又变了主意。

He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid.

他放下话筒，摸着胡须，琢磨起来 .....不，他太愚蠢了。

Potter wasn't such an unusual name.

波特并不是一个稀有的姓。

He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. 肯定有许多人姓波特，而且有儿子叫哈利。

Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry.

想到这里，他甚至连自己的外甥是不是叫哈利都拿不定了。

He'd never even seen the boy.

他甚至没见过这孩子。

It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.

说不定叫哈维，或者叫哈罗德。

There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister.

没有必要让太太烦心，只要一提起她妹妹，她总是心烦意乱。

He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people in cloaks...

他并不责怪她--要是他自己有一个那样的妹妹呢……可不管怎么说，这群披斗篷的人 .....

He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.

那天下午，他发现自己很难专心考虑钻机的事。五点钟他走出办公室大楼，依旧心事重重，与站在门口的一 个人撞了个满怀。

' Sorry；' he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.

这个小老头打了个趣起，差点儿摔倒。”对不起。"德思礼先生嘟哝说。

It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak.

过了几秒钟，他才发现这人披了一件紫罗兰色斗篷。

He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground.

他看上去对几乎被撞倒在地毫不介意。

On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! 相反，他咧开嘴笑，并且用一种让旁人侧目的尖嗓子说话，“您不用道歉，尊贵的先生，因为今天没有事会惹 我生气！

Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!

太高兴了，因为那个人终于离开了！

Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"

就连像你这种麻瓜，也应该好好庆贺这大喜大庆的日子！”

And the old man hugged Mr Dursley around the middle and walked off. 老头说完，搂了搂德思礼先生的腰，就走开了。

Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot.

德思礼先生定在了原地。

He had been hugged by a complete stranger.

他刚刚被一个完全陌生的人搂过。

He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.

他还想到自己被称做"麻瓜”，不知这是什么意思。

He was rattled.

他心乱如麻。

He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.

连忙朝自己的汽车跑过去，开车回家。他希望这一切只是幻象，他从来没有幻想过什么，因为他根本不赞同 幻想。

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.

当他驶入四号车道时，第一个映入眼帘的就是早上他见过的那只花斑猫，这并没有使他的心情好转。

It was now sitting on his garden wall.

那只猫现在正在他的花园围墙上。

He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. 他可以肯定是同一只猫，因为它们的眼睛周围有着一样的花纹。

"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.

”嘘！”德思礼先生大喝道。

The cat didn't move.

猫纹丝不动。

It just gave him a stern look.

它只是狠狠地瞪了他一眼。

Was this normal cat behaviour, Mr Dursley wondered.

这难道是一只正常的猫的行为吗？德思礼先生感到很疑惑。

Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house.

他先让自己镇定下来，随后就进屋去了。

He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

他仍决定对太太只字不提。

Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day.

德思礼太太这一天过得很好，一切正常。

She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learnt a new word ('Shan't!')

晚饭桌上，德思礼太太向他讲述了邻居家的母女矛盾，还说达力又学会一个新词(“绝不"),

Mr. Dursley tried to act normally.

德思礼先生也尽量表现得正常。

When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living-room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:

安顿达力睡下之后，他来到起居室，听到晚间新闻的最后一段报道：

"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today.

“最后，据各地鸟类观察者反映，今天全国猫头鹰表现反常。

Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise.

通常情况下，猫头鹰都是在夜间捕食，白天很少露面，可是今天，日出时猫头鹰就四处纷飞。

Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern."

专家们也无法解释猫头鹰为什么改变了它们的睡眠模式。”

The news reader allowed himself a grin. 新闻播音员说到这里，咧嘴一笑。

“Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. “真是太诡异了。现在我把话筒交给吉姆•麦古，问问他天气情况如何。

Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?

吉姆，今天夜里还会下猫头鹰雨吗？

【哈利波特精读】Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone（Chapter 1）

Shirley老师带你精读《哈利波特》，体验魔法世界！

精读方法：

先听录音，读英文部分，不懂的地方暂停看词汇和翻译，查单词。

了解大意后，做盲听训练，直到能够听懂每个句子。

最后，生词和精彩的句子摘抄下来，单词要复习，句子要在写作的时候用上，多复习多使用才会巩固学习成果。

建议大家读纸质书或打印出来，方便划单词和句子、记笔记。

电子书等材料领取方式见作者介绍。

Chapter One The Boy Who Lived

大难不死的男孩

语境词汇

The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.

shudder ['ʃʌdə]

n.发抖；战栗；震动 vi.发抖；战栗

None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.

tawny ['tɔːnɪ]

n.黄褐色；茶色 adj.黄褐色的；茶色的

flutter ['flʌtə]

vi.飘动；鼓翼；烦扰 vt.拍；使焦急；使飘动n.摆动；鼓翼；烦扰

"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.

chortle ['tʃɔːt(ə)l]

vi.咯咯笑 n.得意的高笑

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar -- a cat reading a map.

peculiar [pɪ'kjulɪɚ]

adj. 特殊的；独特的；奇怪的；罕见的 n. 特权；特有财产

There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight.

tabby ['tæbɪ]

n.平纹；斑猫；长舌妇 adj.起波纹的；有斑纹的 vt.使起波纹

Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes -- the getups you saw on young people!

getup ['ɡetʌp]

n.服饰，式样；装订格式

But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt — these people were obviously collecting for something…

stunt [stʌnt]

n.噱头，手腕；绝技vt.阻碍…的正常生长或发展vi.表演特技；作惊人表演     

He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.

swoop [swuːp]

vi.猛扑；突然袭击 n.猛扑；俯冲；突然袭击vt.攫取；抓起

It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.

clutch [klʌtʃ]

n.离合器；控制；手；紧急关头

vi.企图抓住vt.抓住；紧握 adj.没有手提带或背带的；紧要关头的

"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.

grunt [grʌnt]

n.咕哝；呼噜声vi.作呼噜声；发哼声vt.咕哝着说

stumble /ˈstʌmbl/

vi. 踌躇，蹒跚；失足；犯错vt. 使…困惑；使…绊倒n. 绊倒；蹒跚而行

He was rattled.

rattle ['ræt(ə)l]

vt.使发出咯咯声；喋喋不休；使慌乱，使惊慌

vi.喋喋不休地讲话；发出卡嗒卡嗒声 n.喋喋不休的人；吓吱声，格格声

The newscaster allowed himself a grin.

grin [grɪn]

v.露齿而笑，咧着嘴笑n.露齿笑

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips.

purse /pɜːs/

n. (女士)手提袋；财力 vt.（嘴巴）皱起，使缩拢；撅嘴

It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead.

quiver /ˈkwɪvə(r)/

n. 颤抖；箭袋；震动vi. 颤抖；振动vt. 使…颤动；抖动

The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.

twitch [twɪtʃ]

n.抽搐；抽动；痉挛；阵痛 vi.抽搐；抽动；阵痛vt.使抽动；攫取；猛拉

He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."

chuckle ['tʃʌk(ə)l]

vi.咯咯的笑，轻声地笑n.轻笑，窃笑vt.轻声笑着表示

She looked distinctly ruffled.

ruffle ['rʌf(ə)l]

vt.弄皱；触怒；扰乱；迅速翻动 vi.起皱；烦恼；连续地轻敲

n.皱褶；生气；混乱；连续轻敲声

Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice.

flinch ['flɪn(t)ʃ]

vi.退缩；畏惧n.退缩；畏惧

"I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring.

exasperate [ɪg'zæsp(ə)reɪt; eg-]

vt.恶化；使恼怒；激怒

Professor McGonagall gasped.

gasp [gɑːsp]

vi.喘气；喘息；渴望vt.气喘吁吁地说；喘着气说话n.喘气

Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on.

tremble /ˈtrembl/

vi. 发抖；焦虑；摇晃vt. 使挥动；用颤抖的声音说n. 颤抖；战栗；摇晃

Dumbledore nodded glumly.

glumly ['glʌmli]

adv.忧郁地；闷闷不乐地（glum的副词）

"It's -- it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall.

falter ['fɔːltə; 'fɒl-]

vi.支吾；蹒跚地走vt.支吾地说；结巴地讲出n.踌躇；支吾；颤抖

It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"

astounding [ə'staʊndɪŋ]

adj.令人震惊的；令人惊骇的

"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall.

faint /feɪnt/

adj. 模糊的；头晕的；虚弱的；[医] 衰弱的

vi. 昏倒；变得微弱；变得没气力n. [中医] 昏厥，昏倒

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to -- what was that?"

grudge [grʌdʒ]

vt.怀恨；吝惜；妒忌；不情愿做 n.怨恨；恶意；妒忌

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them.

rumble ['rʌmb(ə)l]

vt.使隆隆响；低沉地说vi.隆隆作响n.隆隆声；抱怨声

"No, sir -- house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."

swarm [swɔːm]

vi.挤满；成群浮游；云集 n.蜂群；一大群 vt.挤满；爬

Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.

bolt [bəʊlt]

n.螺栓，螺钉；闪电，雷电；门闩；弩箭;（布的）一匹，一卷

vt.筛选；囫囵吞下；（把门、窗等）闩上；突然说出，脱口说出

vi.（门窗等）闩上，拴住；冲出，跳出；（马等的）脱缰；囫囵吞下

adv.突然地；像箭似地；直立地

He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.

shaggy ['ʃægɪ]

adj.蓬松的；表面粗糙的；毛发粗浓杂乱的

whiskery ['hwiskəri]

adj.年长的；有须的；古老的

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door.

gingerly ['dʒɪndʒəlɪ]

adv.小心翼翼地；慎重地adj.谨慎的；轻手轻脚的；慎重的

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall -- Professor Dumbledore, sir."

muffle /ˈmʌfl/

vt. 蒙住；裹住；抑制；发低沉的声音

n. 低沉的声音；消声器；包裹物（如头巾，围巾等）；唇鼻部

He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.

slink [slɪŋk]

vi.潜逃；溜走vt.早产；潜逃n.早产的动物；鬼鬼祟祟的人adj.早产的

One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...

prod [prɒd]

n.刺针；刺棒；签子vt.刺，戳；刺激vi.刺；捅

pinch [pɪn(t)ʃ]

vt.捏；勒索；使苦恼；掐掉某物，修剪n.匮乏；少量；夹痛vi.夹痛；节省

精彩句型

Fear flooded him.

描写恐惧，或替换成其他情绪。

He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind.

描写一连串急躁的动作，这一段很德思礼。

On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"

这是本书第一次提到，伏地魔消失了！麻瓜也应该高兴！

Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot.

关于惊呆的描写。

How very wrong he was.

德思礼以为波特一家绝不会与他有任何的联系，谁知道第二天早上的门垫子上，一个额头上带着伤疤的小男孩，与他开始了密不可分的关系……

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.

最伟大的巫师，阿不思邓布利多，第一次出场。外貌描写很传神。

It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true.

麦格教授，以及很多巫师，都只会相信邓布利多。

"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..." Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.

描写难过与安慰。莉莉和詹姆斯，哈利波特的父母，去世了。

"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."

邓布利多教授在大多数时候，总是如此谨慎。

"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"

关于哈利波特为什么要留在德思礼家，邓布利多给出的解释。

“I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.

邓布利多对海格的信任。

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.

海格第一次出场。

For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

邓布利多，麦格教授，海格，一起凝视着还是个婴儿的哈利波特。

"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.

邓布利多对哈利说的第一句话，也是第一次道别。

想知道tan是什么呢？

tan是一个英文单词，具体释义如下：

名词：棕褐色，棕黄色；（日晒后变成的）棕褐色皮肤；鞣料树皮；（铺路和园艺中使用的）鞣酸皮渣。

动词：（使）晒成褐色，晒黑；鞣（革），硝（皮）；非正式，旧 痛打（某人），鞭打（尤指作为惩罚）。

形容词：棕黄色的，棕褐色的；晒黑的。

例句：Towards two o'clock he went into the garden and on to the tan-heap to watch for the raven.

快到两点钟的时候，他走到花园里，到树皮上去找乌鸦。

近义词介绍：tawny

读音：/ ˈtɔːni /

表达意思：黄褐色的；茶色的；黄褐色；茶色。

词性：通常在句中作名词，也可以作形容词，修饰主语或宾语。

例句：None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.

他们谁也没注意到一只大的、褐色的猫头鹰飞过了窗户。

《哈利波特与魔法石》（第一章译稿）

第一章

活着的男孩

家住在女贞路4号的杜思丽夫妇总是得意的说，他们是非常本份的人家，谢天谢地。他们是最不可能被认为卷入到一些奇怪和神秘的事情的人。因为他们从来都不认可那些虚无缥缈的事。

杜思丽先生在一个名叫布朗宁的公司做主管，公司主营钻床制造。他高大健硕，胖的几乎没有脖子，却留着很大的胡子。杜思丽夫人身材纤细，留着一头金发，近乎两倍长于常人的脖子，这让她时常非常便利地把脖子伸出栅栏，窥视邻居。杜思丽一家有一个小儿子名叫大力，在他们看来，世间再也找不到像大力这么好的孩子了。

杜思丽一家拥有他们想要的一切，但除此之外，他们保守一个秘密，他们最害怕被别人们发现。如果被人发现有关波特一家的秘密，他们会承受不住的。波特夫人是杜思丽夫人的妹妹，但是他们有好几年有没有见面了。事实上杜思丽夫人假装她没有这个妹妹，因为她的妹妹及不中用的妹夫，和杜思丽一家处世方式完全不同。他们一想到邻居议论波特一家是否会回到这条街，就怕得浑身发抖。他们知道波特家有一个小儿子，但他们从来没有见过。这个男孩是他们远离波特一家很好的理由，因为他们不想要大力和这样的小孩厮混在一起。

故事开始于天色阴沉，灰暗的周二早晨，杜思丽夫妇一早醒来，窗外低沉的云天没有丝毫迹象预示在这个城镇将要发生奇怪和神秘的事情。杜思丽先生哼着小曲，挑选一条最不喜欢的领带去上班，杜思丽夫人不停地絮叨，高兴地把哭闹的大力搬到儿童椅子上。

然而，没有任何人注意到一只巨大的、褐色的猫头鹰挥着翅膀从窗外穿过。

八点半，杜思丽先生拾起他的公文包，轻吻杜思丽夫人的面颊，然后尝试和大力吻别，但是却失败了，因为正赶大力发了个脾气，把她的早餐奶扔到了墙上。“小淘气”杜思丽先生咯咯笑着离开了房子。他钻进汽车，并倒出4号路。

在大街的拐角，他注意到了奇怪的信号，一只猫正在看一副地图。过了一秒钟，杜思丽先生没有意识到他看到了什么——就在那时，他猛然转过头去一看究竟，那里只有一只花猫站在女贞路路口，但是并没有看到地图。他到底在想些什么？很可能是光线产生的错觉吧？杜思丽先生眨着眼睛，并盯着那只猫，猫也在盯着他。杜思丽先生转过了街角，上了大道。他从后视镜再去看那只猫，它正在看写着女贞路的路标——不，它只是在看路标；猫是不会阅读地图或路标的。杜思丽先生稍微振作了一下，并尝试把猫从脑海里赶走。他向着城里的方向开，脑海中想的是希望今天能得到一大批钻床的订单。

（未完待续）20180226

Chapter 1

THE BOY WHO LIVED

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.

None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.

At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar -- a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen -- then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive -- no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.