Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.
The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."
"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.
A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.
"Give us a look, Lee, go on."
The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.
Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.
"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.
"Yes, please," Harry panted.
"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"
With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.
"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.
"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.
"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you
"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.
"What?" said Harry.
"Harry Potter, "chorused the twins.
"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."
The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.
"Fred? George? Are you there?"
"Coming, Mom."
With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.
Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.
"Ron, you've got something on your nose."
The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.
"Mom -- geroff" He wriggled free.
"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.
"Shut up," said Ron.
"Where's Percy?" said their mother.
"He's coming now."
蒸汽機(jī)車噴出的汽霧在談天說地的人群的頭上聚集起來,而各色的貓兒在人們的腳旁鞋邊轉(zhuǎn)來轉(zhuǎn)去。貓頭鷹們則以一種令人不快的方式相互叫囂著。它們的叫聲壓過了人們拖、拉、拍、敲沉重的皮箱時(shí)發(fā)出的噪音。
頭幾節(jié)車箱里早已擠滿學(xué)生。車?yán)锏膶W(xué)生有的從窗子里探出頭來和親人們攀談,有的還在為搶座位而打作一團(tuán)。哈利推著小車走下站臺(tái),目光搜索著空位子。他經(jīng)過一個(gè)圓臉小男孩時(shí),正巧聽到他在說:"奶奶,我的癩蛤蟆又不見了。""噢,尼維爾。"一個(gè)老婦人在嘆息。
一個(gè)扎著發(fā)給的男孩被一小堆人圍著。
"李,給我們看看嘛。"
那男孩掀起手中一個(gè)盒子的蓋子,從里面伸出一條毛茸茸的長腳。旁觀者見狀,不禁尖叫起來。
哈利繼續(xù)在擁擠的人群中艱難前行,他在列車尾部終于找到了一個(gè)沒人的包廂。
他先將海維放了進(jìn)去,然后拖著他那沉重的大皮箱朝車門走去。他使盡全力想將皮箱提上車門梯,但他甚至連箱子的一端都抬不起,他的腳還被皮箱重重地砸了兩次。
"要幫忙嗎?"說話的是帶領(lǐng)哈利穿越車票箱的紅發(fā)孿生兄弟中的一個(gè)。
"噢,是的。"哈利此時(shí)已經(jīng)氣喘吁吁了。
"哎,弗來德,快來幫忙啊片在這兄弟倆的幫助下,哈利的大皮箱終于被拽上了車,安置在包廂的一角。
"真太謝謝了。"哈利邊說邊用手拂開擋在眼睛前濕透了的頭發(fā)。
"那是什么?"兩兄弟中的一個(gè)突然指著哈利一塊發(fā)亮的傷痕問道。
"啊呀,"另一個(gè)叫道,"難道你是……?"
"沒錯(cuò),"第一個(gè)搶著說,"不是嗎?"
"什么呀?"哈利十分納悶。
"哈利·波特呀。"兩兄弟異口同聲道。
"噢,他呀,"哈利說,"我意思是我就是。"
兩個(gè)孩子呆呆地盯著他看,哈利覺得自己的臉正在變紅。然而,令他稍感寬慰的是,一個(gè)聲音這時(shí)從打開著的車門外傳進(jìn)來。
"弗來德,喬治,你們都在這兒嗎?"
"來了,媽媽。"
再最后打量了哈利一眼,兄弟倆跳下了火車。
哈利坐在緊靠車窗的位置上,看著站臺(tái)上的紅發(fā)家族,聽著他們的話語,他們的母親掏出手帕來。
"羅恩,你的鼻子臟了。"
小男孩想跑開,卻被他媽媽一把抓住,媽媽用心地為他拭去鼻梢的塵土。
"媽,放開我,"他努力掙脫了。
"啊哈,整潔的羅恩鼻子上有點(diǎn)臟東西喔。"孿生兄弟中的一個(gè)說道。
"住嘴!"羅恩氣極了。
"伯希呢?"媽媽關(guān)切地問。
"正走過來呢。"