《哈利·波特2》2.2

Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
多比摇了摇头，然后冷不防跳了起来，用脑袋疯狂地撞着窗户，嘴里喊着：“坏多比！坏多比！”

shake 摇头
leap up 跳起来
bang 撞
furiously 疯狂
shout 大喊

"Don't -- what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed -- Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.
“别这样，你这是干什么？”哈利着急地小声说，跳起来把多比拉回床上。海德薇被吵醒了，发出一声格外响亮的尖叫，在笼子里疯狂地乱扑乱撞。

hiss vi.发出嘘声；发嘘声
spring up 腾起 兴起
screech n.刺耳的尖叫，尖利刺耳的声音

"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…"
“多比要惩罚自己，先生。”小精灵说，他的眼睛已经有点儿对在一起了。“多比几乎说了主人家的坏话，先生…”

cross-eyed adj.斜视的；对视眼的；斗鸡眼的
speak ill of someone 说某人的坏话

"Your family?"
“主人家？”

"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir… Dobby is a houseelf -- bound to serve one house and one family forever…"
“多比服侍的那个巫师家，先生…多比是家养小精灵——必须永远服侍一户人家…”

"Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously.
“他们知道你在这儿吗？”哈利好奇地问。

curiously 好奇的

Dobby shuddered.
多比哆嗦了一下。

shudder vi.发抖；战栗

"Oh, no, sir, no… Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir --"
“哦，不，先生，他们不知道…多比因为来见您，要对自己进行最严厉的惩罚。多比将把自己的耳朵关在烤箱门里。万一给他们知道，先生——”

grievously adv.令人悲伤地；极其痛苦地

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"
“可如果你把耳朵关在烤箱门里，他们不会发现吗？”

Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments…"
“多比猜想不会，先生。多比总是为一些事惩罚自己，先生。他们让多比这样做，先生。有时候他们提醒我更厉害地惩罚自己呢…”

"But why don't you leave? Escape?"
“你为什么不逃走呢？”

"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free… Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir…"
“家养小精灵必须由主人放走。可主人永远不会放走多比…多比将在主人家做到死，先生…”

Harry stared.
哈利目瞪口呆，他说：

"And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"
“要我在这儿多待四个星期，我都觉得受不了。这样比起来，德思礼一家还算是有些人情味的。没有人能帮你吗？我能帮你吗？”

Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.
哈利几乎立刻就后悔他说了这句话。多比再次感动得呜呜大哭。

dissolve vi.溶解；解散；消失
gratitude n.感谢（的心情）；感激

"Please," Harry whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here --"
“拜托你，”哈利紧张地说，“小点儿声。要是给德思礼一家听到，要是他们知道你在这儿…”

frantically adv.疯狂似地；狂暴地

"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby… Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…"
“哈利波特问他能不能帮助多比…多比早就听说了您的伟大，先生，可您的仁慈，多比以前还不了解…”

Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, she --"
哈利感到脸上发烧，忙说：“你听到的那些都是胡说，我在霍格沃茨连年级第一名都排不上，第一名是赫敏，她——”

a load of rubbish /crap 一堆垃圾


But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful.
但他很快住了口，一想起赫敏他就感到痛苦。

painful 痛苦

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named --"
“哈利波特这样谦虚，”多比崇敬地说，两只大圆眼睛闪着光，“哈利波特不说他战胜那个连名字都不能提的魔头的事迹。”

humble adj.谦逊的；
modest adj.谦虚的，谦逊的；
orb-like 像球一样的
aglow 发光的 ; 容光焕发
triumph 获得胜利，成功

"Voldemort?" said Harry.
“伏地魔？”哈利说。

Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"
多比捂住耳朵，呻吟道：“啊，别说那个名字，先生！别说那个名字！”

moan 抱怨，悲叹；呻吟

"Sorry," said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron --"
“对不起，”哈利马上说道，“我知道许多人都不喜欢他——我的朋友罗恩…”

He stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful, too.
他又停住了。想到罗恩也让人痛苦。

Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights.
多比凑近哈利，他的眼睛大得像车灯。

headlights 车前灯 大灯

"Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time, just weeks ago… that Harry Potter escaped yet again."
“多比听说，”他嘶哑地说，“哈利波特几星期前又遇见了那个魔头…哈利波特再次逃脱了。”