Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.
“It was a dream, he told himself firmly. “I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard.”
There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.
And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“All right,” Harry mumbled, “I'm getting up.”
He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.
Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.
“Don't do that.”
Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.
“Hagrid!” said Harry loudly. “There's an owl—”
“Pay him,” Hagrid grunted into the sofa.
“What?”
“He wants paying’ fer deliverin’ the paper. Look in the pockets.”
Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.
“Give him five Knuts,” said Hagrid sleepily.
“Knuts?”
“The little bronze ones.”
Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.
哈里第二天早上很早就醒來了,雖然他能感覺到已是天亮了,卻仍然把眼睛閉得緊緊的。
"那是個(gè)夢(mèng),"他非常確定地對(duì)自己說,"我夢(mèng)見了一個(gè)名叫哈格力的巨人,他告訴我我將進(jìn)入一所學(xué)校學(xué)習(xí)魔法,當(dāng)我睜開眼的時(shí)候,我便會(huì)呆在家中的櫥柜里了。"突然,有一陣很響的敲擊聲。
"那是帕尤妮亞姨媽在敲門了。"哈利想。他的心在下沉,但是他仍然緊閉雙眼,因?yàn)槟菍?shí)在是個(gè)太美妙的夢(mèng)了。
啪、啪、啪。
"好了,"哈利咕噥著,"我就起來了。"
他坐起來,哈格力的大外套從他身上滑落下來。小屋子里立刻充滿了陽光,暴風(fēng)雨已經(jīng)過去,哈格力自己在一張折疊式的沙發(fā)上睡著了,一只貓頭鷹用爪子拍打著窗戶,嘴里還叨著一份報(bào)紙。
哈利慢慢爬起來。他感到非常開心,就好像有一只大氣球在他體內(nèi)膨脹似的。
他徑直走到窗戶前面,猛地推開它,窗外那只貓頭鷹便撲了進(jìn)來,把報(bào)紙放在了熟睡的哈格力的頭上,然后它振動(dòng)著翅膀,停在地板上,開始啄哈格力的外衣。
"不許這樣。"
哈利盡全力想把貓頭鷹趕走,但是貓頭鷹粗暴瘋狂的用它的尖嘴啄哈利,并且不斷地啄著那件外套。
"哈格力,"哈利大聲叫喊,"這兒有只貓頭鷹……""付錢給他。"哈格力在沙發(fā)里咕嗜著。
"什么?"
"他為我們送了報(bào)紙所以要拿報(bào)酬,看看口袋里。"哈格力外套上幾乎全是口袋,但是口袋里——成串的鑰匙、金屬球、一團(tuán)團(tuán)絲線、薄荷糖、榮袋……最后哈利掏出一枚形狀怪異的硬幣。
"給他五克拉。"哈格力睡眠惺松地說。
"克拉?"
"那種青銅色的小硬幣。"
哈利數(shù)出五個(gè)小青銅硬幣,貓頭鷹伸出爪子接住并把硬幣放到綁在它身上的羽毛做的小錢袋里,然后就從打開的窗戶飛走了。
哈格力打了個(gè)阿欠,坐起來伸了伸懶腰。