mensis ultimus quem Harrius cum Dursleis egit non erat iuncundus. Dudley vero Harrium nunc adeo timebat ut in in eandem conclavi manere nollet, Matertera Petunia autem et Avunculus Vernon eum neque in armario incluserunt neque quidquam facere coegerunt neque inclamaverunt – re vera nunquam eum allocuti sunt. partim territi, partim irati, si in sella Harrius sederat, illam pro inani habebant. quae si multis modis meliora erant quam priora tamen aliquando Harrius animum paulum demittebat. in conclavi moratus est cum strige nova. constituerat eam Hedvigam appellare, quod nomen in Historia Magica invenerat.
Harry’s last month with the Dursleys wasn’t fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn’t stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn’t shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him — in fact, they didn’t speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while. Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic.
si vis iter facere ad scholam magorum, parum idoneum vehiculorum est hamaxostichus, an omnia tapetia magica puncta habent?’ Harrius nihil dixit. ‘ubinam est haec schola?’ ‘nescio,’ inquit Harrius, id primum animo comprehendens. e sinu depromposit tesseram sibi ab Hagrido datam. ‘hamaxostichum undecima hora abiturum a crepidine novem cum tribus partibus modo conscendam,’ legit. matertera et avunculus oculus fixerunt. ‘a qua crepidine?’ ‘a crepidine novem cum tribus partibus.’ ‘noli garrire,’ inquit Avunculus Vernon, ‘non est crepido novem cum tribus partibus.’ ‘scriptum est in tessera mea.’ ‘delirant,’ inquit Avunculus Vernon, ‘mente alienata est hoc genus omne.’
“Funny way to get to a wizards’ school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?” Harry didn’t say anything. “Where is this school, anyway?” “I don’t know,” said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket. “ I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o’clock,” he read. His aunt and uncle stared. “Platform what?” “Nine and three-quarters.” “Don’t talk rubbish,” said Uncle Vernon. “There is no platform nine and three-quarters.” “It’s on my ticket.” “Barking,” said Uncle Vernon, “howling mad, the lot of them.
illo momento turba hominum a tergo eum praeteribant et pauca verba quae dicebant audivit. ‘- confertus Mugglibus, scilicet -‘ Harrius se circumegit. femina pinguior pueros quattuor omnes fulgibentibus capillis rubri coloris alloquebatur quorum quisque ante se propellebat vidulum similem illius Harrii – et strigem habebat. Harrius, corde saliente, carrulum post eos propulit. ubi constiterunt Harrius quoque constitit, satis prope ut audiret quid dicerent. ‘qui est numerus crepidinis?’ inquit puerorum mater. ‘novem cum tribus partibus!’ voce acuta respondit puella parva, capillis quoque rubris, quae manum eius tenebat. ‘matercula, nonne mihi licet ire…?’
At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying. “— packed with Muggles, of course —” Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry’s in front of him — and they had an owl. Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were say- ing. “Now, what’s the platform number?” said the boys’ mother. “Nine and three-quarters!” piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, “Mom, can’t I go . . .”
‘ita vero,’ inquit Harrius. ‘sed – sed nescio quomodo -‘ ‘quomodo in crepidinem ingrediaris?’ inquit voce benigma, et Harrius adnuit. ‘noli te sollicitare,’ inquit. ‘necesse est solum ut recta eas in claustrum intra crepidines novem et decem situm. ne constiteris neve timueris ne in claustrum incurras. id maxime regret. si trepidas, rem melius geres paulum festinans. agedum, i ante Ronaldum.’ ‘hem – sit ita,’ inquit Harrius. carrulo circumacto claustrum intuitus est. solidissimum videbatur. coepit ad claustrum ire. ei qui crepidinibus novem et decem appropinquabant eum trudebant. Harrius celerius ibat. in diribitorium illud infracturus erat calamitatem sibi inferens – in carrulum innixus nervis intentis cursum accelerabat – claustrum semper proprius fiebat – non possit se cohibere- non carrulo moderabatur- aberat iam pedem unum – oculos clausit collisionem expectans…
‘Yes,” said Harry. “The thing is — the thing is, I don’t know how to —” How to get onto the platform?” she said kindly, and Harry nodded. “Not to worry,” she said. “All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don’t stop and don’t be scared you’ll crash into it, that’s very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you’re nervous. Go on, go now before Ron.” “Er — okay,” said Harry. He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid. He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he’d be in trouble — leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — he wouldn’t be able to stop — the cart was out of control — he was a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash…
hamaxostichus flecente iter, Harrius puellam et matrem evanescentes spectavit. domus praeter fenestram volitabant. Harrius sensit magnam animi concitationem. nesciebat quid adiret – sed non dubitabat quin melius esset quam quod relinqueret. ianua loculi lapsu aperta est et natu minimus puerorum capillis rubris intravit. ‘an aliquis ibi sedet?’ rogavit, sedem Harrio adversam ostendens. ‘alibi sedes omnes occupatae sunt.’ Harrio abnuente, puer sedit. Harrium intuitus est et tum celeriter e fenestra prospectavit, silulans se non intuitum esse. Harrius animadvertit eum adhuc in naso habere maculum nigrum. ‘salve, Ronaldo.’ redierant gemini. ‘audi, nos abibimus in medium hamaxostichum – Lee Jordan tarantulam maximam ibi habet.’ ‘sit ita,’ mussavit Ronaldus. ‘Harri,’ inquit geminus alter, ‘an nos introduximus? sumus Fredericus et Georgius Vislius. et hic est Ronaldus, frater noster. itaque mox vos revisimus.’ —
Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn’t know what he was going to — but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind. The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest red- headed boy came in. “Anyone sitting there?” he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. “Everywhere else is full.” Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn’t looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose. “Hey, Ron.” The twins were back. “Listen, we’re going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan’s got a giant tarantula down there.” “Right,” mumbled Ron. “Harry,” said the other twin, “did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then.”
Harry turned over his card and read: ‘Albus Dumbledore, currently headmaster of hogwarts. Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.’
Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,” she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. “We’ve already told him we haven’t seen it,” said Ron, but the girl wasn’t listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand. “Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then.” She sat down. Ron looked taken aback. “Er — all right.” He cleared his throat. “Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.” He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep. “Are you sure that’s a real spell?” said the girl.
hamaxostichus, celeritate tardata, denique constitit. homines ad ianuam contenderunt et exierunt in crepidinem parvam et tenebrosam. Harrius frigore noctis inhorruit. tum lucerna advenit sursum deorsum supra capita discipulorum mota et vocem notam Harrius audivit: ‘primani! primani huc venite! an bene habes, Harri?’ vultus Hagridi magnus et villosus supra capita fluctuantia renidebat. ‘agite, me sequimini – pluresne sunt primani? cavete ne cadatis! primani, me sequimini!’
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: “Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! All right there, Harry?” Hagrid’s big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. “C’mon, follow me — any more firs’ years? Mind yer step, now! Firs’ years follow me.
deinde transitum in rupe factum aegre ascenderunt, lucernam Hagridi secuti, tandem exeuntes in herbas leves et madidas umbra castelli omnino obscuratas. scalas lapideas ascenderunt et ostio ingenti e quercu facto circumfusi sunt. ‘an omnes adestis? heus tu, an adhuc bufonem habes?’ Hagrid, pugno enormi sublato, ter ostium castelli pulsavit.
Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid’s lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. ‘Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?’ Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.