申申然

徐志摩在《再別康橋》中寫道：“悄悄的我走了，正如我悄悄的來；我揮一揮衣袖，不帶走一片云彩。”或許在有些人的青蔥歲月里，《哈利·波特》可能正如徐志摩之于康橋，悄悄地來悄悄地走，雖然讓人萬般眷戀，但最后卻未留下任何印記。但對有些人來說，諸如英國《衛(wèi)報》邀請的這些哈迷們，《哈利·波特》就像是隨風(fēng)潛入夜的細雨，于無聲中滋潤了人的心田，讓他們的人生如同冬去春來。

We all know about the ways Harry Potter affected the lives of those involved with the books and the films. And we know how dramatically he changed J. K. Rowling&apos；s life. But how did she change the lives of some of the millions who hung on every word1）？ We asked some millennials2） to tell us about the impact Harry Potter had on them.

我們都知道哈利·波特以各種各樣的方式影響了那些與該系列小說和電影相關(guān)的人物。我們也知道他如何戲劇性地改變了J. K. 羅琳的人生。然而，癡迷這部小說的人有成千上萬，J. K. 羅琳又是如何因此而改變了他們當(dāng)中的一些人呢？我們采訪了幾位千禧一代的人，請他們給大家說說《哈利·波特》對他們的影響。

Krystal Sim

克麗絲特爾·西姆

Like Harry， I&apos；d lost my mother—the series helped me cope.

跟哈利一樣，我也失去了母親——這部系列小說幫助我面對了這一切。

When I was growing up， I was Mildred Hubble3）： all pigtails and awkwardness. Harry Potter didn&apos；t cross my path4） until I was in my late teens， and I wasn&apos；t entirely ready to go back to a world of magical boarding schools again.

Then the Mirror of Erised5） changed my mind.

My mother had passed away by the time I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher&apos；s Stone as a student and even though I had never been an 11-year-old boy wizard， I understood a little of how Harry felt.

I was all caught up by the time Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published. I remember staying up to read it through the night and ending up in floods of tears as Lily Potter said to Harry： "You&apos；ve been so brave." Those are the kind of words you long to hear when you&apos；ve lost a parent. These stories hit your heart sometimes， in the most beautiful way.

You tend to gravitate6） towards things when you need them most. The album that got you through high school， the film that changed your life. I think I came to love the Harry Potter stories at a time in my life when I really needed to remember that you can come back from a loss a lot stronger than you ever thought possible.

從小到大，我都是《魔法小女巫》主人公米爾德麗德·哈勃的翻版：總是扎著馬尾辮，看上去愣頭愣腦的。直到十七八九歲的時候，我才知道哈利·波特，而那時的我并不是十分愿意再去踏入一個關(guān)于魔法寄宿學(xué)校的世界。

后來是厄里斯魔鏡改變了我的想法。

我讀《哈利·波特與魔法石》的時候還是個學(xué)生，那時我媽媽已經(jīng)去世了。雖然我從未有過11歲當(dāng)上男巫師的經(jīng)歷，但我懂哈利的一些感受。

等到《哈利·波特與死亡圣器》出版的時候，我已經(jīng)完全入迷了。我記得自己當(dāng)時熬夜捧讀，最后因為讀到莉莉·波特（編注：哈利的母親）對哈利說“你一直都這么勇敢”而淚如雨下。這正是人在失去父親或母親時渴望聽到的那種話。這些故事有時候會以最美麗的方式打動你。

在你最需要某些東西的時候，你往往就會迷戀上它們。無論是陪著你挺過高中時光的一張專輯，還是改變你人生的一部電影。我覺得我開始戀上《哈利·波特》這部小說時正處在一個特別的人生階段，那時的我真的需要牢記一點：你可以從一場悲痛中走出來，并且變得比你曾經(jīng)可能想象到的要更堅強。

Melanie Martin

梅拉妮·馬丁

When I was 16， my family moved away to a foreign country. At the time， I thought I would be fine without them—like most teenagers， I felt I wasn&apos；t a child and could go out in the big bad world alone. I wasn&apos；t entirely alone—I went to live with my uncle and his family—but it was the biggest mistake of my life. I&apos；d always look forward to my mum&apos；s visits， which weren&apos；t very frequent and passed in the blink of an eye.

I discovered Harry Potter while I was studying for my A-levels. I can&apos；t say I compared myself to Harry， but at the time I felt I was always alone. That was one of the things which made me feel connected to Harry.

From about the age of 17 to 20， I self-harmed regularly. It was never full on and no one ever knew about it. It was something entirely for me： only I would know about it and only I had control over it. Times were bleak， but the series always gave me something to look forward to. They were there when no one else was.

Eventually， the books helped me understand that I could rely and lean on my friends and， importantly， confide in them， and it then became a group effort to get me better.

Culturally， Harry Potter has had a huge impact on our generation. It has taught us to care about others， even strangers. It&apos；s something I feel we can pass on to the next generation too.

I think if I were to meet J. K. Rowling， I&apos；d want to thank her. Her story， as much as that of Harry Potter， has inspired so many people to do better for themselves. And then I&apos；d ask for an autograph！

I was self-harming， and Harry Potter helped me get better.

當(dāng)年我有自殘的行為，是《哈利·波特》讓我慢慢好轉(zhuǎn)。

我16歲的時候，爸媽出國了。當(dāng)時我以為他們不在身邊我照樣能過得不錯——就像大多數(shù)青春期的孩子一樣，我覺得自己不是小孩了，能獨自去闖闖這險惡的大千世界了。我也不是孤苦無依，我搬去和我舅舅一家住了，但這是我這輩子犯的最大的錯。我總是盼望著媽媽能來看我，但她不太常來，即便來了一眨眼就又走了。

我在準備大學(xué)入學(xué)考試的時候發(fā)現(xiàn)了《哈利·波特》。我不能說，我當(dāng)時把自己比作了哈利，但當(dāng)時我感到我總是很孤獨。這是我覺得我跟哈利同病相憐的其中一個方面。

大概從17歲到20歲，我經(jīng)常自殘，不過從來都不是很嚴重的那種，也從來沒有人知道。這完完全全是我自己的秘密：只有我能知道這件事，只有我能控制這件事。那段時光晦暗陰沉，但《哈利·波特》系列小說卻總能給我一些盼頭，在我無依無靠的時候有它們相伴。

最終，這些小說讓我認識到，我可以相信和依靠我的朋友，更重要的是，可以向他們傾訴。后來這匯成了一股力量，讓我好轉(zhuǎn)了起來。

從文化層面上來說，《哈利·波特》對我們這一代影響巨大。它教會我們關(guān)心別人，甚至是關(guān)心陌生人。這也是我覺得我們可以傳給下一代的東西。

要是我能見到J. K.羅琳的話，我想感謝她。她自己的故事一如哈利·波特的故事一樣，激勵了很多人自強進取。然后，我還想要一個她的親筆簽名！

Alexa Adam：

亞歷克莎·亞當(dāng)

At eight years old， I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I found reading really difficult. One day， after someone recommended it to her， my mum brought home Harry Potter and the Philosopher&apos；s Stone for us to read together.

I was hooked8）. Within three months， we had co-read the entire book and I was asking for more. Over the years， my confidence and ability grew. By book four， I was reading on my own. I was regularly found fast asleep on the latest copy.

Reading is such an important skill at school. The stories and characters brought to life in the series showed me that reading could be something I could enjoy at a time when it felt so difficult.

By the final installment， I was a true Potterhead9）. I finished my GCSEs10） and read the entire book， cover to cover in three days. Two years after that， I got my A-levels and went off to the University of Sheffield. If it hadn&apos；t been for Harry Potter， I never would have got there.

The books helped me cope with dyslexia7）.

小說幫我克服了閱讀障礙癥。

八歲的時候，我被診斷患有閱讀障礙癥。我覺得閱讀真的很難。有一天，別人向我媽推薦了《哈利·波特與魔法石》，她就買回來一本好我們兩個一起讀。

我被迷住了。不到三個月，我們就一起讀完了整本書，而且我還想讀更多。一年一年地，我越來越有自信，閱讀能力也越來越強。讀到第四部的時候，我已經(jīng)能自己讀了。家里人常常能看到我趴在最新出的一部上睡著了。

在學(xué)校，閱讀可是一項極其重要的能力。而在我感到閱讀無比吃力的時候，《哈利·波特》系列里那些鮮活的故事和人物讓我看到閱讀也能夠成為一件樂事。

讀到小說最后一部的時候，我成了一個名副其實的“哈密瓜”。我完成了中學(xué)的學(xué)業(yè)，然后用了三天的時間從頭到尾一頁不落地讀完了整本書。兩年后，我通過了大學(xué)入學(xué)考試，考入了謝菲爾德大學(xué)。要不是《哈利·波特》，我永遠都考不到那里。

Matthew Lawrence

馬修·勞倫斯

I didn&apos；t want to read， until my friends told me about a wizard called Harry.

我曾經(jīng)不怎么想讀書，直到我的朋友們告訴我有關(guān)那個名叫哈利的魔法師的事兒。

As a young child， I loved my parents reading to me every night. But as I grew older and could read myself， I didn&apos；t， or at least not for pleasure.

I did read some books， mostly at school， but I never felt as engrossed11） in their world as I could be in mine. I can remember reading a couple of books aimed at boys， with tales of sport， but they did not create a world I was overly keen to join.

This followed me to secondary school， until I heard a lot of my friends reading about some wizard called Harry. For a while I thought this sounded like nonsense and resisted， but in the end I gave in to peer pressure.

From the first chapter， I was hooked. As Harry， Ron and Hermione grew up， so did I.

Harry Potter showed me that reading could be incredibly enjoyable. It led me to try books by other authors， which has paid off many times since. It changed my life because it allowed me to love reading once again.

小時候，我喜歡父母每天晚上讀書給我聽。但隨著我漸漸長大、能自己閱讀，我卻不讀了或者說至少不是因為樂趣才去讀書了。

我確實讀過一些書，大部分是在學(xué)校讀的，但是我覺得自己從來沒有沉浸到那些書中的世界，反而覺得我的世界更有趣。我能記起我讀過一些寫給男生的書，里面講的都是和體育相關(guān)的故事，但我對書里創(chuàng)造的世界并不是很感冒。

我上了初中之后仍是這樣，直到我聽說很多朋友都在讀某個名叫哈利的魔法師的故事。我一度覺得這部小說聽起來荒唐無聊，心里很是抗拒，但迫于周圍同齡人的壓力，我最后還是看了。

從第一章開始，我就被迷住了。隨著哈利、羅恩和赫敏漸漸長大，我也長大了。

《哈利·波特》讓我看到，閱讀可以是一件超乎想象的樂事。它促使我去嘗試讀其他作家的書，從此讓我多次受益匪淺。它改變了我的人生，因為它讓我再次愛上了讀書。

Xandra Robinson-Burns

桑德拉·羅賓遜-伯恩斯

Hogwarts distracted me as my family moved around the US.

我家在美國搬來搬去的時候，霍格沃茨轉(zhuǎn)移了我的注意力。

I still remember the segments of my childhood by Harry Potter book release dates， which—magically—happened to correspond with each of my family&apos；s many moves. At eight years old， my immersion in the world of Hogwarts distracted me from the childhood anguish12） of moving across the US. Upon arriving in Virginia from Ohio， Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published. An otherwise lonely summer turned into an adventure， as I reread the books for clues to their unsolved mysteries， getting better acquainted with the characters who had become my friends.

The Harry Potter books gave me hope for a magical future—a home， a place to be wanted and cherished， and a purpose： fighting for what I believed in like a true Gryffindor. Sure they&apos；re about witchcraft and wizardry13）， but they&apos；re extras， atop a solid foundation of the kind of magic that is very much rooted in the real world.

Moving and reading became routine： I would collect and devour14） my new book， then find a corner of our new house to claim as my "cupboard under the stairs15）" where I would store my collected Potter treasures. The experience surrounding the books meant just as much to me as their content. I found in Hermione a like-minded learning enthusiast， reassuring me that there were kids like me out there. Meeting friends at this shy stage of my life was made easy by the characters we had in common.

When the seventh book came out， I found myself not in solitude， but surrounded by friends. We met， through our friend Harry， at a summer programme in Oxford where I was studying fantasy literature. Together， we waited up for the midnight release. We cried when our favourite characters died. We consoled each other that this wasn&apos；t the end， unsure of what that meant.

A few days later， on my 16th birthday， my teacher handed me a note from Blackwells saying that I had won their Harry Potter quiz. This was my Hogwarts letter， inviting me to collect my prize： a wand with a phoenix feather core. Just as the new Harry Potter books came to me when I needed them most， this token seemed like a gesture from Albus Dumbledore16） himself， confirmation that I should keep reading， keep believing that no， this is not the end.

我還記得我童年的點點滴滴，而《哈利·波特》系列小說每本的出版日期就是我童年每個階段的分割線——那些日期神奇地與我家每一次的搬遷時間恰好重合。那時我家在美國搬來搬去，給童年的我?guī)砹四蟮耐纯?，而八歲那年我開始沉浸于霍格沃茨的世界，這種痛苦才得以分散。有一次，我家從俄亥俄州搬到弗吉尼亞州，剛一落腳，《哈利·波特與火焰杯》出版了。我重讀了這部小說已經(jīng)出版的幾本，想找到那些未解之謎的線索，也想更好地了解書中那些已經(jīng)成為我朋友的人物，于是，原本可能會寂寞的夏天隨之也變成了一次冒險。

《哈利·波特》系列小說給了我希望，讓我期待有一個神奇的未來：我會有一個家，一個被需要和珍視的地方，還會有一個人生目標(biāo)，那就是像一個真正的格蘭芬多人（編注：格蘭芬多是霍格沃茨魔法學(xué)校的學(xué)院之一）那樣，為了信念而奮斗。誠然，這幾本小說講的都是巫術(shù)和魔法，但這些都是附加內(nèi)容，深深根植于現(xiàn)實世界中的那種魔力才是小說的堅實基礎(chǔ)。

搬家和閱讀成了我的常態(tài)。我會收藏和品讀新書，然后在新房子里找一個角落，聲稱是我的“樓梯下的櫥柜”，存放我收藏的有關(guān)波特的那些寶貝。對我來說，與這系列書有關(guān)的經(jīng)歷和書里的內(nèi)容一樣寶貴。我在赫敏身上發(fā)現(xiàn)了一股相似的求知欲，于是我就安心了，因為這世界上還有跟我一樣的小孩。在我生命中那個羞澀的階段，借由我們共同喜歡的書中人物，交友就變得輕松容易很多。

等到小說第七部出版的時候，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己不再形單影只，而是身邊都是朋友。當(dāng)時我在牛津大學(xué)上暑期課，學(xué)習(xí)奇幻文學(xué)，通過我們共同的朋友哈利，我認識了這群朋友。我們一起熬夜等小說的午夜發(fā)售。讀到我們最喜歡的人物死了的時候，我們都痛哭流涕。我們互相安慰，告訴彼此這不是結(jié)局，但又不知道那意味著什么。

過了幾天，在我16歲生日的那天，我的老師給了我一封來自布萊克威爾書店（編注：英國最好的書店）的信，信上說我贏得了他們舉辦的《哈利·波特》測驗。對我來說，這封信就是“霍格沃茨錄取通知書”，邀請我去領(lǐng)獎，獎品是一根鳳凰羽毛內(nèi)芯的魔杖。正如《哈利·波特》新書在我最需要的時候來到我身邊一樣，這個紀念品看起來就像是阿不思·鄧布利多本人向我做出的一個表示，讓我確信我應(yīng)該繼續(xù)讀下去，要堅信，不，這并沒有結(jié)束。

1. hang on every word： 洗耳恭聽

2. millennial [m??leni?l] n. 即在20世紀80年代初到90年代中期出生的一代人，他們的成長和計算機/互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的形成與高速發(fā)展幾乎同步。

3. Mildred Hubble： 米爾德·哈勃，英國當(dāng)代優(yōu)秀兒童作家吉爾·墨菲（Jill Murphy）所創(chuàng)作的《魔法小女巫》（The Worst Witch）系列童書中的主人公，長得又高又瘦，留著又黑又長的辮子。

4. cross sb.&apos；s path： （尤指偶然）遇到某人

5. Mirror of Erised： 厄里斯魔鏡，出現(xiàn)在《哈利·波特與魔法石》中，Erised倒過來就是Desire，人透過這面魔鏡可以看到內(nèi)心最真切的渴望。哈利當(dāng)時十分思念父母，總跑去鏡子那里看自己的父母。

6. gravitate [?ɡr?v?te?t] vi. 受吸引（towards/to）

7. dyslexia [d?s?leksi?] n. （因無法分清字形而造成的）讀寫障礙

8. hooked [h?kt] adj. 入迷的，上癮的

9. Potterhead： 哈密瓜；哈利·波特迷

10. GCSE： General Certificate of Secondary Education的縮寫，指英國“普通中等教育證書”。

11. engrossed [?n?ɡr??st] adj. 全神貫注的；專心致志的

12. anguish [???ɡw??] n. 極度痛苦，劇痛，悲痛

13. wizardry [?w?z?dri] n. 巫術(shù)，魔法

14. devour [d??va??（r）] vt. 如饑似渴地閱讀，貪婪地閱讀

15. cupboard under the stairs： 哈利·波特的臥室也叫這個名字。他小時候的臥室就在姨夫家樓梯下面一個骯臟的、充滿蜘蛛網(wǎng)的櫥柜里。

16. Albus Dumbledore： 阿不思·鄧布利多，小說《哈利·波特》中的人物。他是霍格沃茨魔法學(xué)校校長，被公認為“當(dāng)代最偉大的巫師”。