Hogwarts reading books about Harry Potter. Black pushed him away and Pettigrew fell over.

The enchanting dark ceiling of the large hall was strewn with stars, beneath it stood four long faculty tables with disheveled students, some in traveling cloaks, others in robes... Here and there, the pearl-white figures of school ghosts shone. Every glance, living or dead, was focused on Professor McGonagall, who spoke from the podium of the great hall. Behind her stood the remaining teachers, including the white-maned centaur, Frienz, and members of the Order of the Phoenix who had arrived to fight.

- ... the evacuation will be under the direction of Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Perfects, on my orders, you will gather your faculty and, one by one, take your charges to the evacuation point.

Many students looked petrified. However, as Harry walked along the wall looking at the Gryffindor table in search of Ron and Hermione, Ernie MacMillan stood up from the Hufflepuff table and shouted:

What if we want to stay and fight?

Rare pops were heard.

If you are of age, you can stay. - said Professor McGonagall.

What about our things? – the girl at the Ravenclaw table volunteered. – Our suitcases, our owls?

We don't have time to pack our things. - said Professor McGonagall. “The important thing now is to get out of here safely.”

Where is Professor Snape? – the girl shouted from the Slytherin table.

“He, to put it popularly, got away,” replied Professor McGonagall, and an explosion of applause came from the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables.

Harry moved halfway down the Hall along the Gryffindor table, still looking out for Ron and Hermione. As he passed, faces turned in his direction and a loud noise of whispering crashed into his consciousness.

“We have already established defenses around the Castle,” continued Professor McGonagall, “but it is not recommended that you stay here for long until we strengthen them.” Therefore, I must ask you to move quickly and calmly, and follow your perfects.

But her last words were drowned out by another voice echoing through the entire hall. He was tall, distinct and cool-headed. It was unclear where he was coming from. It seemed to come from the walls themselves. He commanded like a monster that must have been dormant for centuries.

I know you are preparing to fight. - shouts were heard among the students, who grabbed each other and looked around in horror in search of the source of the sound. - Your efforts are useless. You can't fight me. I don't want to kill you. I have great respect for the Hogwarts teachers. I don't want to spill magical blood.

Now there was silence in the hall, the kind of silence that squeezes your eardrums, that seems too big to be in the walls.

You have until midnight.

Silence swallowed them all. And it seemed that every turned head, every glance was looking for Harry to forever capture him in the light of a thousand invisible rays. Then a figure, whom Harry recognized as Pension Parkinson, rose from the Slytherin table, raised a treasured hand and shouted,

But he's here! Potter is here! Somebody grab it!

Before Harry could speak, there was a mass movement. The Gryffindors behind him stood looking not at Harry, but at the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood up, and almost at the same moment the Ravenclaw students stood up, all of them standing with their backs to Harry, all of them looking at the Pensions, and Harry was stunned, awestruck, seeing their wands appearing from everywhere, taken from cloaks or sleeves.

Thank you, Miss Parkinson, said Professor McGonagall in a broken voice. – You will leave first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your faculty follows you.

Harry heard the creaking of the benches and the noise of the Slytherins moving to the other side of the hall.

Ravenclaw students, you're next! - Professor McGonagall shouted.

The four tables slowly emptied. The Slytherin table was completely empty, but some of the older Ravenclaw students remained seated as their companions left one by one, more Hufflepuffs remained behind, and half of Gryffindor sat in their seats, forcing Professor McGonagall off the staff podium, pushing aside the minors in their path.

Don't even think about it, Creevy, go! And you, Pix!

Harry hurried over to the Weasley family, all of whom were sitting at the Gryffindor table.

Where are Ron and Hermione?

Didn't you find them? - Mr. Weasley began, he looked worried.

But he was interrupted as Kingsley walked forward to the podium, addressing those who remained.

We only have half an hour until midnight, so we need to move quickly. The plan of action was agreed upon with the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, McGonagall will gather groups of fighters at the top of three towers: Ravenclaw, Astronomical and Gryffindor towers, where there will be a good overview, excellent positions from where you can shoot spells. Meanwhile, Remus,” he pointed at Lupin. “Arthur,” he turned to Mr. Weasley, sitting at the Gryffindor table. – and I will lead the groups on the ground. We need someone to secure the entrances and corridors of the school.

Sounds like a job for us,” Fred said volunteering, pointing at himself and George, and Kingsley nodded approvingly.

Okay, commanders, stand here and we will split into groups.

"Potter," said Professor McGonagall, hurrying towards him as students filled the stand, jostling and receiving instructions, "Shouldn't you be looking for something?"

What? “Oh,” said Harry, “oh, yes!”

He almost forgot about the Horcrux, almost forgot that the fight had begun and he could start searching. The incomprehensible absence of Ron and Hermione instantly drove other thoughts from his mind.

Then go, Potter, go!

That's right, yes..

He felt uneasy glances following him as he ran out of the Great Hall into the hall, still crowded with fleeing students. He allowed himself to move with them along the marble staircase, but at the top he rushed through an empty corridor. Fear and panic clouded him thinking process. He tried to calm down, to concentrate on finding the Horcrux, but his thoughts buzzed madly and in vain, like wasps driven into glass. Without Ron and Hermione's help, he couldn't manage his ideas. He slowed his pace, stopping halfway down the corridor, where he sat down on the pedestal of a former statue and pulled the Marauder's Map from the pouch around his neck. He didn't see Ron and Hermione's names anywhere, although the dense crowd of dots heading towards the Required Room might, he thought, hide them. He put the card down, cupping his face in his hands, and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate.

Voldemort thought I would go to Ravenclaw Tower.

This is the place where we needed to start. Voldemort had placed Aleko Carrow in the Revenclaw common room, and that was the only explanation for why he was so afraid that Harry already knew that the Horcrux was connected to this House.

And the only thing Ravencrow was associated with was the lost diadem... but how could a Horcrux become a diadem? How could it be that Voldemort, a student of Slytherin, found the diadem, which for many generations of Revenclaw students was considered a long-lost treasure? Who told him where to look for her, if no one among the living had ever even seen her?

Harry opened his eyes, jumped off the pedestal, and headed back the way he came in pursuit of his last hope. As he approached the marble staircases, the din of hundreds of people walking in the Room of Requirement grew louder and louder. The prefects were shouting instructions, trying to divide the students into different faculties, and everyone was shouting and pushing around. Harry saw Zacharius Smith elbowing aside the first years to clear his way to the head of the line. Here and there, junior students were crying, and older ones were desperately calling for friends and brothers and sisters.

Harry came into view as a translucent whitish figure slowly floating through the doors of the hall below, and called out as loudly as he could, trying to shout over the roar of the crowd:

Nick! Nick! I need to talk to you!

He struggled to make his way through the dense ranks of students, and soon reached the bottom of the stairs, where Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, was waiting for him.

Harry! Hello, my dear boy!

Nick grabbed Harry's hands and he felt as if he had put his hands in a barrel of ice water.

Nick, I need your help. Who is the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower?

The expression on Nearly Headless Nick's face showed that he was surprised and a little offended.

The Gray Lady, of course; but only if the service you are trying to ask her for is spiritual in nature...

I'm sure she can help me. Don't you know where she is?

Let's see…

Nick's head bobbed slightly as he began to lengthen and narrow, flying between the still crowded students.

She is here, Harry, a young girl with long hair.

Harry looked in the direction indicated by Nick and saw how the tall ghost, seeing that he was looking at her, raised her eyebrows in surprise and flew away, hiding behind a stone wall.

Harry ran after her. Bursting through the door into the corridor where the ghost had disappeared, he saw it at the end of a long passage, slowly and smoothly gliding in the opposite direction from him.

Hey, wait! Come back!

The ghost woman stopped, slowly swaying a few inches off the floor. Harry thought to himself that she was very beautiful: a slender waist, long hair and robes that almost reached the floor, however, she behaved too arrogantly and arrogantly. Taking a closer look at the ghost, he remembered that he had met him several times in the corridors of the castle, but had never spoken to him.

Are you the Gray Lady?

She nodded but didn't say anything.

Are you the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower?

That’s right,” the Gray Lady nodded encouragingly.

Please, I need help. I need to know something about the lost tiara.

A cold smile appeared on her lips.

“I’m afraid,” she said, turning to fly away, “I won’t be able to help you.”

WAIT!

He didn’t want to scream, but indignation and panic filled his body. He looked at his watch as she hovered above him. It was quarter past eleven.

“It’s urgent,” he exclaimed desperately. “If the tiara is at Hogwarts, I must find it, quickly.”

“You are hardly the first student who wants to receive a tiara,” she replied contemptuously. – For generations, students teased me...

“It’s not about getting good grades,” Harry shouted at her. - Is this for Worlddemort... to destroy Voldemort... or... Don't you care?

She couldn't blush, but her cheeks became less transparent, her voice tense as she answered:

Of course I...How dare you say that...?

Okay, then help me!

Her confidence was shaken.

This...this...is not a problem,” she stammered. – The tiara belongs to my mother...

Your mother?

She looked angry with herself.

“When I was alive,” she said tensely, “My name was Helena Ravenclaw.”

Are you her daughter? But then you should know what happened.

The tiara bestows wisdom,” she said, making an effort to compose herself. – But I doubt that it will increase your chances of defeating a wizard who calls himself Lord...

I'm not going to wear it! – Harry exclaimed in despair. - There is no time for explanations, but if you care about the fate of Hogwarts, if you want to know that Voldemort has been defeated, you must tell me something about the diadem!

She was still fluttering in the air, and hopelessness overwhelmed Harry. Of course, if she knew anything, she would have told Flitwick or Dumbledore, who of course asked her the same thing. Harry shook his head and almost turned away when she spoke in a low voice. “I stole my mother’s tiara...”

You...What did you do?

“I stole the tiara,” Helena Ravenclaw repeated in a whisper. – I wanted to become smarter, more famous than my mother. And I ran away with the tiara.

Harry didn't know why she trusted him and didn't ask, he just continued to listen to her story.

They say that my mother did not admit that the tiara was missing, but pretended that she still had the tiara. She hid her loss, my disgusting betrayal, even from the other founders of Hogwarts. Then my mother fell ill—deadly ill. Despite my treachery, she desperately tried to find me for some time. She sent a man for a long time who loved me, but whose advances I rejected, to find me. She knew he wouldn't rest until he did this.

Harry waited. She took a deep breath and shook her head.

He found me in the forest where I was hiding. When I refused to return with him, he used force. The Baron has always been a hot-tempered person. Enraged by my refusal, jealous of my freedom, he hit me.

Baron? You want to say…?

Bloody Baron, yes,” confirmed the Gray Lady and threw aside her cloak to show a single wound on her white chest. “When he saw what he had done, he was overcome with remorse. He took the weapon that took my life to kill himself. Centuries later, he wears chains as a sign of repentance...as he should, she added bitterly.

And... and the tiara? - It remained where I hid it when I heard the Baron approaching. It is hidden in a hollow tree.

Hollow tree? – Harry repeated. -What tree? Where was it?

In the forests of Albania. This lonely place, I thought, was beyond my mother's reach.

Albania,” Harry repeated.

He felt a sense of confusion, now understanding why she had rejected Dumbledore and Flitwick. – You told this story to someone, didn’t you? To another student?

She closed her eyes and nodded. “I... never even thought... He was so polite.” He seemed to understand...he sympathized...Yes, Harry thought. Tom Riddle would certainly understand Helena Ravenclaw's desire to possess an incredible treasure to which she had at least some right.

"Well, you weren't the first person Riddle charmed," Harry muttered. “He was charming when he wanted to...

So, Voldemort managed, by sucking up, to find out the location of the diadem from the Gray Lady. He went to that forest and retrieved the tiara from its hiding place, perhaps right after he graduated from Hogwarts, even before he started working for Borgin and Burkes.

And could that remote Albanian forest have been an excellent hiding place later, when Vaudemort needed a quiet place to wait for ten long years?

But the diadem, once it became a Horcrux, did not remain in that lowly tree... No, the diadem was secretly returned to its true place, And Voldemort must have hidden it... - ...that night when he asked for a job! – said Harry, finishing his thought out loud.

I'm sorry?

He hid the diadem in the castle the night he asked Dumbledore to accept him as a teacher! – Harry exclaimed. Having said it out loud, Harry understood the meaning of it all. “He most likely hid the tiara on the way or on the way back from Dumbledore’s office!” But, he made the right attempt to get a job - then he would have the opportunity to also get to the Gryffindor sword... thank you, thank you!

Harry left her floating in the air, completely amazed. As he ran into the lobby, he looked at his watch. It was five minutes to midnight, and although he now knew what the last Horcrux was, he was no closer to finding it...Generations of students had failed to find the diadem; So, most likely, she is not in Ravenclaw Tower - then where? What secret place did Tom Riddle have at Hogwarts that he believed would remain hidden from everyone forever? Lost in desperate speculation, Harry had only taken a few steps down the corridor when the window to his left broke with a deafening crash. As he jumped to the side, a huge body fell through the window and hit the opposite wall.

Something furry detached itself from the body and rushed straight towards Harry.

Hagrid! Harry roared, fighting off Fang as a huge figure crawled towards his feet. - What…?

Harry is here! E here!

Hagrid leaned down, gave Harry a quick but strong hug, and ran back to the broken window.

Good boy, Group! – he shouted through the hole in the window. “I’ll be there in a second, good boy!”

Behind Hagrid, in the darkness of the night, Harry saw distant flashes of light and heard an eerie wailing scream. He looked at his watch: it was midnight. The battle has begun.

Damn it, Harry,” Hagrid said breathlessly, “this is it, right?” Time for battle?

Hagrid, where did you come from?

I heard about You-Know-Who from my cave. - Hagrid said sternly. - The earth is full of rumors, isn’t it? I tried to get to you before midnight, Potter. Knew you were supposed to be here and that this would happen. Come out, Fang!.. We came to join you, Harry, me and Group and Fang. We made our way along the border of the forest, Group carried us, Fang and me. I told him to take me to the castle, so he pushed me through the window, thank him. Not what I wanted, of course, but... Where are Ron and Hermione?

That,” Harry replied, “is a good question.” Let's go to.

They hurried along the corridor together, Fang skipping behind them. Harry heard movement in the corridors around him: the sounds of fast footsteps, screams; through the windows he saw even more flashes of light on the dark ground.

Where are we going? - Hagrid exhaled, stepping behind Harry in his footsteps and causing the floorboards to shake.

Actually I do not know. - said Harry, making another turn at random. - But Ron and Hermione must be here somewhere...

The first casualties of the battle were already scattered around: Two stone gargoyles, which usually guarded the entrance to the teachers' room, were broken by a spell that evaporated through another broken window. Their remains moved weakly on the floor, and as Harry approached one of the severed heads, it moaned weakly:

Oh, don't bother me... I'll lie here quietly and crumble.

Her ugly stone face suddenly made Harry think of the marble bust of Ravenclaw Ravenclaw in Xenophilius's house, wearing such a ridiculous headdress - and then of the statue in Ravenclaw Tower, with a stone diadem on her white curls.

And, as soon as he reached the end of the corridor, the memory of the third stone figure, depicting an ugly old wizard, on whose head Harry had personally placed a wig and a lopsided old hat, returned to him. Shock shot through Harry like firewhiskey, and he nearly tripped.

At least he knew where the Horcrux was waiting for him.

Tom Riddle, who never relied on anyone and acted alone, must have been quite arrogant, believing that he and only he had penetrated the deepest secrets of Hogwarts Castle. Of course, Dumbledore and Flitwick, those model students, never looked into this place, but he, Harry, often went off the beaten track during his school years - at least he, like Voldemort, knew about the secret place that Dumbledore never I wouldn't find it.

He was distracted by Professor Sprout, who was noisily walking behind, with Neville and a dozen other students wearing headphones and holding what, on closer inspection, turned out to be flower pots.

Mandrake! - he shouted over Harry's head as he ran. - We want to put it on the walls - they won’t like it!

Now Harry knew where to go, He sped up, Hagrid and Fang galloping after him. They passed portrait after portrait, and the painted figures moved around them, wizards and witches in frilly dresses and trousers, armor and robes crowding into other people's frames and shouting news from other parts of the castle.

When they reached the end of this corridor, the entire castle shook, and Harry realized, when the giant vase was blown off its pedestal with explosive force, that this spell was more powerful than those of the Order's teachers.

It's okay, Fang... it's okay! - Hagrid shouted, but the huge dog, like the china cutlery, flew through the air like shrapnel, and Harry chased after the frightened Fang, leaving Harry alone.

He made his way through the shaking corridors, wand at the ready, and along the entire length of the corridor a painted small knight, Sir Cardigan, moved behind him from picture to picture, clanking his armor and shouting with enthusiasm, with a small pony galloping behind him.

Braggers and scoundrels, dogs and scoundrels, give up, Harry Potter sees right through you!

Harry ran to the corner and saw Fred and a small line of students, including Lee Jordan and Hannah Abbott, standing at another empty pedestal, the statue on which previously hid a secret passage. Their wands were raised and they listened for the opening to open.

Good night for this! - Fred shouted as the castle shook again, and Harry ran on, jubilant and scared at the same time. In another hallway there were owls everywhere, and Mrs. Norris was hissing and trying to scratch them with her talons, no doubt to return them to their intended place.

Aberforth Dumbledore stood blocking the corridor ahead, wand at the ready.

Hundreds of children have passed through my pub, Potter!

I know we're evacuating. - said Harry. - Voldemort...

He’s attacking because he hasn’t captured you yet, right...” Aberforth finished. - I'm not deaf, all

Hogsmeade heard him. Has it ever occurred to you to take several Slytherins hostage? Among those you just sent to safety are children.

Death Eaters. Wouldn't it be wiser to leave them here?

This won't stop Voldemort. - answered Harry. - And your brother would never do that.

Aberforth chuckled and walked away in the opposite direction.

"Your brother would never do that..." Yes, it was true, Harry thought as he ran. Dumbledore, who had protected Snape for so long, would never risk students. Then he stopped at the corner of the corridor, and with a cry of mixed relief and rage he saw them: Ron and Hermione, whose hands were occupied with large curved dirty yellow objects, under Ron's hands there was also a broom handle. - Where have you been? - Harry shouted

In the chamber of secrets - said Ron

In secret... what? - Harry was surprised, stopping shakily in front of them.

It was Ron, it was Ron's idea! - Hermione answered breathlessly. - Wasn't she just gorgeous? We were here after we left you, and I told Ron, even if we find another one, how are we going to get rid of him? We still haven't gotten rid of the cup! And then he thought about it! Basilisk!

What the...

A remedy to get rid of Horcruxes. - Ron said simply

Harry looked down at the objects occupying Ron and Hermione's hands: huge, curved fangs, torn, he realized, from the skull of a dead basilisk.

But how did you get there? - he asked, looking from the fangs to Ron. - After all, for this you need to be able to speak the snake language!

He did it! - Hermione whispered. - show him, Ron!

Ron made a terrible suffocating hissing sound.

That's what you said to open the locket. - he said to Harry, confused. “I had to make several attempts to pronounce it correctly, but,” he shrugged modestly, “in the end we achieved it.”

He was amazing! - Hermione said joyfully. - Simply amazing!

So... Harry tried to stay cheerful. - So...

So we destroyed another Horcrux. - Ron finished and pulled out the mutilated remains of Hufflepuff's cup from under his jacket. - Hermione split it. She thought she should do it herself. After all, she was deprived of this pleasure.

Brilliant! - Harry exclaimed

Nothing. - Ron said modestly, although he looked pleased with himself. - What's new with you?

When he said this phrase, there was an explosion above: Everyone looked up, where the dust was falling, and heard a distant scream.

I know what a tiara looks like, and I know where it is. - Harry said quickly. - He hid it in the same place where my old potions book is, where everyone has been hiding things for centuries. He thought he would be the only one to find her. Let's go.

When the walls began to shake again, he led Ron and Hermione through a hidden hole and down the stairs to the Room of Requirement. It was empty except three women: Ginny, Tonks, and an elderly witch wearing a moth-eaten hat that Harry immediately recognized as Neville's grandmother.

“Ah, Potter,” she said firmly, as if she had been waiting for him. -Can you tell us what's going on?

Everything is fine? – Ginny and Tonks asked in unison.

As far as we know, yes. – Harry said. – Are there still people in the passage to the Boar’s Head?

He knew that the room could not change while there were still people in it.

“I came last,” said Mrs. Longbottom. “I closed the passage; I don't think it would have been wise to leave it open when Aberforth left the pub.” Have you seen my grandson?

"He's fighting," Harry said.

Naturally,” the elderly lady said proudly. - Sorry, but I need to go and help him. – And with unimaginable speed she rushed up the stone steps.

Harry looked at Tonks

I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at Mom's.

"I couldn't stand not knowing," Tonks said painfully. “She'll look after him... have you seen Remus?”

He planned to lead a group of fighters into the school grounds...

Tonks ran away without saying a word.

Ginny, said Harry, I'm sorry.

Ginny looked too animated to be left in the shelter.

And then you can come back! - he shouted to her as she ran after Tonks. - You'll have to come back!

Wait a minute! - Ron said sharply. - We forgot someone!

Whom? - asked Hermione.

House elves, because they'll all be downstairs in the kitchen, won't they?

Are you saying we should force them to fight? - asked Harry

No. - Ron answered seriously. - I mean, we have to tell them to leave. We don't want a repeat of Dobby's incident, right? We cannot order them to die for us...

There was a crash: the basilisk's fangs fell from Hermione's hands. Catching up with Ron, she threw herself on his neck and kissed him passionately. Ron dropped the fangs and broom he was holding and responded to this kiss with such enthusiasm that he lifted her off the ground.

Is now the time? - Harry asked weakly, and when he felt no reaction other than Ron and Hermione hugging even tighter and starting to sway in place, he raised his voice. - Hey! There's a war going on here!

Ron and Hermione pulled away, their arms still wrapped around each other.

I know, buddy. said Ron, who looked like he'd just been hit in the back of the head with a Bludger. - so it had to be done now or never, right?

Everything is fine, but what about the Horcrux? - Harry shouted. - Do you think that we can just linger like this... like this until we find the diadem?

Yes... that's right... sorry - Ron muttered and he and Hermione went to pick up their fangs, both blushing.

As soon as the three of them returned to the corridor upstairs, it became clear that in the minutes they spent in the Required Room, the situation in the castle had deteriorated greatly: the walls and ceiling were shaking worse than before, dust was flying in the air, and through the nearest window Harry could see Flashes of green and red were so close that I realized that the Death Eaters were close to breaking into the castle. Looking down, Harry saw the bulk of Fluffy, walking around what looked like a stone gargoyle that had fallen from the roof, and growling to express his displeasure.

Let's hope he hit one of them! Ron said as screams echoed somewhere nearby.

The fight didn't end there, said the voice: Harry turned and saw Ginny and Tonks, wands at the ready, appearing in the next glassless window. Before he could look back, Ginny sent a well-aimed curse into the crowd of fighters below.

Well done! - shouted the man, making his way through the dust towards them, and Harry saw Aberforth again, his gray hair flying as he rushed past the small group of students. - They may well destroy the northern wall, there are giants among them. ”

“Have you seen Remus?” Tonks called out to him.

“He fought with Dolokhov,” Aberforth shouted, “haven’t seen him since!”

Tonks,” Ginny said, “Tonks.” I'm sure everything is fine with him.

But Tonks had already disappeared into the dust, following Aberford. Ginny looked helpless and turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"They'll be fine," Harry said, although he knew those were empty words.

Ginny, we'll be right back, just stay away from them. Be careful - let's go! - he said to Ron and Hermione, and they ran along the wall to where the Room of Requirement was located and was waiting for their next orders.

I need a place where I can hide everything. Harry mentally begged, and the door appeared the moment he walked past it for the third time. The noise of the battle died down immediately after they crossed the threshold of the room and the door was left behind. Everything was quiet. They were in a place the size of a church and it looked like Big city, whose high walls were erected by thousands of long-graduated students.

"Didn't he ever realize that anyone could come in here?" Ron said, his voice echoing in the silence.

"He thought he was the only one," Harry said. “It’s even worse for him that I can hide here at any time, let’s go here,” and added. - I think that somewhere here...

They hurried up the adjacent passages; Harry could hear the echoes of others' footsteps as he walked past a large pile of junk, bottles, hats, baskets, chairs, books, weapons, brooms, bats...

“Somewhere here,” Harry muttered. - Somewhere... somewhere...

He walked deeper and deeper into the maze, looking for things he had noticed the last time he was here. He was breathing heavily and his soul seemed to be trembling. Directly ahead he saw a shabby old cupboard, in which he hid an old potions book, and on top of it, stood a pockmarked stone magician, wearing an old dusty wig and what looked like an ancient faded diadem. He had already extended his hand to him and was a few steps away from him when a voice behind him said:

Take it, Potter.

He stopped and turned around. Behind him, standing shoulder to shoulder, were Crabbe and Goyle, pointing their wands directly at Harry. Through the gap between their grinning faces, he saw Draco Malfoy...

That wand you're holding is mine,” Malfoy said, pointing another one across the gap between Crabbe and Goyle.

“Not yours anymore,” Harry said breathlessly, clutching a hawthorn wand in his hands.

Whoever found it is the owner, Malfoy. Who lent you this one?

“My mother,” said the Dragon.

Harry laughed, although there was nothing funny about it. He couldn't hear Ron or Hermione anymore. They must have been out of earshot while searching for the tiara.

And how did you come without Voldemort? - asked Harry.

We would like to receive a reward,” Crabb said. His voice was surprisingly soft for such a huge man; Harry had almost never heard him speak before. Crabbe spoke like a small child who had been promised a big bag of candy. - We're back, Potter. We decided not to go anywhere. We decided to take you to him..

"Good plan," Harry said, feigning admiration. He couldn't believe that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were standing nearby and were going to stop him. He began to slowly move back towards where the Horcrux lay. If only he could get it before a fight broke out...

So how did you get here? - he asked, trying to distract them.

“I actually lived in the Right Room last year,” Malfoy said, his voice shaking. - I know how to get in.

We hid in the corridor outside,” Goyle grunted. - We can use disarming charms right now! And then,” his face broke into a disgusting smile, “you will turn to us and say what the hell were you looking for!” A?

With a whip-like motion, Crabbe pointed his wand at a fifty-foot mountain of old furniture, broken suitcases, old books, clothes and other incomprehensible debris, and shouted:

Desendo!

The wall began to shake, and she top part crashed into the doorway, very close to where Ron was standing.

Ron! Harry roared as Hermione screamed out of sight. Harry also heard the sound of many things falling from the other side of the destroyed wall. He pointed his wand at the shaft and shouted:

Finish! - and everything was immediately restored.

No! - Malfoy yelled, stopping Crabbe's hand as he was about to repeat the spell. “If you destroy the room, we can say goodbye to the tiara!”

Who cares? – Freeing himself, Crabbe asked. – The Dark Lord needs Potter, who cares about this diadem?

“Potter came here for her,” Malfoy explained, poorly hiding his impatience. - This means….

What means? – Crabbe asked Malfoy menacingly. – Who cares what you think? I no longer take orders from you, Draco. It's the end for you and your dad.

Harry? Ron shouted again from the other side of the mountain of rubbish. - What's happening?

Harry? – Crabbe scoffed mockingly. - What's going on... no, Potter! Crucio!

Harry reached for the tiara; Crabbe's curse missed, but hit a stone bust that rose into the air; the tiara flew up and then fell on a mountain of things, next to the place where the bust landed.

So what? “I won’t kill him,” Crabbe yelled, throwing away Malfoy’s outstretched hand. - But if I can, I will kill, the Dark Lord wants to kill him, so what difference does it make...

A swift beam of crimson flew within an inch of Harry as Hermione ran to the corner and sent a Stunning Curse straight at Crabbe's head. But it didn't hit because Malfoy pushed him away.

This...this is a mudblood! Avada Kedavra!

Harry saw Hermione move aside, and all the rage that had been boiling inside of him spilled out. He shot a Stunning Curse at Crabbe, who staggered, and knocked the wand out of Malfoy's hand; she rolled somewhere towards a mountain of broken furniture and bones.

Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM! – Malfoy shouted as Crabbe and Goyle approached Harry. They hesitated for a second, but that was all Harry needed.

Expelliarmus!

Goyle's wand fell from his hand and disappeared into the pile of rubbish beside him; Goyle was jumping up and down stupidly, trying to get it; Malfoy jumped away from Hermione's Stunning Curse and Ron's Total Immobilization Curse, which was sent at Crabbe, who barely managed to dodge it.

Crabbe turned on the spot and shouted again:

Avada Kedavra!

Ron disappeared from view to avoid the lightning green beam. A disarmed Malfoy cowered behind a three-legged wardrobe as Hermione ran up to them, hitting Goyle with a Stunning Curse as she went.

She's here somewhere! – Harry shouted to her, pointing to a pile of junk in which the diadem was lost. - Look for her while I go help R...

HARRY! – she screamed.

A roar behind him warned him in time. He turned around and saw Ron and Crabbe running as fast as they could.

What, is it getting hot? - Crabbe roared as he ran. But he didn't seem to understand what he was doing. A wall of fire pursued them, burning a mountain of garbage, immediately turning it into soot.

Aguamenti! - but a powerful stream of water that erupted from his wand evaporated into the air.

Malfoy grabbed the stunned Goyle and dragged him along. Crabbe overtook them all, he looked very scared. Harry, Ron and Hermione rushed after him as the fire began to catch up with them. This was no ordinary fire, Crabbe was using a curse that Harry had no idea about. As they turned the corner, the flames chased them as if they were alive, with a mind of their own, with a desire to kill the victim. Now the fire mutated, turning into a whole flock of devilish monsters: fire snakes, chimeras and dragons that rose up and sank down, only to rise again. They devoured the stone, throwing it up and swallowing it with fanged mouths.

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle disappeared from sight, Harry, Ron and Hermione stood rooted to the spot, they were surrounded by furious monsters, approaching closer and closer, fangs, horns and tails flashed around, the heat stood like a wall.

What should we do? – Hermione tried to call out the roar of the flames. - What should we do?

Harry grabbed a pair of seemingly heavy brooms and a nearby pile of rubbish and tossed one to Ron, who pulled Hermione over and placed her behind him. Harry threw his leg over the second broom and, pushing off strongly from the ground, they rose upward, almost falling into the mouth of the burning reptile. The fire and smoke became unbearable, beneath them the cursed fire consumed the students' contraband property, the results of failed experiments, the secrets of countless souls who sought refuge in the room. Harry didn't see where Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle ran. He flew as low as the crazed monsters would allow, but he saw nothing but fire... how terrible it was to die like that... he never wanted this...

Harry, we need to get out, let's get out! - Ron shouted, but through the black smoke it was impossible to tell where the door was.

Suddenly Harry heard a thin, pitiful human cry that burst out of the thunder of the all-consuming flame.

This is... too... dangerous! - Ron shouted, but Harry flew into the air. His glasses protected his eyes a little from the smoke, he looked for signs of life in the fire, at least something living that had not yet been charred like wood...

And then he saw them: Malfoy was holding his hands on Goyle, who was unconscious, they were sitting on a mountain of charred desks, Harry rushed down. Malfoy noticed him and raised his hand, but even as Harry grabbed it, he immediately realized that nothing had happened. Goyle was too heavy, and Malfoy's hand, all sweaty, slipped out of Harry's...

IF WE DIE BECAUSE OF THEM, I WILL KILL YOU, HARRY! - Ron burst out as a huge fiery chimera rushed at them, he and Hermione pulled Goyle onto the broom and climbed up, barely keeping their balance as Malfoy sat down behind Harry.

Door, quickly to the door, to the door! - Malfoy shouted right into Harry's ear. Harry sped up, following Hermione, Ron and Goyle through the curtain of black smoke, barely breathing. Everything around them that had not yet caught fire began to light up right before his eyes, fiery monsters devoured everything in their path: cups, shields, a shiny necklace and an old, faded diadem...

What are you doing, what are you doing, the door is on the other side! - Malfoy shouted, but Harry turned around and rushed down. The tiara fell as if in slow motion, turning and shining, flying straight into the open mouth of the snake, and then he caught it, hooking it with his hand, it hung on his wrist...

Harry flew up again as the snake rushed at him again, he rose higher and headed towards the place where he had already prayed there should be an open door. Ron, Hermione and Goyle had already disappeared. Malfoy screamed and held onto Harry so tightly that it hurt. Then through the smoke he saw a rectangular patch on the wall and pointed the broom in its direction, a few seconds later his lungs were filled with clean air and they crashed into the wall of the corridor.

Malfoy fell face down from his broom, gasping, coughing and vomiting. Harry rolled over and sat up: the door to the Room of Requirement had disappeared, and Ron and Hermione were sitting, breathing heavily, next to Goyle, who was still unconscious.

Crabbe,” Malfoy gasped, “C-Crabbe...

"He's dead," Ron snapped.

There was silence, in which only coughing and heavy breathing could be heard. Suddenly the castle was shaken by many loud blows, a crowd of transparent horsemen rushed past, their heads screaming bloodthirstyly from their armpits. Harry rose to his feet as the Headless Hunt galloped past, and looked around to see that the battle was still going on around him. He heard screams other than those made by headless ghosts. Panic seized him.

Where's Ginny? – he said sharply. - She was here. She had to return to the Right Room.

God, do you think the room will still work after the fire? - Ron asked, but he also rose to his feet, rubbing his chest and looking around. – Should we split up and look?..

“No,” said Hermione, also rising to her feet. Malfoy and Goyle were still lying hopelessly on the floor of the corridor, neither of them had a wand. - We need to stick together. Let's go... Harry, what's on your hand?

What? Oh yes...

He pulled the tiara from his wrist and held it up. It was still hot, blackened with soot, but when he looked at it closer, he could make out the small words engraved on it: "Great Mind - Treasure of Man."

Some kind of liquid flowed from the diadem, similar to blood, but it was dark and viscous like tar. Suddenly, Harry felt the tiara shake in his hands, then tear into pieces, and as if from it, and not from somewhere in the castle, a heartbreaking scream was heard.

It must have been Devil's Fire! – Hermione said, almost crying, looking at the broken pieces.

Sorry, what?

Devil Fire, damn fire, it is used to destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, never dare to use it in my life... how did Crabbe know...?

“Probably learned from the Carrows,” said Harry gloomily.

“It’s a shame he couldn’t concentrate when they told him how to stop the fire,” said Ron, whose hair, like Hermione, was slightly burnt and his face blackened. “I would feel sorry for him if he didn’t try to kill us.”

Do not you understand? – Hermione whispered. - This means that we only need to find the snake...

But she stopped when screams and sounds of a fight were heard, which could not be confused with anything. Harry looked around, and his heart sank: the Death Eaters had broken into Hogwarts. He saw Fred and Percy fighting a masked and hooded man.

Harry, Ron and Hermione ran to help, spell flashes were flying everywhere, the man Percy was fighting with quickly retreated back. His hood suddenly fell and they saw a high forehead and greasy hair...

Hello, Minister! Percy shouted, sending a spell straight at Sickness, who dropped his wand and picked up his robes, obviously feeling very awkward. – I didn’t say that I was resigning?

You're kidding, Percy! Fred shouted as the Death Eater he was fighting was stunned by three different spells. Thicknesse fell to the ground, thorns came out all over his body, it looked like he was turning into some kind of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy happily.

You're really kidding, Percy... I don't remember you making a joke since you were...

There was an explosion. They stood nearby: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and Percy, two Death Eaters lay at their feet, one stunned, the other transformed. The world was torn into many pieces, Harry felt as if he was floating in the air, he was holding on to his wand, which was his only weapon, and with his hands he could only cover his head. He heard the screams of his comrades, no longer hoping to find out what happened to them...

Then the world came together, dark and full of pain: Harry was half buried in the ruins of the corridor, which was shattered into pieces. The cold air made him realize that one of the castle walls had been demolished, hot sticky blood flowing down his face. He heard a terrible scream from which he shuddered, the agony that no curse could cause was heard in the scream, he stood up, swaying, more afraid than he had been all day, perhaps than in his entire life...

Hermione struggled to her feet from the ruins, three red-haired men were sitting nearby on the floor where the wall had just exploded. Harry took Hermione's hand as they made their way through stone and wood, staggering and stumbling.

No no no! - someone shouted. - No! Fred! No!

Percy was shaking his brother, Ron was kneeling next to him, but Fred's eyes were looking into space, his face was still laughing, although it was just a memory.

English language learners are often recommended to read the original books about Harry Potter - they are simple, fascinating, and interesting not only for children, but also for adults. I put this series off for a long time, but recently I finally got around to it, read it, and now I want to tell you why Harry Potter is worth reading in English, and also help you with learning magical vocabulary.

Why is Harry Potter worth reading in the original?

1. Simple but increasingly complex language

An interesting thing about the Harry Potter books is that each next book is more mature than the previous one: the characters become more complex, the plot becomes more complicated, and the theme of death (the main one, according to J. Rowling) appears more and more clearly. If at the beginning Dumbledore is a kind, gray-bearded wizard from a fairy tale, then at the end he is a complex, contradictory character; if the Dursleys, Harry’s guardians, are caricatured in the first book, then later they appear as living people.

Changes concern not only themes, conflicts, characters, but also language. The language of the book becomes more complex. To put it bluntly, in the first book, Harry, Ron, and Hermione speak in short, simple sentences, and Dumbledore makes statements that are easy to understand. By the end, the main characters discuss the fine details of the wizarding world and cunning plans, and Dumbledore's speech takes up pages. The narrator's language also becomes more complex: at the beginning it is simple and even cheerful, as in children's books, but at the end it becomes more neutral and at times sinister.

While reading “Harry Potter”, you will imperceptibly raise the level of complexity of the text. Imperceptibly, because book after book you will learn characteristic vocabulary, get used to the author’s style, develop reading skills, perhaps without even noticing that the text has become more complex.

2. “Harry Potter” is a fascinating series of books

For practicing reading in English, the best books are those that are not only quite simply written, but also interesting and captivating. “Harry Potter” fits both criteria - it is a fascinating, addictive series of books. Personally, I was most pleased with:

• Carefully thought out plot– “Harry Potter” belongs to those series where each book has a separate story + there is a through line and a main global conflict. There are no unnecessary or boring parts in the book; after reading one chapter, you will want to read the next. In English, such books are called page-turners (literally: “page turner”).
• No failed parts and a successful ending. The problem with many book series, and even television series, is that they are made up on the fly. As a result, the series begins cheerfully, in the middle it turns somewhere wrong, and the author, completely confused, simply “leaks” the ending. JK Rowling carefully thought out the whole story when she wrote the first book, so there is no such problem with Harry Potter.
• Unexpected twists. I've read books and watched films with mind-blowing plot twists, and it's hard to surprise me, but “Harry Potter” is full of moments when I wanted to applaud the author, but mentally, so as not to let go of the book.
• Interesting characters. “Harry Potter” is, in a sense, a novel of education; this series is not only about the struggle between good and evil, but also about growing up and shaping the personalities of the main characters. The villains and some of the minor characters are also very well developed. The depth of their characters is revealed gradually, from book to book.
• A fantastic world that you want to return to. In the world of Harry Potter, children are taught at school how to turn a rat into a goblet and care for unicorns. Here they play rugby on flying brooms and learn not how to drive, but how to teleport. Whenever Harry returns to the normal world for the summer holidays, he can't wait to go back to Hogwarts. And to the reader too.

I’ll add that I myself didn’t take up Harry Potter for a long time because I doubted that I would be captivated by a children’s book, but it turned out that I was wrong, because: 1) I was captivated, 2) the book is not so children’s.

3. Problems with translation into Russian

If you want to read Harry Potter in Russian, you will encounter a problem. There are two main versions of the translation of “Harry Potter” into Russian: translation by Rosman publishing house (different translators) And translation by the publishing house “Makhaon”(translator: Maria Spivak). The “Rosman” version is considered by most Potter fans to be more successful, but it is impossible to find it on sale, since since 2014 the rights to publish “Harry Potter” in Russia belong to the publishing house “Swallowtail” (with an unsuccessful translation).

You may think, well, no big deal, I’ll read it in another translation. The problem is that if you have previously read books translated by “Rosman” (and he appeared first) or watched film adaptations, then you are familiar with such characters as Dumbledore, Hagrid, Severus Snape, Mad-Eye Moody and, of course, you know about the school magic of Hogwarts.

In M. Spivak’s translation, many proper names are rendered differently:

This is due to the fact that speaking names, that is, emphasizing the character’s features, are usually translated (or rather, equivalents are selected) so that the reader or viewer understands the meaning of the name. The translators of “Rosman” solved this problem in their own way, Maria Spivak in her own way, although I personally agree that her options are in many ways less successful and sometimes completely unjustified. Why, for example, turn Hagrid into Hagrid?

Of course, if you read Harry Potter in the original, these problems do not exist for you. In addition, you will not encounter text distortions, dropped or added sentences, errors, inconsistencies in the transfer of terms and other problems that exist in translations.

Features of the Harry Potter language

1. “Harry Potter” is written in British English

The Harry Potter series of books was published in English in two editions: British and American. But even if you read books in the American edition, you will notice that the language of the book is British.

In the American edition, indeed, some words are replaced with American analogues to make it clearer to the reader, for example:

• Mum (UK) – Mom (US) – mother.
• Car park (UK) – Parking lot (US) – car parking,
• Tinned soup (UK) – Canned soup (US) – canned soup,
• Biscuits (UK) – Cookies (US) – cookies,

However, many British words and expressions remained in the American version, for example:

• Mental (He’s mental!) - crazy,
• Blimey! - Wow! Can't be!
• Bloke is a guy.
• At once - instantly.
• At the top of his voice - (shout) at the top of your voice.
• Trainers - sneakers.

The American edition of the book is Americanized to a minimum. I think that if you have a choice of which version to read, it is better to choose the British one, because the American edition is the same British, but with a slight admixture of Americanisms.

By the way, the most noticeable difference between the editions is not related to the difference between the varieties of English. An American publisher persuaded J. Rowling to rename the book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” philosopher's Stone”) for readers in the United States. In America it was released under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Changing the name has nothing to do with the language, just American publisher I felt that the title with the word “philosophical” was not suitable for a children’s audience.

2. Harry Potter uses different speech styles

In “Harry Potter” you will encounter both modern English speech and sublime bookish speech. For example, Harry and Ron speak like normal children: “I dunno” instead of “I don’t know” or “‘Spose so” instead of “I suppose so.” But representatives of the older generation speak more bookishly.

For example:

“I do not require your assistance,” said Voldemort.”

“I don't need your help.” To a modern Englishman this sounds like something very formal or bookish. A simple person would say: “I don’t need your help.” Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, etc., as well as aristocrats of the wizarding world (Lucius Malfoy, Minister of Magic, etc.) speak in this book style.

3. Visual dialect

The speech characteristics of characters speaking with an accent are reflected in writing. This applies not only to foreigners but also to British heroes with a distinctive accent (in England, pronunciation varies greatly in different parts of the country), such as Hagrid with his simple speech.

For example:

• French accent, Fleur Delacour:“Eet was no trouble […] I 'ave been longing to see 'im. Do you remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about 'Arry Potter.' (“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”)
• Bulgarian, Viktor Kram:“This is his symbol, I recognized it at vunce: Grindelvald carved it into a vall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there.” (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”)
• Hagrid:“Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin' I wondered 'ow she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha', bu' she never complained once.” (“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”)

Hagrid's speech is the most difficult to understand; numerous apostrophes mark the places where he swallows sounds (a feature of some varieties of English). For example: “An’ knowin’ where we was going”” = “And knowing where we were going”, and if we say it quite correctly, then “And knowing where we WERE going”.

The display of accent features in writing is called eye-dialect(visual dialect). In Russian literature, this phenomenon is not as widespread as in English literature; speech characteristics in Russian are usually created using vocabulary that is suitable in style.

4. Speaking names

One of the difficulties of “Harry Potter” is names that speak, that is, emphasizing certain features of the character. I already mentioned above that in different translations names are rendered differently.

There are three main points of view regarding the translation of speaking names:

1. Speaking names should not be translated.

It is better to leave them as is, and explain the essence of the pun in the notes. For example, let the character's name be Mad-Eye Moody, and the footnote will say that Mad-Eye = crazy eye, Moody = gloomy, gloomy. The disadvantage of this approach is that:

1. It does not apply to films.
2. Not suitable for children's books (it is better to adapt names for children than to torment them with linguistic references).
3. From an artistic point of view, a successful name adaptation is often the best choice than leaving it as is. Remember the characters of Disney cartoons and imagine if their names were not adapted: Duckwing Duck (Black Cloak), Lunchpad McQuack (Zigzag McCrack), Webigail Vanderquack (Doughnut), Gadget Hackwrench (Gadget).

1. All names that can be translated in any way need to be translated.

For example: Madame Sprout - Madame Sprout, Sirius Black - Sirius Black (surname of a family of dark wizards), Tom Ridle - Tom Riddle (mysterious character). The disadvantage of this approach is that common sense dictates: some even telling names are better left as they are. Even first-graders know the word “black,” and Tom the Riddle sounds like a stupid nickname, not a name.

1. For speaking names, you need to select equivalents that emphasize the same features, without compromising the work and common sense.

The most common approach. We leave Harry Potter as Potter, not the Potter, and turn Madame Sprout into Madame Sprout. But even in this case, compromises have to be made. Literary translation always involves compromises.

For example, not everyone likes that Professor Severus Snape is translated as Severus Snape. The translator wanted to emphasize the coldness of the hero in this way. The variant of the Villainous Snake is even worse - apparently, there was an attempt to convey a play on words: Snape is consonant with Snake (snake), and Snape is consonant with “snakes”. But the name turned out to be too cartoonishly villainous and completely inappropriate for this complex character, whose characteristics cannot be reduced to the formula “villainous villain”.

By reading in the original, you will be spared the results of the respectable torments of translators. But another difficulty will arise: you may not be able to understand the subtle puns woven into proper names. Then a lot of interesting things will pass by, even more so than when reading the translation.

To help you out, I've put together a little guide to the main names and titles (see below).

5. Magic vocabulary and copyright neologisms

A significant layer of vocabulary consists of magical terms; they can be divided into three categories:

• Well-known words for native speakers, for example, dragon (dragon), magic (magic).
• Well-known words, but with a new meaning. For example, the elves (more precisely, house elves) in Rowling's books are not the same elves as in Tolkien or in folklore.
• Words invented by the author. For example, muggle is a person who does not belong to the magical world. Also in the book there are many creatures fictional by the author, for example, Blast-Ended Screwt - Explosive-Tailed Devil-Crab.

For me, when I started reading the book, even the simplest words from the first category came as a surprise. For example, I would never have thought that a writing pen (quill) was called differently than a bird's feather (feather), and for some reason it seemed to me that a magic wand in English is a magic stick (actually wand) . Magic terms bombard the reader as soon as Harry begins to get acquainted with the world of magic.

To help you, I have compiled a glossary of basic magical terms. I did not include the author's neologisms, since they are explained in the book itself.

“A Muggle,” said Hagrid, “it’s what we call nonmagic folk.”

(“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”)

Magic vocabulary from the world of Harry Potter

I've categorized wizarding terminology into three groups: magic, studying at Hogwarts, and magical creatures.

1. Magic

Notes:

• In the magical world of words wizard And witch(wizard and witch) is used instead of man and woman (man, woman). This also applies difficult words, which in English have the root man or woman. For example, instead of speak (representative), spokeswizard or spokeswitch is used if it is a woman.
• Word witchcraft literally translates as “witch art/craft.” In some translations, Hogwarts is called the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
• There is a word similar to witchcraft witchery- witchcraft, magic that witches do.
• Venom is a poison in nature, the poison of a living creature, for example, a snake or a spider, and poison is an artificially prepared poison (even if it is made from snake venom). That is, on the fangs of a snake - venom, in the killer's bottle - poison.
• Enchantment- this is “enchantment”, the effect when something is bewitched, magically changed, from the verb to enchant - to enchant. For example, the ceiling in the Great Hall of Hogwarts is enchanted - it looks like open sky.
• Bewitchment(from the verb to bewitch - to bewitch) is a word with a more negative connotation than enchantment. Usually used by someone who behaves somehow differently under the influence of an evil spell (He is bewitched - He is bewitched).
• Spells in the world of Harry Potter are classified in a certain way. The magical effect itself is called spell(spell). Note, spell- this is precisely the blow of magic itself, the effect, the stream of light from the magic wand, and not the words spoken by the wizard. Words are incantation(also a spell in Russian). Spells are divided into:
  • Transfiguration(transfiguration) - turning one object into another, for example, a toothpick into a feather or a rat into a goblet.
  • Charm(charm, spell) - changes some properties of an object without making fundamental changes (for example, color changes), also forces the object to do something, for example, levitate or dance. Example, Levitation Charm - a levitation spell.
  • Jinx(corruption) is a relatively harmless type of dark magic that creates a fun, but not dangerous effect. Example, Impediment Jinx - makes it difficult for the victim to move.
  • Hex(spell, conspiracy) - more dangerous dark magic that causes significant harm. For example, Stinging Hex - stings the victim like bees.
  • Curse(curse) is the most dangerous type of dark magic, capable of, among other things, maiming and killing. Example, Avada Kedavra - kills the victim.

When translated into Russian, the words spell, charm, hex, curse are conveyed inconsistently; often they are all simply called “spells” or “spells.”

2. Studying at Hogwarts

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
castle	lock
Great Hall	Big hall
House	Faculty (in this context)
dormitory	bedroom
common room	living room
cauldron	boiler
quill	feather (for writing)
parchment	parchment
ink	ink
cloak	cloak
robe	mantle
wand	Magic wand
broomstick	broom
spell-book	book of spells
detention	punishment, penalty
Headmaster	director
Head of House	dean
professor	professor, teacher
student	pupil, student
caretaker	caretaker, caretaker
gamekeeper	forester
Educational subjects at Hogwarts
Transfiguration	Transfiguration
Charms	Spells
Potions	Potions
History of Magic	History of magic
Defense Against the Dark Arts	Defense Against the Dark Arts
Astronomy	Astronomy
Herbology	Herbology
Arithmancy	Numerology
Muggle Studies	Muggle Studies
Divination	Divination
Study of Ancient Runes	Ancient runes
Care of Magical Creatures	Care of Magical Creatures
Flying lessons	Flying on a broom (flying lessons)
Apparition	Transgression (Apparation)

Notes:

• House– this is 1) a house (the place where they live), 2) a house in the meaning of “clan”, “family”. In Harry Potter the word house in relation to Hogwarts it actually means the house. It is also used in ordinary meanings (house, clan).
• Under dormitory in modern English they usually mean a dormitory (for example, a student dormitory), but in the case of Hogwarts Castle, the word “bedroom” is more appropriate.
• Quill- this is a writing pen, a bird's feather - feather.
• Detention- this is “detention, arrest,” for example, when a police officer detains a suspect. At Hogwarts under detention punishment was implied when the student had to do some work at the discretion of the teacher.

3. Magical creatures

house elf	house elf
goblin	goblin
giant	giant
vampire	a vampire
werewolf	werewolf
hippogriff	hippogriff
unicorn	unicorn
centaur	centaur
basilisk	basilisk
boggart	boggart
dragon	the Dragon
phoenix	phoenix
ghoul	ghoul
gnome	dwarf
grindylow	grindylow, water
mermaid	mermaid
merpeople	sea ​​inhabitants
leprechaun	leprechaun
ghost	ghost, ghost
sphinx	sphinx
troll	troll
pixie	pixie
manticore	manticore
banshee	banshee
poltergeist	poltergeist

Notes:

• Some of these creatures are only mentioned in the book, but do not appear, for example, banshees, vampires.
• Word boggart sometimes translated as brownie, since in folklore a boggart is a spirit that lives in a house. For example, this is how a boggart (brownie) is presented in the book “The Witcher's Apprentice” by D. Delaney. In Harry Potter, the boggart is presented differently - it is a spirit that turns into something that the person who sees it is afraid of.
• There are two in English similar words pixie And fairy, both are translated as “fairy”, less often the word pixie is translated as “pixie”. The difference between a pixie and a fairy is that pixies are tiny flying creatures, while fairies can be large.

Speaking names, the meaning of names in “Harry Potter”

JK Rowling was asked more than once how she came up with the names of characters and places, and other words. She explained that she simply made up some words without putting them into words. special meaning(for example, muggle), some words popped up out of nowhere. For example, about the word “Hogwarts” she said the following:

“A friend from London recently asked me if I remember the first time I saw Hogwarts. I had no idea what she was talking about until I remembered the day we went to Kew Gardens and saw these lilies called Hogwarts. I saw them seven years ago, and they were in my memory. When the word “Hogwarts” came to me as the name of the school, I had no idea where it came from.”

Some names clearly hint at some qualities of the character. This can be either a meaningful name, for example, the professor of herbology is called Sprout - sprout, or more subtle references to cultural or historical realities. For example, the name Remus Lupin clearly hints at the character’s connection with wolves: Remus - Remus, one of the founders of Rome, raised by a wolf, Lupin - from lat. “lupus” – wolf, or English. “lupine” – wolfish.

The novel also contains quite normal, non-fairy-tale names that acquire some meaning only in context. For example, Dolores Umbridge is a completely ordinary Muggle name and surname, but if you consider that “dolores” is “sorrow, pain” in Spanish, and Umbridge is consonant with “umbrage” (English - resentment) , the name becomes speaking.

Note: after each name, I provide the translation options I have encountered, as well as a brief background about the character. I did not mention some nuances, for example, about the name Tom Marvolo Riddle, to avoid spoilers.

Character names

• Albus Dumbledore - Albus Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts

Albus is Latin for "white". Dumbledore, according to J. Rowling, is the Old English word for "bumblebee", possibly chosen because Dumbledore liked to hum to himself, and the sounds were reminiscent of the humming of a bumblebee.

• Severus Snape – Severus Snape, Severus Snape, Zloteus Snape, potions teacher

Severus - from English. severe – harsh, cold, Snape is consonant with snake (snake). J. Rolunig also mentioned that Snape is the name of a settlement in England.

• Tom Marvolo Riddle - Tom Marvolo Riddle, Tom Marvolo Riddle, mysterious character

Riddle (English) – a riddle. Marvolo is consonant with English. marvel - miracle.

• Salazar Slytherin - Salazar Slytherin, dark magician, who lived in the Middle Ages, one of the founders of Hogwarts

Antonio de Salazar (1889 - 1970) - Portuguese dictator.

• Cornelius Fudge – Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic

Fudge (English) – nonsense, scammer. Cornelia is an ancient Roman family from which many statesmen and generals emerged.

• Minerva McGonagall - Minerva McGonagall, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts

Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, crafts and the arts.

• Pomona Sprout - Pomona Sprout, Pomona Stem, Pomona Sprout, teacher of herbology.

Pomona is the Roman goddess of tree fruits and abundance. Sprout (English) – sprout, stem.

• Poppy Pomfrey – Poppy Pomfrey, school doctor at Hogwarts

Poppy (English) – poppy.

• Argus Filch – Argus Filch, caretaker/caretaker at Hogwarts

Filch (English) – to steal, to steal. Argus is a giant from Greek mythology, whom the goddess Hera appointed as the guardian of Io, the beloved of Zeus. Argus had many eyes, so he could observe everything that was happening around him.

• Nevil Longbottom - Neville Longbottom (Longbottom, Longbottom), student from Gryffindor

Bottom (English) – back, bottom, long (English) – long, long.

• Draco Malfoy - Draco Malfoy, student from Slytherin

Foi mal (French) – dishonesty, treachery. Maleficus (lat.) – villain. Draco (lat.) – dragon, serpent, consonant with English. dragon - dragon.

• Lucius Malfoy - Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, representative of an ancient family

Lucius is consonant with Lucifer (in turn from the Latin lux “light” + fero “I carry”).

• Narcissa Malfoy - Narcissa Malfoy, wife of Lucius, mother of Draco

In Greek mythology, Narcissus is a beautiful, narcissistic young man who drowned after staring at his own reflection in the water.

• Vincent Crabbe – Vincent Crabbe, Draco's henchman

Crab (English) - crab, grumble, crabby (English) - grumpy.

• Gregory Goyle – Gregory Goyle, Draco's henchman

Goyle - probably from English. gargoyle - gargoyle.

• Sirius Black – Sirius Black, representative of the “dark” Black family

Black (English) – black. Sirius is a star in the constellation Canis Major. The brightest in the sky. From Greek "burning".

• Remus Lupin – Remus Lupin, Defense Against Dark Magic teacher

Lupus (Latin) – wolf, lupine (English) – wolfish. Remus is one of the brothers who founded Rome (Romulus and Remus), who were suckled by a she-wolf. In Russian, these names are traditionally rendered as Romulus and Remus.

• Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody – Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody (Mad-Eye Moody, Mad-Eye Moody, Mad-Eye Moody), retired Auror

Alastor is the spirit of vengeance in Greek mythology. Mad-Eye (English) – crazy eye. Moody (English) – gloomy, gloomy, easily susceptible to mood swings.

Note: Auror (fighter against dark magicians) in the original – Auror, from the word “aurora” (English) – dawn, Polar Lights, named after the Roman goddess of dawn Authors.

• Gilderoy Lockhart - Gilderoy Lockhart, Zlatopust Lokons, Sverkarol Lockhart, famous writer

Gilderoy is derived from the words “gilded” (English – gilded) and “roi” (French – king). Lockhart is real existing surname Scottish clan. Includes the words “lock” (lock), “hart” (heart = heart in English). The motto of the Lockhart clan is “I open locked hearts.” All this fits the character: the golden-haired “king” (Lockhart is a celebrity in the world of magic), conqueror of hearts.

Lockhart is also the name of a city in Australia near the city of Wagga Wagga. One of the feats that Gilderoy Lockhart boasted of was defeating the Wagga Wagga Werewolf.

• Luna Lovegood - Luna Lovegood, Luna Lovegood, Psycho Lovegood, the strangest student

The surname consists of English. words “love” - love, “good” - good, good, kind. Name Luna in English means “moon”, consonant with “loony” - crazy. The strange girl Lovegood was teased at school as “Loony Lovegood.”

• Fleur Delacour – Fleur Delacour, student at the French Academy of Magic

From French “flower of the courtyard” or in figuratively“decoration of the courtyard”, “the first beauty of the courtyard” (“courtyard” - meaning “royal courtyard”).

• Dolores Umbridge – Dolores Umbridge, Assistant Minister of Magic

Dolores (Spanish) – sorrow, pain, Umbridge is consonant with English. “umbrage” – resentment, indignation.

• Rita Sceeter – Rita Sceeter, journalist, writer

Sceeter (English) – mosquito, mosquito.

• Lavender Brown - Lavender Brown, Gryffindor student

Lavender (English) – lavender. Brown is a common surname, lit. “brown” hardly has any semantic meaning.

• Dobby – Dobby, the house elf

Dobbin (English) – work horse.

• Moaning Myrtle – Moaning Myrtle, Melancholy Myrtle, the ghost of a Hogwarts student

Moaning (English) – moaning, crying. Myrtle (English) – myrtle (evergreen plant).

Names of animals, birds, magical creatures

• Fawkes – Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix

Guy Fawkes - English rebel, leader of the Gunpowder Plot. The rebels were supposed to blow up the English Parliament building, which would serve as a signal for the beginning of an uprising of English Catholics who were persecuted. But the plot was discovered. Now the day of the rebellion (November 5) is celebrated as Guy Fawkes Day - on this day bonfires are lit everywhere.

• Hedwig – Hedwig, Hedwig, Hedwig, Harry the owl

Hedwig is a saint from Germany. She founded a monastic order whose goal was the education of orphans.

• Crookshanks - Crookshanks, Crookshanks, Crookshanks, Hermione's cat

Crook (English) – bend, shank – lower part of the leg. There is a Scottish surname Cruikshank. Isaac Robert Cruikshank is a famous British artist. He illustrated Charles Dickens's The Adventures of Oliver Twist, the first known novel about an orphan.

• Scabbers - Scabbers, Scabbers, Scabbers, Ron's rat

Scab (English) – sore, scab.

• Buckbeak - Buckbeak, Buckbeak, Hagrid's hippogriff

Buck (English) – male, beak – beak.

• Fang - Fang, Hagrid's dog

Fang (English) – fang.

• Fluffy – Fluffy, angry dog

Fluffy (English) – fluffy.

Faculties at Hogwarts

• Griffyndor - Gryffindor

From French "golden griffin" The griffin is a mythical creature, half lion, half eagle. The Gryffindor crest features a golden lion.

• Slytherin - Slytherin

Slither (English) – slide, crawl, slippery. The snake is the symbol of Slytherin.

• Hufflepuff - Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff

In English “huff” - to be angry, to be offended; “puff” - to exhale, to exhale. The idiom “huff and puff” means “to puff, pant (eg after exercise or work)” or “to complain.” Distinctive qualities of the faculty: hard work, perseverance.

• Ravenclaw - Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw

In English, “raven” means “raven”, “claw” means “claw.” Perhaps the raven in the name of the faculty is a hint at the distinctive quality of the students: the smartest come here. It is noteworthy that the coat of arms depicts an eagle, not a raven.

The four houses of Hogwarts are named after the four founders of Hogwarts: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin.

It is easy to notice two features of these names: 1) they contain alliteration, repetition of consonant sounds, 2) their initials are two identical letters: GG, HH, RR, SS. In the Rosman translation, they tried to preserve this feature, so some of the founders had to be slightly renamed: Helga Hufflepuff became Penelope Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw became Candida Ravenclaw.

Other schools of magic

In addition to Hogwarts, there are other schools of wizardry.

• Durmstrang – Durmstrang, Bulgarian school of magic

Derived from the German “Sturm und Drang” - “storm and stress” - a literary movement in Germany in the second half of the 18th century.

• Beauxbatons – Beauxbatons, French Academy of Magic

Translated from French, the expression “beaux batons” means “beautiful sticks.” The translator’s choice in favor of “Beauxbatons” is understandable - “Beauxbatons” would be dissonant and suggestive of beans and bread.

Flying broom brands

• Comet, Nimbus, Firebolt – Comet, Nimbus, Firebolt (Lightning)

In the book “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” translated by O. Shapiro there is an interesting comment about the brands of flying brooms Comet (outdated model), Nimbus (modern expensive model), Firebolt (dream broom):

“Firebolt (brand of modern prestigious sportbike Harley-Davidson; consonant with “fire-ball” - car, ball lightning; “Nimbus” is also a brand of motorcycle, but from the 50s, and “Comet” is a brand of bicycle)"

Fred handed the book to his brother.

Chapter 19. Servant of Lord Voldemort.- George read it. After pronouncing this name, there was silence in the Hall.

Hermione squealed and Black jumped to his feet. Harry jumped as if he had been electrocuted.

“I found this near the Whomping Willow,” Snape said, throwing aside the Invisibility Cloak. He kept his wand pointed at Lupin's chest the entire time. - A very convenient thing, Potter, thank you very much...

You're welcome, sir,” Harry said with a smile.

Snape was slightly out of breath, but his face was beaming with an expression of poorly contained triumph.

Sirius just grinned silently.

You might be wondering how I knew you were here? - The professor’s eyes sparkled. - I was just on my way to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion in the evening, I brought you the medicine and then, to great happiness - fortunately for me, of course - I saw a certain Map on your table. I looked at her and immediately understood everything. You ran through a tunnel known to me and then disappeared...

Constant vigilance! - Moody growled. - Lupin, you’re not a schoolboy, but you’re doing this!

“I was in a hurry, and Peter’s name shocked me,” Lupine justified himself.

“Severus...” Lupine called, but Snape could not be stopped.

How many times have I told Dumbledore that you are the one helping old friend Black get into the castle? And here it is, the proof. But I never dreamed that you would have the courage to again use this wreck as a refuge...

"Severus, you are mistaken," Lupine insisted. - After all, you haven’t heard everything, I’ll explain now... Sirius is not here at all to kill Harry...

This night there will be two more prisoners in Azkaban. - Snape's eyes glowed with fanatical fire. - I wonder how Dumbledore will like this... He was so confident in your complete harmlessness, Lupin, you are our home werewolf...

Severus, you could have listened to them instead of seeing your supposed victory before your eyes! - Minerva decided to shame her colleague.

“But that’s stupid,” Lupine remarked softly. “Is an old school grudge really worth sending an innocent man to Azkaban?”

Clap! Thin, snake-like cords flew from Snape's wand and lashed around Lupin's mouth, wrists and ankles; he lost his balance and fell to the floor, unable to move. Roaring furiously, Black rushed towards Snape, but he aimed his wand directly at his forehead.

Just give me a reason,” Snape hissed, “give me a reason, and I swear I will kill you.”

“Eh, Severus,” the director whispered.

Black froze. It was difficult to say whose face was more distorted by hatred.

Harry looked at them numbly, not knowing what to do or who to believe. He looked at his friends - Ron was in complete confusion and continued to fight Scabbers; Hermione, although hesitantly, nevertheless approached Snape and asked in a voice fading with excitement:

Professor Snape... maybe... maybe there's nothing wrong with listening... what they want... they want to say?

Miss Granger, you are already on the verge of expulsion from school! - Snape barked. - And as for you, Potter and Weasley, you have completely crossed all boundaries, spending time in the company of an inveterate killer and a werewolf. So for once in your life, hold your tongues.

But if... if this is a mistake...

Shut up, stupid girl! - Snape burst into tears, he suddenly seemed to go mad with anger. - Don't talk about what you don't understand!

And then they ask why we don’t go to adults for help! - Ron grumbled.

Several sparks flew from his wand, pointed at Black's face, and Hermione fell silent.

Revenge is sweet,” Snape whispered to Black. - How I dreamed that I would catch you myself...

“You’re the victim of a joke again, Severus,” Black croaked. “As long as this boy stays with his rat in the castle,” he nodded towards Ron, “I will quietly make my way ...

To the castle? - Snape asked insinuatingly. - Why so far? Once we get out from under the Willow, I’ll immediately call on the Dementors. They will be glad to see you, Black, very glad... They will even give you a kiss...

“This is terrible,” Lavender whispered with a sob.

Black's face became deathly pale.

“I… I’ll still make you listen,” he said hoarsely. - This rat - take a good look at it...

But there was a crazy light dancing in Snape's eyes that Harry had never seen before. It was clear: no arguments would get through to him.

All over me! - Snape commanded. He snapped his fingers, and the ends of the cord that had entangled Lupin were in his hand. - I'll bring the werewolf too. The Dementors have a kiss for him too.

Without realizing it, Harry crossed the room in three leaps and blocked the door.

Gryffindor courage! - some freshman shouted.

More like recklessness,” Nott objected.

“Get out of the way, Potter, you’re already in serious trouble,” Snape scolded. - If I hadn’t come here in time to save your skin...

Professor Lupine could have dealt with me a hundred times this year. - Harry tried to reason with Snape. “He taught me how to defend myself against dementors.” We were constantly left alone with him. If he's helping Black, why didn't he kill me?

That's right, Harry! - shouted the Creeves.

“I’m not going to figure out what’s going on in the werewolf’s head!” - Snape hissed. - Let me pass, Potter!

This is silly! - Harry shouted. - Because of some stupid joke that everyone has forgotten, you don’t want to listen to anything now!

Shut up! Don't you dare talk to me like that! - Snape was mad. - Like father, like son! I just saved your life, Potter, you should be on your knees thanking me! And you should be killed. You would have died, like your father, too self-confident to admit that Black had fooled you. Now get out of the way, Potter, or I'll make you leave!

The decision was made in a split second. Before Snape could take a step, Harry raised his wand.

Expelliarmus! - he shouted, and, it should be noted, he was not alone.

Ron and Hermione made the same decision with surprising unanimity.

There was silence in the Hall for a second, and then a roar of laughter began. Both adults and children laughed. Only Snape sat silently.

Wow! An attack on a professor, and what a professor at that! - the students shouted with admiration in their voices.

Sorry, sir,” Ron said in the meantime. Harry and Hermione joined him. When everyone had more or less calmed down, George continued reading.

Three spells rang out at once, there was a deafening explosion, the door cracked, barely holding on to its ancient hinges; Snape was knocked off his feet and hit the wall, he slid to the floor, losing consciousness, a trickle of blood running down his face from under his hair.

You're crazy about him! - Sirius rejoiced.

Harry looked around. Snape's wand flew up to the ceiling and fell on the bed next to Crookshanks.

You should not have done it. - Black, knitting his eyebrows, looked at Harry. - You should have given it to me...

Harry looked away. Even now he wasn't sure he had done the right thing.

It’s always like this: first you do, then you think. Gryffindors!

We attacked the teacher... We attacked the teacher... - Hermione whispered in horror, looking enchanted at the lifeless figure of Snape. - Oh, what troubles await us...

“I’m surprised you survived after this,” Draco laughed.

Lupine tried to free himself from his bonds. Black hastily bent down, untied him, and he stood up, rubbing his wrists.

Thank you, Harry,” he thanked.

“I haven’t said that I believe you yet,” Harry objected.

“So it’s time to present hard evidence,” Black said. - You, guy, give me Peter.

It's high time, we're all waiting! - Dean rubbed his palms in anticipation.

But Ron hugged Scabbers closer to his chest.

Don't come. - His voice was weak, but decisive. - Did you escape from Azkaban just to break her neck? - Ron turned to Harry and Hermione, looking for support. - Okay, let's say Pettigrew could turn into a rat. But there are millions of rats. How did he manage to find out in prison who exactly Peter was?

"Correctly asked question, Weasley," Moody thundered.

“And that’s a legitimate question, Sirius,” Lupine noted, frowning slightly. - Really, how did you know where Peter was?

Everyone is interested! - said Colin.

Don't interrupt and you'll find out.

Black put his hooked fingers under his robe and took out a crumpled piece of newspaper, smoothed it out and showed it to everyone.

It was a photograph of the Weasley family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet last summer. Scabbers sat on Ron's shoulder.

How did you get it? - Lupine was amazed.

Fudge did,” Black replied. - Last year he came to inspect Azkaban and left me a newspaper. And there, on the front page, on this boy’s shoulder, I saw Peter. I recognized him immediately, because I had seen his transformations so many times. The article said that the boy was studying at Hogwarts - the same place as Harry...

“Oh my God,” Lupine whispered, looking from the living Scabbers to the picture and back. - Front paw...

What's wrong with the front paw? - Ron asked sharply.

After all, as everyone said, all that was left of Peter was a finger.

“One finger is missing,” Black explained.

That's it,” Lupine breathed. - Simple, like everything ingenious... Did he chop it off for himself?

“This hurts,” Parvati exclaimed.

“Before the last transformation,” Black nodded, “I drove him into a corner, and he screamed throughout the street that it was I who betrayed Lily and James, and then, before I could open my mouth, I set off an explosion, and he was holding his wand behind his back. Twenty feet around everything was in pieces, everyone died, and he himself, along with other rats, slipped into the sewer...

"The true essence is in his animagus form," Sirius growled.

- Don't you know, Ron? - said Lupine. - They only found a finger from Pettigrew.

But Scabbers could have gotten into a fight with another rat or something else. She has lived in our family from time immemorial...

"Weak excuse," Draco chuckled.

Well... we took care of her...

Haha, Weasley! “It sounds very funny, even to you,” Draco said, but immediately fell silent when he met his mother’s gaze.

Although the rat probably doesn't look too good right now, huh? - Lupine continued. - I think she began to lose weight after learning that Sirius had broken free...

She was scared by that crazy cat! - Ron shook his head towards Crookshanks, who was lying on the bed, continuing to purr.

“But that’s not true,” Harry suddenly thought. - Scabbers was clearly ill even before Crookshanks appeared. She fell off her body after the Weasleys returned from Egypt, precisely after Black’s escape...”

“Good memory,” Moody praised.

The cat is not crazy at all,” Black extended his bony hand and stroked Crookshanks’ red fluffy head. - Look for such smart cats. He instantly sensed what kind of rat it was. And I immediately realized that I was not a real dog. For some time he got used to me... in the end I explained to him who I was looking for, and he became my assistant.

“This sounds so funny,” the students burst out laughing.

- How did he help? - Hermione asked quietly.

Tried to catch Peter and bring it to me. But nothing worked for him. Then he stole the passwords to Gryffindor tower for me. I realized: he took them from some boy’s bedside table...

Oh, Neville. “I’m sorry, I was very strict with you,” McGonagall apologized.

“Whatever,” Neville waved his hand.

Harry's brain began to overheat from everything he heard. After all, it’s nonsense, absurdity - and yet...

But Peter realized what the smell was and ran away... Crookshanks - is that what you call him? - informed me that Peter left blood on the sheets. Most likely he bit himself. Well, faking his own death worked for him once...

The last words hit Harry like a whiplash.

Would you like me to explain why he needed to fake his own death? Why, he knew: you were going to kill him the same way you killed my parents!

“Eh, Harry, you don’t understand everything right, you stubborn guy,” Molly breathed.

“No, Harry,” Lupine tried to calm him down.

And now you are here to finish him off!

Yes, that's exactly what I want! - Black looked at the rat with hatred.

So it was a waste of my time to stop Snape from capturing you.

Harry! - Lupine hastily intervened. - Yes, you understand! All this time we believed that Sirius betrayed your parents and Peter tracked him down. In fact, it was the other way around: Peter betrayed your father and mother, and Sirius knew it.

Not true! - Harry clenched his fists convulsively. - He was their Secret Keeper! He himself said before you arrived that it was he who killed them!

But Black slowly shook his head, his sunken eyes flashing brightly.

Harry... It's as if I killed them... last minute I persuaded Lily and James to change their choice and make him the Secret Keeper. This is my fault... That night when they died, I wanted to check on Peter, to make sure he was safe. I came to his shelter, but he wasn’t there. And no signs of a struggle. I suspected something was wrong and immediately rushed to your parents. I saw their destroyed house, their bodies and understood everything: Peter had betrayed them. That's my fault. - Black’s voice broke and he turned away.

“Don’t blame yourself, Sirius,” Harry said, patting him on the shoulder.

“Enough about this,” Lupine spoke in a stern tone that Harry had never heard from him. - There is only one way to find out what really happened. Ron, give me the rat.

What will you do with it? - Ron asked cautiously.

Let us force you to take on your true form. If it really is a rat, it won't hurt it.

After a brief struggle with himself, Ron finally made up his mind, handed Scabbers, and Lupine took it. The scab was already squealing non-stop, spinning and floundering; her small black eyes bulged out of her sockets.

Are you ready, Sirius? - asked Lupine.

Black took Snape's wand from the bed and walked up to his old comrade, holding a rat struggling in his hands. Black's moist eyes glowed with fire.

Let `s together? - he said quietly.

Certainly. - Lupine squeezed the rat tightly with one hand and raised his wand with the other. - We act on the count of three. One two Three!

Everything around was illuminated by a blue-white flash from two magic wands; for a second, Scabbers hovered in the air, her black body wriggled wildly, Ron howled, and the rat fell to the floor with a soft thud. Another blinding flash flashed and then...

What? What's happened? - they asked Creevy.

Colin, take some candy and give it to your brother,” Fred suggested with an angelic smile.

It was as if they were watching the tree grow in slow motion. The head hatched and began to grow, and shoots and limbs appeared. Another moment - and in the place where the rat had just been, there stood a little man, huddled in fear and wringing his hands. Crookshanks on the bed hissed and growled, the fur on his back standing on end.

“But Sirius is not crazy,” the twins shouted. - The rat turned out to be no ordinary one.

A short man stood before them, barely taller than Harry and Hermione; thin colorless hair is disheveled, there is a fair bald spot on the top of the head; the skin hung on him like on a fat man who had lost weight overnight. It looked shabby, like Scabbers in Lately. And in general, something rat-like was preserved in the sharp nose, in the round watery eyes. Breathing raggedly, he looked around the room and glanced quickly at the door.

Not handsome, of course,” Daphne said, wrinkling her nose.

“He looks straight at the door, apparently he wanted to run away,” Ron muttered.

“Well, hello, Peter,” Lupine said affably, as if at Hogwarts three times a day the rats turned into old school friends. - Long time no see.

How dare he still call you friends? - Bill asked, but no one answered him.

Black's hand with his wand flew up, but Lupine intercepted it, sending Black a warning look, and, turning to Pettigrew, spoke again in the most casual tone.

We were talking here, Peter, about how James and Lily died. And in general about that night. I'm afraid you missed some details while you were screaming on the bed...

"Remus," Pettigrew said breathlessly, and Harry saw beads of sweat appearing on his puffy face. - You don't believe him, do you? He tried to kill me, Remus...

And I regret that I didn’t do it,” Black growled. - At least I wouldn’t just sit in Azkaban! - He said this phrase in a whisper so that no one would hear.

Tramp, stop scaring the children,” Remus said.

“We’ve already heard that,” Lupine answered much colder. “I would like to clarify a few little things with your help, if you don’t mind.”

He came here to torture and kill me again! - Pettigrew suddenly yelled, pointing at Black. What caught Harry's eye was that he pointed his middle finger at Black - the index finger right hand was absent. “He killed Lily and James, and now he’s hunting me too.” Help me, Remus...

Black fixed an icy gaze on Pettigrew, and his face became especially skull-like.

“No one will torture or kill you,” Lupine reassured his school friend. - First we need to figure something out.

Figure out? - Pettigrew squealed, still looking around furtively and casting glances first at the boarded up windows, then at the only door. - I knew he would haunt me! Knew he would come back! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!

Stupid! - Malfoy Jr. snorted. - How does he know that Black escaped? - But his question was left unanswered. Everyone listened with their ears pricked up to the events of that day.

Did you know that Sirius was planning to escape from Azkaban? - Lupine furrowed his eyebrows. - But no one ever ran away from there!

On his side are dark forces such as we have never even dreamed of! - Pettigrew howled shrilly. - How else could he escape from there? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named must have taught him a thing or two!

The room was filled with Black's sad, creepy laughter.

So it was Voldemort who taught me something?

Pettigrew flinched as if Black had threatened him with a whip.

What, is it scary to hear the name of the old owner? - asked Black - I don’t blame you, Peter. His team wasn't very happy with you! Am I right?

“I don’t understand you, Sirius,” Pettigrew mumbled, breathing more and more quickly; now his whole face was glistening with sweat.

“How pathetic he is,” said a Slytherin.

It’s not me you’ve been hiding from for these twelve years,” Black grinned. “You were hiding from Voldemort’s former friends. I heard something in Azkaban, Peter... They all think that you are dead, otherwise you would have to answer to them... They talked a lot of interesting things in their sleep, especially about one deceiver who deceived them. Voldemort went to the Potters based on your tip. And there, disaster awaited him. But not all of Voldemort's supporters ended their days in Azkaban, did they? There are still quite a lot of them, they are biding their time, pretending that they have realized their delusions... They will get wind that you are alive, Peter...

Yes, they wouldn’t pat him on the head for that.

I don’t understand... what you’re talking about,” Pettigrew repeated again. He wiped his face with his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. - You don’t believe this... all this nonsense, Remus?

“I must admit, Peter, I find it difficult to understand why an innocent person would live twelve years in the guise of a rat,” Lupine replied calmly.

That's for sure! And if he was worried about Sirius, he could have revealed the truth to others, and somehow they would have followed him and saved him,” Charlie suggested.

Innocent, but deathly scared! - Pettigrew again lost his way to the rat squeal. - If Voldemort's supporters are opposed to me, it is only because I sent one of their leaders to Azkaban - this spy Sirius Black!

How did he get into Gryffindor? - asked Draco.

We don’t know, this will probably never become known.

Black's face distorted.

How dare you! - His voice sounded like the roar of a giant wolfhound, which he recently was. - Was I a spy for Voldemort? I have never groveled before those more powerful than me! It's you, Peter, the spy. I will never understand how I didn’t realize this back then. You always liked big and strong friends who would patronize you. That's how we were... Me and Remus... And James...

Pettigrew wiped his face again, he was almost out of breath.

Am I a spy? You're out of your mind... How did your tongue turn so... so...

Lily and James appointed you Secret Keeper at my insistence,” Black continued with such anger that Pettigrew backed away. - I thought this bluff would work. Voldemort will hunt me, it will never even occur to him that they will take such a nonentity as you as a Guardian. But you betrayed the Potters. Probably, the conversation with Voldemort became the finest hour of your life...

Pettigrew muttered something confused. Harry caught the words "strangeness", "craziness", but his attention was more drawn to the deathly pallor of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart around the windows and door.

I was thinking about how to escape,” Thomas said.

- Professor Lupin? - Hermione hesitantly entered the conversation. - Can... can I say something?

Of course, Hermione,” Lupine kindly allowed.

Well... Scabbers... I mean, this... this man - he lived in Harry's bedroom for three years. But if he was working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to harm Harry?

Granger, you're smart, think for yourself. There is no owner, so there is no need to do anything for him. It's simple! - Draco voiced his thoughts.

I didn’t think about it then, probably because of the shock.

You see! - Pettigrew squeaked, pointing at Hermione with his crippled hand. - Thank you! Do you hear me, Remus? I didn't touch a hair on Harry's head! How do you explain this?..

“I’ll explain,” Black interrupted him. - You never did anything without benefit for yourself. Voldemort has been on the run for twelve years, has lost all his strength, they say he is barely alive. So why commit murder under the nose of Albus Dumbledore? Now, if you are absolutely sure that the Dark Lord is again in the game, then it’s a different matter. You can run again under his protection. That's why you chose this refuge - a family of wizards. To know what's going on in their world. Suddenly the old master will gain strength - then you can calmly return to him...

Practically the same thing I said.

Pettigrew opened and closed his mouth several times - he seemed to have lost the power of speech.

Uh-uh... Mr. Black... Sirius... - Hermione said timidly.

Hearing these words, Black shuddered and looked carefully at the girl: obviously, he had long been unaccustomed to such politeness.

Yes, it took me a long time to get used to it. Azkaban is not a resort.

- Let me ask you how... how did you manage to get out of Azkaban without the help of dark magic?

A very interesting question, I thought none of you would ask,” Fred rejoiced.

- Thank you! - Pettigrew exhaled frantically, nodding desperately to her. - Right to the point! This is exactly what I wanted...

But Lupine silenced him with a glance. Black frowned slightly at Hermione, but not because he was angry - he seemed to be considering his answer.

“I don’t know how,” he said slowly. “I think the only reason I didn’t lose my mind was the thought that I was innocent.” It wasn't a happy thought, the dementors couldn't suck it out... but it kept me sane and self-aware. And when things got really tough, I turned into my cell... I became a dog. You know, dementors don’t see anything,” he swallowed, “they perceive people only through their emotions... And they only felt that my feelings in these hours were becoming less... less human, less complex. Most likely, they thought that I was going crazy, like all the other prisoners. This didn't bother them. But I was very weak, and there was no hope that I could cope with them without a magic wand... In the summer I saw Peter in that photo... I guessed that he was at Hogwarts, next to Harry. An ideal position for an attack if one day he discovers that the Dark Lord is gaining strength again...

Wow! - the students exclaimed.

“You are a very powerful wizard, Mr. Black,” said Flitwick.

Pettigrew shook his head, silently moved his lips, but, as if hypnotized, did not take his eyes off Black.

-...I had no doubt that he would strike when there were allies... He would sell them the last Potter. Who then would dare to say that he betrayed Voldemort? And he will be received back with honors... So you see, I had to act... After all, I was the only one who knew that Peter was still alive...

Thank you for this,” Harry thanked his godfather.

Harry remembered Mr. Weasley's words to his wife: "The guards report that Black speaks in his sleep and always says the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts.'"

And it was as if a light went on in my head. The Dementors couldn't stop me. It was not happy feeling, it was an obsession, it gave me strength, cleared my mind. And one evening, when the dementors brought food, I slipped out the open door in the guise of a dog... It is so much more difficult for them to grasp the feelings of animals that they were confused... I was so exhausted that I managed to crawl through the bars... In the guise of a dog, I swam across the strait and ran to the north and so got to the outskirts of Hogwarts... All this time I lived in the forest... I only went out once - I really wanted to watch Quidditch... You fly as great as your father, Harry...

He looked at Harry, who didn't look away for the first time.

Trust me,” Black wheezed. - Believe me, Harry. I didn't betray James and Lily. I would rather die myself.

And Harry believed. A lump in his throat prevented him from speaking, so he simply nodded.

How touching, a family reunion, one might say,” said Luna.

Not true! Pettigrew fell to his knees, as if Harry's nod was a death sentence. Leaning forward, he crawled towards Sirius, folding his hands in prayer. - Sirius... it's me... Peter... your friend... you won't...

I would have killed such a friend in this very place. - Bill was very angry. And so does everyone in the Hall.

Black pushed him away and Pettigrew fell over.

There's enough dirt on my mantle without you!

“No, I wouldn’t tell you if I thought I was a spy,” Lupine replied. “That’s probably what you thought and that’s why you didn’t tell me, Sirius?” - he casually remarked over Pettigrew's head.

Forgive me, Remus,” Black sighed.

Eh, if I had said that, everything would have been a little different,” the Tramp reproached himself.

Stop it, friend! Do not blame yourself!

What are we talking about, Tramp? - said Lupine, rolling up his sleeves. - Forgive me too for so many years I considered you a traitor.

Why is there... - The shadow of a smile slid across Black’s haggard face. And he also began to roll up his sleeves. - Shall we kill him together?

"Not the best idea," said Arthur Weasley.

“Yes, together,” said Lupine sternly.

Don’t, please... you can’t... - Pettigrew squealed and crawled towards Ron. - Ron... Wasn't I a good friend to you... Your pet? You won't let them kill me, will you? You're on my side!

But Ron looked at him with disgust:

And I allowed you to sleep in my bed!

Oh Ronnie, that sounds so funny...

“...And so ambiguous,” the twins laughed, as usual, finishing their lines one after another.

- My good boy... kind master... You won’t allow this... I was your rat... affectionate animal...

“A rat, apparently, you turned out better than a man. And there’s nothing to brag about,” Black cut him off harshly.

Ron turned pale in pain and moved his broken leg out of Pettigrew's reach.

“You need to come to me as quickly as possible,” Poppy was worried, probably completely forgetting that this was the past.

He turned on his knees, crawled towards Hermione and grabbed her by the hem of her robes.

Lovely girl… smart girl... You... you won't let them... Save me...

Hermione pulled the robe from his fingers and stepped back, shocked, towards the wall.

Pettigrew was shaking uncontrollably and slowly turned to Harry.

Harry... Harry... you look so much like your father... just like James...

How dare he? Damn bastard... - Ginny began to get angry, but her mother beat her to it, and the girl sat there foaming at the mouth.

How dare you address Harry? - Fury flashed in Black’s eyes. - How dare you look him in the eye? Talk about his father?

“Harry,” Pettigrew whispered, crawling up to him and holding out his hands. - Harry, James wouldn’t kill me... He would understand, Harry, he would spare me.

But because of him, I will never know what my father would have done... - Harry whispered with sadness and bitterness. Ginny, meanwhile, held his hand tightly but tenderly.

Black and Lupine grabbed Pettigrew by the shoulders and pulled him away. He plopped down on the floor, looking up at them and shaking in horror.

You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. - Black was also shaking. -Are you still going to deny it?

Pettigrew began to sob. It was an eerie sight - he looked like an overgrown bald baby cowering on the floor.

“It’s a terrible sight,” Neville agreed.

Sirius, Sirius, what could I do? The Dark Lord... you can’t imagine... He has such a weapon that it’s incomprehensible... I was intimidated, Sirius, I was never brave like you, Remus or James... I didn’t want what happened... I was forced by He-Who- Cannot-Name.

Do not lie! You became his spy a year before the deaths of James and Lily! You were his informant!

“His… his power was limitless,” Pettigrew snorted. - What would I gain if I opposed him?

But what kind of lion is he? “The hat must have been out of its mind when it sent him to Gryffindor,” Draco said with disgust in his voice.

Yes. What would you gain, Peter, from fighting the most evil wizard of all time? - Black was seething with rage. - Just a few innocent lives.

You don't understand, Sirius! - Pettigrew whined. - He would have killed me.

“That would be good,” Harry growled.

“So you had to die,” Black growled. - Die, and not betray your friends. We would all do this for you!

Black and Lupine stood shoulder to shoulder and raised their wands.

“You should have understood,” Lupine said quietly, “if Voldemort doesn’t kill you, then we will.” Goodbye, Peter.

Hermione covered her face with her hands and turned away.

No! - Harry suddenly shouted. He rushed forward and blocked Pettigrew, turning to his wands. - You can't kill him! - he said, breathless. - It is forbidden!

Potter, are you stupid? Why protect him? - Nott asked.

Listen and you will find out.

Both Black and Lupine were shocked.

“Because of this degenerate, you lost your parents, Harry,” Black wheezed. “That creeping piece of shit would have killed you in cold blood.” And he didn’t even raise an eyebrow. You heard him now. To him, his own stinking skin means more than your entire family.

“I know,” Harry said, breathing heavily. - We will take him to the castle and hand him over to the dementors. They will take him to Azkaban... But don't kill him.

Well done, Harry,” said a pleased Molly.

- Harry! - Pettigrew groaned and hugged his knees. - You... Thank you... I'm not worth it... Thank you...

“You really aren’t standing,” Lucius whispered, but so that no one would hear.

Get away from me! - Harry blurted out angrily, throwing off Pettigrew's hands with disgust. - I'm not doing this for you. I'm sure my father wouldn't want him best friends became murderers because of someone like you.

Thank you for stopping us,” Remus thanked.

No one moved or made a sound, only Pettigrew’s uneven, whistling breathing could be heard, pressing his fists to his chest. Black and Lupine looked at each other and lowered their wands at the same time.

“You are the only one who has the right to decide,” Black admitted. - But think carefully... think about what he did...

"Let him be sent to Azkaban," Harry repeated. - He deserves it like no one else.

Pettigrew's snoring could still be heard behind him.

Okay,” Lupine agreed. - Harry, step aside.

But Harry did not move, doubtful.

“I’ll just tie him up,” Lupine explained. - Nothing more, I swear.

Harry walked away. Thin cords flew out of Lupin's wand, and a second later Pettigrew was twitching on the floor, bound and gagged.

But if you try to transform, Peter,” Black shook his magic wand over him, “we will definitely kill you.” Do you agree, Harry?

Harry looked at the pathetic figure crumpled on the floor and nodded so that Pettigrew could see.

Well, here’s the thing,” Lupine switched to a businesslike tone, “I, Ron, am not as good at fusing bones as Madame Pomfrey, so for now the best thing to do is to put a splint on.”

Well, at least they thought of it,” Molly grumbled.

“Ma, it’s in the past,” Ron tried to reassure her.

But I'm still worried! - Mrs. Weasley did not calm down.

He walked up to Ron, touched his broken leg with his wand and said quietly:

Ferula!

Bandages were immediately wrapped around the leg, pressing it tightly to the plaster tray. Ron, with Lupin's help, stood up, stepped carefully and didn't even wince.

Much better,” he said. - Thank you.

Nothing serious. - Lupine leaned over him and felt his pulse. - You just... uh... overdid it. Still unconscious... Mmmm... it's probably best if we don't revive him until we're safely back at the castle. And let's deliver it there like this. - He whispered: - Mobile Corps!

Invisible threads entwined Snape's wrists, neck, knees, his body assumed a vertical position, but his head limply shook in all directions, like a huge doll. Snape hung inches above the floor, his legs dangling lifelessly. Lupine picked up the invisibility cloak and carefully put it in his pocket.

That's right, there is no point in throwing such important things around! - Fred said in a serious tone, but then laughed.

- Two of us will have to be chained to this. - Black pulled Pettigrew by the ropes. - Just in case.

Me,” Lupine offered.

And me,” Ron barked, limping forward. Black conjured heavy handcuffs out of thin air, Pettigrew straightened up - left hand shackled to Lupin's right, and Ron's right to Ron's left. Ron's face froze mournfully - he took Scabbers' true nature as a personal insult. Crookshanks easily jumped off the bed and headed out of the room, his tail, like a bottle brush, raised smugly.

Theoretically, crossover fiction is the kind of literature that builds bridges between generations: it is interesting to read for both children and parents. And not even necessarily for parents, but just for adults. Actually, the Harry Potter saga is the ultimate example of this kind of literature. But this is in theory. In practice, by the seventh volume several adults become It’s a bit boring, and they start looking around in search of something else they can do to entertain themselves. Everything around has long been littered with books about Harry Potter; films about Harry Potter; parodies of books about Harry Potter; dolls depicting Harry Potter and Hermione Granger; toy owls; board games based on the adventures of Harry Potter. And if you turn on the TV, they show Debbie the house elf.

This is how books like the current one are born, which is called “Harry Potter and Philosophy” and is a translated collection of articles edited by Gregory Basham. He teaches philosophy at the Catholic King's College in Pennsylvania and is interested in the applications of philosophy to unexpected subjects, of which Harry Potter is not the most unexpected: Professor Basham compiled, for example, the collection Basketball and Philosophy.

The same volume, published in Russian by United Press, collected under its cover articles by contemporary philosophers of various persuasions. There is an article proving that Dumbledore is not a libertarian; an article about Joan Rowling being a radical feminist; text about the nature of reality in Harry Potter and much more. Overall, this is an extremely exciting read, despite the fact that some of the plots seem a little far-fetched. Fans of the book will find in the collection confirmation that everyone should read Harry Potter, and persistent haters of the saga (are there any?) may soften a little.

Today we bring to your attention three fragments from three articles in the collection: about girls, about power and about death.

ANNA SMITH
Harry Potter, radical feminism and the power of love

Love is the force in the Potter universe that despises any established hierarchy and overthrows the powerful. It’s paradoxical, but love in the world of Joan Rowling turns out to be the most powerful weapon in the fight against evil precisely in those moments when she doesn’t seem to think of fighting. Kindness, caring for others, self-sacrifice bring unexpected results, compassion takes precedence over greed and ambition, defeats them. In other words, Rowling's universe is a world of radical feminism. Sounds unexpected? Okay, let’s go from the other side and first look at the works of modern feminists dedicated to Harry Potter, along the way we’ll understand the concept of “radical feminism” and from here we’ll get to the role of love in Joan Rowling’s seven-volume book.

Where is feminism in Rowling's books?

Feminist critics are divided on Joan Rowling's books. There are two main directions: some consider this saga sexist, others - progressive. Some authors, including Christine Schaefer, Elizabeth Hileman, and Eliza Dresang, argue that the Potter saga is dominated by traditional gender stereotypes and perpetuates negative ideas about the opposite sex and gender in the minds of young readers. gender roles. Jimena Gallardo and Jason Smith, in their general article on Cinderellas, offer a rather bold and in many ways brilliant interpretation of the plots and symbolism of these books from a feminist point of view, but they also come to the conclusion that these books remain sexist, at least in outward manifestations.

Read the full text Other authors, such as Edmund Kern, Mimi Gladstein and Sarah Zettel, see in Rowling's books a balanced look at gender relations, finding strong female characters, as well as a society of magicians based on equality. They do not note any sexism in these books; moreover, they find in them successful role models for young readers. Although these two directions are clearly polemicizing with each other, things have not come to a complete confrontation - black versus white. For example, Dresang discovers in Hermione Granger remarkable abilities for self-determination and social adaptation even in what Dresang believes is a patriarchal society, and Kern, for his part, admits that preference is given to male characters in this saga, although he rejects the accusations in sexism.

The debate between these interpretations is mainly about female characters. In the article “The Problems of Girls in Harry Potter,” Christine Schaefer argues that not a single female character in this saga managed to rise to the same level as men: “Not a single girl is distinguished by Harry’s heroism, not a single woman can compete with experience and wisdom with Dumbledore." Elizabeth Hileman goes even further: these books "reproduce the most demeaning, most hackneyed cultural stereotypes for both male and female characters." Gallardo and Smith say, "The Harry Potter saga is riddled with gender stereotypes."

In turn, Kern, Zettel and Gladstein strongly recommend paying attention to context. They acknowledge the presence of female characters in these books with negative traits character and behavior that are traditionally attributed to stereotypical women, but there are also many characters with negative masculine traits. For example, according to Kern, “the stupidity of Lavender and Parvati is no worse than the teenage antics of Dean and Seamus,” and Hermione’s mishap with Polyjuice Potion is no worse than the episode when Ron chokes on slugs. Zettel draws the following parallels: “The librarian fell into hysterics when it seemed to her that the student was scribbling in the book he borrowed, but Filch even proposes to flog and put on chains those who litter at school.” Gladstein puts “the incompetent Sibyl Trelawney” and the “self-proclaimed Professor Chrysostom” on a par. As new volumes were published in the series, new arguments appeared: the villains Dolores Umbridge and Bellatrix Lestrange turned out to be as strong and scary as any male Death Eater.

A girl's giggle affects feminists like a red rag on a bull. According to Dresang, "the constant portrayal of silly, giggling, frivolous girls goes against the grain of a much more balanced portrayal of women's possibilities in a patriarchal world." Hileman notes that “giggling” interferes with the athletic performance of Quidditch players: “Even after becoming members of the team, the girls continue to behave “girlishly”, giggling, excited in the hope of playing alongside the handsome new captain Cedric Diggory... And They giggle not only during the match. The next two books are chock-full of scenes of giggling girls." Zettel accepted this criticism and responded: “Critics are outraged by the portrayal of girls at Hogwarts because these girls giggle and generally make a lot of noise. But in real life, girls giggle and squeal every now and then. Not all, there are other girls - quiet and serious. Some people like pink dresses with lace, prefer simple jeans and sportswear. There are girls for every taste at Hogwarts. Are we really going to try to convince the younger generation that it’s normal? human being maybe just the girl who is trying her best to be like the boys?”

DAVID WILLIAMS, ALAN KELLNER
Dumbledore, Plato and the Lust for Power

The best person for power is the one who has never sought it.
Albus Dumbledore

...Where those who are to rule least strive for power,
there the state is governed best...
Plato

Lord Acton owns a famous aphorism: “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” From the point of view of most, this is obvious and common wisdom, and it could serve as a warning. Nevertheless, we constantly see abuses of power around us, rulers finding more and more inventive ways to line their pockets, help their friends and ensure - and even inflate - their own authority. The list of crimes committed by those in power would shock even the Death Eaters, or at least arouse their unhealthy envy.

The present century is proud of technological and moral progress, why have we succeeded so little in self-defense from usurper rulers? They probably didn’t learn the lessons of Europe’s first political philosopher, Plato, well. He offered a ridiculously simple solution to the problem: never give power to those who are eager for it, trust the rule to people who would prefer to do other things. Paradoxically, it is those who are indifferent to power who make the best rulers. This idea seems to me key to the main plot of the Harry Potter saga.

Are Plato and Dumbledore Siamese twins?

Albus Dumbledore lived in turbulent times. He witnessed the rise and fall of the dark wizard Grindelwald, and saw the triumph of the reign of terror established by Voldemort. He participated in wars - and in battles, with a magic wand in his hands, and creating diplomatic alliances, obtaining intelligence information. He is directly connected with the main players: Grindelwald was his childhood friend, Voldemort was one of his most talented students, Dumbledore himself found him and brought him to Hogwarts. From his own experience, Dumbledore realized how fragile the world is and how great the need for just rulers is.

Plato also lived in a politically unstable era. His youth occurred during the many years of the Peloponnesian War between his native Athens and another powerful Greek city-state - Sparta. The war and its consequences gave him the opportunity to observe both the best and worst manifestations human nature. Like Dumbledore, Plato saw his talented and ambitious fellow student - the violent Alcibiades - rush to command posts, military and political. Alcibiades achieved his goal - and immediately betrayed his hometown and went over to the side of his Spartan enemies. As a result, Athens lost the war and suffered the greatest humiliation; the conquerors installed a puppet government of “thirty tyrants” in the city, led by the formidable Critias. Critias was a bloodthirsty monster, but he was a close relative of Plato on his mother’s side. A few years after these events, Plato left for Syracuse: the ruler of this Sicilian city, Dionysius, invited him to mentor his rebellious son. Plato, like Dumbledore, at one time had his eye on a political career: this would be the most natural path for him, given his talents, family connections and political experience. So it is in vain that Plato is sometimes portrayed as an “idealist” who is far from life.

What experience did Plato gain from these encounters with politics? His personal impressions are set out in most detail in a message (Letter VII) addressed to the rulers of Syracuse. This letter outlines his relationship with the authorities, including his rejected offer to join the rule of the Thirty at the end of the Peloponnesian War. At first this was a strong temptation, because, having become one of the tyrants, Plato could try to transform society and promote the “common good”, as young Dumbledore and Grindelwald dreamed of. But the philosopher quickly became convinced that he would not have been able to do anything under the new regime: “... in a short time, these people made us see a golden age in the previous political system!” Unlimited power went to the heads of the rulers, they carried out reprisals against former enemies, settled scores, took away fortunes, and in the end, when Democracy was restored, the orgy of lawlessness continued and led to the unjust execution of Plato’s favorite teacher, Socrates. This was enough for Plato to “turn away in disgust” from active political life and devoted himself entirely to philosophy. Likewise, the duel with Grindelwald, which resulted in the death of Dumbledore’s sister, fundamentally changed Dumbledore’s attitude towards politics.

Plato, like Dumbledore, turned from politics to pedagogy. Disillusionment with politics prompted him to found the Academy, one of the first universities in Europe. The word “academy” has been preserved in the vast majority of modern European languages. In this institution, Plato fully realized his plans; many famous students came out of the Academy: Aristotle, who was mentored by Plato himself, and several centuries later by Cicero. While working at the Academy, Plato wrote most of his famous dialogues, he analyzed the problems of art, ethics, natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy, love. So, in this, Dumbledore is similar to Plato: he, too, finds refuge from the temptations and hardships of politics in the education of young people.

Having left political life, Plato did not at all give up thinking about political philosophy - just like Dumbledore, being a professor at Hogwarts, does not lose touch with the current problems of the wizarding world. The Academy proved to be an ideal place where Plato could meditate in peace on the mysteries of politics and crystallize the wisdom gained from his own experience. The huge dialogue “The State” became the most complete presentation of this wisdom, and most memorable of all was the proposal to establish the position of a philosopher-king. In the Republic, Plato depicts the ideal structure of a society consisting of three classes - workers, warriors and rulers. All power belongs entirely to this last class; the rulers also supervise the daily course of state affairs. Plato's philosopher-rulers are given enormous power, and it is vital that only the best and most qualified people are selected for the position. They must possess the four “cardinal virtues”: justice, courage, wisdom and prudence. To ensure that the wisest and most virtuous come to power, Plato thinks through a complex and strictly mandatory process training, precisely aimed at separating the chaff from the wheat. Even Hogwarts pales against the background of this pedagogical experiment - training in the “State” lasts up to thirty-five years, followed by fifteen years of practice in the civil service. As a result, Plato hopes, it will be possible to select the Potters and weed out the Malfoys.

The main requirement for rulers in the “State” is intelligence; Plato leaves no doubt that rulers are recruited from among people capable of learning and having an excellent memory. He was the first of the philosophers to defend the unification of the political and intellectual elite and considered philosophers to be the only “class” suitable for power - those with better brains than everyone else.

But although of all Plato’s requirements for rulers, the criterion of intelligence is remembered best than others, intelligence alone is not enough. Little do we know of great criminals, including characters from popular literature and cinema, who use their talents for evil - the same Luthor from “Superman”, Hannibal Lector from “The Silence of the Lambs”, Anakin Skywalker from “Star Wars” and simply the Doctor Evil, the enemy of Austin Powers. Intelligence is a must for a ruler, but Plato requires something else besides an enlarged cranium: a combination of intelligence and virtue. The cardinal (no pun intended) question for Plato, as for the Potter saga, is how to identify among gifted people or wizards those who use their abilities for good, and those who will force them to serve their own selfish ends.

MICHAEL AUSTIN
Why Harry Potter and Socrates Choose Death: Virtue and the Common Good

The common good and the greater good

In a conversation at King's Cross station shortly before the end of Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore openly tells Harry for the first time about his own mistakes and delusions. He made his worst mistake in his youth, making friends with his peer Gellert Grindelwald: young wizards succumbed to dreams of revolution, the common good and personal glory. Dumbledore describes these long-ago events to Harry as follows:

You can't imagine, Harry, how his ideas bewitched and ignited me. Muggles will be subdued. We wizards rule. Grindelwald and I are the illustrious leaders of the revolution. Oh, my conscience did not bother me, I lulled it with empty words: all this will serve the greater good, and if anyone suffers, any damage will be compensated a hundredfold by the benefits for the wizards.

J. Rowling is not alone in her skepticism about the “lofty” but rapidly deteriorating appeals to the greater good. Many philosophers have also learned to be suspicious of ideas of the greater good and instead propose an ethic of the common good.

What is the essential difference between the greater good and the common good? It's not so easy to understand, especially since these expressions replace each other every now and then, but Dumbledore's words that harm done to Muggles would be "justified" clearly illustrate the concept of the greater good: it is possible to harm innocent people if this benefit will follow for many other people. When the greater good is used for justification, nothing guarantees the rights, dignity and security of the individual - they are sacrificed for the sake of the many. Some will suffer undeservedly, but others will benefit from it. In the plans of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the role of the victim was assigned to the Muggles: they must be subdued by force, and the damage caused will be compensated by the benefits that will accrue to the wizards.

The common good is a completely different matter - if sacrifices are made, it is not for the benefit of others, but for the benefit of all. Let us give an example from US history to illustrate. The civil rights movement attracted so much sympathy partly because it was not just about African Americans, but about all members of American society: the common good is harmed when someone's rights are violated. Likewise, Harry, when deciding to return and fight Voldemort, acts for the common good of both Muggles and wizards. Dumbledore told him: there is a chance that this time the Dark Lord will be destroyed, that Harry will defeat him. Voldemort wants to build a new world, but Harry fights him for the sake of those who would not have a place in it. The death of Voldemort is the end of a revolution for the greater good, and this is how the common good is defended - respect for the rights, interests and dignity of everyone.

Two Keys to a Good Life

In the fight against the Dark Lord and his associates, Harry was ready to sacrifice his life. Socrates, Plato's mentor, was also ready to sacrifice his life - and did sacrifice it - for the sake of the truth in which he believed. He was accused of fooling the young men of Athens with his philosophy, and was asked to choose between exile and death - Socrates chose death. Dumbledore, Harry Potter's mentor, also dies - for what Socrates, Socrates' student Plato, and Plato's student Aristotle would consider the highest value - for the common good. For the common good, Harry is ready to give his life, just to defeat Voldemort.

One may wonder whether Socrates' death actually contributed to the common good, but even if the choice of Socrates and Harry Potter was not determined solely by the interests of the common good, in any case, considerations of the common good played a major role in this decision. Virtue and conscious life - highest values in the eyes of Socrates, and he was not afraid of death, also because he believed in an afterlife. Perhaps we could prove that Socrates' martyrdom was a contribution to the common good, for he set an example of virtue - and did so, at least in part, consciously.

Socrates believed that the life of a philosopher is the best, and he believed that a philosopher is not afraid to die. His death became best argument in favor of the doctrine of the good life of the sage: by voluntarily choosing death, he set an example for many followers and, as he himself said, contributed to the common good of the Athenians. If his friends and followers, inspired by the example of the life and death of Socrates, imitated him in virtue, they also contributed to the general good of their city. Whether Athens actually benefited from the death of Socrates and from the lifestyle of his followers, let historians argue; another conclusion is important to us: only “ good man“can contribute to the common good, and Socrates set an example for centuries of how one can sacrifice oneself for the sake of one’s beliefs, for the sake of one’s understanding of the common good.

Likewise, Dumbledore is more concerned with the task of defeating the Dark Lord and his army than with preserving own life, because he considers victory over Voldemort the best outcome for everyone. Of course, the old sage would prefer to avoid torture, and it is important for him to preserve his soul, in addition, he dies in such a way as not to expose Severus Snape, so that he can play the role of Voldemort's supporter to the end - again for reasons of the common good, since it is very useful for Voldemort's opponents to have such an agent in the enemy camp. In a word, Dumbledore, like Socrates, accepts death willingly - in the name of virtue and the common good.

(-tsr-)Choosing the common good over self-interest (understood narrowly as the desire for power, pleasure, wealth, convenience) changes everything. For Voldemort, he always came first, and even if he had prevailed over Dumbledore and Harry, we would hardly have envied his terrible loneliness. Young Harry, devoted to his friends and ready to make sacrifices, lives moral life- the one that every reasonable citizen would prefer. Our lives become better when we dedicate them to some higher purpose. Isn't this a paradox? Those who, imitating Voldemort, loved themselves above all else, will fare worse than those who rejected their own interests for the sake of the common good. But once again: the best life is a moral one.

Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles. Ed. G. Basham (Scott Seon and others). M.: United Press, 2011
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Fanfiction "Hogwarts reads books about Harry Potter." - a story by the author of DashaMit, which received over 558 “pluses”.
Verdant, Digar, Bella the Beautiful, Bella the Beautiful, ingamex, RozN, Fike, MaryPotter, Lea Adli, Katya Sazonova, Bella the Beautiful, Sonya101, Milana_Lestrange, gulja-kh, planec, Rin Winchester 2, Rin Winchester 2, _Raven_Owl_, PiSaTeLLL, Antonella , Lilian Potter, spzena, Tatyana Afanasyeva, Rovenna, Chokoladko, Stacey Malone, Edelya helped the author with writing..
Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley are the key characters in this story.
GP/DU, RU/GG is the main pairing of this fanfic.
This is Jen-category fanfiction, which means there are no sexual relationships between the characters or they are not important.
The rating of this fanfic is R. Let us briefly remind you what ratings mean, and you decide for yourself what you will read and what not. G – absolutely no age restrictions! PG-13 - there may be small hints of romance, but not beyond the bounds of an innocent embrace and kisses, or vice versa - of suffering or violence, but indicated by a dotted line. In general, nothing that can harm the fragile child’s psyche. R – here everything is a little more serious. Often, but not always, there are scenes of eroticism and violence, but without graphic descriptions. Typically the legal age for an R rating is 16 years. NC-17 – everything is the same as in the R rating, but only with detailed description. In our opinion, it would be nice to rename it NC-18, but this is the tradition of fan fiction. And finally, NC-21. Most often, such fanfiction contains graphic violence or sexual deviations. We recommend our readers to evaluate the rating of the selected fanfic in advance in order to avoid unpleasant surprises!
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