At Wallis Bay, the sea crashed against the rocks, spitting up gifts from the depths—fish, shrimp, and the like—now and then.
沃里斯德湾，海拍击在岩石上，时不时溅向崖壁，送上海的礼物，如鱼、虾之类的。
The roar of the waves must’ve shaken the very air; leaves on the trees trembled, yet the sound settled something in the bones—calming, somehow.
许是海浪的声音响震天，树上的树叶都该颤了颤，但总归是让人听了会静下心。
Seraphina carried a sleek yew-wood suitcase slowly, its contents—clothes, books, toiletries, a stack of parchment—making her fidget a little. But the ebb and flow of the waves, soft then loud, smoothed out her nerves.
塞拉菲娜慢悠悠提着一个杨木制成、精美的手提箱，里面是她换洗的衣服、书本、日用品和一些信纸，她有点紧张，但被时有时无的海浪声抚平了些。
“Merlin’s beard—where in the world am I? Bloody Floo Powder.” Seraphina coughed, hurrying along the cliffside stone path. “Oh, my poor glasses case.”
“哦，我到哪来了，该死的飞路粉。”塞拉菲娜咳了咳，快步走在崖边的石板路上：“哦，我的可怜的眼镜盒。”
She polished her beloved round water-wood glasses case gently—collecting spectacles was her obsession; any quiet moment found her fussing over her collection. “What in the name of Salazar possessed Mum and Dad t At Wallis Bay, the sea crashed against the rocks, spitting up gifts from the depths—fish, shrimp, and the like—now and then.
沃里斯德湾，海拍击在岩石上，时不时溅向崖壁，送上海的礼物，如鱼、虾之类的。
The roar of the waves must’ve shaken the very air; leaves on the trees trembled, yet the sound settled something in the bones—calming, somehow.
许是海浪的声音响震天，树上的树叶都该颤了颤，但总归是让人听了会静下心。
Seraphina carried a sleek yew-wood suitcase slowly, its contents—clothes, books, toiletries, a stack of parchment—making her fidget a little. But the ebb and flow of the waves, soft then loud, smoothed out her nerves.
塞拉菲娜慢悠悠提着一个杨木制成、精美的手提箱，里面是她换洗的衣服、书本、日用品和一些信纸，她有点紧张，但被时有时无的海浪声抚平了些。
“Merlin’s beard—where in the world am I? Bloody Floo Powder.” Seraphina coughed, hurrying along the cliffside stone path. “Oh, my poor glasses case.”
“哦，我到哪来了，该死的飞路粉。”塞拉菲娜咳了咳，快步走在崖边的石板路上：“哦，我的可怜的眼镜盒。”
She polished her beloved round water-wood glasses case gently—collecting spectacles was her obsession; any quiet moment found her fussing over her collection. “What in the name of Salazar possessed Mum and Dad to send me to this ghastly place?”
塞拉菲娜小心翼翼地擦了擦她心爱的眼镜盒，那是一副圆形的水木木质眼镜盒，她极其喜欢收藏眼镜，以至于一闲下来就是在摆弄那堆眼镜。“父亲和母亲是怎么想到把我送这鬼地方的！”
Fuming, Seraphina kicked a pebble into the endless sea. It sent a ripple through the blue silk of the water, a tiny disruption in the calm.
塞拉菲娜含有着极大的怨气，一下把路边的石子踢到了海里，在无垠的海上溅起一丝不平静，荡漾在碧蓝的绢段下。
Her father, Jess Grant Gaunt, and mother, Lily Jaeve, had scarpered off to Ireland for a holiday. Seraphina had been relishing the chaos of a big empty house—running wild, sleeping in, polishing off two tubs of ice cream a day. To a kid, that was pure paradise; days like that felt like they’d stretch on forever.
塞拉菲娜的父亲杰斯·格兰特·冈特、母亲莉莉·杰伊芙跑到爱尔兰度假了，塞拉菲娜原是在家中享受一个人的潇洒生活，毕竟可以一个人在一幢大房子里乱闯，或是在床上睡不用被管，一天吃完两桶冰淇淋之类的，这样的生活在小孩子眼中是天堂的生活，这样的日子对于他们来说很有盼头。
Instead, they’d shipped her off to France, to the home of one of Mum’s old friends. Seraphina only knew the woman as Mrs. Lestrange—she’d pictured a sharp, stern sort, maybe with a sharp face to match.
结果塞拉菲娜的父母令她滚到了法国她母亲一个好友的家中，塞拉菲娜只在母亲口中听说过莱斯特兰奇太太，她时常会幻想着莱斯特兰奇是一个严厉的妇女，也许她长得很漂亮。
The sun had dragged itself low over the sea, baking the top of Seraphina’s head. “Merlin, I’d blast this sun out of the sky if I had a wand. Stupid tiny hands, stupid no magic—curse this blazing ball of fire!” She grumbled, lacking all respect.
太阳顺着海跑走了，正挂在塞拉菲娜头顶处休息，“天呐，好想把这太阳打下来！要不是太小没魔杖，我非得把那该死的太阳射下来！”塞拉菲娜不尊敬的抱怨。
It was sweltering; sweat soaked through her clothes in minutes.
太阳毒得很，不一会儿就让人被汗水浸湿。
The manor was stiff, ancient’s proper—every stone breathed discipline and severity.
庄园是一幢刻板、古老的庄园，无不散发着规矩的、严厉的气息。
Seraphina rapped on the door.
塞拉菲娜敲了敲门。
A house-elf answered, short as a side table, with a long nose and skin crinkled like unplastered walls or a frayed old rag. But its eyes were a saving grace—deep blue, round as grapes, blinking fast.
开门的是一个家养小精灵，长得很矮，约莫只有一个桌子高，瘦长的鼻子，脸上有褶皱的像多年未修的墙壁，或是年久的抹布，但好在家养小精灵的眼睛好看，是湛蓝、葡萄般的双眼，一眨全白眨。
“Er… what’s your name?” Seraphina asked, eyeing it curiously.
“呃…你叫什么？”塞拉菲娜不免好奇地打量它。
“Kiftan.” A warm voice came from above; a woman in an elegant white witch’s robe descended the stairs.
“奇夫丹。”一个慈爱的声音响起，一个妇女穿着精美的白色巫师袍，从楼上下来。
“Kiftan? That’s a grand name.” Seraphina started—this woman had short chestnut curls, carried herself gracefully, and even a little plumpness couldn’t hide the kindness in her features.
“奇夫丹？是个好名字。”塞拉菲娜吃了一惊，眼前这个妇人有一头栗色的短卷发，体态有些优雅，稍胖了些但依然能从宽大的脸上找出五官的美。
“Mrs. Lestrange.” Kiftan noticed the woman, bowing low.
“莱斯特兰奇太太。”奇夫丹注意到了莱斯特兰奇太太，恭敬地叫了一声。
“Mrs. Lestrange—you’re a friend of my mother’s, aren’t you?”
“莱斯特兰奇太太，您是我母亲的朋友吧。”
“I am. Though my husband’s passed on now—we only write, your mother and I.”
“是的，不过我丈夫乔迁了，与你母亲只有书信联系。”
“Mum’s mentioned you often.”
“我母亲常跟我提起您。”
“Has she? What d’you take me for, then?” Mrs. Lestrange asked, amused.
“是吗？那你觉得我是个什么样的人？”莱斯特兰奇太好奇地问着。
“I thought you’d be strict. But I was wrong—you’re kind. Polite.” Seraphina’s words made Mrs. Lestrange laugh.
“我原以为您是个严厉的人，但现在看来我错了，您很懂礼貌，很仁爱。”塞拉菲娜的话逗笑了莱斯特兰奇太太。
“Not many say that. My husband was the stern one, stiff as a board.” Mrs. Lestrange smiled, leading Seraphina to the sitting room sofa.
“她不都这么说我，我丈夫才是那个严厉古板的人。”莱斯特兰奇太太笑着，把塞拉菲娜拉到客厅沙发上。
Seraphina had expected the house to feel as rigid as the exterior—but it was warm. The only flaw: the sofa, carved from mahogany and yew, was rock-hard, even with the velvet cushion.
塞拉菲娜本以为屋子里的氛围也很古板，却没想到是这样的温馨，唯一不足的是沙发是红木和紫杉木制成的，有点硬，极使垫了天鹅绒坐垫。
“Mrs. Lestrange—are you alone here?” Seraphina asked, tentative.
“莱斯特兰奇太太，庄园里就您一个吗？”塞拉菲娜试探着问。
“Not at all. My daughter’s here—her name’s Faire Lestrange.”
“不，我还有一个女儿在家，她叫弗艾尔·莱斯特兰奇。”
“Is your husband away often, then?”
“那你丈夫经常不在家吗？”
“He was always busy. And I have a young son, too—Cove Lestrange.”
“是的，他很忙，还有我儿子也很小，我儿子叫克弗·莱斯特兰奇。”
………
When their chat finally ended, Seraphina looked up—and locked eyes with Faire, who was leaning over the banister. That’s where their story began.
漫长的聊天结束，塞拉菲娜一抬眼，就和扒在扶手上的弗艾尔对上视了，她们的故事从此开始。
“So what were you doing, anyway?” Seraphina said, settled on the common room sofa. The light was dim—late, so no one else was around.
“所以那时候你在干嘛？”塞拉菲娜坐在休息室的沙发上，光线昏暗，许是时间太晚，所以回休息室的没什么人。
“I was coming down for water. Didn’t expect company.” Faire sat on the rug. “Heard my name, got curious—listened for half an hour.”
“我是想下楼梯接水的，我也没想到会看见家里来人。”弗艾尔坐在地毯上：“听到我的名字，我就好奇，一直听了半小时。”
“Half an hour?” Seraphina gaped.
“半小时？”塞拉菲娜吃了一惊。
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“你别用这种眼神看我。”
“Watch me.”
“我就看。”
“You—!” Seraphina and Faire tussled, making more noise than they meant to. A prefect caught them.
“你！”塞拉菲娜和弗艾尔打闹了起来，动静并不算小，所以被级长发现了。
“What’re you two still doing up? Off to bed—else I’ll fetch a professor and dock points!” The prefect’s voice was sharp.
“怎么还不睡觉！快回去，不然我把教授叫来扣分！”级长的声音响起。
Chastened, Seraphina and Faire trundled back to the dormitory, flopping onto their beds.
迫于压力，塞拉菲娜和弗艾尔只好回到寝室，躺到床上。
Moments later, a voice cut through the quiet night—soft, but clear.
不一会，一个声音响起，很轻，却足以划破夜空的寂静。
“You know something, Seraphina? The second I saw you, I knew—we’re going to be friends for life.” Faire’s voice was right beside her ear.
“你知道吗？塞拉菲娜，从我见到你的那一刻，我认定你了，我们是一辈子的好朋友。”弗艾尔的声音响在耳畔。
“I know. I love you, my dearest friend. We’ll stick together forever—our friendship’s unbreakable.”
“我知道，我爱你，我亲爱的朋友，我们将永远在一起，像我们的友谊一样不朽。”
“I love you too.” Faire paused, then went on. “I’ll keep you close. You’re my only friend.”
“我同样爱你，”弗艾尔顿了一下，接着开口：“我将珍视你，你是我唯一的朋友。”
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