包括更多它的故事、或是為什麼作者會想到這樣的物品。
跳羊先挑幾項重要物品來翻譯~
意若思鏡 (The Mirror of Erised)
New from J.K. Rowling
The Mirror of Erised is a very old device. Nobody knows who created it, or how it came to be at Hogwarts School. A succession of teachers have brought back interesting artefacts from their travels, so it might have arrived at the castle in this casual manner, either because the teacher knew how it worked and was intrigued by it, or because they did not understand it and wished to ask their colleagues' opinions.
意若思鏡是一個非常古老的裝置。沒有人知道誰創造了它，或是它是怎麼來到霍格華茲學校的；一代又一代的霍格華茲老師們常常從他們的旅行中帶回一些有趣的物品，所以它有可能是透過這種方式來到城堡的──可能是因為老師知道它怎麼運作的並且對他很好奇，也有可能是因為他們不了解它而希望徵詢他們同事的意見。
The Mirror of Erised is one of those magical artefacts that seems to have been created in a spirit of fun (whether innocent or malevolent is a matter of opinion), because while it is much more revealing than a normal mirror, it is interesting rather than useful. Only after Professor Dumbledore makes key modifications to the mirror (which has been languishing in the Room of Requirement for a century or so before he brings it out and puts it to work) does it become a superb hiding place, and the final test for the impure of heart.
意若思鏡看起來是一種為了好玩而做的魔法物品（至於出於善還是惡則是見仁見智），因為雖然它比一般鏡子透露了更多事，它看起來比較有趣而不是實用。在鄧不利多教授對這個鏡子（它在被帶出來賦予用途前已經被晾在萬應室好幾個世紀）做了關鍵的修改之後，它才變成一個藏東西的好地方，以及探測不純潔之心的最後關卡。
The mirror's inscription ('erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi') must be read backwards to show its true purpose.
鏡子上的銘文（erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi）必須倒著念才能展現它的用途。
J.K. Rowling's Thoughts
Albus Dumbledore's words of caution to Harry when discussing the Mirror of Erised express my own views. The advice to 'hold on to your dreams' is all well and good, but there comes a point when holding on to your dreams becomes unhelpful and even unhealthy. Dumbledore knows that life can pass you by while you are clinging on to a wish that can never be - or ought never to be - fulfilled. Harry's deepest yearning is for something impossible: the return of his parents. Desperately sad though it is that he has been deprived of his family, Dumbledore knows that to sit gazing on a vision of what he can never have, will only damage Harry. The mirror is bewitching and tantalising, but it does not necessarily bring happiness.
阿不思‧鄧不利多在討論意若思鏡時警告哈利的話也表達了我的觀點。「握住你的夢」這建議很棒，但是總有某些時候你沉浸在夢裡時會變的一點幫助也沒有甚至不健康；鄧不利多知道生命會在你正追求於某個不可能──或應該不可能──實現的希望時不斷消逝，哈利最深的渴望是一件不可能的事：父母重生，很令人難過地是他已經失去了他的家庭，鄧不利多知道一直坐著瞪視著他從未擁有的東西，只會傷害哈利。這面鏡子既妖媚又誘人，但是它並不會帶來幸福。
魔法石 (The Philosopher's Stone)
J.K. Rowling's Thoughts
I did not invent the concept of the Philosopher's Stone, which is a legendary substance that was once believed to be real, and the true goal of alchemy.
並不是我發明了魔法石的概念，這是個傳說中的物品，曾經被相信是真實的東西，並且真的是人類煉金術所追求的目標。
The properties of 'my' Philosopher's Stone conform to most of the attributes the ancients ascribed to it. The Stone was believed to turn base metals into gold, and also to produce the Elixir of Life, which could make you immortal. 'Genuine' alchemists - the forerunners of chemists and physicists - such as Sir Isaac Newton and (the real) Nicolas Flamel, sought, sometimes over lifetimes, to discover the secret of its creation.
「我的」魔法石的用途都符合大部分古人們的描述。魔法石曾經被認為可以讓金屬變成黃金，也可以製造仙丹，讓你長生不死。「真正的」煉金術師──化學家與物理學家的前身──像是艾薩克‧牛頓爵士以及（真正的）尼樂‧樂梅，有時幾乎花費了一生的時間在追求製造它的祕密。
The Stone is variously described as red and white in the many old texts in which it appears. These colours are important in most accounts of alchemy, and are often interpreted as having symbolic meaning.
魔法石在很多古老文章中出現時都被描述為紅白相間的顏色，這些顏色在許多種煉金術中都很重要，因此常常被拿來表現成具有象徵性的意義。
