註1：報喪鴉(Augurey)，又名愛爾蘭鳳凰。牠是愛爾蘭土產的黑綠色鳳凰，體型瘦小，看起來像是飢餓的小禿鷹；牠悲傷的叫聲有兩種意義：一種是快下雨了，另一種是死亡徵兆。The Quill of Acceptance and The Book of Admittance
接受之筆與認可之書
In a small locked tower, never visited by any student at Hogwarts, sits an ancient book that has not been touched by
human hands since the four founders placed it there on completion of the castle.
Beside the book, which is bound in peeling black dragon-hide, stands a small silver inkpot and from this protrudes
a long, faded quill.
These are the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance and they constitute the only process by which
students are selected for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
在霍格華茲裡，有個被鎖住且從未被任何學生造訪過的小塔樓，裡面放著一本自從四位創始人把它放在那裡後就從未被任何人的手所碰觸過的古書。在這本黑色的龍皮書旁，放著一個小小的、銀製的墨水瓶，並從中伸出一根長長的、褪色的鵝毛筆。這是接受之筆和認可之書，而這兩樣東西成了霍格華茲魔法學校選擇學生的唯一方式。
If anybody understands what powerful and long-lasting magiccauses this book and quill to behave as they do,
nobody has ever confessed to it, doubtless because (as Albus Dumbledore once sighed)it saves the staff
tedious explanations to parents who are furious that their children have not been selected for Hogwarts.
The Book and Quill’s decision is final and no child has ever been admitted whose name has not first been
inscribed on the book’s yellowing pages.
如果有任何人了解是什麼強大而持久的魔法，維持著這本書與鵝毛筆的運作，也從來都沒有人承認過，無疑是因為（阿不思·鄧不利多曾經嘆了口氣）這樣可以省去校方人員對那些因自己的孩子沒有被霍格華茲錄取而憤怒的父母們進行繁瑣的解釋。這本書與鵝毛筆的決定是不可改變的，名字沒有被刻進該書的泛黃書頁裡的孩子們沒有一個被學校錄取過。
At the precise moment that a child first exhibits signs ofmagic, the Quill, which is believed to have been taken
from an Augurey, floats up out of its inkpot and attempts to inscribe the name of that child upon the pages of
the Book (Augurey feathers are known to repel ink and the inkpot is empty; nobody has ever managed
to analyse precisely what the silvery fluid flowing from the enchanted Quill is).
當一個小孩在顯露出魔法的那一刻，鵝毛筆便會浮現出墨水瓶，試圖將他的名字銘刻於書頁上。這根鵝毛筆據說是從一隻報喪鴉註1身上取下的羽毛。〈報喪鴉的羽毛不沾墨水，墨水瓶裡空空如也，並以此聞名。沒有人能夠準確的分析從這具有魔力的鵝毛筆中所流出的銀色液體究竟是什麼〉
Thosefew who have observed the process (several headmasters and headmistresses have enjoyed spending
quiet hours in the Book and Quill’s tower, hoping to catch them in action) agree that the Quill might be judged
more lenient than the Book. A mere whiff of magic suffices for the Quill. The Book, however, will often
snap shut, refusing to be written upon until it receives sufficiently dramatic evidence of magical ability.
少數幾個觀察到這個過程的人（幾位校長與校長夫人們會在書與鵝毛筆所在的這個塔樓裡安靜的待上好幾個小時，希望能夠目睹到它們行動的瞬間）同意鵝毛筆的判斷標準可能比這本書來得更為寬鬆。只要一點點的魔法痕跡就足以讓鵝毛筆判定合格。然而，這本書往往會因為拒絕被寫上而迅速闔上，直到它接收到既充分又極具戲劇性的魔力的證據。
Thus,the very moment that Neville Longbottom was born, the Quill attempted to write his name and was
refused by the Book, which snapped shut. Even the midwife who attended Alice Longbottom had failed
to notice that Neville managed to shift his blankets more snugly over himself moments after birth, assuming
that his father had tucked the baby in more securely. Neville’s family persistently missed faint signs of magic
in him and not until he was eight years old did either his disappointed great aunts and uncles, or the old
stickler of a Book, accept that he was truly a wizard, when he survived a fall that should have killed him.
因此，在奈威‧隆巴頓出生的那一刻，鵝毛筆試圖寫下他的名字，但這本書迅速的闔上，拒絕了鵝毛筆。在出生後不久，奈威將包裹在身上的毯子，調整得更舒適溫暖，連照顧愛麗絲‧隆巴頓的助產士都沒有注意到他的舉動，還以為是奈威的爸爸把孩子裹得更緊實一點。奈威的家人不斷地錯過他身上那些模糊的魔法跡象，直到他八歲那年的秋天，他差點丟了性命註2，那些對他十分失望的叔叔與阿姨們，及一本堅持己見的古書，才承認他是一個真正的巫師。
In fact, the Book’s sternness has a purpose: its track record in keeping Squibs out of Hogwarts is perfect.
Non-magic children born to witches and wizards occasionally have some small, residual aura of magic
about them due to their parents, but once their parents magic has worn off them it becomes clear that
they will never have the ability to perform spells. The Quill’s sensitivity, coupled with the Book’s
implacability, have never yet made a mistake.
事實上，這本書的嚴厲有一個用意：它在將爆竹擋在霍格華茲外的記錄非常完美。那些出生在巫師家庭卻沒有魔力的孩子偶爾會有一些來自他們父母親殘留下來的、小小的魔法光環，不過一旦他們父母的魔力漸漸消減，他們將永遠失去施法的能力。鵝毛筆的靈敏，配合書的嚴謹，他們的選擇從未失準。
這種奇獸我目前只在《怪獸與他們的產地》書中和一年前跳羊大人發的新聞中看過而已。
註2：在中文版《哈利波特：神秘的魔法石》的136頁第6行到第13行裡奈威自己有說到，當時所有一年級新生正在大餐廳裡邊吃邊互相討論自己的家世。
=======================以下為在下翻完後的心得
哈巄各位~~~
這是我第三次開樓，也是我第一次開翻譯樓(應該也是最後一次開翻譯樓了XD)
我會發這翻譯樓的動機其實有點奇怪
當時也是有個新人發了人生第一次的翻譯樓(我忘記是誰，也忘記是哪一樓了)
結果在某篇回覆文中有人說：
「恭喜走進了翻譯的不歸路」(好像是這麼說的我有點想不太起來，畢竟事隔多年了XD)
我就想：只要翻譯完一篇文章就會想一直翻譯下去嗎？(什麼有病的想法？)
所以就抱著這「充滿實驗性的動機」(？)去Pottermore找還沒翻過的文章
我之前找到的是阿茲卡班的文章
但才剛翻完第一段就被別人搶先了QAQ
所以只好繼續在pottermore裡面亂晃
結果出乎意料地
我在霍格華茲的頁面中找到了還沒被翻過的文章！
這麼吸引人的主題自然是不能隨隨便便讓給其他人啊！
(真令人難以置信，我以為像這種熱門文章早就被別人搶先翻完了)
翻這篇文章簡直是個大工程
大概花了我一個月多的時間
(從這你們就可以知道我的英文有多爛了
當我看到別人只花兩天就可以翻完一篇時，我的心都在淌血啊~~~)
段考前翻一半，段考後再翻另一半
而且一天只能翻一點點(身為學生，電腦使用時間可不是我可以控制的QAQ)
所以時間才拖了這麼久
翻完之後還把文章拿給補習班的英文老師
請他教我那些我不會翻的和需要更改的地方
非~~~常有成就感
可能是因為英文太爛
所以「成就感」的部分被無限放大了✌
希望大家喜歡我翻的文章
當然對文章的翻譯有任何建議也可以自由提出
謝謝！(下台鞠躬)
