大礼堂 · 开学宴 · 蜡烛仍在燃烧 When I was a boy, I was once told that magic itself was wicked. 在我还是个孩子的时候，曾有人告诉我，魔法本身便是邪恶的。 For a time, I believed them. 有那么一段时间，我相信了。 I watched magic being wielded, and found, to my confusion, that I could regard it with both revulsion and reliance. 我注视着魔法被施展，也困惑地发现，自己竟会同时对它感到厌恶，又不得不依赖它。 Later, as I grew older, I was told a gentler theory—that magic is not sinful in itself, but merely reflects the heart of the one who wields it. 后来，随着年岁渐长，又有人用一种更温和的说法告诉我：魔法并无罪，真正决定它的，是施咒之人的内心。 It is a comforting notion. A civilised one, even. 这听上去很令人宽慰。甚至，可以说相当体面。 🕯️ 这是给无聊到发困的某人准备的折叠魔法——我不会介意的，真的 And yet, I have seen magic used to heal and to harm, to nourish and to destroy, to lay a family's table—and to end a life. 可我也亲眼见过，魔法既能救人，也能害人；既能滋养生命，也能摧毁生命；既能端上家人的晚餐，也能夺走一个人的性命。 So now, as you sit beneath this enchanted ceiling and listen to an old man wander dangerously close to philosophy before pudding, you may already have your own answer. 所以，今夜，当你们坐在这片被魔法点亮的穹顶之下，听着一个老人在布丁端上来之前危险地把话题扯向哲学时，你们心中或许已经有了自己的答案。 Those of old wizarding families may favour one view. Those who have suffered from the Dark Arts may cling fiercely to another. 出身巫师世家的人，或许更愿意相信其中一种说法；而曾受黑魔法所伤的人，也许会更坚定地抓住另一种。 Fo…
