FISZKOTEKA
“Bang him on the counter,” said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket.
Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping tricks and scuffled to the wire for a better took.
Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was secondhand (he had once belonged to Ron’s brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.
“Hm,” said the witch, picking up Scabbers. “How old is this rat?”
“Dunno,” said Ron. “Quite old. He used to belong to my brother.”
“What powers does he have?” said the witch, examining Scabbers closely.
“Er —” The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers. The witch’s eyes moved from Scabbers’s tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing, and tutted loudly.
“He’s been through the mill, this one,” she said.
“He was like that when Percy gave him to me,” said Ron defensively.
“An ordinary common or garden rat like this can’t be expected to live longer than three years or so,” said the witch. “Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these —”
She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again. Ron muttered, “Show-offs.”
“Well, if you don’t want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic,” said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle.
“Okay,” said Ron. “How much — OUCH!”
Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers.
“NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!” cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.
“Scabbers!” Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed.
It took them nearly ten minutes to catch Scabbers, who had taken refuge under a wastepaper bin outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron stuffed the trembling rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head.
“What was that?”
“It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger,” said Harry.
“Where’s Hermione?”
“Probably getting her owl.”
They made their way back up the crowded street to the Magical Menagerie. As they reached it, Hermione came out, but she wasn’t carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat.
“You bought that monster?” said Ron, his mouth hanging open.
“He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?” said Hermione, glowing.
przywieść coś z powrotem skądś - bring sth back from
okulary(staromodnie) - spectacles
wyciągnąć z kieszenie - lift sth out of pocket
obok, przy - next to sth
bić, szamotać się - scuffle
zniszczony - battered
lśniący - glossy
zbolały - woebegone
podnosić coś - pick sth up
skrót od don't know - dunno
kiedyś tak się robiło ale już nie - used to sth
słaby - faint
najsłabszych - the faintest
znak - trace
podarty - tattered
łapa - paw
wyrazić dezapobratę, cmoknąć tut
przejść swoje, szkołe życia - be through the mill
zwyczajny - ordinary
powszechny - common
mocny, nie do zdarcia - hard-wearing
wskazać, pokazać - indicate
natychmiast - promptly
mamrotać - mutter
popisywać się - show off
wymiana - replacement
sięgać pod ladę - reach under counter
wydobywać coś - bring out sth
ugiąć się - buckle
wznosić się - soar
szalenie, bardzo mocno - madly
kostka mydła - a bar of soap
pędzić - scamper
podążać za - follow
schronienie - refuge
kosz na śmieci - wastepaper bin
wepchnąć - stuff
drżący - trembling
wyprostować się - straighten up
wyjść, pojawić się - come out
zaciśnięte ciasno wokół - clamp tightly around
