Young wizards and witches have long been waiting for a new story to come out of the magical universe J.K. Rowling created with the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (or Philosopher’s, if you’re in the U.K.) Stone nearly two decades ago.

將近二十年前，J.K.羅琳以《哈利波特與魔法石》的發(fā)行為起點(diǎn)，開創(chuàng)了一個(gè)魔法世界。長久以來，年輕的巫師和女巫們一直對(duì)新的魔法故事翹首期待。

This weekend, there’s no more need to practice your accio manuscript spells, as the wait for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be over. Here’s what you need to know about the new story before its July 31 release:

這周末，再也不需要練習(xí)你們的"手稿召喚咒"了，因?yàn)閷?duì)《哈利波特與被詛咒的孩子》的等待已經(jīng)結(jié)束。下面是在7月31號(hào)圖書發(fā)行前你需要知道的：

This isn’t a new Harry Potter novel — it’s a play script.

這不是一本新的哈利波特小說——它是一個(gè)劇本。

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts I and II” is a play currently running in London’s West End. When rumors of an eighth Harry Potter book release started circulating on social media, J.K. Rowling was quick to clarify that the new release would be a script of the London stage production, not a novel.

《哈利波特與被詛咒的孩子：第一部分與第二部分》是正在倫敦西區(qū)上映的一個(gè)劇本。當(dāng)?shù)诎吮竟ㄌ匕l(fā)行的流言開始席卷整個(gè)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)，J.K.羅琳很快澄清即將發(fā)行的不是小說，而是倫敦舞臺(tái)劇創(chuàng)作的腳本。

The play was written by Jack Thorne, a screenwriter and playwright who’s worked on the U.K. series “Skins” and “Shameless.” Thanks to a #KeeptheSecrets campaign led by Rowling, few spoilers have been publicized — so you’ll just have to pick up a copy to see what happens.

這個(gè)劇本由杰克·索恩編寫，他是一位編劇，也是劇作家，負(fù)責(zé)英劇版《皮囊》和《無恥之徒》。由于羅琳（推特上）發(fā)起的#KeeptheSecrets（保守住秘密?。┗顒?dòng)，（該劇本）幾乎沒有劇透被公布出來——所以你還是需要購買一本書，看看它到底是個(gè)什么樣的故事。

The new story picks up after the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

新的故事承接了《哈利波特與死亡圣器》的結(jié)局。

Fans will remember that Rowling’s finishing flourish to her seven-book series ― whose final installment was released July 21, 2007 ― saw our faves as married parents 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts and Voldemort’s defeat. Harry and Ginny Weasley were wishing their boy Albus Severus good luck as he boarded the Hogwarts Express with his older brother, James, as Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley sent off their daughter Rose.

書迷們依然記得：羅琳為她的七本書系列揮就的結(jié)局——最后一部分于2007年7月21號(hào)出版發(fā)行——看到我們最愛的角色在霍格沃茨VS伏地魔大戰(zhàn)19年后結(jié)婚生子。在他們的兒子阿不思·西弗勒斯要和哥哥詹姆斯登上霍格沃茨特快列車之時(shí)，哈利和金妮·韋斯利祝他好運(yùn)，同時(shí)赫敏·格蘭杰和羅恩·韋斯利也在送別他們的女兒羅斯。

The epilogue felt a little too saccharine for some fans, especially with the neat concluding line, “All was well.” The dark undertones of this latest story seem to suggest that Rowling’s send-off contained more ominous irony than we’d originally thought.

這個(gè)結(jié)局對(duì)于有些書迷而言顯得太過美好，特別是配上那句干脆利落的結(jié)語：“一切太平。”最新故事的黑暗寓意似乎預(yù)示著羅琳結(jié)局中包含的不祥反諷比我們最初想到的更多。

Here’s the synopsis for the new story, released by Pottermore:

下面是Pottermore（J.K.羅琳推出的哈利波特全球性網(wǎng)頁社交游戲網(wǎng)）中公布的新故事梗概：

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

做哈利·波特總是很難，作為一名工作超負(fù)荷的魔法部職員、一位丈夫和三個(gè)學(xué)齡孩子的父親也不會(huì)比這容易多少。

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: Sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

當(dāng)哈利努力與如影隨形的過去作斗爭(zhēng)時(shí)，他最小的兒子阿不思則必須不斷抗?fàn)幰詳[脫自己不想要的家族傳承。當(dāng)過去與現(xiàn)在帶著惡兆地融合在一起，父親和兒子都了解到這個(gè)讓人不安的事實(shí)：有時(shí)候，黑暗來自意料之外的地方。

Your favorite characters will be back, along with some new faces.

你最喜歡的角色會(huì)回來，同時(shí)也會(huì)有一些新面孔。

So Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny have all returned, but so has the complicated villain Draco Malfoy, now father to a young Scorpius. People reported that “major players from the series now all have children heading off to Hogwarts and will be present throughout the play.”

所以哈利、羅恩、赫敏和金妮都回歸了，但同樣的，矛盾復(fù)雜的反派角色德拉科·馬爾福也回來了，他現(xiàn)在是小斯科皮的父親?！禤eople》雜志報(bào)道稱：“這一系列的主要人物現(xiàn)在都有自己的孩子，而且他們的孩子都前往霍格沃茨就讀，并會(huì)貫穿整個(gè)劇作的始終?！?/p>

Will we see Neville shape young minds during Herbology lessons? Did Goyle have henchman-worthy children? We’ll know by Saturday.

我們會(huì)看到納威在草藥課上給年輕的學(xué)生授課嗎？高爾（馬爾福的朋友&跟班）會(huì)有值得追隨的孩子嗎？周六我們就知道了。

If you can’t make it to the play, there are plenty of ways to get a peek at what the grown-up characters look like.

如果你無法看到這部戲劇，那仍然有許多方式能讓你一睹那些角色長大成人后是何風(fēng)采。

What does a Ministry-of-Magic-employed Harry Potter look like? Search no further than these cast photos of Harry and Ginny or Ron and Hermione. Allow them to color your Cursed Child fanfic for the rest of your days.

錄用哈利波特的魔法部長是什么樣子呢？去搜尋哈利和金妮或者羅恩和赫敏的照片吧。讓他們?cè)诮酉聛淼娜兆永镅b點(diǎn)你的《被詛咒的孩子》同人文。

And for more feel-good photos, check out this amazing snap of the time Emma Watson (that’s film Hermione to you) met her “Cursed Child” counterpart, Noma Dumezweni.

想要更多好照片，可以去看這次艾瑪·沃特森與她在《被詛咒的孩子》里的赫敏扮演者諾瑪·杜梅溫尼相見的照片，令人驚嘆。