II. Give Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases:

1. to be not someone to cross

2. her eyes lingered for a moment on

3. to flatten one’s hair

4. his heart gave a horrible jolt

5. doomsday

6. to give a bad name

7. to burst into applause

8. to feel a bit queasy

9. blond pigtails

10. to walk with a swagger

11. to give someone the thumb-up

12. to cross one’s fingers

13. to starve

14. to look extremely miffed

15. to behead

16. stunned looks

17. unbearable

18. a caretaker

19. to be out of bounds

20. evil cackle

III. The explanation of Harry Potter special points:

1. Godric Gryffindor: His first name comes from Old English for "power of God." Gryffindor is from griffin, a fierce, legendary beast with the body of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle. The Hogwarts house named after him uses a lion as its symbol.

2. Helga Hufflepuff: The name is from Helge, from Old Norse heilagr, meaning "prosperous" or "brave." Their symbol is the badger, a large mammal related to the weasels with distinctive white stripes on its head. In Celtic mythology, a badger was a guide. The badger also can symbolize a tendency to be hard-working, strong and tenacious (sticking to something and not giving up). Hufflepuffs are known for loyalty and hard work.

3. Rowena Ravenclaw: Rowena is the Latin version of a Germanic name that means "fame and joy." Ravenclaw is simply raven + claw. A raven is a large black bird that belongs to the crow family; however, Ravenclaw’s symbol is an eagle. In legend, ravens are known to be smart birds; Ravenclaw’s are known to be wise and quick learners.

4. Salazar Slytherin: Salazar is of northern Spanish/Basque origin and means "palace." Slytherin is a variation of "slithering," a method of travel for snakes.

IV. Meanings of Harry Potter character names:

1. Justin Finch-Fletchley: Justin is from the Latin for "just" or "true." A finch is a family of small songbirds with wide beaks. Fletchley may come from fletcher, an arrow-maker.

2. Seamus Finnigan: Seamus is an Irish version of the name James, which means "supplanter" (one who takes the place of another, usually by force). Finnigan is an Irish name that includes finn (white, fair) and means "fair-haired one."

3. Morag McDougall: Morag is from Gaelic mуr, "tall." Dougall is from the Gaelic Dubhgall, or "dark stranger," and "Mc" is "son of."

4. Pansy Parkinson: A pansy is an annual plant of the genera Achimenes or Viola, whose flowers have velvety petals in several colors. It also can be a deep purple color. Parkinson means "son of Parkin." Parkin means "young Peter." Peter is from Greek petros, "rock."

5. Blaise Zabini: The name Blaise in French and Old English means "stutter." Zabini is an Italian name.

6. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington: Nicholas is from the Greek Nikolaos, "victory of the people." Nick is a jokey, ironic nickname and pun - one definition of nick is "to cut slightly," and he received more than just a little cut when he was beheaded. Sir indicates he was knighted by a British monarch when he was alive. Porpington is a name Rowling made up and is closest to porpentine, an obsolete name for a porcupine.

7. Peeves: A peeve (1) is something that is very annoying, as in "pet peeve." (2) To peeve is to be annoying. (3) Peevish means disagreeable and bad tempered.

8. Professor Severus Snape: Severus was the name of several ancient Roman emperors and later, early saints. Severus is the Latin word for "strict" or "severe," which the professor truly is. Snape also a town in England. It also is a shipbuilding term. It means to bevel the end of a piece of wood, or cut it at a sloping angle, so it fits against an inclined surface.

9. Argus Filch: In Greek mythology, Argus the All-Seeing was a man with 100 eyes on his body, who gained a reputation as a great watchman. The goddess Hera asked him to watch a priestess, Io, who had been turned into a heifer, or young cow, because she had fallen in love with Hera's husband, Zeus. However, Hermes, messenger of the gods, tricked him by telling him long, boring stories. All those eyes closed in sleep, and Hermes stole away Io. Filch is an informal word that means to secretly steal items of little value.

10. Madam Hooch: Hooch is (1) U.S. slang for hard liquor, especially whiskey or illegal (bootleg) alcohol. (2) It also can be slang for marijuana. (3) Among American soldiers fighting in Vietnam in the 1960s and '70s, it was slang for a hut, particularly one in a rural native village.