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哈利·波特与凤凰社
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

英文中文双语对照双语交替

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CHAPTER FIVE - The Order of The Phoenix

第五章　凤凰社

'Your - ?'

“你的——？”

'My dear old mum, yeah,' said Sirius. 'We've been trying to get her down for a month but we think she put a Permanent. Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas. Lets get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again.'

“是啊，我亲爱的好妈妈。”小天狼星说，“一个月来，我们一直想把她弄下来，但她似乎在帆布后面念了一个永久粘贴咒。我们下楼去吧，快点儿，别等他们又醒过来。”

'But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?' Harry asked, bewildered, as they went through the door from the hall and led the way down a flight of narrow stone steps, the others just behind them.

“可是你母亲的肖像放在这里做什么？”哈利疑惑地问，这时他们已经穿过那扇门出了门厅，正顺着一道狭窄的石头台阶往下走，其他人都跟在后面。

'Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parents' house,' said Sirius. 'But I'm the last Black left, so it's mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for Headquarters - about the only useful thing I've been able to do.'

“没人告诉过你吗？这是我父母的房子。”小天狼星说，“但布莱克家族就剩下我一个人了，所以这房子现在归我所有。我把它交给邓布利多当指挥部——我能做的大概也就这点有用的事情了。”

Harry, who had expected a better welcome, noted how hard and bitter Sirius's voice sounded. He followed his godfather to the bottom of the steps and through a door leading into the basement kitchen.

哈利原来以为他会得到比较热情的欢迎，却发现小天狼星说话的口气是那么生硬、冷漠。他跟着教父走到楼梯底下，穿过一道门，进入了地下室的厨房。

It was scarcely less gloomy than the hall above, a cavernous room with rough stone walls. Most of the light was coming from a large fire at the far end of the room. A haze of pipe smoke hung in the air like battle fumes, through which loomed the menacing shapes of heavy iron pots and pans hanging from the dark ceiling. Many chairs had been crammed into the room for the meeting and a long wooden table stood in the middle of them, littered with rolls of parchment, goblets, empty wine bottles, and a heap of what appeared to be rags. Mr Weasley and his eldest son Bill were talking quietly with their heads together at the end of the table.

这里几乎和上面的门厅里一样昏暗，一个洞穴般幽深的房间，四周是粗糙的石头墙壁。大部分光线都来自房间那头的一个大壁炉。管子里冒出的烟雾弥漫在空气中，如同战场上的硝烟，黑乎乎的天花板上挂下来的沉甸甸的铁锅铁盆，在烟雾中显得面目狰狞，阴森可怖。因为开会，房间里摆满了许多椅子，中间是一张长长的木头桌子，桌上散乱地放着羊皮纸卷、高脚酒杯、空酒瓶和一堆看上去像是破布的东西。韦斯莱先生和他的长子比尔坐在桌子那一头，脑袋凑在一起小声说着什么。

Mrs Weasley cleared her throat. Her husband, a thin, balding, red-haired man who wore horn-rimmed glasses, looked around and jumped to his feet.

韦斯莱夫人清了清嗓子。她的丈夫，一个秃顶、红发、戴着角质架眼镜的瘦男人抬头望了望，赶紧站了起来。

'Harry!' Mr Weasley said, hurrying forward to greet him, and shaking his hand vigorously. 'Good to see you!'

“哈利！”韦斯莱先生说，三步并作两步走过来迎接他，热情地同他握手，“见到你真是太高兴了！”

Over his shoulder Harry saw Bill, who still wore his long hair in a ponytail, hastily rolling up the lengths of parchment left on the table.

哈利的目光越过他的肩头，看见比尔匆匆卷起留在桌上的羊皮纸，他脑袋后面仍然扎着长长的马尾辫。

'Journey all right, Harry?' Bill called, trying to gather up twelve scrolls at once. 'Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?'

“路上还顺利吧，哈利？”比尔大声问道，同时试着一下子抱起了十二卷羊皮纸，“这么说，疯眼汉没有让你取道格陵兰岛过来？”

'He tried,' said Tonks, striding over to help Bill and immediately toppling a candle on to the last piece of parchment. 'Oh no - sorry - '

“他想这么做来着，”唐克斯快步走过去想帮比尔一把，但转眼间就把一根蜡烛碰倒在最后一卷羊皮纸上，“哦，糟糕——对不起——”

'Here, dear,' said Mrs Weasley, sounding exasperated, and she repaired the parchment with a wave of her wand. In the flash of light caused by Mrs Weasley's charm Harry caught a glimpse of what looked like the plan of a building.

“没关系，亲爱的。”韦斯莱夫人说，声音显得有点恼火。她一挥魔杖，把羊皮纸修复好了。韦斯莱夫人念咒时闪过一道亮光，哈利瞥见那纸上好像是一座建筑物的平面图。

Mrs Weasley had seen him looking. She snatched the plan off the table and stuffed it into Bill's already overladen arms.

韦斯莱夫人发现哈利在看，赶紧把平面图从桌上抓起来，塞进比尔已经不堪重负的怀里。

This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings,' she snapped, before sweeping off towards an ancient dresser from which she started unloading dinner plates.

“这些东西应该会议一结束就赶紧收起来。”她厉声地说，然后快步走向一个很古老的碗橱，从里面拿出晚餐的盘子。

Bill took out his wand, muttered, 'Evanesce!' and the scrolls vanished.

比尔抽出他的魔杖，低声说了一句：“消隐无踪！”那些羊皮纸卷一下子就不见了。

'Sit down, Harry' said Sirius. 'You've met Mundungus, haven't you?'

“坐下吧，哈利，”小天狼星说，“你已经见过蒙顿格斯了，是不是？”

The thing Harry had taken to be a pile of rags gave a prolonged, grunting snore, then jerked awake.

哈利刚才以为是一堆破布的东西，这时发出一声长长的呼噜呼噜的鼾声，猛地惊醒过来。

'Some'n say m'name?' Mundungus mumbled sleepily. 'I agree with Sirius . . .' He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused.

“是谁在说我的名字？”蒙顿格斯迷迷糊糊地嘟哝道，“我同意小天狼星的——”他高高举起一只脏兮兮的手，像是要投票表决，那双眼皮耷拉的、充血的眼睛茫然地瞪着。

Ginny giggled.

金妮咯咯地笑了。

The meeting's over, Dung,' said Sirius, as they all sat down around him at the table. 'Harry's arrived.'

“会议结束了，顿格①。”小天狼星说，他们都围着蒙顿格斯在桌旁坐下，“哈利来了。”

'Eh?' said Mundungus, peering bale fully at Harry through his matted ginger hair. 'Blimey, so 'e 'as. Yeah . . . you all right, 'Airy?'

“嗯？”蒙顿格斯说，目光透过乱糟糟的姜黄色头发痛苦地望着哈利，“天哪，他来了。没错——你好吗，哈利？”

'Yeah,' said Harry.

“挺好的。”哈利说。

Mundungus fumbled nervously in his pockets, still staring at Harry, and pulled out a grimy black pipe. He stuck it in his mouth, ignited the end of it with his wand and took a deep pull on it. Great billowing clouds of greenish smoke obscured him within seconds.

蒙顿格斯局促不安地在几个口袋里摸索着，但眼睛仍然盯着哈利，最后他掏出一个满是污垢的黑烟斗。他把烟斗塞进嘴里，用魔杖把它点燃，深深地吸了一口。几秒钟后，大股大股泛着绿色的烟雾就把他包围了。

'Owe you a 'pology,' grunted a voice from the middle of the smelly cloud.

“我得向你道歉。”一个声音从那团臭烘烘的烟雾中间嘟哝着说。

'For the last time, Mundungus,' called Mrs Weasley, 'will you please not smoke that thing in the kitchen, especially not when we're about to eat!'

“我最后再提醒你一次，蒙顿格斯，”韦斯莱夫人大声说道，“拜托，你能不能不要在厨房里抽那玩意儿，特别是我们马上就要吃饭了！”

'Ah,' said Mundungus. 'Right. Sorry, Molly.'

“啊，”蒙顿格斯说，“好的。对不起，莫丽。”蒙顿格斯把烟斗重新塞进口袋，烟雾散去了，但那股袜子烧焦的刺鼻气味儿迟迟没有散尽。

The cloud of smoke vanished as Mundungus stowed his pipe back in his pocket, but an acrid smell of burning socks lingered.

“如果你们想在午夜之前吃到晚饭，就需要有人来帮我一把。”韦斯莱夫人对房间里所有的人说，“不，你坐在那里别动，啥利，亲爱的，你刚经过长途旅行。”

'And if you want dinner before midnight I'll need a hand,' Mrs Weasley said to the room at large. 'No, you can stay where you are, Harry dear, you've had a long journey.'

“我能做点什么，莫丽？”唐克斯热情洋溢地说，跳起来冲了过去。

'What can I do, Molly?' said Tonks enthusiastically, bounding forwards.

韦斯莱夫人迟疑着，显得心有余悸。“嗯——不用，没事儿，唐克斯，你也休息一会儿吧，今天你已经做了不少了。”

Mrs Weasley hesitated, looking apprehensive.

“不，不，我想帮帮你！”唐克斯欢快地说，匆匆奔向金妮正在拿餐具的碗橱，不留神撞翻了一把椅子。

'Er - no, it's all right, Tonks, you have a rest too, you've done enough today.'

很快，一套沉甸甸的刀子就在韦斯莱先生的监督下，开始自动切肉剁菜，韦斯莱夫人搅拌着一只悬挂在火上的大锅，其他人从食品储藏间拿出盘子、高脚酒杯和食物。哈利陪小天狼星和蒙顿格斯留在桌边，蒙顿格斯仍然悲哀地冲他眨巴着眼睛。

'No, no, I want to help!' said Tonks brightly, knocking over a chair as she hurried towards the dresser, from which Ginny was collecting cutlery.

“后来又看见费格老太了吗？”他问。

Soon, a series of heavy knives were chopping meat and vegetables of their own accord, supervised by Mr Weasley, while Mrs Weasley stirred a cauldron dangling over the fire and the others took out plates, more goblets and food from the pantry. Harry was left at the table with Sirius and Mundungus, who was still blinking at him mournfully.

“没有，”哈利说，“我谁也没看见。”

'Seen old Figgy since?' he asked.

“你看，我不应该离开的，”蒙顿格斯探着身子，声音里带着恳求，“但我有机会做成一笔大买卖——”

'No,' said Harry, 'I haven't seen anyone.'

哈利感到什么东西正蹭着他的膝盖，不禁吓了一跳，原来是克鲁克山——赫敏那只姜黄色的罗圈腿猫，它把身体绕在哈利的腿上，呼噜呼噜叫着，然后一下子跳到小天狼星的膝头，蜷做一团。小天狼星心不在焉地挠着它的耳根，同时转过脸来望着哈利，脸上表情仍然很沉重。

'See, I wouldn't 'ave left,' said Mundungus, leaning forward, a pleading note in his voice, 'but I 'ad a business opportunity - '

“这个夏天过得还好吧？”

Harry felt something brush against his knees and started, but it was only Crookshanks, Hermione's bandy-legged ginger cat, who wound himself once around Harry's legs, purring, then jumped on to Sirius's lap and curled up. Sirius scratched him absent-mindedly behind the ears as he turned, still grim-faced, to Harry.

“不，糟糕透了。”哈利说。

'Had a good summer so far?'

小天狼星的脸上第一次掠过一丝若有若无的笑容。

'No, it's been lousy,' said Harry.

“我真不知道你还有什么可抱怨的。”

For the first time, something like a grin flitted across Sirius's free.

“什么？”哈利不敢相信地说。

'Don't know what you're complaining about, myself.'

“就我个人来说，我还巴不得摄魂怪来袭击我呢。为保卫我的灵魂而殊死搏斗，这多好啊，可以打破令人厌烦的单调生活。你以为你的日子很难熬，但你至少可以出门到处走动走动，伸展伸展腿脚，跟人打打架什么的——我已经在屋里困了一个月了。”

'What?' said Harry incredulously.

“怎么会呢？”哈利皱起眉头问道。

'Personally, I'd have welcomed a Dementor attack. A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad, at least you've been able to get out and about, stretch your legs, get into a few fights . . . I've been stuck inside for a month.'

“因为魔法部仍然在追捕我，伏地魔这会儿已经知道我是个阿尼马格斯了，虫尾巴肯定告诉了他，所以我再怎么伪装也没有用了。我已经不能为凤凰社做多少事情——至少邓布利多是这样感觉的。”

'How come?' asked Harry, frowning.

小天狼星说出邓布利多的名字时声音显得有点儿消沉，这使哈利明白，小天狼星对校长也有点儿不满。哈利顿时对教父产生了一种亲切的情感。

'Because the Ministry of Magic's still after me, and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him, so my big disguise is useless. There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix . . . or so Dumbledore feels.'

“至少你知道正在发生什么事情吧。”他安慰道。

There was something about the slightly flattened tone of voice in which Sirius uttered Dumbledore's name that told Harry that Sirius, too, was not very happy with the Headmaster. Harry felt a sudden upsurge of affection for his godfather.

“哦，是啊，”小天狼星讥讽地说，“听斯内普的长篇报告，忍受他的冷嘲热讽，似乎他冒着生命危险，出生人死，而我却安坐在这里，舒舒服服地混日子——他还问我大扫除搞得怎么样了——”

'At least you've known what's been going on,' he said bracingly.

“什么大扫除？”哈利问。

'Oh yeah,' said Sirius sarcastically. 'Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time . . . asking me how the cleaning's going - '

“把这个地方搞得可以住人，”小天狼星说，挥手指了指阴暗破败的厨房，“这里已经十年没有人居住，自从我亲爱的母亲去世之后就没人了，除非你算上她留下的家养小精灵，但那小精灵已经变得疯疯癫癫——好长时间没做任何打扫了。”

'What cleaning?' asked Harry.

“小天狼星，”蒙顿格斯说话了，他似乎根本没注意他们在说什么，而是在细细地端详一只高脚酒杯，“这是纯银的吧，伙计？”

Trying to make this place fit for human habitation,' said Sirius, waving a hand around the dismal kitchen. 'No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist - hasn't cleaned anything in ages.'

“是的，”小天狼星厌恶地看了看杯子，说道，“十五世纪小妖精制造的最精美银器，上面还刻着布莱克家族的饰章。”

'Sirius,' said Mundungus, who did not appear to have paid any attention to the conversation, but had been closely examining an empty goblet. This solid silver, mate?'

“那倒真是好东西。”蒙顿格斯含混地说，用袖口把杯子擦亮。

'Yes,' said Sirius, surveying it with distaste. 'Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest.'

“弗雷德——乔治——别这样，把它们端起来！”韦斯莱夫人尖叫道。

'That'd come orf, though,' muttered Mundungus, polishing it with his cuff.

哈利、小天狼星和蒙顿格斯扭头一看，说时迟那时快，三个人赶紧一猫腰，从桌子旁躲开了。弗雷德和乔治动用魔法把一大锅炖菜、一大铁壶黄油啤酒、一块沉重的切面包板，外加一把刀子，一股脑儿地朝他们猛抛过来。那锅炖菜哧溜溜滑过整个桌面，正好在桌子边缘停住了，木头桌面上留下了一长条烧焦发黑的痕迹。那壶黄油啤酒哗啦一声翻倒了，啤酒洒得到处都是。切面包的刀子从板上掉下来，刀尖朝下扎进了桌子，凶险地微颤着，那正好是几秒钟前小天狼星的右手放着的地方。

'Fred - George - NO, JUST CARRY THEM!' Mrs Weasley shrieked.

“看在老天的分儿上！”韦斯莱夫人大声嚷道，“没必要这么做——这一套我受够了——就算现在允许你们使用魔法了，你们也用不着做每件鸡毛蒜皮的小事都挥动魔杖吧！”

Harry, Sirius and Mundungus looked round and, within a split second, they had dived away from the table. Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of Butterbeer and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, to hurtle through the air towards them. The stew skidded the length of the table and came to a halt just before the end, leaving a long black burn on the wooden surface; the flagon of Butterbeer fell with a crash, spilling its contents everywhere; the bread knife slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, exactly where Sirius's right hand had been seconds before.

“我们只是为了节约一点儿时间！”弗雷德说着匆忙赶过来，把切面包的刀子拔出桌面，“对不起，小天狼星，哥们儿——不是故意的——”

'FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!' screamed Mrs Weasley. THERE WAS NO NEED - I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS - JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!'

哈利和小天狼星都放声大笑。蒙顿格斯刚才向后栽下了椅子，这会儿正骂骂咧咧地爬起身来。克鲁克山愤怒地嘶嘶叫了一声，箭一般地钻到碗橱底下去了，那双黄澄澄的大眼睛在黑暗中闪闪发亮。

'We were just trying to save a bit of time!' said Fred, hurrying forward to wrench the bread knife out of the table. 'Sorry, Sirius, mate - didn't mean to - '

“儿子们，”韦斯莱先生把那锅炖菜重新端到桌子中央，说道，”你们的妈妈说得对，你们现在已经长大成人，应该表现出一点责任感了——”

Harry and Sirius were both laughing; Mundungus, who had toppled backwards off his chair, was swearing as he got to his feet; Crookshanks had given an angry hiss and shot off under the dresser, from where his large yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.

“你们的几个哥哥就从没闹出这种乱子！”韦斯莱夫人一边朝双胞胎儿子吼道，一边把另一壶黄油啤酒重重地放在桌上，洒出的啤酒几乎跟上一壶一样多。“比尔觉得没有必要几步路就幻影移形！查理不会碰到什么东西都施魔法！珀西——”

'Boys,' Mr Weasley said, lifting the stew back into the middle of the table, 'your mother's right, you re supposed to show a sense f responsibility now you've come of age - '

她猛地停住话头，屏住呼吸，惊慌地望了丈夫一眼，韦斯莱先生的表情突然僵住了。

'None of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!' Mrs Weasley raged at the twins as she slammed a fresh flagon of Butterbeer on lo the table, and spilling almost as much again. 'Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't charm everything he met! Percy - '

“我们吃饭吧。”比尔赶紧说道。

She stopped dead, catching her breath with a frightened look at her husband, whose expression was suddenly wooden.

“看上去很不错啊，莫丽。”卢平说着替她盛了一些炖菜在盘子里，隔着桌子递了过去。

'Let's eat,' said Bill quickly.

几分钟没有人说话，只有大家坐下来就餐时盘子和餐具发出的碰撞声，还有椅子的摩擦声。然后，韦斯莱夫人转脸望着小天狼星。

'It looks wonderful, Molly,' said Lupin, ladling stew on to a plate lor her and handing it across the table.

“小天狼星，我一直想告诉你，客厅的那张写字台里面关着什么东西，它不停地摇晃，发出咯啦啦的声音。也许只是一个博格特，但我想我们还是先请阿拉斯托来看看再把它放出来。”

For a few minutes there was silence but for the chink of plates and cutlery and the scraping of chairs as everyone settled down to their food. Then Mrs Weasley turned to Sirius.

“随便吧。”小天狼星兴味索然地说。

'I've been meaning to tell you, Sirius, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a Boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out.'

“还有，那儿的窗帘里都是狐猸子②，”韦斯莱夫人接着说道，“我想明天我们得想办法把它们处理一下。”

'Whatever you like,' said Sirius indifferently.

“我正巴不得呢。”小天狼星说。哈利听出了他声音里的讽刺意味，但不知道其他人有没有听出来。

The curtains in there are full of Doxys, too,' Mrs Weasley went on. 'I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow.'

在哈利对面，唐克斯一边吃饭一边给她的鼻子变形，逗赫敏和金妮开心。每次她都紧紧地闭上眼睛，露出她在哈利卧室里时露出的那种痛苦表情，她的鼻子忽而肿胀得像鸟嘴一样，看上去活脱脱是斯内普的鼻子，忽而又缩回去，变成圆球蘑菇一般大小，然后每个鼻孔里都冒出一大堆鼻毛。这显然是吃饭时的固定娱乐节目，因为很快赫敏和金妮就要求她变出她们最喜欢的鼻子。

'I look forward to it,' said Sirius. Harry heard the sarcasm in his voice, but he was not sure that anyone else did.

“变出一只猪鼻子来，唐克斯。”

Opposite Harry, Tonks was entertaining Hermione and Ginny by transforming her nose between mouthfuls. Screwing up her eyes each time with the same pained expression she had worn back in Harry's bedroom, her nose swelled to a beak-like protuberance that resembled Snape's, shrank to the size of a button mushroom and then sprouted a great deal of hair from each nostril. Apparently this was a regular mealtime entertainment, because Hermione and Ginny were soon requesting their favourite noses.

唐克斯照办了，哈利抬起头，刹那间，他还以为一个女达力正隔着桌子朝他咧嘴微笑呢。

'Do that one like a pig snout, Tonks.'

韦斯莱先生、比尔和卢平正在进行一场关于妖精的激烈讨沦。

Tonks obliged, and Harry, looking up, had the fleeting impression that a female Dudley was grinning at him from across - 'he table.

“他们还是滴水不漏，什么也不肯说，”比尔说，“我仍然弄不清楚他们是不是相信他回来了。当然，他们大概不想支持任何一方，不想卷到这里头来。”

Mr Weasley, Bill and Lupin were having an intense discuss on about goblins.

“我相信他们决不会倒向神秘人那边，”韦斯莱先生摇着头说道，“他们的损失也很惨重。还记得他上次杀害的那一家妖精吗，就在诺丁汉附近？”

They're not giving anything away yet,' said Bill. 'I still can't work out whether or not they believe he's back. Course, they might prefer not to take sides at all. Keep out of it.'

“我想，那得看人家给他们开出了什么价码，”卢平说道，“我说的不是金子。如果有人向他们提供我们几个世纪以来不肯给他们的自由，他们就会抵挡不住诱惑。比尔，拉格诺那边还是没有丝毫转机吗？”

'I'm sure they'd never go over to You-Know-Who,' said Mr Weasley, shaking his head. They've suffered losses too; remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?'

“他目前在感情上对巫师还是挺排斥的，”比尔说，“他现在还为巴格曼的那档子事儿气得要命呢，觉得魔法部掩盖了真相。你们知道，那些妖精始终没能从他手里拿到他们的金子——”

'I think it depends what they're offered,' said Lupin. 'And I'm not talking about gold. If they're offered the freedoms we've been denying them for centuries they're going to be tempted. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?'

桌子中央传来一阵大笑，淹没了比尔没说完的话。弗雷德、乔治、罗恩和蒙顿格斯在椅子上笑得前仰后合。

'He's feeling pretty anti-wizard at the moment,' said Bill, 'he hasn't stopped raging about the Bagman business, he reckons the Ministry did a cover-up, those goblins never got their gold from him, you know - '

“——后来，”蒙顿格斯笑得喘不过气来，眼泪直顺着他的面颊往下流，他说，“后来，信不信由你们吧，他对我说，他说：‘咦，顿格，这些癞蛤蟆你是从哪儿弄来的？不知道哪个杂种把我的癞蛤蟆全给偷走了！’我就说了：‘把你的癞蛤蟆全偷走了，是威尔干的，那怎么办呢？所以你才需要再买一些呀，对不对？’你们信不信吧，孩子们，那个没头脑的丑八怪居然从我手里把他自己的癞蛤蟆全都买了回去，价钱比他原先买的时候还要高得多——”

A gale of laughter from the middle of the table drowned the rest of Bill's words. Fred, George, Ron and Mundungus were rolling around in their seats.

“我们不需要听你唠叨这些生意经，蒙顿格斯，非常感谢。”韦斯莱夫人严厉地说。

'. . . and then,' choked Mundungus, tears running down his face, 'and then, if you'll believe it, 'e says to me, 'e says, ' "Ere, Dung, where didja get all them toads from? 'Cos some son of a Sludger's gone and nicked all mine!" And I says, "Nicked all your toads, Will, what next? So you'll be wanting some more, then?" And if you'll believe me, lads, the gormless gargoyle buys all 'is own toads back orf me for a lot more'n what 'e paid in the first place - '

罗恩扑在桌子上，放声大笑。

'I don't think we need to hear any more of your business dealings, thank you very much, Mundungus,' said Mrs Weasley sharply, as Ron slumped forwards on to the table, howling with laughter.

“对不起，莫丽，”蒙顿格斯立刻说道，他擦擦眼泪，朝哈利眨了眨眼睛。“可是，你知道，是威尔把它们从瓦提·海里斯那里偷出来的，所以我其实并没有做什么坏事。”

'Beg pardon, Molly,' said Mundungus at once, wiping his eyes and winking at Harry. 'But, you know, Will nicked 'em orf Warty Harris in the first place so I wasn't really doing nothing wrong.'

“我不知道你的是非观念是从哪儿学到的，蒙顿格斯，但你似乎漏掉了最关键的几课。”韦斯莱夫人冷冷地说。

'I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, Mundungus, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons,' said Mrs Weasley coldly.

弗雷德和乔治把脸埋在盛着黄油啤酒的高脚酒杯上，乔治笑得直打嗝。不知为什么，韦斯莱夫人狠狠地白了小天狼星一眼，然后起身拿来一大堆大黄面包屑做甜点。哈利扭头望着他的教父。

Fred and George buried their faces in their goblets of Butterbeer; George was hiccoughing. For some reason, Mrs Weasley threw a very nasty look at Sirius before getting to her feet and going to fetch a large rhubarb crumble for pudding. Harry looked round at his godfather.

“莫丽不大赞成蒙顿格斯。”小天狼星压低声音说。

'Molly doesn't approve of Mundungus,' said Sirius in an undertone.

“那他怎么会加入凤凰社的？”哈利悄声地问。

'How come he's in the Order?' Harry said, very quietly.

“他有用啊，”小天狼星小声嘀咕道，“认识所有的骗子毛贼——哼，这也难怪，他自己就是那一类货色。不过他对邓布利多倒是忠心耿耿，有一次还帮助邓布利多摆脱了困境。弄一个顿格这样的人在身边也有好处，他能听到我们听不到的东西。但莫丽认为请他留下来吃晚饭太过分了。莫丽还没有原谅他在应该跟踪你的时候擅离职守。”

'He's useful,' Sirius muttered. 'Knows all the crooks - well, he would, seeing as he's one himself. But he's also very loyal to Dumbledore, who helped him out of a tight spot once. It pays to have someone like Dung around, he hears things we don't. But Molly thinks inviting him to stay for dinner is going too far. She hasn't forgiven him for slipping off duty when he was supposed to be tailing you.'

三份大黄面包屑，接着又是蛋奶糕，哈利牛仔裤的裤腰紧得难受了（这是很能说明问题的，因为那条牛仔裤本来是达力的）当。哈利放下勺子时，饭桌上的谈话逐渐平静了下来。韦斯莱先生靠在椅子背上，一副吃饱喝足、身心放松的样子。唐克斯张着大嘴打哈欠，她的鼻子已经恢复了正常。金妮把克鲁克山从碗橱下面引了出来，这会儿正盘腿坐在地上，把一些黄油啤酒的软木塞滚来滚去，让克鲁克山追着玩儿。

Three helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard later and I he waistband on Harry's jeans was feeling uncomfortably tight (which was saying something as the jeans had once been Dudley's). As he laid down his spoon there was a lull in the general conversation: Mr Weasley was leaning back in his chair, looking replete and relaxed; Tonks was yawning widely, her nose now back to normal; and Ginny, who had lured Crookshanks out from under the dresser, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rolling Butterbeer corks for him to chase.

“差不多该上床睡觉了，我想。”韦斯莱夫人打着哈欠说。

'Nearly time for bed, I think,' said Mrs Weasley with a yawn.

“还没有呢，莫丽。”小天狼星把面前的空盘子推到一边，转脸望着哈利，“知道吗，我真为你感到吃惊呢。我以为你到这里的第一件事就是询问关于伏地魔的情况。”

'Not just yet, Molly,' said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and turning to look at Harry. 'You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort.'

屋里的气氛突然变了，速度如此之快，哈利还以为是摄魂怪来了。几秒钟前还是那样轻松悠闲，令人昏昏欲睡，现在却变得警觉，甚至是紧张了。听到伏地魔的名字，饭桌周围掠过一阵战栗。卢平刚才端起杯子正要喝酒，这时慢慢放下酒杯，露出警惕的神情。

The atmosphere in the room changed with the rapidity Harry associated with the arrival of Dementors. Where seconds before it had been sleepily relaxed, it was now alert, even tense. A frisson had gone around the table at the mention of Voldemort's name. Lupin, who had been about to take a sip of wine, lowered his goblet slowly, looking wary.

“我问了！”哈利气愤地说，“我问了罗恩和赫敏，但他们说我们没被批准加入凤凰社，所以——”

'I did!' said Harry indignantly. 'I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so - '

“他们说得对呀，”韦斯莱夫人说，“你们年纪还太小。”她笔直地坐在椅子上，两个拳头捏得紧紧的抱在怀里，睡意消失得无影无踪。

'And they're quite right,' said Mrs Weasley. 'You're too young.'

“从什么时候开始，我们必须先加入凤凰社才能提问题？”小天狼星问。

She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched an its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone.

“哈利在那个麻瓜家里困了整整一个月。他有权利知道发生了什么——”

'Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?' asked Sirius. 'Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen-'

“等一等！”乔治大声打断了他。

'Hang on!' interrupted George loudly.

“为什么哈利的问题就能得到答复？”弗雷德气呼呼地问。

'How come Harry gets his questions answered?' said Fred angrily.

“一个月来我们一直想从你们嘴里问出点什么来，但你们什么也不肯告诉我们！”乔治说。

'We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and y du haven't told us a single stinking thing!' said George.

“你们年纪太小了，你们没有加入凤凰社，”弗雷德说，那又尖又细的声音活脱脱就是他母亲的，听着简直不可思议，“而哈利甚至还没有成年呢！”

' "You're too young, you're not in the Order," ' said Fred, in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's. 'Harry's not even of age!'

“没有人告诉你们凤凰社在做什么，这可不能怪我呀，”小天狼星平静地说道，“那是你父母的决定。而哈利则不同——”

'It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing,' said Sirius calmly, 'that's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand - '

“用不着你来决定怎么对哈利有好处！”韦斯莱夫人厉声说，平日和蔼亲切的脸上此刻露出的表情很吓人，“我想，你没有忘记邓布利多说的话吧？”

'It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!' said Mrs Weasley sharply. The expression on her normally kind face looked dangerous. 'You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?'

“哪一部分？”小天狼星不失礼貌地问，但神情却像一个准备迎战的人。

'Which bit?' Sirius asked politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.

“就是不告诉哈利他不需要知道的。”韦斯莱夫人说，着重强调了最后几个字。

The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know,' said Mrs Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.

罗恩、赫敏、弗雷德和乔治的脑袋在小天狼星和韦斯莱夫人之间转来转去，仿佛在观看网球场上的来回对打。金妮跪在一堆丢弃的黄油啤酒软木塞中间，呆呆地望着他们谈话，嘴巴微微张着。卢平眼睛一眨不眨地盯着小天狼星。

Ron, Hermione, Fred and Georges heads swivelled from Sirius to Mrs Weasley as though they were following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned Butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin's eyes were fixed on Sirius.

“我只打算告诉哈利他需要知道的，莫丽，”小天狼星说，“但当时是他看见伏地魔复活的，”（听到这个名字，饭桌周围的人又是一阵战栗）“他比大多数人都更有权利——”

'I don't intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly,' said Sirius. 'But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back' (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name) 'he has more right than most to - '

“他还不是凤凰社的成员呢！”韦斯莱夫人说道，“他才只有十五岁，而且——”

'He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!' said Mrs Weasley. 'He's only fifteen and - '

“但他经历的事情不比风凰社的大多数人少，”小天狼星说，“甚至比有些人还多呢。”

'And he's dealt with as much as most in the Order,' said Sirius, 'and more than some.'

“没有人否认他做过的事情！”韦斯莱夫人说，声音越来越高，放在椅子扶手上的拳头在微微颤抖，“但他仍然——”

'No one's denying what he's done!' said Mrs Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. 'But he's still - '

“他不是个孩子了！”小天狼星不耐烦地说。

'He's not a child!' said Sirius impatiently.

“但他也不是个成年人！”韦斯莱夫人说，血液冲上了她的面颊，“他不是詹姆，小天狼星！”

'He's not an adult either!' said Mrs Weasley, the colour rising in her cheeks. 'He's not James, Sirius!'

“谢谢，我很清楚他是谁，莫丽。”小天狼星冷冷地说。

'I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly,' said Sirius coldly.

“我看不一定！”韦斯莱夫人说，“有时你谈起他时的语气，就好像你以为你最好的朋友又回来了似的！”

'I'm not sure you are!' said Mrs Weasley. 'Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!'

“那又有什么错呢？”哈利说。

'What's wrong with that?' said Harry.

“错就错在你不是你的父亲，哈利，不管你长得多么像他！”韦斯莱夫人说道，眼睛仍然死死地盯着小天狼星，“你还在上学，对你负责任的成年人不应该忘记这一点！”

'What's wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him!' said Mrs Weasley, her eyes still boring into Sirius. 'You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!'

“你是说我是个不负责任的教父？”小天狼星问道，声音提高了。

'Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?' demanded Sirius, his voice rising.

“我是说大家都知道你做事情莽撞，小天狼星，所以邓布利多才不断提醒你待在家里——”

'Meaning you have been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and - '

“对不起，希望我们的谈话不要扯进邓布利多对我的指教。”小天狼星大声说。

'We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!' said Sirius loudly.

“亚瑟！”韦斯莱夫人说，突然转向她的丈夫，“亚瑟，你支持我一下！”

'Arthur!' said Mrs Weasley rounding on her husband. 'Arthur, back me up!'

韦斯莱先生没有马上说话，而是摘下眼镜，在长袍上慢慢地擦着镜片，眼睛也不看自己的妻子。他小心翼翼地把眼镜重新戴好，才开了口。

Mr Weasley did not speak at once. He took off his glasses and cleaned them slowly on his robes, not looking at his wife. Only when he had replaced them carefully on his nose did he reply.

“邓布利多知道情况有了变化，莫丽。他同意在一定程度上必须把最新消息告诉给哈利，既然哈利现在已经住在指挥部了。”

'Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in, to a certain extent, now that he is staying at Headquarters.'

“没错，但那跟鼓励他随便发问还是有区别的！”

'Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!'

“就我个人来说，”卢平终于把目光从小天狼星身上移开，轻声细语地说话了，韦斯莱夫人立刻转向他，满心指望自己总算有了一个支持者，“我认为最好让哈利从我们这里了解到事实真相——不是所有的事实，莫丽，而是一个大致的情况，免得他从——别人那里得到一些混乱不清的说法。”

'Personally,' said Lupin quietly, looking away from Sirius at last, as Mrs Weasley turned quickly to him, hopeful that finally she was about to get an ally, 'I think it better that Harry gets the facts - 'not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture - from us, rather than a garbled version from . . . others.'

他的表情很温和，但哈利可以肯定，至少卢平是知道有几只伸缩耳逃脱了韦斯莱夫人的清洗扫荡。

His expression was mild, but Harry felt sure Lupin, at least, knew that some Extendable Ears had survived Mrs Weasley's purge.

“好吧，”韦新莱夫人说，深深吸了口气，扫视了一圈饭桌，指望能够得到支持，但没有人响应，“好吧——看来我的意见是要被否决了。我只想说一句：邓布利多不想让哈利知道得太多肯定有他的道理，我作为一个关心哈利切身利益的人——”

'Well,' said Mrs Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, 'well . . . I can see I' going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart -'

“他不是你的儿子。”小天狼星轻声说。

'He's not your son,' said Sirius quietly.

“但和我的儿子差不多。”韦斯莱夫人恼怒地说，“他还有谁？”

'He's as good as,' said Mrs Weasley fiercely. 'Who else has he got?'

“他有我！”

'He's got me!'

“是啊，”韦斯莱夫人撇着嘴说，“问题是，你自己被关在阿兹卡班，根本就难以照顾他，是不是？”

'Yes,' said Mrs Weasley, her lip curling, 'the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?'

小天狼星忍不住要从椅子上跳起来。

Sirius started to rise from his chair.

“莫丽，这张桌子旁关心哈利的人不止你一个。”卢平严厉地说，“小天狼星，坐下。”

'Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry,' said Lupin sharply. 'Sirius, sit down.'

韦斯莱夫人的下嘴唇颤抖着，小天狼星缓缓跌回椅子上，脸色煞白。

Mrs Weasleys lower lip was trembling. Sirius sank slowly back into his chair, his face white.

“我认为这件事最好允许哈利发表意见，”卢平接着说，“他年纪不小了，可以自己决定了。”

'I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this,' Lupin continued, 'he's old enough to decide for himself.'

“我想知道到底发生了什么事情。”哈利立刻说道。

'I want to know what's been going on,' Harry said at once.

他没有看韦斯莱夫人。刚才韦斯莱夫人说他就像她的亲生儿子一样，他很受感动，但同时他也被韦斯莱夫人对自己的过分溺爱弄得很不耐烦。小天狼星说得对，他已经不是一个小孩子了。

He did not look at Mrs Weasley. He had been touched by what she had said about his being as good as a son, but he was also impatient with her mollycoddling. Sirius was right, he was not a child.

“很好，”韦斯莱夫人说道，伤心得声音都哑了，“金妮——罗恩——赫敏——弗雷德——乔治——我要你们离开这间厨房，马上。”

'Very well,' said Mrs Weasley, her voice cracking. 'Ginny - Ron - Hermione - Fred - George - I want, you out of this kitchen, now.'

立刻，屋子里像炸了窝一样。

There was instant uproar.

“我们已经成年了！”弗雷德和乔治同时嚷道。

'We're of age!' Fred and George bellowed together.

“哈利能知道，为什么我就不能？”罗恩大叫。

'If Harry's allowed, why can't I?' shouted Ron.

“妈妈，我也想听听！”金妮尖声喊。

'Mum, I want to hear!' wailed Ginny

“不行！”韦斯莱夫人大吼一声，腾地站了起来，眼睛里放出奇亮的光芒，“我绝对不允许——”

'NO!' shouted Mrs Weasley, standing up, her eyes overbright. 'I absolutely forbid - '

“莫丽，你不能阻拦弗雷德和乔治，”韦斯莱先生疲倦地说，“他们已经成年了。”

'Molly you can't stop Fred and George,' said Mr Weasley wearily. They are of age.'

“他们还在上学。”

They're still at school.'

“但他们是合法的成年人了。”韦斯莱先生还是用那疲倦的声音说。

'But they're legally adults now,' said Mr Weasley, in the same tired voice.

韦斯莱夫人的脸这时涨得通红。“我——哦，好吧，弗雷德和乔治可以留下来，但是罗恩——”

Mrs Weasley was now scarlet in the face.

“反正哈利会把你们所说的一切都告诉我和赫敏的！”罗恩愤愤不平地说，“你——会吗？”他迎住哈利的目光，没有把握地追问了一句。

'I - oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron - '

刹那间，哈利想对罗恩说他一个字也不会告诉他，也让他尝尝披蒙在鼓里的滋味，看看好受不好受。但是当两人目光相对时，他那种小心眼的冲动一下子就消失了。

'Harry'll tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!' said Ron hotly. 'Won't - won't you?' he added uncertainly, meeting Harry's eyes.

“我当然会的。”哈利说。

For a split second, Harry considered telling Ron that he wouldn't tell him a single word, that he could try a taste of being kept in the dark and see how he liked it. But the nasty impulse vanished as they looked at each other.

罗恩和赫敏顿时喜上眉梢。

'Course I will,' Harry said.

“很好！”韦斯莱夫人大声喝道，“很好！金妮——上床睡觉！”

Ron and Hermione beamed.

金妮并不是乖乖离开的。他们听见她上楼时一路冲她妈妈连喊带叫，大发脾气。到了门厅里，布莱克夫人又发出震耳欲聋的尖叫，使喧闹声变得更加无法忍受。卢平赶紧冲到那幅肖像前去使它恢复了平静。等他回来返身关上厨房的门，重新在桌子旁坐下后，小天狼星这才开口说话。

'Fine!' shouted Mrs Weasley. 'Fine! Ginny - BED!'

“好吧，哈利——你想知道什么？”

Ginny did not go quietly. They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and when she reached the hall Mrs Blacks ear-splitting shrieks were added to the din. Lupin hurried off to the portrait: to restore calm. It was only after he had returned, closing the kitchen door behind him and taking his seat at the table again, that Sirius spoke.

哈利深深吸了口气，问出了最近一个月来一直困扰着他的那个问题。

'OK, Harry . . . what do you want to know?'

“伏地魔在哪儿？”他问，别人听到这个名字又是一阵战栗和畏缩，但他只当没看见，“他在做什么？我一直在想办法看麻瓜的新闻，但没有发现他的一点蛛丝马迹，没有人蹊跷地死去，什么也没有发生。”

Harry took a deep breath and asked the question that had obsessed him for the last month.

“那是因为到现在为止还没有人蹊跷地死去，”小天狼星说，“反正据我们所知是这样——而我们知道不少情况。”

'Where's Voldemort?' he said, ignoring the renewed shudders and winces at the name. 'What's he doing? I've been trying to watch the Muggle news, and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet, no funny deaths or anything.'

“至少他没想到我们会知道得这么多。”卢平说。

That's because there haven't been any funny deaths yet,' said Sirius, 'not as far as we know, anyway . . . and we know quite a let.'

“他怎么会停止杀人呢？”哈利问。他知道伏地魔光是去年就不止一次地杀过人。

'More than he thinks we do, anyway,' said Lupin.

“因为他不想引起别人对他的注意，”小天狼星说，“那对他来说是很危险的。你知道，他这次回来并不像他所希望的那样顺利。他的安排被打乱了。”

'How come he's stopped killing people?' Harry asked. He knew Voldemort had murdered more than once in the last year alone.

“或者说，是你打乱了他的安排。”卢平说着，脸上露出满意的微笑。

'Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself,' said Sirius. 'It would be dangerous for him. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up.'

“怎么会呢？”哈利困惑不解地问。

'Or rather, you messed it up for him,' said Lupin, with a satisfied smile.

“你本来不应该活下来的！”小天狼星说，“除了他的食死徒，谁都不应该知道他已经回来了。而你活下来成了证人。”

'How?' Harry asked, perplexed.

“他最不希望他一回来就对他保持警惕的人是邓布利多，”卢平说，“而你确保了邓布利多立刻就知道了这件事。”

'You weren't supposed to survive!' said Sirius. 'Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back. But you survived to bear witness.'

“那又有什么用呢？”哈利问。

'And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore,' said Lupin. 'And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once.'

“你在开玩笑吗？”比尔不敢相信地说，“邓布利多是神秘人有生以来惟一害怕的人！”

'How has that helped?' Harry asked.

“多亏了你，邓布利多才能够在伏地魔回来后不到一小时就重新召集了凤凰社。”小天狼星说。

'Are you kidding?' said Bill incredulously. 'Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!'

“那么，凤凰社一直在做些什么呢？”哈利问道，挨个儿望着大家。

Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned,' said Sirius.

“尽我们最大的努力，确保伏地魔无法实施他的计划。”小天狼星说。

'So, what's the Order been doing?' said Harry, looking around at them all.

“你们怎么知道他的计划是什么呢？”哈利立刻问道。

'Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans,' said Sirius.

“邓布利多有一个敏锐的感觉，”卢平说，“而邓布利多的敏锐感觉一般都被证明是准确的。”

'How d'you know what his plans are?' Harry asked quickly.

“那么邓布利多认为他的计划是什么呢？”

'Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea,' said Lupin, 'and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate.'

“是这样，首先，他想重新纠集他的人马。”小天狼星说，“过去，他有一大批人听他指挥：那些迫于他的淫威或受他蒙蔽而跟随他的巫师，那些忠心耿耿的食死徒，还有黑势力的形形色色的妖魔鬼怪。你还听说他打算把巨人也拉拢过去。其实，他们只是他想纠集的大批人马中的一部分。他显然不会只带着十几个食死徒就来跟魔法部较量。”

'So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?'

“这么说你们想阻止他得到更多的追随者？”

'Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again,' said Sirius. 'In the old days he had huge numbers at his command: witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one of the groups he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters.'

“我们在尽力而为。”卢平说。

'So you're trying to stop him getting more followers?'

“怎么做呢？”

'We're doing our best,' said Lupin.

“是这样，尽量让更多的人相信神秘人真的回来了，让他们保持警惕，”比尔说，“不过这件事做起来很棘手。”

'How?'

“为什么呢？”

'Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard,' said Bill. 'It's proving tricky, though.'

“因为魔法部的态度。”唐克斯说，“哈利，神秘人回来后，你是见过康奈利福吉的。哼，他丝毫也没有改变立场。他死活不肯相信这件事真的发生了。”

'Why?'

“可是为什么呢？”哈利烦躁地问道，“他为什么这样愚蠢？既然邓布利多——”

'Because of the Ministry's attitude,' said Tonks. 'You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened.'

“啊，好了，你指出了问题关键，”韦斯莱先生苦笑着说，“邓布利多。”

'But why?' said Harry desperately. 'Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore - '

“福吉害怕他，明白吗？”唐克斯悲哀地说。

'Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem,' said Mr Weasley with a wry smile. 'Dumbledore.'

“害怕邓布利多？”哈利不敢相信地问。

'Fudge is frightened of him, you see,' said Tonks sadly.

“害怕他想做的事情。”韦斯莱先生说道，“福吉认为邓布利多在密谋推翻他。他认为邓布利多自己想当魔法部长。”

'Frightened of Dumbledore?' said Harry incredulously.

“可是邓布利多并不想——”

'Frightened of what he's up to,' said Mr Weasley. 'Fudge thinks Dumbledore's plotting to overthrow him. He thinks Dumbledore wants to be Minister for Magic.'

“他当然不想，”韦斯莱先生说，“他从来没想过要当部长，尽管米里森巴格诺退休时，许多人想让他接替部长职位。后来福吉掌了大权，但他一直没有忘记曾经有多少人支持邓布利多，虽说邓布利多从来没有申请过这个职位。”

'But Dumbledore doesn't want - '

“在内心深处，福吉知道邓布利多比他有智慧得多，巫师的法术也比他厉害得多。他刚开始当部长的时候，还三天两头向邓布利多讨教、求助。”卢平说，“但是后来他似乎喜欢上了权力，信心也增强了。他迷恋当魔法部长的感觉，而且他使自己相信，他才是有智慧的人，邓布利多只是为此故意制造事端。”

'Of course he doesn't,' said Mr Weasley. 'He's never wanted the Minister's job, even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but

“他怎么能那么想呢？”哈利生气地说，“他怎么能认为邓布利多会凭空编造——我会凭空编造呢？”

he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job.'

“因为如果承认伏地魔回来了，那就意味着有大麻烦，这种麻烦魔法部已经有将近十四年没有碰到了。”小天狼星尖刻地说，“福吉只是没有勇气面对这件事。他让自己相信邓布利多是在散布谣言，破坏他的稳定地位，这样一想就轻松多了。”

'Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is, a much more powerful wizard, and in the early days of his Ministry he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice,' said Lupin. 'But it seems he's become fond of power, and much more confident. He loves being Minister for Magic and he's m; n-aged to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it.'

“你说到点子上了。”卢平说，“既然魔法部坚持说用不着担心伏地魔，我们就很难让人们相信他回来了，特别是在人们其实也不愿意相信这个事实的情况下。还有，魔法部一直在对《预言家日报》施加压力，不让他们报道有关的任何消息，他们现在称这些消息为邓布利多的谣言，因此，巫师界的大部分人都完全不知道有事情发生了，这样他们很容易成为食死徒的攻击目标，如果食死徒使用夺魂咒的话。”

'How can he think that?' said Harry angrily. 'How can he think Dumbledore would just make it all up - that I'd make it all up?'

“可是你们在告诉人们真相，是不是？”哈利说，轮番看着韦斯莱先生、小天狼星、比尔、蒙顿格斯、卢平和唐克斯，“你们在让人们知道他回来了？”

'Because accepting that Voldermort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen yea 's,' said Sirius bitterly. 'Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilise him.'

他们全都毫无生趣地苦笑着。

'You see the problem,' said Lupin. 'While the Ministry insists there is nothing to fear from Voldemort it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. What's more, the Ministry's leaning heavily on the Daily Prophet not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumour-mongering, so most of the wizarding community are completely unaware anything's happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters if they're using the Imperius Curse.'

“唉，所有的人都认为我是一个杀人不眨眼的疯子，魔法部悬赏一万加隆取我的人头，所以我不可能溜溜达达地在大街上散发传单，是不是？”小天狼星焦躁不安地说。

'But you're telling people, aren't you?' said Harry, looking around at Mr Weasley, Sirius, Bill, Mundungus, Lupin and Tonks. 'You're letting people know he's back?'

“在大多数巫师的眼里，我不是一个很受欢迎的晚宴贵宾。”卢平说，“身为狼人，真是一种职业性的危害。”

They all smiled humourlessly.

“唐克斯和亚瑟如果信口开河，随便乱说，会丢掉他们在魔法部的工作。”小天狼星说，“而我们在部里安插内线是很重要的，伏地魔肯定也有他们自己的奸细。”

'Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass-murderer and the Ministry's put a ten thousand Galleon price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?' said Sirius restlessly.

“不过我们还是说服了几个人，”书斯莱先生说道，“比如这位唐克斯——她年纪太轻，上次没能加入凤凰社，能把傲罗争取到我们这边是一个很大的优势——金斯莱沙克尔也是一个无价之宝。他负责追捕小天狼星，所以他一直向部里提供信息说小天狼星在西藏。”

'And I'm not a very popular dinner guest with most of the community,' said Lupin. 'It's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf.'

“但是你们谁也没有公布伏地魔回来的消息——”哈利话没说完。

'Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off,' said Sirius, 'and it's very important

“谁说我们没有公布这个消息？”小天狼星说，“你认为邓布利多为什么会陷入这样的麻烦境地吗？”

for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them.'

“你这话是什么意思？”哈利问。

'We've managed to convince a couple of people, though,' said Mr Weasley. Tonks here, for one - she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage - Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset, too; he's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet.'

“他们拼命想败坏他的名声，”卢平说道，“你没看上个星期的《预言家日报》吗？他们报道说他的国际魔法师联合会主席的职位丢了，因为他已经年迈，力不从心，但那根本就不是事实。他发表了一篇讲话，宣布伏地魔回来了，之后魔法部的巫师们就投票使他落选了。他们给他降了级，他不再是威森加摩——就是最高巫师法庭——的首席魔法师，他们还在讨论收回他的梅林③爵士团一级勋章。”

'But if none of you are putting the news out that Voldemort's back - ' Harry began.

“可是邓布利多说，只要不把他从巧克力蛙的卡片中撤下来，他们做什么他都不在乎。”比尔咧嘴笑着说。

'Who said none of us are putting the news out?' said Sirius. 'Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?'

“这不是什么好笑的事情。”韦斯莱先生严厉地说，“如果他一直这样公然与魔法部对着干，最后他可能会被关进阿兹卡班的，而我们最不希望看到的就是邓布利多被关起来。既然神秘人知道邓布利多在哪里并且清楚他打算做什么，他就必须谨慎行事。如果邓布利多被清除了——唉，神秘人就可以肆意妄为了。”

'What d'you mean?' Harry asked.

“但是，如果伏地魔想吸收更多的人成为食死徒，他回来的消息肯定会传出去的，是不是？”哈利急躁地问。

They're trying to discredit him,' said Lupin. 'Didn't you see the Daily Prophet last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true; he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot - that's the Wizard High Court - and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too.'

“伏地魔并不是大摇大摆地走到别人家门口，砰砰地敲他们的门，哈利，”小天狼星说，“他对他们施魔法，念恶咒，威逼利诱。他搞秘密活动是很有一套的。不管怎么说，网罗追随者只是他感兴趣的事情之一。他还有其他计划，他可以神不知鬼不觉地实施的计划，眼下他的全部注意力都在那上面。”

'But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog Cards,' said Bill, grinning.

“除了追随者以外，他还想得到什么呢？”哈利反应敏捷地问。

'It's no laughing matter,' said Mr Weasley sharply. 'If he carries on defying the Ministry like this he could end up in Azkaban, and the last thing we want is to have Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to he's going to go cautiously. If Dumbledore's out of the way - well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field.'

他仿佛看到小天狼星和卢平飞快地交换了一下目光，然后小天狼星才做出了回答。

'But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?' asked Harry desperately.

“某种只有偷偷摸摸才能得到的东西。”看到哈利还是一脸的迷惑，小天狼星说：“比如一件武器。他上次所没有的东西。”

'Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry,' said Sirius. 'He tricks, jinxes and blackmails them. He's well-practised at operating in secret. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in. He's got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on those for the moment.'

“他以前得势的时候？”

'What's he after apart from followers?' Harry asked swiftly. He thought he saw Sirius and Lupin exchange the most fleeting of looks before Sirius answered.

“是的。”

'Stuff he can only get by stealth.'

“比如什么样的武器呢？”哈利说，“比阿瓦达索命咒还要厉害——？”

When Harry continued to look puzzled, Sirius said, 'Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time.'

“够了！”韦斯莱夫人站在门旁的阴影里说。哈利没注意到她送金妮上楼已经回来了。她抱着双臂，满脸怒气。“我希望你们赶紧上床睡觉。大家都去！”她补充了一句，挨个儿扫视着弗雷德、乔治、罗恩和赫敏。

'When he was powerful before?'

“你不能对我们发号施令——”弗雷德想反抗。

'Yes.'

“你小心点儿！”韦斯莱夫人吼道。她身体微微颤抖，望着小天狼星。“你告诉哈利的情况够多的了。再说下去，你就可以马上吸收他加入凤凰社了。”

'Like what kind of weapon?' said Harry. 'Something worse than the Avada Kedavra - ?'

“为什么不呢？”哈利立刻问道。“我想参加，我愿意参加。我希望参加战斗。”

That's enough!'

“不行。”

Mrs Weasley spoke from the shadows beside the door. Harry hadn't noticed her return from taking Ginny upstairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked furious.

这次说话的不是韦斯莱夫人，而是卢平。

'I want you in bed, now. All of you,' she added, looking around at Fred, George, Ron and Hermione.

“凤凰社的成员只能是达到一定年龄的巫师。”他说，“已经从学校毕业的巫师。”他看到弗雷德和乔治张嘴想要说什么，便又补充说，“这里头有很多危险，你们根本就不可能知道，你们谁也不会知道——我认为莫丽说得对，小天狼星。我们说得够多的了。”

'You can't boss us - ' Fred began.

小天狼星微微耸了耸肩膀，但没有再说什么。韦斯莱夫人盛气凌人地招呼着她的几个儿子和赫敏。他们一个接一个地站起身，哈利看到没什么希望了，也只好跟着站了起来。

'Watch me,' snarled Mrs Weasley. She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius. 'You've given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway.'

①蒙顿格斯的昵称。

'Why not?' said Harry quickly. 'I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight.'

②关于狐猸子的详细描写，见《神奇动物在哪里》一书。人民文学出版社。

'No.'

2001年lO月ll版。

It was not Mrs Weasley who spoke this time, but Lupin.

③关于著名巫师梅林的情况，见《哈利波特的魔法世界》一书，人民文学出版社，2002年1月版。

The Order is comprised only of overage wizards,' he said. 'Wizards who have left school,' he added, as Fred and George opened their mouths. There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you . . . I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough.'

Sirius half-shrugged but did not argue. Mrs Weasley beckoned imperiously to her sons and Herrnione. One by one they stood up and Harry, recognising defeat, followed suit.