晨韵推荐：双语美文--哈利波特与凤凰社 Chapter 8（下）

绚斓晨韵

Harry felt a horrible sinking in the pit of his stomach. Whatever Mrs Figg might say, it sounded to him as though the most she had ever seen was a picture of a Dementor, and a picture could never convey the truth of what these beings were like: the eerie way they moved, hovering inches over the ground; or the rotting smell of them; or that terrible rattling noise they made as they sucked on the surrounding air . . .
In the second row, a dumpy wizard with a large black moustache leaned close to whisper in the ear of his neighbour, a frizzy-haired witch. She smirked and nodded.
'Big and wearing cloaks,' repeated Madam Bones coolly, while Fudge snorted derisively. 'I see. Anything else？'
'Yes,' said Mrs Figg. 'I felt them. Everything went cold, and this was a very warm summer's night, mark you. And I felt . . . as though all happiness had gone from the world . . . and I remembered . . . dreadful things . . .'
Her voice shook and died.
Madam Bones's eyes widened slightly. Harry could see red marks under her eyebrow where the monocle had dug into it.
'What did the Dementors do？' she asked, and Harry felt a rush of hope.
They went for the boys,' said Mrs Figg, her voice stronger and more confident now, the pink flush ebbing away from her face. 'One of them had fallen. The other was backing away, trying to repel the Dementor. That was Harry. He tried twice and produced only silver vapour. On the third attempt, he produced a Patronus, which charged down the first Dementor and then, with his encouragement, chased the second one away from his cousin. And that . . . that is what happened,' Mrs Figg finished, somewhat lamely.
Madam Bones looked down at Mrs Figg in silence. Fudge was not looking at her at all, but fidgeting with his papers. Finally, he raised his eyes and said, rather aggressively, That's what you saw, is it？'
哈利感到他的心可怕地往下一沉。不管费格太太说什么，在他听来她似乎最多只看过摄魂怪的照片，而照片是根本无法传达那些家伙的真正本质的：它们在离地面几英寸的地方悬浮移动时的怪异可怖的样子;它们散发出的那股腐烂的恶臭;还有它们吞噬周围空气时发出的可怕的吱吱嘎嘎的声音……
在第二排长凳上，一个矮矮胖胖、留着一大蓬黑胡子的男巫师凑到旁边一位头发拳曲的女巫师耳边窃窃私语起来。女巫师露出得意的讥笑，点了点头。
“很大，穿着斗篷，”博恩斯女士冷冷地重复了一遍——福吉讥讽地哼了一声，“我明白了。还有别的吗？”
“有，”费格太太说，“我感觉到了它们。所有的一切都变得很冷，别忘了当时是很炎热的夏天的夜晚呀。然后我觉得……似乎所有的快乐都从世界上消失了……我想起了……可怕的事情……”
她的声音颤抖着，渐渐听不见了。
博恩斯女士的眼睛微微睁大了。哈利可以看见她眉毛下面刚才镜片陷进去的地方留下的红樱
“摄魂怪做了什么？”她问，哈利内心升起一丝希望。
“它们朝两个男孩扑了过去，”费格太太说，现在她的声音更有力、更自信了，脸上的红晕也退去了。“一个男孩倒下了，另一个一边后退一边试着击退摄魂怪。这是哈利。他试了两次，变出来的只是银色烟雾。第三次再试，他变出了一个守护神。那守护神冲过去撞倒了第一个摄魂怪，然后它鼓足勇气，又把第二个摄魂怪从哈利表哥身边赶跑了。这就是……这就是当时发生的事情。”费格太太说完了，她的声音有点儿软弱无力。
博恩斯女士默默地望着费格太太。福吉则看也不看她，只顾摆弄他的文件。最后，他抬起眼睛，有点咄咄逼人地说：“那就是你看到的情形，是吗？”
That is what happened,' Mrs Figg repeated.
'Very well,' said Fudge. 'You may go.'
Mrs Figg cast a frightened look from Fudge to Dumbledore, then got up and shuffled off towards the door. Harry heard it thud shut behind her.
'Not a very convincing witness,' said Fudge loftily.
'Oh, I don't know,' said Madam Bones, in her booming voice. 'She certainly described the effects of a Dementor attack very accurately. And I can't imagine why she would say they were there if they weren't.'
'But Dementors wandering into a Muggle suburb and just happening to come across a wizard？' snorted Fudge. The odds on that must be very, very long. Even Bagman wouldn't have bet - '
'Oh, I don't think any of us believe the Dementors were there by coincidence,' said Dumbledore lightly.
The witch sitting to the right of Fudge, with her face in shade w, moved slightly but everyone else was quite still and silent.
'And what is that supposed to mean？' Fudge asked icily.
'It means that I think they were ordered there,' said Dumbledore.
'I think we might have a record of it if someone had ordered a pair of Dementors to go strolling through Little Whinging！' barked Fudge.
'Not if the Dementors are taking orders from someone other than the Ministry of Magic these days,' said Dumbledore calmly. 'I have already given you my views on this matter, Cornelius.'
'Yes, you have,' said Fudge forcefully, 'and I have no reason to believe that your views are anything other than bilge, Dumbledore. The Dementors remain in place in Azkaban and are doing everything we ask them to.'
Then,' said Dumbledore, quietly but clearly, 'we must ask ourselves why somebody within the Ministry ordered a pair of Dementors into that alleyway on the second of August.'
In the complete silence that greeted these words, the witch to the right of Fudge leaned forwards so that Harry saw her for the first time.
“是当时发生的事情。”费格太太又说了一遍。
“很好，”福吉说，“你可以走了。”
费格太太胆怯地望望福吉，又望望邓布利多，然后站起来，拖着脚朝门口走去。哈利听见门在她身后重重地关上了。
“这个证人不很令人信服。”福吉傲慢地说。
“哦，我看不一定，”博恩斯女士用她洪亮的声音说，“她对摄魂怪发起进攻时的威力描绘得非常准确。我无法想象，如果它们不在那里，她为什么要这么说。”
“可是摄魂怪跑到一个麻瓜住宅区，又正好遇到一个巫师？”福吉轻蔑地说道，“这种可能性肯定很小很小，就连巴格曼也不会下赌注——”
“噢，我认为我们谁也不会相信摄魂怪出现在那里是一种巧合。”邓布利多轻言慢语地说。
坐在福吉的右边、脸笼罩在阴影里的女巫微微地动了动，但其他人都一动不动，一言不发。
“这到底是什么意思呢？”福吉冷冰冰地问。
“意思是我认为是有人派它们去的。”邓布利多说。
“我想，如果有人命令两个摄魂怪在小惠金区大摇大摆地溜达，我们应该会有记录的！”福吉粗声吼道。
“如果这两个摄魂怪最近接受了魔法部之外的某个人的指令，那就不一定了吧。”邓布利多平静地说，“我把我对这个问题的看法告诉过你，康奈利。”
“是的，你是说过，”福吉强硬地说道，“而我没有理由相信你的看法不是一派胡言，邓布利多。摄魂怪仍然严格服从我们的命令，规规矩矩地待在阿兹卡班。”
“那么，”邓布利多语调平稳而清晰地说，“我们必须问问我们自己，为什么魔法部的某人会在8月2日命令两个摄魂怪到那条小巷里去。”
这些话一说完，场上一片静默，坐在福吉右边的那个女巫探身向前，哈利这才第一次看清了她的脸。
He thought she looked just like a large, pale toad. She was rather squat with a broad, flabby face, as little neck as Uncle Vernon and a very wide, slack mouth. Her eyes were large, round and slightly bulging. Even the little black velvet bow perched on top of her short curly hair put him in mind of a large fly she was about to catch on a long sticky tongue.
The Chair recognises Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister,' said Fudge.
The witch spoke in a fluttery, girlish, high-pitched voice that took Harry aback; he had been expecting a croak.
'I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, Professor Dumbledore,' she said, with a simper that felt her big, round eyes as cold as ever. 'So silly of me. But it sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry of Magic had ordered an attack on this boy！'
She gave a silvery laugh that made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand up. A few other members of the Wizengamot laughed with her. It could not have been plainer that not one of them was really amused.
'If it is true that the Dementors are taking orders only from the Ministry of Magic, and it is also true that two Dementors attacked Harry and his cousin a week ago, then it follows logically that somebody at the Ministry might have ordered the attacks,' said Dumbledore politely. 'Of course, these particular Dementors may have been outside Ministry control - '
'There are no Dementors outside Ministry control！ snapped Fudge, who had turned brick red.
Dumbledore inclined his head in a little bow.
'Then undoubtedly the Ministry will be making a full inquiry into why two Dementors were so very far from Azkaban and why they attacked without authorisation.'
'It is not for you to decide what the Ministry of Magic does or does not do, Dumbledore！' snapped Fudge, now a shade of magenta of which Uncle Vernon would have been proud.
'Of course it isn't,' said Dumbledore mildly. 'I was merely expressing my confidence that this matter will not go uninvestigated.'
He glanced at Madam Bones, who readjusted her monocle and stared back at him, frowning slightly.
哈利觉得她活像一只苍白的大癞蛤螅她又矮又胖，长着一张宽大的、皮肉松弛的脸，像弗农一样看不见脖子，一张大嘴向下耷拉着。她的眼睛很大，圆圆的，微微向外凸起。就连戴在她短短鬈发上的那个黑色天鹅绒小蝴蝶结，也使哈利想起了一只大苍蝇，她正准备伸出黏糊糊的长舌头去捕捉呢。
“本主持准许高级副部长多洛雷斯·简·乌姆里奇发言。”福吉说。
于是那女巫用一种小姑娘一样大惊小怪、又尖又细的声音说起话来，哈利大吃了一惊，他还以为会听到一个沙哑的嗓子呢。
“我相信我一定是误会你的意思了，邓布利多教授。”她说道，脸上堆着假笑，那两只圆圆的大眼睛仍和刚才一样冷漠，“我真是太笨了，但是我觉得刚才有那么一刹那，你似乎在暗示说是魔法部下令攻击这个男孩的！”
她发出银铃般的笑声，哈利听得脖子后面的汗毛都竖了起来。几个威森加摩成员跟她一起笑了起来。但是并没有一个人真的觉得好笑，这是再明显不过了。
“如果摄魂怪确实只接受魔法部的命令，如果那两个摄魂怪一星期前确实袭击过哈利和他表哥，那么按逻辑推断，可能是魔法部的某个人命令摄魂怪去袭击的。”邓布利多温文尔雅地说，“当然啦，这两个特殊的摄魂怪也可能不受魔法部的控制——”
“没有哪个摄魂怪不受魔法部的控制！”福吉厉声说道，脸涨成了褐红色。
邓布利多微微欠身点了点头。
“那么，魔法部无疑会彻底调查为什么那两个摄魂怪会跑到离阿兹卡班这么远的地方，为什么它们没有得到批准就向人发起进攻。”
“邓布利多，魔法部做什么或不做什么，还轮不到你来决定！”福吉粗暴地说，此刻他脸上是一种会令弗农姨父感到骄傲的洋红色了。
“当然是这样，”邓布利多不紧不慢地说，“我只是表示我相信这件事一定会被查个水落石出的。”
他扫了一眼博恩斯女士。她重新调整了一下单片眼镜，再次瞪着邓布利多，微微皱起眉头。