晨韵推荐：双语美文--哈利波特与凤凰社 Chapter 8（下）

绚斓晨韵

'I would remind everybody that the behaviour of these Dementors, if indeed they are not figments of this boy's imagination, is not the subject of this hearing！' said Fudge. 'We are here to examine Harry Potter's offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery！'
'Of course we are,' said Dumbledore, 'but the presence of Dementors in that alleyway is highly relevant. Clause Seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before Muggles in exceptional circumstances, and as those exceptional circumstances include situations which threaten the life of the wizard or witch him- or herself, or any witches, wizards or Muggles present at the time of the - '
'We are familiar with Clause Seven, thank you very much！' snarled Fudge.
'Of course you are,' said Dumbledore courteously. Then we are in agreement that Harry's use of the Patronus Charm in these circumstances falls precisely into the category of exceptional circumstances the clause describes？'
'If there were Dementors, which I doubt.'
'You have heard it from an eyewitness,' Dumbledore interrupted.
'If you still doubt her truthfulness, call her back, question her again. I am sure she would not object.'
'I - that - not -' blustered Fudge, fiddling with the papers before him. 'It's - I want this over with today, Dumbledore！'
'But naturally, you would not care how many times you heard from a witness, if the alternative was a serious miscarriage of justice,' said Dumbledore.
'Serious miscarriage, my hat！' said Fudge at the top of his voice. 'Have you ever bothered to tot up the number of cock-and-bull stories this boy has come out with, Dumbledore, while trying to cover up his flagrant misuse of magic out of school？ I suppose you've forgotten the Hover Charm he used three years ago - '
'That wasn't me, it was a house-elf！' said Harry.
'YOU SEE？' roared Fudge, gesturing flamboyantly in Harry's direction. 'A house-elf！ In a Muggle house！ I ask you.'
“我想提醒诸位，那两个摄魂怪的行为，就算它们不是这个孩子胡思乱想的产物，也不是这次审问的话题！”福吉说，“我们在这里是要审问哈利·波特违反《对未成年巫师加以合理约束法》一案！”
“当然是这样，”邓布利多说，“但摄魂怪在小巷里的出现与本案有着密切关系。该法的第七条写着，在特殊情况下可以在麻瓜面前使用魔法，那些特殊情况就包括当巫师本人或同时在场的其他巫师或麻瓜的生命受到威胁——”
“我们很熟悉第七条的内容，真是多谢你了！”福吉怒吼道。
“当然是这样，”邓布利多不卑不亢地说，“那么我们一致同意哈利使用呼神护卫咒时的情形正好符合第七条里所描述的特殊情况的范畴喽？”
“那是说如果真有摄魂怪的话，对此我深表怀疑。”
“你已经听一位目击证人叙述过了。”邓布利多打断了他，“如果你仍然怀疑她没说实话，不妨把她再叫进来，重新提问。我想她肯定不会反对的。”
“我——那个——不是——”福吉气急败坏地吼道，摆弄着面前的纸，“这是——我想今天就把这事了结了，邓布利多！”
“可是，你们肯定会不厌其烦地听一个证人的证词，因为草率行事会造成严重的误判。”邓布利多说。
“严重的误判，我的天哪！”福吉扯足了嗓门说，“邓布利多，你有没有费心算一算，这个孩子到底编造了多少荒唐可笑的谎言，就为了掩盖他在校外公然滥用魔法的行径！我想你大概已忘记三年前他使用的那个悬停魔咒了吧——”
“那不是我，是一个家养小精灵！”哈利说。
“看见了吧？”福吉吼道，一边夸张地朝哈利那边做了个手势，“一个家养小精灵！在一个麻瓜住宅里！请问这可能吗？”
The house-elf in question is currently in the employ of Hogwarts School,' said Dumbledore. 'I can summon him here in an instant to give evidence if you wish.'
'I - not - I haven't got time to listen to house-elves！ Anyway, that's not the only - he blew up his aunt, for Gods sake！' Fudge shouted, banging his fist on the judge's bench and upsetting a bottle of ink.
'And you very kindly did not press charges on that occasion, accepting, I presume, that even the best wizards cannot always control their emotions,' said Dumbledore calmly, as Fudge attempted to scrub the ink off his notes.
'And I haven't even started on what he gets up to at school.'
'But, as the Ministry has no authority to punish Hogwarts students for misdemeanours at school, Harry's behaviour there is not relevant to this hearing,' said Dumbledore, as politely as ever, but now with a suggestion of coolness behind his words.
'Oho！' said Fudge. 'Not our business what he does at school, eh？ You think so？'
The Ministry does not have the power to expel Hogwarts students, Cornelius, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August,' said Dumbledore. 'Nor does it have the right to confiscate wands until charges have been successfully proven; again, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August, in your admirable haste to ensure that the law is upheld, you appear, inadvertently I am sure, to have overlooked a few laws yourself.'
'Laws can be changed,' said Fudge savagely.
'Of course they can,' said Dumbledore, inclining his head. 'And you certainly seem to be making many changes, Cornelius. Why, in the few short weeks since I was asked to leave the Wizengamot, it has already become the practice to hold a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of underage magic！'
“该家养小精灵目前正受雇于霍格沃茨魔法学校，”邓布利多说，“如果您愿意，我马上就可以把他召到这儿来作证。”
“我——不是——我没有时间听家养小精灵胡扯！而且，不光这一件事——他还把他姑妈吹得膨胀起来，天哪！”福吉大声嚷道，一拳砸在法官的长凳上，把一瓶墨水打翻了。
“你当时非常仁慈地没有提出指控，我想你也同意即使是最优秀的巫师也并不是总能控制自己的情绪。”邓布利多平静地说，福吉手忙脚乱地擦掉笔记上的墨水。
“他在学校里干的那些坏事我还没有开始说呢。”
“可是，魔法部无权因霍格沃茨学生在校的不端行为而惩罚他们，因此，哈利在那里的所作所为与本案毫无关系。”邓布利多说，还是那样谦和有礼，但此时他的话里透着一种冷峻。
“哦！”福吉说，“他在学校的行为不用我们管，嗯？你是这样认为的？”
“魔法部没有权利开除霍格沃茨的学生，康奈利，这一点我已在8月2日晚上就提醒过你。”邓布利多说道，“魔法部也没有权利没收魔杖，除非那些指控被证明确实成立，这一点，我也在8月2日晚上提醒过你。你急于确保法律得到维护的态度是值得称道的，但你自己似乎——我相信是出于一时疏忽，忽略了几条法律。”
“法律是可以修改的。”福吉恶狠狠地说。
“当然是这样，”邓布利多欠了欠身说，“看样子你无疑正在做许多修改，康奈利。是啊，我被请出威森加摩只有短短几个星期，一件未成年人使用魔法的区区小事现在居然要动用正式的刑事法庭来审理了！”
A few of the wizards above them shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Fudge turned a slightly deeper shade of puce. The toadlike witch on his right, however, merely gazed at Dumbledore, her face quite expressionless.
'As far as I am aware,' Dumbledore continued, 'there is no law yet in place that says this court's job is to punish Harry for every bit of magic he has ever performed. He has been charged with a specific offence and he has presented his defence. All he and I can do now is to await your verdict.'
Dumbledore put his fingertips together again and said no more. Fudge glared at him, evidently incensed. Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore, seeking reassurance; he was not at all sure that Dumbledore was right in telling the Wizengamot, in effect, that it was about time they made a decision. Again, however, Dumbledore seemed oblivious to Harry's attempt to catch his eye. He continued to look up at the benches where the entire Wizengamot had fallen into urgent, whispered conversations.
Harry looked at his feet. His heart, which seemed to have swollen to an unnatural size, was thumping loudly under his ribs. He had expected the hearing to last longer than this. He was not at all sure that he had made a good impression. He had not really said very much. He ought to have explained more fully about the Dementors, about how he had fallen over, about how both he and Dudley had nearly been kissed . . .
Twice he looked up at Fudge and opened his mouth to speak, but his swollen heart was now constricting his air passages and both times he merely took a deep breath and looked back down at his shoes.
上面有几位巫师不安地在座位里动来动去。福吉的脸涨成了紫红的猪肝色。他右边的癞蛤蟆似的女巫则死死地瞪着邓布利多，脸上不带任何表情。
“据我所知，”邓布利多继续说道，“迄今还没有哪条法律说明，这次开庭要为哈利有生以来施过的每一个魔法而惩罚他。他是因一个特定的行为而受到指控的，并已为自己进行了辩护。他和我目前所能做的就是等候你们的裁决！”
邓布利多又把十个指尖对接在一起，不再说话了。福吉狠狠地瞪着他，一副老羞成怒的样子。哈利侧眼望了望邓布利多，想从他那里得到一些安慰。邓布利多告诉威森加摩现在就做出裁决，这样做合适不合适呢，他一点把握也没有。可是，邓布利多又一次没有理睬哈利希望与他的目光进行交流的愿望。他继续注视着上面那些正在紧张地窃窃私语的威森加摩的全体成员。
哈利望着自己的脚尖。他的心似乎膨胀得很大很大，在肋骨下咚咚咚地狂跳着。他原来以为审讯的时间会更长一些。他不知道自己是否给人留下了较好的印象。实际上他并没有说几句话。他应该更详细地说一说摄魂怪，说一说他怎么摔倒在地，说一说他和达力怎么差点被摄魂怪吻了……
他两次抬头看了看福吉，张开嘴巴想说话，可是他膨胀的心脏憋得他透不过气来，他两次都只是深深吸了口气，又低下头望着自己脚上的鞋。
Then the whispering stopped. Harry wanted to look up at the judges, but found that it was really much, much easier to keep examining his laces.
'Those in favour of clearing the witness of all charges？' said Madam Boness booming voice.
Harry's head jerked upwards. There were hands in the air, many of them . . . more than half！ Breathing very fast, he tried to count, but before he could finish, Madam Bones had said, 'And those in favour of conviction？'
Fudge raised his hand; so did half a dozen others, including the witch on his right and the heavily-moustached wizard and the frizzy-haired witch in the second row.
Fudge glanced around at them all, looking as though there was something large stuck in his throat, then lowered his own hand. He took two deep breaths and said, in a voice distorted by suppressed rage, 'Very well, very well . . . cleared of all charges.'
'Excellent,' said Dumbledore briskly, springing to his feel, pulling out his wand and causing the two chintz armchairs to vanish. 'Well, I must be getting along. Good-day to you all.'
And without looking once at Harry, he swept from the dungeon.
窃窃私语的声音停息了。哈利想抬头看看那些审判员，但又觉得继续研究自己的鞋带要轻松得多、容易得多。
“赞成指控不成立的请举手。”博恩斯女士用洪亮的声音说。
哈利猛地把头抬起来。一只只手举了起来，数量不少……超过了半数！他呼吸急促起来，想好好数一数，可是没等他数完，博恩斯女士就说：“赞成罪行成立的请举手。”
福吉把手举了起来，同时举手的还有其他六七个人，也包括他右边的那个女巫、那个胡子拉碴的男巫和第二排上那个鬈发的女巫。
福吉左右看看大家，喉咙里似乎被一大块东西卡住了，随即他把手放下来，深吸了两口气，因为拼命压抑着火气，声音都变得异样了：“很好，很好……指控不成立。”
“太好了。”邓布利多欢快地说，迅速站了起来，抽出魔杖，将那两把印花棉布的扶手椅变没了，“好了，我得走了。祝大家今天过得愉快。”
说完，他看也不看哈利一眼，就快步走出了暗室。