‘Your—?’
‘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. Let's get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again.’
‘But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?’ Harry1 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.
‘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.’
Harry, who had expected a better welcome, noted2 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.
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 haze4 of pipe smoke hung in the air like battle fumes5, through which loomed6 the menacing shapes of heavy iron pots and pans hanging from the dark ceiling. Many chairs had been crammed7 into the room for the meeting and a long wooden table stood in the middle of them, littered with rolls of parchment, goblets9, empty wine bottles, and a heap of what appeared to be rags. Mr. Weasley and his eldest10 son Bill were talking quietly with their heads together at the end of the table.
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.
‘Harry!’ Mr. Weasley said, hurrying forward to greet him, and shaking his hand vigorously. ‘Good to see you!’
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.
‘Journey all right, Harry?’ Bill called, trying to gather up twelve scrolls11 at once. ‘Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?’
‘He tried,’ said Tonks, striding over to help Bill and immediately toppling a candle on to the last piece of parchment. ‘Oh no—sorry—’
‘Here, dear,’ said Mrs. Weasley, sounding exasperated12, 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.
Mrs. Weasley had seen him looking. She snatched the plan off the table and stuffed it into Bill's already overladen arms.
‘This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly13 at the end of meetings,’ she snapped, before sweeping14 off towards an ancient dresser from which she started unloading dinner plates.
Bill took out his wand, muttered, ‘Evanesce!’ and the scrolls vanished.
‘Sit down, Harry’ said Sirius. ‘You've met Mundungus, haven't you?’
The thing Harry had taken to be a pile of rags gave a prolonged, grunting15 snore, then jerked awake.
‘Some'n say m'name?’ Mundungus mumbled16 sleepily. ‘I agree with Sirius....’ He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused.
The meeting's over, Dung,’ said Sirius, as they all sat down around him at the table. ‘Harry's arrived.’
‘Eh?’ said Mundungus, peering bale fully18 at Harry through his matted ginger19 hair. ‘Blimey, so ‘e ‘as. Yeah ... you all right, ‘arry?’
‘Yeah,’ said Harry.
Mundungus fumbled20 nervously21 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.
‘Owe you a ‘pology,’ grunted22 a voice from the middle of the smelly cloud.
‘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!’
‘Ah,’ said Mundungus. ‘Right. Sorry, Molly.’
The cloud of smoke vanished as Mundungus stowed his pipe back in his pocket, but an acrid23 smell of burning socks lingered.
‘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—’
‘What can I do, Molly?’ said Tonks enthusiastically, bounding forwards.
Mrs. Weasley hesitated, looking apprehensive24.
‘Er—no, it's all right, Tonks, you have a rest too, you've done enough today.’
‘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.
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 dangling25 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.
‘Seen old Figgy since?’ he asked.
‘No,’ said Harry, ‘I haven't seen anyone.’
‘See, I wouldn't ‘ave left,’ said Mundungus, leaning forward, a pleading note in his voice, ‘but I ‘ad a business opportunity—’
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.
‘Had a good summer so far?’
‘No, it's been lousy,’ said Harry.
For the first time, something like a grin flitted across Sirius's free.
‘Don't know what you're complaining about, myself.’
‘What?’ said Harry incredulously.
‘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.’
‘How come?’ asked Harry, frowning.
‘Because the Ministry26 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 Phoenix27 ... or so Dumbledore feels.’
There was something about the slightly flattened28 tone of voice in which Sirius uttered Dumbledore's name that told Harry that Sirius, too, was not very happy with the headmaster eithe. Harry felt a sudden upsurge of affection for his godfather.
‘At least you've known what's been going on,’ he said bracingly.
‘Oh yeah,’ said Sirius sarcastically29. ‘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—’
‘What cleaning?’ asked Harry.
‘Trying to make this place fit for human habitation,’ said Sirius, waving a hand around the dismal30 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—’
‘Sirius,’ said Mundungus, who did not appear to have paid any attention to the conversation, but had been closely examining an empty goblet8. ‘This solid silver, mate?’
‘Yes,’ said Sirius, surveying it with distaste. ‘Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest31.’
‘That'd come orf, though,’ muttered Mundungus, polishing it with his cuff32.
‘Fred—George—NO, JUST CARRY THEM!’ Mrs. Weasley shrieked33.
Harry, Sirius and Mundungus looked around and, within a split second, they had dived away from the table. Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew34, an iron flagon of Butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, to hurtle through the air towards them. The stew skidded35 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 ominously36, exactly where Sirius's right hand had been seconds before.
‘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!’
‘We were just trying to save a bit of time!’ said Fred, hurrying forward to wrench37 the bread knife out of the table. ‘Sorry, Sirius, mate—didn't mean to—’
Harry and Sirius were both laughing; Mundungus, who had toppled backwards38 off his chair, was swearing as he got to his feet; Crookshanks had given an angry hiss39 and shot off under the dresser, from where his large yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.
‘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 of responsibility now you've come of age—’
‘—none of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!’ Mrs. Weasley raged at the twins as she slammed a fresh flagon of Butterbeer onto 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—’
She stopped dead, catching40 her breath with a frightened look at her husband, whose expression was suddenly wooden.
‘Let's eat,’ said Bill quickly.
‘It looks wonderful, Molly,’ said Lupin, ladling stew on to a plate for her and handing it across the table.
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.
‘I've been meaning to tell you, Sirius, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling41 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.’
‘Whatever you like,’ said Sirius indifferently.
‘The curtains in there are full of doxys, too,’ Mrs. Weasley went on. ‘I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow.’
‘I look forward to it,’ said Sirius. Harry heard the sarcasm42 in his voice, but he was not sure that anyone else did.
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 swelled43 to a beak-like protuberance that resembled Snape's, shrank to the size of a button mushroom and then sprouted44 a great deal of hair from each nostril45. Apparently46 this was a regular mealtime entertainment, because Hermione and Ginny were soon requesting their favourite noses.
‘Do that one like a pig snout, Tonks...’
Tonks obliged, and Harry, looking up, had the fleeting47 impression that a female Dudley was grinning at him from across the table.
Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Lupin were having an intense discuss on about goblins.
‘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.’
‘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?’
‘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 tempted48. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?’
‘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—’
A gale49 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.
‘...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 toads50 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 gargoyle51 buys all ‘is own toads back orf me for a lot more'n what ‘e paid in the first place—’
‘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 slumped52 forwards on to the table, howling with laughter.
‘Beg pardon, Molly,’ said Mundungus at once, wiping his eyes and winking53 at Harry. ‘But, you know, Will nicked ‘em orf Warty54 Harris in the first place so I wasn't really doing nothing wrong—’
‘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.
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 crumble55 for pudding. Harry looked round at his godfather.
‘Molly doesn't approve of Mundungus,’ said Sirius in an undertone.
‘How come he's in the Order?’ Harry said, very quietly.
‘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 inviting56 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.’
Three helpings57 of rhubarb crumble and custard later and the 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 lull58 in the general conversation. Mr. Weasley was leaning back in his chair, looking replete59 and relaxed, Tonks was yawning widely, her nose now back to normal, and Ginny, who had lured60 Crookshanks out from under the dresser, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rolling Butterbeer corks61 for him to chase.
‘Nearly time for bed, I think,’ said Mrs. Weasley with a yawn.
‘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.’
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 sip62 of wine, lowered his goblet slowly, looking wary63.
‘I did!’ said Harry indignantly. ‘I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so—’
‘And they're quite right,’ said Mrs. Weasley. ‘You're too young.’
She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched64 an its arms, every trace of drowsiness65 gone.
‘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—’
‘Hang on!’ interrupted George loudly.
‘How come Harry gets his questions answered?’ said Fred angrily.
‘We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking66 thing!’ said George.
‘“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!’
‘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—’
‘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?’
‘Which bit?’ Sirius asked politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.
‘The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know,’ said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.
Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George's 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 fixed67 on Sirius.
‘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 shudder68 around the table at the name), ‘he has more right than most to—’
‘He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!’ said Mrs. Weasley. ‘He's only fifteen and— ’
‘—and he's dealt with as much as most in the Order,’ said Sirius, ‘and more than some—’
‘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—’
‘He's not a child!’ said Sirius impatiently.
‘He's not an adult either!’ said Mrs. Weasley, the colour rising in her cheeks. ‘He's not James, Sirius!’
‘I'm perfectly69 clear who he is, thanks, Molly,’ said Sirius coldly.
‘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!’
‘What's wrong with that?’ said Harry.
‘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!’
‘Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?’ demanded Sirius, his voice rising.
‘Meaning you have been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and—’
‘We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!’ said Sirius loudly.
‘Arthur!’ said Mrs. Weasley rounding on her husband. ‘Arthur, back me up!’
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.
‘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—’
‘Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!’
‘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 garbled70 version from ... others.’
His expression was mild, but Harry felt sure Lupin, at least, knew that some Extendable Ears had survived Mrs. Weasley's purge71.
‘Well,’ said Mrs Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, ‘well ... I can see I'm 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—’
‘He's not your son,’ said Sirius quietly.
‘He's as good as,’ said Mrs. Weasley fiercely. ‘Who else has he got?’
‘He's got me!’
‘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?’
Sirius started to rise from his chair.
‘Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry,’ said Lupin sharply. ‘Sirius, sit down.’
Mrs. Weasleys lower lip was trembling. Sirius sank slowly back into his chair, his face white.
‘I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this,’ Lupin continued, ‘he's old enough to decide for himself.’
‘I want to know what's been going on,’ Harry said at once.
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 mollycoddling72. Sirius was right, he was not a child.
‘Very well,’ said Mrs. Weasley, her voice cracking. ‘Ginny—Ron—Hermione—Fred—George—I want, you out of this kitchen, now.’
‘We're of age!’ Fred and George bellowed74 together.
‘If Harry's allowed, why can't I?’ shouted Ron.
‘Mum, I want to hear!’ wailed75 Ginny.
‘NO!’ shouted Mrs. Weasley, standing76 up, her eyes overbright. ‘I absolutely forbid—’
‘Molly you can't stop Fred and George,’ said Mr. Weasley wearily. ‘They are of age—’
‘They're still at school—’
‘But they're legally adults now,’ said Mr. Weasley, in the same tired voice.
Mrs. Weasley was now scarlet77 in the face.
‘I—oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron—’
‘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.
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.
‘Course I will,’ Harry said.
Ron and Hermione beamed.
‘Fine!’ shouted Mrs. Weasley. ‘Fine! Ginny—BED!’
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 shrieks78 were added to the din3. 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 spoke79.
‘OK, Harry ... what do you want to know?’
Harry took a deep breath and asked the question that had obsessed80 him for the last month.
‘Where's Voldemort?’ he said, ignoring the renewed shudders81 and winces82 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—’
‘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 lot.’
‘More than he thinks we do, anyway,’ said Lupin.
‘How come he's stopped killing83 people?’ Harry asked. He knew Voldemort had murdered more than once in the last year alone.
‘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.’
‘Or rather, you messed it up for him,’ said Lupin, with a satisfied smile.
‘How?’ Harry asked, perplexed84.
‘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.’
‘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.’
‘How has that helped?’ Harry asked.
‘Are you kidding?’ said Bill incredulously. ‘Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!’
‘Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned,’ said Sirius.
‘So, what's the Order been doing?’ said Harry, looking around at them all.
‘Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans,’ said Sirius.
‘How d'you know what his plans are?’ Harry asked quickly.
‘Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea,’ said Lupin, ‘and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate.’
‘So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?’
‘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 bullied85 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.’
‘So you're trying to stop him getting more followers86?’
‘We're doing our best,’ said Lupin.
‘How?’
‘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 tricky87, though.’
‘Why?’
‘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.’
‘But why?’ said Harry desperately88. ‘Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore—’
‘Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem,’ said Mr. Weasley with a wry89 smile. ‘Dumbledore.’
‘Fudge is frightened of him, you see,’ said Tonks sadly.
‘Frightened of Dumbledore?’ said Harry incredulously.
‘Frightened of what he's up to,’ said Mr. Weasley. ‘Fudge thinks Dumbledore's plotting to overthrow90 him. He thinks Dumbledore wants to be Minister for Magic.’
‘But Dumbledore doesn't want—’
‘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 retired91. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied92 for the job.’
‘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 managed to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it.’
‘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?’
‘Because accepting that Voldermort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years,’ 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.’
‘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 unaware93 anything's happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters if they're using the Imperius Curse.’
‘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?’
They all smiled humourlessly.
‘Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass-murderer and the Ministry's put a ten thousand Galleon94 price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?’ said Sirius restlessly.
‘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.’
‘Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off,’ said Sirius, ‘and it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them.’
‘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.’
‘But if none of you are putting the news out that Voldemort's back—’ Harry began.
‘Who said none of us are putting the news out?’ said Sirius. ‘Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?’
‘What d'you mean?’ Harry asked.
‘They're trying to discredit95 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.’
‘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.
‘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.’
‘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.
‘Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry,’ said Sirius. ‘He tricks, jinxes and blackmails96 them. He's well-practised at operating in secret. In any case, gathering97 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.’
‘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, ‘Stuff he can only get by stealth.’
When Harry continued to look puzzled, Sirius said, ‘Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time.’
‘When he was powerful before?’
‘Yes.’
‘Like what kind of weapon?’ said Harry. ‘Something worse than the Avada Kedavra—?’
‘That's enough!’
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.
‘I want you in bed, now. All of you,’ she added, looking around at Fred, George, Ron and Hermione.
‘You can't boss us—’ Fred began.
‘Watch me,’ snarled98 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.’
‘Why not?’ said Harry quickly. ‘I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight.’
‘No.’
It was not Mrs Weasley who spoke this time, but Lupin.
‘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 beckoned99 imperiously to her sons and Herrnione. One by one they stood up and Harry, recognising defeat, followed suit.
“你的—？”
“我亲爱的老妈，是的，”天狼星说道，“一个月以前我们就已经想要让她入土为安了，但是现在我们认为她已经拿到了永久居留权了。她在帆布的后面使用了附身咒语。在那些家伙全体醒过来之前，让我们快点下楼去吧。”
“但是你母亲的肖像在那里干什么呢？”哈利迷惑不解的问道。他们现在通过大厅的门，并且走到了一条向下的石头台阶处，其他人也跟在他们后面。
“没人告诉过你吗？这里是我父母的房子，”天狼星说道，“但是我是他们唯一的后代，因此这所房子现在是我的了。我将它提供给丹伯多做指挥部—这大概是我能做的唯一有用的事情了。”
哈利本想有个更好的欢迎方式，但是他注意到天狼星的嗓音听起来是如此的枯涩和痛苦。他跟在养父的后面走到了楼梯的底部，并且通过一扇门进入了设在地下室的厨房里。
厨房看上去和上面的大厅简直一模一样，阴沉黑暗，这是一个用粗糙的石头墙围绕起来的，洞穴一样的房间，绝大多数的光线都来自房间最里面的一团巨大的火焰。一股阴翳的浓烟悬在空中，宛如战场的硝烟。看过去形状狰狞的用重铁制成的炊事用具和平底锅，从黑暗的天花板上垂挂下来。在这个房间里放满了开会用的椅子，一张长长的木桌摆在椅子的中间，上面堆满了卷起来的羊皮纸、高脚杯、空的葡萄酒瓶、以及一堆看上去好象是抹布的东西。
威斯里太太清了清嗓子。她的丈夫是一个个子高瘦、秃顶、脑后长着鲜红头发的男人，他戴着一付牛角镜框的眼睛，跺着脚四处张望。
“哈利！”威斯里先生叫道，他匆匆忙忙的向哈利打招呼，并且不知疲倦的摇着哈利的手，“见到你真好！”
透过他的肩膀，哈利看见了比尔。比尔仍然留着长头发，扎着马尾辫，他匆忙的卷起一张很长的羊皮纸并且把它扔在桌子上。
“旅途顺利吗，哈利？”比尔一边向哈利打招呼一边试图将一打卷轴收起来，“那么，穆迪没有让你经过格陵兰上这里来吧？”
“他累了，”唐克丝说道，她箭步上前帮助比尔，并迅速的把一根蜡烛碰倒在最后一张羊皮纸上，“哦不！—对不起—”
“到这里来，亲爱的。”威斯里太太怒气冲冲，并且用魔杖修复了羊皮纸。在威斯里太太咒语产生的闪光之中，哈利迅速的扫了一眼那张羊皮纸，上面好象是一个建筑计划。
威斯里太太看见了哈利的目光。她迅速的抓起计划书并塞进了比尔已经严重超载的胳膊底下。
“这些东西应当在会议结束之后马上清理干净，”威斯里太太抱怨道，然后她走向一个古老的料理台，并开始摆放晚餐碟子。比尔掏出了魔杖，嘟噜道，“伊瓦尼斯克（咒语）！”接着这些卷轴就消失了。
“坐下吧，哈利”天狼星说道。“你已经见过了蒙顿格斯，对吧？”
哈利看见那堆象垃圾的物体打了一个长长的呼噜，然后就猛的惊醒了。
“谁在说我的名字？”蒙顿格斯困倦的嘟噜着，“我同意天狼星的……”他象投票一样把一只极端邋遢的手举到空中，他的下垂的，充满血丝的眼睛茫然无神。
金妮咯咯的笑了起来。
“会议结束了，”天狼星说道，而同时大家也都坐到了桌子前面围成一圈。“哈利来了。”
“嗯？”蒙顿格斯的眼睛透过他纠缠在一起毫无光泽的头发凝视着哈利。“哎呀，是真的！是的……你没事吧，哈利？”
“是的”哈利说道。
蒙顿格斯的手紧张的在口袋里摸索着，他仍然盯着哈利，同时掏出了一根肮脏的黑管子。他把管子的一头叼在嘴里，用魔杖点燃了管子的另一端，然后深深的吸了一口。巨大翻腾的绿烟在几秒钟内将他笼罩起来。
“我向你道歉，”一个声音从这堆臭云中含糊的传出来。
“这是最后一次，蒙顿格斯，”威斯里太太叫道，“你能不能不要在厨房里抽烟，尤其是在我们还没有吃饭的时候！”
“啊！”蒙顿格斯说道，“正确！对不起！莫莉。”
这团烟雾在蒙顿格斯把管子放回口袋的时候就消失了，但是一股燃烧短袜的辛辣气味却依然飘荡。
“要是你们不想在半夜吃晚饭的话，我需要一个帮手。”威斯里太太对着房间大声叫道，“不！你就待在原地，你刚经过了一段长途旅行。”
“我能帮忙吗，莫莉？”唐克丝热心的问道，她跃跃欲试。
威斯里太太犹豫了一下，她的神情是可以理解的。
“嗯—不，都搞好了，唐克丝，你也休息吧，你今天干的够多了。”
“不，不，我要帮忙！”唐克丝欢快的叫道，当她匆匆忙忙的冲向料理台时又踢翻了一张凳子，而金妮则正在收拾餐具。
不久，在威斯里太太的监视之下，一阵重刀切肉和蔬菜的声音传了出来，威斯里太太将一口大锅放到了火上，其他人则把盘子，更多的高脚杯和事物从碗橱里拿出来。哈利和天狼星、蒙顿格斯一起留在了桌子跟前，后者仍然在对他悲伤的眨着眼睛。
“自从那以后你见过老费格吗？”蒙顿格斯问道。
“没有，”哈利说道，“我再没见过任何人。”
“你看， 我不该擅自离开的，”蒙顿格斯身体前倾，用一种恳求的声音说道，“但是我获得了一个生意机会—” 哈利感到膝盖处有个什么东西刷了一下，不过那只是克鲁克山，荷米恩的那只短腿的淡黄色大猫，它一度在哈利的脚边受伤，含糊的叫着，然后跳到了天狼星的膝盖上并蜷缩起来。当它翻过来的时候，天狼星无意识的抓着它耳朵后面的毛，仍然用一张严酷的脸看着哈利。
“这么长时间你过了一个愉快的暑假吗？”
第一次，“不，它很恶心。”哈利答道。
某种似笑非笑的表情出现在天狼星的脸上。
“我个人不知道你在抱怨什么。”
“你说什么？”哈利怀疑道。
“从个人角度讲，我欢迎一只摄魂怪的袭击。一场灵魂上的殊死搏斗将有助于打破单调的生活。你认为你过的很糟糕，可是，你至少可以出去，并且散步，卷入几场战斗……而我，已经在这里关了一个月了。”
“接下来怎样？”哈利皱着眉头说道。
“因为魔法部现在仍然在跟踪你，而且伏地魔现在也肯定知道我作为一个变形者的一切事情了，虫尾巴（曾经是罗恩宠物的那只胖老鼠）一定会告诉他的，因此我的高超伪装是毫无用处了。所以我能够为凤凰指令服务的内容也就没多少了……或者丹伯多是这么认为的。”
当天狼星对哈利提到丹伯多的时候语气稍稍有些失色，这告诉哈利一个信息，天狼星也同样对这位校长的行为感到不悦。哈利感到他和养父之间突然亲近了许多。
“至少你知道正在进行的事情，”哈利的精神振作起来。
“哦，这到不错，”天狼星辛辣的讽刺道，“听着史纳皮的报告，被迫讨论他的所有伪造的线索，好象他在外面出生入死，而我却躺在这里享受欢乐时光……人们只是询问我清洁卫生怎么搞—”
“什么清洁卫生？”哈利问道。
“尽力使这个地方可以让人住，”天狼星说着用魔杖指了一下这个阴森黑暗的厨房。“在我亲爱的老妈死掉之前，没人能够在这里住上十年，除非你算上她的那些老掉牙的小精灵，而她死后已经和这里绞在一起，再也分不开了—不能清理这里一切上了年纪的东西。”
“天狼星，”蒙顿格斯说道，他从一开始就没有表现出任何注意这场谈话的迹象，反而凑的很近的检查着一只空的高脚杯，“这东西是银制的吗，伙计？”
“是的，”天狼星用厌恶的眼光衡量着那只高脚杯，“是最好的十五世纪的银杯，黑暗家族的颠峰之作。”
“那么它们很值钱咯，”蒙顿格斯一边嘟噜着一边用袖子擦着那只杯子。
“弗来德—乔治—不，别碰那些东西。”威斯里太太尖叫着。
哈利、天狼星和蒙顿格斯左顾右盼，一瞬间，他们冲离桌子。弗来德和乔治对着一口巨大的炖锅、一块坚硬的酒瓶形蜂蜜（似乎是一种凝固了形状的蜂蜜）、一块沉重的木头案板、以及一把刀子施法，这些东西全都对着他们三个急飞过来。炖菜沿着桌子滑行，并且一个急刹车正好停在桌子这端的边缘，沿途在木质桌面上留下了一条长长的烧焦的痕迹，酒瓶形蜂蜜则猛的掉了下来，飞溅的到处都是，而那把面包刀则在案板上滑行并且停在上面，刀尖向下恶意的颤抖着，正好落在天狼星的右手几秒钟以前放着的地方。
“以上帝的名义！”威斯里太太大叫道，“这里不需要—我们已经有足够的人手—不要仅仅因为现在允许施展魔法，就可以为了每一件鸡毛蒜皮的小事掏出魔杖！”
“我们仅仅是想要尽量节省时间！”弗来德匆匆忙忙的把那把严重扭曲的刀子拔出桌面，“对不起，天狼星，伙计—我不是那个意思—”
哈利和天狼星都笑了，蒙顿格斯已经瘫倒在椅子上，一边找回自己的脚一边诅咒着，大猫克洛克山克斯发出一声愤怒的叫声，然后象炮弹一样躲进了碗柜里面，从那里看过去，它的大大的黄色眼睛在黑暗里发光。
“男孩子们，”威斯里太太把那个大炖锅提回了桌子中央，“你们的妈妈是正确的，现在是你们表现出一点责任感的时候了—”
“你们的兄弟当中没有一个会惹这种麻烦！”当威斯里太太将一块新鲜蜂蜜扔到桌子上的时候她对着那对双胞胎兄弟大发脾气，结果扔的太重，几乎再一次飞溅的到处都是，“比尔从来就不会感到每隔几步就需要施展一次魔法！查理从来不会对他碰到的任何东西施展魔法！派斯—”
她突然死一般的打住了，屏住呼吸用惊恐的眼神看着自己的丈夫，而后者的表情显然僵硬了。
“让我们吃饭吧，”比尔很快的说道。
“这顿饭看起来棒极了，莫莉，”卢平舀了一盘炖肉跨过桌子递给威斯里太太。
房间里出现了几分钟的沉默，只有盘子的叮当声，以及餐具和椅子的摩擦声，所有人都在埋头吃饭。然后威斯里太太转向天狼星。
“我有一些情况要告诉你，天狼星。我们在画室的书桌上收集了一些东西，它们仍然在喀哒作响而且还可以晃动。当然，那也许仅仅是些玩具，但是我认为在扔掉它们之前最好请你看一下。”
“随你处置，”天狼星对此毫不关心。
“那边的窗帘上也满是蛀虫了，”威斯里太太接着说，“我想明天解决这个问题。”
“我明天过去看看，”天狼星说道。哈利听出天狼星的声音里有些挖苦的味道，但是他并不确定其他人也这么认为。
在哈利的对面，唐克丝正在为荷米恩和金妮做表演，她不断改变鼻子的形状。每次弯曲她的眼睛都伴随着同样的痛苦表情，那是她学哈利在老卧室中的行为，她的鼻子一下子高高隆起象只鸟嘴，这当然类似史纳皮，一下子又缩小到蘑菇柄那么小，并且从每个鼻孔里长出一大片头发。很显然这是进餐时间的标准娱乐，因为荷米恩和金妮很快就要求她变出她们喜欢的鼻子。
“做一个猪嘴一样的鼻子，唐克丝。”
唐克丝被迫执行了，哈利看了看，脑子里飞快的闪过念头，这就象是一个雌性的达德里在桌子对面向他微笑。
而威斯里先生，比尔以及卢平则正在进行一个关于小妖精的热烈讨论。
“它们仍然不会在离开的时候提供任何东西，”比尔说道，“我只是还没有发现它们是否相信还会回来 。在此期间，它们或许并不喜欢完全划清界限。它置身事外。” “我确信它们从来就不会回到—你知道的—”威斯里先生摇摇头说道。“它们会为丧失同伴而痛苦：还记得上次在诺丁汉附近的某个地方，一个小妖精家庭被谋杀的事件吗？”
“我认为这依赖于它们所能提供的东西，”卢平说道。“我不想谈论黄金。如果它们能够被提供几个世纪以来我们一直拒绝给予的自由，它们会感兴趣的。你仍然不相信拉格诺克有任何运气吗？ 比尔。” “他此刻感觉自己是个恰当的反巫师者,”比尔说道,” 他没有停止对这些商业推销员的愤怒，他确信魔法部掩盖了事实真相, 那些小妖精从来就没有得到过他们的黄金, 你知道的 - ” 从桌子的中央传来一阵疯狂大笑，淹没了比尔剩下的话。 弗莱德、乔治、罗恩和蒙顿格斯正在他们的座位里面笑的打滚。 “……·然后,”蒙顿格斯笑的梗住了, 他的脸上甚至笑出了眼泪“然后,如果你相信的话,他对我说话了,他说‘嗯, 老顿, 迪迪嘉所有的蟾蜍都是从哪里来的？ 把泥浆泵的那些儿子都赶走，给我的儿子刻上记号！’而我说,‘好吧，我会给你所有的蟾蜍都刻上记号’ 接下来是什么？ 然后你因此将会想要再知道的多一些？而且如果你相信我, 年青人, 这只笨头笨脑的怪兽全部买了下来‘这些是我自己的蟾蜍，我当然要首先付款’”（在英国这是个流传很广的经典笑话吧，不都是些没营养的谈话） “我认为我们不需要再听更多你的生意经了,多谢你,蒙顿格斯,” 威斯里太太尖锐地说道, 与此同时罗恩猛然向桌子摔过去, 开怀大笑。 “请你宽恕,莫莉,”蒙顿格斯立刻说道, 同时擦了擦他的眼睛并且对哈利眨了一下眼。“但是,你知道的,有疣的哈利斯真的为那些刻痕首先付款，因此我真的没做任何错事。”
“我不知道你从哪里学会的对错观念,蒙顿格斯,但是你看起来已经错过一些关键的课程,”威斯里太太冷淡地说道。
弗莱德和乔治用酒瓶形状的蜂蜜把整个脸埋起来；乔治则正在打嗝。因为某种原因, 威斯里太太丢给天狼星一个极为讨厌的眼神，接着就站起来拿了一大块的大黄面包碎屑做布丁。 哈利上下打量着他的教父。
“莫莉对蒙顿格斯不满,”天狼星低声说道。
“为什么蒙顿格斯会来凤凰指令组织呢？”哈利非常平静地说道。
“他是有作用的,”天狼星喃喃自语。 “ 他知道所有的诈骗术, —是的，他知道，而且有时也把自己当作是骗子的一员。 但是他也非常的忠于丹伯多, 有一次是丹伯多帮助他逃出困境。 有人喜欢在老顿周围, 他听过许多我们不知道的事情。但是莫莉认为邀请他共进晚餐实在是太过火了。 她不能原谅他在司职监护你的时候擅离职守。”
三块大黄面包屑的布丁以及稍后的奶油冻下肚，哈利的牛仔裤腰带感觉紧紧地，很不舒服（ 我们正在说的这条牛仔裤曾经一度属于达德里） 。当他放下调羹的时候交谈暂时停了下来。 威斯里先生正斜靠在他的椅子中, 看起来满足而且放松； 唐克丝正在不停地打哈欠, 她的鼻子现在恢复正常了；而金妮则盘腿坐在地板上，她已经把克鲁克山从橱柜下面骗出来，现在正在引诱它追逐一块蜂蜜。 “我想现在接近睡觉时间了,”威斯里太太打了一个哈欠。
“ 现在时间还早,莫莉,”天狼星说道,他推开空碟子并转头看着哈利。 “ 你知道的, 我对你感到惊讶。我认为当你到达这里以后做的第一件事就是开始询问有关伏地魔的问题。” 房间的气氛随着哈利的话题以及提及摄魂怪而迅速的改变了。 如果说在几秒钟以前它还是令人昏昏欲睡地放松, 现在它是警觉的, 甚至有些紧张。一提到伏地魔的名字就有人因为紧张害怕而离开桌子走来走去。 卢平正要啜饮一杯美味的葡萄酒，但现在慢慢地放低了他的高脚杯,看起来十分机警。
“我做了！” 哈利愤怒地说。 “我问了罗恩和荷米恩 ，但是他们说指令不允许他们这样做, 因此- ” “不过他们说的相当正确,”威斯里太太说道。 “你太年轻。” 她坐在椅子里直直地对着门闩,她的拳头紧握双臂，没有了任何睡意的痕迹。
“ 从何时起某人必须在凤凰指令范围中问问题呢？”天狼星问道：“哈利在那一楝麻瓜的房子中被困住达一个月之久。 他有权利知道发生了什么事-”
“ 停止！”乔治大声地打断了天狼星的话。 “接着哈利要怎样得到他的问题的答案呢？”弗莱德愤怒地说道。
“我们已经试图从你这里获知外界情况达一个月之久，而你却没有告诉我们一件哪怕是老的发臭的事情！”乔治说。
“你太年轻,你不是指令成员,”弗莱德用一种模仿母亲的听起来异常尖锐的声音说道。“哈利的年龄甚至更小！”
“你没有被告知指令的行动细节，那不是我的过错,”天狼星平静地说道,”那是你父母的决定。可是从另一方面来讲哈利- ” “还没轮到你来决定什么是对哈利有利的事情！”威斯里太太语气尖锐地说。在她通常友善的脸上出现了危险的表情。“我猜想你没有忘记丹伯多说过什么吧？”
“你指的哪一段？”天狼星有礼貌地问道，但是空气中充满了一个男人自己准备打架的紧张气氛。
“关于不要告诉哈利超过他需要知道的事情的那一段,”威斯里太太着重的强调最后三个字。（在原文中是指‘需要知道’那几个字）
罗恩、荷米恩、弗莱德和乔治的头在天狼星和威斯里太太之间转来转去好像他们正在看一场网球赛。 金妮正跪在一堆丢弃的蜂蜜块上面,她的嘴巴微微张开注视着这场谈话。卢平的眼睛则定格在天狼星的身上。
“我没打算告诉哈利，超出他需要知道的部分，莫莉，”天狼星说道。“但是，他是亲眼看见伏地魔回归的人。”（再一次的，桌子周围因为这个名字而出现集体的战栗）“他比我们之中绝大多数的人更有权力知道—”
“他不是凤凰指令的成员！”威斯里太太说道，“他只有十五岁，而且—”
“而且他解决过的问题象大多数指令成员一样多，”天狼星说道，“甚至比某些成员更多。”
“没人否认他曾经做过的一切！”威斯里太太的声音提高了，她的拳头在椅子扶手上颤抖。“但是他仍然只是—”
“他不是一个孩子！”天狼星不耐烦的说道。
“他也不是一个成年人！”一抹红色爬上了威斯里太太的脸颊。“他不是詹姆斯，天狼星！”
“我很清楚他是谁，谢谢你提醒，莫莉，”天狼星冷淡的说。
“可是我不确信你知道这一点！”威斯里太太 说道。“有时候你和哈利谈话的方式，就好象，你认为你最好的朋友已经回来了一样！” “那有什么不妥之处吗？”哈利问道。
“那有什么错，哈利，错在你不是你父亲，但是你的很多方面和他很象！”威斯里太太的眼睛仍然在盯着天狼星。“你仍然待在学校里，由成年人为你负责，不要忘记这一点！”
“你的意思是，我是个不负责任的养父！”天狼星回应道，他的声音也提高了。
“我的意思是，你要知道你行事轻率，天狼星，这就是为何丹伯多要你待在家里的原因，并且—”
“如果你喜欢的话，我们将不理会丹伯多的指令，并且离开这里！”天狼星响亮的回答。
“亚瑟！”威斯里太太转向她的丈夫，“亚瑟，帮我说句话！”
威斯里先生却没有马上说话。他摘下了他的眼镜，并用他的长袍慢慢的擦着。当他将眼镜仔细的架回鼻梁的时候，他终于回答了。
“丹伯多知道情况已经发生改变，莫莉。他接受在一定范围内哈利必须接触到凤凰指令的某些内容，正如现在他正待在凤凰指令指挥部。”
“是的，但是这和允许他询问任何他想知道的事情之间是有区别的！”
“从个人角度讲，”卢平最后终于从天狼星的身上收回目光，平静的说话了，威斯里太太迅速将头转向他，希望她最后能获得一个盟友，“我认为让哈利知道情况更好，并非全部的情况，莫莉，但是要让他知道大概的情况—对我们来说，这样可以防止其他人断章取义……”
他的表情是温和的，但是哈利确信，至少卢平知道某些顺风耳在威斯里太太的整肃行动中幸免于难。
“好吧，”威斯里太太深深的吸了一口气，她在桌子周围看了一圈，想寻求支持者，不过没人响应，她说道，“好吧……我明白将要被否决了。我要说的仅仅是：丹伯多不想让哈利知道的太多一定有他的理由，而且哈利心里最感兴趣的人—”
“他不是你儿子，”天狼星平静的说道。
“他就象我儿子一样，”威斯里太太猛烈还击，“除此之外他还有谁？”
“他有我！”
“是的，”威斯里太太的嘴唇翘了起来，“事实是，当你被关在阿滋卡班监狱的时候根本照顾不了他，不是吗？”
天狼星开始从他的椅子上站起来。
“莫莉，你不是这里唯一关心哈利的人，”卢平尖锐的说道，“天狼星，坐下。”
威斯里太太的下嘴唇抖了起来。天狼星慢慢坐回他的椅子里，他的脸色苍白。
“我认为哈利有话要说，”卢平接着说道，“他已经够大了，可以自己做决定。”
“我要知道正在发生的事情，”哈利马上说道。
他没有看威斯里太太。他为威斯里太太把他看作亲生儿子而感动，但是他也同样为威斯里太太的骄横而不耐烦。天狼星是正确的，他已经不是小孩子了。
“很好，”威斯里太太尖声说道，“金妮—罗恩—荷米恩—弗来德—乔治—，我要你们现在立刻离开厨房。”
厨房里立即响起了一阵骚动。
“我们也到了年纪！”弗来德和乔治一起叫道。
“如果哈利允许知道，为何我不能？”这是罗恩的叫声。
“妈妈，我要听！”金妮在悲叹。
“不！”威斯里太太咆哮道，她站了起来，眼睛瞪圆了。“我绝对禁止—”
“莫莉，你阻止不了弗来德和乔治。”威斯里先生疲倦的说道，“他们够年纪了。”
“他们还是学生。”
“但是在法律上他们现在是成年人了，”威斯里先生还是用同样疲惫的声音继续说道。
威斯里太太的脸涨的通红。
“我—哦，那么好吧，弗来德和乔治留下，但是罗恩—““哈利会告诉我和荷米恩你们说的每件事情！”罗恩热切的说道。“是—是吗？”他不确定的补充道，眼睛看着哈利。
在一瞬间，哈利考虑告诉罗恩他一个字也不会说，这样罗恩就能够体验一下待在黑暗中的滋味了，然后看看他是否喜欢这个。但是这个卑鄙的想法在他们对视的刹那消失了。
“当然我会的，”哈利说道。
罗恩与荷米恩欢呼起来。
“很好！”威斯里太太叫道。“很好！金妮—上床睡觉！”
金妮可不肯安静的离开。他们可以听见在一路上楼的时候她对着妈妈用各种方式大吵大闹，而当他们到达大厅的时候布莱克斯太太（墙上的老太太，天狼星的老妈）震耳欲聋的尖叫声加入了这场闹剧。卢平匆匆赶到肖像那里去恢复平静。然后当他回来关上厨房的门，并重新坐回桌子前面的椅子之后，天狼星开始说话了。
“哦，哈利……你要知道什么呢？”
哈利深深吸了一口气，然后问了一个月以来一直困扰他的问题。
“伏地魔在哪里？”他故意忽略由这个名字引发的新一轮战栗和退缩，问道。“他现在在干什么？我尽力关注了麻瓜的新闻，可是看样子什么也没发生，没有离奇的死亡以及任何其他事情。”
“只能说到现在为止仍然没有离奇死亡事件，”天狼星说道，“无论如何，我们都不可能全部知道……但是我们知道很多……”
“从各个方面讲都超过那个人（指代老福，下同）认为我们掌握的，”卢平补充道。
“那么他为什么会停止杀戮呢？”哈利问道。他知道单在去年伏地魔就谋杀了不止一人。
“那是因为他不想引人注意，”天狼星说道，“现在对他而言也非常危险。他的恢复并不如他想象的那样完美，你明白的。他把事情搞砸了。”
“或者宁愿说，是你把他的事情搞砸了。”卢平露出了一个满意的微笑。
“怎么说？”哈利迷惑不解的问道。
“你出人意料的幸存下来！”天狼星说道。“除了他的食死徒追随者以外本来没人知道他恢复了。但是你幸存下来并且成为目击者。”
“而此刻他最不想惊动的人就是丹伯多，”卢平说道，“可是你立刻就让丹伯多知道了此事。”
“这有什么帮助吗？”哈利问道。
“你在开玩笑吗？”比尔轻率的说道，“人人都知道丹伯多是那个人唯一害怕的巫师！”
“谢谢你的解释，丹伯多在伏地魔回归之后一个小时之内重新召集了凤凰的指令，”天狼星说道。
“那么，凤凰指令在干什么呢？”哈利看看他们全体问道。
“辛勤工作，以使伏地魔不能实施他的计划，”天狼星说道。
“那你们是怎么知道伏地魔的计划的呢？”哈利很快的问道。
“丹伯多有个精明的主意，”卢平说道，“而他的精明主意通常情况下都是料事如神。”
“那么丹伯多认为伏地魔的计划是什么呢？”
“好的，首先，他要重建他的军队，”天狼星说道，“在过去的日子里他指挥着数量众多的成员；那些他胁迫或者是被他迷惑而跟随他的巫师和女巫们，他的忠诚的食死徒部下，以及大量不同的黑暗生物。你还听见他试图重新招募巨人，是的，他们也曾经是那个人手下的一群。伏地魔并不确定仅仅依靠他的一打食死徒就能够取代魔法部。”
“因此你们就尽力阻止他获得更多的追随者吗？”
“尽我们所能。”卢平说道。
“怎样做？”
“很好，最主要的工作是，确定有多少人是真正想要回到伏地魔身边的，然后把他们监视起来，”比尔说道。“这个策略被证明是很机警的。”
“为什么？”
“因为魔法部的态度，”唐克丝说道，“你看看那个法尼治·福吉听说‘那个人’回来之后惊慌失措的样子。哈利！是的，他完全不会改变立场的。他绝对拒绝相信已经发生的一切。”
“但是为什么？”哈利失望的说道，“为什么他如此愚蠢？如果丹伯多—”
“哦，很好，你说到问题的点子上了，”威斯里先生用一个扭曲的微笑说道，“丹伯多。”
“福吉害怕丹伯多，你知道的，”唐克丝难过的说。
“害怕丹伯多，”哈利草率的叫起来。
“害怕丹伯多取代他，”威斯里先生说道，“福吉认为丹伯多正在密谋推翻他。他认为丹伯多想要得到魔法部长的位置。”
“但是丹伯多根本不想—”
“当然他不想，”威斯里先生说道，“他从没想过要当魔法部长，甚至早在老部长巴格诺德退休的时候，就有很多人推举丹伯多继任。福吉后来还是接管了权力，但是他永远也忘不了丹伯多是多么的受人爱戴，尽管丹伯多从来就没有觊觎这个职位。”
“更深的意义是，福吉清楚丹伯多是个远比他聪明，比他强大的巫师，而且在他刚刚接手魔法部的早期岁月里他总是要向丹伯多咨询意见，”卢平说道，“但是现在看来他开始迷恋权力，并且刚愎自用。他喜欢现在的魔法大臣的职位，而且越来越相信自己才是个聪明人，而丹伯多仅仅是个麻烦爱好者。”
“他怎么能这样认为？”哈利愤怒的叫道，“他怎么能认为丹伯多引起了麻烦—或者说是我引起了麻烦？”
“因为接受
收听单词发音 |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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goblets
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| n.高脚酒杯( goblet的名词复数 ) | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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scrolls
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| n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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26
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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27
phoenix
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| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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30
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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31
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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32
cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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33
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
stew
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| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
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35
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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36
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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37
wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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38
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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39
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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40
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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41
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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42
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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43
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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44
sprouted
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| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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45
nostril
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| n.鼻孔 | |
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46
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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49
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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50
toads
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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51
gargoyle
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| n.笕嘴 | |
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52
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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53
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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54
warty
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| adj.有疣的，似疣的；瘤状 | |
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crumble
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| vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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helpings
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| n.（食物）的一份( helping的名词复数 )；帮助，支持 | |
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58
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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replete
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| adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁 | |
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lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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61
corks
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| n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞 | |
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62
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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63
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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drowsiness
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| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
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stinking
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| adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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garbled
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| adj.（指信息）混乱的，引起误解的v.对（事实）歪曲，对（文章等）断章取义，窜改( garble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
purge
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| n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁 | |
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72
mollycoddling
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| v.娇养，宠坏( mollycoddle的现在分词 ) | |
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73
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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74
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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75
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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77
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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78
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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79
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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80
obsessed
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| adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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81
shudders
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| n.颤动，打颤，战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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82
winces
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| 避开，畏缩( wince的名词复数 ) | |
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83
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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84
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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85
bullied
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| adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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87
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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88
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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89
wry
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| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
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90
overthrow
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| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
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91
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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92
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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93
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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94
galleon
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| n.大帆船 | |
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95
discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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96
blackmails
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| 胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的第三人称单数 ) | |
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97
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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98
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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99
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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