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第7章 大幕拉开

‘Kreacher's really old, he probably couldn't manage—’

‘Right,’ she said softly, scribbling on her clipboard once more. ‘Well, if that's really the best you can do ...’

‘There's me,’ said Moody, unnecessarily pointing at himself. The Moody in the picture was unmistakeable, though his hair was slightly less grey and his nose was intact. ‘And there's Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side... That's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That's Frank and Alice Longbottom—’

‘What are you still getting that for?’ said Harry irritably, thinking of Seamus as Hermione placed a Knut in the leather pouch on the owl's leg and it took off again. ‘I'm not bothering ... load of rubbish.’

‘It is not a question of your bravery,’ said Firenze, ‘but of my position. I cannot return to the Forest. My herd has banished me.’

‘Yeah, I suppose you'd better,’ said Harry dully, ’ ‘specially if she thinks they're receiving stolen cauldrons or something.’

‘What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him,’ said Umbridge, who was now panting slightly as she pointed her wand at different parts of Harry's body in turn, apparently trying to decide where it would hurt most. ‘He never knew I ordered dementors to go after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same.’

‘You do, Peggotty,’ returned my mother. ‘You never do

‘No!’ she screamed. ‘It isn't true, you're lying! MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED—DO NOT PUNISH ME—’