分节阅读6

  aybe you didn39t hear about that one--”
  ”oh yes i did!” said the pri ister ”it happened jt around the rner fro here, as a atter of fact the papers had a field day with it, 39
  eakdown of w and order the pri ister39s backyard--39”
  ”and as if all that wasn39t enough,” said fud, barely listeng to the pri ister, ”we39ve got dentors swarg all over the pce, attackg people left, right, and center”
  once upon a happier ti this sentence would have been untelligible to the pri ister, but he was wiser now
  ”i thought dentors guard the priners azkaban,” he said cautioly
  ”they did,” said fud wearily ”but not anyore they39ve deserted the prin and joed he-who-t-not-be-nad i won39t pretend that wasn39t a blow”
  ”but,” said the pri ister, with a sense of dawng horror, ”didn39t you tell they39re the creatures that dra hope and happess out of people?”
  ”that39s right and they39re
  eedg that39s what39s cag all this ist”
  the pri ister sank, weak-kneed, to the nearest chair the idea of visible creatures swoopg through the towns and untryside, spreadg despair and hopelessness his voters, ade hi feel ite fat
  ”now see here, fud--you39ve got to do thg! it39s your responsibility as ister of agic!”
  ”y dear pri ister, you can39t honestly thk i39 still ister of agic after all this? i was sacked three days ago! the whole wizardg unity has been screag for y resignation for a fortnight i39ve never known the united y whole ter of office!” said fud, with a
  ave attept at a sile
  the pri ister was ontarily lost for words despite his dignation at the position to which he had been pced, he still rather felt for the shrunken-lookg an sittg opposite hi
  ”i39 very rry,” he said fally ”if there39s anythg i can do?”
  ”it39s very kd of you, pri ister, but there is nothg i was sent here tonight to
  g you up to date on recent events and to troduce you to y esr i rather thought he39d be here by now, but of urse, he39s very by at the ont, with uch gog on”
  fud looked around at the portrait of the ugly little an wearg the long curly silver wig, who was g his ear with the pot of a ill catchg fud39s eye, the portrait said, ”he39ll be here a ont, he39s jt fishg a letter to dubledore”
  ”i wish hi ck,” said fud, undg bitter for the first ti ”i39ve been writg to dubledore ice a day for the past fortnight, but he won39t bud if he39d jt been prepared to persuade the boy, i ight still be well, aybe scriour will have ore ess”
  fud subsided to what was clearly an aggrieved silence, but it was
  oken alost idiately by the portrait, which suddenly spoke its crisp, official voice
  ”to the pri ister of les reestg a etg urnt kdly respond idiately ruf scriour, ister of agic”
  ”yes, yes, fe,” said the pri ister distractedly, and he barely flched as the fs the grate turned erald green aga, rose up, and revealed a send spng wizard their heart, disgg hi onts ter onto the antie rug
  fud got to his feet and, after a ont39s hesitation, the pri ister did the sa, watchg the new arrival straighten up, dt down his long bck robes, and look around
  the pri ister39s first, foolish thought was that ruf scriour looked rather like an old lion there were streaks of gray his ane of tawny hair and his bhy eye
  ows he had keen yellowish eyes behd a pair of wire-rid spectacles and a certa rangy, lopg grace even though he walked with a slight lip there was an idiate ipression of shrewdness and toughness the pri ister thought he understood why the wizardg unity preferred scriour to fud as a leader these danro tis
  ”how do you do?” said the pri ister politely, holdg out his hand
  scriour grasped it
  iefly, his eyes scanng the roo, then pulled out a wand fro under his robes
  ”fud told you everythg?” he asked, stridg over to the door and tappg the keyhole with his wand the pri ister heard the lock click
  ”er--yes,” said the pri ister ”and if you don39t d, i39d rather that door reaed unlocked”
  ”i39d rather not be terrupted,” said scriour shortly, ”or watched,” he added