分节阅读25

  teach at hogwarts,” said harry, who uld not ite keep a note of derision out of his voice: it was hard to sypathize with sghorn39s sseted existence when he rebered siri, crouchg a cave and livg on rats ”ost of the teachers aren39t it, and none of the has ever been killed — well, unless you unt irrell, and he got what he deserved seeg as he was workg with voldeort”
  harry had been sure sghorn would be one of those wizards who uld not bear to hear voldeort39s na spoken aloud, and was not disappoted: sghorn gave a shudder and a sawk of protest, which harry ignored
  ”i reckon the staff are safer than ost people while dubledore39s headaster he39s supposed to be the only one voldeort ever feared, isn39t he?” harry went on
  sghorn gazed to space for a ont or o: he seed to be thkg over harry39s words
  ”well, yes, it is true that he-who-t-not-be-nad has never ught a fight with dubledore,” he uttered grudggly ”and i suppose one uld argue that as i have not joed the death kilters, he-who-t-not-be-nad can hardly unt a friend   which case, i ight well be safer a little closer to alb  i cannot pretend that alia bones39s death did not shake   if she, with all her istry ntacts and protection  ”
  dubledore reentered the roo and sghorn juped as though he had fotten he was the hoe
  ”oh, there you are, alb,” he said ”you39ve been a very long li upset stoach?”
  ”no, i was rely readg the le agazes,” said dubledore ”i do love knittg patterns well, harry, we have trespassed upon horace39s hospitality ite long enough i thk it is ti for to leave”
  not at all rectant to obey, harry juped to his feet sghorn sned taken aback
  ”you39re leavg?”
  ”yes, deed i thk i know a lost cae when i see one”
  ”lost ?”
  sghorn seed agitated he iddled his fat thubs and fidted as he watched dubledore fasten his travelg cloak, and harry zip up his jacket
  ”well, i39 rry you don39t want the job, horace,” said dubledore, raisg his unjured hand a farewell sate ”hogwarts would have been gd to see you back aga our greatly creased security noithstandg, you will always be wele to visit, should you wish to”
  ”yes  well  very gracio as i say ”
  ”good-bye, then”
  ”bye,” said harry
  they were at the front door when there was a shout fro behd the
  ”all right, all right, i39ll do it!”
  dubledore turned to see sghorn standg
  eathless the doorway to the sittg roo
  ”you will e out of retirent?”
  ”yes, yes,” said sghorn ipatiently ”i t be ad, but yes”
  ”wonderful,” said dubledore, beag ”then, horace, we shall see you on the first of septeber”
  ”yes, i daresay you will,” grunted sghorn
  as they set off down the garden path, sghorn39s voice floated after the, ”i39ll want a pay rise, dubledore!”
  dubledore chuckled the garden gate swung shut behd the, and they set off back down the hill through the dark and the swirlg ist
  ”well done, harry,” said dubledore
  ”i didn39t do anythg,” said harry surprise
  ”oh yes you did you showed horace exactly how uch he stands to ga by returng to hogwarts did you like hi?”
  ”er”
  harry wasn39t sure whether he liked sghorn or not he supposed he had been pleasant his way, but he had al seed va and, whatever he said to the ntrary, uch too surprised that a le-born should ake a good witch
  ”horace,” said dubledore, relievg harry of the responsibility to say any of this, ”likes his fort he al likes the pany of the fao, the essful, and the powerful he enjoys the feelg that he fences these people he has never wanted to oupy the throne hiself he prefers the backseat — ore roo to spread out, you see he ed to handpick favorites at hogwarts, -lics for their abition or their
  as, tis for their char or their talent, and he had an uncanny knack for choosg those who would go on to bee outstandg their vario fields horace ford a kd of cb of his favorites with hiself at the center, akg troductions, fg eful ntacts beeen bers, and always reapg kd of benefit return, whether a free box of his favorite crystalized peapple or the chance to rend the next junior ber of the gobl liain officeot