`When,.however,.you.did.not.return.from.your.trip.into.the.Forest.with.Dolores.Umbridge,.Professor.Snape.grew.worried.that.you.still.believed.Sirius.to.be.a.captive.of.Lord.Voldemort.s..He.alerted.certain.Order.members.at.once...
Dumbledore.heaved.a.great.sigh.and.continued,.`Alastor.Moody,.Nymphadora.Tonks,.Kingsley.Shacklebolt.and.Remus.Lupin.were.at.Headquarters.when.he.made.contact..All.agreed.to.go.to.your.aid.at.once..Professor.Snape.requested.that.Sirius.remain.behind,.as.he.needed.somebody.to.remain.at.Headquarters.to.tell.me.what.had.happened,.for.I.was.due.there.at.any.moment..In.the.meantime.he,.Professor.Snape,.intended.to.search.the.Forest.for.you..
`But.Sirius.did.not.wish.to.remain.behind.while.the.others.went.to.search.for.you..He.delegated.to.Kreacher.the.task.of.telling.me.what.had.happened..And.so.it.was.that.when.I.arrived.in.Grimmauld.Place.shortly.after.they.had.all.left.for.the.Ministry,.it.was.the.elf.who.told.me.‐.laughing.fit.to.burst.‐.where.Sirius.had.gone...
`He.was.laughing?..said.Harry.in.a.hollow.voice..
`Oh,.yes,..said.Dumbledore..`You.see,.Kreacher.was.not.able.to.betray.us.totally.
.He.is.not.Secret.Keeper.for.the.Order,.he.could.not.give.the.Malfoys.our.whereabouts,.or.tell.them.any.of.the.Order.s.confidential.plans.that.he.had.been.forbidden.to.reveal..He.was.bound.by.the.enchantments.of.his.kind,.which.is.to.
say.that.he.could.not.disobey.a.direct.order.from.his.master,.Sirius..But.he.gave.Narcissa.information.of.the.sort.that.is.very.valuable.to.Voldemort,.yet.must.have.seemed.much.too.trivial.for.Sirius.to.think.of.banning.him.from.repeating.it...
`Like.what?..said.Harry..
`Like.the.fact.that.the.person.Sirius.cared.most.about.in.the.world.was.you,..said.Dumbledore.quietly..`Like.the.fact.that.you.were.coming.to.regard.Sirius.as.a.mixture.of.father.and.brother..
Voldemort.knew.already,.of.course,.that.Sirius.was.in.the.Order,.and.that.you.knew.where.he.was.‐.but.Kreacher.s.information.made.him.realise.that.the.one.person.for.whom.you.would.go.to.any.lengths.to.rescue.was.Sirius.Black...
Harry.s.lips.were.cold.and.numb.
.`So….when.I.asked.Kreacher.if.Sirius.was.there.last.night…..
`The.Malfoys.‐.undoubtedly.on.Voldemort.s.instructions.‐.had.told.him.he.must.find.a.way.of.keeping.Sirius.out.of.the.way.once.you.had.seen.the.vision.of.Sirius.being.tortured..Then,.if.you.decided.to.check.whether.Sirius.was.at.home.or.not,
.Kreacher.would.be.able.to.pretend.he.was.not..Kreacher.injured.Buckbeak.the.Hippogriff.yesterday,.and,.at.the.moment.when.you.made.your.appearance.in.the.fire,.Sirius.was.upstairs.tending.to.him...
There.seemed.to.be.very.little.air.in.Harry.s.lungs;.his.breathing.was.quick.and.shallow..
`And.Kreacher.told.you.all.this….and.laughed?..he.croaked..
.He.did.not.wish.to.tell.me,..said.Dumbledore..`But.I.am.a.sufficiently.accomplished.Legilimens.myself.to.know.when.I.am.being.lied.to.and.I.‐
.persuaded.him.‐.to.tell.me.the.full.story,.before.I.left.for.the.Department.of.Mysteries...