`And,..whispered.Harry,.his.hands.curled.in.cold.fists.on.his.knees,.`and.Hermione.kept.telling.us.to.be.nice.to.him.=.
`She.was.quite.right,.Harry,..said.Dumbledore..`I.warned.Sirius.when.we.adopted.twelve.Grimmauld.Place.as.our.Headquarters.that.Kreacher.must.be.treated.with.kindness.and.respct..I.also.told.him.that.Kreacher.could.be.
dangerous.to.us..I.do.not.think.Sinus.took.me.very.seriously,.or.that.he.ever.saw.Kreacher.as.a.being.with.feelings.as.acute.as.a.human.s.=.
`Don.t.you.blame.‐.don.t.you.‐.talk.‐.about.Sirius.like.‐..Harry.s.breath.was.constricted,.he.could.not.get.the.words.out.properly;.but.the.rage.that.had.subsided.briefly.flared.in.him.again:.he.would.not.let.Dumbledore.criticise.Sirius..`Kreacher.s.a.lying.‐.foul.‐.he.deserved.‐.
`Kreacher.is.what.he.has.been.made.by.wizards,.Harry..said.Dumbledore..`Yes,
.he.is.to.be.pitied..His.existence.has.been.as.miserable.as.your.friend.Dobby.s..He.was.forced.to.do.Sirius.s.bidding,.because.Sirius.was.the.last.of.the.family.to.which.he.was.
enslaved,.but.he.felt.no.true.loyalty.to.him..And.whatever.Kreacher.s.faults,.it.must.be.admitted.that.Sirius.did.nothing.to.make.Kreacher.s.lot.easier.=.
`DON.T.TALK.ABOUT.SIRIUS.LIKE.THAT!..Harry.yelled..
He.was.on.his.feet.again,.furious,.ready.to.fly.at.Dumbledore,.who.had.plainly.not.understood.Sirius.at.all,.how.brave.he.was,.how.much.he.had.suffered.….
`What.about.Snape?..Harry.spat..`You.re.not.talking.about.him,.are.you?.When.I.told.him.Voldemort.had.Sirius.he.just.sneered.at.me.as.usual.‐.
`Harry,.you.know.Professor.Snape.had.no.choice.but.to.pretend.not.to.take.you.seriously.in.front.of.Dolores.Umbridge,..said.Dumbledore.steadily,.`but.as.I.have.explained,.he.informed.the.Order.as.soon.as.possible.about.what.you.had.said..It.was.he.who.deduced.where.you.had.gone.when.you.did.not.return.from.the.Forest..It.was.he,.too,.who.gave.Professor.Umbridge.fake.Veritaserum.when.she.was.attempting.to.force.you.to.tell.her.Sirius.s.whereabouts...
Harry.disregarded.this;.he.felt.a.savage.pleasure.in.blaming.Snape,.it.seemed.to.be.easing.his.own.sense.of.dreadful.guilt,.and.he.wanted.to.hear.Dumbledore.agree.with.him..
`Snape.‐.Snape.g.‐.goaded.Sirius.about.staying.in.the.house.‐.he.made.out.Sirius.was.a.coward.=.
.Sirius.was.much.too.old.and.clever.to.have.allowed.such.feeble.taunts.to.hurt.him,..said.Dumbledore..
`Snape.stopped.giving.me.Occlumency.lessons!..Harry.snarled..`He.threw.me.out.of.his.office!..
`I.am.aware.of.it,..said.Dumbledore.heavily.`I.have.already.said.that.it.was.a.mistake.for.me.not.to.teach.you.myself,.though.I.was.sure,.at.the.time,.that.nothing.could.have.been.more.dangerous.than.to.open.your.mind.even.further.to.Voldemort.while.in.my.presence.‐.
`Snape.made.it.worse,.my.scar.always.hurt.worse.after.lessons.with.him.=.Harry.remembered.Ron.s.thoughts.on.the.subject.and.plunged.on.`‐.how.do.you.know.he.wasn.t.trying.to.soften.me.up.for.Voldemort,.make.it.easier.for.him.to.get.inside.my.=.
`I.trust.Severus.Snape,..said.Dumbledore.simply.`But.I.forgot.‐.