𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN
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-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH THEY'RE FINALLY TOLD SOMETHING

. . .

After Molly gave in and didn't protest anymore about Harry and Aviana finding out anything, she asked the various other children to go up to bed. It was safe to say that it did not go down well, and after a good amount of protesting, Fred, George, Ron and Hermione were also staying. 

Ginny was the only who wasn't allowed to stay down, and she made it very clear that she wasn't happy with that either. Ginny did not go quietly. They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and when she reached the hall Mrs Black's ear-splitting shrieks were added to the din. Lupin hurried off to the portrait to restore calm. It was only after he had returned, closing the kitchen door behind him and taking his seat at the table again, that Sirius spoke.

"Okay, Harry, Aviana... what do you want to know?" The Rosier girl glanced over at Harry, who looked practically desperate to say something. Unlike him, she had still been in the wizarding community, could still hear things and experience magic like any normal witch or wizard of their age. Most of the questions would come from him anyway, and she would just sit back and listen. 

After seeing Aviana nod her head slightly, such a discreet actionthat nobody could really see it unless they were watching her, Harry knew he was fine to begin asking questions. So he took a deep breath and asked the question that had been obsessing him for a month.

"Where's Voldemort? What's he doing? I've been trying towatch the Muggle news," he said, ignoring the renewed shudders and winces at the name, "and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet, no funny deaths or anything -" 

That's because there haven't been any suspicious deaths yet," saidSirius, "not as far as we know, anyway.. And we know quite a lot."

"More than he thinks we do anyway," said Lupin. The questions from Harry continued, varying over multiple subjects - why wasn't Voldemort killing people? How Harry surviving had messed everything up, but why had letting Dumbledore know helped?

What was the Order doing? What was Voldemort planning? Why was it so hard convincing people that he was back, and why was Fudge so threatened by Voldemort. How hard it was for the members of the order to spread any news.

"But if none of you's putting the news out that Voldemort's back -" Harry began.

"Do you not read the Daily Prophet, Potter? I thought you said you'd been digging newspapers out of bins in your little explosion earlier?" Aviana couldn't help but let the sarcastic comment slip, rolling her eyes when she saw the looks she was being given. "Just a question, no need to attack me."

"I'm assuming they were muggle newspapers." Sirius quickly broke it up before it could even begin. "Who said none of us was putting the news out?" he continued. "Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?"

"They're trying to discredit him," said Lupin. "They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true, he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return.They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot- that's the Wizard High Court - and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too."

"But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog cards," said Bill, grinning. Even Aviana joined those smiling.

"It's no laughing matter," said Mr. Weasley shortly. "If he carries on defying the Ministry like this, he could end up in Azkaban and the last thing we want is Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to, he's going to go cautiously for a while. If Dumbledore's out of the way — well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field."

"But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters, it'sbound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?" asked Harry desperately.

"God I wish that dementor attack knocked some sense into you." Aviana commented, leaning forward on the table, and disapproving looks from everyone rose once again. "Listen, Potter, the Dark Lord can't recruit followers like Granger does for her little house elves club. He doesn't hand out flyers and make.. badges." She jerked her eyebrows upwards as she rolled her eyes, and down the table Hermione made a face, mumbling something not so nice to Ron. 

"Forgive me for not sugarcoating it." Aviana faked a sickly smile in the direction of Hermione. "But what I'm trying to say is Voldemort doesn't get followers by just aquiring them. He will do things to get people to join. And that included blackmail, imperius curses - I'm sure fake Moody taught you all about them - and will use absolutely anything to get followers."

"And that's what makes him so dangerous."

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