Tears (Sirius Black's daughter) Book 2

Chapter 4

"Okay, Harry... what do you want to know?"Harry took a deep breath and asked the question that had obsessed him for the last month. 

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

"That's because there haven't been any funny deaths yet," said Sirius, "not as far as we know,anyway... and we know quite a lot." 

"More than he thinks we do, anyway," said Lupin. 

"How come he's stopped killing people?" Harry asked. He knew Voldemort had murdered morethen once in the last year alone. 

"Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself," said Sirius. "It would be dangerous forhim. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up." 

"Or rather, you messed it up for him," said Lupin, with a satisfied smile. 

"How?" Harry asked, perplexed. 

"You weren't supposed to survive!" said Sirius. "Nobody apart from his Death Eaters wassupposed to know he'd come back. But you survived to bear witness."

"And the very last person he wanted to be alerted to his return the moment he got back wasDumbledore," said Lupin. "And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once." 

"How has that helped?" Harry asked. 

"Are you kidding?" said Bill incredulously. "Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who wasever scared of!" 

"Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned," said Sirius. 

"So, what's the Order been doing?" said Harry, looking around at them all. 

"Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans," said Sirius. 

"How d'you know what his plans are?" Harry asked quickly. 

"Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea,' said Lupin, "and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate." 

"So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?" 

"Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again," said Sirius. "In the old days, he had huge numbers at his command: witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one of the groups he's after. He's certainly not going to try and takeon the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters." 

"So you're trying to stop him getting more followers?" 

"We're doing our best," said Lupin. 

"How?" 

"Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Whoreally has returned, to put them on their guard," said Bill. "It's proving tricky, though." 

"Why?" 

"Because of the Ministry's attitude," said Tonks. "You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing tobelieve it's happened." 

"But why?" said Harry desperately. "Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore -" 

"Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem," said Mr Weasley with a wry smile."Dumbledore."