Some of that cruelty had been an act. But no, not all of it. It was easier than it should have been to make a lie a reality when that lie was practiced so thoroughly. And it was easy, sometimes, to feel a certain way and make others want to feel that too.
It was something he was more aware of now that he wasn't spending every single day twisting every single truth and doing something he essentially disliked. Did being aware of ones own hubris free them from it?
Probably not.
He considered the question for a moment, not thinking it unfair that there be at least a trade of information. Refusing to answer wasn't impossible, but there was no point in not doing so. "I didn't," he admitted, and he wondered if that was what Neville wanted to hear, or if he'd quietly hoped for something else. "It probably wasn't a secret amongst my --" he made a face, sarcastic, "peers. But I was... my focus was elsewhere. It stood to reason though, that the Dark Lord wouldn't be taking any chances given that prophecy."