Gryffindor common room

It wasn't long before curfew when Harry finally returned. He immediately went over to where his two friends sat at a table in a corner.

Ron was working on an essay but didn't hesitate before putting it away when Harry sat down. Ron launched his question: "So, how did it go? Blimey, I can't believe you actually did it."

Upon hearing this Hermione lowered her book and fixed her eyes on Harry's face, when he answered: "I can't believe I did it, too. And you know what, it gets stranger still. He heard me out, he accepted my vague proposal and proposed an alternative plan. It's a crazy plan. For now we're working on the details."

After these enlightening words Harry leaned back and folded his arms behind his head, while watching his friends who definitely didn't gape. He was slightly disappointed. Then Hermione closed her book with a snap. "Explain!" she demanded.

Harry looked away. "I'm not sure, that I can. This plan sounds so stupid. And thinking about it doesnt make it better."

He noticed the impatient looks his friends gave him. "All right, all right, I explain."

He huffed. "Seriously, give me some time.

"Anyway, he proposed that I don't kill Voldemort, at least not right away. Instead he will try to convince him to stop the violence. After that Voldy and I will try to become the two leaders of this country, one for the Light and one for the Dark. Both of us will work to reform the society. Since we will be equals, we'll balance each other out, so that neither side will be able to suppress the other. We'll have to fear death only by the others hands, and when we finally kill each other the prophecy will be fulfilled and others get their chances at leadership again. However that will be far in the future.

"Hu, putting it like this, it sounds nearly reasonable. Who'd have thought?"

Now his friends were gaping. It took them a long moment to regain their bearings.

Hermione: "You want Voldemort to become sane again? And Professor Snape thinks, he can just convince him to do that?"

Harry snickered. At least this plan was great, when you wanted to shock other people.

Ron: "I don't know, how I feel about you wanting to not suppress dark wizards. That just ain't right."

Harry sighed. "Ron, you do remember, what I told you about the dark arts? How they aren't bad per se if they are learned in the right way and used responsible?"

Ron sighed, too. This was by now an old argument. "Yes Harry, I do. I'm just not sure, I trust your source. I mean, it's a Slytherin! He could have written down just about anything! They lie!"

"Don't give me that. That book can only be read by a parselmouth. Eros had no reason to write a whole book, just to lie to his family. And Hermione has since found other books whose authors agree with his views."

"Harry's right," Hermione jumped in "There are loads of really useful dark arts charms. Healers use them all the time. And don't forget, the patronus is a dark arts, too."

Ron of course knew this, having it heard at least ten times already in the last month. "Yeah, I know, I know. I just have a really difficult time believing, that there can be something good in the dark arts. As muggles would say, it is against my religion."

Harry laughed at that. It had been fun to tell Ron a little bit about muggle culture. It made talking to him about the wizard culture so much easier.

Hermione brought the conversation back on topic.

"Are you sure this plan will work? How can you be sure, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "Yes, I'm sure. I don't know why. The prophecy is probably influencing me again. The bloody thing."

"Language, Harry," Hermione scolded, then frowned. "You do know, that it is against my religion to believe in the powers of the prophecy?" Now it was Ron's turn to snicker. Hermione ignored him. "It's not that I don't believe you, but it's just so wrong to think that Trelawney of all people could do something to change the entire history of magical Britain!"

They all had mixed feelings about Trelawney. To learn that everybody could learn to predict the future but only a master seer could make a prophecy, had been a shock. It was really hard for them to believe, that Trelawney might be a competent seer. Also they all had loathed the time they had to spend in her classroom. Still, Ron had overcome his dislike for her and taken her up on her offer to take her NEWT course, something Harry just couldn't do with the way she had always predicted his death. But he helped Ron with the homework and was surprised how very different it was from their previous exercises. Instead of predicting the future, the NEWT students learned to see in the past and the present, which required more difficult techniques but was much easier to interpret, because there wasn't a choice anymore. Trelawney had assured the class that she only accepted students with a developed inner eye in her NEWT class. And that those who failed their OWLs just lacked the familiarity with the techniques, which they would learn in time for their NEWTs.

Apparently approximately half of the students, who gained their divination NEWT in Hogwarts, hadn't managed their OWLs. At least that was what Ron was told by a pureblood student, whose parents held Trelawney in high regard – another shock if there ever was one.

The trio had learned all this in their first week back in school. Hermione had still problems with the concept.

And now Ron was the sensible one and brought the conversation back on track. "You know Harry, you shouldn't just trust in the prophecy. If you do that, than You-Know-Who has equal chances to end you as you have to end him. You must come up with your own reasoning for the things you do. Say Snape does his job. I wouldn't count on the greasy git, but that's also your choice. What will you do then? How will you become a leader?"

Harry pondered on Ron's words. "You're right of course. But I really believe, that we can pull this off. As to the questions of how I will become a leader and what I will do as one, I don't know. Yet. I only know, that I'll need a lot of help."

He grinned at his friends. "I count on you for that. Let's ponder the question each on our own for now. I have this transfiguration essay to finish."

That night 23 muggles and two wizards were killed by Voldemorts forces. The shadows of death with their aura of doom, which were in Britain since a certain prophecy was made, laid heavily on the country. Both Sybill Trelawney and Harry Potter found little sleep that night. And when they slept, they had nightmares.

A/N: All will be explained in due time. I'm just trying to avoid infodumping. But do tell me, if something is more confusing than I was aiming for.