From his years of acquaintanceship with the Headmaster, Severus Snape recognizes that it must have taken great personal strength for Dumbledore to admit they are fighting a losing battle. The Headmaster has fought against impossible battles in his lifetime and never before has he ever acknowledged the possibility of defeat. When all others despaired, it was Dumbledore who stood firm as a pillar of strength that others would gather towards. He never showed weakness. Never showed doubt. If Dumbledore believed that they will win, then people were willing to believe it as well. If Dumbledore believed they will lose, then the entire wizarding community will crumble.

What Dumbledore admitted to him would have sent stronger men into hysterics. Not Severus Snape. He has known they were losing for years. It was him who informed Dumbledore of the Dark Lord's increasing power. Dumbledore knows everything that he knows.

He stands corrected, Dumbledore does not know everything that he knows.

And this is why he hesitates in the plans for the boy.

Just one boy. Just sacrifice one boy and the entire wizarding world may be saved. Severus was used to making difficult decisions. He has tortured and even killed lives to fulfill his façade as a Death Eater. It is precisely his knowledge of what it takes to be a Death Eater, to successfully pull off this façade, that he does not want to participate in what Dumbledore has asked him to do.

He has lost his soul by being a member of the Death Eater. Not matter how noble his task, no matter how right the reason may be, no matter how he hard he tries to only harm those who are not wholly innocent, it does not stop the screams he hears in his mind whenever his mental walls are weakened slightly.

He himself became a Death Eater when he was 22, at the request of Dumbledore to become a spy for the Order. During his first year as a Death Eater, his mind was invaded daily by the Dark Lord, standard practice as the Dark Lord demanded that they hide nothing from him. There were night raids on muggle villages, where he had to demonstrate his repulsion for muggles by committing acts of torture. He wanted to quit, flee, but he felt immense pressure to remain, to successfully complete what was requested of him by Dumbledore. Many a times, he contemplated killing himself to free himself from the nightmare of being a Death Eater.

How is he expected to throw a 14-year-old child into it all when he knows child could never survive what he has.

He hesitates to make the sacrifice even if he is the son of James Potter.

Snape feels compelled to spit out the name, even if he is just thinking it in his head. His hatred for James Potter has persisted since their days in school. Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew, the Marauders who filled his days at Hogwarts with misery.

He often dreamed about taking revenge on them some day.

Throwing Potter's precious first-born into the clutches of the Dark Lord seems appropriate enough.

But not even his worst memory from school compares to the terror of being a Death Eater.

No, Severus Snape will not willingly throw a hapless boy into hell for the crimes of his Father, but he will for a greater good. Dumbledore is correct. The prophecy and the boy is the Light's last hope. He hates the task, he hates what his role will be, but it has to be done.

A sneer grows on his face. Since it has to be done anyway, there will be room to take some revenge for the misery of his school days.

It will help toughen the boy out for what he will have to face.

****

Harry sits numbed in front of the crackling fire. He has not moved from the large chair in twenty minutes, trying to absorb all that the Headmaster has told him.

Finally, Harry speaks.

"I thought Divination was all fake."

Albus stops his tendering of Fawkes, feeling slightly relieved that Harry has finally spoken.

He was very vocal early on, asking questions and demanding answers on the specifics of the prophecy. He seemed to think it was a joke when Albus revealed that it was Professor Trelawney who made the prophecy, and it took a while to convince Harry that despite her teachings, she was a real Seer. His own conviction in the truth of the prophecy eventually managed to convince Harry that the prophecy was true.

"She did say I was going to die young quite a few times, but she predicted the early death of everyone else in class, so we always just made fun of it," said Harry, laughing strangely, "I did not know she was right all along. We are all going to die."

Albus sighs. "That is not what the prophecy says Mister Potter. It says you have the power to vanquish the Dark Lord."

Harry looks to the Headmaster. He demanded to hear the prophecy over and over again so that now he knew it by heart. "Neither can live while the other one survives." Harry's eyes falls to the ground. "I don't even know any dark curses, he can kill me without blinking."

Albus looks to the boy. "Dark curses are no more stronger than ones that are Light."

Harry begs to differ, but he has others things on his mind. He has just been told a prophecy was made to make him the wizarding world's only hope against Vodemort. "We're doomed," Harry whispers.

"There is a second part to the prophecy Mister Potter. This is the reason you are here today." Albus takes a deep breath and then recites with perfect clarity:

Let Light be embraced by the Dark

Let Light dwell in the depths of darkness.

Let Light hide in the shadows.

From hence Light will grow.

From behind Light will rise.

Albus looks down to the teenager before him. "Do you understand what this means Mister Potter?" He stares intently into the eyes of the boy. Willing him to concentrate, to uncover the meaning in the words of the prophecy himself.

"Aren't those the words from a Weird Sister song?" asked Harry.

Albus smiles with his eyes before speaking, "they do indeed resemble the Weird Sister's The Darkness In My Heart, but not quite. Please think harder Mister Potter."

Harry tries to clear his mind of all the other screaming thoughts to do what Professor Dumbledore is asking of him. If only Hermione was here. She loves to solve riddles such as these. Harry was just about to volunteer to get Hermione when it dawns on him that Dumbledore already knows the answer. He just wants Harry to figure it out on his own.

The fog slowly starts to clear. Slowly but surely, Harry begins to understand why Dumbledore is standing so gravely before him. It is not because Dumbledore has to let Harry know he will die young. Well, actually, that could still very well happen. But no, it is much worse.

"You need me to become a Death Eater."

Dumbledore stares intensely into Harry's eyes and nods once.

From that night on, Harry's life would never be the same again.