Chapter 8

The numerous letters addressed to Albus Dumbledore was more then enough to be accounted for. It temporary filled the Room of Requirement and it was obvious that all of them had the same underlying theme.

The once headmaster of Hogwarts sighed deeply as he opened yet another one of these, still clueless of how to approach the situation, though he knew what was expected of him.

Like the previous 50 or so opened letter, this one was no different. The same message was being conveyed. People across globe had contacted him regarding Harry's actions. Some were scared, some were anxious, some were desperate, some were completely lost, some were still in a state of shock and some had just given up hope. There were those who seek advice, those who just wanted to make sure he was alive, and those who expected the impossible from him. Everyone wanted answers, and the vast, rich wise old man could not answer them.

He was getting old, too old to lead the world against Evil at this age. The fact that he had translated and deciphered the numerous languages ranging from those who still lived in the stone age, to those Americans who spoke fluent English was not helping he matter. What he needed, what Albus Dumbledore needed was a long vacation preferably in another world where he could think and dwell in the olden happier times, in a place where time did not exist. Retiring as the Headmaster and the Head of the Order had not lessened his duties, if not created more. To the world, he was now living carefree and thus he could concentrate on the sole goal of defeating the new and fairly young looming threat of the Master.

Dumbledore fingered the letter, skimming it and then placing it aside. He dully reached for another one, and hesitated. He had no interest in spending his day going through mail. He knew what the world wanted, but could he give that. Could he satisfy the world by defeating Harry, the way he had done to the dark wizard Gindelwald in 1945? How could they expect him to do that, when only two days ago Voldemort had been defeated by Harry, not him?

Voldemort, his death should have been when everything ended. He had never dared dream that Harry would become the next Dark Lord…no, not Lord, Master. That was the young man's new title, the one that he had created himself. Master Hary J Poter the Half-Blood Prince who would one day leave his legacy behind as a ruthless reckless tyrant, one that as far as Dumbledore could see was worst then all the previous Evil rulers, surpassing Slytherin himself.

Dumbledore shook his head, his mind had wandered back to Harry again, something that he had been careful not to do. Thinking of him, would only cause the image of the cold, lifeless, dead, emerald green orbs that had a piercing gaze which had, though he won't ever admit it, cause shivers run down his back and had seem to have bore holes into him. That was what he saw on screen, he couldn't imagine how it was like to have been present nor would it would be like to look into them, the next time he met the Half-Blood.

That brought up another topic. He had never seen so many Death Eaters gathered together at once. The amount itself promoted fear. He needed to talk to Severus as soon as possible.

"Well?" Snape sneered at the whimpering boy before him. He was shaking a vial of dark red liquid in front of a mouth that was clamped shut.

"Drink it…"

Ron stared, his body shaking.

"As long as you made the Potion correctly, you have no fear to drink poison. It will save you from death…"

Ron like the others had taken the time to carefully make a variation potion to the Elixir of Life, to stop death and had consumed their own earlier. Snape had said clearly that the vial in his hands was venom extracted by a basilisk, though he did not elaborate. Ron, couldn't help himself and had muttered something about Snape getting it from Harry and being a traitor as he was. Snape must have heard, for now he was the fallen victim.

"Drink the poison, otherwise I will force you…." There was a grin from the Potion Professor. "I will use the Imperius Curse…" A few gasps from the students. "weather legal of not." He shot a deadly look at the whole class. "either way, you will drink the potion, though I will not suggest the latter, as you may end up in the wrong castle, and may I remind you all, the only person at your age to successfully break the curse is the Dark Pri…."

"The Half-Blood…" Dumbledore suddenly walked into the dungeons, cutting in the sentence. "Yes indeed, brilliant, cunning and very Slytherinish, like Tom…." The older man seemed to sigh. "Over 50 years ago, Tom was head boy…and now, if things would have gone smoothly Harry Potter would have been too…" It was one of the rare occasions that the name Harry was mentioned out of the man's mouth. However the class knew better.

There was no head girl and head boy this year, it having ended the year Harry left school because Dumbledore suddenly claimed that it was classes and ranks that caused the separation. Dumbledore had wanted to obliterate the Houses as well, but that had been a long tradition and it was one that had continued on since the founders. Yet, the real reason was because Harry had left. Before Harry's birth, a prophecy was made, and at the age of one, Harry's name had been written down to attend Hogwarts, and as he grew, every little thing was written across the world. The fact that one day he would be the Head boy of Hogwarts was no exception, it was written down long ago.

Everything in Harry Potter's life had been written down, planed out by the people around him, if not destined to do so already. The change in the boy was unexpected, causing numerous plans to collapse upon each other. Still, Dumbledore knew that no matter good or Evil, Harry is and will be one of the Head boy's of Hogwarts, even if not admitted openly. Harry James Potter, the innocent, fierce Gryffindor who had stood up for good, for his friends, who was loyal to his peers to the end. That Harry Potter, the one that was son of James and Lily, had to be remembered and preserved. The only way that Dumbledore could think of by doing that was letting the boy have a place as Head boy next to Tom Riddle whom he had decided to follow, next to Remus Lupin the legal guardian of the Master.

"Severus" Dumbledore spoke after pausing a while. "I do believe it is best to stick with legal curses. I do believe that Mr. Weasley's life rest in your hands. You do have the responsibly of keeping him alive and healthy." Dumbledore nodded, and Snape retreated to a reasonable distance.

"Yes Albus…"

"Now may I have a quick word with you…"

"I would agree if it weren't for the fact that I am in the middle of an examination."

"Oh really?"

"Yes" was the reply.

"I insist…"

There was no room left for argument. Snape sighed in defeat before following begrudgingly behind the ex-headmaster, given himself enough time to give the Red head a this-is-your-fault look mingled with a you-won't-get-off-so-easily look. All Ron could do was stare at the floor.

"What is it that you want?" Snape asked bluntly, after placing a silencing charm.

"Well?" Dumbledore spoke in a knowing manner.

"Well what?" Snape replied harsher then he would have meant for it.

"Did you find out anything more then what was announced?' Snape choose not to reply for the longest time.

"Old grudges haven't stood in the way. He knows his men, spy or no spy…you have a purpose?"

"Do I now?" Snape asked mildly.

"Of course, otherwise you wouldn't be teaching today would you Severus?"

"Then you must have misunderstood."

"Hmm?"

"I doubted that he even knew I was present. There were too many of the Dark Lord's followers to have them announce themselves to Harry."

"True…" The older man hinted for him to go on.

"So…he wants us to visit him some time before his next birthday, and then swear loyalty"

"Then you will go…"

"I will not go…." Snape said firmly, surprising both himself and the other with the quick reply. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Severus, you know the importance of your role for the Order. You know exactly why you are in it. A spy is needed within the Dark. The only way to topple them is to do it from within…" Snape choose to look anywhere but at the other man's eyes.

"I'm tired of being the middle man. You will never understand. You were never a spy. You cannot come close to comprehending the dread and the terror that plagues the role of a spy. There's a constant Death threat looming above. The fear of being discovered, the fear of being punished…for doing what's right."

"Severus…" Dumbledore spoke sharply. The younger man jerked his head up. "Weather you like it or not, we need a spy. You will be that man to do so…"

Snape raised his voice slightly.

"Me? Do you really think I'm capable of doing it? We, the Dark Prince and I never got along well. You know it. Do you really think I can just walk up and apologize and then he'll accept me? Do you really think it is that simple? He knows I'm a spy for the Good, the Light, for you. Do you really think he'll forgive me? Both you and the Master know that I would die before betraying my friends, switching sides. I for one am not Wormtail…"

"And that is exactly why I trust you, among other things of course. I cannot afford letting someone else become a spy, they get influenced by the Dark, and then betray us…"

"You should ask Remus…." Snape added, suddenly.

"Under normal circumstances, he would be the ideal one. However we are dealing with Harry Potter. Remus being his legal guardian may be one slightly too vulnerable. Of course, he would, I should hope, influence and persuade him for the better cause, yet at the same time he too might be influenced by Harry to go the other way around. It's too dangerous to risk it. They are too close." Dumbledore paused. "However, like you said, you and Potter have been at each other necks for so long. You two are so different and not close in any ways. It will work best…"

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"You will have to gain Harry's trust. For a time being, it is better to stick to the truth, even if that means selling us out. It's a price I'm willing to pay. There will be strictly no contact between you and anyone of us, just to prove that you are loyal to him. When he is satisfied, we can start with the spy work."

"I meant I can't just pop up and expect him to open his hands and welcome me warmly into his ranks. Even, even Wormtail had saved Potter's life, that night, from what I have heard…"

"Yes, Peter owed him a life debt, he had to repay it. Of course he didn't know back then that it would so easily let Harry welcome him later. All he knew was he had a life debt, and it, at the time being seemed to be the only time for him to repay it. It is what we call magic at its deepest. The way you had been trying so desperately to protect Harry in his school years can only be reflected that you still owed James a life debt that could never be repaid."

"That doesn't solve my problem" Snape returned back to their original topic. "There is nothing I can do or bring him, just to start?"

"Oh nothing?"

"Yes nothing."

"Look at me Severus." Snape slowly did, staring at the eyes. "Nothing at all?"

Snape was going to reply when Dumbledore repeated slowly and softly.

"Any loses, great or small of the people and property who fights or stands in Harry's way, can be sacrificed as long as the guarantee of success that the Dark will crumble from within is met…"

"You…." Snape muttered, barely auditable.

"Me?" Dumbledore picked it up though. "You can try but I doubt that will happen. You can't always catch the big fish…"

Having said that, Dumbledore retreated, held up his wand to release the silence spell, but hesitated.

"It will do well, that we did not have this talk. No one, aside from me, from this moment on, will know your true intentions, and even I would not know if you keep it from me. No one will be informed of this spy work. In order to fool the enemy, you must first fool your friends. Do you understand?" A pause. "To the world, to both sides, you will be a faithful Death Eater, if that is what you people are still called…"

Snape bit his lip.

"I'll do anything in my power to make that possible…"

"I see…."

Then without saying another word Dumbledore made his way back to the dungeons. "Good luck Severus Snape" was the last thing that he said before entering the Potion's classroom, leaving behind one Potion Master who was still rooted to his spot.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione exclaimed the moment the former headmaster entered.

"Yes Miss. Granger?" Dumbledore settled down in the table that was before the class.

"Professor Snape….tried to murder us! He wanted to feed us Poison just to test out our Potion. It's too dangerous sir. He wants to gamble with our lives."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked. "Well I assume Severus had picked up some of my ways. He's gone bolder to gamble on a bigger stake. Good, that is good indeed…" Hermione looked confused.

How could Dumbledore agree with Snape? How could he too act as though it was nothing? We're speaking of life and death here. It's not something to be gambled with.

Dumbledore must have read her mind, for he responded. "He has reasons."

That didn't satisfy her, but she didn't say anymore.

"Now for the rest of the year, I'll be taking over this class. I daresay Professor Snape can't teach when he's threatening his students to death." There was light chuckle to cover up the lame excuses. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, knowing better.

The rest of the period was spent going over possible NEWTS questions. When the bell rang, Ron and Hermione lingered behind, in hopes of speaking with the Professor.

"Professor…" Ron spoke as the two walked toward Dumbledore. The man looked up.

"Dad wants you to respond to the threats..."

"I will…Arthur needs not to worry…."

"Publicly…" Ron continued. "As soon as possible…"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"I have nothing more to say then that I will crush that boy with the entire force of Hogwarts, the Order with all the power that I have…." The two were silent. "If that is what Arthur wants me to say to the world, then I will do so. I have nothing else to say."

"That will do…." Ron replied.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Then I'll do that now."

Snape stood rooted to that single spot longer then he had indeed. Dumbledore was asking too much of him. It was one thing to be a spy with all the people on your own side knowing that you were working for them, but a whole other thing to be a spy and have your friends go against you, just to fool the enemy. Could he do it? Snape pondered that question as he slowly made his way out of the massive castle. He apparated back to Numbler 12 to pack, before leaving and going back to spy work. Having done that, he made his way back to his Manor to rethink his plans.

Remus fingered the item in his hands. The replay of Harry's speech rushed through his mind again and again. It had haunted him that night, and it was still doing the same, even now.

"Harry, why must you do this? Why must you make this harder then it already is?"

After that speech, Lupin blamed himself even more. More then once, he had found himself in the past, during the happier years. The memories felt so far away, and became harder and harder to reach. That emotionless mask of Hary replaced the smiling face Harry, more frequently then ever. The hope of ever having the old Harry back seemed to fade into nothing.

At that moment he could hear faint shuffling from downstairs, but was too downtrodden to investigate it. If he had he might have followed Snape to the other man. Still he didn't bother, as he was already consumed in his own thoughts.

When Dumbledore had appeared to make an announcement the way Harry did, he forcefully pulled himself together.

"Evil has once again risen, this time threatening the very existence of mankind and mankind's greatest strength, humanity. Without humanity, there can be no love, or hate, no emotions of any sort. The threat of Hary Poter cannot be ignored, nor prevented. I, Albus Dumbledore will formally break all ties with my former pupil and solely dedicate myself to fighting against him." Dumbledore leaned closer. "I declare war. I will wage war against Evil and its doings. I declare war against the Half-Blood Prince and his men. I speak not only for myself, but also of Great Britain itself. I will crush the boy with a might greater then he's prepared for."

There was a pause.

"These are Dark Times, when friends and enemies cannot be distinguished. It is not a time for prejudice to anyone or any creature. I now humbly ask the other world leaders, and the leaders of the magical community to join me. Together, we will accomplish our goal. This is a battle for our own survival, for our children for our grandchildren. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose. For the sake of the good hearted souls who dwell on this Earth, for the sake of our future generations, for the sake of Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily Potter himself."

The last words stung in Remus' ear. He didn't hear the rest of Dumbledore's speech.

Harry, I swear, I will save you. I will shed light in your darkened world. To do so, I will fight you, if that is what it comes to. I will, one way or another bring humanity back into you. As long as there is Light, there can never be Darkness. I will be that candle which will set your world a glow. Mark my words. Harry James Potter, I will not let you be consumed by Evil.