Chapter 20: Private Meeting in the Head Office

Severus was led by Flitwick up to Dumbledore's office, backtracking to the second floor to where the gargoyle barrier stood.

"I'll take you up and announce you, then I will wait for your meeting to end, and I will then escort you back to Ravenclaw Tower." said Flitwick with a stern pitch. He didn't know what Dumbledore wanted with Severus, but he assumed it was something bad. But what could Severus have possibly done to cause such trouble on the first night back after Christmas?

Flitwick then said, "Sugar Heart."

The gargoyle moved and the spiral staircase began to take shape. Severus and Flitwick stepped on it and they were escorted up to the door leading into the Headmaster's office.

Flitwick knocked.

"Enter." came the cheerful response.

Severus was led into the same office he spent many a day with Dumbledore in his adult years, as well as two months ago after saving James and Sirius from the werewolf. Dumbledore sat cheerfully at his desk, with Fawkes the phoenix taking a nap on his perch. The portraits seemed to be asleep also.

"Thank you, Professor Flitwick." said Dumbledore graciously.

"I shall wait for him downstairs if this is a private meeting, Professor." said Flitwick.

"That won't be necessary." replied Dumbledore. "This could take a while. I shall escort Mr Prince back to his dormitory myself after our business is over."

Flitwick looked even more surprised.

"If you say so, Headmaster." He and Severus shared a look, before the small teacher departed from the office.

As the door closed behind him, Severus felt a sense of despair. He was going to be found out tonight, and everything he hoped that wouldn't come to pass would occur. He would be forced to become a spy upon graduation, he would lose Lily because of the danger of his work…and she would once again marry James Potter after he seemingly neglects their friendship and apparently join up with the Death Eaters.

"Hello, Severus." came the dreadful, calm and polite voice.

"Hello, Headmaster." said Severus, his eyes still fixed on the door through which Flitwick had just left.

"You can look at me when I speak to you, Mr Prince." said Dumbledore.

Severus turned and faced in the direction of the Headmaster, but in the hopes of giving the impression that he felt abashed for his rudeness, he kept his head down, and let any hair that could still cover his eyes despite his grooming over Christmas fall over his forehead.

"Severus." said Dumbledore, and he suddenly had a dangerous tint to his tone. "You and I know full well that you are hiding something from me. You are deliberately avoiding eye contact, just as you have done ever since you started here, and even before that when I went to visit Miss Evans' family. You are aware of what Legilimency is, am I correct?"

Severus was backed into a corner, and he knew for a long time that it was pointless to lie to Dumbledore. He knew he had no option left but to tell the truth.

"Yes, sir."

"I see. I'm glad you appreciate honesty on both sides." said Dumbledore.

"Sides of what?" asked Severus accusatorily. "Sides of the conversation or sides of the light and dark?"

Dumbledore was surprised at the upstart nature of Severus.

"Sides of the conversation." he said. "I don't doubt you as a good boy, Severus. You are too close to Gryffindors and your fellow Ravenclaws alike. But the fact remains that you are hiding something from me. And for your safety and for that of your fellow students, I feel I need to know why that is."

Severus paused. He knew that if he revealed everything to Dumbledore, he would have as good as sealed his own fate. He would have to work for him once he came of age and would end up having to distance himself from Lily, for her sake. He didn't want to lose her. But on the other note, he knew that if he had any hope of disposing of Voldemort before the events of the prophecy took place, and saving Lily resultantly, he would need help in finding the available information on soul sharing. And despite all his knowledge of the Dark Arts from his mother's books in his past life, there was nothing of indication towards the subject in them. That only left one source of help; the man whom gave him the information that Voldemort's soul was shared by Harry Potter: Dumbledore himself.

"Do you deny that you have a secret that you're keen to keep from me, Severus?" asked Dumbledore calmly.

"…No, sir."

"Are you willing to explain yourself now that we both know that you are maintaining information?"

"Not particularly." replied Severus in all honesty.

"Is it information concerning Lord Voldemort?" asked Dumbledore.

Severus paused again, before giving a stiff nod. "And more."

"Then, Severus, I must insist you divulge." said Dumbledore sternly. "Secrets concerning the darkest wizard of all time is not for a first-year student to keep to himself. You need to share it with me. Any information could be vital to stopping him, and bringing peace to the Wizarding World."

"For the greater good." muttered Severus.

"Indeed." said Dumbledore, intrigued that Severus seemed to know his lines so well.

Severus sighed.

"You probably won't even believe me, Headmaster." he said quietly.

"In all my years, Severus, I have been inclined to believe many things." said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"Perhaps it would be best if I showed you?" asked Severus.

"How so?" asked Dumbledore.

"By giving you memories." said Severus.

"You know how to do that?" asked Dumbledore, growing more and more curious.

"I know the mechanics, but I might need help procuring the memories." said Severus.

"That's where my Legilimency could come in." said Dumbledore.

Severus sighed mournfully. He knew what all this would mean, but if it meant saving Lily's life, and those of his new friends and his family, he was now accepting of the idea to do anything it took, just as he was willing to do anything to avenge Lily's death and secure redemption for himself.

Severus tried to remember how he made his memories accessible to Harry Potter and just as he and Dumbledore finally made eye contact, his memories came as an immense blur to Dumbledore, whom was so overwhelmed by the amount of memories in an eleven-year-old child's mind, he pulled back in surprise. He saw nothing, but felt tragedy, pain and despair on the surface of every single one.

"What? How on-?"

Severus looked almost gleeful to see Dumbledore look so astounded for once in his lives. As the memories surfaced, he instinctively put his wand to his head and all the memories came out at once onto the tip, almost causing a heavy weight, and he looked to where Dumbledore's infamous Pensieve stood. He dropped them all inside.

"You know about my Pensieve?" asked Dumbledore, whom was leaning against his desk.

That was only one of countless questions he now had for Severus. How could one small child have so many memories, and such devastatingly miserable ones judging by what he felt on entering his mind?

Severus looked positively haunted by the pictures swirling before him from inside the Pensieve. He saw his father beating him, he saw his pleas to Lily, and he saw Sirius Black tricking him into the Shrieking Shack…then he saw himself pleading with Dumbledore, and his cynical first meeting with Harry Potter…and finally he saw him cast the Killing Curse. He looked away.

"You can look." he mumbled. He looked devastated at having to share them.

"I think you had better come with me." said Dumbledore. "I think it would only make you feel more distressed to sit here alone, afraid of my rising back out."

Severus saw the sense in that and nodded.

"Please don't…hate what I was."

Dumbledore didn't understand those words but went along with it.

He allowed Severus to enter the Pensieve first, then followed suit.

Dumbledore found himself in the playground close to where Severus and Lily lived. He saw the scene where Severus first met Lily, the original scene. He wondered why Severus was showing him this; it had nothing to do with Voldemort.

But then after a few more scenes showing his and Lily's pre-Hogwarts years, Dumbledore saw the original Sorting of him and Lily. He saw Lily become a Gryffindor. But Dumbledore noticed that Severus' reaction looked more miserable than what he had seen on that day. Then to Dumbledore's further shock and surprise, when Severus put on the Sorting Hat, it said almost instantly: "SLYTHERIN!"

"What?" gasped Dumbledore. "You're in Ravenclaw, Severus. I don't understand."

"You will." came the miserable sounding reply.

Dumbledore then saw the scene shift to when Severus finished his OWL in fifth year. He could barely fathom how this was possible. These were not figments of Severus' imagination, they were legitimate memories. They were impossibly real.

He surveyed not just the scene, but Severus himself beside him. Severus looked away, positively anguished. He clearly hated this particular memory. Dumbledore saw the Marauders attack Severus randomly, then the torturous use of Severus' own spell, then his assault on James, before being exposed half naked, and Lily's interference…and then, he saw Severus say the fatal word, "Mudbloods."

Then the scene shifted once again. He saw Severus implore with Lily to forgive him, and her ultimate response.

"You've chosen your way. I've chosen mine."

He heard Severus wince in agony at the remembrance of this scene.

Then he saw James announcing his engagement to Lily, and his own proud applause, but then he saw Severus fleeing the scene, unseen by anyone.

"You were in love with Miss Evans?" he said.

"Yes."

"How is all of this even possible?" asked Dumbledore.

"This life…it was my second chance."

Before Dumbledore could press the matter further, the scene changed again, and he was all the more intrigued. He saw himself disarming a now adult Severus.

"Don't kill me!"

"That was not my intention."

Then he watched Severus explain of the prophecy, and how Voldemort believed it to mean Lily and James' son. Then he watched as Severus begged him to protect the family, albeit only after the alternate Headmaster expressed his abhorrence at Severus' lack of concern for James and Harry's lives.

"What is this prophecy?" Dumbledore tried and failed to hide his mixed intrigue and disgust at how little this version of Severus cared for a baby's welfare.

"I overheard Sybil Trelawney speak it to you. It said the one destined to defeat the Dark Lord would be born at the end of July, but would possess powers that the Dark Lord knew not. But I only heard part of it before your brother caught me and threw me out." explained Severus quietly.

"Voldemort believed Lily's child to be the destined one to defeat him?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes."

"And your love for her made you change sides?"

"Yes." he repeated coldly.

Dumbledore silenced himself for a moment, and when he heard his alternate self ask Severus what he would give him in exchange for the Potter family's safety, he was almost touched when Severus replied, "Anything."

What Dumbledore saw next made him feel repulsed with even himself. He saw himself offering the clearly distraught Severus no pity and no comfort as he mourned the loss of the woman he loved. He watched as the other Dumbledore guilt-tripped the adult Severus into devoting his life to serving him for the memory of Lily…only in exchange for not telling anyone the best of Severus Snape.

The next few scenes showed Severus' missions and orders under Dumbledore's rule, all of little consequence other than showing beyond doubt that Dumbledore trusted the man with his life and more in the resistance against Voldemort.

Then came the scene that Severus knew might disturb Dumbledore most of all. He was feeding him the potion that prolonged his life for a year. Dumbledore paid some interest in the ring his counterpart seemed to have destroyed with the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

"It can't be." he said.

"What?" asked Severus keenly. Maybe Dumbledore knew Voldemort's secret from this memory somehow.

"It doesn't matter." replied Dumbledore dismissively.

Severus knew that somehow it did, but Dumbledore clearly wasn't at liberty to divulge how, yet. And if there was one individual Severus wasn't able to get to talk, it was Albus Dumbledore.

"You must kill me." said the alternate Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked shocked and turned to Severus, whom nodded to keep watching.

Dumbledore spoke of how he wanted Severus to kill him to spare the Malfoy boy the ignominy of having his soul wrenched apart in Voldemort's name. Severus complained that Dumbledore was willing to let that happen to him, but the accusation was dismissed and to the current Dumbledore's amazement, the older Severus agreed. His loyalty clearly knew no bounds.

Then the scene shifted once more to the office, where Severus seemed ready to learn a long-awaited secret, and the current Severus asked the Headmaster to listen carefully to his predecessor.

Dumbledore did so, and when his counterpart spoke of how Voldemort could not die while the fragment of his soul lived within Harry Potter, Severus saw what could only be described as an enlightenment flood the Headmaster's eyes. He was now excited. Dumbledore surely now knew Voldemort's secret to immortality.

Severus then watched sadly as his former self proved his love for Lily remained undiminished when he cast his doe Patronus for Dumbledore to see.

"After all this time?"

"Always."

"I think I've seen…quite enough." said Dumbledore.

This was just as well, as the next memory would have seen Severus killing Dumbledore at the top of the lightning-struck tower on that fatal night.

The two of them rose out of the Pensieve and Severus stared down at the floor, on his hands and knees, partially trying to recover from the memories he tried to keep down due to his fresh start, and also trying desperately not to think of the horrible new possibilities that were inevitably ahead of him now that he was coerced into revealing everything to Dumbledore.

"Mr Prince." said Dumbledore after what seemed a very long time of pure silence. "Tell me what all of that was. I know you didn't make these memories up, they're real, but how is it possible? How do you, a boy who clearly aged to his late thirties by the look of it, come to be here as a first-year student now?"

Severus panted and groaned. He may as well let the rest of the cat out of the bag now. There was no turning back from this past hour.

"I was killed by Voldemort a year after I killed you. He believed me to be the owner of your wand…he wanted full control of it…he set his snake on me. Luckily, I was able to give those memories you've just seen to the Potter boy, and I died…forces above wizardkind brought me back to life, but in a parallel universe…this universe. I'm from another universe, but I was brought back to have a second chance of life in a new world, as my old world had nothing left for me."

Dumbledore was beyond interested. He was ecstatic.

"You were given another chance at life to make up for your mistakes concerning Lily Evans?"

Severus nodded.

"And, also to stay true to the side of the Light. And that's how you came to be a Ravenclaw instead of a Slytherin."

Severus nodded again, feeling fed up.

"You came back without the skills you mastered by adulthood, so you had to avoid my Legilimency at all costs because you feared the repercussions of my finding out this truth." continued Dumbledore.

"Yes." mumbled Severus dismally.

"I regret a lot of the things my counterpart seems to have done to you." said Dumbledore sincerely. "I assume his treatment towards you is what limited your trust in my good self."

Severus nodded once more.

Dumbledore smiled. "That's understandable. And now, you have confirmed to me several things…and you have proven to be my youngest and possibly most valuable asset. Now, I know for certain how Voldemort can be defeated."

Severus looked up.

"That's the main reason I gave in and showed you my memories." he said hungrily. "I want to destroy him, before Lily becomes twenty, where she could be impregnated with the Chosen One. I want to stop him before the prophecy comes to exist in this universe. Please, Professor, tell me what my memories told you!"

Dumbledore looked at the small boy, and wondered whether or not to tell him the full truth, something his counterpart had failed to do, and hence caused some difficult obstacles for himself in the near future.

He knew that Severus was only eleven, but in retrospect, he was really forty-nine-years-old. He could clearly be trusted. Severus was not going to make the same mistakes again. He had the memories to ensure it.

"Very well. But you must not repeat this to anybody, not even Miss Evans, is that understood?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, sir."

"And when you reach your OWLs, in fifth year, I will need to make it my business to teach you Occlumency in case we fail to defeat Voldemort before then. If he takes any interest in you at all, he might try to penetrate your mind after leaving Hogwarts. Two to three years seems sufficient times to make you as accomplished an Occlumens as you must have been in your previous, uh, lifetime."

Severus knew this might be the case, but he didn't complain. Occlumency was one of his most treasured skills in the latter parts of his past life. But-

"I do not intend to be your spy in the camp again." he said coldly, which sounded very uncharacteristic for a young first-year student, speaking to his Headmaster. "I was given this second chance by your alternate self among others, and I do not plan to waste it by rotting between sides divulging different pieces of information and receive nothing in return…not even full trust."

He sounded distraught and accusatory as he said this. He felt ashamed for this, particularly in front of Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore sensed this tone, and laid a kindly hand on Severus' shoulder.

"You have my trust and respect, Mr Prince." he said gently. "And I'll prove it to you now. Take a seat."

Severus collapsed into the seat opposite Dumbledore's at the desk. He was emotionally exhausted but keen to learn everything kept from him in the past life.

"From what your memories told me, Voldemort's soul was ripped. A part of it separated from the whole and attached to the living soul of this child, Harry Potter." he said. "But if his soul was split once…I have a strong belief that Voldemort had already done this before, willingly."

Severus paled. "You mean he had more parts of his soul in other people? So, Harry Potter died for nothing?"

"Oh no, I don't think so." said Dumbledore assuredly. "Splitting the soul is a very Dark piece of advanced magic. It is caused by the wilful act of murder. Murder damages and renders the soul to pieces. As Voldemort commits murder willingly and without hesitation or remorse, he also split his soul…and made the fragments into Dark objects known as Horcruxes."

Severus looked clueless.

"I've never heard of Horcruxes before." he said honestly.

"Which is just as well, a relief even."

"Hm?"

"If it took you two lifetimes to learn what Horcruxes are, then the precautions I took to ensure no student ever learned what they are was not in vain. I removed every book that could relate to Dark means to gain immortality after Tom Riddle somehow became invincible."

"You knew he had these Horcruxes?" said Severus crossly.

"No." said Dumbledore. "I knew he was unstoppable, so I knew I had to ensure we didn't have another like him, so I ordered every possible book to be destroyed, confiscated or sealed away for good. But the book that talks of Horcruxes is gone from the library now. Now, to explain: a Horcrux is an object that one puts a piece of their soul in, and as long as one has a Horcrux, that individual cannot die. But if one destroys the Horcrux, one destroys the owner. If Voldemort had a piece of his soul in this Harry Potter lad, then yes, the boy had to die."

Severus looked at the Headmaster in awe.

"So…he made a Horcrux. Harry became a second one."

"Oh no, no. I'm certain Tom would not have been happy with just one Horcrux." said Dumbledore sadly. "I'm sure he took more than one precaution to protect his soul. I saw in your memories that he had made at least two by the time you reached that age."

"What?" said Severus. "What were those two?"

"One was that ring I destroyed with the Sword of Gryffindor." said Dumbledore. "It carried a terrible curse only Voldemort could have devised. Destroying it would not have broken the curse, but it did look damaged, burnt even. The piece of Voldemort's soul within the ring must have been that cause. That is at least my theory, so finding that ring in this universe is essential. The second one I noticed probably doesn't exist yet. I was interested when I heard that other me mention to you that Voldemort would fear for the life of his snake."

"You think Nagini was the second Horcrux?" asked Severus, surprised.

"Indeed." said Dumbledore. "But as that snake currently does not exist, we can safely assume there is one less Horcrux to deal with in this lifetime, and thanks to you being brave enough to tell me your secrets tonight, forewarned is now forearmed much earlier than in your old universe."

Severus felt touched. Dumbledore's praise was something he had always wanted, and there seemed to be no catch in the matter, as there had always been in the past.

"I believe that I'm going to have a busy year." said Dumbledore. "I will have to track down a lot of individuals. Some memories might be required in order to find out what the other Horcruxes might be."

Severus was interested to know too. Then it occurred to him.

"Sir, on the night I died in that old world, Harry Potter went to a lot of trouble to get into Hogwarts, despite being the most wanted man in the Wizarding World under Voldemort's reign. It might be possible that there is a Horcrux here at Hogwarts." he said keenly.

Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Excellent deduction, Mr Prince." said Dumbledore. "I shall search this castle from top to bottom."

"Is there anything I can do?" Severus only asked this to be polite and to prove himself to still be useful.

"Not at present, Mr Prince." said Dumbledore proudly. "You've done more than enough already tonight. In the meantime, you can be rest assured that I shall endeavour to find these Horcruxes as fast as I possibly can…and with your memories, I know just which one to start with. I must find that ring."

"If you do, do not touch it with your bare hands!" warned Severus. "It will curse you again and doom you to maybe a year or less to live. And I don't think this world can cope without its Albus Dumbledore as well."

Severus really meant he couldn't bear to be put in the position where he'd have to kill his confidante and friend again. Dumbledore understood.

Soon, Dumbledore escorted Severus back to Ravenclaw Tower, solving the riddle for him.

"Rest well, Severus." he smiled. "And keep your friends close in the meantime. You will be hearing from me quite soon enough, I suspect."

Severus hoped that Dumbledore was being truthful here. As much as he'd like to be kept out of the way to an extent, he still wished to play a role in the downfall of Voldemort, for many a personal reason.

It was at that point, that Severus decided to make it his personal business, as well as Dumbledore's, to find the Horcrux that was contaminating the safe innards of Hogwarts.

Here's Chapter 20. I'm sorry if it's not very well detailed or realistic. I definitely struggled writing this one. Hope you will enjoy reading it all the same. Please review! Thank you.