Dumbledore's Plan

Dumbledore's words puzzled Snape, as he thought Ivan, who had taken control of the British wizarding community, could easily deal with the Dark Lord.

Even if Voldemort was now in his safe house, Snape did not think he was one hundred percent safe.

It would not be difficult to lure Lord Voldemort out of hiding, or to ferret out the Secret-Keeper, with the stratagems that Ivan-Harris demonstrated when he dominated the Ministry.

As for the Horcruxes, there was no need to mention them. Over the past five years, Ivan Hals had proven repeatedly that no matter how well Voldemort hid them, he would always find a way to find and destroy them.

It would not be an exaggeration to call him Voldemort's nemesis!

For a moment, Snape wondered if Trelawney's prediction had been wrong, and if it was possible that Ivan-Hals was the Dark Lord's mortal enemy, the legendary British Savior.

Dumbledore naturally saw Snape's confusion and said, "Unfortunately, if I am not mistaken, Voldemort's seventh Horcrux is… Harry!"

"What? That's impossible!" Snape was stunned.

"Fifteen years ago, on the night that Voldemort tried to kill Harry, Lily used her life in his place to resist his Killing Curse and deflect it," Dumbledore explained.

"It was then that a fragment of Voldemort's soul was separated and attached to the only living soul in the collapsed house…"

"Potter's…" Snape muttered to himself, then looked at Dumbledore, enunciating each word carefully. "Tell me, is this just a guess? A guess?"

"I would not have mentioned it if I were not so sure," Dumbledore said, sternly interrupting Snape's last thought.

"So… so to kill the Dark Lord means that Potter must die as well…" Snape's body shook uncontrollably, his head spinning. He could not believe that the person he was trying so hard to protect was destined to die.

"You thought of that possibility?" Snape demanded, glaring at Dumbledore. "I worked for you as an agent, fabricated lies, and risked my life to deliver information. All to keep Lily Potter's son safe! And now you're telling me he's actually one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes? A doomed man?!"

"No one would want that if they could, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. "And don't forget, you are, in a sense, the one responsible."

Snape's heart felt like it had been ripped out of his chest, and his face contorted in pain. After a long moment, he said hoarsely, "Is there no other way? By keeping the child alive…"

"Of course there is! But I'm afraid that will require your cooperation." Dumbledore's words once again caught Snape by surprise, like a weak spark in the darkness.

Snape gave Dumbledore a long look, then spoke slowly. "What… should I do?"

"To complete the task I gave you…" Dumbledore said.

"You mean to give this to the Dark Lord sometime?" Snape took out his copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which he kept close to his chest, and looked at Dumbledore in confusion.

Was he supposed to tell the Dark Lord a bedtime story?

Snape had no doubt that if he handed it over recklessly, Voldemort would happily give him an Avada Kedavra!

"I'm guessing you've been reading these stories for some time, haven't you?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape nodded. Dumbledore had forced a storybook on him, so he had to find out what it was, and at one point he even wondered if it contained a code or password.

"I give them to you because they are more than just stories!" Dumbledore's face was grave as he told Snape everything he knew about the Deathly Hallows.

"The Elder Wand… the Cloak of Invisibility… the Resurrection Stone…" Snape was shocked to hear about the Deathly Hallows for the first time, especially when he learned of the existence of the Resurrection Stone. "Can the Resurrection Stone really bring back the dead?"

"You plan to revive Lily and then try to make her fall in love with you?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Snape appraisingly.

"I'm not as dirty as you think!" Snape shouted angrily, pausing before continuing. "I just want to … just to see her again … even if it's just her soul, I want to confess to her … in person …"

"Praying for a dead man's forgiveness? That would make you feel better?" Dumbledore scoffed.

"Unfortunately, the Resurrection Stone does not do that! Legends are, after all, legends, and the Deathly Hallows are only powerful magical objects…" Dumbledore showed his blackened right hand. "If the legend were true, and the Deathly Hallows were capable of lifting a person from the brink of death, I would not be reduced to this state."

Disappointment flashed across Snape's face, but he quickly composed himself, remembering that Dumbledore had asked him to give Voldemort The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

"Since you have read the story, you should know the properties of the Elder Wand," Dumbledore went on.

Snape hesitated for a moment, staring at the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's hand, then whispered, "The victor of the duel will be the owner of this wand?"

"Yes, but it also has the unknown property that the Elder Wand will not harm its current owner!" Dumbledore explained.

"So you're going to make Harry the owner of the Elder Wand and then use it to attack him?" Snape's brow furrowed.

"More than that, I think it must be Lord Voldemort!" Dumbledore added.

"Why?! According to you, anyone could have done it." Snape, looking hysterical, was on the verge of retorting against Dumbledore's insane idea.

"Because I cannot be certain that Harry's connection to this wand alone will truly withstand the effects of the Death Curse…" Dumbledore said solemnly. "It will require Lord Voldemort himself!"

"Harry has Lily's protective charm on him, the second insurance policy!"