"Now rise and tell me, Severus, what did you overhear?" The Dark Lord asked smoothly.
Severus got to his feet and bowed his head respectfully. "Dumbledore was interviewing a woman for the position of Divination and she gave him a prophecy… 'the one to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born as the seventh month dies…born to those who have thrice defied him…'," he paused and caught his breath, "unfortunately, I didn't hear anything more before I was ushered out by the barman."
"I see." The Dark Lord rose and circled Severus silently.
Severus swallowed hard. Hadn't he done his duty? Wasn't his Lord pleased with him?
"Do you believe in prophecies, my dear Severus?" The Dark Lord asked suddenly.
He had to swallow against a surge of fear before he could answer. "Honestly, no, my Lord."
"Then why such haste in bringing me this news?"
The inference that Severus believed that someone would be born that could defeat his Lord slid into Severus's mind like a sharp knife. He thought furiously.
"I merely wished to warn you that the old fool Dumbledore had heard such a thing and may believe it." Severus hurried out, bowing his head again.
The Dark Lord laughed harshly. "It would be the first time. He and I both have never put stock in the vagaries of tea leaves and dull predictions of cards." He whirled away back to his throne, his robes billowing out before he sat. "Still, there may be those who will believe and it would be better to keep this…drivel in mind." His red eyes met Severus's again. "You have done well, Severus. You will be rewarded in time."
Some months later, Severus had read the St Mungo's birth announcements and realised that one of the babies born at the end of July was Lily's child. Severus had tried to put it to the back of his mind, to tell himself the child was also the spawn of James Potter and he didn't care what happened to it, to Lily. He had worried though knowing the depravities that the rest of the Death Eaters engaged in; the cruelty the Dark Lord was capable of employing against his enemies. Then Severus had been called alone to dine with the Dark Lord; a tremendous honour…
"You have seen the birth announcements, I trust, Severus?" The Dark Lord asked once the meal was over.
"I have, my Lord." Severus admitted and he knew two babies could fulfil the conditions in the prophecy; both sets of parents had defied his Lord; both children born at the end of July.
"I have been told that Dumbledore visits the families regularly." The Dark Lord sneered. "Obviously he has succumbed finally to senility to place his hopes in such a flimsy thing as a prophecy."
"He is desperate, my Lord." Severus replied sincerely. "Your side wins more ground every day."
"Yes," the Dark Lord muttered, "desperate, and desperate men do desperate things." He conjured two glasses of cognac and handed one to Severus. "I believe Dumbledore will try and use one of these infants against me. I need a spy to determine which he will use." He swirled the liquid around the glass and pinned Severus with unrelenting red eyes. "You were once friends with the wife of the blood traitor Potter?"
"To my shame, we grew up in the same neighbourhood." Severus knew it was folly to lie to the man.
"You are aware that Dumbledore knows that it was you who overheard the prophecy?" The Dark Lord smiled menacingly as Severus had nodded jerkily. "There will soon be a vacancy for the position of Potions Professor at Hogwarts. You will apply for the job and at the interview request sanctuary within the walls of Hogwarts having felt remorse for placing the son of your old childhood friend at risk after informing me of the prophecy. You will tell the old fool that you have changed your mind about serving me."
"My Lord…" Severus stuttered. "He will know! I cannot…"
"You will, Severus." The Dark Lord said bluntly. "You will train with Bellatrix in the art of Occlumency between now and your meeting with Dumbledore. It will hide your thoughts and true allegiance from him. You will take your place in his band of blood traitors and inform me of everything but especially anything to do with the prophecy."
He had agreed – what else could he do?
It had turned out to be his salvation.
Occlumency had been difficult but working through his memories with Bellatrix laughing derisively at his upbringing and his friendship with Lily had seeded doubts in his own mind about whether he had chosen the right path. And by the time he had attended his interview and wept crocodile tears on Dumbledore's robes about regretting his choices, he had in truth been wavering and thankful that his Occlumency was good enough that he could keep both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord from knowing what was really going on in his head.
Dumbledore's request for him to be a spy had been approved by the Dark Lord who had laughed when Severus had reported to him.
"Let him think you are his," the Dark Lord smiled, "but you and I know you will always be mine."
The Dark Mark had ached for days after that; the Dark Lord's subtle reminder of who Severus had sworn his life to serving.
And as the months had passed and Severus spent more time with Dumbledore, with the rest of the Hogwarts staff and away from the Death Eaters; as he had seen the crushed faces of children who lost their parents and families to the Dark Lord's thirst for power and blood, he had become less enthralled with his own Death Eater identity.
He had instead embraced his spy role. The spying had come naturally to him and he had quickly realised he occupied a position of power within both camps. He decided which raids to share; who was saved and who was lost to an extent. He controlled vital information – not all of it but some of it. He secretly gloried in his position.
But the events of Halloween in 'eighty-one had shattered his delusion (and it was a delusion, he could see it with hindsight); the Dark Lord had summoned him and informed him of his plan to attack the Potters as he needed a child to fulfil a ritual and why not one prophecised to defeat him? Severus had almost panicked, but he had kept his head and asked for Lily as a reward in the hopes of saving her – her husband and child were of no consequence but Lily…
He should have known she would die trying to save her son. He should have known the Dark Lord would not choose to stun her when he could kill her.
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