"Does it have to be this way?"
After Hermione and Ron left the office, Sherlock looked at Dumbledore.
"If this were merely about Professor Trelawney's matter, it wouldn't hurt to be more open with your two young friends."
Dumbledore shook his head, glancing at Harry before turning to Sherlock.
"But the problem is, this matter also involves another person. Sherlock, I believe with your abilities, you've already guessed who it is. You can call me a coward, but the fact is, up until now, only he and I know about that incident."
"Not a guess—a deduction."
Hearing Dumbledore's response, Sherlock said without hesitation.
"Dumbledore, at this point, I think you should tell us what role Professor Severus Snape played in this entire affair."
Harry was stunned.
What was going on? Why would this matter involve Professor Snape?
Could it be that he and Professor Trelawney...
No, didn't Sherlock say he loved his own mother?
"Harry, don't let your imagination run wild."
Sherlock looked at Harry, saying somewhat helplessly.
"Oh, sorry."
Harry didn't ask how Sherlock knew what he was thinking. After all, he hadn't tried to hide it, and couldn't have hidden it anyway.
After addressing Harry, Sherlock immediately turned back to Dumbledore.
"So, the prophecy that forced Voldemort to go after Harry was also made by Professor Trelawney in this state, correct?"
"You knew after all."
Dumbledore nodded. "From the moment you came to me with Harry, I knew you must have guessed—oh, deduced this."
Sherlock smiled slightly, clasping his hands together under his chin, leaning back a bit.
"Then I'm all ears."
"Let's start with Sybill's story."
Dumbledore's gaze grew distant, as if sinking into memories of the past.
For Dumbledore, Sybill Trelawney was quite a remarkable person. On one hand, her behavior made her seem like a mad charlatan, but on the other hand, she could make genuine prophecies.
The reason lay in the special nature of Divination as a branch of magic.
Sybill Trelawney was the great-great-granddaughter of the genuine Seer Cassandra Trelawney. Although Cassandra's gift had greatly diminished over several generations, Sybill had still inherited this talent.
At age eleven, Trelawney entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Ravenclaw House.
As a descendant of a famous Seer, she was noticed by Professor Horace Slughorn and became a member of the Slug Club.
In her early years, she had married, but for various reasons, the marriage ended unexpectedly due to incompatibility, and there were no children.
When Dumbledore reached this point, Harry couldn't help but glance at Sherlock. Because Sherlock had deduced all of this through observation of Professor Trelawney during their first Divination class.
That class had also produced the famous scene. "You can predict the future; I can deduce the past."
That was precisely why Professor Trelawney was so wary of Sherlock.
Now Dumbledore finally got to the crucial part.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Trelawney began drifting through the wizarding world. She tried to find work based on her ancestor's reputation, but was unwilling to accept positions she deemed beneath a Seer's dignity.
In short, her desires far exceeded her abilities.
Finally, in 1980, the wheels of fate began to turn.
Trelawney had an interview with Albus Dumbledore, then Headmaster of Hogwarts, at the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade. She hoped to apply for the position of Divination teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In her view, this position would match her status as a Seer.
"Actually, I had already decided not to continue offering Divination classes at that time."
At this point, Dumbledore's face showed a trace of embarrassment.
Because by then, Sybill Trelawney had already been making a living through false predictions.
However, considering she was a descendant of a famous Seer, Dumbledore decided to meet with her out of courtesy.
But to Dumbledore's disappointment, Trelawney showed no trace of genuine Seer talent during their conversation.
Just as he had done with Harry's Aunt Petunia, he told Trelawney in a polite manner that she was not suitable for the position.
"But just as I was about to leave, Sybill entered a trance-like state—the same state Harry has now witnessed. It was then that she made a genuine prophecy—that a boy about to be born would have the power to defeat Voldemort."
Harry gasped.
The prophecy about him had been made by Professor Trelawney?
In other words, the person who truly influenced his entire life was her?
"Harry, just as you witnessed yesterday, after making that prophecy she remembered nothing. But I knew it was a genuine prophecy. At that time, the entire wizarding world was shrouded in Voldemort's shadow, and I must say, her prophecy gave me hope. To protect her, I changed my mind, accepted her application, and allowed Divination classes to continue."
"So, what was the complete prophecy?"
Sherlock suddenly asked.
"Oh?"
Dumbledore pushed up his glasses, looking at Sherlock with some surprise.
"At first, I thought the prophecy was, 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July in a wizarding family.'
In first year, you told me the prophecy was correct, but not entirely accurate. The complete content was. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, and he will emerge to defeat him.'
In second year, I told you that couldn't possibly be the full prophecy. Though you admitted this, you said you couldn't tell me yet. Now can you reveal the complete prophecy?"
Dumbledore looked quietly at Sherlock, his gaze containing both admiration and helplessness.
"What, still can't say?"
Sherlock frowned.
Dumbledore didn't speak. He answered Sherlock with action instead.
He stood up, walked to the black cabinet beside Fawkes's perch, bent down to open the bolt, and took out a shallow stone basin with runes carved around its edge.
Harry had never seen it, but Sherlock knew this was the Pensieve. He had once been invited by Dumbledore to witness through it the meeting between Dumbledore and Tom Riddle fifty years ago.
Now that Dumbledore was taking it out again, he seemed ready to reveal the truth.
Dumbledore returned to the desk, placed the Pensieve on it, then raised his wand to his temple. The next moment, silver, thread-like wisps emerged from his temple. He placed these thoughts clinging to his wand into the basin, sat back down behind the desk, and watched his thoughts swirl and float in the Pensieve.
Sherlock and Harry watched quietly as he performed this ritual.
After a moment, Dumbledore sighed and raised his wand again, prodding the silvery substance with its tip.
A shawl-wrapped figure immediately rose from the basin. Her eyes were magnified many times by her lenses, frighteningly large.
Sherlock and Harry recognized her at once—it was Professor Sybill Trelawney, whom they had been discussing.
Her feet remained in the basin as her body began to slowly rotate. The next moment, Sybill Trelawney spoke.
Harry was surprised to discover she wasn't using her usual mysterious, ethereal voice. It was exactly the deep, harsh voice he had heard just yesterday.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...
And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...
And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives...
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."
Professor Trelawney's words, along with her figure, slowly rotated and sank into the silvery substance below, disappearing.
The office fell into dead silence.
Sherlock, Harry, Dumbledore, and all the portraits on the walls remained silent. Even Fawkes was quiet.
After a moment, Sherlock was the first to speak.
"So, aren't you going to tell us how Voldemort learned of this prophecy?"
Dumbledore didn't answer, but looked at Harry.
"Since you sent Hermione and Ron away but kept Harry here, haven't you already made your decision? What are you still hesitating about?"
"Because I care too much about Harry."
Dumbledore looked at Harry, saying directly.
"I cared more about your happiness than letting you know the truth. I cared more about your peace of mind than about my plans. I cared more about your life than about the lives that would be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort would expect from us fools who understand love."
Sherlock laughed disdainfully, while Harry shook his head.
"Professor Dumbledore, I still don't understand."
"I never intended to tell you about this when you were eleven. I told myself, eleven years old is too young, shouldn't know yet. Knowing all this at such a young age would be unbearable. Even though you faced Voldemort in your first year, that still didn't change my mind.
Soon, your second year at Hogwarts arrived. I never imagined that you and Sherlock would once again face challenges that even adult wizards had never encountered. And your performance exceeded my wildest dreams. What surprised me even more was that Sherlock had already figured this out then."
Dumbledore sighed, looking at Sherlock with admiration.
"Just as he said—when he asked me about it then, I thought perhaps I should tell him everything. But I quickly dismissed that thought. Because I felt twelve wasn't much different from eleven, still couldn't handle such things."
Sherlock laughed again. "Thirteen isn't much different from twelve, fourteen isn't much different from thirteen, fifteen isn't much different from fourteen... Professor Dumbledore, you can fool others, but don't fool yourself."
Hearing Sherlock's mockery laced words; Dumbledore sighed deeply.
"Yes, such a simple truth, yet I couldn't understand it. I personally watched you enter third year, watched you find Sirius and Peter, watched you discover who they truly were, ensuring the good were rewarded and the bad punished.
This time, you were already thirteen, and you uncovered the truth that had been buried for twelve years. Peter fooled everyone including me, but couldn't fool you. So, this time, my excuses ran out. I had to tell you everything."
Dumbledore took a deep breath and finally directly answered Sherlock's question.
"Voldemort's knowledge of the prophecy is incomplete. Sybill chose the Hog's Head pub to save money. That place has long attracted some—ahem, shall we say—more interesting regular patrons than the Three Broomsticks.
That night I learned the hard way that in such a place, you can never guarantee you won't be overheard. Of course, when I set out to meet Sybill Trelawney, I never dreamed I would hear anything worth eavesdropping on. Our—I should say our—good fortune was that halfway through the prophecy, the eavesdropper was discovered and thrown out."
Watching Dumbledore speak these words with forced lightness, Harry realized.
"So, he only heard—"
"He only heard the beginning, that a boy would be born at the end of July whose parents had thrice defied Voldemort. Therefore, he couldn't warn his master that attacking you would transfer power to you and mark you as his equal. So, Voldemort had no idea that attacking you would be dangerous, much less that you would possess power the Dark Lord knows not—"
At this point, he couldn't help but glance at Sherlock.
From his understanding of Sherlock, he knew the latter should now understand the full picture. So, his gaze implicitly conveyed a plea.
Sherlock naturally understood Dumbledore's meaning. But he smiled and shook his head. "Since you've started, finish it."
Dumbledore still hesitated. "Must I really say it?"
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