Author's Note: Harry is born on September 19, 1979. The same with Neville Longbottom. Hermione Granger is born on July 31, 1980. I know. I switch the dates. This will make Harry and Neville nearly ten months older than Hermione. Anyway, this story will be written in drabble-like form. As always, the world and the characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

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Hog's Head Inn

June 30, 1980

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to the kind of whom he so despise, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal in every way. 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…."

Dumbledore's scalp prickled, the hair on his arms rose up as he listened to Sybil Trelawney reciting a prophecy about a boy, who would put an end to Tom Riddle's reign of terror.

He couldn't quash the feelings of hope surging in him as the seer recited the prophecy for the second time.

Trelawney's eyes remained unseeing, her face blank.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to the kind whom the Dark Lord despise, born as the seventh month dies…"

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Standing in a flight of stairs that led to the upper floors of the Hog's Head Inn, Severus Snape was able to hear parts of the conversation, as well as the unexpected prophecy that the woman had started spouting.

He had been hanging carefully to Trelawney's words, and committing everything to memory, when Aberforth – the owner of the Hog's Head Inn, and Dumbledore's brother – saw him and suddenly started manhandling him away from the stairs.

"What are you doing here?!" Aberforth growled, taking him by the arm and began pulling him out of hearing range.

"What is your business here this time of night?"

Severus, of course, had come prepared with an alibi to explain his presence if he was caught eavesdropping.

He shook his arm off from the other man and turned to face him.

"I had come for Dumbledore. I have an urgent message that I must deliver to him in person lest –"

"FOOL!" Aberforth burst out without warning, pushing and hauling him towards the door. "If you need to talk to Albus, you best wait in Hogwarts! These are dark times, and dark matters are better left spoken in secure location where there are no ears on the walls. Now, get out!"

Aberforth threw him out the door.

But Severus didn't do as the old man had suggested. He didn't wait for Dumbledore in Hogwarts, instead he immediately disappeared and reported back to his Master.

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"Severus, what is it do you want?" Voldemort asked, drumming his long fingers against the armrest. Red eyes staring at the man kneeling before him.

"My Lord, I came to report of matters that might be...relevant to our cause." Severus began, keeping his head bowed. "I have followed Dumbledore to the Hog's Head Inn, where he met the seer – Sybil Trelawney – and heard a prophecy that you might find interesting."

"Prophecy?" Voldemort sat up straight. "A prophecy about what?"

"The prophecy of a child that was said to have an unknown power to defeat you."

Voldemort stiffened at the news. His mind came to a screeching halt.

There was an unsettling silence that followed.

Severus didn't look up as he waited for the Dark Lord to respond.

"Are you able to remember the prophecy, Severus? Word for word?" Voldemort asked in a slow, icy tone.

"Yes,"

"Let me hear it then."

Severus recited it to him.

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"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to the kind of whom he so despise, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal in every way. 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…."

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Voldemort sat there, silently contemplating what this prophecy could do to his plans, plans that he had already set in motion.

He didn't really believe in prophecies. However, if this child had an unknown power to defeat him, Voldemort couldn't very well ignore it.

Apart from Albus Dumbledore, he needed to make certain that there was no one out there who would dare oppose him.

He won't leave it to chance.

The child must die.

It didn't take him long when a plan began to form in his mind.

The only way to know about a child born at the end of July - other than the birth registry in the hospitals all across Great Britain, or even perhaps the world - was the Book of Admittance within one of the towers at Hogwarts.

The book that would report the birth of a magical child, as confirmed and written by the Quill of Acceptance.

"Severus, I want you to find a way to enter the tower that has the Book of Admittance. Keep a constant eye on it and make sure that you check if the Quill of Acceptance has written any name on the book by the end of July, or even afterwards."

"I understand, my Lord."

Born to the kind of whom he so despise.

From the seer's words, Voldemort deduced that the prophecy spoke of a child, who would either be a half-blood, or the son of a blood traitor. Voldemort refused to believe that it was a mudblood since the prophecy had clearly stated that the child had the power that Voldemort was unaware of.

It meant that the child must have magic in their blood.

"One more thing, Severus. If a name is, indeed, written on the Book of Admittance, then you must verify that the child is born on the exact day, and whether he is a half-blood or born from bloodtraitors. Once you have confirmed it, I want you to search for his location and report back to me."

"Yes, my Lord." Severus replied in a monotonous voice.

It was a daunting task to be sure, but one Severus must do to serve his master.

"I will do everything you ask of me, my Lord."

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After Severus was gone, Voldemort called his other Death Eaters who had connection to other Wizarding Schools from all across the world. He ordered them to contact the Headmasters or Headmistresses of the schools, and used whatever means necessary - blackmail, death threats or whatever diabolical concoction they could come up with – to get information.

Other than the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance, the other Wizarding schools had their own methods in knowing the birth of a magical child, who deserved to be admitted in their school once they were of age.

Voldemort was going to fully exploit the Wizarding Schools Admission System.

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Later that night, Severus decided to meet up with Dumbledore at Hogwarts. This was as good as any to enter the Castle and cast a spell around the tower containing the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance.

For certain Aberforth must have already informed Dumbledore that he had spotted Severus at the Hog's Head Inn.

In which case, Severus would have to meet the Headmaster and give him a piece of information as he had them believe.

"What were the important thing that you wanted to tell me, Severus?" came Albus Dumbledore's question while he sat back in his high back chair, with his hands entwined in front of him.

The head master's eyes held no warmth for Severus as he met his stare unflinchingly above the wizard's half-moon glasses.

"The Dark Lord knows about the prophecy, Dumbledore." Severus began. "He has an informant who had used the seer's Aunt to extract the memory of her hearing the prophecy in passing. The Dark Lord has been informed of the child."

It was half the truth. The informant had only heard about Sybil's Aunt mentioning about her niece spouting out prophecy about the Dark Lord, but never the exact detail, which was why Severus was sent to confirm this before he could inform the Dark Lord, and Severus had trailed after the woman when she went to the Hogshead Inn and listen to her supposed job interview.

Dumbledore's deep, piercing blue eyes stared straight into Severus'.

Carefully, and with expert subtlety, Severus kept his mind completely calm and blank. He hid those fleeting images of him talking to the Dark Lord.

"Why have you come to inform me about this, Severus? Now…after all this time?"

Severus was prepared with yet another explanation if Dumbledore wasn't easily convince. He knew Dumbledore was a sentimental fool, and everyone remembered Severus Snape carrying a blazing torch for a certain redhead muggleborn when he was at school, and added to that, was the fact that Severus was still in love with the woman. Surely, Dumbledore would believe him if he let his emotions show in this case?

"For Lily…." Even until now, saying her name out loud made Severus' chest constrict, his throat to tighten with an emotion that he had become familiar with - bitterness, but also savage, and terrible longing.

Lily..

"It's for her…" Severus said, swallowing audibly, trying to shake off the lingering emotion that rush through him. Despite that, however, the knot in his chest remained, as if the wound of Lily's decision would forever remain fresh and aching.

Hidden beneath the long sleeves of his robes, his hands were clenched into fists.

"I couldn't care less what happens to her son and husband. But I want you to do everything you can to protect Lily Evans, Dumbledore…"

His voice cracked at the end, inspite of the fact that he was there for another reason altogether, and not really for the woman who rejected him.

Yet…it was always Lily who elicited these unwanted emotions from him – emotions that remained unrequited.

He was a fool for still loving a woman who was already taken.

"Protect her at all cost. I beg of you…"

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Severus had been sincere about his thoughts regarding Lily's protection. Perhaps it was the reason that Dumbledore had easily believed him.

And also, because Dumbledore had given him a mission.

Severus was asked to spy for the Order: to become a double agent.

Since it was the only way to keep up with his deception, he had agreed.

Afterward, Severus bid his farewell and did what he came to do.

Sticking to the shadowed halls of the castle, he found a way to enter the tower that had the magical Book and the Quill, without raising an alarm.

Hastily, he cast a spell and planted – of what looked to be a drawing of an eye and only visible by its maker – on the wall that would give him the entire view of the room, as well as allow him to peer closely and read what the Quill of Acceptance would write on the Book of Admittance.

Severus had then cast another spell that would instantly notify him when the Quill started moving, without the need to be physically present within the room.

And as swift as he arrived, and silent as death, Severus slipped out from the castle like a shadow in the night.

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Later, through the eye on the wall, Severus saw Dumbledore casting a detection charm around the tower, as if to remove hidden spells that were already put in place.

Fortunately, the spell that Severus had cast was of his own making; it was simple, undetectable, where he only could see, yet very powerful.

After deducing that there were no spells at work within the tower, Dumbledore cast his own spell – a different kind than Severus' eye – but with the same intent.

It looked like Dumbledore had the same thought as Voldemort, to make use of the Book of Admittance and Quill of Acceptance to know the name of the child.

Now, the waiting begins.

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At exactly midnight, as the clock struck twelve, it was the end of July.

The day when the prophesied child was said to be born.

The first one, who would be able to get a hold of the child, would have the power to end or win the war.

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Severus was at his home.

The clock said it was already 3:33 am when his 'Hidden Eye' notified him that the Quill of Admittance was already moving – no, writing – on the Book of Admittance.

He muttered a spell to connect his vision with the eye. A heartbeat later, Severus observed how the magical Quill scribbled on the yellowing pages of the Book of Admittance.

He frowned when he saw the name.

It wasn't a he like the prophecy had said.

But a she.

…

Hermione Jean Granger