"But Lily's protection spell should have worn off by the Dark Lord's return," Snape said, frowning.
"No! I think you and he seriously underestimated the power of that spell, and that Voldemort using Harry's blood to revive him was definitely the wrong decision!" Dumbledore said slowly.
Snape nodded. If that were the case, the chances of Lily's child surviving would increase dramatically.
However, after careful consideration, Snape found the task extremely difficult.
The first is to ensure that Harry becomes master of the Elder Wand, and will not be defeated for a long time. The second is to take him to Lord Voldemort, where the Dark Lord himself will cast the Killing Curse on him, and the third is to get Harry out of there alive …
Nothing must go wrong, or Potter will die.
"Then what exactly should I do?" Snape asked, unable to come up with an idea for the moment.
"You only need to do three things to ensure that this plan will go as smoothly as possible!" Dumbledore said, apparently having no intention of making things difficult for Snape.
"First, you must give the Elder Wand to Lord Voldemort and gain his complete trust!"
"It was easy enough to do, as in a week's time I would die in a duel with Ivan Hals, and when he learned of my death, Voldemort would become agitated and desperate for new power…"
"And then I can offer both The Tales of Beedle the Bard and the Elder Wand to Voldemort?" Snape asked, catching Dumbledore's drift.
"Well, it was Voldemort's task to turn me against him, wasn't it? To further gain his trust," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"So you're going to tell the Dark Lord about the Deathly Hallows along with everything else?" Snape asked suspiciously.
Wasn't this plan too risky? The Elder Wand alone was enough to raise Lord Voldemort's power again. What if Lord Voldemort managed to gather all three Deathly Hallows?
"A mad, deranged Lord Voldemort will do untold damage, so it would be better to lead him to his own death with the legend of the Three Hallows," Dumbledore explained.
From what he knew of Lord Voldemort, once he was convinced that he would never win against Ivan Halus, he was likely to do something cruel and insane.
However, it would be different if there was new hope. Voldemort would most likely continue to endure and focus solely on the pursuit of the three artifacts — which was exactly what he wanted!
Snape thought for a moment, then decided not to argue, and instead went on to ask Dumbledore how he was going to ensure that Harry was not defeated by an accident while he was setting up the trap.
"That is the second point I am prepared to make!" said Dumbledore. "I need a man to promise that Harry will be the true master of the Elder Wand at the most appropriate time!"
"Guaranteed how?" Snape asked.
"Of course it is…" Dumbledore's tone suddenly changed, and he said sternly, "Put the Disarming Charm on me, Severus!"
"What did you say?" Snape's mind failed him, but Dumbledore raised his wand, his hair and beard dancing in the air as a golden-red beam of light gathered at the tip of the wand and flew towards him.
Snape felt his skin crawl, and in the face of death, he instinctively retaliated as Dumbledore had instructed.
"Excellarmus ~ (excluding your weapon)"
The golden-red beam of light passed directly over Snape's head, but his Disarming Charm was a direct hit, and the wand slipped out of Dumbledore's hand and flew through the air.
Snape reached out and took the wand, but as soon as he stood still, Dumbledore spoke again.
"Find the right moment and do the same thing to Harry."
Snape looked at the wand in his hand, then back at Dumbledore, and quickly realised that Dumbledore was planning to use him as a transfer point for his legacy, and that if Snape was disarmed by Harry at the right moment, Dumbledore would naturally become the Elder Wand's new master.
It was a clever move, as most wizards would not have the ability to defeat him, and Ivan and Voldemort would have to rely on him as a spy to do so.
"In addition, I will arrange for you to be in charge of teaching Harry Occlumency… If all goes well, you should be able to grasp Harry's every move with ease, and with Voldemort's trust in you, you will be able to complete all of my instructions," Dumbledore said casually.
Snape smiled wryly. It was easy for Dumbledore to say, but it would be hellishly difficult for him to plot against Lord Voldemort without actually knowing that he had tricked Harry and Ivan Harris.
However, Snape also knew that he had no choice, and that it was almost the best way to save Lily's child.
Why hide it from Ivan?
Dumbledore did not say anything, but Snape saw everything.
After all, the legend of the Deathly Hallows was so legendary that any wizard would be moved, and Ivan would never have allowed such a treasure to fall into Voldemort's hands.
There was also a quicker way to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes, and that was to kill Harry!
A year ago, Snape would have been naive enough to believe that Yvonne Harris cared about Harry's well-being.
However, the ambition of the Ministry of Magic had been revealed in the battle, and the Minister for Magic was able to kill dozens of Aurors.
"What's the last thing you want me to do?" Snape asked Dumbledore nervously. The first two things had bothered him enough, but he felt that the last one might be more difficult.
Dumbledore closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. When Snape grew tired of waiting, he finally opened his eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "When you have completed the first two tasks, send Voldemort to Newmengard and tell him that Grindelwald was the former owner of the Elder Wand and had pursued the Three Hallows. He is most likely to know where the Resurrection Stone is."
"Grindelwald?! The Dark Lord you defeated over fifty years ago?" Snape was confused. "You want to lure Voldemort to him. Why?"
"All you have to do is tell this to Voldemort," Dumbledore continued, not bothering to explain.
"This is about the Deathly Hallows, and Voldemort will never take you with him when he goes to Newmond, and my guess is that he won't be back any time soon … so this is a wonderful opportunity, and you will have to use Voldemort's trust in you to find the serpent's hiding place and destroy it!"