"What was the point then?" asked Harry.
"Pascal's Wager was an argument devised by Pascal. It stated that either God exists or he does not and that there is no way of knowing until one dies. Given that, the rational human being should nevertheless choose to believe in God and live his or her life as per the tenets of the religion they choose to follow. If they are wrong and God does not exist then they have not lost much, merely some time or luxuries perhaps. If they are right, then they get to go to heaven. You risk very little and the rewards are infinite if God exists and if he does not, what have you really lost? On the other hand you could choose not to believe, and then if you are wrong, well, I'm afraid that the only thing in store for you would be eternal damnation, as per the Christian religion anyway," explained Dumbledore.
"Okay, I get the risk versus rewards bit, sounds a bit like Game Theory but... What does that have to do with me?" asked Harry.
"Harry, right now you are choosing not to believe in the prophecy. Consider what may happen if you are wrong. Right now, I'm certain that you are absolutely safe and I'm not saying it will happen anytime soon, the prophecy did not specify a specific time period after all. However, you must remember that Voldemort's body is not natural. It is a construct of the Dark Arts and as such, I doubt it will age normally and even if it does, he may just have himself resurrected again. For all intents and purposes we must consider that Voldemort is, in fact, immortal."
Dumbledore propped his hands up on the table and steepled his fingers. "Consider fifty or sixty years from now. No doubt, I will be long in my grave and unable to help or advise you. In fact, you will probably have long forgotten all about Voldemort and me. You said you like to travel; you might even decide to say... travel to Europe again. Say you are visiting Paris. What will you do if Voldemort chooses that moment to attack France? By then surely he will have managed to bring his numbers up to a point where such an attack will be feasible."
"There you might be, taking in the sights, looking at that metal tower the French are so proud of and the next thing you know is that Voldemort along with his Death Eaters has apparated nearby and is flinging killing curses at everything in sight. One of Voldemort's curses might kill you without him even realising that you are anything more than an innocent bystander."
Dumbledore stared at a slowly blinking Harry. Good, it looked like his words were having an effect upon the boy.
"On the other hand," he continued, "you could choose to believe in the prophecy. I am not saying I expect you to go out and challenge Voldemort to a duel. No, No, No! I am simply asking you to prepare. To learn from me and to let me teach you so that if you are ever in such a situation you will be prepared. So that, if such a situation ever comes to pass you might have a chance at surviving. That is all I am asking from you."
"You're not asking me to fight Voldemort," asked Harry in stunned disbelief.
"Are you likely to agree to do something like that," asked Dumbledore in an amused tone. On Harry's negative head-shake he continued, "Then I fail to see what my attempting to persuade you on such a course of action will do. No, I believe in the prophecy. I believe that no matter what, somehow the prophecy will be fulfilled and all I want to do at this point is to prepare you for such an eventuality."
Harry drummed his fingers upon the table and looked off into the distance. He seemed to be deep in thought. Dumbledore left him to his thoughts. It would not do to push Harry too much, he thought.
Finally, Harry seemed to come to a decision and said, "Well, as long as it's clear that I will never agree to take the fight to Voldemort and as long as you do not try to persuade me otherwise, then... I suppose there is no harm in being prepared. So - What did you have in mind?"
Dumbledore beamed in triumph. Hook, line and sinker, he had him now. He took out a small package from one of the pockets in his voluminous robes.
"A Chinese fellow called Sun Tzu once said 'If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperilled in a hundred battles'. So to start with, I will be showing you some memories related to Tom Riddle. I assume I am still barred from performing magic within these premises, so if you would be kind enough to un-shrink my pensieve, we can begin," he said.
Harry performed the necessary charm to expand the pensieve, which was placed on the table. Then Dumbledore pulled from his pocket a crystal bottle containing a swirling silver-white substance.
"We shall be going for a trip down Bob Ogden's memory lane," said Dumbledore as he pulled the stopper out of the crystal bottle
"Who was Bob Ogden?"
"He was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said Dumbledore. "He died some time ago, but not before I had tracked him down and persuaded him to confide these recollections to me. We are about to accompany him on a visit he made in the course of his duties. If you will stand, Harry …"
Dumbledore tipped the silvery contents of the bottle into the Pensieve, where they swirled and shimmered, neither liquid nor gas.
"After you," said Dumbledore, gesturing toward the bowl.
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