Why did Voldemort want to kill Harry? + Trelawney + Neville

[saintbacchus]

No: HPFGUIDX 36241

Lizgiz writes:

> Now... in book 3, Professor Trelawney goes into a
> trance and predicts the return of Voldemort. 
> Dumbledore muses that that is perhaps her *second*
> real prediction.  I have to wonder if (again, sorry if
> this is a repeat on this board.) her *first* real
> prediction was that a Potter would bring about LV's
> downfall.

Oh, joy of joys - I can quote you without having to
delete all the angle brackets! *dances*

All right, down to business. This is a great theory,
because it explains why all the other Potters are dead
when they should by rights be alive (wizard lifespan
and all) AND it has a delightful touch of the classic
Greek self-fulfilling prophecy. "What's really going to
bend your noodle later," says Trelawney, "is whether or
not you would have been defeated by Harry if I hadn't
said anything!" ^_^

I don't think that Trelawney's first prediction
necessarily has to have already come true for
Dumbledore to make his assessment; the genuine trance
state that she was in convinced Harry that she wasn't
faking, and presumably would have convinced Dumbledore
as well.

What I want to know is, how did Voldemort know about a
prediction made by a Hogwarts staffer? Spies? Also, why
didn't Harry bother to ask what the first prediction
was? (One possibility is that the remark was just a
facetious comment on Trelawney's lack of skillz, and
since Harry can hear Dumbledore's tone of voice, he'd
know that, while we all sit out here and debate. *shrug*)


--Anna
PS: As long as we're still talking about the canary
creams, I think the line about him choking was just a
bit of slapstick from Rowling. Neville is very good-
humored. That's why I love him, the big puddin'!