More Points to Ponder: The Prophecies

[greymalkin0602]

No: HPFGUIDX 74922

I posted this a week or so ago on another Harry Potter message board,
but there didn't seem to be much interest.


We have had two major prophecies from Trelawney.

In Book 3, it was predicted that Wormtail would rejoin Voldemort and
help him return to power. In Book 5, an earlier prediction was
revealed that implied Voldemort would be killed by Harry (real
unlikely that after 7 books Voldemort prevails).

Who are the predictions coming from? Why are they given to Dumbledore
and Harry with all the Wizards and Witches around to choose from?

In Book 3, the prediction was given to Harry and it has since come to
pass. Harry was involved in making the prophecy happen by sparing
Wormtail from Sirius and Lupin.

Is this why the prophecy was "given" to Harry? Because he was
crucially involved in making it happen? With this foreknowledge, could
he have prevented it from happening? Why didn't/couldn't the unknown
entity give it say to Voldemort instead?

In Book 5, we learn the earlier prophecy was "given" to Dumbledore.
Why Dumbledore? What role is he marked for, willing or unwilling, as
the prophecy comes to pass? Dumbledore seems determined not to let
Voldemort know what the prophecy contains, yet willingly tells Harry.
Is this the role the unknown entity has picked for Dumbledore? Or is
it protecting Harry from Voldemort until he is strong enough to
fulfill the prophecy? Or is it something else?

Why wasn't the prophecy from Book 3 on the shelf in the Ministry next
to the earlier one?