Dumbledore responsible for Lily & James' death?

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 76917

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "acoteucla" <acoteucla at h...> 
wrote:

<Snip>

> I would now like to add my own addition to Dumbledore's increasing 
> list of heartless but necessary actions: he is responsible for 
James 
> & Lily's death.
> 
> There has been speculation that Snape is the one who overheard the 
> prophecy in the Hog's Head, and reported it to LV.  All renditions 
of 
> this theory (that I have heard) involve Snape switching sides AFTER 
> informing LV of the prophecy.  I have a different take on it.
> 
> Severus Snape, die-hard death-eater, overhears the prophecy IN ITS 
> ENTIRETY when Trelawney utters it in the Hog's Head.  Lily Potter 
> should be pregnant at this point.  Snape can figure out quite 
easily 
> that the Potters' child might be born around the end of July.  His 
> life-debt to James comes into play, forcing him to renounce his 
> loyalty to LV and help Dumbledore.  Dumbledore recognizes the life-
> debt, and thus trusts Snape's conversion.
> 
> Upon Harry's birth, the two of them cook up a plan that will help 
> bring the prophecy to fruition.  Dumbledore instructs Snape to 
relate 
> the prophecy to LV, but ONLY THE FIRST PART.  Snape is to pretend 
> that he was kicked out of the Hog's Head before he could hear the 
> entire prophecy.
> 
> This plan works perfectly.  LV thinks that he is supposed to go 
kill 
> Harry now, not knowing the dangers of doing so.  Due to this 
mistake,
> 
> 1 - LV's body is destroyed, and it takes him about 13 years to gain 
a 
> permanent new one.  In the mean-time, Harry has a chance to grow up.
> 2 - LV passes on some of his abilities to Harry.  These abilities 
> have kept Harry and his friends alive numerous times.
> 
> There's just one draw-back to this neat and clever plan: Lily & 
James 
> will have to die.  Noble, heartless Dumbledore knows that this is 
> well worth the price, however.  Severus Snape agrees to the plan 
> because James would want it this way (so his actions do not 
> contradict his life-debt to James).  Instead, his life-debt passes 
on 
> to Harry, which is why he worked so hard to keep Harry alive in 
SS/PS.
> 
> Thoughts?  Criticisms?

KathyK:
Just some comments/questions.  Dumbledore tells Harry that the 
prophecy could have pertained to Neville as well as Harry, at least 
how Voldemort heard it.  Does this mean, then, that Dumbledore and 
Snape chose which of the children Voldemort should go after?  

Maybe Snape didn't know about the Longbottoms but had kept an eye on 
the Potters because of his life debt to James.  But Dumbledore surely 
knew.  So Dumbledore gives Snape the duty of telling Voldemort part 
of the prophecy and does Snape tell him it's James and Lily?  

Does Voldemort know both about the Potters and the Longbottoms?  He 
must know who has defied him three times, at least.  Perhaps he's 
unaware of the Longbottoms pregnancy and Dumbledore is in no hurry to 
let him know.  How does Dumbledore ensure that Voldemort goes after 
the Potters?  

I guess what I'm really getting at is, why did Dumbledore choose 
Harry over Neville in this scenario?

KathyK (all for noble and heartless Dumbledore)