Let's pick at that prophecy a little more, shall we?

[Liz]

No: HPFGUIDX 77893

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at s...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arrowsmithbt" 
> <arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:
> > I don't think Voldy fears Harry, not yet at least; certainly he 
> didn't act as if he did in the MoM fight.
> > 
> > No, Voldy considers him an unmitigated pest who keeps getting
> > in the way and somehow avoids all attempts to swat him. A bit
> > like Sylvester and Tweety Pie.
> > 
> > Kneasy
> 
> Hmmm.  That is something to consider--whether Voldy actually 
*fears* 
> Harry or not.  But are you sure he sees him only as a pest?  I 
don't 
> have my copy of GoF here with me at work, but I thought, during 
their 
> duel, Voldy was *shocked* at how Harry was able to repel him.  Yes, 
> he's definitely a pest, but I think he has begun to realize that 
> there is Something About Harry [to be feared].  
> 
> Anybody else have an opinion about whether V. fears H. in any way???
> 
> Snapey Susan

My two knuts:

I would have to agree with Kneasy up until Harry's escape at the end 
of GoF.  Up until then, Lord Thingy considered Harry a pest with the 
luck of the devil -- but nothing more than that.  I think the whole 
priori incantatum thing, Harry's ability to resist Voldy's Imperius 
Curse and Harry's subsequent escape changed Harry's status a little 
in Voldy's mind.  But not all that much.  I don't have my books with 
me, but as I recall, Voldy and the DEs were taken aback by Harry's 
ability to resist the Imperius Curse.  After that, as I recall, Lord 
Thingy stopped playing and started to take him seriously.

In OotP, the EvilMeister didn't seem as ready to play with Harry, but 
pretty much just wanted to kill him right off.  Mind you, he was in 
the MoM, didn't have much of an audience to impress and knew he 
didn't have all that much time.  Maybe that accounted for the change, 
but Voldy did seem to take Harry a bit more seriously than in 
previous encounters.

Regardless, Lord Thingy doesn't really see Harry as a threat -- 
doesn't really fear him as he does Dumbledore.  Harry is young, 
inexperienced, cannot control his emotions, and wears his heart on 
his sleeve.  To Voldy, all those things are weaknesses and leverage 
to be used against the boy.

Liz