Predestination (was Re: prophecy/Firenze)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 79207

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> Jen again:
> > If, as Firenze states, even centaurs can be wrong (and they have 
a 
> > much better grasp of "the stars"), then I think the prophecy may 
> > tells us more about Harry's past, and the expectations others 
have placed on him, than about what Harry ultimately decides is his 
> > *destiny*.
> 

Now annemehr:
> I think these things you mention will certainly have a part in how 
> the prophecy works out, but at the time it was made, Harry had no 
> past, so it couldn't have been an extrapolation from his past.


Jen:  What I meant here was that the prophecy tells us *the readers* 
and Harry about his past, not that it's written about Harry's past.  
Up until the point we and Harry hear the prophecy, only Dumbledore 
and whoever else knows the prophecy are more or less "engineering" 
the fulfillment of the prophecy. Harry is *affected* by the prophecy 
and his life has so far been shaped by the prophecy, but that is in 
response to DD's plan and Voldemort's actions. He IS making choices 
consistent with fulfilling the prophecy, but not totally on his own.

Now annemehr again:
> 
> I don't think seeing the future equates to causing the future.  I 
> also think Firenze is right about prophecies, and that Dumbledore 
> and Harry may well be mistaken in their interpretation.  I fully 
> expect no one to actually realise it when the prophecy is coming 
> true until after the fact -- which means that Harry will be making 
> his decisions and doing what seems right as he normally does, until 
> it suddenly becomes apparant that Voldemort has been vanquished for 
> good.
> 
> Unfortunately for us, *we* will probably have a fair idea of when 
> the prophecy is about to come true: somewhere fairly near to the 
end 
> of book seven!


Jen again: What I'm trying to convey is that the prophecy doesn't 
have to come true, however it's interpreted. JKR is leading us to 
believe (or we're leading ourslves to believe) the prophecy equals 
the conclusion, but that seems like a very pat ending to me. I'm just 
suggesting and wondering myself whether the prophecy isn't merely 
another step on this journey of Harry Potter, and that there are 
other possibilities of where the story can go from here besides just 
the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Jen