Prophets without honour

[jwcpgh]

No: HPFGUIDX 79301

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, B Arrowsmith 
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:
> Dumbledore seriously considered dropping divination classes as 
being a 
> waste of time.
> Hermione thinks it's rubbish.
> Firenze warns against relying on it.
> Trelawney inspires no confidence as a teacher.
> 
> So why are we so obsessed, spending hours beating our heads against 
> *that* prophecy?
> 
> Throughout the series divination in any form is presented as a 
> 'pretend' subject. 'Pretend' it means something, 'pretend' to do 
the 
> set homework, 'pretend' that even if real seers exist, it can be 
taught 
> to non-seers. Yet we are expected to take two supposed  prophecies 
as 
> serious predictions, capable of definitive interpretation. Really?

<remainder snipped>

Laura:

Your post makes a lot of sense to me, but my question is this: if in 
fact the prophecy is a red herring, why did JKR spend so much time on 
it?  It's important in that it motivates LV, but if DD really thinks 
it's no big deal, why didn't he tell the Order and/or Harry?  That 
would have stopped Harry's interest in the corridor dreams for sure-
and our beloved Sirius would still be alive.