The eavesdropper: round up the usual suspects...Plus more Prophecy

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 87884

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "meriaugust" <meriaugust at y...>
wrote:
> 
> ...esited... Can anyone guess as to which part of the prophecy 
> specifically the spy heard? Here is the full text of Prof. 
> Trelawny's prophecy:
> 
> "The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born 
> to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month 
> dies....and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will 
> have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand 
> of the other for neither can live while the other survives...The one 
> with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh 
> month dies..." 
> 
> Any speculations about how the birth of (specifically) a baby boy is 
> prophecized here? Or what parts they heard? Or who threw them out 
> after they had overheard? 
>
> Meri

bboy_mn:

General-
It doesn't seem like the spy could have heard more than 

"...The One with the power to vanguish the Dark Lord approaches...
Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month
dies..."

In Harry and Dumbledore's conversation at the end of the book, Harry
asks why Voldemort didn't wait to see who was more powerful, and
Dumbledore says something to the effect that it would have been a wise
thing for Voldemort to do, but Voldemort wasn't aware that in chosing
Harry he would be directly and indirectly marking him, which would
help fulfil the prophecy and enpower Harry (very much paraphrased).

Almost anything after what I have suggested would have led Voldemort
to exercise som restrain, would have led him to take a 'wait and see'
attitude. For example, by choosing to attack Harry, he is
acknowledging that Harry is his equal and potentially superior. Even
if there is no physical mark, Voldemort's choice marks Harry. If
Voldemort had heard the '...either must die ...niether can live...'
part, that seems to imply that both Harry and Voldemort are immortal
AS LONG AS they stay away from each other. At least, that's an extreme
interpretation of that passage. Knowing it would be many years before
Harry could directly threaten him, a wise Voldemort would have used
that time to rule without limitation. 

So, I'm convinced he did not hear more than I have quoted about.

Specifics-

However, you raise a very very interesting point. The first mention of
the 'ONE' being a boy comes in the line '...mark HIM as an equal...'.
So how did Voldemort know it was a boy? Enquiring minds want to know.

It's possible that there we only two families expecting babies amoung
the group who was actively working against Voldemort. It was just
insignificant chance in Voldemort's mind that those two babies turned
out to be boys. 

Just a thought.

bboy_mn