Neville Longbottom and the Prophecy

[pegruppel]

No: HPFGUIDX 68544

<snip>
Peg commented:
> > After re-reading the prophecy a few times, I was struck by the 
> possibility, based on its phrasing, that it was V who made the 
> choice of which of the two children was to be his enemy.  It was 
V's 
> *choice* as to which one of the two boys who fit the general 
outline 
> of prophecy would be his enemy.  He chose by making the attempt on 
> Harry.  If he had attacked Neville, the "backfire" would have had 
> similar effects on V and Neville would have been the "chosen one."  
> > --------------------------
Owlery2003 replied:
> > Half a mo - if V had attacked Neville, the "backfire" couldn't 
> have been the same - didn't Lilly have something to do with it?
> > 
Dororthy then said:
> 
> Yes, it was Lilly's love/sacrifice that saved him. We don't know (I 
> don't think) if Neville's mother was still sane at the time of the 
> attack on the Potters. My impression is that she was probably not, 
> since the attack on Harry caused Voldemort's downfall I think that 
> most of the atrocities we read about to the previous OoP (and 
> others) happened before this date.
> 
> She might not have been present for, or capable of, the same type 
of 
> sacrifice if Lord Voldemort had chosen Harry. 
> 
Now Peg again:

Actually, according to the Pensieve scene in GoF (Chapter 30), the 
Longbottoms were attacked by the Death Eaters *after* Voldemort was 
banished to Albania.  

Specifically:

"Crouch stood up. . . 'The four of you stand accused of capturing an 
Auror-Frank Longbottom-and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, 
believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your 
*exiled* master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named--' . . . You are further 
accused of using the Cruciatus Curse on Frank Longbottom's wife, when 
he would not give you the information . . ."

(GoF, hardback American edition, pp. 594-595.  The asterisks 
indicating italics are mine.)

In the same chapter, Dumbledore tells Harry:

"The attacks on them came *after* Voldemort's fall from power . . ."

(GoF, hardback American edition, p. 603.  Again, the asterisks are 
mine.)

So, Alice Longbottom was healthy and in her right mind at the time of 
the attack on the Potters.  I believe that she'd have made the same 
sacrifice for Neville that Lily made for Harry.  There are very few 
women who wouldn't sacrifice themselves for the sake of their own 
children. In fact, after reading the scene in OoP when Alice tries to 
give a gift to Neville, I'm sure she would have.

Peg--that's my story and I'm sticking to it.