Trelawney's First Prophecy

[MrNipha]

No: HPFGUIDX 70383

I have read most, if not all, of the threads here about the prophecy
since June 21, and have gleaned many things from the discussions.
There are a few things that I would like to add/expand upon.

Going back to Trelawney's Second Prophecy in POA, we know that the
most obvious initial reading of the prophecy is misleading - that
Sirius Black, being "chained" in Azkaban for 12 years was going to
return to Voldemort.  Without reading any further in POA, a problem of
timing is immediately apparent - Sirius had broken out of Azkaban
months before. When the true meaning of the prophecy is apparent at
the end of POA, the word "chained" obviously does not mean physical
chains, but the chains of Pettigrew's fear, cowardice, and desire to
be on the winning side that kept him from returning to Voldemort. 
Those chains were broken by his exposure by Sirius and Lupin -- he had
more to fear from them than Voldemort.

The first part of the First Prophecy, (as I divide it) is as follows:

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..

In my view, this part of the prophecy has already been fulfilled.
To take an example from history, Napoleon was vanquished in 1814 after
the fall of Paris to the Allies, and was exiled to the island of Elba.
He returned to France 10 months later, and reinstated himself as
Emperor on March 21, 1815.  He was vanquished again 3 months later at
the Battle of Waterloo and was exiled to the isle of St. Helena, where
he died.

Voldemort was vanquished by Harry Potter when Harry was a baby.  Harry
at that age had power that Voldemort knows not -- or more rightly had
forgotten and discounted -- the power of love bestowed upon him by his
mother's sacrifice.

To me, therefore, the second part of the prophecy is as follows:

and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live
while the other survives..

The last line repeats the pattern of the Second Prophecy where the
last line is a restatement of the first part of the prophecy.  For
completeness, the second part of the Second Prophecy has not come to
pass completely either:

THE DARK LORD WILL RISE AGAIN WITH HIS SERVANTS AID, GREATER AND MORE
TERRIBLE THAN EVER HE WAS.

Voldemort has not yet shown himself to be greater or more terrible
than he ever was (perhaps that is Book 6 :)


If you have gotten down this far, take a breather and a thanks from me
for being so patient.

Two words/phrases in the second part of the first prophecy are
ambiguous to me -- the word "either", and the phrase "at the hand of".
 The rest seems straighforward:

...must die....the other for neither can live while the other
survives.

One or both must die in the end, and neither can live while the other
survives -- live in the "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness" type
of living, not the "surviving" type of living.

The word "either" is ambiguous to me (and has been mentioned in other
threads on this topic) because it can mean each of them, or one of
them.  I think that is intentional by J.K.R., and we won't know until
the end of Book 7 which is the correct interpretation.

The phrase "at the hand of" is not "by the hand of" which would be
more definite in its implication.  Sirius died "by the hand of"
Bellatrix LeStrange, but others also had their "hand" in Sirius'
death.  Both Dumbledore and Harry acknowledge their hand in Sirius'
death, and Voldemort's hand is in there as well.  Sirius himself in
POA recognizes (and blames himself) for his hand in the death of
Harry's parents.  The perhaps far-fetched (and somewhat ironic) death
of Voldemort by Wormtail (maybe with his silver hand) would fit the
bill as it was the power that Voldemort does not have (love,
compassion) that Harry does have that spared Wormtail's life. (and
there is that pesky little life debt that Wormtail has yet to repay.)

There are many people's thoughts that have brought me to where I am on
this, and I thank you, even though I am unable to name you directly.


MrNipha