OOP: Neville and Snape

[professor_monkshood]

No: HPFGUIDX 61646

As Amanda suggested, I'm snipping the part about Neville and the 
prophecy in my last post and put it under this heading to kick start 
the discussion
I've said, originally:

Snape obviously knew about the prophecy. It becomes obvious now 
why he picked out Harry and Neville on their very first lesson. He 
knew that it has to be these two. Also explains why he is totally 
filthy with Neville whenever he messes up.

But how much does he know about the prophecy? My heart jumped a 
beat when Dumbledore said that someone eavesdrops on the Trelaway 
interview and that this person only knows about the first part of 
the prophecy. I hope it wasn't Snape but there's always a chance. 
(Please, let it be Wormtail)
:End original points:

Now I think about it some more, I think Snape wasn't the 
eavesdropper.  We have always assumed that Snape heard explicitly 
that Voldie was after the Potters (as in, "let's go and torture the 
Potters next week, mark it in your planner".)  But it is also 
probable that Snape heard the prophecy via the DEs.  Assuming Snape 
was the one who informed Dumbledore that Voldemort knew about the 
first part of the prophecy, it wasn't hard for him to figure which 
two couples would be targetted.

We can also assume that Dumbledore hasn't told him the prophecy 
comes in two parts and Snape still thinks one of these kids would be 
the One(tm).

Shoot to ten years later, here're the two kids who were supposed to 
conquer Voldie in his classroom.  One of them is the famous Harry 
Potter, son of nasty bully James and the other can't even speak 
properly when a teacher shouts at him.  If Neville is the one ...  
You would be pretty desperate too if you are Snape.

I think Snape, in his heart, does hope that Neville is the one 
rather than Harry.  The subtext in a lot of his speeches to Harry 
is: It doesn't have to be you.  It could have been someone else.  It 
could have been Neville.

But these kids have to be made ready: Harry and Neville still 
weren't (he does show a bit of promise this year).  I keep being 
reminded of Colonel Graff in the Ender's Series, who said, if I may 
quote:

Somebody has to roll the dice.  Mine are the hands that hold those 
dice.  I'm not a bureaucrat, placing my career above the larger 
purpose I was put here to serve.  I will not put the dice in someone 
else's hands, or pretend that I don't have the choice I have.

Fire away.