[OOP] First thoughts on Prophecy (Was: Books 6& 7: The Redemption of Tom Riddle)

[Grey Wolf]

No: HPFGUIDX 62055

Darrin wrote:
> I reject the idea that Harry must kill Voldemort or must die. 
> 
> To have Harry's life dictated by a prophecy goes against everything 
> the books say in terms of choices mattering more than blood and the 
> right path over the easy path.
> 
> Harry has a choice. He will ultimately reject this prophecy. 
> 
> OR... he will find his own interpretation of it.
> 
> Prehaps the Dark Lord in the prophecy must be killed, but that leaves 
> Tom Riddle.
> 
> Harry will choose a path no one expects him to choose, one that no 
> one, not even D-Dore, has foreseen.
> 
> Darrin

While I'm not sure how the books will end - and I refuse to try and outguess JKR's 
future major plotpoint (my track record of those I have thought in the silence of my 
head is still so abismal that the less is said, the better), I do have a few initial 
thoughts on the prophecy (some stolen shamelessly from MDDT member Pip - I know 
she'll forgive me for liking her ideas and running away with them. She has done so 
before, after all). First, however, a disclaimer. I *know* we're going to spend the next 
several years disecting that prophecy, and I haven't had that much time myself, so 
these thoughts are not set in stone. I'll change them as the days pass. But lets see 
what we have to to start with:

"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..." 
(OoP, Ch.37, Br. Ed)

Some general facts: we don't know what rules prophecies work under in Potterverse. 
It might be the greek "rules" - prophecies are impossible to escape from. Destiny is 
unavoidable. In which case, by the end of book 7 we'll look back and see that the 
prophecy makes absolute sense (or cry "flint, flint"). Or it could be that prophecies are 
iimprecise and their results only describes what will happen if the current 
circunstances are carried out, but an individual can change the future (I'll call that 
"Return to the Future" style, for lack of a better example). Now, by the second 
definition Darrin's proposition is easy enough, so I'll ignore it. Let's go for worse case 
scenario, and assume greek immobility.

The trouble line is, of course "Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can 
live while the other survives". Clear enough? Seems to say one will kill the other, but 
as MDDT!Pip pointed out, "Either" is first half of an English construction "Either... 
or...", so we might be missing a chunk of the prophecy there ("or both can live if one 
heart changes to the other's ideals"). I myself think Either in this case is an 
abreviation of "Either the Dark Lord or the one with the power", so we still are in 
trouble in that sense.

By my definition, however, all is not lost: "neither can live while the other survives". 
Clear enough (again)? No. You could say the prophecy is already false: both Harry and 
Voldemort have lived through the last year, haven't they? (before the GG - Graveyard 
Gathering- Voldemort only survived). Not quite. Harry isn't "living" in any sense. His 
movements are controled, his life is in constant danger, he is not free (or as free as 
he would if Voldemort wasn't around). Thus Harry is surviving. So one must die.  
Unfortunately, that word is clear enough: die. Not bring down, or destroy. Die. There 
is little room for interpretation around it. BUT, the future could be worse than that. 
They could continue to not live forever - locked in a strugglethat neither can win. Or 
Harry could die, but in his dying redeem Voldemort so he could finally live (instead of 
survive, consumed by his hatred and desire of power as he has so far.

Or, of course, Harry might kill Voldemort as many predict he will, and go on to live 
happily ever after.

All in all, I hope that we'll drag some more explanaitions out of the prophecy, since 
right now, beyond the obvious "Harry kills Voldemort", the future looks dark indeed.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf