Possibly a *really* silly question about the prophecy

[Marie Jadewalker]

No: HPFGUIDX 63883

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Matt" <msw22 at y...> wrote:
> I think we're missing the really nagging question about the 
> prophecy:  Why did they need to guard it?
> 
> While Voldemort did not know its contents Dumbledore did.  And
> Dumpledore should have known that there was nothing the prophecy 
> that he did not here that could help him.  It was not a weapon.  
> There was nothing in it he could use.  So why does the OoP have to 
> guard it?
> 
> Destroying the prophecy may have made sense.  It would have denied
> Voldemort what he was seeking.
> 
> Matt

As Grey Wolf said, it was very much to the advantage of Dumbledore et 
al that Voldemort try to go after the prophecy.  Partly because it 
made the Ministry of Magic actually admit they were wrong and focus 
on the real enemy.  Also because it meant Voldemort was wasting a lot 
of the time he had while the Ministry had its collective head buried 
in the sand seeking something which, as you correctly pointed out, 
was basically useless to him.  He didn't know that, of course, so 
since it's good for the Order that he's obsessively pursuing this 
worthless artifact, they're going to try to make it look apetizing to 
him.  How?  Well, if they mount a guard there, it makes it look like 
they're trying to protect it because it's *important.*  That 
reinforces Voldemort's belief and makes him more obsessive.  Plus, if 
the Occlumency lessons Harry was taking had worked, the *only* way 
Voldemort would ever have gotten the prophecy would have been to go 
into the Ministry and take it himself, which should have been a large 
clue to Fudge and co.  

So even if the only reason for the guard was to make it look 
appealing to Voldemort, that's reason enough in my book.  But there's 
also another benefit.  Even though the Order wants the Ministry to 
wise up, they probably DON'T want Voldemort running amok at the 
Ministry.  Thus having a guard posted was probably a good insurance 
that they'd be able to get there in time to prevent that happening 
(even if Voldy and the Death Eaters got their grubby little paws on 
the worthless prophecy in the meantime).  

Perhaps you'll argue that there was no guard when the kids got 
there?  Well, it's only speculation, but based on the fact that there 
was also no MoM security or ANYONE else in the lobby, and the fact 
that the Death Eaters appeared as SOON as Harry had the prophecy, I 
think they'd gotten there before the kids showed up and cleared the 
Ministry of any undesirable obstacles (OOP or otherwise) so that it 
should have been a simple matter of taking the Prophecy from ickle 
Harry (and maybe a few ickle friends).  The only thing that really 
saved the kids was Snape's realization of what they were doing and 
alerting the members of the Order who were hanging out at HQ.  (Why 
the guard didn't raise an alarm I'm not sure; maybe the Death Eaters 
overwhelmed him/her before there was an opportunity).

~Marie, who still secretly believes that the Sorcerer's Stone Harry 
found it Book 1 was a fake, but knows canon is against her on that 
one.