Help me understand the importance of the prophecy, please

[augustinapeach]

No: HPFGUIDX 82183

augustinapeach wrote:
 I think the prophecy has huge implications for Voldemort.  For one 
thing, it tells him who he really has to fear -- Harry.  His 
attention is focused on Dumbledore, and that's how Dumbledore wants 
it.  As long as he can be a decoy, Harry will have time to develop 
and learn and eventually to have the chance to carry out "mission."  
That's why so much effort was put into protecting the prophecy.
> 
Then Dumbledad wrote: 
But, before OotP commences, Voldemort already knows the first three 
clauses of the prophecy. From them he deduced that the one with the 
power to vanquish him is the baby Harry, and so sets off to kill 
him. He fails. He then tries three more times to kill Harry (though 
he's not aware of the attempt he made in CoS) and fails each time. 
So by the beginning of OotP he knows exactly who "the one" mentioned 
in the prophecy is. That's the reason I think that the additional 
clauses of the prophecy tell him so little that's new. Voldemort 
doesn't need to know that Harry is "the one", he needs to know how 
to kill Harry.

ap:

Ooops -- I sorta overlooked those first three lines.  You're right, 
that would tell Voldemort that Harry is probably the one.  But (to 
shore up my theory!)what if . . . . Voldemort thinks the "vanquish" 
in the first line of the prophecy refers to the encounter he and 
Harry had when Harry was a baby and when Voldemort was stripped of 
his power and his body?  Maybe he thinks the prophecy goes on to say 
something like, "But the Dark Lord will return, greater and more 
powerful than ever."  

To support my theory, I am drawing on the scene in the graveyard in 
GOF.  Twice, Voldemort says something like, "the boy you all 
believed had been my downfall (p. 657, US).  The past tense verb 
makes me think he sees the "downfall" as over with.  We all know 
Voldemort is big on revenge -- he killed his own father and 
grandparents in retaliation for being abandoned by them.  Maybe the 
same sort of mindset is working in his attempts to kill Harry.

I also still think Voldemort thinks Dumbledore is his big enemy, 
because he said to the Death-Eaters in GOF (p. 648), "perhaps they 
believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish 
LV -- perhaps they now pay allegiance to another. . . . perhaps that 
champion of commoners .. . .Albus Dumbledore?"  My interpretation of 
Voldemort is that he is so arrogant that he thinks only high drama 
is suitable for his life -- to have the most powerful "good" wizard 
duel the most powerful evil wizard for the "championship of the 
world."  I think he cannot conceive of the notion that an ordinary 
15-year-old boy could be his rival.  As he said in GOF (p. 
658), "You see . . . how foolish it was to suppose that this boy 
could ever have been stronger than me."

But surely he's starting to put two and two together!  Shortly after 
he makes the declaration just above, his wand and Harry's do 
something he didn't expect and couldn't explain.  No wonder he was 
so curious to see just what was in that prophecy. . . . .

AP (enjoying the chance to exchange ideas!)