Voldemort CHOSE to attack Harry

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 108462

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "aggiepaddy" <aggie at r...> wrote:
> "meidbh" wrote:
>  
> > Why did Voldemort pick Harry and not Neville?
> >  
> > JK Rowling replies -> Dumbledore explains this in 'Order of the 
> > Phoenix'. Voldemort identified more with the half-blood boy and 
> > therefore decided he must be the greater risk.
>  
>  
> Aggie: (With evil grin - playing devil's advocate!)
> That doesn't prove anything one way or the other!  That's not JKR 
> saying that Harry's 'The One' - just reiterating *Dumbledore's* 
> belief! Knowing how 'cunning' she can be, this could still be a 
trick 
> answer!
> 
> Thought I'd save your fingers DuffyPoo!

Geoff:
I haven't immersed myself in the conspiracy theories covered in this 
and similar threads so I am venturing into uncharted territory. If 
this thought has been floated previously, then my apologies.

There seems to be a question "What if Neville was the guy in the 
prophecy and it was only the fact that Voldemort attacked Harry first 
which forestalled that?"

Let's suppose. If Voldemort had attacked Neville first, would Neville 
have survived? Was he with his parents at the time of the attack on 
Harry? Or were they away and he was with Grandma Longbottom? Would 
any of these three have had any way of blocking an Avada Kedavra 
spell? If he had atacked and killed Neville first and gone on to 
Godric's Hollow, then the same scenario might well have played out 
and we would have a similar setup to the current one but minus 
Neville. Whichever way, he might still have finished up on a hiding 
to nothing....

Thoughts?