Why didn't the Longbottoms go into hiding?

Geoff Bannister gbannister10 at aol.com
Fri Aug 20 06:44:26 UTC 2004


No: HPFGUIDX 110696

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "baphythegoat" 
<baphythegoat at y...> wrote:
> It is also intersting to note that while Neville and Harry are in 
the 
> same year, that this does not necissarily mean that they were born 
> weeks apart... Could Neville be a bit younger?(even up to a year?)  
> After all, much has been made of his addled memory. Could it be 
> possible that the curse on the Longbottoms affected their child... 
> directly, becuase he was technically in utero? 
> 
> Hmmmm? 
> 
> I always had the notion that Neville was given by Dumbledore as an 
> example of another boy who could have been in Harry's shoes, not 
> necessarily that it would have to had been him OR Harry...
> 
> Baphy the goat

Geoff:
You seem to have overlooked the very specific information given to 
Harry by Dumbledore:

'"It means - me?"
Dumbledore surveyed him for a moment through his glasses,
"The odd thing, Harry," he said softly, "is that it may  not have 
meant you at all. Sybill's prophecy could have applied to two wizard 
boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had 
parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having 
narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. The 
other was Neville Longbottom."

(OOTP "The Lost Prophecy" p.742 UK edition)

I think that is sufficiently detailed to rule your suggestions out of 
consideration - both born at roughly the same time and only two names 
in the frame.





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