JKR's cryptic answer: Who sent the Lestranges to the Longbottoms?

[Eustace_Scrubb]

No: HPFGUIDX 119693


Jen wrote:
> Spoiler here for anyone not reading JKR updates!
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> Rumours Section:
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> Q: The Lestranges were sent after Neville to kill him.
> 
> JKR: "No, they weren't, they were very definitely sent after 
> Neville's parents. I can't say too much about this because it 
> touches too closely on the prophecy and how many people knew about 
> it, but the Lestranges were not in on the secret."
> 
> 
> Jen: Whew! This wasn't what I expected to hear. I've always
believed 
> the Lestranges attacked Neville's parents to get information about 
> the prophecy, to get an explanation of why LV turned to vapour at
GH.
> 
> But no! The Lestanges 'were not in on the secret' so their visit to 
> the Longbottoms was for another mysterious reason. And who sent
them 
> there? LV was not giving orders anymore, so who was second in 
> command? Maybe it was the same person who overheard part of the 
> prophecy.
> 
> I'm stumped on this one. Most of the DE's were trying to talk their 
> way out of Azkaban about this time, yet the Lestranges and at least 
> one superior were still carrying out a secret operation. 
> 
> The other interesting point about this answer: If the Lestranges 
> didn't know about the prophecy, then the Longbottoms surely did.
Why 
> else include the prophecy in this answer otherwise? It always
seemed 
> logical the Longbottoms would have been informed, like the Potters, 
> but this makes me even more certain.

Eustace_Scrubb:
This _is_ interesting news.  I have felt previously that Voldemort did
not share the prophecy with the Death Eaters, not even Bellatrix.  Why
tell them, unless to give LV yet another opportunity for an Evil
Overlord speech?  The Potters and the Longbottoms had each "defied"
Voldemort three times.  Ample excuse to make an example of them.  I
think the Death Eaters knew that the attacks would occur, but not why.

What if the Lestrange cell was following contingency orders given by
Voldemort himself?  (Go after the Longbottoms if the Potter operation
is successful but you haven't heard from me in 24 hours?)  Since the
Potters were killed, and the DEs did not know about the prophecy,
they'd be likely to suspect the Longbottoms had something to do with
LV's disappearance anyway.

I agree that the Longbottoms were highly likely to have been informed
of the prophecy.

And I think this news makes it more likely that the attack on the
Longbottoms was relatively close in time to Godric's Hollow.  I'll put
a caveat on that, though, as I haven't read the JKR site myself lately
and I suppose she may have said something to deflate this idea.

Cheers,

Eustace_Scrubb