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

[Eustace_Scrubb]

No: HPFGUIDX 119765


Eustace Scrubb:
> > 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.
> 

Jen: 
> I'm wondering whether the attacks happened so quickly after LV 
> disappeared. In GOF we find out from Dumbledore the attacks 
> occurred "after Voldemort's fall from power, just when everyone 
> thought they were safe." (US, chap. 30, p. 603). That's a little 
> ambiguous--did people feel safe the minute they learned he was 
> defeated, i.e. the opening scenes of PS/SS, or does the 'fall from 
> power' include the DE's coming forward and/or being arrested? 

Eustace_Scrubb:
Well, I agree that's the 64 million euro question.  When did people
feel "safe"? While I don't necessarily feel it's logical, I'm in the
camp (it may be a camp of one!) that thinks the partying behavior
immediately after Godric's Hollow (disapproved of by McGonnagall but
tacitly blessed by Dumbledore) indicates the wizarding world felt safe
early on.

I think Magda's interesting theory (Message 119708) depends on what
JKR said she didn't want to give away...how many people knew about the
prophecy.  For it to work, I think Lucius Malfoy had to know...but I
also doubt that Bellatrix would willingly follow Lucius' leadership. 
So he would have had to hoodwink her into the scheme.  Then her 14 or
15 year term in Azkaban wasn't a noble sacrifice to find her master,
but essentially an unwitting sacrifice for Lucius Malfoy's political
ends.  If that's true and she learns the truth, I wouldn't want to
hang around Malfoy Manor without a lot of protection.  (Maybe this is
why Draco's taking a detour?) Hell hath no fury like a true believer
sold out. [another caveat:  I haven't read the Red Hen article, and
I'm already up past my bedtime, so I'll hope once again that they
haven't neatly answered my concerns already.]

Cheers,

Eustace_Scrubb