Potters - A question

[scoutmom21113]

No: HPFGUIDX 91763

Bookworm wrote:
> My theory is that Snape was the eavesdropper in the Hogs Head. He
> didn't tell LV about the prophecy right away, working instead with
> Dumbledore. During that year, Dumbledore worked with the Potters
> and Longbottoms to establish protection charms for their babies.
> As members of the Order, they would have known that they were in
> danger anyway, so having this warning gave them time to prepare.
> When things were ready, Dumbledore sent Snape to tell LV about the
> (partial) prophecy and the Potters and Longbottoms went into 
hiding.

Siriusly Snapey Susan now:
My question, then, RB, would be *why* the "time was right" for Snape 
to go to LV? If he was indeed the one who overheard, yet managed to 
keep that information from LV for all that time that he worked w/ 
DD, then why EVER go give the info to Voldy? Do you see what I'm 
asking? If he could keep it from him for a year, why couldn't he 
keep it from him forever?

Bookworm:
Voldemort would be concerned about the loyalties of Death Eaters, 
with possibly a few exception, when they weren't under his constant 
supervision. 

I think that Snape contacted Dumbledore, but made Voldemort think he 
was doing it to spy for the Death Eaters. After a year with Snape 
working independently, Voldemort would be getting a bit antsy and 
would want something to show for it. Snape gave it to Voldemort, but 
at a time of Dumbledore's choice, not Voldemort's. Remember one of 
the missing Death Eaters is one Voldemort "believed to have left me 
forever." If that person is Snape, Voldemort suspects that he has 
been betrayed, but isn't sure yet. 

When someone is acting as a double agent, the agent has to feed 
information to both sides. Presumably the information going to 
the "other" side is either incomplete, or misleading. If we consider 
the idea that Snape is a double agent, in this scenario at least, 
Voldemort and the Death Eaters are now the "other" side. 

If you believe in the theory of Dumbledore as Spymaster you can see 
how Dumbledore is setting things up the way he wants them. Until the 
attack on the Potters, no one knew whether Harry or Neville was the 
One. One could even argue that until Harry was marked with the scar, 
*neither* Harry nor Neville was the One. But to get back to the 
issue, nothing can happen with the Prophecy until the One is marked. 
Dumbledore set things up with the Potters and Longbottoms so they 
were prepared when Dumbledore provoked Voldemort's attack by giving 
him the partial prophecy.

Prophecies are funny things.  If Dumbledore had done nothing, the 
prophecy would still likely have been set in motion. In this 
scenario, Harry (and possibly Neville, too) grows up with his 
parents, enters Hogwarts, becomes noticed by Death Eaters and the 
children of Death Eaters for having some remarkable talent. But no 
One has been marked, so is it? Always quick to recognize a rival, 
Voldemort tries to recruit Harry who has been taught to hate the 
Dark Arts by his father. Harry says, no thanks. Voldemort attacks 
Harry. Harry is young, partially trained, not-necessarily hardened 
by the loss of parents and suffering during his childhood that are 
not – now – part of his personal story, and does not have the 
protection given to him by the sacrifice of his mother. Harry is 
killed before he is capable of defeating Voldemort.  

IMO, this is the kind of thinking Dumbledore would have done when 
choosing between possible actions. (Since we don't know what, if 
anything, has happened to Neville to make him the way he is, an 
alternate scenario might have marked Neville as the One.)

It's a longer response than I intended to write at this late hour, 
but does this answer your question?

Ravenclaw Bookworm