Just suppose Snape is at the heart of it all

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 87982

Karenreiuk wrote:
  
>>Voldemort hatches his Herod-like plan (we know that the prophecy 
was overheard before Harry was born in July and that Voldemort
doesn't visit Godrick's Hollow until Halloween which was 3
months later).<<
 
Carol responded:
>Do we know that the prophecy was made before Harry's birth? Can you
quote me the canon that gives the date? Also, I was under the
impression that Harry was fifteen months old, not three months old,
when his parents were killed. He's referred to somewhere as being a
year old when his parents are killed; that would be twelve months old
on July 31 and fiteen months on October 31.<

KathyK:

OoP, Chapter 37 "The Lost Prophechy" (US edition 841):

"I did," said Dumbledore.  "On a cold, wet night *sixteen years ago,*
in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head Inn." 

(*emphasis* mine)

At the end of OoP, we are approaching Summer and Harry's birthday 
when he will turn sixteen.  So if Dumbledore did in fact actually 
meet Trelawney sixteen years ago, it could be before Harry was 
born.  If this were all we had, there could be a question as to 
whether the prophecy was made before or after Harry's birth since 
sixteen years could be somewhat vague.  But that's not all.  The 
prophecy itself answers the question.

At the end:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord *will be* born as 
the seventh month dies."

(Emphasis *again* mine)

It seems pretty clear the prophecy was made before Harry was born.  
Trelawney's prophecy indicates that the one with the power has yet 
to be born.  Coupling that with Dumbledore's statement that she made 
the prediction sixteen years ago, I think there's little room for 
doubt about the prophecy being made before Harry's birth.

And Harry was fifteen months when LV attacked.  There are plenty 
references to this being the case in the series.

For instance, Hagrid says to Harry in PS/SS (SS 55):

"All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all 
living, on Halloween ten years ago.  You was just a year old."

>Carol, with apologies for ignoring the theoretical aspects of this
post. I'm interested in getting the facts straight first.<

KathyK, who is very fond of fact-straightening