A different interpretation of the prophecy

[Eustace_Scrubb]

No: HPFGUIDX 104070

Whizbang wrote:
> > I thought the DEs tortured the Longbottoms for information about
> > Voldemort.  They were trying to find him or what had happened to 
> him. <
> 

boyd:
> Just reread GoF yesterday, and the reasons behind the torturing are 
> not actually known, just guessed at by the characters.
> 
> But why exactly would the *Longbottoms* be the ones to ask about
LV's 
> whereabouts, anyway? We haven't heard of them being at GH.
> 
> Something's fishy there.
> 
> --boyd

Eustace_Scrubb:
A few weeks ago there was a discussion on this general subject.  My
proposal then was that LV intended to eliminate both Harry and Neville
when he set out to Godric's Hollow. (another poster called this the
"King Herod syndrome," which I think is apt.)  Although Dumbledore
tells Harry that Voldemort felt Harry was the most likely subject of
the prophecy (as the child of a muggle-born witch), that does not mean
that Lord Thingy meant to kill only one of the two boys.  But he could
only be in one place at a time (unless time turners play a role) and
he decided to kill Harry first.  He never made it to his next
destination, the Longbottoms.  He may or may not have told his inner
circle DEs why he was targetting these two families (why reveal to
them that he was vulnerable?), but in any case once he disappeared
they wanted to find him.  Well, everyone knew quickly that the Potters
were dead, so it would have appeared that Phase 1 had been successful.
 But the Longbottoms were just fine and their house hadn't been
destroyed.  So, to the DEs, it would seem logical that the Longbottoms
had somehow repulsed their boss and maybe captured him.  Hence, the
more fanatical among the DEs (read: Bellatrix) attacked and tortured
the Longbottoms--in vain, as they didn't have any such information.

Now the key to this scenario is that the attack on the Longbottoms had
to occur reasonably soon after GH...and there's considerable debate
over whether that was the case.  We're told that it happened just as
everyone had begun to feel safe again in the absence of Voldemort. 
Some feel that would take several months, but I take the very open
celebrations (so open that Vernon Dursley noticed them) that occur on
the day and night of Harry's arrival at Privet Drive to mean that
people felt safe.

The other issue is whether the Longbottoms were in hiding and/or
protected by a Fidelius charm.  If the latter, it's probably too much
of a coincidence for LV to get to both secretkeepers at the same time.

Anyway, I think this _may_ explain how the Longbottoms came to be
targetted by Bellatrix et. al.

Cheers,

Eustace_Scrubb