[HPforGrownups] 24 hours again

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 104084

Kneasy wrote:
> He's heard the Prophecy but tells no-one  about it. He makes his
> deductions. Meanwhile the eavesdropper hears only the first
> part of the Prophecy (how much of it? We need to know!). It then
> takes *2 years* for Voldy to react.  Why? If the eavesdropper is a
> Voldy supporter and passes the message on, that plus Peter (who
> according to Sirius worked with the baddies for 2 years before the
> GH debacle) leads one to think that he would have made his strike
> much sooner.

After spending the last 24 hours or so pondering the Prophecy end, I've got
to admit that I'm more and more puzzled by some of the aspects of it.

Why, first of all, did Dumbledore do Sybil's job interview in the Hog's
Head? He admits that it was a known haunt of dodgy characters which, in the
circumstances of the time, would have made going there on the unwise side.
Did he do it as a subtle insult to Sybil, whose qualities he admits he
didn't value until she started prophesying? Seems a bit extreme.

Would he have _really_ done a job interview in the public bar? I'd have
thought not. So how did the eavesdropper come to be eavesdropping anyway on
a conversation between Dumbledore and a person thought to be of little
significance. Likewise, who actually discovered the eavesdropper? A lucky
coincidence, given that Sybil's prophecy wouldn't have taken _that_ long to
speak.

Who, indeed, was the eavesdropper? Some people I know have suggested
Mundungus Fletcher (but if he had been, why would a member or at least
associate of the Order have spilled the beans to Voldemort? And why would
Dumbledore have named him among the first people to contact when Voldemort
arose again?) Others have suggested Peter (but at the time he was a trusted
member of the Order, who wouldn't have been thrown out. And if he had
overheard it, as soon as Dumbledore found out that Voldemort knew what had
been overheard, Peter's cover would have been blown). Snape is a
possibility, but only if (as I've suggested), he wasn't working for
Dumbledore at the time. If he was a secret spy for the Order and reported
the prophecy to Voldemort, he's never going to be trusted again. So once
again we're left with an unknown person.

I _think_ I recall that Dumbledore describes [unknown] as reporting straight
back to his (so we at least know the gender) master so there's no delay
there. But the delay in Voldemort's making his mind up is indeed strange (he
doesn't seem the sort to worry about a few broken eggs, why not kill both
infants if you're not sure?

Lots of material for conspiracies there, including the outside chance that
Dumbledore had some foreknowledge that Sybil was the real thing, and used a
charm to _induce_ her to summon up the awen in the pub in the knowledge that
the first part _would_ get reported back and induce Voldemort to make the
fatal move? Or is that a step just too far?

Cheers

Ffred

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