Prophecy wording prophecy wording - why repeat it it?

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 128035


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "tinglinger" <tinglinger at y...> 
wrote:

tinglinger:
> kindly respond to this post with your "overwhelming"
> canon evidence that BOTH Harry and Neville can't be
> the ONE. I am very curious indeed.
> and as for your question and without providing
> evidence to the contrary, why is it so important to
> you that Neville NOT be the prophecy child?

Geoff:
Although I am of the opinion that Harry /is/ the one, there was 
enough of a measure of ambivalence in Dumbledore's comments to raise 
the thought.

'"The odd thing, Harry" he (Dumbledore) said softly, "is that it may 
not have meant you at all. Sybill's prophecy could have applied to 
two wizard boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom 
had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having 
narrowly escapd Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. the 
other was Nevile Longbottom."
"But then... but then, why was it my name on the prophecy and not 
Neville's?"
"The official record was re-labelled after Voldemort's attack on you 
as a child," said Dumbledore. "It seemed plain to the keeper of the 
Hall of Prophecy that Voldemort could only have tried to kill you 
because he knew you to be the one to whom Sybill was referring."
"Then - it might not be me?" said Harry.
"I am afraid," said Dumbeldore slowly,looking as though every word 
cost him a great effort, "that there is no doubt that it is you."
"But you said - Neville was born at the end of July too -and his mum 
and dad -"
"You are forgetting  the next part pf the prophecy, the final 
identifying feature of the boy who could vanquish Voldemort... 
Voldemort himself would mark him as his equal. And so he did, Harry. 
He chose you, not Neville. He gave you that scar that has proved both 
blessing and curse."
"But he might have chosen wrong!" said Harry. "He might have marked 
the wrong person."
"He chose the boy he thought /most likely/ to be a danger to him," 
said Dumbledore'

(OOTP "The Lost Prophecy" p.742 UK edition)

Bearing in mind that Voldemort had not heard the prophecy completely
(ibid. p.743) it just does cast the shadow of a thought that 
Voldemort did attack and mark the wrong infant which would make for 
fun and games in the future....