The boys holding the prophecy

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 128092


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kempermentor" 
<kempermentor at y...> wrote:
> 
> Born and will be born.
> We see two people holding the prophecy: Neville and Harry.  Both hold 
> the prophecy at the DoM.  We as readers assume that it is only those 
> whom the prophecy is about who can take it off the shelf based on 
info 
> attained through one of the DE's.  But what if more accurately, only 
> people whom the prophecy is about can hold onto the prophecy?
> 
> No one else touches the prophecy, as far as I can remember.  Since 
I'm 
> at work for the next 12.5 hours, can someone check canon on this 
pretty 
> please?  Thanks.
> 
> Kemper
> who is starting to think that maybe he's remembering it wrong and who 
> doesn't have books to look up. Lame.


Geoff:
This point was discussed on at least one occasion about 18 months ago. 
I have pulled some of the posts and pasted the relevant bits below.

====================================
Message 82231
====================================
> Kneazle255:
> Reading your post it struck me that Neville touches the Prophecy in
> the MoM without going crazy. The only two people to handle it are
> Harry and Neville, I think.
>
> I am not sure if once a prophecy globe is removed from the room
> anyone can then handle it or not.

Melody:
When Malfoy approached Harry, after Harry took the prophecy off the
shelf, he asked Harry to give him the globe. I doubt he would have
done that if he would have gone insane after he touched it. I also
assume one cannot don gloves and remove the globe either.

Maybe Harry has to hand it to someone in order for the globe to be
safe for others. It is the handing over from one of the prophesized
parties that make the transaction safe. Malfoy is very emphatic that
Harry has to hand over the globe before he is killed, stupefied,
tortured, ::insert DE pastime here::. I always assumed Malfoy gave
those orders to keep them from breaking the prophecy instead of
following protocol. Probably because he makes a point of stopping
Bellatrix by saying "if you smash it..." (OoP, Ch35).

All Malfoy told Harry is "only people who are permitted to retrieve a
prophecy from the Dept of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it
was made..." (OoP, Ch 35).

Harry passed the prophecy to Neville, which is the same transaction
Malfoy was attempting.

==================================
Message 82253
==================================

adsong16:
> <snip>
> > It seems to me that this proves that Harry is indeed destined, as
the
> prophecy tells us, to vanquish the Dark Lord. How he's going to do
> that, who will help him, and whether or not he will survive the
> encounter, remains to be seen.
>
> On the other hand, I also want to join the Neville Still Has Some
> Part To Play In This gang. But that is another story... <
>

D:
OotP pg. 829 US Hardcover Edition -

"And then you saw Rookwood, who worked in the Department of Mysteries
before his arrest, telling Voldemort what we had known all along -
that the prophecies held in the Ministry of Magic are heavily
protected. Only the people to whom they refer can lift them from the
shelves without suffering madness. In this case, either Voldemort
himself would have to enter the Ministry of Magic and risk revealing
himself at last - or else you would have to take it for him."

Once the prophesy is taken from the shelf, then anyone could handle
it. Otherwise, Voldemort would still have to have been at the MoM to
take the prophesy from Harry. But he sent his Death Eaters to bring
it back to him.

Hope that helps.
D

======================================
Message 82256
======================================

Geoff:
Pulling together some of the comments made here, I think it is clear
from the book that once the prophecy has been touched by
the "nominated person", it is free to be handled by anyone. Lucius
obviously believes this. I think the possiblity of using the Accio
spell to get the orb into a bag was not being considered; I don't
recall Bellatrix having a shopping bag in her hand when she attempts
to do this early in the battle and Harry uses a Protego charm to stop
her.

=======================================

There are several more posts linked to these. If you want to follow the 
whole thread, I would suggest starting at message 82231