JKR cheat with the prophecy - Point of Destiny

[naamagatus]

No: HPFGUIDX 124989


Just a few snippets...


Lupinlore:

Let us look at how this plays out with Dumbledore, a character we 
have been discussing a great deal lately. I don't mean to imply that 
the prophecy ONLY affects DD, but lets use him as an example.
Particularly, lets see how the prophecy plays out in the questions of
1) Harry and the Dursleys, 2) DD's love for Harry vs. his love for 
the Wizarding World.

<snip>

Of course you could argue that one is often faced with restricted
choices in life. But rarely choices THAT restricted, and NEVER
restricted by prophecy. Thus the prophecy becomes a rather clumsy,
and badly failing, slight of hand to get DD off the hook.

<snip>


Naama:

Although this group has been discussing DD's actions extensively, I 
don't think that's the focus of the books. So, I don't think that JKR 
meant for the prophecy to "get DD off the hook", but to put Harry in 
a certain, very difficult and dramatic, position. 


Lupinlore:

Because you simply can't have a prophecy if the future ISN'T fixed
into a particular pattern (which may include branch points, however 
as the branch points are themselves fixed it does, by certain of the
rules of formal and symbolic logic, boil down to the same thing. Even
quantum indeterminacy is actually more formally known as quantum
determinacy in certain kinds of discussions). 


Naama:

But does a prophecy mean that all the future is fixed, or just that 
one thing that will come to pass? For instance, this prophecy says 
that someone who has the power to vanquish Voldemort will be born, 
that Voldemort will mark him as his equal, etc. But it doesn't say 
that Voldemort *will* be vanquished. So, the outcome isn't fixed, and 
therefore (going by your line of thinking, I think) there is freedom 
of choice regarding that. Yes? 


Naama