[HPforGrownups] MAJOR MAJOR SPOILER - THE ALCHEMIST THEORY IN TWO ACTS

[John Fisher]

No: HPFGUIDX 131982

On 7/4/05, tinglinger <tinglinger at yahoo.com> wrote:
[much brilliance snipped]
> Dumbledore knew he can't use the same trick
> again......
> So he created this bogus prophecy about a boy and

It's brilliant: I particularly love the Tom/Harry symmetry, and the
explanation for why Tom/Voldie first became enamoured with eternal
life.  But there are a few things I don't like:

1) Dumbledore lied to Harry about the prophecy.

2) We've *seen* Sibyl Trelawney make a real prophecy.  The first one
might be bogus, but we shouldn't have a "prophecy ==> bunk" bias.

What if Dumbledore had planned the Stonescapade already, including the
role of the Potters, and then witnessed the prophecy, confirming (or
re-arranging) his plan?

3) It seems out of character for Dumbledore to make anyone (Tom, in
this case) the sacrificial guinea pig.  The notion becomes palatable
to the degree that there is mutual trust; but we saw in CoS that
Dumbledore was suspicious of Tom from the beginning.  Same goes for
Dumbledore, much less Lily and James, letting Harry get AK'd under any
circumstances.

4) It doesn't answer J.K.'s conundrum in a satisfying way:
"The first question that I have never been asked--it has probably been
asked in a chatroom but no one has ever asked me--is, 'Why didn't
Voldemort die?' Not, 'Why did Harry live?' but, 'Why didn't Voldemort
die?'"
(In a sense it does--Dumbledore didn't get there in time to finish him
off--but it seems cheap to pin it on logistics.)

And, going on the assumption that the prophecy *isn't* bogus:
5) "The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord approaches. 
Born.."  It sure sounds like it's something innate to Harry, not
something he was given.  Which begs the question: what would happen if
Voldie AK'ed Harry again?

Shades of Uncle Remus and the Fabled Briar Patch:
Hermione: "Nooo, V-V-Voldie, don't kill him!  Don't hurt him!  Don't
use Avada Ked..."
Voldemort: "AVADA KEDAVRA!  Oop--"
Hermione: "I hate when that happens."

-John