Why not let Harry destroy the Prophecy from the beginning?

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 132661

> >>Davenclaw:
> I have another question about the Prophecy: 
> Since it was ultimately of little consequence that the orb        
> recording the prophecy was destroyed, why didn't the Order just   
> have Harry go in and destroy it from the beginning, rather than    
> have people risk their lives to guard it?  Can anyone think of a   
> plausible reason for this?

Betsy Hp:
Yup! (At least IMO <g>.) It's like PS/SS all over again.  Dumbledore 
was setting up a trap and the prophecy was the bait.  During OotP, 
what was Voldemort's main priority?  Keeping his return a secret.  
Why else was Lucius Malfoy keeping Fudge on such a short leash?  And 
what was Dumbledore's main priority?  Getting the truth out.

Both Dumbledore and Voldemort knew that stealing something from the 
DoM was a tricky business.  Voldemort did everything in his power to 
keep from going down there himself.  Dumbledore, on the other hand, 
was doing everything in his power to *get* Voldemort to the DoM.  
The prophecy was the best bait Dumbledore could think of.

> >>Davenclaw:  
> Were they trying to prevent Harry from learning about the         
> prophecy? Was it really smart to risk people's lives instead of   
> just letting Harry in on the secret and foiling Voldemort's       
> attempts to get the prophecy?

Betsy Hp:
*Dumbledore* wanted to protect Harry from the prophecy for as long 
as possible.  But that really had nothing to do with the trap he was 
setting.  Yes, in the end the attempt to keep Harry in the dark 
nearly ruined everything Dumbledore had set in motion.  However, 
creating a situation where Voldemort himself had to risk snatching 
the prophecy himself really had nothing to do with keeping the 
prophecy a secret from Harry.  That was just Dumbledore's attempt at 
keeping Harry a child for just a little longer.

> >>Sherry:
> And one thing that's always bothered me, why do they care if      
> Voldemort hears it?  He's already heard enough to make him try to 
> kill Harry repeatedly. What's the point of keeping it from him?   
> How will that make things worse?

Betsy Hp:
Actually, Voldemort *seriously* tried to kill Harry only once, in 
the graveyard in GoF.  And at that time this wasn't even his main 
goal.  Harry's purpose in the graveyard was to provide some 
necessary blood for Voldemort's little beauty bath.  The reason 
Voldemort tried to kill Harry was to build back some of the 
reputation he'd lost back when he'd first been banished.  Voldemort 
put a lot of effort into trying to humiliate and belittle Harry in 
front of his Death Eaters before delivering the final blow.  He was 
toying with Harry because he underestimated Harry.

But, if Voldemort was to learn the whole prophecy, that Harry is not 
just one who *can* kill him, but is in fact the *only* one who can 
kill him, his attempts on Harry's life would become a heck of a lot 
more serious.  I think Dumbledore realizes this.  I think Dumbledore 
also realizes that Voldemort is an incredibly smart and clever 
wizard and if he has all the information at his fingertips he could 
well figure out how to finally kill Harry.  

Betsy Hp