[HPforGrownups] JKR's FAQ poll -- Neville's potential as prophecy boy

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 129017

SSSusan wrote:

> Yet JKR is telling us quite straightforwardly that Neville could have
> been The One had Voldy marked him instead, as the curse would have
> rebounded from him, too, if Alice or Frank had sacrificed him/herself
> for him.
> 
> But OTOH JKR also acknowledges that Dumbledore "believes that
> Voldemort did indeed choose the boy most likely to topple him, for
> Harry's survival has not depended wholly or even mainly upon his
> scar."
> 
> Hmmmm.  "DD believes."  Not exactly an author giving confirmation
> that her character is correct, is it?

I find this answer absolutely fascinating, and anything but dull (as
JKR implied it was).  The key language, I think, is this:

"Had Frank or Alice thrown themselves in front of Neville, however,
the killing curse would have rebounded just as it did in Harry's case,
and Neville would have been the one who survived with the lightning
scar. What would this have meant? Would a Neville bearing the
lightning scar have been as successful at evading Voldemort as Harry
has been? Would Neville have had the qualities that have enabled Harry
to remain strong and sane throughout all of his many ordeals? Although
Dumbledore does not say as much, he does not believe so: he believes
Voldemort did indeed choose the boy most likely to be able to topple
him, for Harry's survival has not depended wholly or even mainly upon
his scar."

So, Dumbledore "does not believe" that Neville has what it takes.  Why
not?  How would Dumbledore know what qualities Neville *would have
had* if his circumstances had been the same as Harry's?  Neville
didn't grow up in a cupboard without any knowledge of his heritage. 
If the little we've seen of Gran is any indication, she's been beating
him over the head with his legacy -- and his failure to measure up to
it -- from his earliest days.

We cannot also rule out the possibility that Neville is suffering from
a disability which masks his potential, and that nobody, including
Dumbledore, is aware of it.  In fact, my initial reaction to this
answer was that it provides a big boost to the old Memory Charm
theories, which have generally been out of favor since OOP was
published.

JKR appears to be using the multiple possibilities that the Prophecy
presented as a tool to show us how our destinies are often out of our
own control; she states:  "Destiny is a name often given in retrospect
to choices that had dramatic consequences."  If Neville was disabled
by a memory charm, this reinforces JKR's point about destiny, because
it might mean that Neville did have what it takes after all, but that
events have sent him down a very different path.

Neville does share some of Harry's most important strengths.  For
example, like Harry, Neville does not shy away from confronting evil
even when he thinks he cannot win.  (Note that in PS/SS, when he tried
to stop HRH from going after Quirrell, he did not have all the facts.)
 In addition, Neville's parents were able to survive against
Voldemort.  He doesn't appear to have inherited those genes, but they
could simply be masked. Determined!Neville made great progress in OOP,
but he still acts like he's fighting against a disability.  (I know
from personal experience how much memory deficiencies can influence
one's self-confidence and overall personality and correspondingly
others' perceptions of one's abilities.)

Also, contrary to common perception, there are concrete examples of
poor memory in OOP.  For example, Neville cannot remember the name of
the "Philosopher's Stone" -- he calls it the "Philological Stone." 
And in the DoM, there's an instance where Neville is unable to
articulate a spell, something which could be the result of being
unable to remember an appropriate spell at a necessary moment; this,
of course, is one of Harry's greatest strengths enabling him to
survive against Voldemort.

The phrasing of JKR's answer signals to me Dumbledore lacks all the
necessary information, and therefore he is wrong, wrong, wrong.

> Siriusly Snapey Susan, who notes that JKR did use the word "murder"
> when describing what Voldy planned to do, but didn't use the
> phrase "AK" -- it's all "attack" (unless I missed something).

See the portion I quoted above, which mentions the "killing curse".

Debbie