Of Souls and Death - Dumbledore's Intent

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 149005

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "P J" <midnightowl6 at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> zgirnius:
> >I happen to think that Snape only heard part of the prophecy. I 
> >see no reason to suppose otherwise, I find the backstory hangs 
> >together just fine as Dumbledore tells it.

> PJ:
> 
> Then why isn't this memory from the pensieve the same as the 
> others Dumbledore's shown Harry.  If he had nothing to hide 
> they'd have tumbled into the memory per usual rather than just 
> having ST pop up and twirl around  a bit.
> 

bboyminn:

Again, context explains everything. In HBP, when Dumbledore shows
Harry many memories about Voldemort, his intent is full disclosure of
all the details of the events, so Harry is fully informed and can
reach his own conclusion, then compare those conclusions with
Dumbledore's.

At the end of OotP, Dumbledore's purpose is completely different. He
is attempting to reveal the specific contents of the Prophecy, and not
to clutter it up with unnecessary details. And, yes, at that stage he
is also hiding that it was Snape who eavesdropped. But still there is
a context, and that context is the contents of the Prophecy, that is
the subject under discussion. What the context and subject are NOT is
the full details of the events of the night the Prophecy was spoken.

Again, all those details are not the subject under discussion in that
moment, in that conversation, and they represent nothing but needless
distraction to revealing the contents of the Prophecy. 


> > zgirnius:
> > 
> >He brought up the subject a different time which neither of you
> >is addressing in this exchange, in Ch.4, HBP, where he told Harry:
> >"There are only two people in the whole world who know the full
> >contents of the prophecy, ".
> 
> Yes.  I'll be waiting for book 7 to find out which 2 people... 
> Right now I don't know that Harry is one of them.  I'd be much 
> more comfy about it if we'd seen that memory as we saw the others.
> 
> PJ
>

bboyminn: 

Well, if you read the full quote, who the two people are is obvious.

"Yes," said Harry again. "And now everyone knows that I'm the one —" 

"No, they do not," interrupted Dumbledore. "There are only two people
in the whole world who know the full contents of the prophecy made
about you and Lord Voldemort, and they are both standing in this
smelly, spidery broom shed. ..."

Seems pretty clear to me. 

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn