The Effect of the Prophecy

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 169193

---  "Charmed Force" <ceeeff at ...> wrote:
>
> ...
> 
> I can see how that statement could be construed as
> ambiguous, but if there were others involved in the
> prophecy, wouldn't those names be attached to the
> sphere when it rested in the Department of Mysteries?
> Or if the names were unknown, wouldn't it say "Unknown
> Wizard" or what not?
> 
> 
> ~Charmed Force~
>

bboyminn:

The people at the Ministry, and in the Hall of Prophecies,
are just like us readers, we and they assume the obvious,
that Harry is 'The One'. But the Prophecy doesn't give
Harry by name, it only implies Harry, and circumstances
seem to support that implication. 

However, the people at the Hall of Prophecies don't 
realize that they are in a book that is likely to have
many plot twists and turns before the story is resolved.
So, they aren't able to assume anything other than the
obvious implication. However, we as readers can 
analyze the story at a much deeper level because we 
know it is a story controlled by an author. Certainly
there /are/ going to be plot twists and turns, but
exactly where they twist and turn we don't know. 

The Prophecy seems like one very big ambiguous place
for a plot twist to occur. Maybe Neville kills Voldemort,
or maybe Neville creates a circumstance that allows 
Harry to kill Voldemort, or maybe Neville has to die 
(techincal or otherwise) for Harry to be able to 
vanquish Voldemort. Or perhaps Voldemort is not
truly killed at all, instead neutralized in someway;
loses his magic power, is somehow doomed to a spectral
existence in which he can never recover a body but at 
the same time never dies, or some other likely or 
unlikely twist.

We do know the Prophecy is important to the story, but
HOW is it important? Since we don't know, that opens 
the door to all kinds of wild speculation.

For what it's worth.

Steve/boyminn