Question #3

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 183370

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kennyg1864" <kennyg1864 at ...> wrote:

lizzyben:
> > This gets my vote. The entire wizarding world knew about the "boy who 
> > lived" within hours after the Potters' death. 

kennyg1864:  
> Which book was this in?  I just re-read the first few chapters of 
> SS/PS, and although all the wizards knew of Voldemort's death, none 
> mentioned the Potters' death, or Harry's survival.  "TBWL" comes up 
> only when Hagrid tells Harry 10 years later, along with the greetings 
> of those in the Leaky Cauldron.

Geoff:
You've somehow skipped over a large chunk of the opening chapter of 
"Philosopher's Stone":

'Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The 
owls are nothing to the rumours that are flying around. You know what 
everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally 
stopped him?"....

...It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying, she was not going to 
believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true....

"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned 
up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that 
Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're dead."

Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. "Lily and 
James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it,,, Oh, Albus..."

Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I 
know..." he said heavily.

Professor McGonagall voice trembled as she went on. That's not all. 
They're saying that he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But - he 
couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, 
but they're saying that he couldn't kill Harry Potter,  Voldemort's 
power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."

Dumbledore nodded glumly.

"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done...
all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just 
astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of 
heaven did Harry survive?"

"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."'

(PS "The Boy Who LIved" from pp.14/15 UK edition)

It's very obvious from that extract that Professor McGonagall had 
picked up the salient points of what had happened from other sources 
that Dumbledore, so it /was/ common knowledge.

And just to underline the question of Harry's 'title', I quote again:

'Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One 
small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing 
that he was special, not knowing that he was famous....

...He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret 
all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed 
voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"'

(PS "The Boy Who LIved" p.18 UK edition)

It's quite definitely there in canon.