Lily being spared

[intooblivion@ymail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 189881

> >Potioncat:
> Actually, it was DD who told Harry the prophecy could mean either of two boys--the Potter child or the Longbottom child. The prophecy only says that one approaches. It's DD's interpretation that it could have been either child. 

IntoOblivion:

I've always wondered - do we actually know if Voldemort himself saw there as being two choices for the subject of the prophecy or is that just Dumbledore's interpretation? I believe that in interviews JKR has mentioned that Voldemort chose Harry, but as I recall it was never explicitly confirmed in the books. From that source, it seemed to me that there was no reason to believe that Voldemort thought that there was another who could fit the prophecy (or that if he thought there was, that the other child was Neville).

As far as I remember (unfortunately I do not have a copy of the relevant book available) this is the section of the prophecy which Voldemort was aware of:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ..."

The second part is obviously the means of identifying the `one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord', however while the range given for the birth date is fixed, the method for identifying the child (or it's parents anyway) is not.

`Defy' is rather ambiguous; three times during the parent's lives they have thwarted a plan, challenged or refused to join/help Voldemort (according to my dictionary anyway). How are these acts of defiance measured, and by whom? Do these instances have to be the couples together, between them or individually - were there six instances of defiance, three where both the couple were involved or three in which at least one of the couple was involved? Do they have to be events where the only ones involved in the defiance were the couple (individually or together) or could their defiance be part of a group?

It always seemed to me as if this section of the prophecy was there for Voldemort to use so that he could identify the child. After all who other than the man himself can identify those times when he was defied. He could easily consider some events that seem huge to the Order (and may have been a big deal to Death Eaters involved) as below his interest – thwarting such a plan would not count as defiance against him. Equally there could be events that Dumbledore thought as quashing a meaningless endeavor that was in reality an important part of Voldemort's plans.

I think it would be Voldemort's perception of defiance that mattered – if he felt himself to be adversely affected by their actions. In this interpretation there's no reason why Dumbledore couldn't be wrong in thinking that Neville would qualify as an option or that there was any choice involved on Voldemort's part.