First of all, I think the outcome will be disastrous if Voldemort ever hears the entire prophecy. Why, you ask? Because Voldemort will immediately go after Harry before he has a chance to prepare for an attack. As obvious as this reason might seem I have a feeling that Harry will in fact be forewarned, much to the disappointment of Voldemort, because it would make for a much better story.

But Hogwarts is safe, what about Dumbledore, I hear you say. Voldemort will have no reason to fear Dumbledore once he knows the whole prophecy. The reason for this is that if only Harry can kill Voldemort why would Voldemort fear Dumbledore? Think about it, Dumbledore is everything, he is the one keeping Voldemort at bay, he in fact is the biggest weapon, the figurative Secret-Keeper of Hogwarts and maybe even the whole magical world. Once Voldemort knows that Dumbledore can’t kill him there’s going to be chaos. The scariest part is that while Harry seems to know not to tell the prophecy to the wrong people, I don’t get the impression that he knows why, and I was surprised that Dumbledore didn’t drive that point home. Lets just hope that when Hermione hears the prophecy it isn’t too late and she picks up on the importance of secrecy (I'm assuming the prophecy is only about Harry and Voldemort, not Wormtail, which I believe is the correct assumption).

It is also a popular theory that the final battle will be waged at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is the ideal place for Voldemort to strike, if only he can get around the whole Dumbledore thing. Since we have seen that there is a very plausible way around Dumbledore, I think that we now have a precedent for those theories, because there is no way, in my opinion, that Voldemort would strike Hogwarts unless Dumbledore wasn’t there or he no longer felt Dumbledore was a threat.

When all is said and done I think Dumbledore will have a huge impact on Voldemort’s downfall, both directly and indirectly. I hate to get off the subject, but Dumbledore’s contribution is obvious to me. I think that in the end Dumbledore will sacrifice himself in order to give Harry a chance to defeat Voldemort. This is necessary because Harry really needs something to drive him over the edge, to fill him with such love for Dumbledore, and such righteous hate for Voldemort, that he will be able to defeat him. The indirect impact is Dumbledore's training of Harry which I am confident will come in the sixth book. I think we will finally get to know our favorite Headmaster and he will turn out to be a certain Prince, but let's not get into that right now.

To jump back on track here, there is still the fact that Voldemort doesn’t know the prophecy, and he doesn’t know that Harry knows. The first step to Voldemort finding out the prophecy is finding out that Harry knows it. I don’t pretend to know how this will happen, but I think it may happen one of three ways.

First, there is a traitor very close to Harry, someone who is likely to hear the prophecy. Second, the prophecy might be repeated by an ally who doesn’t realize what he/she is giving away or else has it forced out through torture, threat of death, or other unsavory means. I think it is much more likely to be the latter.

The third possibility is that Voldemort already knows -- or more likely has a feeling that Harry knows -- the prophecy through what has already happened. Look at it from Voldemort’s point of view: Harry had never tried to get to the prophecy before, and that at least surprised Lucious Malfoy. The prophecy was destroyed, Harry was standing nearby, maybe he heard it? Also, shouldn’t Voldemort know that Dumbledore heard it? His spy surely knew who he was listening to. It’s a pretty safe assumption that up until now the only one who knew about the prophecy was Dumbledore, and maybe some guy in the DoM. To Voldemort, it's possible that after the fiasco in the DoM, Harry will be told by Dumbledore about the prophecy (which we know did in fact happen) and then Voldemort, being a smart guy and all, will be able to realize that Harry will surely share the info with someone. With Sirius gone I’m sure he’d have a shrewd idea who that person will be.

The thing that still bothers me is that the reason Harry should keep the prophecy from Voldemort isn't made clear enough in the book. I would really hate to see Voldemort find out because someone wasn’t being careful enough, and as much as it pains me, Ron is the first one who jumps to mind. I can just see him yelling at Malfoy, in Harry’s defense, that he’s wasting his time because only one person can kill Harry. I can also see Harry saying that, which would enrage many fans who say Harry is too dumb. Again the secret’s hope rides on the back of Hermione, and Harry’s and Ron’s capacity to listen to her.

Once Voldemort knows that Harry knows the prophecy all roads lead to abduction. As I’ve hinted, the abductee will most likely be Ron or Hermione. I don’t think that Hermione will die, but she is the easier target living in a Muggle house with dentists. I think Voldemort would strike there first, but I don’t think he will be successful. The worst that would come of that scenario, in my opinion, is two dead dentists.

But in the end I think Ron will spill the beans, and also die, because as important as he is, he’s the least important of the trio.

10/27/04

Posted by: Sara