"'...at the Solstice will come a new...' said the figure of an old, bearded man.

'... and none will come after...' said the figure of a young woman."
(783, OotP)

This could be such a red herring I hesitate to even delve into it. But I cannot resist. First, who made these prophecies? "An old, bearded man" and "a young woman" could be just about anyone. Our most well known "old, bearded man" was just blasted off the Astronomy Tower and, even in Harry's harried state (pardon the pun) I think he would have recognized Dumbledore - at least, I think he would have recognized Albus Dumbledore. However, there is another old, bearded Dumbledore in the Potterverse, and we need to get to know him and learn what he has to offer. Is Aberforth a Seer? Did he make a prophecy that was destroyed at the Ministry? As we have seen time and time again, Harry recognizes the Hogs' Head bartender and notes that he "looks familiar." He knows from Moody that Aberforth was in the Order photo. But he hasn't yet put the two things together.

"A young woman" is even harder to pin down, especially since we have no idea how old the prophecies are, nor how the prophecies were organized and 'filed.' The rows were numbered, but we don't know whether they were filed by date, under the name of the Seer, the name of the person the prophecy pertains to - if there is one - the name of the person who heard the prophecy or some other method. I suspect the easiest way to organize them would be to file them by the date they were made. If that is the case, then the two prophecies we heard would have been made right around the time of Trelawney's Prophecy, since they were on a shelf very near to her now famous Prophecy. If they are filed under the name of the witness, then perhaps Albus heard them both, as they were shelved close to the one Trelawney made to him. If so, are they also in Albus' pensieve, waiting for Harry to discover them?

If they are filed by date, then the woman would have been young right around Harry's birth. Could it have been Lily? I have wondered about Tonks' questioning of Harry as to whether he has Seer blood. Seer blood... Lily's eyes... Seeing with Lily's eyes... Surely Harry would have recognized his own mother's image in the smoke?

Finally, what do the prophecies mean? Something or someone new will come at the Solstice. There are two Solstices every year: Winter and Summer. The Summer Solstice generally falls on 21 June, and very occasionally on the 20th. The Winter Solstice is on December 21 or 22, depending on the year. I do not believe any of the characters' birthdays that we know fall on any of these dates. Voldemort himself is close, as his birthday is December 31.

Did something of significance to Harry's story happen on a Solstice date somewhere in the past? Or, will it happen this year? What or who might it be?

Most of Harry's major 'events' have happened around the Summer Solstice, since that is in June, when the climaxes and dénouements of the books have happened. We lost Albus Dumbledore around the Summer Solstice. Could this have something to do with the prophecy? If so, what may be coming "anew?" Remember, Dumbledore's symbol is the Phoenix. Does the prophecy refer to a new form or appearance of Dumbledore? A transformed Dumbledore? A "new" Dumbledore? If Book Seven follows past form, the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort will take place around the Summer Solstice. Will a "new" Dumbledore - a risen phoenix of some sort - come again then?

The young woman's prophecy ("and none will come after") could also point in countless directions. Could it mean that no Dark Lord will come after Harry rids the Wizarding world of Voldemort? Does it mean that there will never be another Albus? Another Harry?

Are the two prophecies related? Do we know the Seers? Have they already happened and their significance is not yet clear? Or, will they happen as part of the unfolding of Book Seven?

Has Lady Lupin finally gone 'round the bend and is she fruitlessly chasing her tail while JKR laughs gleefully at all this silliness?

Very likely. However, I would be willing to bet a galleon or two that at least some of the issues touched on in this multi-part article will, indeed, be pertinent to the conclusion of Harry's story. The trick is that JKR gives us such a rich combination of skillfully concealed hints and fruitless red herrings that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference with any real sense of confidence! Still, we cannot resist trying. The combination of enticing characters, dangling mysteries to solve and classical thematic references throughout is just too tempting to be denied. What are your thoughts?

---

MuggleNet is an unofficial Harry Potter fan site. Please email us if you have any questions or concerns. MuggleNet's original layouts were designed and created by Navy. All subsequent layouts by Dylan Spartz.

© 1999-2008 MuggleNet.com. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | COPPA Policy | Feedback | Credits
Random Addresses

1,513 muggles currently online