Skip to main content

harry potter - Did Lord Voldemort know of Neville's status as a "possible other Prophecy boy"?


There were 2 boys who fit the prophecy - Harry Potter; and the other one - Neville Longbottom, as per the Prof. Dumblefore.


Lord Voldemort himself went after Harry Potter.


A little bit later, his main second in command (Lestrange) went after Longbottoms - supposedly, to torture them into revealing the location of disappeared Lord Voldemort.


Is there any support in the books for a possibility that it was just a cover, and instead it was meant to be a (failed) planned ahead hit on Neville the baby, as a backup to killing Harry Potter?



Answer



There are 2 reasons to reject this particular possibility (which is actually, as far as I can tell, a popular fandom conspiracy theory - see #2. Guess you were not the only one who found it logical for it to end up as a FAQ on JKR website :)




  1. During Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort asks about Neville (who he is) and basically treats him same as any other pureblood DA kid, not as a possible archnemesis. This is from the books, as you requested.





  2. Moreover, Word of God. JKR herself said so. From now-defunct "J.K.Rowling Official Site", FAQ area, "Section: Rumours":





The Lestranges were sent after Neville to kill him (rumor)


No, they weren’t, they were very definitely sent after Neville’s parents. I can’t say too much about this because it touches too closely on the prophecy and how many people knew about it, but the Lestranges were not in on the secret.


(source: WaybackMachine link)




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...

What is the etymology of Doctor Who?

I recently decided to watch Doctor Who, and started viewing the 2005 version. I have the first two episodes from the first season, and I can't help but wonder what is the etymology of the name "Doctor Who"? And why does the protagonist call himself "the Doctor" (or is it "the doctor")? Answer In the very first episode of Doctor Who (way back in 1963), the Doctor has a granddaughter going by the name "Susan Foreman", and the junkyard where the TARDIS is has the sign "I.M. Foreman". Barbara, who becomes one of the Doctor's companions, calls him "Doctor Foreman" (probably assuming that is his name given his relationship to Susan), and Ian (another early companion) does the same in the second episode, to which the Doctor says: Eh? Doctor who? What's he talking about? "Foreman" is most likely selected as a convenient surname for Susan to use because it happened to be on display near where the TARDIS landed....

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...