Who was the eavesdropper?

[Elana]

Hi - I'm new to this site. I've been enjoying reading the discussion, and had a few thoughts I haven't seen anybody post yet.

We are never told the identity of the person who overhears the first part of the prophecy and takes the information to Voldemort. My guess is, it was Snape, back when he was still a loyal Death Eater. I'm speculating that this event, and what followed, are important to why he leaves Voldemort and returns to Dumbledore's side. The prophecy happened shortly before Harry is born, about a year before V's downfall, and we know that Snape left V and turned spy not long before the downfall, so the timing would be right.

What do you think? Any other possibilities for who it might be?

[gecko]

Great post Elana, and welcome to BaO! (don't forget to be sorted if you aren't already!)

I think it could have been Snape alright, but how would he have heard the prophecy? You'd think that Dumbledore wouldn't give such a prophecy away to someone who then is still a loyal Death Eather? Maybe it just went like a rumour through the wizarding community. Hagrid has the tendency to tell things to strangers he shouldn't tell, so maybe he gave the first part away?

[Sacred Guardian]

it could have been snape, but to gecko, dumbledore didn't tell the prophecy, he didn't mean for anyone else to hear it, it just happened it wasn't planned

[gecko]

I meant that, after he had heard the prophecy, he must have told somebody. How else can Voldemort have known the first part?
Or were they overheard when Trelawney made the prophecy?

[Sacred Guardian]

right, that is what i said, someone overheard, remember, they were in the hog's head, and dumbledore said they were overheard

[AccioNiffler]

The Hogshead is a seedy place, so there's plenty of ways that they could have be overheard. This is the world of Harry Potter, so for all we know, the walls could have ears! Maybe there were pictures in the room and they heard the prophecy and reapeated it in front of someone working for Voldemort.

[Hermione Weasley]

ok so this is probably a long shot but someone said this is the wizarding wolrld for all we know is the walls could have ears.the extendable ears maybe??i mean fred and george did say they knew all the secret passageways maybe someone dropped them and they picked them up and never used them because they had no reason too.well it may be far fetched but i think it works.

[Ju-DedoH]

I prefer to believe that all F&G's gadgets are their own creations ...

[AccioNiffler]

I think that extendable ears are definitly a F&G thing. And anyways, Fred and George would have been like toddlers back when the prophecy was made, so I'm think that they for sure did not have anything to do with someone overhearing the prophecy.

[zledm007]

i tnink what Ms. Weasley was aying was that somebocdy had the extendable ears before Fred and George, and the two of them, knowing just about every passage way in hogwarts, picked them up and claimed them as their own. I really don't want to believe this though because i don't think Fred and George would take credit for anything they didn't breate themselves. they're just too good of people, all the wesleys are (well, with the esception of percy) and Fred and George despise percy for what he's done so they're not going to turn out like him at all. they're are honest good people and i just don't think they's take credit for what's not theirs. especially w/ harry's money.

[Holly Golightly]

I thoguht that DD said that tehre was actually a person in the HOgs Head who over heard them... so no extendable ears, and no walls with ears, jsut an averagely normal patron of the pub???

That what I thoought anyways???

[Fafnul Black]

Yeah, from what we know of the Hog'Head, the "average patron" might well be kind of exceptionally weird

As for the eavesdropper, not much clues in OotP. As Dumbledore was initially in the pub to hear a would-be teacher, he might not have paid attention to security matters. So no need to be a great sneak to have picked up something of the Prophecy.

[Holly Golightly]

Well, I had two thoughts on why someone was there to overhear the prophecy...

1) the most obvious, I think anyways! It was jsut coincidence. He was a guy (I'm assuming) who just happened to be int here at the time, who worked for Voldie, and overheard something and went running to Voldie withthe info (or 1/2 of it!!!)

2) Someone was trailing DD, and since he wasnt' doing anything really important, he didnt' bother to shake them off, and they overheard and went running to Voldie.

Personally, I like 2 better!!!