The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 482 About Prophecy
The headmasters of all generations in the portraits were snoring loudly and seemed to be sleeping soundly, but they all pricked up their ears to hear the conversation between the two more clearly. It seems that gossip is a common human nature no matter where you are.

Fawkes the Phoenix stood on a shelf, preening his feathers gracefully, occasionally looking up at Dumbledore.

"I think you have guessed the man's name," said Dumbledore, "though it is incredible."

"Severus Snape." Ada slowly said the name of the Potions Professor.

Many names of Death Eaters flashed through Ada's mind in an instant. She even thought of Peter Pettigrew, because Animagus was difficult to distinguish, especially since Peter's Animagus was in the form of a mouse.

After thinking about it, Ada still thought of Snape.

The Potions Professor was once a Death Eater and later became Dumbledore's spy. Coupled with his unclear relationship with James Potter, Sirius and others, as well as his contradictory attitude towards Harry, this made Ada deeply suspicious.

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how incredible, is the fact.

"Yes, Severus," said Dumbledore. "He overheard my conversation with Sybill, and he overheard the prophecy, but he only heard half of it. He was violently thrown out by Aberforth."

"Then he told Voldemort half of the prophecy he overheard," Ada said. "So that's why Voldemort came after Harry, who was still an infant?"

Ada ruffled her long hair in distress. Even though she knew Snape was a Death Eater before, she still felt extremely speechless when she learned the truth.

"It was Voldemort's own choice," said Dumbledore. "Severus merely relayed what he heard to him. He chose Harry."

There was a trace of confusion in Ada's green eyes. What did Voldemort mean by his own choice?

Judging from the content of the prophecy, isn't it talking about Harry? Is there any other candidate?

[Born in a family that had resisted him three times], James and Lily were both members of the Order of the Phoenix, and they both definitely resisted Voldemort, there is no doubt about that; [Born at the end of July], Harry was born at the end of July, there is still no problem.

This is Harry. The prophet Trelawney has already verified it, so what else could be wrong?

"You overlooked someone else, Ada, someone you knew but always overlooked. Neville Longbottom, you may not know this, but he was also born at the end of July."

After hearing what Dumbledore said, Ada was stunned for a moment, and her brain crashed at that moment.

Then, Neville Longbottom's little round face passed before Ada's eyes. There was a lightning-shaped scar on Neville's forehead... Neville was the child in the prophecy, which was a possibility Ada had never imagined.

Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom were Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix, and they met the first condition of the prophecy; their son Neville was born at the end of July, which met the second condition of the prophecy.

Therefore, the prophecy of "the one who has the ability to defeat the Dark Lord" is not only about Harry, but also about Neville. It depends on what Voldemort chooses. Because the Dark Lord will mark him as his rival, the lightning-shaped scar left by the Killing Curse!
This prophecy was a typical double-edged sword, a common tactic used by fortune-tellers in the square. If Ada hadn't known what happened later, she would have thought that Voldemort had been tricked by Dumbledore and Trelawney.

"Voldemort made his choice. He chose Harry, who was half-blood like himself," Dumbledore continued, "rather than Neville, who was of pure-blood."

There is no "if" in the world, but Ada was thinking in her heart, "if"...what would have happened if Voldemort had chosen Neville Longbottom?

Will Voldemort lose his body and become a being even worse than a ghost?
Could Harry Potter have lived with his parents?

Will James and Lily suffer the same fate as Frank and Alice? If so, will Sirius adopt Harry or will he still be sent to the Dursleys?
Will the same thing happen again during these years in school?
Ada knew that none of this could happen because Voldemort chose Harry, but Ada couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

"What's wrong with you?" Dumbledore asked. "Are you thinking about some what-ifs?"

The principal's voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of scaring Ada. Ada shook her head like a puppy, as if this could clear the water out of her brain.

"Professor, what if Voldemort did nothing?" Ida asked softly, "Don't choose Harry, don't choose Neville, just pretend that he has never heard of the prophecy."

This question caused Dumbledore to fall silent.

After a long while, the principal finally said, "There is no if, Ada. This is determined by his character. He does not allow anyone who can threaten his life to exist. Remember this sentence, stay close to your friends, and stay even closer to your enemies."

Having said that, Dumbledore's silence just now showed that he had thought about similar things before.

If Voldemort did not believe in the prophecy and did not mark his enemy personally, the darkness over England would have continued for a long time.

Until Dumbledore finds a way to defeat Voldemort once and for all, or another prophecy appears that Voldemort can believe...

So, in the end, Voldemort was still fooled by Dumbledore and Trelawney, but this time it was a trick of fate, an arrangement of destiny, or God's will. Feudal superstition is really unacceptable, and not taking Divination is a wise choice. Ada comforted herself in her heart.

"What happened next?" Ada asked after she had calmed down.

"Later, Severus found me, and then I realized that the prophecy had been leaked because of my negligence." Dumbledore said, "Severus told me that he overheard part of the prophecy and relayed it to Voldemort, and Voldemort chose the Potters and Harry."

Ada's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she asked: "Professor Snape and Potter..."

"I am not in a position to reveal their past. You'd better ask Severus if he is willing to tell you." Dumbledore strangled Ada's budding curiosity.

Ada pouted helplessly, and then said: "You took advantage of the leak of the prophecy to recruit Professor Snape and strengthen the protection of the Potters. But you didn't expect that there would be a traitor in our team."

"Yes, I used Severus to help me find out information about the Death Eaters and Voldemort's movements." Dumbledore admitted it directly. There was nothing to hide.

Ada already knew what happened afterwards. Peter Pettigrew betrayed the Potters, and Voldemort came to kill them, but when he was about to put an end to his old enemy, he was beaten by a one-year-old baby.

Voldemort lost his body and magic power, and the war was over; Peter Pettigrew escaped, and Sirius was wrongfully imprisoned; the Longbottoms, tortured by Lestrange with the Cruciatus Curse, went crazy...

Then in 1991, Harry Potter entered school.

"Professor, is what happened to the Longbottoms related to this prophecy?" Ada asked.

The Ministry of Magic has so many Aurors and many members of the Order of the Phoenix, why did Lestrange insist on choosing the Longbottoms?
Dumbledore shook his head. “It is impossible to confirm. Voldemort trusts the Lestranges, but we do not know to what extent.”

"It's getting late. Do you have anything else to ask?" Dumbledore said, looking a little tired.

"Yes," said Ada, who had an idea she wanted to verify, without any consideration for the fact that Dumbledore was already a hundred years old.

Ida said: "You said you want to reduce contact with Harry. Is it because you are worried that Voldemort has established some kind of connection with Harry, and you are worried that Voldemort will use this to cause damage, right?"

This was the result of Ada's deep thinking over the holiday, which she came up with through Harry's dreams about Voldemort.

"Basically correct," Dumbledore said. The headmaster was not surprised at all that Ada could figure this out. It was a routine operation.

"Any more questions?" Dumbledore asked again. He felt that Ada could understand the hidden meaning of his words.

Ada understood the headmaster's order to expel her, but she really had another question she wanted to ask. This question had also troubled her for half of the holiday, and she forgot to ask it when she met Dumbledore last time.

Watching Ada's slow pace as she left the office, Dumbledore stopped her and said, "Is everything really alright?"

With just a few simple words, Ada immediately became full of energy and rushed back to Dumbledore from the office door, scaring Dumbledore.

She asked, "Professor, you asked me to come back as soon as possible during the summer vacation, so I came back. But, apart from going to Privet Drive to protect Harry and help him appear in court, why didn't you arrange anything for me?"

After hearing this, Dumbledore looked at Ada with a strange look, as if he didn't understand what she said.

"Me? Asking you to return to London as soon as possible?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes full of puzzlement. "No! I don't remember writing you such a letter."

"So I just returned to London and you found me right after that?" Ada asked. Dumbledore's reaction had made her realize the situation. Now she was just preparing the nails in the coffin.

"You came back suddenly, and I was worried that you were going to cause trouble for the Foley family, so I went to see you!"

Ada silently prayed, she now understood everything. It was Fred and George who spread the false news, and she trusted the twins too much, so she did not check with Dumbledore and hurried back.

As for why Fred and George spread the false news, perhaps they wanted to trick Ada into coming back to clean up... After all, the usable area of ​​12 Grimmauld Place is quite large.

"It is unbecoming of you to capsize twice in the same ditch," Dumbledore continued.

"Yes, professor, you are right." Ida gritted her teeth and said, "I will fill the sewer when I go back tonight. I will make sure they won't see the sun tomorrow!"

(End of this chapter)