Overview
The Prophecy is one of the most consequential divinations in wizarding history. Spoken by Sybill Trelawney in 1980 during her interview for the Divination professor position at Hogwarts, the Prophecy foretold the coming of the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord---and set in motion the chain of events that would end the First Wizarding War.
The Words
During her interview with Albus Dumbledore, conducted in a private room at a pub in Hogsmeade, Trelawney fell into a trance and spoke the following words:
“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…”
The Eavesdropper
Severus Snape, then a Death Eater, was eavesdropping at the door. He overheard part of the Prophecy but was discovered and thrown out before hearing it in full. Critically, Snape missed the details about the Dark Lord “marking him as his equal” and the “power the Dark Lord knows not.”
Snape reported what he had heard to Voldemort. He immediately regretted this decision when he realized the Prophecy endangered Lily Evans---the only girl he had ever loved.
Voldemort’s Interpretation
Two children fit the Prophecy’s criteria: Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, both born at the end of July 1980. Both sets of parents---James and Lily Potter, and Alice and Frank Longbottom---had defied Voldemort three times.
Voldemort concluded that Harry Potter was the child in the Prophecy. This decision proved to be his undoing.
Consequences
The Prophecy set off a rapid and devastating chain of events:
- Dumbledore immediately hired Trelawney as the Divination professor at Hogwarts, not for her teaching ability, but to keep her under his protection and away from Voldemort.
- The Potters went into hiding under the Fidelius Charm.
- Peter Pettigrew, their Secret Keeper, betrayed them to Voldemort.
- On October 31, 1981, Voldemort went to Godric’s Hollow and murdered James and Lily Potter.
- When he turned his wand on the infant Harry, the Killing Curse rebounded, destroying Voldemort’s physical form and ending the First Wizarding War.
In a bitter irony, it was Voldemort’s own choice to act on the Prophecy that fulfilled it. By choosing Harry and “marking him as his equal,” he created the very enemy the Prophecy had foretold.