Perhaps one of the at-least-two people who downvoted me would like to tell me what these details are that make it impossible for the memory to have been internally generated.
So far, all I can come up with is this: on the basis of Voldemort’s mild reluctance to kill his mother in this memory, Harry deduced (via a rather tenuous chain of reasoning) that Dumbledore told Snape about the prophecy, and when he confronted McGonagall with this she behaved in a manner consistent with what he deduced. This doesn’t seem all that conclusive to me. What am I missing?
In fact, I’m pretty sure that events did not happen as Harry deduced them. In canon, Snape overheard the prophecy being given. This seems to match up with what Snape says in the chapter formerly known as 77:
I thought I had merely happened to overhear it, when in truth it was I who was overheard.
Therefore I suggest that Dumbledore did not tell Snape about the prophecy. I’m not sure why or how McGonagall knows: possibly, in a departure from canon, she was conducting Trelawney’s interview instead of Dumbledore himself.
The beginning of Harry’s line of reasoning is that Voldemort was not terribly eager to kill Lily Potter. This seems likely to be true, but is also not indicative of anything. It’s a mildly strange thing to imagine, but we imagine strange things all the time.
Quirrell suggests that Harry can see Thestrals due to his memory of that night, which would suggest that it’s a true memory. But Harry seems to think that he saw the Thestrals because he has realized that Dementors are death, so that he has “seen death and comprehended it” in a more literal sense.
I’m not sure why or how McGonagall knows: possibly, in a departure from canon, she was conducting Trelawneys’ interview instead of Dumbledore himself.
Yep:
The old wizard’s face turned grave. “The same reason it must be kept secret, Minerva. The same reason I told you to come to me, if Harry made any such claim. Because it is a power that Voldemort knows not.”
The words took a few seconds to sink in.
And then the cold shiver went down her spine, as it always did when she remembered.
It had started out as an ordinary job interview, Sybill Trelawney applying for the position of Professor of Divination.
[Snip prophecy]
Those dreadful words, spoken in that terrible booming voice, didn’t seem to fit something like partial Transfiguration.
“Perhaps not, then,” Dumbledore said after Minerva tried to explain. [...]
My memory may be in error on this point, but I did consider your hypothesis and explicitly reject it.
Perhaps one of the at-least-two people who downvoted me would like to tell me what these details are that make it impossible for the memory to have been internally generated.
So far, all I can come up with is this: on the basis of Voldemort’s mild reluctance to kill his mother in this memory, Harry deduced (via a rather tenuous chain of reasoning) that Dumbledore told Snape about the prophecy, and when he confronted McGonagall with this she behaved in a manner consistent with what he deduced. This doesn’t seem all that conclusive to me. What am I missing?
In fact, I’m pretty sure that events did not happen as Harry deduced them. In canon, Snape overheard the prophecy being given. This seems to match up with what Snape says in the chapter formerly known as 77:
Therefore I suggest that Dumbledore did not tell Snape about the prophecy. I’m not sure why or how McGonagall knows: possibly, in a departure from canon, she was conducting Trelawney’s interview instead of Dumbledore himself.
The beginning of Harry’s line of reasoning is that Voldemort was not terribly eager to kill Lily Potter. This seems likely to be true, but is also not indicative of anything. It’s a mildly strange thing to imagine, but we imagine strange things all the time.
Quirrell suggests that Harry can see Thestrals due to his memory of that night, which would suggest that it’s a true memory. But Harry seems to think that he saw the Thestrals because he has realized that Dementors are death, so that he has “seen death and comprehended it” in a more literal sense.
Yep: