Though Harry doesn’t find out about the essential prophecy in Harry Potter until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, its influence is everywhere. Before Harry ever gets confirmation that he’s the Chosen One, it’s clear it was more than chance connecting him to Voldemort and setting him on the path of heroism. After watching and reading the whole series, the meaning of the prophecy is clear, but when Harry is in the thick of the story, many questions arise about what the prediction means. Even now, dissecting the prophecy reveals the layered meanings of the divination.

The Hogwarts professor in Harry Potter, Trelawney, played by Emma Thompson in the movie series, might seem like a fraud when she’s teaching Divination. However, in The Prisoner of Azkaban, she demonstrates that she does have the gift of sight. However, the prophecy Harry hears is her second premonition, as she is the one who predicted that a child would be born to defeat Voldemort, leading to Harry’s parents’ deaths. Like all prophecies, Trelawney’s glimpse into the future is full of contradictions and double meanings and can only be fully understood once the events have come to pᴀss.

When Lily & James Potter “Thrice Defied” Voldemort Before Harry Potter

Lily and James were on the front lines fighting Voldemort

The prophecy reads:

“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 one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …”

This is a sinister omen full of death and sacrifice, but the true meaning of every line can be found when the phrases are pulled apart. Most members of the Order of the Phoenix could be counted among those who defied Voldemort three times or more, and there’s little question that James and Lily Potter weren’t among them. One of the first times they explicitly said no to Voldemort was when they refused to join the Death Eaters, becoming members of the Order instead. Other than that, most of the defiance can be ᴀssumed.

Working against the Death Eaters and placing them under the Order or Ministry’s custody, as well as many other small victories, have been cited by the author as ways the Potters might have defied Voldemort (via Business Insider). Lily and James were part of the Order for a long time before Harry was born, and the events of the books took place. There are plenty of ways that the characters might have proved themselves and worked together to take Voldemort down. However, this also means that there were many other people in the Order who fit this definition.

Trelawney’s Prophecy Predicts That The One To Defeat Voldemort Will Be Born In July

Harry’s birthday is July 31st

Just after his parents have been killed by Voldemort, readers and audiences meet Harry. Not long after this, the story catches up with Harry around his eleventh birthday, and this birthday plays a crucial role in Harry’s development and the events of the story. Born on July 31st, Harry struggles with his birthday, as it’s over the summer when he can’t be at school with his friends, and is a reminder of everything he doesn’t have. As a child, he had no idea that the random date that happened to be his birthday singled him out to Voldemort.

The story of how Lily and James got married and their brief time with Harry is a Harry Potter side story that would be compelling. Harry being born at the end of July was one of the major parts of the prophecy that made Voldemort think it was about the Potters and target them in the first place. Of course, it turns out that Harry is far from the only magical child born during this time, but Voldemort’s conviction that it was Harry is the catalyst for the events of the narrative.

What Is The “Power The Dark Lord Knows Not”? Harry’s True Strength Explained

Harry’s inherent power is explained in The Sorcerer’s Stone

Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizards of all time and understands the nuances of magic in ways that are difficult for Harry to comprehend. However, Voldemort’s fate is sealed by one of the most simple and ancient, everyday forms of magic: love. In The Sorcerer’s Stone, Voldemort/Quirrell can’t touch Harry because Lily sacrificed herself for her son, and this heroic act of love protects him, even after Voldemort returns using Harry’s blood. Though Voldemort can touch Harry after this, he still consistently underestimates and misunderstands the power of love.

As the series progresses, it’s not just Lily and James’ love that fuels Harry and saves him, but everyone who helps him. Without Ron and Hermione’s friendship, Harry wouldn’t have made it through school or found the Horcruxes, and the same goes for members of the Order and the parental figures in his life. Voldemort might have loyal followers in the Death Eaters, but they’re with him out of fear or the desire for power. The people who support Harry are there because they believe in him and love each other, which proves to be an unstoppable force.

The Real Meaning Behind “Neither Can Live While The Other Survives”

Both Voldemort and Harry can’t have a life while the other is around

“Live” takes on a few different meanings in this part of the prophecy, as it doesn’t necessarily refer to being alive. When Harry first hears this part of the prediction, he ᴀssumes that either he or Voldemort is destined to kill the other. However, it’s a little more nuanced than that, even though Voldemort does eventually die at Harry’s hand. What the prophecy really means is that Voldemort and Harry won’t be able to have fulfilling lives if the other one is on Earth. Each of them must devote their entire being to killing the other while they’re both living.

The loneliness and sacrifice that Harry feels throughout the entire series is defined by Voldemort’s actions. He’s pushed to accept his role in the prophecy because Voldemort won’t stop until he’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Though the audience sympathizes with Harry and roots for him, it’s undeniable that Voldemort is fueled by his purpose to destroy Harry, which drowns out all other parts of his life. Who Tom Riddle was before he was Voldemort plays into this as he goes down the path of darkness. However, in choosing to kill Harry’s parents, it’s Voldemort who ensures his life hinges on Harry’s existence.

Who Else Trelawney’s First Prophecy Could Have Applied To & Why Voldemort Chooses Harry

The prophecy could’ve easily been about Neville

One of the biggest reveals in Harry Potter is the fact that the prophecy that tied Harry to Voldemort and cost him his parents and a normal childhood could easily have been about someone else. Born just one day before Harry, on the 30th of July, Neville Longbottom might have been the Chosen One and stopped Voldemort from taking control of the world. Though he’s shy and not always sure of himself, Neville proves himself to be just as brave and capable as anyone else in the series. Additionally, his parents were also part of the Order.

They put their lives on the line to stop Voldemort before Bellatrix Lestrange tortured them. Though every part of the prophecy could’ve pointed to Neville, Dumbledore has a theory about why Voldemort chose Harry. It was up to Voldemort who the prophecy would be about, as this is who would be made a Horcrux, and he identified with Harry more than he did Neville. Harry was a half-blood like Voldemort, and this made Harry Potter‘s biggest villain believe that Harry would be his foil, as only a person similar to him could stand a chance against him.