Voldemort killed Harry Potter’s parents while trying to prevent a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney from taking place. The prophecy claimed that a young boy, whom Voldemort assumed to be Harry, would possess the unique power to destroy him. To prevent this from happening, Voldemort decided that he would stop at nothing to kill this boy. He hunted Harry’s parents down and ended up killing them in a struggle to get to Harry. They died protecting their son Harry from Voldemort.
Why did Dumbledore meet Sybill Trelawney?
The mystery around the deaths of James and Lily Potter started at a small pub called Hog’s Head in the wizarding village of Hogsmeade. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was on the hunt for a new Divination professor. He met with Sybill Trelawney at Hog’s Head to interview her for the position. Sybill Trelawney was the great-granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney, a famous respected Seer in the wizarding community.
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During the interview with Trelawney, Dumbledore was rather unimpressed by her performance and was about to leave when Trelawney shocked him by going into a trance. While in her trance, Trelawney made a prophecy about the Dark Lord Voldemort that was set to change the lives of the Potters and Voldemort himself forever.
What did the prophecy reveal?
In the prophecy, Trelawney revealed that a boy was to be born to a couple who had previously defied Lord Voldemort thrice. The boy was to be born during the last days of the 7th month (July). He was to be marked as Voldemort’s equal and would be the only one to possess the power to destroy Voldemort. Furthermore, the prophecy stated that both Voldemort and the boy could not co-exist and one would have to kill or destroy the other.
Who was the eavesdropper at Hog’s Head?
While Trelawney revealed the prophecy to Dumbledore, they were unaware of an eavesdropper in the pub who was secretly listening to the whole conversation. Severus Snape, who was one of Voldemort’s loyal Death Eaters at the time, was hiding in the pub, eavesdropping on the conversation between Albus and Sybill. Before he could finish listening to the whole conversation, Snape was spotted by the owner of Hog’s Head and thrown out of the pub. Snape ran to his master to tell him what he had just overheard.
How did Voldemort decide who “the boy” in the prophecy was?
Even though Neville Longbottom was another potential candidate for “the boy” in the prophecy, Voldemort assumed that the boy being referred to was Harry Potter. This is because, like him, Harry was born to a half-blood parent, Lily Potter, whose parents were both Muggles. He, therefore, set out to find and kill Harry Potter.
What does Snape confess to Dumbledore?
Snape, who had been in love with Lily Potter since their days at Hogwarts, felt guilty for relaying this information to Voldemort, putting Lily’s life at risk. He confessed to Dumbledore about his undying love for Lily and told Dumbledore about Voldemort’s plans to kill Harry. Snape then offered his loyalty to Dumbledore in exchange for the protection of Harry’s mother Lily.
Who was the Potter’s Secret Keeper?
Dumbledore was quick to inform the Potters about the risk of their lives and advised them to go into hiding to protect their son. He offered to be the Secret Keeper of their whereabouts but the Potters who were more trusting of their friends decided to make Peter Pettigrew their Secret Keeper instead.
Little did they know that Peter Pettigrew had shifted sides and was now one of Voldemort’s followers and spies. Peter Pettigrew betrayed his friends by telling Voldemort the location of Harry’s parents in Godric’s Hollow, who used the Fidelius Charm to conceal themselves. Voldemort was then able to enter their home in Godric’s Hollow.
Harry’s parents tried to fight the Dark Lord in a bid to save their son. Voldemort had not originally planned to kill the Potters as he thought of them as insignificant. However, in the struggle to try and get to Harry he ended up murdering both his parents.
How did Harry survive?
Lily Potter fought until the end, begging the Dark Lord to take her life instead of Harry’s. She sacrificed her life for her son and in the process created a protective charm around Harry that prevented Voldemort from harming him. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry using the Avada Kedavra curse, the curse bounced back on him, destroying his body and separating it from his soul. Harry was safe and earned his reputation as “The Boy Who Lived”.
