DOTW: If the Potters had not died....

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Sita

@SitaLakshmi

Explorer

Posted: 16 years ago

If Lily and James Potter had not died that October night, how different do you think the series would be? Would a whole lot be changed or not as much as we would expect? What about the role of Severus Snape? What are your views on this?

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Sareeta

@sareeta

Sparkler

Posted: 16 years ago

Interesting, even though this has been discussed on a minor scale at different points in this forum, I hope this time, we get to hear more detailed opinions of the members...

Well, as to what to I believe - it all depends on a couple of aspects

1. The prophecy being heard, in full and not in part.
2. Voldemort arriving at his conclusion of which family was referred - Potters or LongBottoms

But even if Neville has been the one instead of Harry, his life would have been marked with the unwanted popularity as the boy who lived and possibly more, for he would have with the wizarding world all the while he grew up unlike Harry and then again... how would Neville have dealt with the different situations would make a different story all together... his friends would be there.. but yet again....a different story!

As for the scar , well I guess, Neville's mum or grandmum would have done the same as did Lily potter, lay their lives down for their son and possibly that would have saved...him and voldemort would have met with the same fate!

Edited by sareeta - 16 years ago

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Adwaita Deshmukh

@Adwaita

Inactive

Posted: 16 years ago

well,
if potters had not died, we would be reading neville longbottom and philosopher's stone OR reading nothing at all...
hehe

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griffy.fz

@griffy.fz

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 16 years ago

ummm then evreyting would be changed 'cuz harry mainly hated volde 'cuz he killed his parents...and then also abt prophecy....neille could be the chosen one..

\whole lotta stuff would have changed i guesss

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Aishwarya

@muffins2waffles

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 16 years ago

Yea, I probably agree with Adwaita

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Sehar

@cezzurockz

Inactive

Posted: 16 years ago

the series wud thn b niville longbottom n the .............. or maybe story will end wid one book only

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Annie

@rv_annie

Inactive

Posted: 16 years ago

Harry would have had a normal life with his parents seeing him off on king cross sattion every year

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Michelle

@shellytt

Navigator

Posted: 16 years ago

I would have to ask one further- why didn't the Potter's die? Is it that Voldermort choose neville's family or is it that he heard the entire prophecy and attacked neither child and was just biding his time to see which would grow into the greater threat?

Now if it was the first and he attempted to kill Neville's family, then Harry would have grown up in the wizarding world with his parents and had a normal childhood. Now with this scenario I think that Snape would have remained a Death Eater beacuse he knew that Voldermort would not be going after Lily so he would have no reason to go to Dumbledore to save her.

The second scenario is a little bit more tricky, because here Harry would have both parents alive however he would have grown up in a world dominated by Voldermort, because here he would never have been weakened. Harry though, I believed, would have shown the same fighting spirit as his parents I believe and if Voldermort did in fact choose a nemesis later on, he would still choose Harry as opposed to Neville. Now with regard to Snape, I'm not sure what his character would have been like here.

Edited by shellytt - 16 years ago

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Janaki

@RamKiSeeta

Achiever

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

Interesting Shellytt....

Well, if it was the first scenario, then Neville would have been the boy who lived. Judging from the bubble gum wrapper scene in OoP, Alice Longbottom loved her son very much, and would probably have shed her blood for him just like Lily did for Harry. Neville might not have grown up with his grandmother, because she was related to him from his father's side, and from Dumbledore we found out that Harry had to stay with the Dursleys because they were related to him through his mother's blood. So Neville would have had to live with someone blood related to his mother. Judging from the way they bring up Neville, his whole personality might have been different, depending on whether he was exposed to the Wizarding World during his childhood, the strictness with which he was treated, etc. He also might have been in a different house.

Yea, Harry would have had a much better childhood, growing up with the love he had always wanted in the original books. He might have had more siblings, and his personality too might have been different. He and Ron might have been friends earlier on, because I think Molly and Arthur were in the Order during the first war along with Lily and James. I'm not sure though...

I don't know about Snape. So many things could have happened. Like you said, he could have remained a death eater. But after Voldemort's fall, he also could have felt remorse that he chose the Dark Arts over his chidlhood friend, and attempted to patch up his and Lily's old friendship. He and James had too much enmity to become friends, but an air of civility might have been created. Who knows? Though maybe I'm just typing down something that is too impossible....

Also, Snape might have been put in Azkaban if you think about it. Because in one of the books, it said the Death Eaters from the first war were rounded up after Voldemort's "death", and most of them were put in Azkaban, except the few (like the Malfoys) who claimed they were under the Imperius. It seems like Snape would have too much pride to say he was under the Imperius curse. Don't know though.........

As for the second scenario, I'll give it more thought before writing a long reply like this....

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Mahi

@-Mystery-

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

#10

Very interesting topic!

I think the story would be a whole lot different if the Potters hadn't died because their death is a very important part of Harry's characterization. He's the boy who lived because the Potter's died. Harry's Mother died and that's why he got the shield due to which Voldemort couldn't kill him... but if she hadn't laid her life for her then Voldemort would've succeeded in killing him, right? So basically there wouldn't be any story to read about.

But if Voldemort had chosen Neville, then that's a whole different story.

-Mahi

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DOTW: If the Potters had not died....

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