Why would the Lestranges and Crouch, Jr. attack the Longbottoms for the whereabouts of Voldemort if it was known that he was defeated? Was it simply a matter of not understanding how a baby could have done this much damage? Why select the Longbottoms for information, what could they have known? It appears as though whatever it was that they knew, it wasn’t necessarily a secret (or else they wouldn’t have been attacked in the first place), yet they were the ones that were singled out for information on Voldemort. Is it just a case of whoever was closest to the Death Eaters (in distance, that is, not affiliation)?

Perhaps whatever it is that they knew could be found out in the Deathly Hallows, if it is necessary. Could it be something valuable? Could it be nothing of significance and they were attacked despite not knowing anything?

What was said in Goblet of Fire is that they were tortured for the whereabouts of Voldemort. How would they know? Assume Voldemort is still alive (or able to do what he could have been doing before the fall), why would the Longbottoms know where he is? How would they have gotten him? Now assume Voldemort is dead (not really dead, but vapormort)...how would the Longbottoms have known that he is still out there? Did they know about Horcruxes (or at least one of them to lead them)?

Most thought provoking questions Chris, I must say.

I believe there are a few reasons why the Lestranges and Crouch Jr. attacked the Longbottoms and interrogated them. Each I believe plays its own special part, we all know that there can be many motives to a single action and given the timing of the event... it would be very understandable to have such an amount of things driving the Longbottoms to be tortured.

The Boy Who Lived:

As you said Chris, the idea that a baby caused the Fall of the Dark Lord would be hard to believe.. especially at the height of Voldemort's power. His followers could assume from this that Lord Voldemort was not in fact dead, but captured in an ambush while he tried to kill Harry Potter. This would be a very reasonable thought when both Lily and James were murdered but Harry still survived. There also was no body... adding to the thought that he may still be alive someplace.

This would also explain why the Aurors still looked for Lord Voldemort after his fall from power. No one believed that he could be gone, there was no body, and Harry was still alive... surely that couldn't be the end of the Dark Lord!!

The Nature of Albus Dumbledore:

I believe it was and is widely known that way Albus Dumbledore conducts his business. Dumbledore refused to use the Dark Arts and may very well have been against murder (knowing what it does to the soul) of any kind, even that of the Dark Lord. Dumbledore shows his true colors in the MoM when he doesnt even attempt to kill Lord Voldemort. Honestly, if Dumbledore wasnt against killing, what other reason would he have for keeping Voldemort alive.. even if he knew about the Horcruxes at the time (which I believe he did)? Surely destroying yet another body of Voldemort's would hinder any progress... yet Dumbledore seeks not to kill him.

Since, as I said, Dumbledore's virtues are most likely widely known in the Wizarding Community, perhaps the followers of the Dark Lord believed that Dumbledore had imprisoned Voldemort somehow, rather than killing him. This would explain why the Death Eaters would torture the Longbottoms, members of the Order, for the whereabouts of their Master.

"The steps he took, long ago..." :

Another explanation would be that His Followers, the Death Eaters, knew of the safeguards the Dark Lord took to protect himself from dying. I am not sure whether they know specifically about the Horcruxes, but they do know about his 'many experiments'. This is made clear, that Voldemort himself expected his servants to be disbelieving in the event of this downfall... Voldemort says so in GoF, in the Graveyard.







...So you can see those reasons, as I am sure there are others, as to why the followers of the Dark Lord would go to such lengths as torturing the Longbottoms to extract information from them at such a chaotic time when they were desperate for answers.

~Albus

Great explanation, Tom, on why they would have tortured the Longbottoms'. They were desperate for answers and decided to attack them. But why attack the Longbottoms', of all aurors. I'm not saying they were horrible wizards (not a blip on the radar, so to speak). What I am saying is that of all the aurors or wizards involved in the Order, why choose those particular aurors for information? What did they expect to get? Was there a reasoning to go straight for them when it was widely known that these two aurors were among the greatest (or best) or their time? Did one of the four (three Lestranges' and Crouch) witness something that would give them the audacity to attack the Longbottoms'? Were they given a tip?



Perhaps they were witnessed taking the body away. Only whoever witnessed also thought that Voldemort was just passed out.

I think there are still many questions about this.

We must remember that the Prophecy applied to both Harry and Neville, meaning that Frank and Alice Longbottom were a couple that "thrice defied" the Dark Lord. With Lily and James dead, who else in the Order would they deem worthy enough or suspect would know the most information rather than the next set of Aurors/Order Members that gave them the most trouble?



I do not believe there was a body. You see, the nature of the Avada Kedavra curse is to kill anything that is living or destroy it if it is a non-living object. Imagine the Avada Kedavra rebounding on the Dark Lord's body... it cannot kill his soul as its meant to, due to the Horcruxes, so it destroys his body, which, essentially is a non-living object since the Soul can't be killed. Voldemort says himself that he was ripped from his body. Might he have been referring to the explosive force that his body emitted when destroyed? I firmly believe that the body was completely destroyed, and along with it the house, if you remember correctly.

~Albus

Right, I do remember the house being destroyed but not the body. I am a believer that the curse didn't rebound but was more a magical "phantom" which allowed for Voldemort to feel the affects of the curse, like a twin feeling another's pain. But thats for another thread. Also, it is said many times that the curse can't rebound (a la "Absorption Theory", eh?).



How many people know the prophecy? Snape knows it (or supposedly only knows half of it), and whatever he told Voldemort. Would Voldemort tell everyone the part of the prophecy he knew and then dispatch them to search for whoever matches the description? Or would he send them on missions without revealing what they're meant for? I don't think many people know about the prophecy, similar to knowledge about Horcruxes, a Death Eater could help lead to his downfall. Perhaps he thought it better to have less people know about the prophecy. So, does Bellatrix Lestrange (and Rabastian and Rudolphus, as well as Barty Crouch, Jr.), know about the prophecy?

With Lily and James dead, and essentially Voldemort (was supposed to die but didn't), why would they still go look for the Longbottoms? It would appear the prophecy was completed, or part of it, so why continue to seek answers if there won't be any, or if they knew the answers already (from the prophecy)? I know that reverts back to your original response, Tom, but now they know about the prophecy? It would appear as though they'd needn't go through all that work and risk being thrown into Azkaban if they knew about the prophecy.



Thats a reasonable explanation. Kind of like him possessing someone. He'd ultimately be leaving his body behind to enter someone else's. However, its also possible to dematerialize and possess someone, like what Voldemort does (he does, doesn't he?). Perhaps its of the same magical properties.

If the body was not destroyed, why did the Aurors continue to look for Voldemort? Why would the Ministry not know definitively whether or not Lord Voldemort died. Why would Dumbledore expect Voldemort to return had he seen a body? I do not think a body was there, because I think it was destroyed as I explained before with the Avada Kedavra curse.





I do believe that Voldemort told his followers the little bit of the Prophecy that he knew. They atleast know of it in the 5th book and I would assume they would know of his intentions and the reason (the Prophecy bit he knew). In the MoM the Death Eaters act as if they knew about the Prophecy for a while: atleast a part of it.



So yes, I am saying that I think the Death Eaters, atleast a few of them, knew the beginning of the Prophecy.

Besides, would they need to know the Prophecy to recognize the threat that Frank and Alice Longbottom pose when the defied the Dark Lord three times as well? With or without the Prophecy, the Death Eaters would know that a profitable couple to interrogate would be the Longbottoms.

Good point. However, I don't believe every Auror was present after the destruction of the house. The body could have been taken away right after the attack (or minutes after), making it so that it appeared that his body had just vanished (whether on purpose or not). Or, due to the home being under the fidelious (sp?) charm, the body could still be inside along with the Potters (forgive me if it was mentioned that they were buried. But if that were true, how did Sirius and Hagrid show up?

And remember the Ministry after Voldemort returned?



Just my opinion, but I think those were more geared towards coaxing Harry to give up the prophecy. They may have been told what to do by Voldemort, but not the specifics. They could be taunting him, acting like they know his past and can tell him just only if he gives them the prophecy. See what I mean? Again, just my opinion.


But with the prophecy there is no need for interrogation. They would already have their information...the chosen one destroyed Voldemort (not those specific words)...it would have been obvious that it wasn't Neville if he was in plain site (assuming he was there) and that his parents were still alive and not, apparently, in hiding (obviousness implied towards the characters, not you!).

Voldemort disappears and they go to the Longbottoms for information (like you said, possibly due to them being high profile). If they didn't believe that he was dead, why would they assume the Longbottoms would know anything? If they did believe he was dead, why go through all that when they already had knowledge of the prophecy. Sorry if I'm repeating myself.

Why, may I ask, would anyone remove Voldemort's body? I simply do not see any gain from moving the body. Who would have done it? Hagrid? Also, I very much doubt that the body (if it survived, which I do not think is the case) would remain insde Godrics Hollow. I am very sure that Dumbledore had retrieved Lily and James bodies and gave them a proper wizarding burial. Had Voldemort's body been in the House, Hagrid would have seen it and Dumbledore would have done something with it.



The Ministry had 14 years without Voldemort to ease the memories of being unsure of his downfall when Harry Potter was a baby. 14 years of peace forced the Ministry to deny Voldemort's return and forget that they had Aurors sweeping the globe, if I remember correctly.



Possibly, I merely see no reason why Voldemort would not tell his followers of the Prophecy. Would they not want to know why it was necessary to kill a baby? Had they not known the small bit of Prophecy that Voldemort knows, would they not then had needed an explanation in the Graveyard at his ressurection to explain why he had to attack Harry at all?



No need for interrogation? I am not quite following what you are trying to say in this paragraph. Perhaps its due to the fact that its 6am here and I haven't slept yet, who knows!



Why wouldnt they assume the Longbottoms knew anything? Like I said.. high profile Aurors in the Order of the Phoenix. Who better than Ministry Dark Wizard Catchers employed in the Ant-Voldemort Movement would you go to ask where Voldemort is?




Huh? Again.. maybe I am overly tired.

~Albus

That was my problem at the time too



Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea why anyone would want to unless it was for sentimental reasons, to protect the body, to use it later in something sinister (either for good or bad intentions), etc. We know someone retrieved his wand, perhaps someone retrieved his body. There is the magical side that may say that when he was ripped from his body it vanished in some way. But what about the physical? Surely something would have been left behind whether that be bones or dust...or something.

I think I mentioned that his body was taken to help show that maybe he was still alive. Anyone who was so devoted to Voldemort and saw his body being carried away (for some reason) may assume that he was still alive and go question those people who took it.



They had 14 years, you're right. I'm talking about right after the attack, merely minutes and hours. We hear McGonnagal talk about Diggle celebrating, among others. To me that doesn't sound like they were searching for days just in case Voldemort was still around (she says this in the first chapter of the first book).

About the prophecy being told to Voldemort's followers...I guess we'll have to disagree (not that we haven't already ). I don't think Voldemort would tell the entire portion he knew to his followers because they may use it against him. Perhaps he did tell Malfoy and Bellatrix, but in my opinion, not every Death Eater in the closer circle.



That would be due to the prophecy coming true. If they had known it they would have just looked at the prophecy and realized it had come true. They would see that "the one with the power" had indeed "vanquished the dark lord", no need to go to anyone to ask them what they knew (which I think we've been straying too far from).

What did the Longbottoms' know?

And I am referring to Voldemort's own testimony some 13 years after the event. He admits that he restricted himself from going close to where a large about of people were because he knew there were people still looking for him.





A still more intruiging question!

That seems reasonable if they were still searching for him for a few hours or days before they wound up realizing he was truly gone (or at least defeated for the time being). The Aurors wouldn't have been quite as informed about the prophecy as the Death Eaters were (if at all), unless Dumbledore or Snape revealed it to them. Do you think they did?

In my opinion, I don't think Aurors were still searching for Voldemort 13 years later. Voldemort's quote doesn't give a reliable time table (not this, anyway). He could be talking about a week later or, like you say, 13 years later.


Thats what the thread is mainly about

Previously I theorized that Frank Longbottom was using the Invisibility Cloak lent to Dumbledore by James. I could find no definitive text indicating the Longbottoms actually went into hiding as the Potters did. Why? If both boys could have fit the prophecy, doesn't it stand to reason both boys and their respective parents should have been in hiding? Yet it doesn't appear that is the case.

If Frank was under the Invisibility Cloak in Godric's Hollow the night the Potters were attacked, it is both logical and probable to assume someone may have seen him in the melee. Someone took Voldemort's wand, that someone (Peter perhaps, maybe even more sinister...Snape?) also got a glimpse of Frank out from under the cloak maybe on guard? As extra protection? Trying to be another line in defense of the Potters, since they knew he was coming for them? We know Minerva tells us that the Potters knew Voldemort was coming from POA, because Harry overhears this while he is under the Invisibility Cloak in the pub.

I cannot believe that Bellatrix and the Boys just randomly went after Frank and Alice; they had to have a specific reason to believe Frank knew what happened to Voldemort. That Frank was present in Godric's Hollow that night would explain why he, and then Alice, were targeted specifically. Whomever was with Voldemort saw them and reported it.

Frank survived and someone knew that.

Going back to your thoughts on the body being missing, Tom. I re-read the graveyard scene and have determined that maybe you are right. He was "ripped" from his body, of course, but that didn't mean it still would have been present. We can say that his body then proceeded to rot away, since after 14 years it would have indeed done this. However, he later says something like "I was determined to get my old body back" (something to that extent).

So, either his old body deteriorated over time as all bodies and natural things do...or it just vanished without a trace, magically.



Thats what I was thinking too, Sirren. It seems odd that one family was kept hidden and the other, not. I think I forgot, but was it known to Dumbledore who Voldemort had selected to attack? I mean, definitively. Sure, he may have had his idea on who he wanted to attack but didn't know for sure. If he knew for sure then that would explain why only the Potters' were hidden. If he didn't know for sure then he was taking a big risk.

Good theory about Frank being under the invisibility cloak. Just wish we had more text to back it up! Who would have seen him under it? How would they have seen him under it? Why would he be there at all (in your theory)?

What if the Longbottoms' and Potters' were in hiding together? Sorry, I had an idea with that but it made no sense...maybe you guys can come up with something?

I have also thought about the attack of the Longbottoms. could it been random, like Frank Longbottom(Neville's dad) was an auror, and maybe because an aurors job is to catch dark wizards maybe they simply thought to check if they knew. I really don't know...

Perhaps this will be answered in the seventh book