Question re Secret Keepers...

[Leisha]

Originally Posted by Majimaune

Yes I think that the destroying of the house would brake the charm. Also isn't there something in the sixth one where Dumbledore dies and that body-bind one that he puts on Harry lifts.

However, if I can just direct you back to JK's original quote, which I pasted on page one of this thread:

When a Secret-Keeper dies, their secret dies with them, or, to put it another way, the status of their secret will remain as it was at the moment of their death. Everybody in whom they confided will continue to know the hidden information, but nobody else.

[Majimaune]

Ahh yes so that could be an unknown amount of people. Only Wormtail would be able to tell anyone though.

[xander838]

yeah, any number of people could know the location but one the secret keeper can tell anyone

[Leisha]

Well, as far as I know (and this is just speculation), Wormtail will have informed Voldemort and NOT the Death Eaters (so he can gain Voldemort's favour), and then Voldemort went to the Potters' house to "do the job" himself.


So, perhaps Wormtail didn't reveal the location to anyone save Voldemort. He couldn't have told Sirius and Remus; we know this because those two suspected each other of being the spy in the Order. Therefore, I don't think anyone else, besides Voldemort and Wormtail, knew the Potters' location. Unless anyone else can think of someone Wormtail might have told...

[Majimaune]

I think all the Potters closest friends would have known where they were just only Wormtail would be able to tell anyone. Lupin thought it was Black who was Secret Keeper and therefore be thought Black betrayed the Potters but it was really Wormtail who was Secret Keeper and only Black knew that other then the Potters themselves.

[Leisha]

But if Wormtail told Lupin, Lupin would know that it was Wormtail who betrayed the Potters on the night of their deaths (because there's no other secret-keeper). And the same for Sirius too.

[Majimaune]

Ahh yes but no one told anyone. The only reason Sirius knew was because be asked for Wormtail to be made secret keeper instead of him. He didn't tell Lupin it wasn't him because of the suspicion thing between them all, not knowing who it was.

[Leisha]

Ah, yes, now I see where you're going with this. Forgive me, yesterday I was feeling extremely tired, so I hadn't followed your meaning. I bow down to you, Maji.

[xander838]

i agree with most of the but surely Dumbledore had to know where they were or he wouldn't have know where to send Hagrid to get Harry

[Majimaune]

No Hagrid would have had to know because Dumbledore couldn't tell anyone either. I think all of the Order would have known but only Wormtail been able to tell.

[Leisha]

The entire Order couldn't have known, or else they'd all have immediately realised it was the Secret Keeper who blabbed.

I'm thinking it was like this: Sirius asked Wormtail to be the Secret Keeper instead of him. Wormtail was made the Keeper. No one else knew that they'd swapped, not even Dumbledore. Wormtail told the secret to Voldemort. Voldemort killed the Potters and blew up the house. As soon as the building collapsed, the spell collapsed too, which meant everybody in the Order suddenly just "knew" the Potters' location somehow.

[HoopyFrood]

I get the feeling we might need to get onto J.K herself and demand that she explains it thoroughly!

[Leisha]

Hear hear, Hoopy!

[Majimaune]

I agree too Hoopy. Any ideas how though?

[Leisha]

Yeah, we e-mail her a link to this thread.




Now does anyone know her e-mail address?