Fidelius (WAS Re: SecretKeeper needed at the Dursley's house)

[corinthum <kkearney@students.miami.edu>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48822

Meira wrote:

> I think (and I 
> hope I'm not pilagiarizing anyone's ideas, my apologies if I am) 
>that the 
> Fidelius is not around a *location* but around a *person*.
> 
> I also think that the Fidelius charm protects Harry from those who 
> intend to 
> *harm* him...
> Anyway, it would make much more sense if the Fidelius was around a 
> person 
> rather than a location, because then it would resolve all the 
>logistical 
> problems of having protection in one place, while having none in 
>another 
> place.

Me:

It is actually never stated that the Fidelius Charm conceals the 
whereabouts of a person at all.  Professor Flitwick describes it in 
PoA (The Marauder's Map, pg. 205 US hardcover) as follows:

"'An immensely complex spell,' he said squeakily, 'involving the 
magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul.  The 
information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and 
is henceforth impossible to find- unless, of course, the Secret 
Keeper chooses to divulge it.  As long as the Secret-Keeper refused 
to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lilly and James 
were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his 
nose pressed against their sitting room window!'"

Note that he says *the information* is impossible to find, not a 
person.  Note the change in tenses: the first two sentences refer to 
the Fidelius Charm in general; the last one referred to its specific 
use with Lily and James.  The charm basically takes information out 
of the realm of public knowledge and makes it impossible to access.  
In the case of Lily and James, the secret information happens to be 
their location.  In the absence of the charm, a person could look 
into their window, see Lilly and James, and *poof! suddenly know 
their location (not a hard connection to make, right?).  But with 
Fidelius in play, that final conclusion, however obvious it might 
seem, is no longer possible.    

So could Fidelius really be used to protect Harry at the Dursleys?  
What would the secret information be?  As others have mentioned, it 
certainly isn't his identity; too many people recognize him.  I doubt 
it would be his location.  If it were, wouldn't that mean that no one 
could ever find him?  From Flitwick's description, the charm seems to 
keep the information from absolutely everyone except the secret 
keeper.  But hundreds of people know Harry's location when he's at 
school, and many more know where the Dursleys live (whether they have 
ever been there or not).  Fred, George, Ron, and Mr.Weasely have both 
been to that house and seen Harry in it.  

So the secret isn't Harry's identity or location.  I can't seem to 
attribute Harry's protection at the Dursleys to the Fidelius Charm.  
Although perhaps the charm is protecting something else about Harry...

-Corinth, wishing everyone happy holidays!