Fidelius/Sirius

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 33736

This clearly is a very complicated charm.

One of the problems I still have is with it only being broken by the 
secret-keeper *deciding* to reveal the information. Now if I were being 
tortured, I might very well *decide* to put an end to it by telling. Of 
course, I'm not Sirius, who does seem, from his survival of Azkaban, seem to 
be mentally very strong. That strength seem to have surprised him, though, so 
maybe he was not sure enough of himself at the time.

My other problem (*pace* Cindy) is that I have the clear impression that 
Sirius knew all along where the Potters were. Otherwise, why didn't he say 
clearly that when he found Peter gone, he knew he must have betrayed them 
since the mists had cleared and he suddenly knew where to find them. In fact, 
why was it only after finding Peter gone that he knew something was wrong, 
unless we assume that the secret was betrayed at the moment he reached 
Peter's hiding place?

If Sirius and Dumbledore, too, for that matter, knew, then we are back to the 
theory that something magically prevents those in the know from telling or 
from being understood.

The idea that the secret is being kept specifically from an individual or 
individuals is appealing, but I'm not sure it's practical. Just because eg 
Voldy can't find them, it doesn't mean one of his henchmen can't and we know 
that Dumbledore's spies haven't provided a complete list of them, otherwise, 
apart from anything else, he would know about Pettigrew.

On the other hand, is it significant that Voldy *himself* is their murderer? 
I have often wondered just why he did it himself. Perhaps for the sheer, 
evil, pleasure of it, or is there more to it? Were there other protections in 
force, so that the Fidelius was needed only aginst Voldy?

Katze suggests (I think) that Godric's Hollow is (or is in?)a muggle 
community.
I always assumed there was something significant in this name clearly 
suggestive of Gryffindor. Any ideas?


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