James, Peter, Dumbledore, Secret Keeper

[charisjulia]

No: HPFGUIDX 34256

> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Katze <jdumas at k...> wrote:

> >  I was pondering something earlier today, and I've
> >  started to think that
> >  perhaps James didn't trust Peter 100%. Why? We know
> >  that Sirius
> >  convinced James to go with Peter, but he wasn't the
> >  first choice. James
> >  also left his invisibility cloak in the care of
> >  Dumbledore, along with
> >  Harry's key to the Gringott's vault. So I wonder if
> >  James already knew
> >  that Peter was up to no good? He couldn't have known
> >  anything factual,
> >  because he still chose Peter as the Secret-Keeper.
> > 
> >  -Katze

> Mary Shearer <marybear82 at y...> wrote:
> 

>  In SS/PS, Dumbledore gives Harry his cloak along with
>  a note stating that "Your father left this in my
>  possession before he died. It is time it was returned
>  to you. Use it well." Is it possible that James left
>  it with Dumbledore not only because his life was in
>  danger, but because he needed to keep it from those
>  who knew of its existence?  In PoA, both Sirius and
>  Lupin admit that each thought the other was the spy.

( Just a note: When Remus asks Sirius to forgive him for suspecting
 him in PoA I always thought he was referring to his believing that
 Sirius had been a spy *after* the Potter tragedy when Sirius had
been
 hauled off to Azkaban with all that evidence against him not at the
 same time Sirius had suspected Lupin.)


> > Sirius talks James into switching the identity of the
> > secret keeper, probably telling James that he believes
> > Lupin to be the spy. Yet James leaves everything,
> > including provisions for Harry's care, with D, even
> > though that role had already been given to Sirius. If
> > James already suspected Pettigrew, and Serius has
> > raised doubts about Lupin, sadly, this points to the
> > possibility that James and Lily suspected Sirius as
> > well. They cannot trust any of their closest friends,
> > and are now utterly alone. Wow - dark days for the
> > Potters!  If
> > anyone has a sunnier take on these events, it would be
> > very welcome!
> >
> > Mary - who is feeling slightly less depressed now, and
> > raises a glass to JKR's ability to capture the
> > imagination!


       Errr, I'm afraid I don't quite follow your theory
 Why would
 James trust Peter to be his secret-keeper if he suspected him of
 treachery? Maybe he'd hold back from openly accusing a friend of
 spying for Voldemort if he didn't have definite proof, but that's a
 far cry from literally handing himself and his family over to the
 enemy! And if he didn't suspect Pettigrew why would he suspect
 Sirius? Whatsmore if James thought there was a possibility that
 Sirius had gone over to the other side I'd expect him to confront
 Sirius about it (after all Neville stood up to his friends as early
 as PS, I'd expect no less of a grown Gryffindor). Unless of course
 he
 had too unshakable a faith in the loyalty of his friends to even
 consider the possibility that they could betray him. But that
 scenario defeats the object because we preclude that James was
 certain of Sirius and Peter and therefore he could not have spent
 his last hours in uncertainty!


         But there is another explanation of why James would leave 
 his Invisibility Cloak to Dumbledore. Remember how in PoA: McGonagall
 says that James told Dumbledore "Black was planning to go into
 hiding himself"?


        I always saw the events leading up to the night of the
 Potter's death developing is this:


        James and Lily somehow (Snape tips them off?) find out
 Voldemort is after them. For either the same or another reason
 Sirius also fears for his own safety. They turn to Dumbledore for  
help and
 he suggests the Fidelius Charm, at which point Sirius promptly
offers
 to be the Potter's Secret Keeper and James accepts. Dumbledore
 however remains skeptical. I don't think he actually suspected
Sirius—
 otherwise why the easy acceptance of Sirius's version of events in
 PoA without even the proof of Wormtail-the-rat that HRH had? But he
 was worried, knew somebody was probably handing information over to
 V. and therefore was keeping his eyes open. So, after Sirius had 
departed D.
 suggests that he should be Secret Keeper instead, but James refuses
 expressing his absolute trust in Black. However there is one flaw
in
 the Sirius-Secret Keeper plan that even James could not ignore: if
 Sirius would as James puts it "rather die than tell were they were"
 then is it not logical that James would want to ensure that his
 treasured possessions, let alone his son were entrusted to someone
 other than the one man without whose death James and Lily's could
nor
 occur? So he gives Dumbledore the coat and maybe asks him to take
 care of Harry as well and gives him the key to the Gringotts vault—
 though does it ever explicitly say in the books that he does these
2
 last things? Couldn't D. just have found the key in the rubble and
 taken it on himself to make sure Harry's alright just out of
concern
 for the boy and because he was the Potter's friend? If James had in
 fact left provisions for Harry's care with Dumbledore then wouldn't
 D. be more likely to feel it his responcibility to take Harry in
 himself rather than handing him him over to his next of kin which
 would be required only if James and Lily's will did not specify
 otherwise?

          Well, I hope I'm right! Otherwise the plot is indeed a lot
 darker!

        Charis Julia.