Dumbledore as Potter's Secret Keeper

[grey_wolf_c]

No: HPFGUIDX 38647


Tamara said:
> "It was mentioned in "Prisoner of Azkaban" that Dumbledore offered to
> be the Potter's secret-keeper.  Why in the world wouldn't they take
> him up on this offer knowing that he was the only wizard whom
> Voldemort is afraid of?  You'd think he would be an obvious choice."

Jarrod Jicha wrote:
> Yeah, he would be an obvious choice, but then we probably wouldn't 
> have this story if Dumbledore would have been the pick.  They had to 
> have someone that would be afarid of Voldemore just a little, right?
> 
> Jarrod

I believe that they didn't pick Dumbledore for the same reason they 
didn't pick Sirius: it was too obvious a choice. Canon about Fidelius 
is still quite light in details (maybe it will always be so), but I 
assume that if the secret keeper is captured or killed, or maybe just 
plainly exorcised (sp?) with the proper enchantment (which Voldemort 
would obviously know), the Fidelius would be lost. So, they chose the 
sort of person no-one would ever think had been trusted with that sort 
of responsibility: Peter (and it turns out those people who would've 
advised against it were right after all).

Supposing that only a spell is needed, picture this situation: 
Dumbledore is selected secrtet keeper, and Voldemort tells all his 
Death Eaters to search for the Potters. At the same time he has one of 
his Death Eaters infiltrate Hogwarts (it's extremely easy, since he's 
done it three times in four years -without counting Peter himself- and 
Sirius has done so twice in two years. Hogwarts is riddled with holes) 
and, in a suicide mission, he exorcisises Dumbledore. Since all England 
is awashed with his agents, they find the Potters and finish them off 
before they can muster another protection.

Okay, so in reality they played right into their hands by trying to 
outsmart them (you'd be amazed at how many times that can happen), but 
in this case not even the DE expected it: I'm sure that Voldemort was 
the most surprised when he heard Peter's news.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf