Potters as their own Secret Keepers?

[ghinghapuss]

No: HPFGUIDX 87036

"Arya" wrote:
> Ok, it has just occurred to me...if Dumbledore was able to be the 
Secret Keeper for the Order and easily come and go about Grimmauld 
Place, then why couldn't either Lily or James have been the Secret 
Keeper for when they went into hiding?  
<snip> Also-- what happens if a Secret Keeper is killed?  Ooh--since 
the secret is locking within the *soul*, what happens if a Dementor 
kisses that person and sucks out their soul?  


Mandy here:
I think you raise two very good points. Perhaps the reason for a 
third party secret keeper is because of the danger of keeping your 
own secret.  The danger being that if you die the secret dies with 
you, and whatever is in hiding remains in hiding for the rest of 
eternity.

What I mean by this is if you are on the run and go into hiding 
because there is a very good chance you are going to be killed, you 
wouldn't want to be the only keeper of the secret in case you died. 
It would behoove you to have a second or third person who is not as 
much at risk as you are to move around outside the hiding place and 
interact with your contacts outside. Dumbledore is possibly the only 
exception as he is such a powerful wizard if he did find himself at 
risk he seems to have means of passing on the secret address anyway.  
He passed it on to Harry via a piece of magical paper in OotP.

Also this might explain why James and Lily agreed to change SK as 
they may have believed that Peter was at less risk of being killed 
than Sirius.  We don't know what their jobs for the Order were but it 
seems likely to me that Sirius, along with James, were out risking 
their lives daily and Peter was handling more of a safer desk job.  I 
don't wish to insult Peter's ability, as I believe he is severely 
underestimated by most readers, and is a very capable, powerful 
wizard.  He just happens to be a coward. 

I know this has lots of holes in it but it was my initial thought.  
Anyone else have any ideas?

Mandy