Potters as their own Secret Keepers?

[Phyllis]

No: HPFGUIDX 87113

KathyK wrote: 

> I have no idea why it was necessary to switch to Sirius.

IMO, it wasn't necessary to switch to Sirius.  I agree with you that 
Sirius would have died rather than given away the Potters' location.  
IIRC, he even says so himself in PoA.

I think Sirius switched with Peter in the hopes that both he (Sirius) 
and the Potters would survive.  Sirius didn't suspect that Peter was 
Voldemort's spy, and he believed Peter to be the last person 
Voldemort would identify as the Potters' secret-keeper.  So by 
switching to Peter, Sirius was trying to avoid being killed himself 
while still protecting the secrecy of the Potters' whereabouts.  

KathyK:

> Were Lily and James hidden inside Peter's soul, so that no matter 
> where they went, they were well hidden?  Or was it their 
> location in Godric's Hollow?  

I don't think they were hidden inside Peter's soul (that would be a 
fate worse than death, IMO!), but I do believe that no matter where 
they went, they were well hidden.  I think of it as their being 
invisible, since Flitwick says something to the effect that Voldemort 
could press his nose against their living room window and still not 
be able to see them.  But since JKR hasn't said that one is invisible 
while under the Fidelius Charm, this is certainly open to debate.

KathyK:

> Even if Voldemort couldn't find *them,* if he knew where they 
> lived, he could just destroy their home.  

True, he could destroy their home, but witches and wizards can 
survive catastrophes that would normally kill us Muggles.  So it 
could be that destroying their home wouldn't have been sufficient to 
kill Lily and James.

~Phyllis