Legilimency and the Fidelius (was: Re: Wormtail and the Map (WAS The Map and

[eloise_herisson]

No: HPFGUIDX 102795

 Bookworm:
> I can just see him panicking when Sirius suggested making him the 
> Secret Keeper – now he would have information that he
> couldn't hide from Voldemort (not with V's legilimency) but
> would hurt his friends.  

I hadn't thought of that before. I'm sure that there was a lot that 
Voldemort could find out from Peter via legilimency, but just how 
would Legilimency and the *Fidelius Charm* interact? Possibly an 
unanswerable question as we're not sure exactly how the Fidelius 
operates anyway, but as Dumbledore presumably *knew* that Voldemort 
was a skilled Legilimens, then presumably he also thought that there 
was some value in the Fidelius depite this. 

I don't think Legilimency could override the Fidelius in the sense 
that Voldemort could have looked into Pettigrew's brain and known 
where the Potters were. In the first place, we are told that 
Legilimency isn't mind reading. It's not reading thoughts exactly, 
although if the way Snape seems to have got a visual image of Harry's 
experiences is anything to go by, he might have *seen* where the 
Potters were although not necessarily knowing the location.

In the second place, although we don't know exactly how the Fidelius 
affects others who were privy to the secret (do they forget the 
information? Are they prevented from speaking it? Neither?) it *does* 
seem to have an effect on those seeking the information it protects. 
We are told (paraphrasing) that even if he had his nose pressed up 
against the window, Voldemort wouldn't have been able to find the 
Potters if the charm hadn't been broken. Just because Voldemort could 
see the information, know where the Potters were, even, doesn't mean 
that he would have been able actually to find and harm them.

So can the charm be broken by Legilimency? Hmm. I'm inclined to think 
not. A small piece of evidence is that no one in the know has ever 
suggested that the Potters were anything other than delierately 
betrayed. Even granted that Legilimency hasn't made an official 
appearance as a plot device in PoA, Pettigrew said nothing in his 
defence of his betrayal of the Potters other than his "what could I 
do?" plea. Legilimency has been *implied* in the books up to then 
(via Snape and Dumbledore) and he could easily have said something 
about the Dark Lord having ways of divining secrets or something 
without actually giving away too much about the specific means. 
Instead, he said that Voldemort had *weapons you can't imagine*, that 
he was *scared*, that Voldemort would have *killed* him for the 
information. Unnecessary if all he needed to do was look into his 
mind.

No. I think the Potters were safe from discovery by Voldemort even if 
he *could* see into Peter's mind. The only way for the charm to be 
broken was by deliberate betrayal of the secret.

~Eloise