sirius as animagus - why didn't the deatheaters know pre OOP?

[suehpfan]

No: HPFGUIDX 93895

Potioncat wrote:
> 
> > --James, Sirius, and Peter didn't let the Order know about being 
> > animagi either.
> 
> Marianne:
> Which I think is a point with as much interest as when the DEs 
> finally found out.  What seems odd is that since the original Order 
> was very out-gunned, it would seem to me that letting Dumbledore 
know 
> of an additional power that three of the Order's members had - 
being 
> Animagi - could have aided the Order in their fight.  I doubt that, 
> had Dumbledore known, that he would have insisted the three be 
good, 
> upstanding citizens and rush right down to the Ministry and 
> register.  Rather, I think Dumbledore wouldn't have thought twice 
> about telling J,P, and S to not tell anyone else, and to put their 
> abilities to use.  Okay, maybe Stag!James would have been a bit 
> obvious trotting around the middle of town, but a stray dog or a 
> scurrying rat - now those were disguises that would allow two Order 
> members to travel fairly unnoticed.
> 
> So, why wasn't Dumbledore told?
> 
> Marianne


Two points from me...

They were only a few years out of school and although the were doing 
important work for the Order (they would not have had to defy Lord 
Thingy "thrice" if they weren't) they were probably a little 
concerned about telling DD about their transgressions in school.  
They still did not know whom they could trust for sure either, they 
even doubted each other. Obviously, they should have doubted each 
other even more.

As a side note, the DE's knew about the Marauder's alter egos because 
of Wormtail.  He no longer hid his ability and certainly would have 
also shared the info about the others.  In the very beginning of 
OotP, it was Malfoy who made the "dogging" comment.  Obviously Peter 
wasted no time in sharing his information with all the DEs now that 
he was officially one of them.

Sue