Fidelity of 12 GP :WAS: CHAPDISC3

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 142773

Steve wrote:

> In conclusion, that is consistent with the Fedelius Charm. 
> Remember, that it is Dumbledore that is the charmed object. He has 
> been charmed with the secret of the location of the Black House, 
> the Fedelius Charm has not been performed on the House itself. 
> When the Charmed Object, Dumbledore, is gone/dead, the charm is 
> broken.


KathyK:

Secret-Keeping is so very upsetting to me.  No explanation that I 
come up with, and no explanation by anyone else can satisfy me.  I 
think you're right, Steve.  What we know about SK is consistent with 
what you say above.  It makes sense that it would work like that.  
It even provides for a somewhat plausible reason Sirius convinced 
the Potters to fool LV into going after the wrong SK.  If Sirius 
died as SK, Lily and James *could* be found out.  With Peter as 
Secret-Keeper, LV can kill Sirius and still the Potters would be 
safe.  

But what bothers me is how useless the Fidelius Charm is in this 
case.  Not completely useless, of course.  The Secret still lies 
only with the Keeper, given away to trustworthy folks who cannot 
themselves pass on the secret.  It may not be the easiest thing in 
the world, to find a smart, well-hidden Secret-Keeper, but once the 
SK is found, the one searching for the hidden knowledge doesn't even 
have to try torture or coercion, need not even *ask* to give away 
the secret.  Just bypass all the *work* and go straight for the 
quick and dirty kill.  Then go find what it is you're looking for, 
be they defiant enemies or a whole house.  I'm oversimplifying the 
steps for overcoming the Fidelius a bit, I know.  It would have its 
uses, even if all it takes is a well-placed AK.

Okay, then.  What about our earlier Fidelius example, again?  If the 
SK dying breaks the Charm because the SK is the charmed Object, what 
about when that which is hidden is destroyed yet the Secret-Keeper 
lives, as in the case of James and Lily?  If the Secret itself is 
not the Object (which is the opposite of what I've always assumed 
but you just have to be so darn reasonable, don't you, Steve? ;-) ) 
could it be destroyed *without* being revealed?  Hypothetically, 
would burning down  12 Grimmauld Place have broken the Charm as 
well.  It may not have been what was charmed, but without a Secret, 
there is no purpose of a SK.  Does that also unravel the spell?  
Perhaps in the case of GH the secret was not revealed with the death 
of the Potters.  It was just that those folks so closely involved 
(Sirius, Dumbledore, Hagrid) with the events and their aftermath 
already knew where to look, were in on the secret.

KathyK, subjecting you to the shorter version of her SK 
thoughts...for now ;-)