But DID James listen? (was LID!Snape rides again )

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 150016

Tonks:
> Why was Sirius there that night? And if PP was the secret-keeper, 
> what was the point of that if Sirius knew where they were anyway?  
> He must have known if he was near their house.  Couldn't LV have 
> tortured Sirius anyway to get that information? What was the point 
> of PP being the secret-keeper in that case? It is late and I am 
> probably just not thinking clearly
 but I am beginning to wonder a 
> bit.
zgirnius:
The point of the Fidelius Charm is that only the Secret Keeper can tell 
the secret. If Peter was the SK, Sirius would be completely unable to 
tell the secret, or divulge it in any way. If Sirius were tortured, 
this would not change the magic, Sirius would (somehow) be magically 
unable to tell teh secret. And it someone fed him Veritaserum, ditto. 
And if Voldemort himself used Legilimency on him, ditto.

The charm makes it possible to share the secret with others without 
increasing the chances that it will get out, compared to if the secret 
was known only to that one person.