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[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 158258

maria8162001: 
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> > The answer is "Why did Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak 
at the time of James' death, given that Dumbledore could make himself 
invisible without a cloak?"

She also stated that "there IS a significant -- even crucial -- 
answer."

hpfan_mom:
> The logical inference for me is that DD received the IC *before* 
James died, in order to actually have it AT the time of death.  This 
would preclude theories about someone taking the IC from the rubble 
of Godric's Hollow.  Instead, we should be thinking about *why* James 
would have given DD the cloak.

Ceridwen:
Could someone have needed to use it that day?

That was a crucial day for the WW, LV and his DEs, and for the 
Potters.  Some big things must have been going on in the DE camp 
leading up to this night, necessitating the use of the cloak by 
someone.  Evidenced by the use of the invisibility cloak, this 
someone would have to be someone who would have been out of place in 
the DE circle, or someone who was not included in the plotting.  This 
person would have used it either on the night of 30 October and 
returned it to DD the next day, or was going to use it the night of 
the 31st, or did use it that night in order to obtain information.

SPECULATION ALERT ;)

It could be Snape, or it could be someone else.  If it was Snape, 
then he was not included in the plot against the Potters and so would 
have been out of place when that group met.  It wouldn't have been 
impossible for him to be there due to teaching either on the night of 
the 30th or at some point on the 31st, since the 30th of October 1981 
was a Friday and the 31st was a Saturday:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/calendar/monthly.cfm?
Year=1981&Month=10&Audience=SSEP
If Snape spied on the group, if there was a group who knew about the 
Potter attack, then Peter Pettigrew must not have attended any of 
those meetings.  I don't think Snape knew Pettigrew was involved 
before the end of PoA, just based on reading.  It's possible that LV 
kept his 'ace in the hole' a secret to all of his DEs, using only the 
name 'Wormtail' when discussing the plans.

*IF* he discussed the plans at all.

If it was someone else, that person could have needed the cloak for 
another crucial mission responding to some sort of decoy planning 
operation which would fool the Order (and the Ministry?) into 
thinking that this night would not be The Night.  There may even have 
been something else going on to draw the DMLE and Order members away 
from GH and its area.

We do know that there was more going on than just a plot to rid LV of 
the one who could vanquish him.  His plans went on.  *IF* LV came to 
the Potters' house alone (or with Wormtail), his minions could easily 
have been sent on other errands.  The war must go on, after all.

That's my idea on first reading what JKR said.  Did I make sense to 
anybody?

Ceridwen.