JKR has updated her site today -- WEBSITE SPOILER!

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 158293

Snow: 
> > Oops one more last thought, promise
what if James allowed 
> > Dumbledore to borrow his Cloak to hide the other intended victim?
 
Potioncat:
> This is too much! We've discussed James's IC many times and at 
> great lengths yet it turns to be something no one ever asked 
> herself, but should have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> So, we may have figured out the important matter and not know we 
> did. Or there's something more to the IC's location that we never 
> considered. Where's SSSusan? How about rethinking TURBAN? (TURBAN 
> DREAMS---whatever it was, I just recall it involved lots of 
> margaritas)
> 
> I can't think Snape or DD could have been involved with GH without 
> knowing Sirius was not the SK---unless of course they were given 
> the location on a piece of paper and thought it came from Sirius.
> 
> You know, JKR just tossed out something for us to worry over that 
> we thought was long ago deemed unimportant.
>
> Potioncat, who does not mean to imply by "we" that she actually 
> came up with any original theory about the IC, but more likely was 
> lurking about and reading about it. She was however, highly 
> involved in turbans and margaritas.
> 
> Oh, those were the days, my friends...


SSSusan:
*hic*  Did someone say margaritas and turbans? 

Yes, indeedy, we did have a lovely time on our little dinghy DRIBBLE 
SHADOWS, didn't we? :-)  

[Anyone liking a refresher course or a trip down memory lane is 
welcome to peruse these:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/128717
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/128778
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/128795
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/128892 ]

You know, that TURBAN addendum to DRIBBLE SHADOWS was truly, bloody 
brilliant, Potioncat.  Tying Unguent Round Baby 'Arry's Noggin.  
Hee.  What a hoot!

But seriously, it *can* all still fit!  I know it's not an 
overwhelmingly popular theory -- that DD, Snape & Hagrid had 
developed a potion containing dragon's blood which they intended to 
apply to Harry in hopes it would offer up additional protection from 
a Voldemort attack, and that it ended up having to be applied AFTER 
the attack, during the "missing 24 hours" -- but the Invisibility 
Cloak information from JKR can work quite nicely with the theory, in 
my view.  That is, this notion that James might have given DD his 
cloak because someone else needed to be concealed, could fit in with 
it.

How could this have worked?  Well, if the plan was to get to Harry 
and apply this protection, then DD would have known that he needed 
the location of the Potters' hideout from the SK.  As you noted, he'd 
have likely gone to Sirius.  But Sirius could not have provided that 
information... unless he told PETER that DD needed it and so PETER 
would need to write it down so that Sirius could hand it to DD?  Or 
unless DD told JAMES directly that he'd need the information "from 
Sirius" (or "from the Secret Keeper"), and so James instructed Peter 
to write it down for DD.  

Either way, it could explain how, on that fateful day, DD knew how to 
find the Potters.  It could also explain how *PETER* would have known 
to warn Voldemort that he needed to act THEN, right?  If Peter knew 
DD had been given the location (because he'd done so himself) and 
that DD had a plan to provide additional protection to Baby Harry, 
then it would make sense that Peter would've informed Voldy, would've 
told him he'd better act quickly.

Thus, it could have played out like this... DD, Snape & Hagrid had 
developed this potion/ointment made from dragon's blood, which would 
be an additional protection for Baby Harry.  They planned for Snape 
to read the location of the hideout provided by Peter and to use the 
IC to protect Snape from discovery on his mission to visit GH and 
apply said ointment.  However, when Snape got there, he discovered 
the wreckage, apparated quickly back to DD to tell him the news 
(hopefully having done *something* to ensure Harry's safety in the 
meantime!), and then DD sent Hagrid to fetch the tyke, while he & 
Snape discussed what to do as an alternative plan.

While Hagrid was off retrieving Harry, Snape & DD decided that the 
ointment could still be helpful, assuming as they did that Voldy 
hadn't truly been eliminated but would instead be returning to power 
someday, likely picking up right where he left off, determined to 
kill Prophecy Boy once and for all.  Thus, DD had Hagrid bring Harry 
to Snape, and here we pick up with Potioncat's TURBAN addendum:  the 
ointment/unguent is applied to Harry -- on the wound itself -- and 
wrapped in bandages resembling a turban [see 128795].  

Heh. I rather like the convergence of all these things! In fact, even 
though it's damn early, I think I'm going to contemplate this further 
over a lovely frozen margarita.  Care to join me, 'cat, or anyone 
else? :)

Siriusly Snapey Susan