JKR question about Cloak (Was: Concealment - a MAJOR Motif)

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 168060

>
> --- "rduran1216" wrote:
> >
> > Concealment of all sorts of kinds has been an absolute constant 
in 
> > this series. ...
> > 
> > (SNIP)
> >
> > In the NAQ section, Rowling says that the question she was never 
> > asked was why DD had possession of James Potter's invisibility 
> > cloak?  Could James have been involved in some kind of stealthy 
> > career that has not been described?  Could part of his assignment 
> > have been hiding Regulus Black?  How many of these 
hidden "events" 
> > will be explained? ...
> 
> Aussie now:
> 
> I have looked for theories about the never asked question to 
JKR ... 
> Why did DD have the Invisibility Cloak if he could be invisible 
> without it?
> 
> At the time James would have left the cloak with DD (wheather 
> borrowed or confiscated to keep James inside GP), what did the 
Order 
> want hidden?
> RAB was one I hadn't thought of.
> Neville, however, was a very important person to hide.
> 
> DD was not sure if the Potter's or Longbottom's son was the target, 
> so both would have been hidden. 
> Harry had GP, so did DD ask for the cloak to help the Longbottoms?
> During the Crucio attack, Neville may have been in a similar 
> position to Harry on the tower ... charmed to keep still and quiet 
> and hidden under the cloak.
> 
> The main thing against this idea was Neville didn't react the same 
> way Harry did when they first met the Dementors.
> 
> Not much time left to post theories on a questiong JKR herself 
> pointed to .... what do you think, guys?

Julie:
Although I haven't come up with any good theory on why DD had
the Invisiblity Cloak, I'm actually more bothered by another
question. Why DIDN'T James have it? Here is the father of a
boy targeted by Voldemort, in hiding with his wife and child,
and what could be *more* useful than that Invisibility Cloak?
Especially when there was already suspicion (at least from
Snape and Dumbledore) that there was a spy in the Order, and
that the Potters might be betrayed? If it was even a remote
possibility, the Invisibility Cloak might have been their 
salvation. If or when Voldemort found their hiding place
they could hide under the cloak (or if it's not large enough
for all three, at least Lily and Harry). Unless Voldemort
has the power to see through the cloak (which I don't recall
reading), then he'd assume the Potters had moved on to a
new hiding place. 

I can only assume Dumbledore thought the Fidelius Charm
and Secret Keeper were so reliable that the Invisibility 
Cloak wasn't needed. Or whatever reason Dumbledore had
possession of the Cloak will explain this seeming lack
of foresight on the parts of everyone involved. (And 
while the IC could have been used to protect Neville, 
why wouldn't the Longbottoms also be in a safe house 
with a Secret Keeper--Dumbledore perhaps--protecting its 
location?)

Julie, who can't recall any canon about why the Potters 
couldn't Apparate away either. Or why they just didn't
stay at Hogwarts!