"Fidelius" etymology (Was: MuggleNet - Godrics Hollow Theory)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 163551

Mike wrote:
<snip>
> On a side note; 12 GP is not hidden by the "Fidelius", imo it was 
> hidden by the charms that the elder Blacks placed on the location. 
> Dumbledore hid the location of the HQ of the OotP, that's why Snape 
> cannot speak the location to Bella. <snip>

Carol responds:
I agree with the second sentence but not the first. If the house were
hidden by the charms that the elder Blacks placed on it, the order
members wouldn't be able to see it, "propriety" or not. Sirius black
would have to remove those charms, and I think they're still there
(mostly anti-Muggle charms that make the house invisible to the
neighbors). But once Harry reads and memorizes the note Moody hands
him, he can see 12 GP. It's knowing the Secret, as told to him in
writing by the Secret Keeper, that enables him to see the
house--nothing to do with the spells that mr. Black Sr. placed on it.

Mike:
<snip> Bella probably knew and knows where the Blacks lived, but she
doesn't and won't know where the HQ was and is hidden. FWIW, I think
the Blacks protections excluded Bella along with everyone else from
entering the house, once they realized what was going on with
Voldemort and realized what a rabid supporter Bella had become. <snip>

Carol:
I don't see any support for that speculation. Kreacher, who worships
the Blacks, has a special affection for "Miss Bellatrix," whose
portrait he treasures. If the Blacks had rejected their niece for her
being a "rabid supporter" of Voldemort, they'd have discarded her
photograph. Certainly, they didn't change their Dark wizard ways
(house-elf heads in the hallway, Slytherin serpents as their chief
decorative motif, jars of what appears to be blood in the pantry). I'm
guessing that Bellatrix was a guest at her aunt's when Regulus heard
her telling either his parents or Rodolphus about the special mission
with which Voldemort had entrusted her. I'm even guessing that she
asked to borrow their house-elf and that Kreacher's devotion to her
was increased by his part in this special mission (hiding the locket
Horcrux in the cave, along with a particularly malignant potion). Yes,
I know. My turn to speculate. :-)

Carol earlier:
> >  
> > So the betrayal itself, the revelation of the Potters in their 
hiding place <snip> may have been enough to break the Fidelius Charm
(and alert Dumbledore to their danger). What I'm sure of is that the
Charm was broken, enabling DD not only to know where they were but to
inform Hagrid of the address, either by the betrayal or by the deaths
of the adult Potters and the exposure of Harry to danger, or by the
destruction of the house. By the time Voldemort had exploded, taking
the house with him, there was no Secret to keep. Etymology suggests
that it was the betrayal that broke the charm.

> Mike:
> Well... <snip> I think you are right. :-) If the "Fidelius" was
properly cast and in place, then I think your explanation of why and
how it was broken is spot on. 

Carol:
Thanks! And here I thought you were disagreeing with me. I *do* think
the Fidelius was properly cast, by charming Lily (I like bad puns,
too), and was "in place" until Wormtail's betrayal (or the destruction
of the Secret).

Carol, wondering what to etymologize next