The Fidelius Charm - plot holes?

[felicityhayward]

No: HPFGUIDX 179301


bboyminn:
Part of the problem here is simply not knowing enough
about the nature and creation of the Fidelius Charm.
<snip>
Perhaps, the caster of the Fidelius can not also be the
subject of the Fidelius. In other words you can cast it on
object or other people, but you can't cast it on yourself.
<snip>

Then Mike:
<snip>
You want a Fidelius plot hole? How about asking why Voldemort didn't
hide at least one of his Horcruxes with a Fidelius? Surely he knew
the charm. If he makes himself the SK, someone trying to find it is
caught in a catch 22. Voldemort isn't going to tell, so the only way
to find it is to kill him and hope to get the secret out of someone
else who knew it. Except you can't kill Voldemort while he has the
Horcrux, so you have to eliminate the Horcrux first.
For a guy that operates in secrecy, I'd have thought this would have
been a no-brainer. But then, I guess that was exactly what Voldemort
turned out to be, a no-brainer.



Fliss responds:
I like the idea that Bboymminn suggested, which is that you can't
cast a Fidelius charm on yourself. The heart of the charm seems to
be that one casts it in order to protect something or someone from
harm *other than yourself*. This suggests to me that although the
horcruxes are objects, physically separate from Voldemort, Voldemort
can't cast a Fidelius on them because he would essentially be
casting it upon himself. A hidden soul-piece inside a ring is still
a part of him, even if it is not attached to the body from whence it
came. This means that in order to successfully Fidelius a horcrux,
he would have to ask someone else to be the secret keeper, and can
you see Voldemort doing that? I certainly can't!

There is another reason why I don't think Voldemort would use the
Fidelius Charm - I suspect it is another of those branches of "Old
Magic" that DD assumes he will despise and underestimate. Voldemort,
who knows nothing of "love, loyalty and house elves" has no
understanding and appreciation of magic like this, which has a key
purpose only to protect but not harm. Even the nature of the name
has loyalty and protection at its heart, values of which his
comprehension is limited. He prefers to use outwardly
violent means to protect his horcruxes - Fiendfyre, Inferi and
curses, not to mention Nagini!

I accept that he is good at keeping secrets, and if he could cast
the Fidelius charm on himself, he probably would, and it would be an
utterly ingenious protection, but I think, in his quest to make
great statements, he would overlook its value.

Fliss.

(Hello. 1st post, but hopefully it won't stick out a mile in what
I've written and any rules I've accidentally broken..)