The witness in Godric's Hollow (was: AKs and Horcrux!Harry )

[Judy]

Eloise wrote:
> We Muggles have problems with this AK. *Why the heck* does anybody 
> in the WW think Harry was subject to one? 
> There *must* have been a witness (I think JKR's all but confirmed 
> that by refusing to anwer the question). Even that is problematic,
> for how did the news disseminate? Did that witness tell the truth, 
> did s/he lie or was s/he mistaken?

When was JKR asked about a witness?  Anyone know the quote? 

Regardless of what JKR is or isn't hinting at, we do know for a fact 
that there was at least one witness to Voldemort's murders of James 
and Lily -- Harry.  Now, Harry was an infant at the time,   and 
couldn't describe the event, but some of it presumably was stored in 
his memory because he has what appears to be rather accurate 
flashbacks when he encounters the Dementors.  (If he was a real-world 
kid, these memories would probably just be unintentionally fabricated 
from things he'd heard about the murders. In the book, though, 
Harry's memories cause him to faint, suggesting that JKR intends them 
to be more than just fabrications.  Also, JKR has said she believes 
that everything one sees is stored in one's memory -- research 
strongly shows that memory doesn't work that way in the real world, 
but she can have it work however she wants in her world.) 

So, it's safe to assume that Harry had a memory of his parent's 
murders when he was rescued right after their deaths.  He was too 
young to tell anyone, but Dumbledore, being a skilled Legilimens, 
presumably could see the memory -- after all, Dumbledore saw what 
really happened between Morfin & Tom Riddle, even though Morfin 
himself didn't know the truth. Pulling a memory out of an infant 
seems easy by comparison.  So, Harry could well be the source of the 
information on what happened that night.

As for there being another witness to the murders -- if there is one, 
I don't see how it could be Snape. Standing idly by while Voldemort 
murdered the Potters would hardly fit with Dumbledore's testimony to 
the Wizengemot that Snape risked his life opposing Voldemort. It also 
wouldn't fit well with Dumbledore's claim that Snape deeply regretted 
giving Voldemort the prophecy information, and returned to 
Dumbledore's side as a result of his regret over the danger he had 
caused to the Potters.  

-- Judy