Secret Keeper, Godric's Hollow, revisted

[joywitch_m_curmudgeon]

I dunno, I think the explanation may be simpler than that.  I think 
there was a portrait in the Potter's house at Godric's Hollow that 
was one of Dumbledore's vast network of spies.  Given the small 
number of pureblood wizarding families, James Potter probably had an 
ancestor who was a Hogwarts Professorhead, so his/her portrait would 
naturally be hanging there.  Dumbledore is sitting in his office 
late at night when a blank canvas suddenly fills with Flaplinagrous 
Potter's head, screaming, "Dumbledore, my other portrait just 
exploded in a flash of green light!"

I've always thought that the Old Headmaster's Network has played a 
greater role than we've really examined.  For example, I've always 
thought that it must have been a portrait that told Dumbledore that 
Harry was looking in the Mirror of Erised, again.

--JMC


--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "songbird3411" 
<SongBird3411 at ...> wrote:
>
> I haven't posted here in a long time, but I have lurked rather 
> consistently.  I must preface this post by saying that I currently 
do 
> not read any other HP lists/boards.  So, I have no idea if this 
idea 
> has been discussed at HPfGU main, or elsewhere.  Terribly sorry if 
I 
> am repeating something.
> 
> I read with interest all the speculation about Jo's recent 
comments 
> about Pettigrew, Secret Keeper, Godric's Hollow, etc.  Heaven 
knows, 
> I am fascinated with the topic of what really happened at Godric's 
> Hollow.  I definitely think there are twists to be revealed there.
> 
> The most recent speculation here centered on who knew the Potter 
> Secret and when.  I think what people are trying to get at is how 
> Dumbledore knew about the attack and was able to respond so 
quickly, 
> right?  
> 
> Okay, I now venture unto unfamiliar territory.  This post will be 
> Faith centered.  Faith and I are not very close friends, as I do 
not 
> find her to be a terribly fun or exciting muse.  However, 
something 
> about all this speculation on who knew what about SK/Godric's 
Hollow 
> pulled me in Faith's direction.  Shockingly.
> 
> It seems to me that if Dumbledore knew about the attack so 
quickly, 
> someone at the scene must have tipped him off.  The problem we all 
> seem to be running into is whether this informant was privy to the 
> Secret or not.  
> 
> Now, most of us are working under the assumption that there was 
> someone else present at Godric's Hollow the night of the attack.  
> Someone other than Voldy and the Potters.  I do not think Faith 
> discounts this, so I will work under this assumption as well.  
> 
> I am now going to trash any theories related to Puppetmaster!DD in 
> regards to these events.  I do admire this theory a great deal.  
> However, I can't support it enough to the point of believing that 
> Dumbledore left an innocent Sirius to rot in Azkaban.  (Ramblings 
of 
> imprisoned DE's are tricky, but I am just going to have to let 
them 
> go.)
> 
> So, what I need is an informant at the scene who can alert 
Dumbledore 
> without Dumbledore ever being aware of the SK-switch.  What I am 
> looking for is an informant who was at the scene, in on the Secret 
> and therefore fully witnessed the ensuing events (and can, most 
> importantly, testify to what really happened later).  So, I am 
also 
> tossing any theory which has the informant as someone who was not 
in 
> on the Secret and couldn't have seen exactly what happened before 
the 
> house was destroyed/Secret was voided.
> 
> Option A is one that seems to be popular around here: Severus 
Snape.  
> This theory seems to go that Pettigrew's information got back to 
> Snape, directly or indirectly.  Snape went to Godric's Hollow that 
> night, by himself or with Voldy.  This requires Snape to know that 
> Pettigrew was the spy all along.  This also requires Snape to let 
an 
> innocent Sirius rot in Azkaban.  I guess I don't find that bit too 
> unlikely.  However, the Shrieking Shack scene in POA looks a bit 
> problematic to me if I work under this assumption.  Remember, I am 
> working with Faith here.
> 
> There is another option that I am somewhat surprised has not been 
> discussed here.  I mean, I am as big a Snape lover as anyone.  
> However, we may be making this chain of events much more 
complicated 
> than necessary by including Snape here.  Perhaps the solution to 
this 
> problem is quite simple indeed.  Who would have been at the scene, 
> fully cognizant of the Secret, fully witnessing the events, and 
still 
> could have alerted Dumbledore without tipping DD off about the SK 
> switch?
> 
> Could the informant have been, perhaps, Peter Pettigrew himself?  
I 
> am not sure how likely it is, but it does seem to hold a certain 
> logic.
> 
> Using WYSIWYG, if there was an attack, Dumbledore would have 
assumed 
> immediately that Sirius was the spy and had betrayed the Potters.  
> Would anyone have been suspicious if Sirius and the Potters had 
let 
> their good friend Peter Pettigrew in on the secret?  What if Peter 
> claimed, a la Sirius, that he got concerned and went to check on 
the 
> Potters.  A shocked and distraught Peter could have alerted 
> Dumbledore fairly quickly to the attack.  Why Pettigrew could even 
> have decided to throw any remaining suspicion off himself by 
> confronting the betraying Sirius in front of loads of witnesses 
the 
> next day.  Why, poor Pettigrew!  He first had to witness the death 
of 
> his beloved friends, and then was murdered by their betrayor.
> 
> Okay, there you go.  My first, and maybe last, attempt to spculate 
> with Faith.  Admittedly, not as fun a solution as speculating 
about 
> dear old Sevvy.  However, it feels much less problematic to me, 
> especially in regards to POA plot/characterization.
> 
> Mindy, who will go back to the more wild speculations about 
> horseclucks now.
>