Switching Secret-Keepers

[Weasleyfanforever]

We all know Sirius was supposed to be the Potters Secret Keeper but it was switched to Peter, but did Dumbledore know where they were hiding out?

And did the Potters switch to Peter after the Charm had been performed with Sirius? I'm thinking that it had to have been, otherwise how would Sirius have known where to go if he didn't know the secret of where they were staying?

Did the Potters suspect Dumbledore and therefore didn't inform them that Peter was their new Secret Keeper? After all, Lupin suspected Sirius, and vice versa, so who did the Potter's suspect? Wouldn't they have used Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard at the time, as their secret keeper if they trusted him?

Or did Dumbledore know where they were hiding because Sirius told him, and he didn't know that they had changed Secret Keepers to Peter?

[Tinkerbell]

Assume Sirius knew where the Potters lived already, but then, does that raise the question that they were in Godric's Hollow simply to escape discovery by Voldemort, or was that where they lived in any event?

I guess that when your life and the lives of your family are threatened, it is difficult to trust anyone, even those you feel close too, i.e., Sirius and Dumbledore.

In answer, I would say that Sirius knew most of the information already, as he was going to be the Secret Keeper, but because the switch was at "the eleventh hour" as it were, he was privy to the same information as Wormtail, but it was felt that Sirius was able to keep the secret even without being the actual Secret-Keeper. It was only when it all went terribly wrong that Sirius made his way to Godric's Hollow when he was unable to find Wormtail - and as Dumbledore seems to be omnipresent, he was able to also find out - it is my feeling that Dumbledore was keeping a close eye on what was happening in Godric's Hollow anyway.

[Alz]

What Dumbledore knew about this is an interesting question, because if he knew then why didnt he speak for Sirius as he would have known that it wasnt Sirius that killed the Potters?

The question is, if someone knows a location and then the switching spell is placed on it - can people still see and find it?
My thoughts are that they cannot because in this case I am sure many people knew where the Potters lived and as such could have stumbled up to it while the charm was in place - but evidence suggests that the house was hidden as part of the charm.

I still belive that Dumbledore offered the best choice as secret keeper and that the Potters not using him as suspect - he was the only person Voldemort feared and as such represented the most safest person ... make me wonder at least:)

[Tonks]

Alright, here's my take on things.

I think that Dumbledore knew where they were hiding out because he was the founder and head of the Order. Even though they did not want him to be their Secret Keeper, James & Lily (as long as they didn't suspect him of anything) would probably have let him in on where they were. (Secret Keeper can inform whoever of where they were hiding out)

I think that Sirius knew where they were as well, because the reason they switched Secret Keepers to Peter was not because they didn't trust Sirius, but because they wanted to double bluff Voldemort. They would have had no reason not to have Peter tell Sirius where they were. So either way, whether or not they switched Secret Keepers before or after they performed the spell with Sirius, they would have told him anyway.

I think that even if you know the house is there, you can't see it. Or perhaps it will show up as some kind of ruin or something. In PoA, someone mentioned that Voldemort would have been unable to find them even if he had his nose pressed up against their sitting room window. So i think that even if you know the house is there, unless you know (by being informed by the Secret Keeper), you can't see it.