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{{Quote|In other words, a secret (e.g., the location of a family in hiding, like the Potters) is enchanted so that it is protected by a single Keeper (in our example, Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail). Thenceforth nobody else — not even the subjects of the secret themselves — can divulge the secret.|The natue of Secret Keepers|J. K. Rowling's official site}}
A '''Secret-Keeper''' is a person designated to keep the location of a place a secret by means of the [[Fidelius Charm]]: the secret is kept in their very [[soul]]. The Secret-Keeper is the only person who is capable of revealing the protected information to others, either by informing them orally or by writing it down. This individual will become bound by the Fidelius Charm as well. If a Secret-Keeper dies, all the people already aware of the secret information become Secret-Keepers; this would unfortunately dilute the effect greatly; should all the people who knew of the secret die, then the secret would die with them.
 
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[[File:Wormtail DH1.jpg|thumb|[[Peter Pettigrew]], The [[Potter family|Potter's]] Secret Keeper]]
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The '''Secret Keeper''' was the [[Wizardkind|witch or wizard]] designated to hide a secret by means of the [[Fidelius Charm]]. The secret was embedded in their very [[soul]]. Once a Secret Keeper was selected, the person who told them the secret would find themselves unable to pass the information on again, as the Secret Keeper was the only one capable of revealing the secret, whether orally or written.<ref name="PM">{{WW|secret-keeper}}</ref>
   
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The Secret Keeper could tell as many people as they liked, but they must do so voluntarily. The secret couldn't be blackmailed, bewitched, or tortured out of them.
==Known Secret-Keepers==
 
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[[File:Peter-pettigrew.jpg|thumb|[[Peter Pettigrew]], the Secret-Keeper for the [[Potter family]] who betrayed them to [[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]].]]
 
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==History==
*[[Sirius Black]] was the original secret keeper for James and Lily Potter, but Sirius thought Voldemort was on to him (there was a spy), therefore passing on the Secret Keeper to [[Peter Pettigrew]]. [[Albus Dumbledore]] originally offered to be the Potters' secret keeper, but the couple refused on trust of their friends. Pettigrew was then the new Secret-Keeper for [[James Potter I|James]] and [[Lily Evans|Lily Potter]] after they went into hiding during the [[First Wizarding War]] with their infant son [[Harry Potter|Harry]], keeping their whereabouts in [[Godric's Hollow]] a secret. However, Pettigrew was secretly a traitor to the [[Order of the Phoenix]]. He informed [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] of the Potters' location, resulting in the murders of James and Lily and Voldemort's first defeat when the [[Killing Curse]] rebounded from Harry. Sirius Black was later believed to have murdered 12 muggles and a wizard in front of more than 50 eyewitnesses, when really Peter Pettigrew had killed them .himself and went into his animagus form (Scabbers) and fled the scene with a missing finger. Sirius Black, however, caught at the scene of the crime, was blamed for the betrayal of Lily and James Potter (not knowing that Peter Pettigrew had really been the betrayer) and imprisoned in [[Azkaban]] for it without a trial.<ref name="POA">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''</ref>
 
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*[[Albus Dumbledore]] was the Secret-Keeper for [[12 Grimmauld Place]], the Headquarters of the [[Order of the Phoenix]], until he died in [[1997]]<ref name="HBP">''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''</ref>, thus making all the members of the Order, along with [[Harry Potter]], [[Ronald Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]] the succeeding Secret-Keepers. This forced the Order to abandon it, as they erroneously believed [[Severus Snape]] to be a traitor and he knew the location.<ref name="DH">''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]''</ref>
 
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===First Wizarding War ===
[[File:DumbledoreCropped.JPG|thumb|[[Albus Dumbledore]], Secret-Keeper for [[12 Grimmauld Place]].]]
 
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{{Quote|Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it... I thought it was the perfect plan... a bluff... Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters.|Sirius Black regarding the Potter's secret keeper|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}
*In [[1997]], after [[Harry Potter]], [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] [[Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic|infiltrated]] the [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]], they escaped to 12 Grimmauld Place, but [[Yaxley]] grabbed Hermione as the trio [[Apparition|Apparated]] to the house, thus revealing it to him.<ref name="DH"/>
 
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*In [[1997]] and [[1998]], the Order of the Phoenix used many safe houses, including [[the Burrow]], [[Shell Cottage]], and the [[Tonks house]], all of which were under the Fidelius Charm and maintained by various Secret-Keepers.<ref name="DH"/>
 
 
Originally meant to be the Secret Keeper for [[James Potter I|James]] and [[Lily J. Potter|Lily Potter]], [[Sirius Black]] thought Voldemort was on to him (he thought that [[Remus Lupin]] was a spy). He therefore passed on the role of Secret Keeper to [[Peter Pettigrew]]. [[Albus Dumbledore]] originally offered to be the Potters' Secret Keeper, but the couple refused on trust of their friends. Pettigrew was then the new Secret Keeper for [[James Potter I|James]] and [[Lily J. Potter|Lily Potter]] after they went into hiding during the [[First Wizarding War]] with their infant son [[Harry Potter|Harry]], keeping their whereabouts in [[Godric's Hollow]] a secret. However, Pettigrew was secretly a traitor to the [[Order of the Phoenix]]. He informed [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] of the Potters' location, resulting in the murders of James and Lily and Voldemort's first defeat when the [[Killing Curse]] rebounded from Harry.
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  +
Sirius Black was later believed to have murdered Pettigrew and twelve bystanding [[Non-magic people|Muggles]] in front of more than fifty eyewitnesses, when really Pettigrew had killed them himself and went into his [[Animagus]] form to flee the scene, leaving behind his severed index finger. Caught at the scene of the crime, Black was thus blamed for the betrayal of the Potters (not knowing that Pettigrew had really been the betrayer) and imprisoned in [[Azkaban]] for it without a trial.
  +
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He escaped twelve years later using what was believed to be a trick Voldemort taught him that made Black and his insanity unaffected by the [[Dementor]]s' depressing aura, when really Black had maintained his sanity due to the knowledge of his innocence since incarceration (a non-happy thought that the [[Dementor]]s could not take) and went into his [[Animagus]] form to slip through his cell door while the Dementors were bringing in his food, swimming across the [[North Sea]] after seeing a picture of Pettigrew still in his animal disguise of "Scabbers", the pet rat of Harry's best friend at Hogwarts [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]], on a copy of the ''[[Daily Prophet]]'' given to him by then-Minister for Magic [[Cornelius Fudge]].<ref name="POA">{{POA}}</ref>
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===Second Wizarding War ===
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{{Quote|Dumbledore’s Secret-Keeper for the Order, you know — nobody can find headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is — that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore.|Sirius Black explains that the Filelius Charm protects [[12 Grimmauld Place]]|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}Albus Dumbledore was the Secret Keeper for 12 Grimmauld Place, the Headquarters of the [[Order of the Phoenix]], until he died in [[1997]],<ref name="HBP" /> thus making all the members of the Order, along with the trio the succeeding Secret Keepers. This forced the Order to abandon it, as they erroneously believed [[Severus Snape]] to be a traitor and he knew the location. Later, the trio returned to the house (accepting the risk of a visit from Snape) until they [[Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic|infiltrated]] the [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]], where afterward [[Corban Yaxley|Yaxley]] grabbed Hermione as the trio [[Apparition|Apparated]] to 12 Grimmauld Place to escape. They then considered the location permanently compromised.<ref name="DH">{{DH}}</ref>
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In [[1997]] and [[1998]], the Order of the Phoenix used many safe houses, including [[Muriel's house|Aunt Muriel's House]] and [[Shell Cottage]], all of which were under the Fidelius Charm and maintained by various Secret Keepers.<ref name="DH2">{{DH}}</ref>
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==Dangers==
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Being a Secret Keeper was a very dangerous position to be in; although it was impossible to bewitch or torture the information out of the Secret Keeper, many had in the past been subjected to the [[Imperius Curse|Imperius]] and [[Cruciatus Curse]]s in others' attempts to find the secret.<ref name="PM" /> It was such a serious and binding enchantment that few would undertake it lightly.
  +
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If a Secret Keeper died, all the people already aware of the secret information became Secret Keepers.<ref name="DH" /> This would, unfortunately, dilute the effect greatly as more people could pass the information at will.
  +
 
==Known Secret Keepers==
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{| class="wikitable" border="1" width="100%"
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|-
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! scope="col" |Wizard(s)
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! scope="col" |Notes
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|-
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|[[Peter Pettigrew]]
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|Secret Keeper for [[James Potter I|James]] and [[Lily J. Potter|Lily Potter]].
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|-
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|[[Albus Dumbledore]]
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| rowspan="3" |Secret Keeper for [[12 Grimmauld Place]].<ref name="HBP">{{HBP}}</ref>
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|-
 
|[[Order of the Phoenix]]
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|-
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|[[Trio]]
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|-
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|[[Arthur Weasley]]
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| Secret Keeper for [[Muriel's house|Aunt Muriel's House]]
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|-
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|[[William Weasley|Bill Weasley]]
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|Secret Keeper for [[Shell Cottage]]
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|}
   
 
==Behind the scenes==
 
==Behind the scenes==
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* [[Severus Snape]] once said that when a Secret-Keeper tells someone the secret, this person is bound by the [[Fidelius Charm]] and cannot tell anyone else.<ref name="HBP"/> However, [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]] was able to tell [[Dobby]] where [[Shell Cottage]] was, despite the fact that it was under the Fidelius Charm, with [[William Weasley|Bill Weasley]] as the Secret-Keeper<ref name="DH"/>. Possible explanations for the discrepancy are that Ron himself was also a Secret-Keeper, that house-elves such as Dobby have ways around magic protection and concealment, or that the Fidelius Charm was not yet in effect at that time. It is also possible that since an elf's highest law is its master's bidding, Dobby was not bound by the charm.
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*If the Secret Keeper divulges their secret, those he or she informs are also bound by the [[Fidelius Charm]] and therefore cannot tell anyone else.<ref name="PM" /><ref name="HBP" /> Despite this, [[Ronald Weasley]] was able to tell [[Dobby]] the [[house-elf]] where [[Shell Cottage]] was, despite the fact that it was under the Fidelius Charm, with [[William Weasley]] as Secret Keeper.<ref name="DH" /> It is possible that Ron himself was also a Secret Keeper, or that house-elves have ways around such ancient charms that are, after all, not without their flaws, and that he was not bound by the charm since it was his master's bidding for him to go there. Also, the Fidelius Charm could have been cast after the trio and Dobby arrived, since Bill states that he had to place Shell Cottage under the charm after Dobby's funeral.
* It is unknown if coercion such as [[Veritaserum]] or the [[Imperius Curse]] would reveal the location that the Secret-Keeper is holding, or if the Keeper has to reveal it willingly.
 
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*Rowling once stated that, should the Secret Keeper die, anyone who knew the secret would be permanently unable to pass it on.<ref name="JKR">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110709064423/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_poll.cfm FAQ on Rowling's official site]</ref> Obviously, this is no longer the case.
* It is unknown how Harry Potter and Hermione Granger found the [[Potters' Cottage]], as Pettigrew was still the Secret Keeper, and he did not tell either of them the house's whereabouts. However, as it was uninhabited and became a memorial, it is likely that Dumbledore lifted the Fidelius Charm after the deaths of the Potters.
 
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*It is not clear how [[Harry Potter]], [[Hermione Granger]], or the numerous visitors paying their respects in the years following the murder of [[James Potter I|James]] and [[Lily J. Potter|Lily Potter]] were able to see the [[Potter cottage]] as the Secret Keeper, [[Peter Pettigrew]] was alive at the time, but he had betrayed their secret and they died, so their secret no longer needed to be kept.
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
*''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]''
 
   
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*{{POA}} {{1st}}
==Notes and references==
 
{{reflist}}
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*{{OOTP}}
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*{{DH}}
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*{{PM}}
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*{{WW}}
   
 
==Notes and references==
  +
{{Reflist}}
 
[[de:Geheimniswahrer]]
 
[[de:Geheimniswahrer]]
 
[[fi:Salaisuudenhaltija]]
 
[[fi:Salaisuudenhaltija]]
 
[[fr:Gardien du Secret]]
 
[[fr:Gardien du Secret]]
 
[[it:Custode Segreto]]
 
[[it:Custode Segreto]]
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[[pl:Strażnik Tajemnicy]]
[[Category:Magic]]
 
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[[ja:秘密の守人]]
[[Category:Charms]]
 
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[[pt-br:Fiel do Segredo]]
[[Category:Magical contracts]]
 
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[[ru:Хранитель Тайны]]
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[[Category:Attack at Godric's Hollow (1981)]]
 
[[Category:Secret-Keepers]]
 
[[Category:Secret-Keepers]]

Latest revision as of 21:44, 17 June 2023

"In other words, a secret (e.g., the location of a family in hiding, like the Potters) is enchanted so that it is protected by a single Keeper (in our example, Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail). Thenceforth nobody else — not even the subjects of the secret themselves — can divulge the secret."
— The natue of Secret Keepers[src]
Wormtail DH1

Peter Pettigrew, The Potter's Secret Keeper

The Secret Keeper was the witch or wizard designated to hide a secret by means of the Fidelius Charm. The secret was embedded in their very soul. Once a Secret Keeper was selected, the person who told them the secret would find themselves unable to pass the information on again, as the Secret Keeper was the only one capable of revealing the secret, whether orally or written.[1]

The Secret Keeper could tell as many people as they liked, but they must do so voluntarily. The secret couldn't be blackmailed, bewitched, or tortured out of them.

History

First Wizarding War

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it... I thought it was the perfect plan... a bluff... Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."
— Sirius Black regarding the Potter's secret keeper[src]

Originally meant to be the Secret Keeper for James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black thought Voldemort was on to him (he thought that Remus Lupin was a spy). He therefore passed on the role of Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew. Albus Dumbledore originally offered to be the Potters' Secret Keeper, but the couple refused on trust of their friends. Pettigrew was then the new Secret Keeper for James and Lily Potter after they went into hiding during the First Wizarding War with their infant son Harry, keeping their whereabouts in Godric's Hollow a secret. However, Pettigrew was secretly a traitor to the Order of the Phoenix. He informed Lord Voldemort of the Potters' location, resulting in the murders of James and Lily and Voldemort's first defeat when the Killing Curse rebounded from Harry.

Sirius Black was later believed to have murdered Pettigrew and twelve bystanding Muggles in front of more than fifty eyewitnesses, when really Pettigrew had killed them himself and went into his Animagus form to flee the scene, leaving behind his severed index finger. Caught at the scene of the crime, Black was thus blamed for the betrayal of the Potters (not knowing that Pettigrew had really been the betrayer) and imprisoned in Azkaban for it without a trial.

He escaped twelve years later using what was believed to be a trick Voldemort taught him that made Black and his insanity unaffected by the Dementors' depressing aura, when really Black had maintained his sanity due to the knowledge of his innocence since incarceration (a non-happy thought that the Dementors could not take) and went into his Animagus form to slip through his cell door while the Dementors were bringing in his food, swimming across the North Sea after seeing a picture of Pettigrew still in his animal disguise of "Scabbers", the pet rat of Harry's best friend at Hogwarts Ron Weasley, on a copy of the Daily Prophet given to him by then-Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.[2]

Second Wizarding War

"Dumbledore’s Secret-Keeper for the Order, you know — nobody can find headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is — that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore."
— Sirius Black explains that the Filelius Charm protects 12 Grimmauld Place[src]

Albus Dumbledore was the Secret Keeper for 12 Grimmauld Place, the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, until he died in 1997,[3] thus making all the members of the Order, along with the trio the succeeding Secret Keepers. This forced the Order to abandon it, as they erroneously believed Severus Snape to be a traitor and he knew the location. Later, the trio returned to the house (accepting the risk of a visit from Snape) until they infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, where afterward Yaxley grabbed Hermione as the trio Apparated to 12 Grimmauld Place to escape. They then considered the location permanently compromised.[4]

In 1997 and 1998, the Order of the Phoenix used many safe houses, including Aunt Muriel's House and Shell Cottage, all of which were under the Fidelius Charm and maintained by various Secret Keepers.[5]

Dangers

Being a Secret Keeper was a very dangerous position to be in; although it was impossible to bewitch or torture the information out of the Secret Keeper, many had in the past been subjected to the Imperius and Cruciatus Curses in others' attempts to find the secret.[1] It was such a serious and binding enchantment that few would undertake it lightly.

If a Secret Keeper died, all the people already aware of the secret information became Secret Keepers.[4] This would, unfortunately, dilute the effect greatly as more people could pass the information at will.

Known Secret Keepers

Wizard(s) Notes
Peter Pettigrew Secret Keeper for James and Lily Potter.
Albus Dumbledore Secret Keeper for 12 Grimmauld Place.[3]
Order of the Phoenix
Trio
Arthur Weasley Secret Keeper for Aunt Muriel's House
Bill Weasley Secret Keeper for Shell Cottage

Behind the scenes

  • If the Secret Keeper divulges their secret, those he or she informs are also bound by the Fidelius Charm and therefore cannot tell anyone else.[1][3] Despite this, Ronald Weasley was able to tell Dobby the house-elf where Shell Cottage was, despite the fact that it was under the Fidelius Charm, with William Weasley as Secret Keeper.[4] It is possible that Ron himself was also a Secret Keeper, or that house-elves have ways around such ancient charms that are, after all, not without their flaws, and that he was not bound by the charm since it was his master's bidding for him to go there. Also, the Fidelius Charm could have been cast after the trio and Dobby arrived, since Bill states that he had to place Shell Cottage under the charm after Dobby's funeral.
  • Rowling once stated that, should the Secret Keeper die, anyone who knew the secret would be permanently unable to pass it on.[6] Obviously, this is no longer the case.
  • It is not clear how Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, or the numerous visitors paying their respects in the years following the murder of James and Lily Potter were able to see the Potter cottage as the Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew was alive at the time, but he had betrayed their secret and they died, so their secret no longer needed to be kept.

Appearances

Notes and references