#(yay legilimency potential)

[metalomagnetic]

First of all, yay for Whiskers. We could have done without gut-wrenching return to the cabin part though (that’s a lie, hurt me more I like it).

I have a thought/note/question/ramble… on the Fidelius. I’m obviously not here to HC-police but it was made quite clear through the text and responses to comments that you subscribe to the idea that the Secret can be obtained through torture when it’s (Pottermore) canon that it can only be willingly given away (big asterisk on the “willingly” though, because it seems like threats don’t count as coercion).

I’ve always liked the latter option as it made the most sense with respect to the Keeper switch in the books yet I can obviously see why the Cruciatus being on the table ups the drama potential in It Runs. I guess what I’m trying to say is how do you imagine the different route the story would have to take if the Secret couldn’t be tortured out of someone? I feel like it could go either so much worse or better.

It's been some time since I read the books, but I don't think in the books is mentioned anywhere that it can't be obtained through coercion.

However, I found on wiki that:  "methods of magical coercion such as Veritaserum, Legilimency, the Cruciatus Curse, or the Imperius Curse had no effect on the charm." This is not in the books, thought!

However, if someone is tortured through non magical means, or threatened, I think they might become willing to share the secret.

It's not as if you can take it out by using the Cruciatus until the victim becomes mad with pain, mind broken, and they say it like that, unaware of what they are doing.

No, someone that is tortured but remains sane and aware, can willingly choose to divulge it.

That is my interpretation of it. If there is a choice, then it is a willing action. Sure, the other choice would be to die if you don't tell Voldemort what he wants, but it is still a choice you willingly make, at the end of the day. You choose your life and comfort over the Secret.

Otherwise I don't know why Sirius would have bothered to hide in the books, why it was assumed Voldemort would go after him because he was the Secret Keeper. Why would Voldemort want to get his hands on Sirius, the Secret Keeper, if the Keeper can't be tortured, coerced or made in any way to divulge it? But everyone was under the assumption Voldemort would go after Sirius, and thus they switched, because Sirius was too obvious of a choice.

So it is possible for Voldemort to get the Secret out of someone, by some means, surely. Otherwise Sirius would have been the Secret Keeper and that's that, if there was no danger of the Secret being forced out of him. The point was that he becomes a target by pretending he is the Keeper, so that Peter won't ever be suspected, won't ever have Voldemort after him. Thus, the need to protect Peter implies there is a way to get the secret out of the Keeper.

Does that make sense?