Chapter Three: In Which Secrets Are Divulged
"An immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find — unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"
When Harry got back to the castle, the first thing he did was to visit someone.
"Professor Dumbledore, I have a question for you," said Harry, while sitting in the Headmaster's office.
"Yes m'boy! Ask your question!" said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling merrily.
"I recently learned that my parents were protected under the Fidelius Charm. And that they were betrayed by the one who they trusted most, Sirius Black?"
"Er — where did you hear that, Harry?"
"Uh — I sneaked to Hogsmeade under my Invisibility Cloak and through a secret passage. The Minister, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid were discussing the attack at Halloween and they talked about the Fidelius," admitted Harry.
"That wasn't exactly the use I intended for the Cloak to be put up to. But we should turn to the topic at hand. What you heard is true, Harry."
"Oh."
"I promised you the answer to a question of yours, Harry. Was that the one?"
"No, actually. Why weren't my parents their own Secret Keeper? Why did they need to make someone else? Voldemort would never be able to find them unless they betrayed themselves!"
There was a long silence.
"Also, if the Fidelius Charm is real, then why didn't you keep me with someone like the Weasleys and put up a Fidelius to protect me? Why bother with the blood protection?"
There was another silence.
"The Dursleys are horrible to me, and you knew that, sir. Why was it necessary at all?"
"I made a mistake, Harry. One that I will now regret for the rest of my life. I — if you would forgive me for my lack of modesty — am intelligent, Harry. Perhaps more than any other wizard alive. That is why so many people turn to me for advice. I work on very large scales, thus my mistakes are correspondingly higher. I did not consider the possibility of James being his own Secret Keeper. I also did not consider a Fidelius to protect you from Voldemort's supporters. I failed, in my job to protect you."
He looked very old in that moment.
"It's ok, Professor. I forgive you. You have nothing to regret. . . ."
"If only that were true, Harry, if only . . ."
A lot of things happened in the following summer; Harry settled in with the Weasleys, now protected by the Fidelius. In a weird twist of fate, Dumbledore was unable to be the Secret Keeper because he didn't trust himself. So Harry became the Secret Keeper for the Burrow, because Dumbledore trusted him more than anyone.
The Weasleys didn't mind at all, they loved Harry like their own family. Harry insisted on paying for his upkeep, though, and promptly declared Arthur Weasley the trustee for his vault. Arthur never took advantage of his trust, and was the father Harry had never had. The quality of life dramatically improved for the Weasleys, and Ron didn't have to go to the Yule Ball with second hand robes.
'Dumbledore's man through and through' was never more true for Harry. . . .
AN: Bill Weasley was the Secret Keeper for Shell Cottage in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where he lived. You can be your own Secret Keeper!