I don't think Dumbledore could have found out anything important, since he did not visit Godric's Hollow that day. He sent Hagrid to pick up Harry, the only survivor and witness.
Well, he did already know that Severus had asked Voldemort to spare Lily, and that that Voldemort had killed her anyway. Dumbledore could at least have a hypothesis, particularly if sacrificial magic is an area of magic that he's knowledgeable about.
I don't know that visiting Godric's Hollow would necessarily make a difference, in any case. Was there anything in particular to be learned there?
How I'm wondering whether Dumbledore didn't really *know* what happened at Godric's Hollow until the end of book 1, when it turned out that Quirrelmort couldn't touch Harry for some reason. Maybe he didn't actually work it out until then. What information did he gain, or might he have gained, between the Potters' deaths and Harry's arrival at Hogwarts?
He might have been sincere in wanting to give Harry to the Dursleys, so that he would be protected from all his fame until he's older. Later, when he found out about the blood protection, he might have decided to keep Harry at the Dursleys, even though they were clearly abusive.
True. I suppose it isn't odd that he wouldn't tell Harry later how his reasons changed, since he wouldn't want to look less than omniscient. He has an image to maintain, after all.
Still, I don't really find the "protect Harry from his fame" argument to be very convincing. First, Dumbledore does *nothing* to "protect" Harry from his fame once he gets to Hogwarts, or even in his first trip to Diagon Alley. It makes it look like Dumbledore just wanted to contrast the WW, full of people who admire Harry, with the Muggle world, which isn't. Even if Dumbledore didn't know what the Dursleys would be like, he knew that the Muggle world obviously wouldn't admire Harry as a celebrity.
Second... how did Harry get to be a celebrity -- how did everyone know who to credit with Voldemort's downfall? Terri pointed out to me that within 12 hours, everyone had decided that Voldemort's disappearance is all about *Harry*, rather than the result of something that James or Lily did. In fact, it wasn't Harry at all; it was Lily. Would everyone in the WW really have unanimously decided, that quickly, that it was all about Harry unless someone had gotten people thinking in that direction?
Maybe they would have.
But it does seem reasonable to think that Dumbledore might have spread that idea himself. The only other people who would have had enough information would have been members of the Order, and probably not *everyone* in the Order. Severus would have had as much information as Dumbledore, I would think, but he probably would *not* have either come to that conclusion or have been busy spreading gossip. Sirius and Peter would have had enough info, but they were busy tracking/setting up the other. Remus probably would have had the time and the information. (shrug)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-09-14 10:16 pm (UTC)Well, he did already know that Severus had asked Voldemort to spare Lily, and that that Voldemort had killed her anyway. Dumbledore could at least have a hypothesis, particularly if sacrificial magic is an area of magic that he's knowledgeable about.
I don't know that visiting Godric's Hollow would necessarily make a difference, in any case. Was there anything in particular to be learned there?
How I'm wondering whether Dumbledore didn't really *know* what happened at Godric's Hollow until the end of book 1, when it turned out that Quirrelmort couldn't touch Harry for some reason. Maybe he didn't actually work it out until then. What information did he gain, or might he have gained, between the Potters' deaths and Harry's arrival at Hogwarts?
He might have been sincere in wanting to give Harry to the Dursleys, so that he would be protected from all his fame until he's older. Later, when he found out about the blood protection, he might have decided to keep Harry at the Dursleys, even though they were clearly abusive.
True. I suppose it isn't odd that he wouldn't tell Harry later how his reasons changed, since he wouldn't want to look less than omniscient. He has an image to maintain, after all.
Still, I don't really find the "protect Harry from his fame" argument to be very convincing. First, Dumbledore does *nothing* to "protect" Harry from his fame once he gets to Hogwarts, or even in his first trip to Diagon Alley. It makes it look like Dumbledore just wanted to contrast the WW, full of people who admire Harry, with the Muggle world, which isn't. Even if Dumbledore didn't know what the Dursleys would be like, he knew that the Muggle world obviously wouldn't admire Harry as a celebrity.
Second... how did Harry get to be a celebrity -- how did everyone know who to credit with Voldemort's downfall? Terri pointed out to me that within 12 hours, everyone had decided that Voldemort's disappearance is all about *Harry*, rather than the result of something that James or Lily did. In fact, it wasn't Harry at all; it was Lily. Would everyone in the WW really have unanimously decided, that quickly, that it was all about Harry unless someone had gotten people thinking in that direction?
Maybe they would have.
But it does seem reasonable to think that Dumbledore might have spread that idea himself. The only other people who would have had enough information would have been members of the Order, and probably not *everyone* in the Order. Severus would have had as much information as Dumbledore, I would think, but he probably would *not* have either come to that conclusion or have been busy spreading gossip. Sirius and Peter would have had enough info, but they were busy tracking/setting up the other. Remus probably would have had the time and the information. (shrug)