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Why did Dumbledore have James' cloak?

by David Haber

On a new post on her official web site, J.K. Rowling admitted she made a mistake in New York when she was asked, what question have you never been asked that you ought to have been asked? She now says the question should have been, Why did Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak at the time of James' death, given that Dumbledore could make himself invisible without a cloak?

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Reader Comments: (Page 62)

If it had been a relic of Gryffindor and been passed down to James, wouldn't Voldemort had to say James' parents to get hold of the cloak? Because I'm sure that James and his parents wouldn't have given it to him ingly. Also we have evidence that James' parents were still alive after James left Hogwarts, because if I'm right it says the Potter's took Sirius in after he left Hogwarts in OOTP. Also Harry's great-grandparents would be too old. Dumbledore protected it and gave it to Harry, there is no way, unless Dumbledore is a traitor, which I Seriously doubt, and given the cloak to Voldemort who then turned it into a Horcrux and then gave it back to Dumbledore, it could not be a Horcrux. Also wouldn't Voldemort not want his Horcruxes right by Harry's side?

Posted by Katherine from Southend, England on May 29, 2007 08:27 AM

I don't believe that the cloak is a horcrux! You have to someone to make a horcrux, and isn't it really dark magic? That's why Dumbledore doesn't want it mentioned at Hogwarts. It's a really dark branch of magic. I don't think any of them are that evil.

Posted by Tazkia from England on May 29, 2007 11:04 AM

I agree with Tazkia from England, Horcruxes are Dark Magic, and therefore the person wanting to make a Horcrux would have to have some knowledge of that branch of magic. It is possible, but not very likely that the cloak is a Horcrux.

Posted by Rashida from UK on May 31, 2007 6:43 PM

But if it was a horcrux, wouldn't we have already known? The diary functioned like a horcrux, but the cloak only made harry invisible. It doesn't act like it has someones soul in it.

Posted by Claudia on June 2, 2007 06:12 AM

Okay, the theories about the invisibility cloak is a relic of Godric Gryffindor seems promising. But I don't get the idea of James giving the cloak to Dumbledore cause it might be used as a Horcrux. They weren't even sure that Lord Voldemort was really after that cloak when James, Lily and Harry went into hiding. They knew they might be one of the Dark Lord's target when Dumbledore warned them that's why they went into hiding. Besides, Dumbledore only had proven that Voldemort may have really have Horcruxes when he discovered about the diary in Book 2. So my point is, the cloak is really not the Dark Lord's interest when he went to Godric's Hollow cause he just wanted to fulfill what he knew from the prophecy after all.

But I love the idea of the cloak's the only way to get to Godric's Hollow. So if Godric's Hollow is a village, and the only way to get there is to use invisibility cloak, so all the people who lived there had invisibility cloaks also, or there's some sort of trick that you have to be invisible to reach that place?

Posted by NicoRobin from Manila on June 2, 2007 10:43 AM

It has been said in these comments many times that a wizard probably had to put a lot of thought and preparation into making a horcrux before ing someone. But Dumbledore says that when Voldemort ed the muggle with Nagini, it 'occured to him' to make her a horcrux. Not that 'he had planned all along to make her a horcrux and therefore took all the necessary preparations.' Dumbledore makes it pretty clear that a horcrux can be made as a spur-of-the-moment decision, or at least the a powerful Dark wizard could make one as such.

Posted by Dan from Ohio on June 2, 2007 12:05 PM

i think the only way the cloak can be a horcrux is if when godric gryffindor and salazar slytherin had their disagreement (explained in the chamber of secrets) gryffindor ed slytherin.

Posted by rob from japan, oakland on June 3, 2007 4:11 PM

NicoRobin: there are other ways to go to Godric Hollows (the village), because Hagrid met Sirius there, and it's not possible that both had the cloak. But the cloak can be a portkey to get inside the Potter's house. In fact, we know very few things about what really happened that night. Only Harry's flashes of memory, Dumbledore's testimony (what does he know and how?), Voldemort's testimony (is he reliable?) and what Hagrid saw: Harry lying among the ruins of the house. Was it the real Potter's house? Was it really in ruins or did Lily and James make their house appear as ruins when they produced the Fidelius Charm? How could Harry be visible, if he was included in the Fidelius and still in the house?

And, now that Dumbledore is , who is going to tell us about what really happened?

If the ruins are fake, and the house still exists, and if the cloak is a portkey (or an element in a complex portkey), then Harry could use it to get inside the Potter's house and obtain capital knowledge. There should be some portraits inside the house (Harry's grandparents weren't well-known wizards, they wouldn't have their portaits anywhere else than inside the house) and those portaits could have witnessed the whole scene.

Posted by herve from strasbourg on June 4, 2007 12:19 AM

I have a different thought about the cloak.
Previously I thought someone in the Order (probably Snape) had been using the cloak to spy on Voldemort and the Eaters. But what if James wanted a witness in case the worst happened and Voldemort found them and attacked?
The person using the cloak would provide a memory for the pensieve. Harry might find this memory and in this way answer all questions about that night in Godric's Hollow.

Posted by Patty from Quincy MA on June 4, 2007 5:50 PM

Herve: Yeah I know that Sirius and Hagrid also got there and that's where Hagrid got that awesome flying motorcycle from Sirius. I wonder where is it now, I would love to own one.

Posted by NicoRobin from Manila on June 4, 2007 11:05 PM

I remember Order Of The Pheonix that when they are in dumbledore's office discussing Umbridges discovery of Dumbledore's Army, could that have not been Dumbledore at the time, possibly Aberforth? Because Harry says that he swore that he felt an invisible force slighty move against him. Dumbledore doesn't need a cloak to become Invisible...

Posted by Kevin Reilly from Arlington Heights, IL on June 5, 2007 07:07 AM

I think Dumbledore had James's cloak because without it, Harry would not have been able to do most of the things he does both at Hogwarts and outside that are "extra-curricular". He wouldn't have been able to wander Hogwarts freely at night, he wouldn't have been able to get out to see Hagrid easily etc etc. In all Harry's adventures, the invisibility cloak is used in some way. James would have known how useful it was because he himself used it as a marauder at Hogwarts, and presumably also after he left. If James and Dumbledore had a long term plan to do with preparing Harry for his role in fulfilling the prophecy and growing up to be the one to ultimately defeat Voldemort the cloak would have been integral and James would have wanted to make sure that Harry had it while he was growing up. Hence he left it with Dumbledore.
Dumbledore also had the key to James and Lily's bank vault...if Hagrid didn't merely find it in the ruins, then James and Lily must have given it to Dumbledore in advance of their s

Posted by Joe from England on June 5, 2007 3:05 PM

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