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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?
> Read the full articlePages: << < 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 > >> Reader Comments: (Page 64) I don't think this is possible. James nor dumbledore are capable of making a horcrux, they just aren't that kind of people. Posted by Nadège from Oostende, Belgium on June 12, 2007 10:59 AM
I think Dumbledore had James's cloak because he was using it to hide someone else. Many people think there was someone else there the night harry's parents d. Posted by Erica from jupiter, FL on June 14, 2007 09:21 AM
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Albus Dumbeldore was aware of horcruxes during Tom Riddle's time at Hogwarts, and actively banned the study. So he knew of this dark magic even before Tom Riddle started the practice, maybe it was Albus himself who inadvertently gave Tom Riddle the Idea, by doing to much to squelch its learning. Tom could ask himself "What is it that albus so desperately DOESNT want us to learn and why..." the best way to get a child to do something, is to tell them NOT to do it.
With that said I dont feel the cloak is anything more than a rare cloak. Something not many people have. A VALUED, RARE possession from one's FATHER has significance in real life, and I would imagine could take on PROTECTIVE properties without any prior spell casting, just the act of a son keeping a father's possesion could provide some form of protection.
I feel that when the potters went into hiding, their 'mission' or whatever they were doing actively for the order of the phoenix was 'put on hold' or possibly given to someone else. Maybe the potters were spying on eaters/Voldemort via use of the cloak, and when they went into hiding, James gave the cloak to Albus so that it could still be used for information gathering purposes by someone who wasnt in hiding. So then when James and Lily d, Albus would still have the cloak, and could 'return' it to its rightful owner.
Also Albus had the cloak a rather long time, and he is a powerful wizard, it makes sense to me that he could not only learn how to 'see' it or 'through' it in that time.
I dont think it holds any significance other than being the only possession harry has of his fathers, whom Harry desperately loves, and it provides a 'connection' to his father that would amplify the effects of the 'love' protections Harry already enjoys. Posted by landshark from socorro, nm on June 17, 2007 01:09 AM
I don't think the cloak was a horcrux for anyone, especially James or Dumbledore. Creating a horcrux is supposed to be an extremely dark form of magic so of course neither James nor Dumbledore would ever do that.
My guess was that Dumbledore was hiding someone under the cloak, like the person above me said. Snape? Sirius? Posted by Kate from US on June 17, 2007 08:41 AM
Many of you say it is impossible for the cloak to be James' horcrux. But if you remember, it said that Harry's parents had thrice defied Voldemort. It doesn't give us details, but there is always the possibility that James might have ed one of Voldemorts followers-or even Lily. I know I wouldn't hesitate to a Dark Lord follower or even a Eater, especially if it was out of self-defense or a loved ones saftey-like Harry. Posted by Tessa from Alpine, Utah on June 17, 2007 12:00 PM
James DID NOT make a horcrux, in GOF harry sees both of his parents and as dumbledore points out, that was because Voldemorts wand showed the last people he ed. If James had a horcrux, he would not have d, and he would not have come out of Voldemorts wand. Posted by Jake from austin on June 17, 2007 3:00 PM
Interesting theory! We don't know very much about James, therefore, who knows? However, I think it more likely to be one of two things, 1) it hid someone that night (although Dumbledore says James left it in his possesion, not that it ended up with him, and its unlikely Dumbledore was there), or 2) that it is needed to get into Godric's Hollow. Posted by kylie from Australia on June 17, 2007 7:25 PM
landshark;
The 3rd paragraph of your previous comment is super significant, at least how I see it. You make mention of the cloak being used as part of a "mission". What if the first Order of the Phoenix was also using invisibility cloaks to do "Guard Duty" over the copy of the prophesy in the Ministry of Magic? That would explain why they felt it was necessary to guard it as part of the re-forming of the order. This would be a simple way to explain why Dumbledore said the cloak had been left in his possesion, James had lent it to Dumbledore to do guard duty. Dumbledore hadn't figured out how to become invisible without a cloak yet. Great idea and clue catch! Posted by Dave Porter from New Mexico on June 17, 2007 9:30 PM
Harry was under the invisibility cloak the night of his parent's . A 17 year old Harry, he time travels some how, (not by time turner); when he gets to Godric's Hollow maybe on Halloween or the solstice.
That's why Dumbledore had James's cloak. He had to give it to Harry so he could go to the past and save himself from Voldemort just like he did from the Dementors. His mother's love wasn't the only thing that could save him, why would the Avada Kedavra curse just bounce off him.
Harry is the only person who can defeat Voldemort. Why else would Harry instinctively know how to Tom Riddle's diary unless he had already done it, or had dreams about Sirus's motor bike, or anything else extraordinary about him. Posted by emily c. from cincinnati on June 18, 2007 02:39 AM
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I think the whole cloak-horcrux line of thinking misses the point of JKRs implication. She said that this is a question that we (as readers) should have asked and didn't. That means that it points to a specific piece of information in the plot. (This is similar to the clue that some of us got in OOtP when Dumbledore refered to the one who overheard (half) the prophesy, as, "a eater". It was clearly a clue; an astute reader, should have asked, "which eater?" And, the answer to the question would open a key to a major plot point concerning Snape's role in the Godric's Hollow incident and in his remorse.)
Similarly, the answer to the cloak question not be some clever piece of magic or indiscriminate piece of the horcrux puzzle, but an important clue about some aspect of the underpinnings of what has really gone on. A plot/theme touchstone.
The reason Dumbledore had James' cloak was that he was lending it to Petunia to visit the Potters. I know, I know...she hated them and she hated magic. But, either for the same reason that she begrudgingly took in Harry or maybe because of something else entirely different that we don't yet know of (...maybe to do with that "creaky step" in Privet Drive) Petunia knew more than she let on to Vernon. Thats why dumbledore's howler said "remember my last" It meant that there had been other correspondences..
So, this may mean that petunia had been to godric's hollow and so, may have information (horcrux, RAB, etc) that help harry in his quest.
I considered that she might have actually been at Godric's hollow when voldemort ed lily and james, but in the introductory chapter of sorcerer's stone she is described as either chatting or gossiping happily on the phone. Clearly she had not known at that point, that her sister had been ed. However, her reaction to vernon, when he asked if she'd heard from her sister, does fit with, perhaps, her being horrified that he might find out that she'd been secretly visiting the Potter's. (Remember, that even though she speaks as having hated her sister, she also sounds like she had been jealous, "Oh it was always Lily this and Lily that..." I don't know but its the only reason I can think of that JKR would ask why Dumbledore had the cloak...Think about it! Jealousy is ENVY. Envy implies to desire to have the same!)
This theory would also explain Jo's assertion that, while petunia is not a witch or a squib, There is more to her than meets the eye. She is simply a muggle...yes...but she has USED a magical item. Posted by leah from new york on June 18, 2007 04:32 AM
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I think the whole cloak-horcrux line of thinking misses the point of JKRs implication. She said that this is a question that we (as readers) should have asked and didn't. That means that it points to a specific piece of information in the plot. (This is similar to the clue that some of us got in OOtP when Dumbledore refered to the one who overheard (half) the prophesy, as, "a eater". It was clearly a clue; an astute reader, should have asked, "which eater?" And, the answer to the question would open a key to a major plot point concerning Snape's role in the Godric's Hollow incident and in his remorse.)
Similarly, the answer to the cloak question not be some clever piece of magic or indiscriminate piece of the horcrux puzzle, but an important clue about some aspect of the underpinnings of what has really gone on. A plot/theme touchstone.
The reason Dumbledore had James' cloak was that he was lending it to Petunia to visit the Potters. I know, I know...she hated them and she hated magic. But, either for the same reason that she begrudgingly took in Harry or maybe because of something else entirely different that we don't yet know of (...maybe to do with that "creaky step" in Privet Drive) Petunia knew more than she let on to Vernon. Thats why dumbledore's howler said "remember my last" It meant that there had been other correspondences..
So, this may mean that petunia had been to godric's hollow and so, may have information (horcrux, RAB, etc) that help harry in his quest.
I considered that she might have actually been at Godric's hollow when voldemort ed lily and james, but in the introductory chapter of sorcerer's stone she is described as either chatting or gossiping happily on the phone. Clearly she had not known at that point, that her sister had been ed. However, her reaction to vernon, when he asked if she'd heard from her sister, does fit with, perhaps, her being horrified that he might find out that she'd been secretly visiting the Potter's. (Remember, that even though she speaks as having hated her sister, she also sounds like she had been jealous, "Oh it was always Lily this and Lily that..." I don't know but its the only reason I can think of that JKR would ask why Dumbledore had the cloak...Think about it! Jealousy is ENVY. Envy implies to desire to have the same!)
This theory would also explain Jo's assertion that, while petunia is not a witch or a squib, There is more to her than meets the eye. She is simply a muggle...yes...but she has USED a magical item. Posted by leah from new york on June 18, 2007 04:32 AM
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landshark - Armando Dippett was the headmaster at Hogwarts when Tom went to school; Albus would not have a say in weather it was banned or not. I took this to mean there were previous headmasters/mistresses who also knew about them and banned the subject before Albus became headmaster. But I do agree that he was aware, as Horace said "Dumbledore's particularly fierce about it." In fact I agree with everything else you said.
Reading Tessa's comment reminded me of a theory I came up with a long time ago and have since abandoned since Jo corrected the Priori Incantatum spell in Goblet of Fire. The theory went something like: Voldemort either possesses or places the Imperius Curse on James and forces him to Lily, and the "Stand aside silly girl" line was actually delivered by James while in this state. I don't think this is the case, because of the aforementioned correction and because it's a bit too dark for Harry Potter, but there is always that possibility that something like that happened. Posted by Monkeeshrines from orlando fl on June 18, 2007 08:25 AM
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