The REAL Reason Dumbledore Borrowed the Cloak of Invisibility - Harry Potter Theory

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re going to be discussing Dumbledore, the Potter’s, and the fabled Invisibility Cloak. Specifically, we’re going to be taking a look at the events of the time period surrounding the Potter’s murder, and why on earth Dumbledore chose to ‘borrow’ an item of such great protection when the Potter family’s lives were in imminent danger. If the cloak is so powerful that even death can't find you, wouldn't it be more useful in the hands of people who are hiding from the most powerful dark wizard to have ever lived?

Let’s dive in.

The Invisibility Cloak is a powerful magical artefact that once belonged to Ignotus Peverell- the youngest brother from the ‘tale of three brothers’- a story outlining the origin of each Deathly Hallow.

The plot surrounds the three wizard brothers and their ability to cheat death for a short period of time. After conquering death, a personification of death, under the guise of congratulating them, awards them with 3 gifts: The elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the invisibility cloak. Long story short, each brother chose one of the gifts that death had presented them. Ignotus (the youngest) chose the invisibility cloak.

All 3 of these objects are massively instrumental in the Harry Potter story- and while the elder wand is a huge plot driver, the invisibility cloak definitely ended up being the most useful hallow for Harry- which is interesting, because it was indirectly handed down to him by his father. After James’s death, it was kept safe until Harry was old enough to appreciate it, at which point Dumbledore anonymously gifted the cloak to Harry in the Philosopher’s Stone.

But..Why did Dumbledore have this Potter family artifact?

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[Silver_Girl]

I think, if you ever desired the hallows-- as Dumbledore did-- they would always call to you and tempt you to do irrational things, just to have them. Especially if you actually saw one: something similar to the situation between Ron and the locket Horcrux.

[noishpa]

I think Dumbledore had no idea peter pettigrew was the traitor and would betray the Potters, nor when he would do so. He borough the cloak to learn more about it's abilities. the fedelius charm was adequate protection for the Potters had there not been a traitor. I'm sure he intended to return it but after the attack on the Potters he protected the artifact until he could bequeath it to Harry.

[gagamonster]

Another idea is possibly Dumbledore figured the prophecy would come to pass regardless of what protection the Potter's had. So he may have taken the cloak to keep a powerful weapon out of Voldemort's hands, which also hides any proof of the hallows from Voldemort.

[alam]

The theory that Dumbledore borrowed the cloak to leave Potters more exposed doesn't make sense. Not because Dumbledore couldn't do evil things - he definetely could and would if neccessary. But he was the only one in Order of the Phoenix, who knew about the prophecy. If he really wanted to leave Potters more vulnerable and exposed so the prophecy comes true, he wouldn't even tell them that they're targeted by Voldemort and wouldn't advice them to go into hiding. They only did it, because he warned them.

[ginnyjollykidd]

You just said James had shown Dumbledore the cloak mere days before he went into hiding. Of course the cloak attracted Dumbledore. And he probably did ask to borrow it out of curiosity and fascination for the Hallows. James himself may have readily said yes, himself not thinking whether it could protect his family or not. I think it was as much James's inadvertent gestures as Dumbledore's.

Indeed, Dumbledore made some egregious mistakes: making a blood pact, borrowing the cloak, not telling Harry the whole story of him and Voldemort, and maybe a few more of canon.

Personally, I don't think the cloak would have helped a whole lot. It would not have kept Harry quiet. It would not have kept Voldemort from doing any magic on them. Indeed, all one needs is to rain down, say, a bag of flour on them to expose them.

However, it also boils down to whether Voldemort would have bothered to learn about the invisibility cloak and resurrection stone. Dumbledore thinks he didn't because he might not have turned it into a horcrux. But maybe that didn't mean anything to Tom.

And Voldemort could have surmised that such a talented witch and wizard might be able to use the disillusionment charm, and the cloak could protect Harry. But they could disillusion Harry, too, as Madeye did.

Still, even without the cloak, Voldemort would know the Potters would have to be in the house. All he had to do was stay at the door and cast a revelio spell, and they would be there. Or even use the thoroughly muggle-style gesture of throwing powder of some sort everywhere.

If they disapparated after they were revealed, I think Voldemort could have held on to them like Yaxley did with Hermione at the Ministry to Grimmauld Place travel.

(BTW: did you catch that Grimmauld Place was a "grim old place?")

[jerrychen]

Dumbledore admitted that he failed to resist the temptation of the deathly hallow, a.k.a. authority, while he was young, so he outcast himself at Hogwarz(where he did quite good), to learn humble and deal with the guilt of his sister's death.
After he gave up so many year, stop trying to find the hallow, and some of the day, it just pop out right under his nose, and this time he still can not resist it's temptation, I mean after he lost so many thing, his parent, his sister, and his younger brother's trust, how could he let it go? but this time is not for thirst of authority, but seek of internal peace.
And he gave it back to Harry at volume one. The fact that he put on the ring say it all.

[RoadRage]

He may have borrowed it to deny James access to it with the thought that it would keep him at home and therefore safer.

[Raptorrex]

Most likely he took it to keep James or Lilly from leaving the safety of the house, that's what I always figured but I think he had it right from the beginning maybe James left once and just wanting to get out of the house and Dumbledore found out and asked him for it.

[SunnyLovetts]

Jk Rowling’s creative ability to create character names is so underrated. Each name she created sounds so grounded yet whimsical 😌

[chrisj]

I feel that the more likely option is they didn't want it to fall in enemy hands if they knew they where after them

[DrankenDune]

I don’t think there has to be any weird reason for wanting to study the cloak. They mention other invisibility cloaks in the books but they are all just substandard. The invisibility spell wears off over time and they aren’t always perfectly invisible to start with anyways. An artifact that can retain that magic over such a long time is at least a curiosity if nothing else. But what if dumbledore had cracked it and they could make more?

[briesullivan]

It would not have saved them because they weren’t expecting to be betrayed and for Voldemort to find them.

[isacucho]

I think Dumbledore borrowed the cloak because he thought James might try to use it to leave his house, so he wanted to protect him by getting the only item that could help him leave unnoticed I think he forgot that there was a traitor in the order and that the cloak could help him survive Voldemort’s attack.

[stuffingtonjfluffypantsiii]

I assumed Dumbledore had it so James couldn't do anything reckless and sneak out from the protection of the charm

[thomasmoeller]

A Dumbledore already had the wand and kept it safe from Voldie. He wanted the same of the cloak. Not to make the Potters more vulnerable. The stone was too much of a wild card and he hadn't yet identified where it was. Ultimately he was able to accomplish his childhood dream. Reuniting the Hallows. For a period of time, he knew where each was and was able to "control" then to some extent.

[ashersharol]

This theory is a stretch to put it nicely. For him to have that end goal, he would have had to know that Harry would have survived that attack but worse, he would not only have to know Voldemort had horcruxes but that Harry himself would become one.

[MasterTMO]

Sorry, hard disagree with this one. A lot of folks fall into the trap of thinking that Dumbledore was nigh-infallible and omniscient, and that if something happened, then obviously he knew about it and planned it. If I've understood the timings correctly, the Potters had been in hiding for 15 months by that time. Nobody ever mentions if the Longbottoms were in the same kind of hiding as the Potters, but we can probably assume they were (one wonders who their secret keeper was). Dumbledore had no reason to suspect that Voldemort would chose that week to actually attack. As far as he knew, the Potters' Fidelius charm was still secure, when in actuality, Pettigrew had actually broken it months before.

[caseycopeland]

Love the channel. You’re a great narrator, it’s always fun to listen to more potter info

[randallnied]

Maybe Dumbledore borrowed the cloak, knowing that there was a chance of the Potter family being killed and wanted to keep a deathly hallow out of Voldy's hands.

[gustavedelior]

I've always wandered about the cloak deathly hallow. It is said to be so powerful that death cannot find you, my question is do you think it could repel or absorb avada Kadabra. Let's hear some speculation.