I was just thinking, if I knew that someone as dangerous and evil like LV was after me and my family I would have a lot more security in place than just the hidding charm (can't think of the charm right now). Assuming she had a little time between LV attack on James and James telling her to run and LV coming after her (PoA Harrys dementor memorys). Why not make a portkey - we keep hearing what a gifted witch she was and we learn in OotP that it takes only seconds to make a portkey (DD did in his office to get the Weaslys and Harry away) or have a portkey ready just in case. And since we learned in HBP that there is such a thing as side-along-apparition, why didn't she just grab Harry and disapparat?

Maybe Rowling has forgotten about more possibilities (but I don't think so, honestly).

Yes, it really looks as if she was waiting or something. Another thing I can't explain

Well here we enter the world of tactical war! for one thing the port key may be used by anyone and in both ways, plus they can be monitored.

For each curse you can have a counter curse(exept the avada), so this being sed... I would guess that the Potters had a few thing under there hat, but Wormtail probably was awaer of them, so LV would have acted accordingly...

My guess on this is that Voldemort planned the attack out carefully. Hogwarts has spells keeping people from apparating in or out. It is very likely that before Voldemort made his presence known, he cast a similar spell on the area surrounding the Potter's home. This would have keep Lily & James from escaping. James turned and faced Voldemort to give Lily time to escape to an area she could apparate out of. Maybe Harry was in his room sleeping when the attack occured. By the time Lily got to him Voldemort could have killed James and cut off her escape.

The flip side of this is that maybe Dumbledore, James or one of the other Order members cast the spell preventing apparating in the Potter's home. Thinking this would have given the Potters similar protection as Hogwarts, it back-fired and left them no escape from Voldemort.

There are many what if's in this story. What if Dumbledore had protected the Potters by giving them refuge in Hogwarts like he did Proffessor Trelawney. That would have been the logical decision since that was the one place Voldemort feared to attack.

Well, we know that enchantments and charms were placed upon their home for their protection. I don't think they had any kind of escape plan if Voldemort ever turned up in Godrics Hollow; I don't think they ever expected him to do so. They also didn't have any notice when he did arrive. After reading this I immediately thought of the phrase "a deer facing headlights." You know that moment right before somethings about to happen (i.e. a car accident, etc...) where your'e afraid or anxious and it almost paralyzes you. You can't really move, you can't think, your'e just there. That's what comes to my mind.
Also, we know that people can be tracked down and followed quite easily, even if they use portkeys and apparition, so I'm not really sure it would have even been a sutiable option to the Potter's.
And to echo gaburdette's response, it is possible that anti-apparition spells were placed upon the house.

Ah yes, the age old question...why didn't Lily just apparate out?

Well, I guess for all the reasons you guys have already said. It probably wasn't possible, but I have argued strongly in the past - and still stand by it - that if a raving nutcase broke into my house bent on killing me and my child, I'd do everything in my power to get out. I'd scream out of a window for help for a start. But these are supposed to be wizards...she could have flooed out, but maybe there was no fireplace. She could have flown out on a broomstick, but maybe there weren't any broomsticks in the bedroom. Who knows?

Stupid woman, that's all I can say. They know someone's after them and they placed far too much trust in one enchantment that was far from unbreakable. I mean Pettigrew...of all people... He was a weed! They must have known that he would crack at the first sign of trouble. Yes, he was an unlikely source, but still...I don't understand why they didn't ask Dumbledore to be their secretkeeper. Plus, if they knew someone was after them, why weren't they more prepared to leave in case of an emergency? I mean what's the point in being magical if you don't use your powers?

I don't know...I guess it's just something else we have to accept - she just didn't at the end of the day, and I expect it will probably be up to us to decide for ourselves why she didn't leave because I doubt this will ever be fully explained. More's the pity....

How can you be more safe than they were? The only way that you can be found is if the person you trust most stabs you in the back. There is no better security charm than this, otherwise dumbledore would have been sure to use it to help protect the Potters.

I always thought that they would have had a portkey ready to use and that's why james told Lily to run and then Voldemort cast some spell that wouldn't allow them to portkey or apparate away.

maybe it will all be explained later.

Lily couldnt just disappear. I isnt easy hiding form a very powerful wizard. We know that DD is a very powerful wizard and yet it was impossible to hide the horcruxes form him! Lily couldnt just turn her back on her dead husband and LV being in her house she must have has to think fast but she was probably in a pancic and couldnt think straight! Like JKR said the only way to hide from someone without being found is to have a secret keeper which ofcourse the Potter had who was sirus(very trust worthy) but then sirius had it changed to wormtail who of course broke the spell by telling LV where the potters were hiding. If wormtail how ever had kept his mouth shut, the LV would still be looking till this day for the Potters and not know where they were. If hiding was so simple then everyone would have done it.

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Portkeys are too simple as well and they were probably all being watched my the ministry of magic. The portkey could have fallen into the wrong hands spelling trouble for Lily. And maybe Lily never did leanr to apparate propperly?

I think the Potters did have faith in Sirius’s ploy, which was based on a secondary judgment of Pettigrew, to unfortunately guard a primary target-their only son. The logical thing to do in such a dire situation is to plan out what their actions should be in a worst-case scenario, regardless of the Fidelius charm. It might’ve been what Jo has described before, James basically charged in a final stance once Voldemort appears to give his family time, and Lily keeps Harry safe. Or they may have planned more, we don’t know yet. But I believe James and Lily were savvy enough to realize that no matter what type of precautions and safeguards they could give Harry as loving parents, Lord Voldemort would eventually find and attempt to kill them. We can’t run away from your problems forever, they must be confronted; win or lose.

peoples lily had a son to take care of she couldn't disappear who would take care of harry

I don't think that's the point being made here, cheerleader. Obviously she would have taken Harry - no one is suggesting that any mother would leave her child behind. What was being discussed (and this is a bit of an old topic now - the last post was made in October last year ) is why Lily didn't leave with Harry when she must have heard the commotion downstairs.

I think that I am just going to go out on a limb and say that since their location in Godric's Hollow was unplottable, that apparition was not allowed inside the house. And that she had no time to grab Harry and run outside and apparate from there. THat is just a guess.

There is also the possibility that slide-along Apparition is a very difficult thing to do and few people can safely do it.
This would also explain why the practice is so rare.

hee hee. This thread demonstates one of the reasons I fell head over heels for the Harry Potter world. I have a stupendous imagination.

We can wet our brains until they're pickled trying to figure out a way of justifying something that possibly for JK, just had to happen.

Why didn't Lily apparate?

Maybe the house was apparation proof?
Maybe she didn't know how to do side-along?
Maybe she was so shocked she never thought of it?
Maybe she didn't want to leave James incase he was still alive?

Why didn't she use a portkey?

Maybe they didn't think to have one handy?
Maybe you can't take a baby through a portkey because of the turbulant nature of the travel?
Maybe she didn't want to leave James incase he was still alive?

Why did they choose Peter Petigrew as secret keeper?

Maybe the other marauders never knew Pettigrew was so feeble?
Maybe they thought that Sirius was the obvious choice and Voldemort would go straight for him and find a way of extracting the secret?
Maybe Dumbledore didn't want to be secret keeper because being the headmaster of Hogwarts, he didn't want to endanger the students further, (maybe even risk them being used as bait) by enticing Voldemort to have to come and look for him?

It goes on and on, and its pretty amazing don't you think? Even 'The Lord of the Rings' doesn't have this kind of 'theorizing' generated in its fandom. Its a marvellous thing, and in this case, I don't think we'll ever know why... Though I'm most probably wrong, lol. which just goes to further my point.

If you ask me, the house in GH would have been apparation proof, and they thought Pettigrew wasn't important enough to the Potters to be picked as a target. As far as portkeys go, well, don't get me started ... we know so little about the rules of these things that the possibilities are endless.

Just brilliant

Harry was too young to disapparate.I mean its true that Lily should have grabbed him and did so but donot you remember Harry descbing his feelings about disapparating in 6th year.He said that it was like being rubbed by tubes and really suffocated ones...something like that.That must be the reason that disapparation is not allowed till 7th year.

Another point is that she must not be having time .And during such moments one becomes completely paralyzed.Cant even move.And Lily was a woman .

yes a agree with bumblebee

i think that harry lilly and james could have appariated. even though harry cant do it still he can side appariation.

good idea, but mabie part of the spe4;ll makes it so you cannot just apperate inside hidden house, that would be why no one in the order did that in grimald place, you can apperate inside but not to the outside. But if that is true why did lilly not apperate to a dfiffent part of the house. ALso she should have had a portkey nearby, that woyuld be the smart and logical thing to do.

I agree with razzbery2 and bumblebee. That makes sense, not being able to aparate there, and portky's being tracked, and might be bad for baby Harry. Lily's a smart girl, but wouldn't we all panic in this situation? Think about it people, wouldn't you clam up?

SL28

My question is dull but I've been thinking about it for some time now. Basically ever since they introduced apparation and the right age to get a licence. Why didn't Lilly and James disapperate the night Voldermort came into Godric's Hallow? They would've probably escaped Lord Voldermort unless he put a charm that would not allow them to.

sarahdaniell0ox

Wow, that's a very good point. I guess that we'll never have the answer, because Jo probably didn't thought of that xD.
But I like you idea that Voldemort put a charm to the house so they couldn't dissperate, I mean, that's what Hogwarts has right? xD and Voldemort is a wizard powerful enough to do that.

Anyway, perhaps they thought they could fight him, remember that they had escaped from him three times before.

Maybe they thought that they were going to die .I mean like LV had practically taken over the wizarding world and there was'nt much hope,so they figured what better way to die then to die fighting .Maybe the reason they didnt just disserate because where they were was practically the safest place for them they even had a secret keeper.No matter where they went LV would be able to find them and would always trying to kill them because of the profecy.

thats a pretty good topic to pick ....i mean y dint they apparate ?
there could three things which i think are that maybe they couldnt think wat to do sirius was there secretkeeper ....other could be that they tried to disapparate but LV was just too quick for them ....other could be that this was just a slight mistake by JRK

You know, I've been contemplating something similar. It seems as though you could just disapperate in any situation, except for one at Hogwarts. Why didn't Sirius disapperate when fighting Pettigrew? Why didn't everyone who ever fought Voldemort or powerful Death Eaters disapperate? It is a very good question and it would make sense to do that. However, maybe you need to have your full attention on the location you intend to disapperate to. If a lunatic wizard who is bent on killing you is coming after you, would you yourself be right in your mind? Would you be able to concentrate on a known location to apperate to?

Thats not a very good answer, just a thought.

A slight mistake? ahahah. I love how it coulda prevented the whole series :| lmao

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Actually, that's an excellent answer and I was thinking almost exactly along those lines.

I think that if your being chased by someone who basically wants to blow you to bits, your not going to be in your normal state of mind. Your so overcome by fear and regret that it's hard to think clearly and it impaires your senses, so your just concentrating on short-term escape, if that makes sense.


I think that Sirius was so subdued by rage and revenge that he obviously wasn't thinking clearly. And then when Peter transformed and killed those people, Sirius was so crushed. Hating Peter for being the wretch that he is and probably mad at himself for letting him slip away so easily.


I don't think that he put a charm on the house. But James was so concerned with protecting his family and Lily was so intent on saving her son that these passions drove them not to think normally. And maybe they knew that if they ran, Voldemort would find them again anyway because when he wants somebody killed, they will be.

First time posting so please forgive me if my theory is crazy but...

JK really has not went into details on apparating and disapparating. So my guess is by using the three d's (no book handy and can't remember exactly what the three d's are) Voldemort could have just picked his destination on the location of the Potters. So maybe in order to prevent this, Dumbledore (being the crafty man that he is) put an anti apparating/dissaparating charm on the house or around Godrics Hollow so that Voldemort and his DE could not just "pop-in" on the Potters.
That being said it is possible that when Voldemort burst in, the Potters would have been unable to Dissaparate.

JK also has not given a lot of information on how that whole Secret Keeping thing works so I don't know if the place would have remained secret from those wanting to apparate in on the Potters. If so this could totally blow my theory out of the water.

I also like the above mentioned comments that when someone is trying to kill you, you may not be able to muster up enough concentration needed to apparate. Also, if everyone could just apparate out of sticky situations, then there would be no substance to the books.

Uh-oh, here comes trouble ... <"pop" I'm outta here!!!>

Minerva Rocks I like your idea about Dumbledore putting the charm on their house, but I disagree with a little bit of it. I don't think Dumbledore would have risked the chance of them being stuck in there and not being able to disapparate if something bad did happen. Even though LV did manage to track them down and they were killed, I think Dumbledore was smart enough not to trap them there by not letting them disapparate in the events of danger.

Voldie probaly expected it , and put anti-appirition wards on the house. Or maybe Lily and James thought they could win.

All good theories, however I think the reason they didn't apperate away was because they had a secret keeper for where they were. They had no reason to fear Voldemort because the only way they could be found is if the secret keeper tells someone, (like Voldemort).

I don't think they were worried about being found because they trusted Peter, and when they were found it was too late to do anything but fight. And as they say, the rest is history.

I disagree Former Death Eater. James had time to say to Lily "Lily, its Him, take Harry and run." Then James proceeded to duel Voldemort, as Lily ran upstairs. James was killed, and then Lily was cornered presumably. She had plenty of time to disapparate, both of them did... unless it was all planned.

~Albus

Well, maybe she didn't come up with Apparation until she had already written the first book, or maybe she didn't think of that, although I mean, if people could just apparate away, how would the Dark Lord have ever killed any one? I'm sure that apparation isn't the first thing on your mind when the Dark Lord is coming after you, I'm sure saving your own self is more important. Well, I think it was that they can't run forever, sure you can apparate away, but he's just going to find you, he's going to hunt you down, and kill you, that's not something that can be avoided. Yeah, when I'm fighting for my life, which has totally not happened before, but I don't think about apparating, I think about saving my own skin, and I really don't think, huh where do I want to go, how much do I want to go there, well, let's think on this... My thought process would be more like "Ah! He's coming after me!" and OMG did she just say what I think she said? She still loves him? I'm the happiest person in the world!

~La MaitressedeMort

They didn't disapperate because they are Griffyndors (well James was, I can't remember what Lily was). But the two of them were brave, they would not just run away from their problems.

in HBP Prof D mentions that many wizard houses have anti apparition spells place upon them, so no one can pop in uninvited. And from what else i read i would guess it works both ways.....no on pops in, no one pops out.

I disagree with foureyesmiling. If it meant saving their son's life, I think that Lily and James would have done anything, even if that was "running away from their problems." Even though I don't believe it myself, if what I said above isn't true, that could be supporting the theory that all of the events that night were planned.

hmm. good question. Except for this teeny tiny insignificant fact. THERE WOULD'T BE A SERIES!!!! wow. good idea though. I probably would have never thought of it.

Well I have to agree that there wouldn't be a series if James and Lily did disapparate but if it was real I don't think they would have.
1. Because they were brave
2. To Apparate/Disapparate you need to concentrate and I think that if someone was coming to kill them they wouldn't be able to concentrate hard enough, they might splinch themselves... just a thought though...

Of course, I agree with all the above. But, how would they disapparate?
Lily had Harry, and from HBP, it seemed like side apparating was pretty amazing. Would they have enough strength to do both of them? Or if you can apparate it's just as simple to side along?
Then how come the Weasleys just don't do that when they have to get to the station, or would that take too much power?

I think that, even though Lily and James were brilliant- and that they were too nervous about saving themselves to think straight- if they ever did think of apparating, they might not've known exactly how to side along apparate, so they wouldn't want to risk splinching Harry or something.

I think if lily had disapparated with Harry, Harry would have died because he was only like 1 1/2 and dissapparating has been desribed as being forced through a very tight rubber tube and i don't think Harrys 1 1/2 year old lungs could with stand disapparating.

When Harry learned to Disapparate, they needed their full attention to be on their destination and that other stuff. Maybe they could Disapparate bc they weren't in the right state of mind. I mean, he was the most powerful, not to mention evil wizard in the world. I don't think that they were thinking clearly enough to think, "James lets Apparate".

Wow that is a really good thoguht! I never thought about that. But I agree with alot of people on the fact that maybe your just too scared that your about to die and can't concetrate. Or maybe LV has this thing about him where nobody can apparate or disapparate around him. But there are also the cases where people could have apparated but didn't.

First of all, disapperating from the scene would definately be considered/categorized as running instead of tending for themselves and being brave Griffyndors. And Lily and James, from what JKR has told us, were not chicken. They were courageous and strong willed. Second, as R. Scrim. says to the muggle prime minister when he asks why they can't just use magic to win the war, "Yes, but there is one problem: the other side knows magic to." I haven't just rambled on. This point is very important. If L and J Potter had disapperated from the scene, wouldn't Voldemort go with them?

I dont think that they couldve because it would be risky for Harry.
He was barely a year ould at the time.
The preassure from the Apparation could have crushed his tiny little body.
And besides, im sure that there must have been a charm put on the house frim DD that wouldnt allow it, for better security.

Even if side apperating wouldn't kill Harry JK Rowling wouldn't have put it in her book anyway. It would make a bad story. It is a good thought though. Also, remember that in the fifth book, Dumbledor said to Fudge that Death Eaters were in the ministry and he had put a spell on the them so they couldn't dissapperate. Voldemort could have thought of that.

In OOTP weren't DD and LV constantly apparating throughout their duel? Like DD would apparate when LV sent the killer curse towards him. I mean DD was trying not to get blown to bits but I guess he was powerful enough of a wizard.

Good thought, maybe its just that Voldemort and Dumbledore are powerful enough and wise enough to (wise being just old enough to understand) apparate during a tense moment. They can control it more unlike many other witches and wizards who would most likely splinch themselves or not apparate in that situation.

hello-ello this has given us something to think about, huh? hhmmm....harry still managed to think straight when he was trying to get dumbledor back to hogwarts after he drank that potion.... the only reason i can think of is that there would'nt be a series if they had sorry that was'nt to helpfull!!

i think when LV came into the house it caught them completely by suprise i mean they had a secret keeper and the only way you could even find the house was if the secret keeper told you the location of the house remember how Grimmauld Place appeared out of nowhere when harry had the location of the house so if you think you are completely hidden and safe then if so crazed wizard is out blasting stuff outside the house you'll not be concerned because you had a secret keeper to keep you safe and they probably did have DD put an anti-apparition spell on the house

Many wizard and witches homes have anti apparition charms placed on them, which is what DD tells Harry in HBP after Harry asks why they didn't just apparate into Slughorn's house. I'm sure that it works both ways so that Lily and James couldn't apparate unless they were outside of the house. Also at that point I don't believe they would have been able to concentrate on the 3 D's with all the panic that I'm sure was going through them at LV showing up at their house.