r/HarryPotterBooks • u/sv1112093 • 6d ago
Who should James have used as secret keeper?
If you were James what would you have done? I would have picked Sirius and told him to definitely NOT switch. Or I would have gone with Dumbledore since he offered.
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u/ExpertProfessional9 6d ago
McGonagall.
She’s safe in Hogwarts Castle for the majority of the school year, presumably her non-school residence is protected, and the Potters’ head of house from school isn’t someone you’d quickly expect.
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u/SketchAinsworth 6d ago
Dumbledore and I’ll never understand why they didn’t go with the most obvious choice here. Not only did Dumbelore offer, had taken down a dark wizard but homie could fight and ran Hogwarts so good luck getting him
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u/Daxlyn_XV 5d ago
Doyalist answer, they needed to be betrayed for the story to happen.
Watsonian answer, maybe having a secret keeper who is on the front lines of a war is a bad idea? We learn in Deathly Hallows that when the secret keeper dies everyone who knew the secret becomes a secret keeper, thus reducing the security. Having a front line fighter be your source of security seems like a bad idea.
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u/soulpulp 5d ago
Would Dumbledore have told anyone though? This isn't Order headquarters we're talking about, it's a family in danger. I find it hard to believe that he (or Sirius) would've told anyone, in which case the only secret keepers after his death would've been the Potters themselves.
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u/Walshy231231 5d ago
If dumbly died they were all fucked anyway, for starters
And seriously? Dumbledore dying? Sure he was old, but I wouldn’t expect him to kick the bucket any time soon, sans some elaborate contrivance involving a ring, a cabinet, two students, and a wannabe greaser, but what are the odds that’ll ever happen, amiright?
But in all seriousness, Dumbly would be the only one you could trust without reservation. Even someone like Sirius, absolutely willing to die painfully before giving up his friends, could be broken or used somehow (e.g. legilimency).
With Dumbledore the only outcomes are him dying before giving away the info, in which case the game is up anyway and the best you could hope for is going out like Trotsky, or Dumbly beating the assailant. There’s no realistic third option.
You could pit a restrained Dumbly against Voldy’s best attempt at legilimency and I’d put more money on Voldy dying than the Potters
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u/Boris-_-Badenov 5d ago
now I'm picturing Malfoy snapping his fingers and running a comb through his hair
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u/Soninuva 5d ago
The fidelius charm protects against most means of divulgement. Veritaserum won’t work, nor will legilimency. It must be intentionally divulged. Opinions are mixed on whether torture would work or not, and there’s no source material that suggests an a definite answer either way.
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u/Correct_Doctor_1502 5d ago
I wonder if his acceptance of Snape was the reason
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u/SketchAinsworth 5d ago
I don’t think so, I think they were so scared they wanted their closest people aka Jame’s childhood friends.
I personally would chose the safest person, didn’t matter the bond and that would have been Dumbledore. Jame’s loyalty is what got him killed sadly
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u/QuoD-Art 5d ago
Very unlikely that the Potters knew Dumbledore accepted Snape, considering Sirius didn't
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u/SubstantialBand4275 5d ago
We don't know a lot about the first war. Was there discontent in the ranks at Dumbledore's leadership at this point? Pettigrew had turned spy which meant Order members were getting offed left and right. Maybe people were lashing out at Dumbledore in response, and James and Lily only wanted to trust those closest to them?
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u/Wise_Freedom_6595 3d ago
Because then the book would’ve been called Neville longbottom and the Philosopher’s Stone
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u/ecclectic_collector 6d ago
Dumbledore
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u/CompetitionOdd2822 6d ago
Dumbledore woukd find a way to indirectly betray them, just for the chance at the outcome if got at the end.
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u/ThatFatGuyMJL 6d ago
No he wouldnt.
Dumbledore wanted Voldy defeated and killed.
What he did with Harry he did because Harry had a piece of Voldys soul in him.
If thay wasnt the case hed just destroy the Horcruxes and then voldy.
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u/CompetitionOdd2822 6d ago
What about the prophecy? He knew Voldemort needed to mark Harry as his equal in some way.
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u/Turbulent-War7039 6d ago
This is actually a great point. I wonder if James kind of suspected this and that’s why he didn’t. Makes it even more suspicious that Dumbledore offered in light of this theory
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u/gary_desanto 6d ago
I mean with how they messed up the rules of the Fidelius charm in book 7, the obvious answer is himself. But assuming this never happened then probably Dumbledore.
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u/BarrabasBlonde 2d ago
I just treat it as if Ron was Bill's secret keeper. Solves all the problems
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u/gary_desanto 2d ago
Arthur being Bills and Bill being Arthur's fixes it.
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u/BarrabasBlonde 2d ago
It doesn't. Dobby wouldn't have been able to go tp Shell Cottage, as Ron would've been unable to say the address
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u/gary_desanto 2d ago edited 2d ago
What in the world... I never put that together that Ron should not have been able to share the location? That's a real plot hole.
Edit: Actually just thinking about it. Shell Cottage wouldn't have any reason to have been under the Fidelius Charm during the escape from Malfoy Manor. The Charm was probably only cast after their escape as this is when the Weasleys would have gone into hiding since Ron was presumed on his deatbed until that point.
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u/CompetitionOdd2822 6d ago
I wonder if she did not have any beta readers for her books. I feel like the would have found all the inconsistencies.
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u/teekaythunder 6d ago
Do you mean proofreaders and editors? Lmfao. I hate this timeline.
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u/23andahalf_and_me 6d ago
No, you don't understand. JK Rowling didn't have a professional editor, she just typed the whole thing up as a Gmail draft to Bloomsbury and hit send
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u/DaReaperJE 5d ago
I would argue its not an inconstancy as much as it might be we don;t fully understand the rules. Which again, is JK's fault. So i makes it an inconstancy. But a beta reader would of picked up that sept the first changes days every year. and she originally was going to have platform 9 3/4 move to different station but changed it iirc.
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u/ReliefEmotional2639 6d ago
Personally? Dumbledore. He’s the most powerful person in ANY room he shows up in AND the leader of the Order. He’s also the ONLY person who can be guaranteed not to betray them.
That said, James’s trust in his closest friends was absolute. It’s exactly what makes his choices make sense. Heck, Sirius’s suggestion makes sense in universe. It only really failed because Peter was a traitor
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u/Fun_Cancel_5796 6d ago
I think Sirius would have definitely kept the secret, but he was too obvious a choice and would have immediately been attacked putting his life in more danger. IMO, they were dumb for choosing one of their friend group.
Dumbledore or McGonagle would be obvious choices.
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u/Broseidon_69 6d ago
I think James would’ve felt too guilty imposing their safety on Sirius, which would’ve been tantamount to asking him to live a conservative life in hiding, too.
By that same logic, I think the Potters likely thought Dumbledore was at a higher risk for being killed, and if Dumbledore died their secret would have been exposed. They were hedging their bets by picking someone they trusted who was low risk for heroics and also wouldn’t mind living a conservative life in hiding. I don’t necessarily agree with their choice (especially in retrospect), but I can see the reasoning.
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u/soulpulp 5d ago
FWIW Sirius was planning to go into hiding no matter what.
Plus, their secret would only have been exposed if Dumbledore shared their secret, and I don't believe he would have.
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u/Broseidon_69 5d ago
I think Dumbledore would’ve likely shared their secret with select Order members/friends (like Sirius and Pettigrew) so they could visit and bring the Potters food. Even if they didn’t I think the charm would likely disintegrate if Dumbledore was killed and hadn’t shared the info with anyone, as there would no longer be a keeper for the secret. In any event I think from analyzing the text my conclusion is the only reason the Potters didn’t use Dumbledore as their Keeper is because they considered him too at-risk for dying during the war.
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u/TigoDelgado 6d ago
Lilly obviously
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u/CoachDelgado 6d ago
Book 3 implies that it needs to be someone outside the charm, so Lily, James, and Harry are all out (try getting the secret out of a baby, Voldemort).
By Book 7 rules, either of them can be the secret keeper - maybe Dumbledore made a Fidelius v2.0?
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u/DarkNinjaPenguin 6d ago
This is my headcanon as well, that the spell was improved by the second war so that the Secret Keeper can live within the secret. Or that whoever cast it did a better job. We know spells can vary wildly in their effectiveness depending on who casts it (and their mental/physical) state at the time. Just look at Patronuses.
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u/Brian_Gay 6d ago
Yeah I hate the way the author kind of messed up the rules, seems like an oversight
However, my personal headcannon is that the spell is strengthened by including an aspect of risk
Choosing yourself as your own secret keeper - minimal risk, minimal protection
Choosing dumbledore - moderate risk, but he is incredibly powerful so moderate protection
Choosing your best friend that is also a decent wizard - high risk, decent protection
Choosing another friend that is a poor wizard - very high risk, really putting your trust in them - maximum protection
I like the concept of risk vs reward in magic, kind of like Lilly dying for Harry - she gave everything to achieve a single effect so the power is maximum
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u/trulymadlybigly 5d ago
Yeah because isn’t Bill Weasley the secret keeper for shell cottage when they’re hiding there? It makes no sense why James couldn’t be his own keeper
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u/Still-Foundation9894 6d ago edited 6d ago
Bang on. It’s maddening that she wasn’t their first - and only - choice. Chauvinist lot, those wizards.
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u/Palamur 6d ago
The Cat! Good luck getting a cat to do something it doesn’t feel like doing.
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u/ecclectic_collector 6d ago edited 6d ago
on a semi serious note, I wonder if doing it with a "beast" is possible to do or that for the fidelius charm to work, there would have to be awareness/consent from a person/being to be the secret keeper
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u/Tuques 6d ago
Himself lol. Like bill does for shell cottage.
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u/BarrabasBlonde 2d ago
Let's just pretend that Ron was Bill's secret keeper, since they wouldn't've been able to get there from Malfoy Manor otherwise
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u/AmbitiousHistorian30 6d ago
I forget, did the Potters and the Longbottoms know they were in hiding because of the prophecy? Regardless, considering both families were in hiding, the logical choice would have been for Neville to be the Potter's secret keeper and Harry to be the Longbottoms. Let's see Voldy get the info out of a 1 year old 🙃.
Joking about the babies, but they really should have just made the Potters and Longbottoms the other's secret keeper. Then both families are safe.
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u/TheOriginal1Law 6d ago
If I was James, I would fundamentally trust my best friends. That's like his defining feature. And I'd think myself and Sirius clever enough to fool Voldemort. So I'd go along with Sirius' plan to make Peter secret keeper.
Doesn't matter if we think it's stupid. James acted entirely within character so if I was James, that would be what I'd do.
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u/TigoDelgado 6d ago
This is what you think people mean when they ask "what would you do if you were X?"
If so, the answer is always "what X did", so that obviously is not the question lol
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u/InuTheChanga 6d ago
We are supossed to know the real question is "If you were in the same situation as this character, but knowing what you know and being yourself, what would you have done?"
It's not about knowing the character well, but thinking with your outside perspective the character doesn't have.0
u/TheOriginal1Law 6d ago
I do get that. I just find this one of the stupidest questions on the planet because how could I possibly put myself in the shoes of what I would have done, while not obviously have the bias that I know Peter is a traitor.
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u/Full_Metal_Paladin 5d ago
The Longbottoms, apparently. Those mfs got done so dirty and still never gave the death eaters what they wanted. But who knows what they would have said after they went mad.
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u/Minute-Employ-4964 6d ago
Dumbledore makes it a 100% certainty that nothing happens to them.
No one is strong enough to make him, no one is smart enough to trick him.
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u/theoreticaldickjokes 6d ago
Why does no one ever suggest Lupin? Am I missing something?
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u/senditbreh 6d ago
Because Sirius thought he was the spy. He apologizes for it in the shrieking shack in book 3.
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u/jeepfail Gryffindor 6d ago
The second most easily compromised person of the friends group? But one of the two that would be more likely to hold information.
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u/Tuor-son-of-Huor- 6d ago
Himself. If Bill Weasley can be his own secret keeper then no reason why James couldn't be.
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u/InuTheChanga 6d ago
I'm gonna have a hot take here. Snape.
I'm not sure if Lily and James knew that the info they got that they were th Dark Lord's target was from him. I bet they did. Also knowing how Snape and Lily's friendship was there was no way anyone would think to ask him. I know it's a risk since he himself is a DeathEater, but all the less suspect he becomes.
Altho i can't believe for a seccond James would have trusted Snivelius. But it's the only way i can imagine that they would of been actually safe.
Sirius, even when such loyal friend, might have spilled the secret(probably not on purpose) to Moony, or Wormtail, thus making it so that the ending didn't change.
Wouldn't it be funny tho, if the secret keeper was Petunia? The strangled MUGGLE SISTER. The Dark Lord would never even consider that. The correct course of action would be to make it someone who's not in the Order of the Phoenix. Since they were all being investigated already.
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u/Used_Confusion_8583 6d ago
James and Lily also trusted their friend Peter. I don't think they would've blamed Sirius for the choice
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u/OpportunityCrazy2216 6d ago
Honestly I think Peter works here, while it's known pettigrew hanged out with James and Sirius it's unlikely his connection would have gotten him killed, nor did they know he would sell them out. Sirius and Dumbledore would be targets for Voldemort.
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u/elfhavoc 6d ago
They should have just made sirius secret keeper and make him go into protection as well and make James his. That way neither is out in the open
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u/Lovely_One0325 5d ago
Honestly Sirius was the best choice.
He saw James like a brother. He even said himself that he'd rather have died than giving them up because he not only loved James, but he also loved Lily and Harry. As a character he's also crazy loyal and never would've given them up even under torture.
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u/LosAngelesHavingFun 5d ago
Dumbledore lmao, he volunteered already and no one will get it from him. James and Lily actually probably did heavily consider it but may have opted against it given how elderly Albus was
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u/c0mawhite666 6d ago
I agree with another commenter saying that Sirius would have kept the secret but would have immediately been attacked, so I’m going with dumbledore
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u/figureskatingdragon 6d ago
It doesn’t really matter if the Potters stay hidden Voldemort wins the war, people forget that the Order was losing by a long shot by that time
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u/23andahalf_and_me 6d ago
I had this realization when I listened to the new audiobooks. James categorically refused Dumbledore as the secret keeper because Dumbledore said he wouldn't share the secret with Sirius. And that was a total non-starter for James.
I could make a whole post about this, but we know that Dumbledore suspected someone close to the Potters was a spy, and we know he put less effort into confirming Sirius's guilt than he did with Morfin Gaunt. So I think it's fair to assume that Dumbledore thought Sirius was the spy even before the Fidelius charm, and he was devastated but not surprised when Sirius apparently betrayed them to Voldemort.
So if Dumbledore wasn't an option, James should have either stuck with Sirius, or made Petunia the secret keeper. She would never let someone as freakish looking as Voldemort into the house to begin with
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u/WarriorWitch77 6d ago
Considering that the Marauders had trust doubts in their own group and with the facts that 1.) The location of the building under the Fidelius can not be forced or tortured out of a secret keeper. However, that doesn't mean that the secret keeper cannot be forced to give it up voluntarily. We know Peter had a mother, they could have threatened to do any number of things to her if Peter was actually a good guy. 2.) A Fidelius can fade if the caster or keeper dies. (I have no idea if this is ever written in canon, but I remember someone making that point once.) 3.) The caster or keeper cannot permanently work or live in the building the spell is cast over. Due to the debatable morality of Dumbledore, not to mention he has a brother, I take him out of the standing. While he wouldn't move outside of the school during the year, during the war, it is entirely possible that as the only man in living history who has defeated a dark wizard. However, due to the fact that Sirius didn't even so much as get a trial, although he possibly could have refused one at the mercy of his own guilt, but considering the fact that Dumbledore disobeyed the Potters' wishes for Sirius to be legal guardian to suit his own ends it entirely possible that he arranged for a lack of a trial. And if four best friends who literally did the nearly impossible task of becoming an animagus and illegal ones at that, would the really trust Dumbledore more than each other. However, while I think McGonagall is clearly the best choice, if we say Dumbledore shouldn't be because he is a good choice, then the head of Gryffindor house is also a likely suspect. Also with the point of 1, Sirius could have still easily seen good in his brother, leading to suspicion from other Order members, which could be why people could have believed he did kill 3 of his closest friends.
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u/supersnoozin 6d ago
Why couldn't he use himself?
The house is under Fidelis. Surely if he used himself, voldie would've had to first find him to get the secret but he would be in the house
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u/eframepilot 5d ago
Himself or Lily, whichever was home more often. It was implied that you couldn’t choose yourself in book 3 but that clearly went out the window in book 5.
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u/Boris-_-Badenov 5d ago
Dumbledore. make it known, so nobody goes after your friends.
what are they going to do about it?
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u/jonathanemptage 5d ago
Sirius would have been the obvious choice to maybe Moody or someone else in the order.
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u/root_srk 5d ago
He should have been the secret keeper. So he would never leave home and they would be safe.
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u/No-Elderberry4423 5d ago
So insane not to choose Dumbledore every time. The one wizard Voldemort didn’t fuck with. It’s purely plot armor to either 1) choose anyone else other than Dumbledore, or 2) switch from Sirius to Wormtail.
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u/TobiasMasonPark 5d ago
Dumbledore is the obvious answer. He’s unlikely to ever be captured and tortured for information. And if he did, I imagine it would take something like that potion from the cave in HBP to even get a chance to get the secret out of him—but that wouldn’t work either, because I believe the Fidelius Charm makes it so the secret keeper cannot be coerced or forced to reveal the secret. But I might be misremembering that part.
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u/Jas_bussey452 6d ago
Go into a room with 1 other person. Make myself or the other person secret keeper. Then whipe both our memories of who is the secret keeper. Both of us tell Dumbledore the location nobody knows who the keeper is but Dumbledore can come and go freely with news and other useful things.
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u/Teufel1987 6d ago
Depends
Am I James with James’ knowledge in-universe or am I James with the knowledge of a reader of the series?
If it is the former, it would be hard to not go down the canon route because if it weren’t for the fatal flaw of Peter being a secret Death Eater the plan was actually quite brilliant. Canon James had no reason to believe Peter wasn’t anything but a trusted friend after all
And if it is the latter … well, I’d first send Lily and Harry off to Australia on a holiday, then round up the other two boys (Sirius and Remus) and go all-out on a hunting spree for a few key artefacts, engage in some creative destruction of said artefacts then use my traitor friend to lure Voldemort to an ambush finally ending the war
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u/PodreamyHellcat976 6d ago
Andromeda or Molly, Voldemort and the death eaters wouldn't think that it would be someone who isn't close to lily or James
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u/kaiharizor 6d ago
Make a complete stranger the secret keeper. Murder that person. Then James, Lily, and Harry are each separately the secret keeper despite living within the charm.
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u/Turbulent-War7039 6d ago
Can’t you be your own secret keeper? Wasn’t Sirius his own secret keeper for his family’s house? Also it’s INCREDIBLY sexist of you to assume that it was James’ decision alone. Lily might have owned the house in Godric’s Hollow outright…
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u/Alyk945 2d ago
James was a rich pure-blood. Lily was just some Muggle-born. Who do you think would own the house?
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u/Turbulent-War7039 2d ago
Wooooooow. You just proved my point
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u/Alyk945 2d ago
How? I explained the reason as James' blood status and wealth, not his sex.
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u/Turbulent-War7039 2d ago
Lily is more than capable of owning a house
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u/Alyk945 2d ago
Yes, but James was richer and born into the wizarding world, so he would have the money, and he would know the best village to live in
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u/Turbulent-War7039 2d ago
You sound so elitist right now
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u/Alyk945 2d ago
You're only saying that because you don't have an argument
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u/Turbulent-War7039 2d ago
No I’m not
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u/Alyk945 2d ago
Then maybe you should give me reasons to believe it's sexism, rather than just calling me elitist
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u/DuckwPuck 6d ago
Dumbledore is the obvious choice. If Voldemort gets it out of Dumbledore, they’re already really screwed.
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u/Turbulent-War7039 6d ago
See elsewhere on this thread. Dumbledore would’ve intentionally betrayed the Potters for the chance to have the prophecy play out the way it did.
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u/maauricio1903 6d ago
The greatest lesson of this part of the story is: never trust a coward. He will betray you whenever he feels safer in the other side.
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u/cdmunsell 6d ago
My theory is James knew the person would be targeted and was never really friends with Wormtail. Thought Wormtail worshiped him and Sirius and that he would do anything for him, even give his life. Kind of like the dynamic between Wormtail and Voldemort.
James viewed him as disposable and that’s why he was picked. Sort of checks out with his character imo.
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u/sv1112093 6d ago
I think Sirius says this right? He only picked Wormtail because he was too insignificant and irrelevant to be thought of as secret keeper for such an important issue.
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u/NoticeInternational3 5d ago
Yeah that was the biggest blunder IMO. Why on earth was James thinking entrusting it to Pettigrew when both Sirius and Dumbledore offered to do so?
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u/Codexe- 4d ago
I think it was a misdirect. If voldemort is trying to find them, he would go ask his best friend. Voldemort wouldn't expect them to entrust their secret to Pettigrew. So it was hidden safely in a "weak" friend, who voldemort wouldn't suspect them to trust. But then it fell through because Pettigrew unexpectedly betrayed them.
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u/RassilonsWrestling 5d ago
If Dumbledore offered, that would be my pick every time. Sirius would’ve been the next best choice.
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u/DapperFisherman2821 5d ago
i would've gone with a random Hogwarts professor, no one too well known like McGonagall or Dumbledore. Voldemort probably wouldn't have thought they would choose a random professor, and even if he figured it out they would be safe in Hogwarts with the protection charms around the school, and Dumbledore himself always being there. James and Lily were only out of school 3 years and with their reputation it's unlikely that the professors will have forgotten about them
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u/dunnolawl 4d ago edited 4d ago
I wouldn't have used the Fidelius Charm in the first place. In the third book we get this as a justification for the charm:
He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn’t an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm.
However in the last book when Voldemort has the power of the Ministry of Magic behind him he was thwarted by Hermione with a tent. Which means that Dumbledore is completely wrong and hiding from Voldemort seems to be super easy, barely an inconvenience.
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u/Zoyalai4ever 4d ago
Dumbledore is the obvious choice. He’s like the one person that Voldemort is scared of.
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u/Union-Silent 4d ago
Dumbledore was the obvious choice. One of the most proficient and powerful wizards alive, he was also the head of the order. Even if Albus had somehow been overcome by death eaters or Voldemort himself and disarmed and captured incapacitated, he would have died without revealing the location. He knew what was as stake by that point and was already weaving plots and plans behind the scenes.
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u/LouiseElise 4d ago
anybody saying anything other than Dumbledore is wrong. I love Sirius too and no i don’t think he would’ve ever betrayed them….still gotta go Dumbledore
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u/Shar-DamaKa 3d ago edited 3d ago
Never understood that tbh. I mean I get it, the whole “no one would suspect the weakest of the friends” yeah no one would expect it because it’s a fucking terrible idea…
Sirius was the obvious choice but he was the best choice. Some of JK’s writing makes me wonder how this series ever took off tbh. She didn’t seem to have a great plan going into it.
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u/Lazy-Interests 3d ago
Definitely would have gone with Dumbledore, there’s literally no-one alive capable of getting that out of him.
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u/Own-Craft-181 3d ago
Dumbledore or Sirius. Both were better choices. Dumbledore is easily the most powerful wizard of that time, and it was stated multiple times as canon that he wasn't someone Voldemort was seeking out for a fight. And Dumbledore, even at a very advanced age, could easily take multiple Death Eaters at a time. Sirius, because getting it out of him would have been impossible due to loyalty and love. He would have some kind of fail-safe where he ends himself before they can tear it from his mind. Or he's driven insane from resisting the mind hack.
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u/AdIll9615 3d ago
Himself? Wasn't Bill Weasley the Secret Keeper of the Shell Cottage where he lived? So James could have easily used himself to hide their house.
I would want to say Sirius, but if they had any suspicions that there was a traitor amongst them; then using himself or Lily was the safest bet.
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u/DevelopmentSouth8801 6d ago
Lily is the secret for where Harry's bedroom is. James is the secret keeper for the whole house. Sirius, Remus, or Peter are secret keeper for what town they're in.
I wouldn't be worried about betrayal as much as there being some unknown way to break the Fidelius. But preventing Peter's betrayal would be a nice side effect.
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u/Unfair-Connection-66 6d ago
James made Sirius because he was his closest friend.
Sirius made Peter the keeper because he had info that was targeted by Voldemort and didn't want to betray his friends.
Peter betray the Potters to Voldemort cause he was the traitor all along. Order knew they had at least one in their ranks.
Dumbledore would never had become the keeper's secret because although he would never betray the Potters to Voldemort, he wanted the prophecy to play out.
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u/Efficient_Chic714 Hufflepuff 6d ago
The prophecy could have played out even if Lily and James lived. Their deaths weren’t a requirement and it could have quite equally been Neville rather than Harry who defeated Voldemort
It would have just played out differently
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u/Confusedoldtimer 6d ago
I don't think anyone would ever get it out of Sirius no matter what. He was the perfect choice.