Perhaps forensic magic is better than you’re assuming it is. There may be ways to tell how much magic has been used in an area, and on what. I’ve seen fanfics at least with ways to check what spells were most recently cast by wands. It would be pretty obvious that the Potters never got a chance to fire a spell off.
That spell is canon. In the fourth book, HP & the Goblet of Fire, they use the Priori Icantato spell to try and determine who cast the Dark Mark. There’s also legilimens, the spell used to look into another’s mind. Using just these two spells, you can set up a reasonable course of events.
Presumably, forensics arrives on the scene and sees the destruction. There’s a set of Voldemort’s robes on the ground along with his wand (NB: you never ever part with your wand). There’s a dead Lily and James Potter, along with a baby with an odd looking scar. First thing’s first, they examine the wand, confirm it’s Voldemort’s and reveal that the last spells were 3x Killing Curse. Next they look at the baby and extract it’s memories, showing what just happened. Then they check any recording devices in the house, and look at the state of footprints, wards, etc. showing who came and went. Finally, Snape talks to Dumbledore and with that information they put together the pieces of why the Dark Lord went there that night.
People cheer and declare that Harry Potter Day! The upper echelons aren’t convinced. To use a chess metaphor, perhaps the Dark Lord merely pretended to open up his queen to bait a checkmait. But then the Dark Lord still never returns. His inner circle is taken down, captured death eaters are in disarray. His artifacts and strongholds are taken. Clearly, they reason, he must be dead. There’s no reason for his absence except for his destruction. One does not sacrifice every piece on the board for any gambit, no matter how clever.
A few people still hold onto the alternate hypothesis that the Dark Lord faked his death, but that is considered a crackpot theory. Why would the Dark Lord disappear and let his fledgling empire crumble into ruin? Why would the Dark Lord leave his wand? Why would the Dark Lord go through an elaborate hoax on what is seemingly a routine hit mission? What possible plot would involve him disappearing from the face of the earth for ten years? The ‘Dark Lord still lives!’ crackpots would be the equivalent of 9/11 Truthers of the magical world. Those who believe in his death are the rational ones.
It’s merely confirmation bias that makes it seem so obvious to us.
In Summation, the strongest evidence for that night isn’t the magic. That is quite costly but easily faked. The best evidence for his death is in his absence for over a decade.
Note also that, in canon, the Priori Incantatem effect (and therefore plausibly also the Priori Incantato spell) will show the specific person who was AKed. If V.’s wand shows him killing baby Harry, and baby Harry is right there and conspicuously alive, that would be fairly specific evidence in favor of the “survived the Killing Curse” hypothesis.
There’s a set of Voldemort’s robes on the ground along with his wand (NB: you never ever part with your wand).
I don’t have time to check the MoR archives, but didn’t Bellatrix retrieve the wand? Or did Voldemort give it to her before he went to Godric’s Hollow and just take another wand?
“Your wand,” murmured Bellatrix, “I hid it in the graveyard, my lord, before I left… under the tombstone to the right of your father’s grave...
He could have given it to her before he left (which would be evidence that he planned his ‘absence’) or she could have, say, taken a detour on the way to the Longbottoms’ place to steal it back from the forensic Aurors and hide it.
Also, if the wand is still there I will be very disappointed in Dumbledore.
Perhaps forensic magic is better than you’re assuming it is. There may be ways to tell how much magic has been used in an area, and on what. I’ve seen fanfics at least with ways to check what spells were most recently cast by wands. It would be pretty obvious that the Potters never got a chance to fire a spell off.
That spell is canon. In the fourth book, HP & the Goblet of Fire, they use the Priori Icantato spell to try and determine who cast the Dark Mark. There’s also legilimens, the spell used to look into another’s mind. Using just these two spells, you can set up a reasonable course of events.
Presumably, forensics arrives on the scene and sees the destruction. There’s a set of Voldemort’s robes on the ground along with his wand (NB: you never ever part with your wand). There’s a dead Lily and James Potter, along with a baby with an odd looking scar. First thing’s first, they examine the wand, confirm it’s Voldemort’s and reveal that the last spells were 3x Killing Curse. Next they look at the baby and extract it’s memories, showing what just happened. Then they check any recording devices in the house, and look at the state of footprints, wards, etc. showing who came and went. Finally, Snape talks to Dumbledore and with that information they put together the pieces of why the Dark Lord went there that night.
People cheer and declare that Harry Potter Day! The upper echelons aren’t convinced. To use a chess metaphor, perhaps the Dark Lord merely pretended to open up his queen to bait a checkmait. But then the Dark Lord still never returns. His inner circle is taken down, captured death eaters are in disarray. His artifacts and strongholds are taken. Clearly, they reason, he must be dead. There’s no reason for his absence except for his destruction. One does not sacrifice every piece on the board for any gambit, no matter how clever.
A few people still hold onto the alternate hypothesis that the Dark Lord faked his death, but that is considered a crackpot theory. Why would the Dark Lord disappear and let his fledgling empire crumble into ruin? Why would the Dark Lord leave his wand? Why would the Dark Lord go through an elaborate hoax on what is seemingly a routine hit mission? What possible plot would involve him disappearing from the face of the earth for ten years? The ‘Dark Lord still lives!’ crackpots would be the equivalent of 9/11 Truthers of the magical world. Those who believe in his death are the rational ones.
It’s merely confirmation bias that makes it seem so obvious to us.
In Summation, the strongest evidence for that night isn’t the magic. That is quite costly but easily faked. The best evidence for his death is in his absence for over a decade.
Note also that, in canon, the Priori Incantatem effect (and therefore plausibly also the Priori Incantato spell) will show the specific person who was AKed. If V.’s wand shows him killing baby Harry, and baby Harry is right there and conspicuously alive, that would be fairly specific evidence in favor of the “survived the Killing Curse” hypothesis.
I don’t have time to check the MoR archives, but didn’t Bellatrix retrieve the wand? Or did Voldemort give it to her before he went to Godric’s Hollow and just take another wand?
He could have given it to her before he left (which would be evidence that he planned his ‘absence’) or she could have, say, taken a detour on the way to the Longbottoms’ place to steal it back from the forensic Aurors and hide it.
Also, if the wand is still there I will be very disappointed in Dumbledore.
Nice catch on that quote. I missed it.