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If I know that the secret keeper of a secret I really want to know is John Doe, can I cast Imperius on John Doe and try to make him reveal the secret?

Let's assume John Doe doesn't have a strong willpower like Harry, and does not manage to resist the Imperius Spell.

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  • I like this question! I've wondered the same thing myself. I'll be interested to see what answers people come up with. :)
    – Slytherincess
    Jan 16 '15 at 17:39
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    Good one. And even if divulging under Imperio doesn't count as 'voluntary', given's how Hermione's Fidelius Charm on Grimmault Place was broken - it seems that you could also Imperio the John Doe to simply take you to the protected location, and that would be that. Not the most secure of spells after all :/
    – Shisa
    Jan 16 '15 at 17:46
  • @Shisa Nice catch. You should make it an answer :)
    – tls
    Jan 17 '15 at 8:00
  • @Shisa : Yes I thought of that, but the secret doesn't have to be a location. We only have exemples of locations in the books, but I think you can make whatever you want a "secret"
    – Kalissar
    Jan 21 '15 at 9:35
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No.

At least, I don’t think so. This excerpt from Pottermore doesn’t quite mention the Imperius curse, but it comes pretty close:

The Fidelius Charm is not without its weaknesses. If the Secret Keeper wishes to do so, they may divulge the information at any time (although the secret cannot be forced, bewitched or tortured out of a Secret Keeper who does not wish to give up their secret; it must be given voluntarily).

Since Imperius is a form of bewitchment, it seems that you would be unable to obtain the secret directly through Imperius.

There are plenty of creative uses of the Imperius curse that might get you the secret, such as threats or @Shisa’s suggestion in the comments, but I don’t think Imperius can compel somebody to tell you their secret.

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  • +1 for "Bewitched". *Wiggles his nose to make the upvote*
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jan 16 '15 at 18:43
  • Something that has always puzzled me is why a secret cannot be brute-forced. They always seem to pick the simplest secrets. :)
    – mikeazo
    Jan 16 '15 at 20:16
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    The quote from pottermore implies that the secret cannot be forced out. Think of the secret keeper like a vault. Even if you are able to secure the bank, getting into the vault is still a completely different matter. Taking that analogy further... if you held a gun to the bank manager's wife's head, he may be compelled to go unlock the vault for you. So while you may not be able to force the secret out of the keeper, you may still be able to coerce them to voluntarily give it up through other means
    – WizardKnight
    Jan 20 '15 at 23:01

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