Hm, well, you've got that photo of us, haven't you? We're not all in it - and there were still some secret members none of us knew, like Snape - but we were also smaller than we are now, as well.

We were secret in the sense that neither the Ministry nor the Death Eaters could confirm we existed, and we had to keep our identities just as protected from them as we do now. Is that what you mean?