Snape and the Gang of Slytherins

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 31231

I was poking around on the Lexicon master timeline (thanks Steve!), 
and I noticed something about Snape.  In GoF, Sirius tells us that 
Snape "was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to 
be Death Eaters."  Snape and MMWP left Hogwarts in 1978, and 
presumably Snape immediately went with his Slytherin friends to work 
for Voldemort.  (After all, Snape has to work for Voldemort, then 
convert and work for Dumbledore, all in the space of about 2 years).  

In 1980, Rosier and Wilkes were killed by Aurors.  Karkaroff and 
Dolohov were captured that same year.

By Halloween 1981, Snape is a spy for Dumbledore.  Actually, Snape 
probably turned spy well before Halloween 1981, as we have to allow 
time for Snape to work for Dumbledore a bit before Voldemort falls.  
Clearly, Snape did something *big* to get Dumbledore to trust him and 
to believe that he really wanted to start working for the good guys. 

I wonder if the thing Snape had to do to earn Dumbledore's trust was 
turn in or set up all of his old Slytherin buddies, namely Rosier, 
Wilkes, Dolohov and possibly even Karkaroff?  That would have 
possibly been very painful for Snape, and facilitating the capture of 
all of these DEs would surely prove to Dumbledore that Snape's 
conversion was true.  

If this is correct, then Snape's mysterious backstory gets even more 
compelling.  Poor guy, he had to rat out his old school friends.  
Some were killed as a result.  Karkaroff wouldn't have any idea that 
Snape turned him in, which would explain why Snape is avoiding 
Karkaroff in GoF.  Moody's taunts in "The Egg and the Eye" would be 
especially painful, as Moody killed Rosier and caught Karkaroff.

In a weird way, Snape would be able to identify with James a bit.  
James died due to a betrayal by an old friend, and Snape caused his 
own friends to die through his own betrayal.  Maybe in some sense, 
Harry is a constant reminder of the price Snape had to pay to earn 
his way back into Dumbledore's good graces.

OK, it's not L.O.L.L.I.P.O.P.S., but is it totally lame?

Cindy