Snape & Sirius/Fudge Question

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 31536

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "lipglossusa" <lipglossusa at y...> wrote:
 
> I have to say I disagree, not because I don't think Dumbledore has 
> convinced Snape not to tell anyone, but because it doesn't fit in 
> with the chronology of events at the end of PoA.  Snape tells Fudge 
> his version of events in the Shrieking Shack before Harry even 
wakes 
> up in the infirmary-- Sirius has not escaped yet, Snape is still 
> acting sane, and Fudge still thinks Snape is a hero and is talking 
> about awarding him medals.

snip


> I think that Dumbledore definitely could have told Snape to keep 
his 
> mouth shut AFTER Sirius escapes again (which explains why the MoM 
> still doesn't know in GoF,) but not BEFORE.  There must be another 
> reason why Snape didn't tell Fudge....


I think that Snape felt there was no need to relay this particular 
piece of information.  What was important to him was that the cold-
blooded killer/escaped convict/teenage nemesis was safely locked up, 
only moments away from receiving the Dementor's Kiss.  The fact that 
Snape had heard about Sirius' Animagus ability was irrelevant to 
anything.  Sirius was going to be as good as dead in a few minutes - 
whatever unorthodox skills he had has a wizard didn't matter at this 
point.  

And after Sirius' escape, Snape was so incoherently fixated on Harry 
as the person who somehow freed Sirius, that the Animagus thing 
probably slipped down a couple of notches on his importance meter.  
If, somehow, Sirus' escape was accompanied by McNair being knocked 
down and bitten by a large dog, or if there was evidence that a large 
canine had freed himself by chewing his way through the door, Snape 
probably would have put two and two togehter, hit himself in the head 
and said, "Oh, by the way, Fudge, you people at the Ministry haven't 
discovered this yet, but Black is an Animagus, and I think he may 
turn into a really big dog."  

It was probably for the best that Snape didn't say anything about the 
Animagus transformation during his rant to Fudge.  Cornelius would 
have been even more convinced that Snape was unbalanced.

Which brings up a Fudge question - why does he focus on people's 
mental states so much?

  In PoA, he seemed disappointed that Sirius was not evidently mad 
when Fudge saw him in Azkaban.

  Later in PoA, he thinks Snape is unbalanced.

  In GoF, after the end of the Triwizard Tournament, he seems all too 
willing to think that Harry's sanity is questionable.  

Any thoughts?

Marianne