What Snape knew and when, Revisited! Rejoice!

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 31703

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "lipglossusa" <lipglossusa at y...> wrote:

> Ah yes, the mystifying Snape.  It was me who posted the message 
last 
> week about Snape and what he'd overheard while under the cloak-- I 
> was wondered why, since he knows now that Sirius is an animagus, he 
> hadn't shared this information with the MoM.  
> However, a very observant member (I think it was Cindy) pointed out 
> that Albus probably told Snape to keep his mouth shut.  
> 

Oh, no, I'm not the very observant member <bg>, and I don't think 
Albus told Snape to keep his mouth shut.  Count me among those who 
think Snape flatly does not believe a word of Lupin's claim that 
Pettigrew, James and Black are animagi.  He honestly believes that 
Lupin and Black are confunding the trio with a fictional story.  

In denying the truth of Lupin's story in the Shrieking Shack, Snape 
is just believing what he wants to believe, of course.  If he were to 
acknowledge that his old enemies were animagi, he'd have to admit a 
few things he'd prefer not to admit.  Like Sirius and James *are* 
were smart and clever as everyone said.  

The thing that I can't quite figure out is why Dumbledore is so ready 
to believe Sirius.  The Shrieking Shack story is quite a tall tale, 
if you think about it, and there really isn't a great reason for 
Dumbledore to believe the allegedly confunded trio rather than 
Snape.  I suppose it has something to do with all of that complicated 
time turner stuff where Dumbledore knows everything that is going to 
happen.

Cindy