Nitpicky Snapethoughts - Snape's hysteria in PoA

[foxmoth at qnet.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 15242

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Amanda Lewanski <editor at t...> wrote:
> foxmoth at q... wrote:
> 
> >       I have a theory about Snape's behavior... he says,to Harry,
> > "You'd have been well served if [Sirius had] killed you! You'd have
> > died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken
> > in Black..."
> >
> >       Suppose what happened was this: sometime before the murder of
> > James and Lily, Snape began to suspect that Sirius was the double
> > agent. Snape couldn't prove it, but secretly warned James. Snape has
> > thought all this time that James ignored his warnings and chose Sirius
> > anyway and Snape is referring to this in the quote above.
> 
> This has been proposed before--I, too, think Snape was probably the one
> who warned James & Lily. And think it cost him to do it, in personal
> terms, too, but we'll leave my pet theory out of it. <g>
> 
> >       The idea that  James did in fact change secret-keepers provoked
> > a hysterical rejection from Snape because if Snape did accept it, he
> > would have to believe that he himself was responsible for James' and
> > Lily's deaths.
> 
> Except Snape had not arrived in the Shack when Lupin and Sirius were
> discussing the change. And he was out cold before Pettigrew was
> revealed. See my way, way too long post on What Snape Knew and When.

Wonderful, wonderful post Amanda, but you are overlooking one 
thing...we don't know exactly when Snape arrived at the Shrieking 
Shack. He could have been listening *outside* the door. Remember, as 
you pointed out, he has no way of knowing from the Map that Sirius is 
in the Shack. Suppose Snape showed up at the point where Lupin is 
saying, "Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter. I believed it myself -- 
until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies..."

Snape could have continued to listen outside the door, having no reason 
to believe that Sirius is present or that the children are in immediate 
danger...until Sirius speaks again "If you're going to tell them the 
story, get a move on, Remus..." at which point Snape comes through the 
door no doubt thoroughly alarmed. It's true that he wouldn't have over 
heard about the switch, but being Snape, he might not need to...just 
hearing Pettigrew was still alive and had animagus powers might be 
enough to engender the horrible thought that Peter was the spy after 
all...a thought which Snape then violently rejects.
Pippin