Spy/Snape

[erisedstraeh2002]

No: HPFGUIDX 47646

Bish (bigbish13) wrote:

> Though not specifically stated in canon, it appears to me that the 
> trials of the death eaters were not open to the public, and IIRC 
> only the defendant accused of the crime being tried was present.
> Therefore, unless Snape was being corporately tried, or a DE was on 
> the panel passing judgment, only those present would be privy to
> that knowledge, and they certainly would not be spreading that type 
> of information around. So Voldemort would have no way of knowing 
> Snape was a double agent, as far as he knows, Snape could have gone 
> with the old Imperius curse story to stay out of Azkaban.

Now me:

Welcome, Bish, and nice job on your first post.

The trial at which Dumbledore announces to the entire courtroom that 
Snape was a DE but turned spy for the good guys was Karkaroff's.  In 
Ch. 30 of GoF, (p. 508 UK edition) it's noted that there "were at 
least two hundred" witches and wizards in attendance at Karkaroff's 
trial.  It's not clear whether the trial was open to the public, but 
there were a lot of witches and wizards in attendance nonetheless.  
And some of them could have been Imperio'd former DEs for all we know.

In addition, Rita Skeeter, newspaper reporter, is noted in attendance 
at Bagman's trial.  While it's not noted whether she was at 
Karkaroff's trial, her presence at Bagman's trial implies that these 
trials are public events.

~Phyllis