Eureka! Snape and the Marauder's Map

[Hollydaze]

No: HPFGUIDX 34724

Pippin wrote (about Snape questioning Lupin about the Map):
<SNIP>
> > When Snape summons Lupin to his office, Lupin has no idea 
> > that Snape knows anything about Wormtail, and of course *he*  
> > thinks Wormtail is the one person who *couldn't* have given 
> > Harry the Map. 

Cindyu wrote:
> Let's stop here.  I'm a little confused.  I'm with you when you say 
> Snape thinks Wormtail is Sirius Black based on Snape's days as a DE.  
> I guess Snape kept hearing that this Wormtail fellow would be a 
> traitor and would betray the Potters, but Snape is under the mistaken 
> assumption that Black is Wormtail.
> 
> I lost you, however, on why Snape would summon Lupin to question 
> Lupin.  Snape detests Lupin and thinks Lupin is untrustworthy, so why 
> bother?

Now I may be wrong but I interpreted this as, Snape assuming that LUPIN gave Harry the map and that he is accusing Lupin of being a manufacturer of it. This is because Snape assumes that Sirius is Wormtail and was therefore one of the makers, Lupin was one of Sirius friends and would either know about the map or have helped make it.


Pippin again:
> > Thus the stage is set for a comedy of errors. 
> > When Lupin says, "Wormtail or one of those people?" it's the 
> > perfect wrong remark. Snape is bound to believe that Lupin is 
> > baiting him (again!) but he can't question Lupin more directly 
> > without revealing the source of his knowledge. 

Cindy wrote:
> Why would Snape think Harry got the map from the "manufacturers" if 
> he thinks Wormtail is Black, who is one of the manufacturers?  Snape 
> thinks Black wants to kill Harry, so if Black catches up with Harry, 
> why wouldn't Black just kill Harry on the spot rather than give him a 
> map?  

See above, he thinks he got it from Lupin.

Pippin again:
> > Suppose Snape is the spy who revealed to 
> > Dumbledore that someone close to the Potters was giving 
> > information to Voldemort. Snape told Dumbledore he suspected 
> > this person, known only as Wormtail, was in reality Sirius Black.  
> > Snape has believed all these years that James chose to 
> > disregard this warning and trust Sirius anyway. His berating 
> > Harry for arrogance in the office gives some basis for this. Then 
> > he's told that James actually did switch Secret Keepers, and 
> > picked Pettigrew who really was the traitor. So it's  all Snape's 
> > fault. 

Cindy wrote:
> I think you're on to something here.  Let's say Snape goes to 
> Dumbledore with the information that Wormtail AKA Black is the 
> traitor.  Dumbledore tells James that Black might be a spy and that 
> Dumbledore should be the SK, but James won't listen.  I 
> don't think Snape would have used the name Wormtail in his 
> conversation with Dumbledore, because Dumbledore would have mentioned 
> that to James.
> 
> Dumbledore believes Black is the SK, but James switches to 
> Wormtail AKA Peter.  Snape knows that he did his level best to 
> prevent James from using Black, it didn't work, and Black betrayed 
> James.  I don't really see why Snape would feel guilty about this.

Now this is the bit I have trouble with. I would have presumed that Snape does now about the codename "Wormtail" but when he was a death eater didn't know who it actually was and that it was only after the death of the Potters that he put 2 and 2 together and came up with 10 (WAAAAY out, but then everyone else did it too -even Dumbledore) and presumed that Sirius was the traitor and therefore Wormtail must have been Sirius. I don't think he actually knew who the spy was by their REAL name when he was spying, other wise He would have told D'dore outright that Sirius was the spy and nothing would have ever happened (Ii.e. James and Lily would still be here and LV probably would be too having never been gotten rid of by 1Yr. old Harry!)

I think Snape new that Dumbledore had offered himself as secret keeper (may be Snape did too) because they new it was someone close to the Potters but not who EXACTLY. Therefore D'dore didn't want to trust Sirius, Lupin OR Peter and offered himself instead. But James put his trust in Sirius (from everyone else's point of view) and Peter (in reality). So the comment form Snape about not thinking he (James) could be wrong in Sirius would make sense he too, if James has been told not to trust ANY of his close friends.

HOLLYDAZE!!!


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