Secret Agent Snape

[Grace Saalsaa]

No: HPFGUIDX 41751

Sara writes:

"And here we have six missing Death Eaters ... three dead in my service. One, 
too cowardly to return ... he will pay. One, who I believe has left me for 
ever ... he will be killed, of course ... and one, who remains my most 
faithful servant, and who has already re entered my service."

I've always taken the last 3, in the order they are above to be Karkaroff, 
Snape and Crouch Jr. So personally, I think Snapes time in book 5 might be a 
little short, unless he can do some very quick thinking and talk his way out 
of it.


Now me.

That's the same way I've read this paragraph too:  Karkaroff, Snape, BC. Jr.   There's a couple of things that keep coming back to me when I think this.  First, when Harry is in Snape office, he makes the observation that there are a lot of new slimy things in jars on the shelves.  Why would JRK bother to mention that - unless there is some significance to it?  She did misdirect us with the Boomslang, making us think the stolen stuff was when Hermione took it - and actually Snape was talking about the Boomslang that Barty Crouch Jr. took.  Now JRK casually mentions new stuff on Snape's shelves.... hmm.

Then, in the hospital wing, Dumbledore sends Snape out and is a bit apprehensive about doing so, adding to Snape "if you are prepared."   Snape sweeps out of the room saying he is - and we assume that he has gone to make contact with Voldemort.   If Snape is truly the second person being spoken of in his speech to the DE, then Snape is a dead man, and I doubt that Voldemort would have wasted much time snuffing Snape out.  After all, he says "he will die, of course."   Of course.  He's already made up his mind.  Unless being prepared is *not* about Snape himself - but rather the stuff that Snape is *preparing* with those new ingredients.

At the Leaving Feast, Harry takes a long time to look at Snape - who is back!  Snape either didn't meet with Voldemort or he offered him something spectacular that Voldemort really really wants - and thus, Snape's life has been spared.

What would he have offered?  Being the Potions Master, I think what he offered was a new potion that he invented that can "put a stopper on death."  With that kind of offering Snape has also put a stopper on his own death.

Grace


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