Secret Agent Snape

[atonement24]

No: HPFGUIDX 41795

Grace writes:
> What would [Snape] have offered [Voldemort]? 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.

But probably only by a few months.    Voldemort is not foolish enough 
to trust Snape again if he's been betrayed in the past.  *If* he 
knows that Snape was once a traitor, then Snape's as good as dead 
already.   He would have to offer Voldemort something big, something 
that no other Death Eater can (perhaps, as Grace says a "stopper on 
death") to not be AK'd on the spot.  It would have to intrigue 
Voldemort enough to put off killing Snape until it's been conducted --
 but you can be rest assured that as soon as Snape has fulfilled his 
purpose, he'll be killed.  Even if he was a genuine a Death Eater 
this time round, he betrayed Voldemort in the past, and that kind of 
behaviour is unlikely to be rewarded by the Dark Lord himself, just 
because Snape's been useful this time round.

Unless ... before Snape was a double agent for Dumbledore, he was a 
double agent for Voldemort?  He might have pretended to be on the 
good side to begin with, using their own information against them by 
allowing Voldemort access to it all,  and passing back false 
information about the Death Eater and such to Dumbledore, as 
instructed by Voldemort.   Then, after having an attack of 
conscience, Snape told Dumbledore everything.  After that, the 
information he passed on to the Death Eaters would have been pre-
prepared and falsified, and Voldemort would be unaware of 
everything.  

So,  in this version of events, when Snape returns to Voldemort to 
pledge his allegiance, Voldemort will have no intention of killing 
him, because he *doesn't know* that Snape betrayed him in the first 
place.  It was always part of Snape's job to fool Dumbledore into 
believing he was betraying Voldemort, and -- from Voldemort's POV -- 
that was exactly what Snape has done.  It would be near impossible 
for Voldemort to discover that Snape *truly* betrayed him, because 
the illusion worked so well at hiding the truth.   That's why, I 
think, only under these circumstances could lead to Snape being 
accepted back into Voldemort's fold with welcoming arms.  I'm sure 
that Snape is even more valuable now, because he's closer to 
Dumbledore than ever.  Voldemort could use a contact like that.

Of course, it's possible that Snape truly is on Voldemort's side, and 
that it is Dumbledore himself that's been fooled by Snape's double-
crossing, but I sincerely hope that's not the case.   I guess only 
time (and more Harry Potter books) will tell whether Snape is good or 
evil, and I have a feeling that it'll be a bit of both.



Sara writes:  
> I had been wondering if [Snape] could do a deal with Lucius Malfoy, 
> seeing how Snape has looked after Draco so well in his time at 
> Hogwarts, maybe he could  get him to vouch for him or something. But
> I doubt it. 

That reminds me of a line I came across at the end of 'The Goblet of 
Fire', when Harry is trying to prove to Fudge that Voldemort has 
truly been restored to power...

" 'I saw the Death Eaters!  I can give you names! Lucius Malfoy --'

Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's 
eyes flew back to Fudge." 

(GoF, UK paperback, children's version, page 613)

It's a very subtle moment, but JKR indicates that this is important.  
Why did Snape react so 'suddenly' to the name  of Lucius Malfoy?   He 
cannot be surprised that Malfoy is a Death Eater, surely?  Perhaps 
then, it is something more personal, but you'd imagine that Snape has 
seen Lucius plenty of times since Draco started school -- for 
parent/teacher meetings and whatnot?  Something must have happened, 
though, that is for sure.


Adia
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