[HPforGrownups] Snape spying/ Rita/ Lucius (was:More on Snape and Mrs Norris

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 36326

Tabouli quotes
> Rita:
> > How can Voldemort have failed to learn that Snape was outed in a 
> courtroom before some 200 witnesses? Even if Rita Skeeter wasn't 
> covering Karkaroff's clemency hearing (I can't think what else to 
> call it), out of 200 spectators/jurors, surely some would babble.<

Tabouli

> Simple.
> 
> Voldemort (on hearing of Dumbledore's comments at the trial): 
> "Inviegling Dumbledore into declaring Snape's innocence in front of 200 
> peopl!  The fiendish cleverness of my spy Snape!  Now *no-one* will suspect 
> he's still a Death-Eater working for me against the Good Side..." (evil 
> cackling)
> 
Yes, that's how I've argued it. It explains why, whilst Sirius hears the DEs 
in Azkaban complain about Karkaroff, he apparently doesn't hear anything 
about Snape. They think he's still loyal.

Yet it doesn't explain it all, does it? This public outing of Snape as a spy 
is at odds with my feeling from everything else in the books that the only 
person who knows about his spying activities is Dumbledore himself.
Once Sirius is out of Azkaban, he gathers information - on Karkaroff, for 
instance. So why is he surprised to hear that Snape's around, if it's public 
knowledge that he's one of Dumbledore's old spies ( and therefore probably in 
need of protection).
And why don't the students know? Surely *one* of the parents, at some time, 
would have said, 'Ah, yes...Snape....Spied for Dumbledore according to what I 
read in the Daily Prophet'. A master who's a spy, a war hero...it should be 
all over the school. Even the majority who hate him would have some respect 
for that, but the only rumour we ever hear is that he wants the DADA job.
Worse, he's also outed as a DE. *Surely* the school governors wouldn't 
sanction his appointment, however penitent he's supposed to be. The wizarding 
community doesn't seem to be hot on forgiving and forgetting, does it? I 
suppose Lucius Malfoy could Imperio the governors into it, but I hardly think 
Dumbledore would agree!
And what does Fudge know? He talks of Dumbledore's spies in front of Flitwick 
and Mcgonagall without any apparent recognition that they know one of them 
and when he sees  Snape's Dark Mark...well, there are various interpretations 
you could make, but I get the feeling he didn't know.

I just can't make it add up. Sometimes I wonder if it's a bit of the 
plot-hole that got away. The public admission of Snape's past had to be made 
for Harry to witness it in the Pensieve. I've gone for a secrecy charm sort 
of explanation in the past, but I can't square that with Harry being able to 
access the memory - and then tell Ron and Hermione to boot.

The waters just get muddier, the more I think about it.

And a couple more things while I think of it.

Talking of babblers,I don't trust that Rita as far as I could throw her. Yet 
she hasn't tried to blacken Snape's reputation. There must be stuff she knows 
from the 'trials' or could make up. Perhaps he's just too scary. But I do 
worry what she's going to get up to whilst she's under Hermione's ban on 
scandal-mongering in the press. Ripe time to sell her skills to Voldy, I'd 
say. (Oh, good! Rita Skeeter is Ever so Evil!)

Secondly, have you noticed that Voldemort calls Lucius Malfoy by his *first* 
name? IIRC, he's the only person he does, bar Harry ( and calling Pettigrew 
by his nickname, which is somewhat derisory, anyway). Rather creepily 
familiar, don't you think?

Eloise
(Looking forward to the next development in the FLIRTIAC saga)


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