[HPforGrownups] Questions regarding Snape's past and the choices he made.

[ProfSnapeFan at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 37200

My goodness, what a list of questions, but being equally bored this evening 
I'll give some of them a shot :-).  Also haven't had a chance to reread the 
books lately so forgive me if I go against canon w/ my ideas.

In a message dated 3/30/2002 5:21:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
merlyn_dawson at hotmail.com writes:
> In what circumstances do you believe Snape left Voldemort's circle of Death 
> Eaters?  

I don't know for sure obviously but I always figured that he got sucked in by 
Lucius and his other slytherin pals and then realized how wrong it was, 
perhaps when the killings started, especially killing people he had gone to 
school with.  That may have been when he went to Dumbledore and started 
giving information, trying to prevent more killings, etc.  Just an idea.


> Is Snape a double agent, or just a plain spy for one side? 

I think spy for one side.


> Do you believe he 
> served time in Azakaban even though he was a spy on Dumbledore/Ministry of 
> Magic's side? 

Didn't the books say no?  That he was never sent to Azkaban because 
Dumbledore spoke up for him.


> If he did serve time, how long did he served and how did he 
> take it?

See above answer -- if he was there at all maybe he was held for a couple 
days before trial, but my main inclination is to say none.


> When he joined the school as a teacher, was he like he is now, or did years 
> of isolation and being left out of other teacher activity turn in him into 
> how he is now?

Perhaps both, I'm sure associating with Voldemort and the deatheaters, even 
as a spy caused him to be somewhat as cold as he is.  And I would imagine 
that being a known deatheater most of the teachers did exclude him from 
activities, or either were just not very friendly to him, causing him to 
become even more reclusive.  Once again all supposition on my part.


> How did he confess? Did he just confess and was believed, or confess and 
> wasn't believed and so forced to take a truth potion? If he was forced into 
> taking a truth potion, how did he react to that?

Confess to Dumbledore?  Or at the trial?  I don't believe he said much at the 
trial did he?  He didn't have to.  If confessing to dumbledore about being a 
spy I would assume that D'dore would have believed him w/o a truth potion.


> What do you believe he did for Voldemort? Was he in his inner circle? Did he 
> just make potions for Voldemort? If he just made potions, what sort of 
> potions did he make? Did he join Voldemort straight after leaving Hogwarts 
> or did he complete some sort of Potions degree?

I haven't the faintest idea, and can't even begin to guess on these.

 
> Why do you believe Snape wants the Defence against the Dark Arts job? Is it 
> to make young people aware and stop them going down the path he went down? 

That's what I figure, that and because he knows firsthand just what the 
danger is, and also the mentality of the deatheaters.  The other DADA 
teachers have been largely inept at their job (with exception of Lupin), not 
preparing the students thoroughy (in his opinion I'm sure) for any kind of 
defense against the dark arts, therefore creating a whole new batch of 
defenseless victims for Voldemort and the death eaters to prey on.  

"ProSnapeFan"