[HPforGrownups] Re: Draco is Ever So Lame

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 39197

Grace:
> I don't think using Draco to appeal to Voldemort though Lucius Malfoy is
> that plausible.  Voldemort had the opportunity to interrogate Bertha, and as
> he said, he had learned quite a bit from her.  He also had the opportunity
> to interrogate Quirrel who was a much closer and direct contact to Snape.
> Quirrel could easily have sat there in the teachers' lounge, taking in the
> conversations that were about Snape and passed his suspicious on the
> Voldemort.  

Has someone suggested this?
Even with Voldemort powerless and without the prospect of his return, it was 
sensible for Snape to keep on the right side of Lucius.
They were *both* DEs. Snape knows or must assume that Lucius was, as it seems 
to be almost common knowledge. His support for Voldemort certainly is.
Lucius may or may not know about Snape, depending on how much individual DEs 
know about the identities of the others and how public the Pensieve outing of 
Snape really was.
But......Lucius is a school governor and has the other governors in his 
thrall, at least through PoA. He has got away with his past through power and 
influence. If Snape were to displease him in any way, you can bet he'd do his 
best to get rid of him. I don't know whether he is at Hogwarts for protection 
or not, but I'm sure Dumbledore wants him there and that he does not want to 
risk dismissal. 

I have argued in the past that Snape's conversion is not widely known. The WW 
is not notable for its tolerance and I do not think that the parents or 
governors would accept even a repentant DE as a member of staff, any more 
than an outed werewolf would have been acceptable.

Tabouli and I have both argued that even if Voldemort knows about the 
Pensieve outing, Snape may already have persuaded him that he was going to 
pretend to be a double agent on Voldemort's behalf.

Sirius has hears no anger addressed against Snape in Azkaban, which suggests 
that the imprisoned DEs either know nothing of it or believe it to be a ruse.

I do not think that Snape's past or present loyalties would be a topic of 
staff-room conversation. It doesn't seem that all the staff are in 
Dumbledore's complete confidence in respect to his campaign against 
Voldemort. Madam Pomfrey, who must surely have seen a lot in her time, and is 
very discreet, is specifically excluded from knowing anything at the end of 
GoF. I don't think Snape would encourage such discussion and I certainly 
wouldn't risk discussing him behind his back. He suspected Quirrell from the 
start. I think he would have been very careful about what he let slip in 
front of him. Can't you just imagine....
'If I ever hear that any one of you has mentioned my name in front of 
Professor Quirrell.......'

I'm not sure about resourceful and cunning Voldemort, either. He wasn't 
stupid at school, certainly, but that power does seem to have gone to his 
head and he does seem to make mistakes of the 'phoenix tears, I forgot' 
variety. Snape on the other hand *is* resourceful and cunning and 
intelligent. 
Not that I'm prejudiced, of course. ;-)

> 
> I think Voldemort knows about Snape being a spy and in the next book it will
> come out.  Perhaps its Snape who dies in the next book.  

Don't. Ever.Say. That. :-)

> impression that Snape has the job of going back to 
> Voldemort as the spy again and is in peril because of the knowledge 
> collected from Bertha and
> Quirrel.

I agree that he's probably going back and is certainly in peril (and I'm 
tempted to say that the anticipation of this peril is one of the things that 
gives Snape his hurt-comfort appeal, but that's just because I'm a Bent 
Snapefan! ;-) )


> At the beginning of GoF, first chapter,Voldemort says in Harry's dream:
> "One more murder ... my faithful servant at Hogwarts ... "
> 
> That could be read as:
> "One more murder ... Snape, my faithful servant at Hogwarts...."

Well, it could, but I prefer the more conventional reading.


> And in chapter 23, when he talks to the Death Eaters,
> 
> At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred, and
> some muttered and shook their heads.  Voldemort ignored them.
> "It is a disappointment to me ... I confess myself disappointed ..."
> 
> Could he be speaking of Snape specifically?

Possibly, though of course, he may have Malfoy in mind as well.

Eloise







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