TimeTurner!Snape/ Future loyalties

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 46997

Judy Serenity writes;

>>But, I don't really see a reason for Snape to time-travel back to the 
Graveyard scene. Being at the Graveyard really buys him (and the"Light" side) 
nothing.<<

Not even if he feeds Voldemort some supposedly "classified" information on 
Dumbledore's present projects? Not even though his being at the graveyard 
*after* Harry gets away will give them some information on what Voldemort's 
next actions are likely to be (What instructions has he given his followers 
regarding what he wants them working on before their next meeting?)

I think that Snape and Dumbledore have already determined that it will be 
easier for Snape to mend his bridges than to insert a brand new spy into 
Voldemort's ranks. 

As to Dumbeldore's "outing" Snape's prior role as a spy. We still do not know 
when Snape went to work at Hogwarts. It is not yet clear whether or not 
Voldemort inserted Snape into Dumbledore's school "as" a spy in the first 
place. (The school, mind you, not the Order.) If that is the case, Snape was 
covered whichever side might have won, and we still don't know whose side he 
is REALLY on. The fact that he has had Lucius Malfoy's continued support 
suggests that either Voldemort DID insert him as his own spy, and Lucius was 
high enough up to know it, or Snape managed to sell the "double agent" story 
to the other ex-DEs of his aquaintance rather more convincingly than Lucius 
managed to convince the WW as a whole of his "Imperius Defence". If the 
latter is the case, then sooner or later Voldemort is going to find out and 
there will be some hard questions asked, but the other DEs aren't likely to 
rat him out over it. (Speaking of which, Pettigrew was already with the 
Weasleys by the time of Snape's trial, and I don't know how much about it he 
ever heard, if anything. This could be one of the bits of information which 
got past him.)

Whose side Snape is REALLY on I *really* think is going to be the $64.000 
question for the last three books of the series. 

Over the first four books, the question was; whose side is Snape on?  
Acording to the conclusion of book four the answer is pretty conclusively 
"Dumbledore's".

I don't see Rowling leaving it at that. 

The bar has been raised. Now the question has become; whose side is he REALLY 
on? I think that in this case there is a very good chance that we are going 
to be told (and pretty quickly, too, probably in book 5) that Voldemort DID 
send him to spy within the school. And that in the three remaining books he 
will continue to take actions which are going to call the matter of his 
loyalties into question all over again. And keep us guessing.

Which is why I think that the possibility of Voldemort setting Snape a "test" 
of his loyalties is probably dead on. 

And I agree with Pip that the test of Snape bringing him Dumbledore's head on 
a platter is one very strong possibility. (I remember posting something very 
like it on the AOL board (IIRC) a year or so ago.) And, what's more, I can 
see Dumbledore agreeing to it. Particularly if there is a chance of buying 
his side some major magical protective advantage by his willing sacrifice. (I 
can easily see Dumbledore choosing to trump Voldy's ace by playing the 
Obi-Wan card.) If this is the case, I think it is more likely to be in book 
five than in book six. But this is only one possibility, and Rowling may very 
well not choose to go there at all.

But I DO think she wants to keep us guessing over Snape's real alliegances. I 
do NOT think that she is going to sit back and let us comfortably start 
taking him for granted as one of the good guys.

As to Snape's blocking QuirrelMort; That's not really such a big deal. 
Quirrel was stated more than once as being *young*. Younger than Snape. Snape 
and his contemporaries were the *new* kids when Voldemort fell. Quirrel was 
too young to have EVER been one of Voldy's followers, and (I suspect) didn't 
come from a family which had ever supported him. Unless Voldemort identified 
himself, there was NO REASON for Snape to neeed to admit to supposing that 
Quirrell wanted the Stone for anyone but himself. He could probably spin a 
perfectly plausible tale that he was saving the stone *for* Voldemort -- and 
polishing his credentials with Dumbledore at the same time. After all, he 
doesn't have to admit that he knew Dumbledore was intending to destroy the 
stone after using it for bait, either. And does he need to volunteer that 
Dumbledore expected *Voldemort* to make a grab for the Stone, or just that he 
expected *somebody* to? Snape's an experienced spy. He doesn't tell 
*everything* he knows. 

-JOdel