Snape's knowledge

[anakinbester]

No: HPFGUIDX 45456

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Tim" <tmarends at y...> wrote:
>  Wouldn't Snape, 
> as a former DE and spy, have knowledge that Pettigrew was a DE?  

I've seen that brought up a few other places. I have two takes on 
that. One is, no Snape simply was never that high up a death eater to 
know that Peter was a spy. consider how valuable Peter was. Even if 
Snape were fairly high ranked (which I assume he was if you believe 
he's the informant that informed them of the danger to the Potters)he 
still may not have known the identity of the spy. he may have only 
known that here was one. 
Now, clearly some DE"s did know who peter was, because of what Sirius 
says he over heard in Azkaban. My feeling is that the insane DE's 
might have been the Lestranges, who could have been highly placed 
enough to know about Peter. 

Then again, maybe no one mentioned Peter by name. I mean if they were 
calling out for vengeance against Peter Pettigrew, it really makes 
you angry that Sirius got to spend so much time in jail, because here 
were people giving evidence that Sirius was innocent -_- I doubt 
there were many people looking after those prisoners. Not with 
Dementors around all the time. 

Anyway, theory number two
Snape did know. However, he would have compromised himself if he'd 
revealed Peter as the spy. In fact, Voldemrot could have told Snape 
about Peter as some form of test. If Peter is found out, the 
Voldemort has caught his spy.
Then you wonder why wouldn't Snape testify for Sirius. Well one, 
Sirius could have been a spy for all Snape knew. Just because Peter 
is one, does not mean Sirius cannot also be a spy. 
Nor does Snape know that Sirius didn't kill those 12 muggles. Sirius 
could have killed them in an effort to kill Peter for all Snape knows.
We already know Snape believes Sirius to be a murderer, and not 
without reason. 
If Snape thought Sirius could kill the muggles just to get at Peter, 
and Sirius had already tried to kill him for some school grudge, then 
Snape could reason that Sirius deserves Azkaban as much as Peter did. 
I suspect what ever punishment Sirius got for the werewolf prank did 
not satisfy Snape, and seeing Sirius in Azkaban could be some form of 
revenge.

That seems fairly petty right? But I think even the stoutest Snape 
lover has to admit the man has a petty streak. Honestly, how petty is 
it to carry on a grudge against the son of the person you hated? And 
to threaten to have Remus given a Demontor's kiss as well! He had no 
proof that Remus was collaborating, yet he was more than willing at 
the moment to see both Sirius and Remus dead. *Shrugs* I don't see it 
as that for out of character that Snape could have convinced himself 
that Sirius deserved to be in Azkaban even if he had not been the spy.

-Ani