Snape and the Death Eaters?

[Laura]

No: HPFGUIDX 55338


Badger wrote:
> > > 
The impression I got at first was the DE to whom Lord V referred and 
indicated would be killed would be Karkaroff for his snitching to get 
out of Azkaban, and his fleeing when the Black Mark reappeared.  I've 
glanced at the passage again and it does imply Snape is the one Lord 
V **believes** may have left him forever. 
> > > 

Gina replied:

> > >
There is a very interesting scene in GoF (The Egg and the Eye) 
between Snape and Crouch-Moody <snip>

"You know I'm hiding nothing, Moody," [Snape] said in a soft and 
dangerous voice, "as you've searched my office pretty thoroughly 
yourself."

Moody's face twisted into a smile.  "Auror's privilege, Snape.  
Dumbledore told me to keep an eye ---"

"Dumbledore happens to trust me," said Snape through clenched 
teeth.  "I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my 
office!"

"Course Dumbledore trusts you," growled Moody.  He's a trusting man, 
isn't he?  Believes in second chances.  But me-I say there are spots 
that don't come off, Snape.  Spots that never come off, d'you know 
what I mean?"

Snape clutches his arm (the dark mark of course) and then lets go of 
his arm "as though angry with himself."

Now, what Snape doesn't know (and we don't know on first read) is 
that "Moody" is really Crouch Jr. working for Voldemort.  Snape is 
there practically telling Voldemort himself that he is above reproach 
in Dumbledore's eyes.  That he's no longer a death eater.  And his 
body language expresses regret at the "spot" which can never come 
out.  He is wearing his regret on his sleeve, as it were.  
Furthermore, Crouch-Moody has searched Snape's office and surely must 
be disappointed to find nothing suspicious.  It further engenders 
doubts in Snape's loyalty to Voldemort.
> > >

Now me:
"Snape is there practically telling Voldemort himself that he is 
above reproach in Dumbledore's eyes."  Key words: "In Dumbledore's 
eyes."  Assuming that Snape is really a spy for LV (and we don't know 
if he is, now do we?), he can claim to be protecting his powerful 
stance- surely if Moody (or, who he *thinks* is Moody) were to find 
out that Snape still favored LV, he [Moody] would forward this 
information to Dumbledore.  Dumbledore would no longer trust Snape, 
which would be a huge loss to LV.

Diverging a bit here, I'm slightly confused about Crouch-Moody's 
words here.  Most of what he says seems to be perfect Auror thoughts 
that on a second read, make perfect sense with his true personality-
 "If there's one thing I hate, it's a DE who walked free."  Goes both 
ways, doesn't it?  However, the "spots that don't come off" line 
makes sense if Moody says it, but not if Crouch says it.  Unless he's 
insinuating that he can never erase LV's memory of his history as a 
DE and therefore betrayal?  i.e., "LV isn't going to forget that you 
USED to be a DE, even if you aren't now...and the fact that you no 
longer are means BIG trouble"

While we're on the topic...

Erin wrote:
> > > 
And there possibly were secret trials. But Snape's 
was not one of them. 
<snip>
"Snape has been cleared by this council," said Crouch distainfully.
"He has been vouched for by Albus Dumbledore."
"No!" shouted Karkaroff, straining at the chains that bound him 
to the chair. "I assure you! Severus Snape is a Death Eater!"
Dumbledore had gotten to his feet.
" I have given evidence already on this matter," he said calmly.
"Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our 
side before Lord Voldemort's downfall and turned spy for us, at great 
personal risk. He is now no more a Death Eater than I am."
> > >

I might mention that, as far as we can tell, Snape might well be a 
spy for either side.  Or he could be spying for both sides and not 
give a you-know-what who "wins."  I, for one, still don't completely 
trust Snape.  Yes, we know that Dumbledore absolutely positively 
trusts him.

And that's exactly why I don't.  Think about it- Dumbledore is 
*always* right.  He knows what's happened, what is happening, and he 
sometimes seems to know what will happen.  He say through TMR during 
the COS issue 50 years ago, he knew when Harry had gone to the 
Weasley's house, he knew he had to keep the executioner in Hagrid's 
hut longer to allow Harry and Hermione more time to free Buckbeak.  
The guys knows EVERYTHING.

So he has to be wrong sometime.  It's sort of a mini-theory of 
mine...more of a suspicion, really.  It's sort of bangy.  Wrong!
Dumbledore.      

And I'm not totally convinced that this isn't the time that he's 
wrong.  Do I have canon to back this up?

Nope. =)

-Laura