Snape and the Death Eaters?

[Jonathan Pessin]

No: HPFGUIDX 55380

Laura wrote :

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. =)"

I reply:

Maybe not pure canon, but I for one wouldn't trust Snape as far as I can throw Hagrid.  Sure, maybe he's acting out of altruistic feelings and repentance, but IMNSHO, I think Snape could just as easily working for self-preservation.  My personal, not-entirely-proven theory is that sometime near the end of VWI, Snape did something to get himself into hot water with Voldie - maybe his innate "Slytherinly" ambition led him to try to get a piece of the pie a bit too big for him.  Whatever it was, I see some transgression which might not lead to his being killed outright (after all, he's a useful potion-brewer, if nothing else), but would make it seem like a good idea in the long run to get rid of him.  Snape, being the pragmatic and insightful person he is, would notice this, and perhaps decide that it'd be best to live under Dumbledore's yoke than to die under Voldie, so he turns spy and tries to solve his problems by getting Voldie vanquished.  The problem with this is, if I'm theorizing correctly, that as soon as it serves him better to work for Voldemort again, Snape'll turn faster than a person traveling by Floo.

One of the reasons I have trouble seeing Snape as a permanent "good" guy is that he's just so vicious.  Quite apart from trying to get Harry expelled (which he could have any number of reasons for) or sneering at Neville (which may just be from impatience toward stupidity), it's his actions toward Hermione which make me want to punch that hooked nose in:

>From GoF, US Paperback edition, pp 299-300:
Ron... forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth - she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar...
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."

Here, Snape is talking to one of, if not THE, best student in the grade. She doesn't always talk in class and disrupt lessons.  She doesn't melt cauldrons.  She acts respectfully even toward him.  I feel that this type of abuse, a teacher maliciously and needlessly belittling a student under his care, is utterly unforgivable.  Whatever other actions Snape may do, I don't think they'd be able to redeem him in my eyes just because of that one careless sentence.  He could bring Harry and Dumbledore Voldemort's head on a silver platter, and I'd still call him an evil git.

Sorry, I got a bit worked up there.

In any case, I personally find it hard to believe that a person who is willing to scar a child mentally (which such actions may do) can be considered a "good" person.  But maybe it's just me.

Hobbit_guy, who would like to hear Snape say "I'm sorry" to the trio as much as I'd like to hear Harry say "Thank you" to Snape.

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"You haven't been getting into the Gaffer's home brew again, have you?"
"No... Well, yes, but that's beside the point."
-Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Fellowship of the Rings Extended Edition DVD