OoP - Snape STILL could be the turncoat

[medeacallous]

No: HPFGUIDX 62039

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" 
<bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> When I first read PS/SS in the fall of 2001 -- I came to the 
Potter 
> world late -- I thought I was reading a very well-done children's 
> book, until I got to the part where Harry finds who is really 
after 
> the Stone and it's Quirrell, not Snape.
> 
> That's when I realized she was writing for an older audience, one 
> that deciphers clues and appreciates good plot twists.
> 
> And the whole spirit of the "Snape hates your father and his 
memory, 
> but wanted to protect you" is just so complex.
> 
> Snape was certainly more than he seemed.
> 
> Now it's time for me to wonder if he still is. Here is my case. It 
> involves a little canon and decent bit of metathinking. Take it 
with 
> as many grains of salt as you need.
> 
> Meta:
> 1) Snape being evil now WOULD be a twist. After five books of 
> discovering tidbit after tidbit about Snape, he has become one of 
the 
> most popular characters in the books. To yank it out now would be 
> shocking.
> 
> 2) Who are the ones who always shoot down any of Ron and Harry's 
> conspiracy theories involving Snape? Hermione and Dumbledore, the 
two 
> fonts of knowledge. JKR herself said (in the CoS DVD interview) 
that 
> Dumbledore and Hermoine are wonderful tools for getting out 
> information. Wouldn't it be just like JKR to have those guys wrong 
> about this?
> 
> Ok, onto the canon:
> 
> 1) Why exactly did the Occlumency not better? Well, obviously, 
Harry 
> didn't appear to be trying too hard, but then Dumbledore says that 
> Snape was the wrong person to teach him because of all the hate 
for 
> Harry's father. D-Dore, who trusts Snape implicitly, is blaming it 
on 
> Snape's emotions. But... could the softening up theory be right?
> 
> 2) How did the DE's know that Harry had finally broken into the 
Dept. 
> of Mysteries? They could have had lookouts posted. But what if 
they 
> had been tipped off by the guy who was supposedly deep in the 
Forest, 
> looking for Harry after he escaped from Umbridge? 
> 
> 3) Snape took pains to hide certain memories from Harry. What if 
that 
> humilation one is just the tip of the iceberg? 
> 
> 4) We now know that D-Dore is susceptible to mis-steps in 
judgement. 
> He has made mistakes before. Crouch/Moody is the most prominent, 
but 
> those were cases of being actively fooled by a potion. With his 
> misreading of how Harry would react and what V-Mort would do to 
that 
> reaction, it opens up D-Dore for being wrong about one of his 
> followers. 
> 
> Who is the one follower he's had to make the biggest leap of faith 
> with? Snape.
> 
> Commence slings and arrows.
> 
> Darrin
> -- But if it happens, remember where you read it ;)
> 
> And yes, Worst Memories would be a GREAT name for a band.


I completely agree that Snape could still be a turncoat, especially 
after the events of the fifth book.  I was waiting to post on that 
topic until I'd re-read the book, since I wanted to cite all the 
evidence by page number etc, but the one thing that pops into my 
head in addition to your items is that AD only has Snape's word for 
it that Snape went to look for Harry in the forest.  I also wondered 
(as you did) if the reason Snape emptied his head before their 
lessons might be to protect his relationship with Voldemort.

I also thought it was *really* weird that Snape refused to allow 
Harry to say the name 'Lord Voldemort'.  That to me was a huge red 
flag.

Furthermore, I was curious to know more when Umbridge commented that 
she'd heard good things about Snape from Malfoy.  Where and when, I 
wonder???

MC