OoP: What Snape is really doing out there...

[Gino Ledesma]

No: HPFGUIDX 64747

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "knvna" <knvna at a...> wrote:
> My question regarding Snape is, How can families such as the Malfoys 
> still tolerate him teaching their children, much less as the Head of 
> their House?

This leads me to believe that Snape may be a very skilled in
Occlumency, perhaps not to the point that he'd risk being in front of
the Voldemort himself, but enough to "gain" the trust of the Death
Eaters. He was, after all, entrusted by Dumbdledore to teach Harry. Of
course, one could then argue as to why Snape isn't together with the
other Death Eaters. There's still a lot of unresolved/unexplained
mysteries about him -- whether as to he really is the one Voldemort
referred to as the Death Eater lost to him forever (and that he shall
pay dearly), why Dumbledore absolutely trusts him (perhaps as much, if
not more, than Hagrid -- referring to Book 1 where Dumbledore tells
McGonogall that he trusts Hagrid with his life).

I'm also guessing that Voldemort might not be able to "know" about
Snape's attitude towards Harry (that is, learning from Harry that he's
being taught Occlumency) because of Harry's attitude towards Snape.
Since its one of utter hatred, it may be that Voldemort is being...
thrown off-balance in sensing Snape's relations with Dumbledore.

But then again... if Voldemort still "believes" in Snape, then would
he not use Snape to his best advantage as he is best positioned to
"harm" Harry from within Hogwarts itself?

Still confused all about this. I'm thinking back to the time when
Voldemort possessed Quirrell and Quirrell told Harry all about Snape's
trying to save him (PS/SS, Chapter: The Man With Two Faces) -- if
Voldemort was in Quirrell, surely he wouldn't have missed this fact?

gino ledesma
 still reeling from trying to string everything together...