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

[Sara_ELL]

No: HPFGUIDX 64820

Rane wrote: 

<snip>
>>>PS/SS, the mention of Snape's spying in Karkaroff's trial in GoF, 
Snape's training Harry at Occlumency while Voldemort can penetrate 
Harry's mind...), that I'm sad to say I'm becoming suspicious of 
him. Why does Lucius (at least) still trust him? Lucius is hardly an 
idiot. (Doesn't seem to be, anyway.) So I'm wondering (like so many 
others) what precisely Snape could have done to convince him he's 
still on Voldie's side. Has he really been on Voldie's side all 
along...? <<<<
<snip>

Me:
Being a good little newbie, I checked out the humongousbigfile/faq 
to get some idea of what the consensus is re: certain scenes from 
the earlier books. I was intrigued to know exactly *what* Snape's 
mission at the end of GoF was - the idea was floated around that he 
could have returned back to Voldemort (ie: answered his Dark Mark 
summons) and continued spying for Dumbledore as a "reformed" DE. The 
problem with this theory (prior to OOP) was the explanation for how 
Voldemort (and the other DEs) would overlook what would have to be 
Snape's absolutely enormous lies. Well, OOP has provided us with 
Occulamency, a very neat explanation of Snape's ability to conceal 
his allegiance to the OOP from Voldemort (and the DEs). I think it 
now highly likely that Snape's "life-threatening" mission at the end 
of GoF was to respond to his summons and return to Voldemort (I 
liked the idea that he could not respond to the summons on account 
of being under Dumbledore's nose at Hogwarts - not to mention, being 
unable to apparate from within the school grounds). That Snape is 
alive in OOP and retains the respect of Lucius makes a reformed-DE 
Snape much more likely as I find it hard to believe that Lucius 
wouldn't have known of Snapes DE background.

Sara