Hermione and her time -turner and a Snape theory

[Linda]

No: HPFGUIDX 58405

Linda wrote:
 
> >       I think that he didn't realize what was going on until the 
> > tail end of the confrontation in the hospital wing at the end of 
> PoA.
> > In that instant of realization, he took a moment to gather his 
> > bearings and left the room before his temper could override his 
> > sense of loyalty and he said something that he would later 
regret.
> > 
> 
Innermurk replied:
 
> Snape was nothing if irrational that night. He was more than 
willing 
> to turn over an innocent man to the Dementors. And he showed this 
> more than once.
> I don't think he knew about the TT for that reason, because even 
> though he is loyal to DD, his irrational behavior that night 
would've 
> spurred him to betray DD just to get Sirius.
> I think he realized that DD knew *something* and he knew that 
Harry 
> did *something* but I don't think he knew *what* (all his yelling 
and 
> spluttering about Potter proves this) He tried to blame them and 
get 
> the Minister of Magic to blame them as well, until DD stepped in.
> When he realized DD was behind it, he left, albeit after a few 
> minutes hesitation where he shot poisonous looks all around. 
> (Probably to continue his fuming and ranting away from them all)
> 
> He left maybe out of his loyalty to DD, because he didn't want to 
> expose that DD was behind it. BUT if he'd known *how* Harry and 
> Hermione did what they did, I'm not so sure he would've kept his 
> mouth shut about it. Two of his least favorite pupils, protecting 
one 
> of his most hated rivals (Sirius) and a chance to get revenge and 
a 
> medal (Order of Merlin) all at once? Too much.
> When he knew DD did something, his loyalty carried him so far as 
to 
> leave before he blurted it. But I don't believe his loyalty goes 
so 
> far as to cover Harry or Sirius.

Linda again:
    Maybe I need to take a writing class because I can't seem to get 
my point across here. I keep leaving out key points. *sigh* Ok. Here 
we go. Snape's irrationality during the whole sequence of events is 
an important part of my theory. If, as I now believe, Snape already 
knew about Hermione using the time turner for her classes, that 
doesn't need to even figure in his behavior during this crisis(for 
lack of a better word).
I am contending that he figured out about Hermione and her earlier 
use of the TT sometime during the course of the school year, not 
that night. He was most decidedly irrational both in the shreiking 
shack and after Black's escape and IMHO the effect was that all his 
rationalization skills and logic had flown out the window. The TT 
never even occured to him because he wasn't rational enough to think 
anything through. He realized the TT use and Dumbledore's 
involvement at virtually the same instant.  Since he didn't know the 
*how* until the same time that he discerned Dumbledore's involvement
he had a quick decision to make. Also, canon only says that 
Snape "stared" at everyone in turn. There is no mention of what kind 
of look he was giving them. Maybe he was staring at both DUmbledore 
and Fudge trying to decide with which one he was going to ally 
himself with. I see this as a major point in  the developement of 
Snape's character developement. He had to decide publically where 
his loyalties lay and kept his loyalties with Dumbledore, despite 
his animosity toward HH.

  -Linda, who hopes she was clear enough this time because she is 
running out of ways to explain this