Snape, A Murderer? (Was: Re: Is Wormtail an Occlumens or an open book?)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 95359

I (Carol) wrote:
> > I still don't think that DD would hire a murderer to teach innocent
> > children. We don't know what Snape did for the DEs, but it seems to 
> > be something different from what the other DEs mentioned by 
> > Karkaroff did or Crouch Sr. would never have let Snape off 
> > regardless of DD's testimony regarding his reform.
>
Nora responded: 
<snip>
> Snape certainly is skilled at potions, and couldn't have been a 
> novice to any degree, but I somehow doubt he was as good 14 odd
years ago as he is now.  His sheer youth and therefore at least some 
> inexperience (depending on how you want to take Sirius'
comments--but at least let's be consistent) don't point towards any
position of great and high authority. <snip>

Carol responds:
Despite his youth, he seems to have been important. Karkaroff says of
the DEs he names: "And these were important supporters, mark you.
People I saw with my own eyes doing his [LV's] bidding." (GoF Am. ed.
589) So whatever Snape did, it was important. And I don't think, but
can't prove, that it's different from what the other DEs were doing.
As I said before, it's clear from Karkaroff's testimony that they had
specialized roles. And if they are sent out on a mission like the raid
on the MoM, they don't necessarily have to cast Unforgiveable Curses.
(Whatever Dolohov was using is pretty effective despite being,
evidently, perfectly legal and Forgiveable.)


Nora wrote: 
> On the related issue, if he *did* make potions/poisons/etc. for LV, 
> he has some significant guilt in any damage caused by those things.  
> Not to mention the guilt by association of being a member and 
> therefore an enabler of a group which systematically murdered a lot 
> of people, especially members of the Order.  (This is assuming that 
> Saintly!Snape isn't true and that he spent at least some significant 
> time as a DE before converting.  I'll be very disappointed if this 
> isn't true--it takes all the power out of the 'redemptive pattern' 
> that we've been told Snape is on).  
> 
> I'll just sum up with my view: if Snape created poisons that were 
> used on people by LV/the DEs, he's a significant accessory to 
> murder.  He's also something of an accessory by having been a DE at 
> all.  But I'll go further and state that given current information,
I > don't see how he could have gotten out of some of the general 
> obligations of the rank-and-file.

Carol:
Believe it or not, I agree with you. I just don't think that the
"general obligations of the tank-and-file" included murder (AK),
torture (Crucio), or Imperioing unwilling or innocent people. LV had
experts for that (Travers, Bellatrix, Mulciber), just as he had an
expert, though young, potion maker, whose talents he would have been
stupid not to use. There were plenty of other spells, including the
ever useful "Stupefy," that the DEs could have used for most of their
routine duties.

Snape is, without question, guilty of something. Very likely he *was*
"a significant accessory to murder." Otherwise, as you say, his
repentance, and his not-yet accomplished redemption, mean nothing. I
just don't think we have to assume that he AK'd or Crucio'd someone to
be worthy of that redemption when the time comes.

Carol