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

[severelysigune]

No: HPFGUIDX 95377

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 replied: 
<< Again, why not?  Karkaroff gets off with some jail time, but he's  
clean enough to return from exile of a sort as Headmaster of 
Durmstrang and not be looked at as complete filth by everyone during  
the Tournament.>>
<snip>


Sigune joins in:
I just wanted to add that we have no idea as to what Karkaroff did as 
a DE. I mean: if Bellatrix Lestrange had turned informant after being 
captured, would she have been released in return for names? I find 
that hard to believe in regard of what she has done.

Both Karkaroff and Snape ended up in education; is this a 
coincidence? My guess (but it *is* a pure guess) is they might have 
functioned as something like "Research DE's" - a DE think-tank or 
something. Or does this sound completely crazy?
Hm. My fancy running riot, I suppose :).

Just another thing:
Does Karkaroff strike anyone as a particularly competent wizard, in 
the sense of his being a 'practical magic' person? We know from Krum 
that he didn't even steer the Durmstrang ship; he let his students do 
it. Is that because he can't do it himself, or because he won't?

No-one responded to my "DE-competence-question", so here I launch it 
again: if Karkaroff can't steer the ship, maybe also he isn't 
powerful enough to cast Unforgivables. And if he didn't use 
Unforgivables, that might explain the Wizengamut's relative leniency.

In case anyone thinks my theory of Inept!Karkaroff contradicts 
Thinktank!Karkaroff, it is very possible to study something without 
being able to produce any of that something yourself. (I spend my 
time studying great literature, but I have no hopes of ever producing 
great literature myself.)


Nora wrote:
<< 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>

Sigune responds:
Yes, of course you could consider his age as a barrier to great 
authority. But then again I should like to point out that so many of 
the DE's seem to have been fairly young. Lucius 'Right Hand Man' 
Malfoy himself was about 25 when Voldemort was reduced to Vapormort. 
The Lestranges, whom I suppose we agree were pretty prominent gang 
members, were about the same age, possibly even a little younger. I 
don't think age would have been very important - if Snape could brew 
decent poisons they would have been happily received whatever his age.


Nora wrote:
<< But a lot of this is full of holes--one wonders why Snape went and 
joined the DEs, why he left--nothing can be said for sure as of yet.>>
<snip>


Sigune:
Heh, don't I know it...


Yours severely,

Sigune