Both Snape & Fudge are DEs: 3rd 'Missing' DE

[Kate Harding]

No: HPFGUIDX 110328

Brenda:
>> 1. His Ridiculous Denial of Voldemort's Return
-- If Fudge had any bit of common sense (which is debatable), he
should soon realize that Dumbledore would not lie about something as
serious as this. <<


psyche/Kate:
I agree this looks bad. But I think it can be explained as easily in other 
ways. Fudge strikes me as a man with very little strength of character. The 
idea of Voldemort returned at a time when he, as MfM, had ultimate 
responsibility for dealing with him might simply too terrifying for him to 
face. People do deny even the most obvious things out of fear - so many 
refused, and still refuse, to believe the holocaust, for example.


Brenda:
>> The Ministry also sends a couple of Dementors to 4 Privet Drive in
OoP – nead I say more? <<


psyche/Kate:
This, we are later told, was Umbridge. But I agree - Fudge seems more keen 
on the dementors than we would like. But I still think this is just because 
he's so used to hiding behind others. He doesn't much care what methods 
they use as long as he can lean on their power.


Brenda:
>> Well let me remind you again of the possible Time-Turning event
here. <<


psyche/Kate
I agree this is possible, but it doesn't ring true for me. If Snape uses a 
timeturner, you might expect it to occur to him as an explanation for 
Sirius' escape. It also just seems too much of a leap to ring true - if 
that were the case, I would have thought Jo would leave some clue. Like 
Agatha Christie, 'there is no hiding of the vital facts' with Jo. 
Everything is pointed to, however subtly.


Brenda:
>> It is a general knowledge amongst the Death Eaters that Karkaroff
was their traitor. <snip> So everyone blames Karkaroff as the cowardly 
traitor. <<


psyche/Kate:
They blame him as *a* cowardly traitor. That doesn't mean they don't feel 
the same way about Snape.


Brenda:
>> Death Eaters do not have reasons to suspect Snape: Malfoy speaks
most highly of him. (OoP) <<


psyche/Kate:
Hmm. But by OotP, Snape has already returned to the Death Eater fold.

However, I think you really have a point with those last two, and I'm 
reconsidering. Perhaps the Death Eaters *didn't* have Snape pegged as a 
traitor at any point.  As you say, surely he would have been subjected to 
greater scrutiny if they had.

But, what Voldemort said was that he had 'left his service for ever'. He 
didn't say 'one who is a horrible traitor'. So he could conceivably suspect 
that Snape had left him, without believing that Snape had actively betrayed 
him. Thinking about it, this seems more likely to me.

So, you've convinced me that they didn't know Snape betrayed them. But I 
still think he was the one Voldemort was talking about.

psyche/Kate 

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