Snape's DE past (was Re: Snape and the Edinburgh Festival )

[humantupperware1]

No: HPFGUIDX 111114

> Neri wrote:
>  
> < Why did DE!Snape change sides? This is one of the greatest 
> mysteries in the books (Lexicon Steve, do you have it on your list?). 
> I tried to round up the usual suspicions. I'm not really happy with 
> any of them, but I added my personal scoring:
> 
> <neat list of options snipped for the sake of length>
> 
> Did I miss any theory? Which would you prefer? >
> 
> 
> Sigune:
> 
> Hmm... the Life Debt, I can see that. He's honour-bound...
> 
> I offer up my own pet theory (sorry, couldn't resist...) - feel free 
> to tear it to bits. I haven't got any proof, but I believe I am being 
> consistent with canon.
> Here goes:

snip
> 
>
> After some time he begins to realise the Death Eaters are not really 
> the allies he had thought they were. They are all out to save their 
> own skins, to further their own causes; and the Dark Lord does not 
> really want his followers to substantially win power. He wants 
> servants merely, and bullies his Death Eaters into such a position. 
> This is so not what our ambitious young man wanted. He feels cheated. 
> But he is bound to the Dark Lord by now. And on his own he has not 
> sufficient strength to win back his freedom and pride.
> So he turns to Albus Dumbledore, the only man who *does* have that 
> strength and power. He offers to spy for him. And how wonderful it 
> feels to undetectedly thwart the Evil Overlord who thinks he 
> possesses him. Heh heh. And, look, he's better off with Dumbledore on 
> the whole: no more Cruciatus Curses, no serfdom, a nice job in a safe 
> place, a position of trust, and lots to learn. Hasn't he made a 
> clever move.

HumanTupperware here:

Your post got me thinking, not so much "why" Snape left the DE, but if he 
turned into a spy for Dumbldore's side, how has he convinced Voldy that he is 
still loyal? Apart from the Occlumency, which I'm sure comes in handy, 
Voldemort surely knows that Snape works at Hogwarts, so somehow, his 
teaching position must be justified to Voldy.

I'm sure I surmised somewhere during the books that Snape had been spying 
for Dumbledore in the days before Voldy was vanquished, then afterwards 
had actually manged to leave the DE for a while, but then returned, (at the 
end of GOF?) to spy for Dumbledore again. Sure, he would have gotten the 
teaching position at Hogwarts after Voldy's vanquishment, but did he maintain 
to the remaining DE that he was at Hogwarts to spy on Dumbledore?  If he 
then returned to Voldy after GOF, for him to justify keeping his teaching 
position, he must be telling Voldy some information, maybe pretending to spy 
on Dumbledore, but giving fake information? 

Do Snape and Dumbledore get together once a week to make up stories to 
tell Voldy? 

I know we all have to wait until the next book to get the full backstory, but I was 
always curious as to how Snape manages to keep Voldy off his back when he 
has a job right underneath Dumbledore's nose.......very handy for Voldy.

I am also assuming in all this that Snape is not ESE, merely very very nasty to 
Harry.

Any thoughts? (feel free to tear me to pieces if this has been gone over a 
million times before)

HumanTupperware