Snape's Motives

[Dave]

No: HPFGUIDX 89050

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, anneli lucas <annelilucas at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> Dave wrote:
> I think hits to the hub of Snape, his duplicity, he acts mean and 
> evil, yet he helps Harry when he needs him.
> He has the Dark Mark of the Death Eaters yet Dumbledore 'trusts' 
him.
> He also has the ability, 'Legimens' and 'Occlumency' to read others 
> minds and block his own thoughts, which could mean he tells some 
> people what they want to hear whilst blocking his true thoughts.
> 
> Anneli:
> At the end of GoF when Harry's in the hospital wing, DD says 
something to Snape (sorry no page ref.) at which he turns pale and 
leaves.  I thought this might be DD telling Snape that he has to 
rejoin the DEs.  Snape will be able to block Voldie from reading his 
thoughts and telling that he's a spy.  There's a bit in OotP when 
Harry's learning occlumency.  He gets angry and asks Snape sarkily if 
it's his job to get info about Voldy (or something - sorry about 
memory).  Snape smiles and says "yes, it is".  I thought this was a 
ref to the fact that by now Snape is working as a double agent.
>

But is Snape working solely for Dumbledore or, as I think, is there  
some as yet unknown agenda that he is working to, in short is he 
fully trustworthy as a foe to Voldemort.  The truth beind 
Snapes 'apparent' loyalty has not been explicitly told.  

On the other hand this may well be the point for JKR, to point out 
that not all nice people are good, and not all nasty people are all 
bad, ie. Gilderoy Lockheart was nice, but a very bad person, and 
Snape who on the surface is a mean nasty person, but he is doing good 
in the fight against Voldemort.  

The world is full of shades of grey, and in the real world you cannot 
judge poeople at face value.

Dave.