Snape's Motives

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 89063

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lizvega2" 
<lizvega2 at y...> wrote:

> 
> First year: He KNEW Quirrel was trying to steal the stone, 
possibly  not because he was hiding Voldemort under his 
turban, but he knew he  was up to something, did he go to 
Dumbledore? No.<<

I'm not so sure. I think Snape and Dumbledore are hand-in-glove 
all the way through SS/PS. So why didn't Dumbledore act? 
Because Snape was the only witness that Quirrell was behind 
the attack on Harry's broom. And Dumbledore would have 
learned from Hagrid that Hermione would  testify that it was 
Snape  doing the cursing. 

With Snape under all eyes as the referee, everyone would be 
able to see *he* wasn't  the one attacking Harry if it happened 
again. Though I think Snape was dreadfully disappointed when 
Harry managed to bring the match to an end so quickly and 
Snape didn't get a chance to rescue him, as he must've hoped.

Also Dumbledore believes that Voldemort will be back, whether 
he succeeds in stealing the Stone or not.  Dumbledore needs to 
make it look as though Snape is acting independently so that 
Snape can take up his role as spy  again when  Voldemort 
returns. 

I  agree though, that Snape does want to act the hero. Rushing 
out to the Shrieking Shack was impetuous, and the same sort of 
thing that Harry did in rushing to save Sirius.

>Notice, he came to work 
> at Hogwarts two months before James and Lilly died. 
>Coincidence? 

Depends on how you interpret his answer. Umbridge didn't ask, 
"How many years have you taught?" She asked, "How many 
years have you been teaching at Hogwarts?"  If  1995 is the 
fourteenth year he's been teaching at Hogwarts, then he came to 
work in September 1992--after Voldemort's fall.

Pippin