Snape (Was: How is Snape doing it)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 89998

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Berit Jakobsen" <belijako at o...>
wrote:
> June wrote: 
> Voldemort thinks Snape is genuinely playing for the Death Eaters.  
> Because if he thought otherwise, he would have offed Snape by now.  
> So if Snape is genuinely playing for the Phoenix side, he's 
> successfully conned Voldemort - for now.
> 


> Berit replies:
> 
> Well, the thing is that there's quite strong evidence in canon for 
> Voldemort knowing Snape is a traitor. His statement at the end of 
> GoF: "One, who I believe has left me for ever ... he will be killed 
> of course" (p.565 UK Ed) seems to apply to Snape. 

bboy_mn:

I will point out again that this statement by Voldemort contains an
element of uncertainty. He doesn't say, 'Snape has left me forever
...he will be killed'; he says, slightly paraphrase, 'I THINK Snape
has left me forever ...he will be killed'. While I can't prove it as
an absolute fact, it seems a reasonable assumption given everything
else that in known from the 5 available books.


> Berit continues:
> 
> Also it's significant that Snape wasn't let in on Voldie and 
> Quirrel's little plan of stealing the Philosopher's stone. ...

bboy_mn:

Voldemort has been lost in the woods for over a decade, he is not sure
who he can trust, so it seems very reasonable that he would only let
the fewest number of people possible know about his return until he
had sufficient power to control them. 

When you are an evil brutal dictator who is as merciless to his
friends as he is to his enemies, you would be unlikely to reveal
yourself in a weakened vulnerable state to anyone. Voldemort hadn't
seen Snape for a long long time, and had no way of knowing where Snape
currently stood. He did however know where Quirrel stood, and he also
knew that he had power over and control of Quirrel.

It seems very reasonable that Voldemort would not reveal himself to
anyone until he had sufficient power to control and motivate his
followers.


> Berit continues:
>
> Compare this to Impostor!Moody's little speech in the chapter "The 
> egg and the eye" in GoF, and there is no way Snape can act as a 
> double agent: "'Oh, if there's one thing I hate it's a Death Eater 
> who walked free.'" 
> 
> ...edited...
>
> The big mystery is why  Snape is still alive, why Voldemort hasn't 
> finished him off yet... And how Snape is able to get information 
> from the DE's... I have a  hard time imagining Voldie not mentioning
> Snape's betrayal to Lucius, it would be really stupid not to do so. 
> So, when Snape's still alive, its must be because the DE's for some 
> unknown reason are playing along. For now.
> 
> Berit

bboy_mn:

Let's explore the concept of a double agent. A double agent has to
appear to each side to be friendly to that side while secretly working
for the other side. That makes it Snape's job, as a spy for Voldemort,
to appear to be friendly and cooperative with Dumbledore.

I further speculate that only the absolute top people in Voldemort's
organization, people like Lucius Malfoy, knew that Voldemort had sent
Snape to Dumbledore to appear to join the good side so he could
secretly spy for Voldemort. That's why Lucius has remaind friends with
Snape all these years, because Lucius knows Snape is just doing his
job. He must publically and openly appear to support Dumbledore, so
that when and if Voldemort returns, Snape can pick up his role as spy.

The only way I can find that allows Snape to work closely with
Dumbledore while still allowing him to be taken back by Voldemort is
if Voldemort sent him to Dumbledore in the first place.

Those Death Eaters who knew what Snape was up to would have told all
other DE's to lay off Snape. I'm sure Lucius was high enough in
Voldemort's organization that other DE eaters would not dare question
his orders to leave Snape alone, even if they didn't understand why.

Barty Crouch, on the other hand, hates all DE's who didn't go to
prison, regardless of what Voldemort feels about them. Voldemort
seemed to understand Lucius Malfoys motivations is claiming
Bewitchment. He understood that by doing so, he was able to protect
his fellow DE's and keep them out of prison. If Lucius worked under
the Imperius Curse, and he made other people in his organization work
under the Imperius Curse, then they were as innocent as he was ...or
appeared. Lucius was the one DE's who was able to escape with his own
network of DE underlings intact. A strong and functional group ready
to go if Voldemort ever came back. I think Voldemort understood this,
I think he understood that Malfoy had not some much denounced him, as
he has protected his own network of DE's. 

Also, while rank and file DE's might not understand, the higher inner
circle would know that part of being a spy, part of what comes with
the territory, is having to periodically betray your own side to
remain in the good graces of the people you are spying on. In short,
the DE's and Voldemort would have to accept that Snape would
occassionally have to betray them, hopefully in small insignificant
ways, in order to periodically prove to Dumbledore that Snape was
indeed faithful to Dumbledore. These betrayal would be overlook and
forgiven as part of the price a spy must pay.

Now that, we assume, Snape is truly spying for Dumbledore, Dumbledore
has to accept the same thing, he has to understand that there may come
a time when Snape will have to betray him in order to appear to be
faithful to Voldemort.

Both side are hoping that what they gain from their spy will imensely
out weigh what they lose.

So, the only way I can see to explain Snape's ability to return to
serve Voldemort is if it was Voldemort who originally sent Snape to
Dumbledore. Nothing else makes sense.

Just a thought.

bboy_mn