Snape (Was: How is Snape doing it)

[alshainofthenorth]

No: HPFGUIDX 90003

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Berit Jakobsen" <belijako at o...>
wrote:
> 
> 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. 

My theory on the subject, which I embrace with a fervor akin to the
believers in Vampire!Snape and the lone voice calling in the
wilderness, is that Voldemort thinks that *Snape* is the coward and
that *Karkaroff* has left him forever. The argument hinges on the IMO
extremely reasonable assumption that we as readers know more about
Snape than Voldemort does. People point out that Snape isn't a coward
and has turned spy at great personal risk, and so on. We know that.
Voldemort might not. Finding out that Snape is skilled in Occlumency
and stands a fairer chance than most in lying to Voldemort clinched
the matter even further. 

So what did Karkaroff do? Here's a fellow who has been burning his
whole fleet.
--he was caught by Alastor Moody and was in Azkaban together with
Sirius, then got released, saying that he'd seen the error of his
ways. Put a lot of people in Azkaban instead of himself and isn't
popular in there. (GOF, UK paperback, p.291)
--he's seen helping the Ministry by betraying Dolohov, Rosier,
Travers, Mulciber, Rookwood and Snape (and somehow I have a feeling
that there might have been more) "as a sign that he fully and totally
renounces Lord Voldemort and is filled with deep remorse" etc. (op
cit, p.511)
--Fled because he feared Voldemort's vengeance, having betrayed too
many faithful Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back in the fold.
(op cit, pp.586, 616) Crouch Jr even says "The Dark Lord has ways of
tracking his enemies", and he would have known what Karkaroff did,
either because he hadn't been caught when Karkaroff was released or
because he found out when he got out, and have reported it to Voldemort. 

Snape is probably more skilled at covering his tracks than Karkaroff,
who has always struck me as more of a fool and who may have thought
that he stood a chance of getting out, just like Regulus. Snape, just
like Malfoy, Avery et al. was cleared by the Wizengamot (Sirius even
says that Snape, to his knowledge, was clever and cunning enough not
to get caught (p.461)) and Crouch Jr hates *any* Death Eaters who
managed to get away (he rather rants against Malfoy and the others (p.
586)). If Snape told on his fellow Death Eaters, he would be a lot
more subtle than doing it in front of the whole of the Wizengamot
(Harry didn't see Rita Skeeter until Bagman's trial, so it might even
be possible that Dumbledore managed to keep Snape under cover.)  

So, my theory in short: Karkaroff is dead meat. Snape is received back
among Voldemort's supporters. (not that he mightn't die eventually,
but it won't be for being "the one who has left forever").

Alshain, who really should go to bed