Snape's mission

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 105279

> Neri:
> I've recently managed to convince myself that after the first war
> Snape gave the Ministry a false testimony that acquitted Malfoy (and
> most probably also Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery and Macnair) of being
> DEs. This was probably done by DD's directions in order to regain
> their trust in Snape. Canon support for this is not only
> that "lapdog" accusation by Sirius. In the end of GoF, when Harry
> named Malfoy as a DE in front of Fudge, "Snape made a sudden
> movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's eyes flew back to
> Fudge". Several paragraphs later in this scene Snape makes the
> surprising gesture of showing his Dark Mark to Fudge (and with 
Molly,
> Bill and McGonagall present). Does Snape feel just a tiny bit guilty
> about Fudge refusing to believe Harry, because he is the one who
> originally convinced Fudge that Malfoy is innocent?

Kneasy:
Was Fudge Minister or senior in the Ministry at the time of the 
trials?
I don't think he was.

Neri again:
He wasn't. According to Sirius (GoF, Ch. 27) Crouch Jr. died in 
Azkaban "about a year" after his trial (he didn't really died there, 
of course). After that there was a big drop in the popularity of 
Crouch Sr., and Fudge got the MoM job. Assuming Crouch's trial was 
about half a year after LV's fall, it seems that Fudge became Minster 
about 2 years after the end of the war. So Snape did not convince 
Fudge PERSONALLY that Malfoy is innocent. However, Fudge probably had 
a high position in the MoM bureaucracy during the war, or why did 
they elected him a Minister? He certainly doesn't strike me as 
someone from the outside who made his own achievements. He is the 
typical bureaucrat rising within the system. So I think Fudge was in 
the Ministry during the last phase of the war and during the post-war 
trials. Even if he wasn't, as a Minister he has the full records of 
the trials, and I'm sure he is familiar with them. In GoF, Harry 
names Malfoy, McNair, Avery, Nott, Crabbe and Goyle, and Fudge shouts 
back that they were all acquitted and Harry just found their names in 
old records of the trials. 

Kneasy:
Snape knows something, I think. That or adding 2+2 and coming up
with an answer. Mafoy makes generous 'contributions' and is a welcome
guest in Fudge's office; McNair was the Official Executioner in PoA.
Just how close to known/suspected DEs is Fudge? Will he defend
his 'friends'? And the answer is yes. Snape tries again by showing
his own Dark Mark; Fudge is unmoved. Snape (and by extension us)
now know that Fudge is not to be trusted.

Neri again:
My hypothesis is that Snape told the MoM, under DD's orders, that 
Malfoy (and several other DEs) were under the Imperio and were not 
realy DEs. I'm sure Malfoy later took care to be in good terms with 
Fudge, and maybe he was the one who smoothed McNair's way in also. 
But I don't think Fudge would have trusted Malfoy so much if he 
thought Malfoy was really a DE. Fudge is weak and selfish, and I 
suspect he is covering after some serious debacles of the Ministry, 
but he is not Voldy's man. If he was, Voldy would have had an 
immediate and easy access to the DoM and the whole story of OotP 
wouldn't have been necessary. So if my hypothesis is correct, Snape 
has some reason to feel just a little bit guilty when Harry names the 
DEs and Fudge doesn't believe him. But maybe he also fears for his 
own skin if Fudge would believe Harry after all.

Read carfully Ch. 36 in GoF when Harry names Malfoy. The spotlight is 
on Harry, Fudge and DD, with McGonagall shrieking about Crouch's 
execution. Snape is in the room, but he is not even mentioned for two 
pages until then, nor for another two pages after that. Only when 
Harry mentions Malfoy, JKR practically cuts him in the middle of the 
sentence in order to allow us to see Snape's reaction:

------------------------------------------
"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted. He tried to get out 
of bed again, but Mrs Weasley forced him back. "I saw the Death 
Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy –"

Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's 
eyes flew back to Fudge.

"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibly affronted.
----------------------------------------------
   
That sudden movement of Snape is important. It is a clue. Did Snape 
realize just then that his good friend Lucius is a DE? Naah, don't 
kid me. Snape is not that naïve. He always knew exactly what Malfoy 
is. Their "friendship" probably started when they were DEs together. 
Snape doesn't need to add 2+2. He knows the answer already, and he 
always knew it. Mark my words, Snape acquitted Malfoy after the war 
in order to regain his trust.

Neri