[HPforGrownups] Doesn't Voldemort know about Snape's loyalty?

[James Lawlor]

No: HPFGUIDX 107083

Peter:
> I was reading PS/SS and it dawned on me--if Quirrell
> knew that Snape was loyal to Dumbledore, and Quirrell
> was possessed by Voldemort, wouldn't Voldemort know
> that Snape is in the OOTP?

James:

Well, we know that Voldemort never revealed himself to Snape (or else
Snape would certainly have told Dumbledore and so on - unless we have
an ESEDoubleAgent!Snape thing going on...), so he would have seen
Snape's "loyalty" to Dumbledore and expected it. We can probably
safely assume that Voldemort wanted absolute secrecy until he had the
Stone and the Elixer, which explains why he wouldn't tell Snape or any
of the other Death Eaters. He wouldn't know Snape is in the Order,
because I highly doubt that the teachers sit around in the lounge
discussing it. Not only would they not discuss it in front of an
outsider (Quirrel), but they really have no reason to (since Voldemort
isn't around, or so they think).

Or, perhaps Voldemort already knows that Snape has betrayed him, in
which case the question still stands.

- James Lawlor
jlawlor at gmail.com