Doesn't Voldemort know about Snape's loyalty?

[ariston3344]

No: HPFGUIDX 107514

Neri wrote:
> But I do believe that Snape didn't completely wormed his way back 
> into Voldy's good graces. The proof: he didn't know about the plot 
> to lure Harry to the DoM, and he wasn't ordered to do it himself, 
> although from Voldy's point of view he was perfectly situated to
> do just that.

Hmmm... well, if Snape *is* acting as a double agent (yes, it's a 
big if, but I still think it's an open possibility, see below) -- if 
he is acting as a double agent, then both sides realize that he has 
to look like he's accommodating to the other side.  So it wouldn't 
make sense, for example, for him to be the one to actively lure 
Harry to the DoM.  On the other hand, Snape's actions could be 
*seen* as very accommodating to Voldemort.  (1) Snape knows that 
emotional calmness is essential for Occlumency, but he continually 
provokes Harry during Occlumency lessons.  (2) Snape knows that 
Harry is having dreams about the DoM, and he's very interested in 
that fact, but we don't know for sure, do we, that he reported this 
fact to the Order or that he didn't report this fact to Voldemort.  
(3) He's fairly indifferent when Harry brings up the possibility 
that Voldemort might try to make Harry do things.  (4) Snape 
eventually finds an excuse to stop giving Harry Occlumency lessons.

All of this seems to me to be compatible with Snape playing a double 
agent role.  He has to look to both sides like he's working for 
them, and most of what little we know for sure about Snape's 
activities seem to fit that.

boyd wrote:
> Here's another one: if LV still trusts Snape, then why use Barty Jr. 
> in GoF? Snape was, after all, already there.
> 
> I think it's clear that Snape is no longer a trusted DE, and it's 
> likely he's the one who has left never to return, according to LV.

I think this is a very plausible conclusion, but I don't think it's 
*clear* that it's true.  I don't think the Barty Crouch argument 
works, for two reasons: (1) One theory on the table is that Snape 
didn't regain trust until after the graveyard scene, well after 
Barty was selected for his task.  (2) The Barty argument proves too 
much.  Voldemort didn't use Malfoy or Wormtail at Hogwarts, either.  
There were very good reasons for using Crouch, among them the 
possibility that NONE of the free DEs regained V's trust until the 
graveyard or later.  After all, other than Wormtail, they didn't go 
find him in Albania, did they?

So, I still think it's an open possibility that Snape is playing the 
double agent.

On a related note, whether Snape is a double agent or not, I see no 
reason to doubt his assertion that his job (or at least one of his 
jobs) within the Order is to spy.  Even if he's not a double agent, 
he could possibly use: (a) Legilimency (most likely on a DE, not 
Voldy of course); (b) the Imperius curse on a loyal DE (and perhaps 
Occlumency would then extend to the loyal DE's mind, so Voldy 
wouldn't know the DE was under the curse); (c) ordinary listening 
skills while disguised in some way (as an animagus or via Polyjuice 
potion or some other disguising potion); or (d) some method of 
magical eavesdropping that we haven't seen yet.

-ariston