When did the Ministry know about Death Eaters and their Marks?

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 100171

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "earendil_fr" 
<earendil_fr at y...> wrote:

> Earendil:
> 
> Putting aside the problem of the Dark Mark fading that Lee 
brought  up in another post, and assuming that the Ministry 
knows about the  existence of the Dark Mark...
> 
> The presence of the Dark Mark could be used to prove a 
connection to  Deatheaters. <

If Voldemort wanted to frame someone, he could  probably brand 
them with a fake, or get his servants in the ministry to say that 
someone had the Dark Mark when they didn't. But I believe that 
the Dark Marks faded immediately when Voldemort 
discorporated. Something had to have happened to make 
Dumbledore sure that Voldemort's power had broken. Snape's 
mark fading would be a good clue.

Pippin
who now has a totally incongruous mental image of Snape 
capering about   like Smeagol chanting "Gone! Gone! 
Gone!!!"...sorry about that, had to share <veg>