JKR chat--Snape the coward or the one left forever?

[puju02]

No: HPFGUIDX 92411

Susan:
> And the only ways I could see that Snape would be 
> in a position to spy are:
> 3) he was the coward who DID take his punishment and was allowed 
> back in the fold;
> 
> The only other possibility I can imagine would be that he was 
> indeed the one Voldy believed was gone forever & who'd have to be 
> killed... 
> but that *somehow* [how?!?] he was given the chance to talk his way 
> out of it.

Puja:
Now that you put it this way, Susan, I think I get your point about 
calling Snape the coward (in the eyes of LV alone). LV, however 
doesn't strike me as someone who easily forgives. Especially as Snape 
had betrayed him much before his downfall (quote Dumbledore from the 
pensieve trial). But there maybe lies the genius of JKR and the plot 
for book 6 and 7 (hopefully 8th :-)) about what actually did Snape do 
or was he punished or forgiven by LV...