Snape's position

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 92446

> Sue wrote:
> > The big question to me is why is Snape still alive.  He is too 
> > smart to just be running around for Lucius Malfoy while Crabb and 
> > Goyle are showing up at important events like the MoM.  
<big snip> 


> Susan here, checking in:
> Well, Sue, I do NOT know what the story is w/ Severus Snape any 
more 
> than anybody else [and a lot less than many esteemed members of 
this 
> list].  **For now** I am taking some things at face value [while 
> some of those esteemed members are probably rolling their eyes at 
my 
> naivete].  
> 
> Assumptions:
> 1) Snape really was a DE [well, that one's a fact]
> 2) Snape really did choose to leave Voldy before his downfall
> 3) Snape really is on the side of The Order
> 4) Snape really is spying on Voldy while having convinced Voldy 
he's 
> spying on DD & The Order
<big snip> 


Neri:
Accepting the assumptions above for a minute, I'll try to answer just 
one small part: how could Snape not know in advance about the MoM 
raid, when even Crabbe and Goyle (the DEs) know about it?

In a secret military organization such as the DEs, everybody operates 
on a need-to-know basis. Crabbe and Goyle most likely did not know 
about the LV's plans for Harry. There was no need for them to know. 
For them it was probably something like "meet us today at 5:15 PM 
near the MoM entrance; standard raid equipment". Any additional 
details they need to know they will be given there, and even then it 
would probably be limited to tactical details ("nobody gets Potter 
until I say so"). It is quite possible that they hear for the first 
time about the Grand Plan when Lucius Malfoy explains it to Harry, 
and Malfoy only does so because he is sure he now has it in his 
pocket and can't avoid his tendency to brag.

So was Snape told about the MoM operation in advance? The first 
question is: does he need to know? If not, he is simply not told, 
however high he is in the DE organization. From LV's point of view, I 
think it is not necessary for Snape to know about the Grand Plan, but 
I can see two reasons why it may be of advantage to warn him at the 
day of the operation. First, as a teacher Snape might find out that 
Harry is trying to get away from Hogwarts and naturally detain him, 
unless he is told to let Harry go. Secondly, Harry will need some 
transportation to the MoM (LV was probably assuming Harry will take 
someone's broom) and Snape might prevent it from him. So all the 
information Snape is likely to get is, several hrs before the 
operation: "Potter will be trying to get to London. Let him do so". 
No need to even tell Snape where in London and why. If Snape indeed 
got such directions, and we assume he is actually on the side of 
Good, he was probably thinking "Harry must not get to London, but it 
mustn't look as if I was the one who prevented him from doing so". 
Then Umbridge detained Harry and his friends anyhow, so Snape thought 
he doesn't have to do anything except let the Order know, which he 
did.

I hope this hepls,

Neri