[HPforGrownups] Re: "Snape's Job"

[Scott Santangelo]

No: HPFGUIDX 93272


Kneasy:
> There has been no definite confirmation about what Sevvy actually does for the Order. Most posters (plus Harry, Ron, Hermione etc) assume that he's a spy. But again, as many posters have asked time and again - how the hell could he get away with it? Why on earth would Voldy or the DEs  trust him? If we think "Ah!  Double agent." then those in positions of power in the Potterverse would have no difficulty in thinking the exact same thing. I wish I could come up with a reasonable alternative, but there's no evidence to base a theory on. This scene is the only instance so far that could (perhaps) nudge  us into trying try to think of alternatives.  Based on Snape's character, it could go like  this: What Snape does is kept secret and he doesn't go around advertising his activities  for the Order, and he's certainly not going to tell Harry, his bete noir, what he's up to. Harry guesses, but he's wrong. Snape's expression would be typical of the man - "Wrong again, Potter. But I'll let
 you stew in your ignorance. If only you knew the truth!" Because if he really is a spy, why would he admit it? Especially to Harry, who he  considers unable to control his mind or his feelings and would, in Snape's mind, be a most unsafe confidant. In these circumstances Sevvy would be happy to mislead Harry -  and us! 

Neri:
Snape does report to the Order, so they know at least something, which they pointedly do not tell Harry (and us). But we do know that whatever Snape is doing (or at least, whatever he tells the Order he is doing) is dangerous and valuable. Otherwise he wouldn't have been 
able to bait Sirius, implying that Sirius just sits at home and does nothing important. And Snape knows that he can't lie to Harry too much regarding this, because sooner or later someone from the Order will finally tell Harry (and us!) what is Snape's job. So I don't think Snape is lying to Harry, unless (of course) he lies to the whole Order and DD included. In fact, Snape's attitude towards Harry in this "That is my job" is 
very similar to Snape's attitude towards Sirius. It is "you all unsubtle, noisy Gryffindors who wear your hearts on your sleeves, can you just sit quietly for one moment and let The Professional do the delicate, crucial job?" 

So I believe Snape *is* a spy. And as for the question how does he get away with it, I can see only one realistic answer - It's magic...

owlery2003 commented:

It's a tribute to the depth JKR built into Snape's mysterious character. I think it's easy to see how Severus gets away with it. Nobody "trusts" him (except DD, of course!), and everybody suspects him. He's not likeable (to other characters in the books!!). It's easy to see him as a spy for either side, or a double agent for either. Voldy is certainly the type to take advantage of this in either scenario, and to contemplate either. DD's faith is one "constant," and given his omniscient wisdom, is it likely he'll be proven wrong? What a horrible chapter that would be if Snape betrays DD to Voldy! Harry's suspicion is another constant, and we can't read too much into Snape's comments that his job is to spy on the DEs (Snape knows Voldy has been looking into Harry's thoughts, so his "admission" could later be justified to Voldy as inducing Harry to "trust" him). This part of the story is so well cloaked in uncertainty and conflicting incidents that I don't think we can really figure out
 where canon might be leading re Severus.


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