Dumbledore's trust for Severus Snape.

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 138597

Finwitch wrote:
> <big snip>
> I just wonder... if Snape was loyal to Dumbledore, how did he manage 
> to fool Voldemort?

Carol responds:
I think the whole point of the first half of "Spinner's End" is to
tell us exactly how he's been fooling Voldemort. he tells Bella what
he told LV--with a few additions (his supposed betrayal of Sirius,
which we know was Kreacher's doing, and of Emmeline Vance, which is
probably Wormtails' information, given that Wormtail and Emmeline
Vance were in the original Order and Snape, spying for DD on his own,
wasn't). In any case, we're free to examine his story for ourselves. I
find it to be composed mostly of useful half-truths and carefully
thought out lies (e.g., pretending that he denied being a DE just like
all the others who escaped Azkaban the first time around or that he
didn't know that Quirrell was in league with LV).

Also, Snape is, as we know, a superb Occlumens--quite possibly so good
that LV doesn't know he's using Occlumency (contrast Draco's clumsy
attempt in HBP, which Snape detected immediately--try that with LV and
you'll be lucky to get by with a Crucio). And maybe LV's Legilimency
isn't as good as he thinks it is. When Snape asks Bellatrix if she
thinks he can fool LV, the greatest Legilimens of all time (at least
in LV's opinion), of course Bella says no. But I'll bet the real
answer is yes.

Carol