McGonagall and Lupin's reaction to Harry's story (and Snape's DE past)

[Cathy Drolet]

No: HPFGUIDX 138619

Nora said:

>>Here's a line of questioning to take: do they KNOW for sure what he's 
been doing for the Order?  We know that Snape reports and brings 
things in, but given what we now know of Dumbledore's working style, 
I doubt other Order members were deeply in on what Snape is doing.

CathyD:
We know very little about what went on with the original Order, but with this second group, many of them are in the meetings when Snape gives his reports.  The first meeting, when Harry arrived at GP, Snape was there giving his report and Dumbledore was not.  I would think there were more of this sort of meeting, those who could be there attending, than meetings with the whole gang.

>>And there's another thing both of y'all are probably forgetting 
about.  I doubt that most members of the Order, or people who you're 
talking about having known Snape for some time, knew that Snape was a 
DE (ex or not, let's leave it open) who left the fold.

CathyD:
I can't speak for Carol but I am not forgetting it at all.  I'm quite certain McGonagall knew Snape's past.  She'd been a teacher at Hogwarts for 40 years.  While she wasn't a member of the Order the first time, I'm certain she could read the papers, and must have at least heard the outcome of some of the trials in which Snape's name was mentioned in connection with Dumbledore.  I can very easily see her approaching him (as she did at the beginning of PS) to ask if it were true, especially once Snape came to work at the school.  Arthur and Molly Weasley would know because of Arthur's connection with the Ministry.  As to Lupin, I'm not sure.  Sirius didn't seem to know, but then, I doubt Sirius spent much time reading the local rag.  He may only have found out at the end of GoF, but by then, despite their differences, Snape had spent a year preparing Wolfbane potion for Lupin.  Lupin, while trusting Snape because he trusted Dumbledore's judgement, also trusted him because of this.

Trusting someone on another's say-so will only get you so far.  McGonagall and Snape had a history of 15 years working together as teachers and Heads of House.  She certainly should have trusted Snape for her own reasons by then, as well as for Dumbledore's judgement.  She certainly didn't seem to think Snape's last set of detentions for Harry was out of line.  Then suddenly everything she *knows* about him is thrown away on the say-so of a 16 year old boy who, in all honesty, does not have the best track record for telling the truth...or for telling it without gloss, at least...and who is well known for his animosity towards Snape.

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