Snape and Quirrell in the Dark Forest

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 125007


"jmgarciaiii" wrote:

> > While rereading the canon--in anticipation of July 16th--I ran 
> > across the passage in PS/SS where Snape and Quirrell are 
> > discussing things in the Dark Forest:
> <snip>
> > Question: Wouldn't this make Snape a useless spy? (To say 
> > nothing of an endangered one...) Voldemort would know (directly 
> > if he was hiding under the turban, indirectly if he wasn't at 
> > the time but took up subturban residency later and learned 
> > through Quirrell, right?

Peg:
> Joe, this has been bugging me, too, ....
> The only even faintly plausible explanation that I can think of is 
> that Snape is *such* a skilled Occlumens that he can look LV in 
> the eye and deny that he ever did any such thing, and be believed.
> This looks like a great big, screaming, fanged Flint to me.  


SSSusan:
This is one of those questions which arises so frequently that it 
must be high on *many* people's "bugging me" lists.

The most common explanation for why this would NOT necessarily give 
Snape away (and the one I believe) is as follows.

1)  Presumably NO one besides Quirrell knew Voldy was back at this 
point.

2)  NO one knew Voldy was glommed onto the back of Quirrell's head.

3)  If Snape suspected Q. of trying to get the Stone, he would 
therefore have been suspecting him of wanting it for his OWN [Q.'s] 
purposes, not to help a Voldy-Snape-wouldn't-have-known-was-back.

4)  Thus, if ever questioned by Voldy, Snape could claim either that:

a) he was trying to stop Quirrell from gaining immortality [thus 
reserving that possibility for LV when he did come back]; or

b) that he was acting as a Hogwarts teacher who knows nothing about 
Voldy's return should have acted -- telling a fellow staff member 
that DD expects his loyalty.

Siriusly Snapey Susan