Snape in Spinner's End and Snape in OOTP

[torigyrl at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 133647


I am currently on my second reading of HBP.  I finished re-reading Spinner's 
End
and I noticed an omission by Rowling.  Obviously Snape isn't going to talk 
about his involvement with the DOM in front of Narcissa and Bellatrix. However, 
Rowling doesn't seem to be addressing this(along with -many- other things) 
anywhere in the rest of the book.
 
HBP US
 
Pg. 25
 
Bellatrix "..."Where were you a few weeks ago when we battled to retrieve the 
prophecy for the Dark Lord?"
 
Pg. 29
 
 "There is no point apportioning blame," said Snape smoothly. "What is done, 
is done."
"But not by you!" said Bellatrix furiously.  "No, you were once again absent 
while the rest of us ran dangers, were you not Snape?"
"My orders were to remain behind," said Snape.  "Perhaps you disagree with 
the Dark Lord, perhaps you think that Dumbledore would not have noticed if I had 
joined forces with the Death Eaters to fight the Order of the Phoenix? 
And-forgive me-you speak of dangers...you were facing six teenagers, were you not?"
"They were joined, as you very well know, by half of the Order before long!" 
snarled Bellatrix
 
And here is the glaring omission
 
>From OOTP US
 
Pg. 744  and 745 in Umbridge's Office
 
"His cold, dark eyes were boring into Harry's, who met his gaze 
unflinchingly, concentrating hard on what he had seen in his dream, willing Snape to read 
it in his mind, to understand..." 
 
again on Pg. 745
 
"He's got Padfoot!" [Harry] shouted. "He's got Padfoot at the place where 
it's hidden!"
Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.
 
Pg. 830
 
Dumbledore "You see, when you gave Professor Snape that cryptic warning, he 
realized that you had had a vision of Sirius trapped in the bowels of the 
Department of Mysteries.  He, like you, attempted to contact Sirius at once.  I 
should explain that members of the Order of the Phoenix have more reliable 
methods of communicating than the fire in Dolores Umbridge's office.  Professor 
Snape found that Sirius was alive and safe in Grimmauld Place."
Dumbledore continues "When, however, you did not return from your trip into 
the forest with Dolores Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried that you still 
believed Sirius to be a captive of Lord Voldemort's.  He alerted certain Order 
members at once."
 
This raises a few questions.
 
If he was on Voldemort's orders to stay behind why did he contact the Order 
at all? Or why check on Sirius at all?  Did he know about the plan involving 
Kreatcher, Bellatrix and Narcissa? If he had known about this plan then he would 
have known that Harry was being intentionally misled for Voldemort's purpose. 
 So why interfere with his Dark Lord's plans? 
 
It was because of Snape's contacting members of the order that they arrived 
at the DOM in the first place.  That throws a large wrench in his supposed Dark 
Lord's works.  Voldemort obviously isn't aware of Snape's role in contacting 
Dumbledore or Snape would have been AK'd the next time he appeared in front of 
Voldemort. 
 
 This contradicts the impression that Rowling is trying to make about Severus 
in Spinner's End.  Yes he was a double agent and a nasty person, but Snape 
-really- didn't have to contact the order.  He could have just told Dumbledore 
that he followed up on what Harry had said by contacting Sirius and found that 
Sirius was fine.
 
I thought this book was supposed to be about answers and not more red 
herrings. 
 
Tori


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