What exactly did Snape do in OOTP?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 129288

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Kathryn Jones <kjones at t...> wrote:
> > bboyminn:
> >
> > Well, there is much and I mean MUCH speculation on this, but the 
> > only thing I've been able to come up with is that Snape is a 
> > double agent. Each side thinks Snape is spying for them.
> 
> KJ:
> 
> While this theory is the most popular, I don't feel comfortable 
> with it.  The biggest danger for a double agent is the number of
people who know about it.  The fact that he was a spy was brought out
in public, presumably at his own trial, and again at the trial of the
other DE.  There would have been people there who were Voldemort
supporters who would have passed this info on to the surviving and
free DE, Lucius Malfoy being one.  <snip>

Carol responds:

Snape apparently didn't have a trial or even a public hearing. The
charges against him were dismissed. The only people we know of who
knew that the charges had even been made were Dumbledore, Crouch Sr.,
and Alastor Moody. Unlike Malfoy, Nott, Avery, Macnair, et al., all of
whom got off on a plea of being under an Imperius Curse, Snape's name
was not published in the Daily Prophet. His circumstances were
different. His work as a spy and his personal safety, even his life,
depended on maintaining secrecy.

At first glance it may appear that Karkaroff's hearing changed all
that. He testifies in front of 200 people that Snape is a Death Eater.
Dumbledore is forced to come forward and indicate that Snape *was* a
Death Eater, but that he "is now no more a Death Eater than I am" and
that *before* Voldemort's fall, he "returned to our side" and spied on
the Death Eaters "at great personal risk." This statement is not made
in public; it is apparently a closed hearing before the Wizengamot.
Rita Skeeter certainly is not present as she was for Ludo Bagman's
hearing. Neither are any Death Eaters. This is MoM business, and it
has probably been kept hush-hush for the sake of Karkaroff, whose name
also was not on the list in the Daily Prophet. We don't know exactly
what happens next because Harry leaves the Pensieve, but it seems
likely that the Wizengamot members have been sworn to silence in
advance regarding Karkaroff's testimony.

There is no evidence (so far) that the DEs know about Snape's work as
a spy, or whatever he is doing for the Order. (That may well change
because of Kreacher or the events at the DoM in HBP; if Voldemort
finds out that Snape sent the Order members to save Harry, Snape will
be in great danger.) It's equally clear that the parents of the
Hogwarts students (other than those of certain Slytherins who think
Snape is still a Death Eater) don't know that their children are being
taught by a former DE.

Carol, who is being chattered to by an eleven-year-old and hopes this
post is coherent!