How long was Snape a DE? was: Harry IS Snape!

[ch3ed]

No: HPFGUIDX 141242

>KJ wrote: "So, since whatever friends he had, were or became DEs 
>one can reasonably assume that for whatever reason, he became one 
>as well, willingly. I think that is the period that Dumbledore 
>refers to as having been "good" and then becoming "bad", he 
>returned to the good." 
and 
>  "I can't imagine him at the age of nineteen being a volunteer as 
>a spy to the point of becoming a fake DE. I can imagine him, like 
>Harry, being horrified at what he had become and asking Dumbledore 
>for help to save the Potters. He would not have gone to Dumbledore 
>otherwise. Dumbledore recruited him as a spy. Fortunately for him, 
>Voldemort vaporized himself after he had been serving as a spy for 
>about 15 months."    

CH3ed: 

Sirius said (paraphrasing) Snape came to Hogwarts knowing 
more curses than most upperclassmen, was always fascinated by the 
Dark Arts (which is why James didn't like him), and hung out with 
the Slytherin gang that nearly all became DE in PoA. I don't know 
if Sirius exaggerated, but I think Snape might have been one of the 
original DE (though not as popular as he is now since he isn't really 
pure-blooded) until he learned that LV's solution to the prophecy 
was to kill Harry (not the Potters per se, they were added benefits. 
Maybe that's why LV told Lily to stand aside though he didn't 
hesitate in killing James? He figured Snape's loyalty might slip?). 

My wild theory is that Snape loved Lily secretly and could guess 
what Lily would do to protect Harry, but if he had tried to stop LV 
himself he wouldn't still be alive today, so he went over to DD 
side. DD told Harry that telling LV of the prophecy leading to the 
Potters' murder was the greatest regret of Snape's life. Harry 
doesn't believe him, but he is fixated with the mutual hatred 
between Snape and James. I think it is Lily's death that Snape 
regrets... and another reason why he hates Harry. If there was no 
Harry to protect Lily wouldn't have had to die. And naturally DD 
wouldn't just tell Harry the person he hates almost as much as LV 
loved his mother.... just when they were about to go after LV's 
horcrux.

I think Snape would turn out to have killed DD on DD's pre-
arranged order. However, him being a Slytherin complicates 
things.... they aren't given to the heroics, are they? I suppose it 
would have to be a miracle of love indeed for it to turn out that 
way.