Understanding Snape

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 153804

Neri wrote:
<snip quote>
> 
> This clearly establishes that Snape "intended to search" the forest
> only *after* he contacted the Order the second time and they went to
> the Ministry. Three pages later (p. 833) Dumbledore also tells us
> about Snape: "It was he who deduced where you had gone when you did
> not return from the Forest." This means that if Snape had searched
the forest at all, it was already after he himself deduced that Harry
was no longer there. It strikes me like making a big deal of running
to lock the stable door after the horses had already been stolen.
> 
> > Betsy Hp:
> > So Snape must have realized that he was taking action *against* 
Voldemort at that point.
> > 
> 
> Neri:
> "Must" seems to be too strong a word here, but it certainly appears
so. I quite agree that the ESE!Snape theory has a problem explaining
his actions that night, as much problem as the DDM!Snape theory has in
explaining these same actions, in fact. Which strongly suggests to me
that he's neither.

Carol responds:
Snape must have done at least two other things in order to know that
Harry had gone into the forest and for Dumbledore to know what Snape
knew. First, he must have gone to Umbridge's office after Ron,
Hermione, Neville, and Luna had left, sorted out the various hexes,
and questioned the Slytherins about what had happened. Second, he must
have contacted Dumbledore at least once (also necessary in order for
him to know, and inform Sirius Black, that Dumbledore was coming. (He
tells Black to wait for DD, which he could not have known if he hadn't
first communicated with DD.)

Quite possibly he felt that he could not take the time to search the
forest before contacting the Order. He had to contact the Order and
inform them of his deduction that Harry and his friends had found a
way to get to the MoM and *then* search the forest in case he was
wrong. There was no guarantee that he would find them even if they
were still in there, especially since he was likely to encounter a
herd of unfriendly Centaurs. He had to contact the Order first, before
it was too late.

IMO, Snape did everything that he could to find out what had happened
to Harry and to protect him once he left. I absolutely agree that he
could not have been working for Voldemort here, but to me it seems
equally clear that he was working both for and *with* Dumbledore.

Ironically, all six kids are alive Snape because summoned the Order
and contacted Dumbledore, yet rather than acknowledging this debt,
Harry blames Snape for Black's death, which occurred in part because
Black failed to heed Snape's advice.

Carol, noting that Dumbledore, who knows more than we do about what
happened, has no difficulty explaining Snape's actions as reflecting
both loyalty to himself and concern for the safety of Harry and his
friends