Gone a while - question about Snape

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 154361

melhersheybar asked:
> Book 4 - Dumbledore tells Harry and others that Snape gave up his 
DE 
> days and came back at great personal risk to himself before VD fell.
> 
> Book 6 (I think) - Harry learns that Snape was the one who 
overheard 
> the prophesy and passed it on to VD, leading to the death of 
Harry's 
> parents.  Dumbledore tells Harry that it was Snape's remorse at 
> causing the deaths of James and Lily that led DD to give Snape a 
job 
> at Hogwarts.  Yet, Snape also tells Narcissa and Bellatrix that at 
> the time VD fell, he was already at Hogwarts, acting as a spy, as 
VD 
> had ordered him to be.
> 
> So I don't get it.  Is it that there was a gap in time between when 
> Snape overheard the prophesy and when Wormtail turned traitor, and 
> during that time Snape went and repented to DD?  But that still 
> doesn't work, because DD makes it sound like it was James and 
Lily's 
> actual deaths that caused Snape to feel remorse, so there is no way 
> he could have already been at Hogwarts when VD fell.

zgirnius:
I believe you are confusing what Dumbledore actually said, and 
Harry's restatement of it.

Dumbledore: ("The Seer Overheard", HBP)
"You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he 
realized how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy."

zgirnius:
Now, it seems to me that Voldemort would have been in a position to 
interpret the prophecy within a few months of Harry's birth-once July 
31 passed, all he needed to do was figure out which children were 
born 'as the seventh month died', and further marrow it down to those 
whose parents had 'thrice defied him'. This would leave about a year 
between Voldemort's interpretation, and the death of the Potters, 
during which time Snaep coudl have learned of the interpretation, and 
decided to approach Dumbledore.

Now, Harry's account: ("The Phoenix Lament", HBP)
"Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down 
my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he 
was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were 
dead."

zgirnius: 
That last bit, "sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead" makes 
it sound this apology came after the deaths of the Potters. 
Dumbledore's own statements are more ambiguous, and certainly admit 
the possibility Snape came to him long before the Potters were dead. 
(This would be more consistent with the testimony Dubledore gave in 
the Pensieve scene of GoF).