[HPforGrownups] Snape's half truths in "Spinner's End"

[Magda Grantwich]

No: HPFGUIDX 149441

--- justcarol67 <justcarol67 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> In short, I think that Snape knew that LV was coming back and that
> LV was possessing Quirrell. Again, I'm sure that Snape prepared the
> story that he told LV after he failed to show up in the graveyard 
> very carefully, and these two statements strike me as particularly
> likely to be lies or half truths that he originally used to protect
> himself from death at LV's hands and repeated to Bellatrix to 
> persuade her of
> his loyalty to LV, essentially placing himself in the same category
> as Lucius Malfoy and concealing his role as Dumbledore's agent or 
> spy.
> 
> Carol, wondering what everyone else thinks about Snape's "spin" on
> these two questions and his use of half-truths in general


I agree that Snape (and Dumbledore) expected Voldemort to come back:
in what fashion or at what point in time, they didn't know.  But
neither of them assumed that Voldemort was dead and both were in a
holding pattern until the end of GOF, when the Dark Lord did indeed
return.

But I don't believe that Snape (or Dumbledore) knew that Voldemort
was attached to the back of Quirrell's head.  They probably thought
something was up with Quirrell - after all, unlike HRH they knew that
Quirrell's manner had changed during his sabbatical away from
Hogwarts.  I'm sure that when Snape did find out about Voldemort's
literal possession of Quirrell, he reviewed his previous
conversations carefully and came up with good alibis in case they
were needed in the future.

As for Snape's half-truths - he tells enough of the truth so that
Voldemort can't legilimens the dangerous part and just enough of a
lie that it makes him look good.  If it's something that no one else
can vouch for, Snape would probably feel more confident telling an
outright lie.  But if there were witnesses or others in the know,
scaling back the fictional component would be his tactic.

Magda

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