Trelawney's interview (was Re: CHAP DISC, HBP 25, The Seer Overheard

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 161765

Great summary and questions, Alla! As usual, I'm reading and posting
too late to add much to answers already given, but while I was reading
your summary something leapt out at me that I hadn't noticed before
in this quote by Trelawney:

> 
> 'Yes, there was a commotion outside the door and it flew open, and 
> there was that rather uncouth barman standing with Snape, who was 
> waffling about having come the wrong way up the stairs, although 
I'm 
> afraid that I myself rather thought he had been apprehended 
> eavesdropping on my interview with Dumbledore - you see, he himself 
> was seeking a job at the time, and no doubt hoped to pick up tips! 
> Well, after that, you know, Dumbledore seemed much more dis­posed to 
> give me a job, and I could not help thinking, Harry, that it was 
> because he appreciated the stark contrast between my own unassuming 
> manners and quiet talent, compared to the pushing, thrusting young 
> man who was prepared to listen at keyholes - Harry, dear?' 
>

What leapt out at me is the last sentence. It appears Dumbledore
wasn't taking Trelawney too seriously as teacher material until
she spoke the prophecy *and* Snape was caught eavesdropping. 
Suddenly Dumbledore offers her a job at Hogwarts. We know in part
it is to protect her, but this recall by Trelawney (assuming it
is accurate) suggests two things.

1. That Dumbledore believes Snape will take the prophecy back
to Voldemort, which will put Trelawney's life in danger as
Voldemort would want to get his hands on her and force her
to recount the prophecy in full. I.e., Dumbledore knows or
suspects strongly that Snape is a DE.

2. That Dumbledore didn't bring Trelawney into the interview
*expecting* to hire her. I.e., Dumbledore didn't arrange the
whole scenario in advance (and Snape wasn't already on 
Dumbledore's side at this point), because if it was set up
so Trelawney would spill the prophecy and Snape would take
it back to Voldemort intentionally to put into motion Harry
being marked as the savior of the WW (as some fans have 
suggested) then why wouldn't Dumbledore be acting as if he
is going to hire her from the beginning? Why does he need 
to use subterfuge on Trelawney who, aside from her unbidden
spurts of prophesying, is about as perceptive as a rock?
He doesn't, from my POV.

What this all means to me is that Snape *was* on Voldy's
side at that time, and not already a spy for Dumbledore. 
And that Dumbledore didn't expect the prophecy, but once it
was uttered by Trelawney he recognized it as genuine, then
devised his plans from THAT point.

It also means that Dumbledore *let* Snape take the prophecy
back to Voldemort. Maybe it was because Dumbledore simply
didn't have solid proof that Snape was a DE, even though he
certainly would have suspected it strongly, so he stayed 
within the "letter of the law" (much as it seemed he did
with Draco) and let Snape leave without using an obliviate
or other memory-erasing spell on him. (One has to wonder 
though why he didn't just look at Snape's arm.) Or he
couldn't prove Snape hadn't actually taken a wrong turn,
as he claimed, or that Snape had actually heard anything
(without invading his mind with Legilimens anyway), so
again he stuck with "innocent until proven guilty."

Or it could be because Dumbledore is a great believer in
letting people making their own choices for good or bad, 
even a DE such as Snape, and he didn't foresee Voldemort 
taking the prophecy so seriously, nor getting so far at 
stopping the prophecy in its tracks. Again, much like the
Draco situation where Dumbledore assumed there was no way
Draco could get DEs into Hogwarts, he assumed there was
no way the Secret Keeper would betray the Potters. 

Or maybe Dumbledore *did* foresee Voldemort's belief in the
prophecy being his downfall, and let Snape set the events in
motion, even though he knew it would mean the loss of good
people, because in the end it would mean the salvation of 
the WW. While I don't like this puppetmaster!Dumbledore,
anything is possible. 

Again, the only thing that seems certain out of this scene
is that Snape wasn't DDM at the time. His change of heart
came later (or, if one believes in ESE or OFH, he still 
hasn't had a change of heart). 

Julie