Lily, Hagrid, Snape, Lucius, Friends (was Re: good/bad Slyth/Disappointment

[va32h]

No: HPFGUIDX 175244

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Irene Mikhlin 
<irene_mikhlin at ...> wrote:
>
> va32h earlier:
> 
> 
> Snape is *not* opposing Lucius for most of his adult life, either. 
> Snape may have turned spy when he was just 21, but let's not forget 
> that for the next 13 years, there was no one to spy upon. 
> 
> <snip>
> 
> I won't deny that Snape was immensely brave in going back to 
> Voldemort after GoF and continuing to spy on him for the next 
three  
> years.  But let's not forget that Snape had many, many years in 
which 
> he lived quite comfortably <snip>
> 
> Then Irene:
> 
> I'm not sure there was no one to spy upon. Dumbledore seemed pretty 
sure that Voldemort would find a way to return. It stands to a reason 
that he'd ask Snape to keep his "faithful DE" facade and keep an eye 
on Voldemort's supporters.
> 

va32h: Well then Snape did a crappy job, didn't he? Because Voldemort 
did indeed find a way to return, and Snape is not shown to have known 
or provided an iota of information about it. 

And why would he? Snape has no credibility among the Death Eaters 
after Voldemort's death. He is seen as Dumbledore's lap dog, having 
denounced his Dark Lord to live comfortably at Hogwarts. At least, 
that is what Bella calls him. It isn't *until* Voldemort comes back 
*and* accepts Snape's explanation, *and* shares that with the rest of 
the DE that they come to accept Snape as a returning member, and even 
then they don't fully trust him - see Bellatrix again. 

Snape's job was to be Voldemort's right hand man, not hang out with 
lowlifes in general (that's Mundungus' job).  

And again, who is there to spy on? Anyone outwardly loyal to 
Voldemort is either dead, presumed dead, or in Azkaban. Those who 
escaped punishment have every reason to *not* want Voldemort to come 
back, since they had to denounce him to remain free. That's why 
Karkaroff runs away. That's why Malfoy and Avery show up at the 
graveyard begging for forgiveness. 

It stands to reason that any Death Eater who turned in his fellows, 
or claimed to have been acting under the Imperius Curse would not 
want Voldemort to come back, because they would then have to answer 
for their crimes. So no, there is no one to spy on. 

There is just Snape, with 13 years of nothing to do but brood on his 
own losses. That's what I see in canon, at least. 

va32h