Letting Snape go (was Re: Dumbledore Disgusted (was: Snape's Request gave

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 175870

 
> Mim:
> 
> Not necessarily. Dumbledore doesn't explicitly know that if he lets 
> the Prophecy be known it will lead to the death of the Potters. But 
> he wants the child attacked since he has some reassurance that the 
> child will have power the Dark Lord knows not. Both PPDD and QSSD 
> can justify this to themselves.

Potioncat:
It all happened quickly---or from Trelawney's point of view it does---
There could have been two reasons for letting Snape go. One is that 
DD knows he is a DE, but doesn't want LV to know he knows. The second 
is that DD knows what LV will told. DD knows Snape has heard that a 
Chosen One is coming (I'm part of the small knot of people who do not 
think the first part is clear that the one is not yet born) and he 
knows that LV will try to find that person.

Letting Snape go allows DD to know what information LV has, and what 
LV will be putting his efforts into. DD can, in the meantime, make 
his own attempts at indentifying that person. DD knows more details 
about it. (And I'll bet Lily and Alice thought it was so sweet of DD 
to take such interest in their up-coming blessed events.)

It would have been interesting to know whether Snape was there by 
chance---seems like the place DEs might have a drink, or where a 
young man who needs some shady potion ingredients might come--whether 
he was following Trelawney, or whether he was following DD.

Potioncat