A Snape Timetable (Was: Dumbledore Disgusted)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 175976

JudySerenity wrote:
<snip>
> In OoP, Dumbledore says the Prophecy was overheard, but the 
eavesdropper was detected partway into the Prophecy and thrown from 
the building. The way I pictured it, Aberforth threw Snape out 
halfway through the Prophecy, and Snape went straightaway to 
Voldemort. Aberforth then told Albus about the eavesdropping after the
Prophecy had been completed, either naming Snape as the eavesdropper,
or describing him so that Albus knew who it was. (Which would have
been easy, since  Albus was expecting Snape to be there for a job
interview.) Reviewing his memories in the Pensieve could have told
Albus exactly how much had been overheard, since he might have been
able to hear Aberforth confronting Snape. 

Carol responds:

I agree with most of your interpretation (which I've snipped), and I
agree that we're dealing with a lot of inconsistencies. However, DD
could not have been expecting young snape to show up for a job
interview (for the DADA post) at the time of the interview. that's
Trelawney's after-the-fact interpretation. She seems to have forgotten
that she was hired later in the year than usual (as of OoP, she's been
teaching "almost sixteen years" as opposed to Snape's "fourteen
years," evidently because the previous Divination professor suddenly
died or became incapacitated). I like to think that Trelawney's
interview took place on Halloween, as so many other events do in the
series, especially since that would have been Harry's approximate
conception date. However, it could have taken place any time between
his conception and late spring, as the cold rainy night indicates.
Either way, it did not take place during the normal hiring period
(July through August).

Young Snape would not be applying for a DADA position some time into
the school year. That position would already have been filled. He was
probably there to spy on DD, either knowing that he'd be holding a job
interview for a suddenly vacant position and presciently guessing that
he'd do so at the Hog's Head or just knowing that it was a place
frequented by DD and hoping to see him there or overhear news or
gossip. IOW, he's almost certainly spying for LV at this time, not
applying for a job. (Note the went-up-the-wrong-stairs excuse;
obviously, he doesn't have an appointment of his own.) Nor does he
apply the following year, apparently. He comes to DD for help some
time between Harry's birth on July 30, 1980 (probably that winter,
given the weather) and September 1, 1981, when he begins teaching
Potions. He begins spying for DD "at great personal risk"  as the
result of his promise to do "anything" to get DD to save Lily. 

I realize that DH muddies the waters still further with the Pensieve
memories, with no clear indication of how close they are together (and
it has never made sense that LV waited fifteen months to try to kill
Harry, but let's say that he doesn't read the birth announcements in
the Daily Prophet and it took him awhile to figure out who the two
boys are and that he debated a while after that over which posed the
greater threat instead of choosing to kill both of them and that he
even considered waiting, like a logical person, to see which posed the
greater threat. But never mind all that. Back to Severus.)

Here's my approximate time frame for the events from the Prophecy to
Godric's Hollow, part of a more fully developed Snape timetable:

Ca. Oct. 31, 1979 (could be as late as April 1980): The eavesdropping
incident. Snape, age 19 (or 20, if it's January 9 or later), reports
immediately to LV.

July 31, 1980: Harry Potter is born (Neville is born the previous day).

Winter 1980-81: Snape, age 20-21, finds out how LV is interpreting
the Prophecy (choosing the Potters over the Longbottoms and deciding
to kill an infant). Snape asks LV to spare Lily's life, but not
fully trusting him and terrified for Lily, he also goes to DD. He
promises to do "anything" to protect Lily and begins spying for DD "at
great personal risk."

July 31, 1981: Harry's first birthday. Lily writes her letter. The
Potters are hiding in Godric's Hollow, but unless PoA is wrong, they
are not yet under the Fidelius Charm. Perhaps DD suggested it when he
borrowed the IC. (Note that there seems to be another time discrepancy
here. DD cannot have "borrowed" the IC a mere week before Godric's
Hollow unless Lily is writing a very belated thank-you note.) "Wormy"
is contemplating treachery.

Ca. August 1981: LV sends Snape to apply for the DADA post (nearly
*two years* after Trelawney's job interview). DD, perhaps not yet
fully trusting his young spy, gives him Potions instead. Snape begins
teaching on Sept. 1.

Ca. Oct. 24, 1981: The Potters make PP their Secret Keeper at SB's
brilliant suggestion. (If PoA is wrong, the Fidelius Charm may have
been cast earlier.) It's unclear why they wait so long. Perhaps Snape
has provided DD with new information and DD had informed them of their
increased danger.

Oct. 31, 1981: PP breaks the Fidelius Charm by revealing the Secret to
LV. LV goes to GH alone, murders James, gives Lily several chances to
stand aside, then murders her.) The Prophecy Boy's death is more
important to him than a promise made to a young Death Eater.) He
attempts to kill Harry and is blown out of his body instead. 

On a side note related to this thread, I don't think that LV (who
tells several lies in the last few chapters of DH) ever said anything
to Snape about Lily *after* her death. I think that young Snape,
sensing her danger, asked to be rewarded for revealing the Porphecy by
having LV spare Lily, making it appear that he merely desired the
attractive "Mudblood," and LV said something like, "Very well,
Severus. You have served me well, and I will reward you if I can.
However, should she resist me and her death become necessary, surely
you can find a more suitable pure-blood woman who is equally attractive."

That would explain both LV's view that Snape desired rather than loved
Lily and young Snape's doubts and fears for Lily. (As Mim has pointed
out, *of course* he would not have asked LV to spare the baby even if
he cared one way or the other about him. Killing Harry was the whole
point of the murder expedition. And young DE Severus could hardly be
expected to care about James even if he owed him a life debt. He could
present the request to spare Lily as the desire for a reward, and her
life was all that mattered to him at the time.)

Dumbledore's "you disgust me" seems out of character considering how
polite he is to the DEs on the tower, who are there to make sure that
he's murdered. No doubt they, and especially the wannabe DE Greyback,
disgust him a great deal more than a DE who has gone behind Voldie's
back to beg him to spare a woman's life. I'm not sure, but I think he
suspects that young Snape's emotional vulnerability will make him see
himself as he is and realize that indifference to the lives of a child
and its father is less than admirable. And that Snape responds with
"Hide them all, then. Keep her--them--safe. Please" shows that DD's
tough-love approach has had some effect, as does Snape's promise to do
"anything."

DD is not about to pass up the opportunity to have a spy among the
Death Eaters. This unhappy young man, not the usual heartless Death
Eater, can be of great use to him. (At this point, DD probably
remembers Snape's exam scores and has some notion of his intelligence
and talents but he has no idea of his capacity for loyalty and
courage.) So he manipulates Snape, who, in turn, is motivated by the
hope of saving Lily's life. And when LV actually sends Snape to apply
for the DADA position, DD probably knows that not to hire him is to
have LV kill him; besides, Snape can be equally useful at Hogwarts.

When both of them fail to protect Lily thanks to Pettigrew's betrayal,
DD is again harsh, emphasizing that LV has betrayed Snape and getting
him past his indifference to Harry's survival by persuading him that
protecting Harry will prove his love for Lily and insure that her
death is not in vain (similar to the tactic that Harry uses on
Kreacher with regard to Regulus's death). It's harsh; it's
psychological manipulation; it's using Severus for "the greater good."
But it's also effective, and more appropriate than sympathizing with
him over Lily's death (James, after all, is dead, too). And Harry's
continued danger is the main point that Snape needs to understand.

I don't like DD in these scenes. My sympathy is almost entirely with
the emotionally battered young Snape. Nevertheless, DD knows what he's
doing. He does defend Snape (twice) in the Wizengamot. He does give
him a job as Potions master. And we do see his trust and understanding
change markedly with his calm response to Snape's criticism of Harry's
mediocrity and his quiet direction, "Keep an eye on Quirrell for me,
will you?"

DD's sole moment of doubt, when he asks whether Snape is tempted to
follow Karkaroff, is answered by "I am not such a coward" followed by
DD's acknowledgement of Snape's courage. "Dumbledore trusts me," says
Snape in GoF, and his sending Snape to Voldemort ("If you are ready,
if you are prepared") is proof of that. And DD's concern for Snape,
not just as his very valuable spy and employee but as his ally and
much younger friend, is shown by his reaction to that moment. And
then, of course, Snape attempts to save him from the ring curse even
before the doe Patronus gives him the "ironclad reason" for trusting
Snape. He defends Snape to McGonagall et al. and to Harry before the
Patronus incident. (I see DD's relationship to Snape, which seems to
be closer in some respects than his relationships to other teachers,
as that of a (great-great) grandfather to a prodigal (great great)
grandson who has returned to the fold: strict but loving and
ultimately trusting him to do what no one else can do. He is not
placing Snape's soul at risk; Snape himself decides that killing a
dying man to protect Draco from murder and the man himself from a
painful and degrading death will not split his soul. And I believe
that he's right. Snape is the clearest example in the books of a truly
redeemed character whose teaching methods are, IMO, a mere red herring.)

Carol, trying to fit the Pensieve memory and the canon from other
books together and feeling that a few pieces are missing while others
are the wrong shape and have to be forced into place