The Irma/Eileen Theory & Snape's Return/Teaching timeline

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 164189

lealess
<snipped canon>
> So, one theory is that, when Voldemort threatened Snape's family or 
> when Snape was backed into a corner, maybe when he was caught 
> listening to the Prophecy, Dumbledore offered to protect Snape's 
> mother at Hogwarts and Snape became a spy.  What is gained from 
> this theory is that it parallels the offer made to Draco on the
> Tower (at least in the United States), and perhaps explains part of 
> the reason Dumbledore trusts Snape and yet keeps the reason a 
> secret.  The secret is one of tremendous magnitude, the revelation
> of which could be seen as a betrayal, especially if revealed to
> someone with a wholly transparent mind like Harry Potter.  The
> theory also humanizes Snape, showing that love of a kind can be a 
> motivating factor for him.

Jen: Here's a way to put these elements together for a slightly 
different take, one that *might* explain some of the reservations you 
mentioned later on.  In "The Seer Overheard" Dumbledore said this: "I 
believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that 
he returned---"  This and Snape's remorse supply the motivation for 
Snape's return to Dumbledore's side but not his job at Hogwarts.

Harry's accusation was, 'AND YOU LET HIM TEACH HERE AND HE TOLD 
VOLDEMORT TO GO AFTER MY MOM AND DAD!'  Harry is the one who tied 
together Snape's teaching gig with the telling of the Prophecy for 
legitimate personal reasons as well as his talk with Trelawney.  
Dumbledore never connects the teaching job with Snape's remorse 
though, nor does he or any other character offer an explanation for 
why Snape started teaching except Snape saying Voldemort ordered it.  
I'm sure Voldemort *did* order it, there's just a hole in that 
explanation. 

First back to the idea that Snape's remorse was a separate event from 
his job at Hogwarts, likely by a couple of months.  Voldemort 
targeted the Potters after Harry and Neville were born and although 
we don't know the exact time, there's canon that Snape tipped off 
Dumbledore about the Potters and DD urged them into hiding (POA).  
That tip made Voldemort's job of targeting the Potters that much 
harder and I'm speculating this event and Voldemort's fury over it 
were the catalysts for Voldemort's order to Snape.  (The timing works 
because Snape likely started teaching in September right before the 
Halloween murders, based on his 14 years of teaching when Harry was 
15 in OOTP.) 

Moving now to the hole in Voldemort's order to Snape.  I found it 
curious Voldemort ordered Snape to get the job when Voldemort and 
Dumbledore both knew Snape was the DE who had turned over the 
prophecy to Voldemort--why exactly did LV think Dumbledore would 
agree to this?  My answer is...he didn't think Dumbledore would 
agree.  It was an impossible task, just like Draco killing 
Dumbledore, and Snape was sent in part as punishment for not 
delivering the entire prophecy and thus making Voldemort's job harder 
when the Potters escaped him (in Voldemort's mind).  The motivation 
he offered to Snape for completing this impossible task?  Same as 
Draco's, 'I'll kill your mum, Eileen the Muggle lover'.

By this timeline, Snape did return to Dumbledore out of remorse, 
Dumbledore did believe his story, but Snape didn't immediately begin 
working at Hogwarts.  Instead he started his double-agent role and 
attempted to help save the Potters from within the DE camp.  When 
Voldemort ordered Snape to get the teaching job, Dumbledore saw a 
chance to save TWO lives and agreed to take in both Eileen and 
Snape.  All Snape had to do was tell Voldemort that Dumbledore 
believed his story of remorse and Voldemort would buy it, thinking 
Dumbledore was acting like a 'fool who loves'.  There was no need to 
kill Eileen after that because before Snape had time to prove his 
usefulness as a spy, Peter became SK.

Is this believable or is it the same idea with the same problems, 
just in a different order?!? 

Jen, wondering how many hours this message will take to post. :(