Snape's dirty past uncovered WAS: Re: Werewolves and RL equivalents

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 170490

> > Magpie:
> > LOL! And it's so Snape to probably not even think of that--I 
mean, 
> in his
> > mind it's probably completely different. Although I don't think 
it 
> would
> > have been a trump card, to be honest. I think Snape would be 
> prepared to
> > weather the reaction to his being a DE in ways Lupin was not 
ready to
> > weather the reaction to his being a werewolf.
> <SNIP of the whole post basically>
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Too bad we would never know now most likely. But I think that by 
the 
> way Snape reacts to fake Moody making jubs at his past, he would 
not 
> have much defiance indeed.

Magpie:
I was thinking of just that scene when I said it. Moody insinuates 
that Dumbledore doesn't trust him and that he's still a DE and Snape 
angrily declares that Dumbledore trusts him. I think he'd do the 
same in response to parents claiming he's still a DE. He's a spy 
now. Snape isn't angry that his being a DE is known--he knows Moody 
knows this already. He's defensive about the idea that Dumbledore 
doesn't trust him now.

Alla:

> I mean, you mention earlier that he outs himself to Fudge. Did he 
> though?
> 
> I was under impression that Fudge was perfectly aware of Snape 
being 
> former DE, just did not know about Dark Mark or did I always read 
that 
> scene wrong?

Magpie:
You are right, Fudge already knew--he revealed that his Dark Mark 
was getting darker so that he was still tied to LV as a former DE. 
But my point is that Snape has an identity now as a former DE who's 
now a spy. Hiding that he was once a DE doesn't seem like something 
he spends much time doing. On the contrary he is (if he's DDM) still 
pretending to be a DE. Snape's got his own issues with his past that 
I think are one of his prime motivations. I just don't think they're 
the same as Lupin's with his werewolfism. Presumably the Slytherins 
all already know Snape is a former (and then current) DE.

wynnleaf:
Sorry, but I don't understand this discussion at all (not just this
post, but all these posts that assume Snape's being a Death Eater was
some deep secret).

In GOF, when Harry went into Dumbledore's pensieve, he landed in the
courtroom at the MOM.

Magpie:
Exactly. Snape has an identity now that includes his being a DE in 
the past, even if everyone doesn't know about it. If a parent just 
found out about it and complained, I think he'd be prepared to 
defend his position now. And of course Dumbledore would defend it 
too.

wynnleaf:
Sure, Snape got pretty touchy when Barty Jr confronted him as
fake!Moody. Snape seemed sort of insecure regarding Dumbledore's
trust, as though any comments by Moody made him really defensive. But
that certainly doesn't mean that no one knew he'd been a Death Eater.

Magpie:
Exactly--Snape isn't angry at someone knowing he's a DE, but at the 
implication that his position *now* isn't what he thinks it is. 
Harry's brought up his being a DE to him before as well. "Yes 
Potter, that's my job." Snape's past actually isn't even revealed to 
Harry as a secret that was being kept from him--I don't even think 
it's the thing he first reacts to upon seeing the trial in the 
Pensieve. An actual secret about Snape being kept from Harry that 
Harry reacts to as such is Snape being the eavesdropper.

Jen: It muddies the water a little bit for me that his expressions of
trust come at times others are expressing mistrust. He also vouches
for Sirius in the hospital wing in the face of Snape questioning his
presence. But I do agree Dumbledore has indeed included Snape and
Hagrid in the ever-growing group of people, beings and beasts under
his protection at Hogwarts. I just wouldn't say DD does this because
he sees them as more loyal so much as feeling more responsible for
protecting and defending them.

Magpie:
Even if it's his feeling more responsible for protecting and 
defending them, I think that's part of his being more intimate with 
them. They are mistrusted by others but Dumbledore always gives his 
personal assurance that he trusts them.

And that's not just about how Dumbledore feels about them but how 
they feel about Dumbledore--I would actually say that in PoA I get a 
little territorialism from Snape with Lupin at Hogwarts as well. 
Does that ring true for you at all? I do think that Snape's outing 
Lupin to the Slytherins could have a part in his leaving--but his 
leaving, not Dumbledore's firing him. He didn't ever want Lupin 
there, and I think was probably driven crazy by Lupin's easily 
ingratiating himself with everyone. I think that's probably part of 
the reason that it's so satisfying for Snape to see that 
he's "right" and Lupin is indeed helping Sirius. But nobody actually 
says that Dumbledore fired Lupin. There's two slightly different 
versions of what happened. In both versions Lupin's resigned. First 
Hagrid says he resigned because he didn't want to risk transforming 
on the grounds again. Later Lupin says that Snape told on him, and 
when Harry asks if he's resigning because of that Lupin just smiles 
wryly. He then says that tomorrow (after he's gone) they'll be angry 
letters coming. 

-m