Snape's involvement in the murder of Sirius

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 169066

> Jen: Double agents need to be very attuned to picking up all sorts 
> He didn't get to 
> hear the part about the switch in Secret Keepers though, and my 
> thinking is even when Snape finds out Peter is alive and an active 
DE 
> later on, Snape still wouldn't know the entire story and continues 
to 
> blame Sirius for the deaths of the Potters.  

zgirnius:
I have difficulty believing Dumbledore would not straighten him out a 
bit, for his own safety, at some point during GoF when they arrive at 
the conclusion that Voldemort is coming back and Snape will return to 
him as and resume his role as Dumbledore's spy. (That this was 
descussed prior to the actual events is implicit in Dumbledore's 
words and Snape;es reponse.)

> GoF, "The Parting of the Ways":
> "Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must 
ask you to do. If you are ready . . . if you are prepared ..."

> "I am," said Snape.

zgirnius:
Snape knows what Dumbledore is talking about, and he has prepared for 
it in advance. Claer enough,m it seems to me, that this has been 
discussed.

Snape needs to know which Marauder is the dangerous spy that hid from 
Dumbledore for a year, since that person (Peter) still has the ears 
of Voldemort.

Of course, nothing obligates Snape to change his mind about Sirius's 
previous attempt to kill *him*, which to my mind is more than enough 
to explain his attitude in GoF, OotP, and HBP. Why should Snape care 
if Sirius is dead, when Sirius's own attitude conveys to Snape so 
clearly that Sirius would regard his death with no more concern?

And of course, if Dumbledore communicated the whole story, Snape 
might still blame Sirius. It was his lame idea to use Peter in the 
first place. Sirius blames himself for this in PoA.

> Jen>
> And the next day he does deal with Lupin by letting it be 
> known he's a werewolf.  There's no canon for what Dumbledore was 
> planning to do about Lupin or that Snape consulted with him or 
Lupin 
> prior to telling everyone, he just acted on his own to get Lupin 
not 
> only out of Hogwarts but out of work and society, period. 

zgirnius:
Snape gave a public explanation of Lupin's condition, and of the fact 
that he was roaming about the grounds transformed and sans potion 
helping the fugitive Sirius Black and placing students in danger, to 
Fudge the night before. Dumbledore was then forced to spend a deal of 
time talking Fudge around to the idea that Lupin was at least not an 
accomplice of Black, and had only been, like Snape, trying to help 
the kids. You may hold a different opinion, but I cannot imagine that 
Fudge thought Lupin should continue in his role as a teacher after 
those revelations no matter how favorably Dumbledore tried to paint 
his actions.

> Jen:
> I was thinking more that Snape passed info about Sirius being an 
> animagus and his relationship with Harry in the hopes it might lead 
> to Sirius getting caught or killed (he doesn't appear to care that 
> Sirius died in HBP), but not actually planning how that would 
happen 
> or knowing how vast the consequences would end up being. (A little 
> like Harry. Ironic?)  

zgirnius:
If Peter was talking (and why whould Dumbledore and Snape believe he 
was not?), none of this was news to Voldemort. He should have known 
Sirius was an Animagus, and that Sirius offered Harry a home and 
Harry, who has lousy guarduians, accepted joyfully. This is all stuff 
Scabbers/Peter knows.