Snape's supposed involvement in the murder of Sirius

[Neri]

No: HPFGUIDX 169092


> Carol responds:
><snip> 
> As far as I can see, the only piece of information that Snape could
> have added to this wealth of knowledge and used to claim a share of
> the credit in Black's death to Bellatrix, who knew quite well who
> actually killed Black, is that he had seen Black at Hogwarts in
> Animagus form shortly before DD sent him to "return" to LV.

Neri:
I don't think such information would be enough for Snape to claim a
share of the credit, not in front of Bella (who killed Black herself)
and Narcissa (Kreacher's contact woman). Moreover, Snape phrases his
words to Bella in a way that suggests a difference between his Vance
information and his Black information:  

"The Dark Lord is satisfied with the information I have passed him on
the Order. It led, as perhaps you have guessed, to the recent capture
and murder of Emmeline Vance, and it certainly helped dispose of
Sirius Black, though I give you full credit for finishing him off."

The difference is in Bella's previous knowledge about these two pieces
of information: she could only guess about the first, but knew for
sure about the second, or Snape wouldn't be able to use "certainly". I
have to agree with Jen: it's implied that Snape's information was
important in disposing of Sirius and that the two sisters (or at least
Bella) already know this.


> And, again, there was no specific plot to kill Black. The plot
> was to lure Harry to the Mom under the *pretense* that Black had been
> captured.
> 

Neri:
We don't know that there wasn't a plot to kill Black. As I've pointed
out here before several times, the logical way for Voldemort to plan
his operation was to tell Snape to warn the Order a little too late,
so that they'd rush to the DoM to save Harry and be caught in an
ambush of either DEs or Aurors. If this is the way it was planned then
Snape would be able to claim later that his information helped in
disposing of Black without giving away too much too soon to the
reader. It may have been Snape's own secret plan to prevent Harry from
going to the DoM (in my theory because of the debt) while sending
instead Sirius and possibly some other Order members Snape isn't
exactly fond of to get caught or killed.


Neri