What did Snape know, and When did he know it?

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 169407

  
> Hickengruendler:
> 
> > That's probably true. But knowing how many they are, does not 
> > necessarily mean, that they also know who else is behind the 
masks. 
> > And at least during the end of the First War, it seems rather 
> > unlikely that *Snape* was at every meeting, since he was in 
> > Hogwarts and could hardly disappear there whenever he wanted. 
> > Granted, he could probably leave the castle to Voldemort often 
> > enough, since he went there on Dumbledore's orders (no matter to 
> > whom he's really loyal), but it's still doubtful that Snape can 
> > leave the castle during all of the meetings. (If these meetings 
> > happened often, of course, and if not, than there's even less a 
> > chance for Snape and Peter to meet.)
> 
> Dana:
> Snape wasn't at Hogwarts, he only became a teacher right before 
LV's 
> downfall. 

Hickengruendler:

Yes, I know. That's why I said "at the end of the First War". I know 
that earlier they could have met, but don't forget that Wormtail 
wasn't recruited that long before. It's not that he was that long a 
Death Eater, I think he started spying around a year before Godric's 
Hollow, and it's not sure that he participated in the DE Meetings, in 
the beginning.
 
> Dana:
> Because LV had not decided yet who he was going to target - the 
> Longbottom's or the Potters, by the time Peter became a spy and DD 
> himself implies that Snape became a spy for him around the same 
time. 

Hickengruendler:

We don't know, when Voldemort decided this. If Peter became a spy 
around a year prior to Godric's Hollow, than Harry was already born. 
Therefore, theoretically Voldemort could have made his decision 
already. There's nothing in Canon, that contradicts this, because we 
don't know, when e exactly Voldemort decided Harry was the one. Snape 
started teaching after Slughorn retired, therefore we can't give the 
day of his hiring as a fix date for when he came to Dumbledore with 
this information. Maybe he started his work as a spy earlier, and 
both Dumbledore and Voldemort thought Slughorn's farewell would be a 
good opportunity to have Snape in Hogwarts, where he can be around 
Dumbledore all the time (either to spy on him or to give him the 
worthwhile information) without making it seem suspicious.

Dana:

> And LV only goes to the 
> Potters himself because he considers Harry to be the one the 
prophecy 
> referred to and as we see time and time again LV would not allow 
> anyone but him to proof that no one can defeat the Dark Lord. It 
was 
> not because he had a habit of doing his own dirty work and he would 
> never go to someone so low as Wormtail if he can let him be brought 
> to him so easily. 

Hickengruendler:

Yes, possibly. But that still doesn't prove, that Lucius Malfoy had 
anything to do with it, because there are countless other possible 
Death eaters, and because it is unlikely that Malfoy knew Wormtail 
well enough. If you are going with evil Snape (which I don't, as you 
know ;-) ) it seems more likely to me, that he himself recruited 
Wormtail, since he knew the Marauders and their possible weaknesses. 
I find this much more plausible than bringing Lucius Malfoy into the 
mix, because the so called connection between him and Wormtail seems 
pure guesswork to me.

Dana:

> LV only made his decision on who he was going to target right 
before 
> the Potters hid behind the Fidelius Charm because if he had decided 
> before that time then the Potters would have been death long before 
> DD could ever suggest it to them. 

Hickengruendler:

But according to Dumbledore Snape came to him with the regret, that 
Voldemort targeted James and Lily, and it was *then*, when he started 
his work as a spy, If this was a week prior to Godric's Hollow, there 
simply was not any time for Snape to do some actual work as a spy.

Dana:

Snape might have been specifically 
> sent to DD (again) to see if he could find out more information 
about 
> who LV should target. Snape of course could not give him that 
> information because he used his remorse story to get into DD's 
> confidence and when Snape heard LV picked the Potters he told DD 
> because he still had the debt to settle with James but Peter messed 
> it up and Snape blames not himself but James and Sirius for it. 

Hickengruendler:

But that's not what happened, acording to Dumbledore. According to 
Dumbledore, Snape came to him, because he regretted that the Potters 
were targeted. Either Snape fooled Dumbledore or he was genuine, but 
it was about the Potters, therefore Voldemort must have already made 
his decision.