student!Snape keeping Lupin's secret (was Re: Sirius as a dog)

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 181144

Jayne wrote:
> > But he did eventually tell. He let on at the end of PoA so Lupin
had to resign as a teacher. Why did he do it then?
> > 
Leah responded: 

Because Lupin has failed to take the Wolfsbane potion, transformed and
put students (and presumably others) in danger. Because Lupin  failed
to tell Dumbledore that Sirius could access Hogwarts via the Shrieking
Shack passage and also failed to mention that Sirius was  an animagus
(all admitted by Lupin, and Snape at this stage probably still
believes Sirius is a murderer). <snip>

> Incidentally, there does not seem to be any criticism of Snape by 
Dumbledore for 'letting slip' Lupin's secret.  When Dumbledore says 
goodbye to Lupin in Harry's presence, there's no regret from 
Dumbledore; it's your carriage awaits, and a sober 'Goodbye, Remus'. 
<snip> It could be that Snape revealed the secret with Dumbledore's 
full permission (and of course an 'outed' werewolf will make a good
spy later on!) 

Carol adds:
I agree that Snape either had DD's consent or knew he wouldn't object.
After all, there was no way that Lupin could retain his position as
DADA teacher (even without the curse or jinx on the post) after
endangering three students by failing to take his potion and
transforming in front of them. And Fudge, of all people, already knew
about it, so it's not as if Snape's telling the students why Professor
Lupin wouldn't be teaching at Hogwarts any more really made much
difference. If Lupin hadn't handed in his resignation (which, if he's
a man of honor, he would have done with or without Snape's little
"slip"), Dumbledore would have asked for his resignation. (Harry
speaks of Lupin as having been "sacked" in OoP when he's talking about
the jinx on the DADA post.

Essentially, Snape could finally reveal the secret he'd been keeping
all those years because it was going to be found out, anyway.

On a sidenote, you spoke of the Marauder's bullying Severus as a
recurring thing, but I don't think that's the case. I think they
routinely hexed each other in the hallways like Harry and Draco, but
the two-on-one sneak attack reads to me like retaliation for Severus's
attempt to get them in trouble by getting into the Shrieking Shack.
(Sirius is conveniently forgetting who put him up to it.) Lupin later
tells Harry that "Snape gave as good as he got" when he and James met
one on one. So I think the picture of poor little persecuted Severus
who couldn't stand up for himself is exaggerated. He has good
reflexes, as we see in SWM; unfortunately, he's no match for two boys
who already have their wands out. But we're talking about a kid who,
according to Sirius (no fan of his) knew more 'curses" (surely,
schoolboy hexes and jinxes) than most seventh-years" when he was eleven.

Just because he was skinny and nerdy doesn't mean he couldn't cast a
mean curse--and invent them as well, as we learn in HBP.

Carol, glad that no sixteen-year-old boys of her acquaintance know
magic or transform into werewolves