Two Plot Problems

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 187695

alla (malfoydancing) wrote:
> 
> I'm very intrigued as to how he has managed this without doing any  real harm. I suppose Bellatrix questions him to *some* extent in HP6,  and most death eaters are protrayed as not very intelligent, but it's  quite a feat.
>
Carol responds:
It's something about his personality, IMO. Snape has the gift of silencing a group of students just by walking into a room. We see him easily intimidating Wormtail just through sarcasm. Even the proud and arrogant Narcissa (rightly) thinks he's powerful and influential; we don't see her treating anyone else with such deference (or tearfully begging for anyone else's help). Even before he "murders" DD, he has apparently taken Lucius Malfoy's place as Voldemort's right-hand man (as we see from Draco's jealous resentment and his assumption that Snape wants to steal his glory), sufficient reason in itself for other (real) DEs to fear him--if only because they fear antagonizing LV by opposing his new favorite. And he knows how to manipulate the DEs, using reason they'll respond to (the Aurors will arrive soon and "Potter is for the Dark Lord")) to get them to leave the Hogwarts grounds and stop Crucioing Harry, respectively. (Obviously, he can't give his real reason--he's protecting Harry and the other students.)

Snape is not only clever and cunning, labels given him by an enemy (Sirius Black), but extremely intelligent. His skills as a spy (or counterspy) make him (seemingly) valuable to Voldemort. His skills as spy, actor, and Occlumens make him indispensable to Dumbledore.

Of course, the other DEs are afraid of him. Add to the traits I've already listed his reputation (known to Avery and Mulciber from their school days and surely known to the other DEs through them if not through Snape himself) as a spell inventor (especially if they know about Sectumsempra) and his knowledge of Dark magic, and it's not surprising that an exceptionally angry Snape (who knows that he's going to have to kill DD or die from breaking the Unbreakable Vow) can cow them with a glance.

We know that he never killed anyone before DD. That's clear from his fear of splitting his soul and DD's question, "How many people have you watched die, Severus?" as opposed to "How many people have you killed?" We never see him cast a Crucio or an Imperius Curse, either. He doesn't need to. Unless you're Dumbledore or Voldemort (or the perennially rash Sirius Black after both he and Snape are members of the Order), you don't cross Snape or argue with him. 

Carol, who thinks that we know what Snape did as a DE (he was a spy and a very valuable one) and that we need not assume that he committed any worse crimes off page than the one he repents for the rest of his life, reporting the Prophecy