[the_old_crowd] HBP: Discrepancy with timeline, help

[Amanda Geist]

Lots
Of
Spoiler
Space
and
Random
Thoughts
On
The
Universe
Like
What
Makes
Airplanes
Stay
Up

I have lots of thoughts. I have little time. So I will post what, to me, is
the biggest discrepancy I've spotted, since I can't resolve it and it's
either a Flint or I'm missing something.

Trelawney tells Harry that Snape interrupted her interview with Dumbledore
lo these many years ago. Harry charges in to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore
seems to verify that Snape was the person who carried half-the-prophecy back
to Voldemort. Dumbledore seems to say that Snape was then overcome with
remorse for what happened afterward and this is why Dumbledore believes him.

Okay, passing over the fact that there's obviously something Dumbledore
considers telling Harry about Snape, and does not (that would be the real
reason he trusts him)--I'm bothered.

In GoF, in the scene we see in the Pensieve, Dumbledore tells the assembled,
"Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our side
BEFORE LORD VOLDEMORT'S DOWNFALL and turned spy for us, at great personal
risk." (590-591) (emphasis mine.)

Okay. These don't add up. Lord Voldemort's downfall was the direct result of
learning of the prophecy, when he killed the Potters and got all rebounded
on.

If Snape rejoined our side before V's downfall, wouldn't he already be on
our side at the time of the interview? Why would he have been spying at all,
and why would he have carried the prophecy back to V? Unless Dumbledore was
lying to Harry?

If Snape didn't rejoin our side before the Potters died, was Dumbledore
lying to the assembly?

Help.

~Amanda, sorry for Joywitch but Amanda Binns saw this coming a long time
ago. I actually expected it in Book 5.