Snape contiued (was Re: XPOST: Lupin is Ever So Evil Part One -- The Prank )

[nkafkafi]

> Eloise:
> 
> Why the whole world doesn't know about Snape's defection is one of the 
> great mysteries of the Potterverse.
> 
> 1) Would the parents governors accept an ex-DE on the staff of Hogwarts?


Neri:
We have this problem in any case, because it looks like Snape was
already a teacher at Hogwarts during Karkaroff's trial, and none of
the 200 wizards present seemed to object. Also, the Durmstrang's
governors later made Karkaroff a *Headmaster*.   


> Eloise:
> 2) Why doesn't Sirius know that Snape is a DE? He heard stuff in 
> Azkaban, but apparently *nothing* about Snape.


Neri:
I have a theory that explains this mystery and several others. It is
detailed in:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hogs_Head/message/2772
But briefly, it suggests no DE in Azkaban knew about Snape because all
the DEs that Snape knew (apparently Malfoy, Crabbe. Goyle, Avery, Nott
and Macnair) got a free ticket out of Azkaban. Snape himself, under
DD's orders, had told the Ministry that they were not DEs. This was
calculated in order to gain their good opinion, so they will help
warming Snape's way back into Voldy's trust once he's back. 


> Eloise:
> 3) Why is Snape's Dark Mark such a shock to Fudge?
> 


Neri:
Well, it wasn't *such* a shock. Fudge merely "recoiled" when Snape
shoved his Dark Mark under his nose, an understandable reaction
considering most wizards are so afraid of it. But Fudge didn't demand
Snape will be arrested, investigated or anything of the sort.
 

> Eloise:
> I can only assume that,<snip>
> 2) That the trial/hearing/whatever was protected by something like a 
> Fidelius so that what was said, at least about Snape, remained secret.


Neri:
If this is the case then we were shown a way to bypass a Fidelius:
look at the Pensieve memory of one who knows the secret. But I very
much doubt it. For one thing, in the end of the GoF Pensieve chapter
DD asked Harry to keep silent about Neville's parents, but he *didn't*
ask him to keep secret about Snape being an ex-DE. 

Also, if it was such a well-kept secret, with such critical
implications for Snape's life, would Snape himself reveal it to Fudge?
And in front of quite a big croud too, including Harry, Ron, Hermione,
Molly, Bill and Madam Pomfrey. It just doesn't strike me like it was
such a well-kept secret.   


> Eloise:
> But I can't work it out. Why *isn't* he dead?

Neri:
I don't know, but I wouldn't preclude the possiblity that Snape
managed to survive a year in Voldy's death list. After all, Harry has
managed to survive even longer than that, and he was even higher in
that list. I guess DD's protection does count for something. 


Neri