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pauraque_bkIn the course of the discussion on whether Dumbledore knew Peter was a spy, another pertinent question was raised: Did Snape know? I've had a tendency to blow this question off in the past (which I'll explain), but I'd like to go into it now.
First off, must we take what Sirius says at face value? Were the DEs in Azkaban actually screaming about Peter, by name, or did Sirius simply assume they knew who the traitor had been? It's also not bad to remember that Sirius, though he may be relatively sane, is nonetheless somewhat unhinged at this point.
But let's say the Azkaban DEs did name Peter. Just because a few DEs knew who the traitor was, does that mean they all knew? It seems unwise to allow such a thing to be common knowledge among the DEs, of which we know there were many, but I can believe that Voldemort confided in those closest to him (say, the Lestranges, who were in Azkaban at the same time as Sirius). However, there's some evidence that Snape was not especially close to V.
Some months back,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
theatresm did a great post on Snape's role as a spy and a DE, with some wonderful close-reading of GoF, including this:
theatresm goes on to point out that the gap of six missing DEs, of which Snape is assumed to be one, is way down at the low end, so the suggestion is that these are low-ranked folks. If Snape is/was low in rank, that could be advantageous for his double-crossing career -- with V, it's not a bad idea to keep a low profile. It would also explain why he may not have been privy to sensitive information, such as the identities of the other DE spies.
But still, let's go even further. Let's say Snape did find out that Peter was a DE. As we've discovered, there are several possible scenarios where Dumbledore already knew that. Or approaching it from the other direction, we could add Snape to some of those theories -- postulating that Snape told Dumbledore what was going on, and Dumbledore did nothing because he was trying to allow the prophecy to be fulfilled, for example.
In short, I don't think you have to suspend your disbelief to operate on the premise that Snape is on Dumbledore's side. It works.
And it's a good thing, too, because I think the probability of Snape being revealed as a triple agent in canon is precisely zip. The purpose of Snape's character in the narrative appears to be to teach Harry that not all assholes are Death Eaters -- this has been the case from book one. Turning around and saying, well, I guess he was evil after all... would make his existence in the series essentially purposeless. This is why I've tended to be dismissive of the possibility when it's been raised in the past.
On the other hand, I'd say it's perfectly legitimate to use Evil!Snape in fic -- at least as legitimate as writing anything else that seems extraordinarily unlikely to be true in canon. It just really isn't the only possible solution.
Disagree? Tell me about it! If there are different readings of Snape's narrative role that I haven't considered, I would love to hear them.
'You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years,' said Black. 'You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter ... they all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them ... I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information ... and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways ... If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter --'This passage appears to present a problem. If the Death Eaters knew Peter was a spy, then wouldn't Snape also know? Why didn't he tell Dumbledore? This has often been presented as evidence that Snape is a triple agent. Actually, though, there are quite a few ways out of it.
(PoA 270 UK paperback)
First off, must we take what Sirius says at face value? Were the DEs in Azkaban actually screaming about Peter, by name, or did Sirius simply assume they knew who the traitor had been? It's also not bad to remember that Sirius, though he may be relatively sane, is nonetheless somewhat unhinged at this point.
But let's say the Azkaban DEs did name Peter. Just because a few DEs knew who the traitor was, does that mean they all knew? It seems unwise to allow such a thing to be common knowledge among the DEs, of which we know there were many, but I can believe that Voldemort confided in those closest to him (say, the Lestranges, who were in Azkaban at the same time as Sirius). However, there's some evidence that Snape was not especially close to V.
Some months back,
theatresm did a great post on Snape's role as a spy and a DE, with some wonderful close-reading of GoF, including this:This now becomes a very interesting scene [GoF 647 US], in terms of what it tells us (implicitly) about the Death Eaters. They are "forming a silent circle.... Yet they left gaps in the circle, as if waiting for more people." [...] Pettigrew [...] steps into the circle to Voldemort's right.
Here's where we get into some conjecture about the Death Eater hierarchy. Voldemort has been behaving in a very formal, ritualistic manner, and he turns to his right. "At the right hand" is traditionally a place of honor [...] Furthermore, formal etiquette demands that the highest-ranking person is acknowledged first -- and the first person Voldemort addresses after dealing with Wormtail is Lucius Malfoy, who stands to Wormtail's right [GoF 650 US].
theatresm goes on to point out that the gap of six missing DEs, of which Snape is assumed to be one, is way down at the low end, so the suggestion is that these are low-ranked folks. If Snape is/was low in rank, that could be advantageous for his double-crossing career -- with V, it's not a bad idea to keep a low profile. It would also explain why he may not have been privy to sensitive information, such as the identities of the other DE spies.But still, let's go even further. Let's say Snape did find out that Peter was a DE. As we've discovered, there are several possible scenarios where Dumbledore already knew that. Or approaching it from the other direction, we could add Snape to some of those theories -- postulating that Snape told Dumbledore what was going on, and Dumbledore did nothing because he was trying to allow the prophecy to be fulfilled, for example.
In short, I don't think you have to suspend your disbelief to operate on the premise that Snape is on Dumbledore's side. It works.
And it's a good thing, too, because I think the probability of Snape being revealed as a triple agent in canon is precisely zip. The purpose of Snape's character in the narrative appears to be to teach Harry that not all assholes are Death Eaters -- this has been the case from book one. Turning around and saying, well, I guess he was evil after all... would make his existence in the series essentially purposeless. This is why I've tended to be dismissive of the possibility when it's been raised in the past.
On the other hand, I'd say it's perfectly legitimate to use Evil!Snape in fic -- at least as legitimate as writing anything else that seems extraordinarily unlikely to be true in canon. It just really isn't the only possible solution.
Disagree? Tell me about it! If there are different readings of Snape's narrative role that I haven't considered, I would love to hear them.
