Varför var Harry inte ifrågasatt att hitta Snape var en Death Eater?

Harry reagerade inte genast, eftersom han ensam visade minnet:

“Snape!” he shouted. “Severus Snape!”

“Snape has been cleared by this council,” said Crouch disdainfully. “He has been vouched for by Albus Dumbledore.”

“No!” shouted Karkaroff, straining at the chains that bound him to the chair. “I assure you! Severus Snape is a Death Eater!”

Dumbledore had gotten to his feet.

“I have given evidence already on this matter,” he said calmly. “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. He is now no more a Death Eater than I am.”

Harry turned to look at Mad-Eye Moody. He was wearing a look of deep skepticism behind Dumbledore’s back.

Det var för mycket som händer i minnet för att vara distraherad, troligen hade Harry misstänkt denna händelse. Efter att ha tittat på Pensieve-minnena, som har blivit avbruten av Dumbledore, höjer Harry frågan och får ett svar:

... “No more has Professor Snape,” he said.

Harry looked into Dumbledore’s light blue eyes, and the thing he really wanted to know spilled out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“What made you think he’d really stopped supporting Voldemort, Professor?”

Dumbledore held Harry’s gaze for a few seconds, and then said, “That, Harry, is a matter between Professor Snape and myself.”

Harry knew that the interview was over; Dumbledore did not look angry, yet there was a finality in his tone that told Harry it was time to go. He stood up, and so did Dumbledore.

Harry ifrågasatte inte myndighet av Dumbledore före händelserna i OotP. Han var nog övertygad av det svar han fick.

Harry trodde redan troligen att Snape hade varit Death Eater

Månader före incidenten med Pensieve, Harry hade en konversation med Moody (Crouch Jr.) om varför Crouch Sr. skulle söka Snape's office. Under den konversationen hittar vi följande tidbit:

"Oh if there's one thing I hate," he muttered, more to himself than to Harry, and his magical eye was fixed on the left-hand corner of the map, "it's a Death Eater who walked free...."

Harry stared at him. Could Moody possibly mean what Harry thought he meant?

Jag tycker att det är ganska troligt att det som Harry undrade om Moody kunde möjligen betydde var att Snape hade varit en Death Eater som gick fri. Som Moody är (i Harry's mind) en berömd Auror och nära vän till Dumbledore, skulle Harry troligen ta detta så seriöst. Om det inte var tillräckligt för att övertyga honom om att Snape hade varit Death Eater, skulle han troligen ha övertygats av samtalet med Sirius i Hogsmeade:

"I think they've both got a point," said Sirius, looking thoughtfully at Ron and Hermione. "Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was." Sirius added, and Harry and Ron grinned at each other. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters."

Sirius held up his fingers and began ticking off names.

"Rosier and Wilkes — they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges — they're a married couple — they're in Azkaban. Avery — from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he'd been acting under the Imperius Curse — he's still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater — not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught. And Snape's certainly clever and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble."

Så den plats som Harry bevittnat i Pensieve kan mycket väl bara ha varit bekräftelsen på vad han länge misstänkte.