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What did Luna know, and when did she know it?
Every time I write Luna, I keep revising forward when she started having suspicions about Snape’s true loyalties. Or, perhaps, when she stopped having suspicions.
Lovegood
Several people have suggested that she figured out after being sent on that picnic with Hagrid in DH.
One of which is the following great fiction on the topic (recced by Whitehound among others): http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3675387/1/F
In my Headmaster Snape series, I thought she’d notice discrepancies in his behavior even earlier.
http://terri-testing.livejournal.com/86
Here’s one that posits she knew from the first:
http://occlumency.sycophanthex.com/view
But thinking about Luna: the thing is, she isn’t bound by convention in what she sees. Which most of the time makes her “Loony”—but if the convention is to ignore a truth, Luna will be likely not to. Remember, she spots Harry in his Polyjuiced Barney form; in fact, it apparently doesn’t register with her that she was supposed not to recognize him. What truth does everyone spend Luna’s 5th year ignoring? That the Headmaster is dying slowly from a curse, which his cheerful unconcern masks from most everyone else. Except, of course, Professor Snape. Luna might well spot that Dumbledore is dying, and possibly that Snape’s the one keeping him going on. (Even if Snape’s demeanor doesn’t give him away, Dumbledore makes it clear that year that is the one Dumbledore relies upon for curse-breaking.) Add in the fact (which even Harry and Ron remark upon) that Dumbledore has given Snape the cursed DADA position and Snape has accepted it—meaning the two of them both expect Snape to be gone before the end of the year—well, she has to have put that Ravenclaw brain to wondering. She might even, like some of fanon, reviewed the fates under the curse of various DADA teachers: and she has a larger database than we to go on. Leaving in disgrace is the lightest we saw, and it’s not what happened to either of Voldemort’s agents.
And if her friend Ginny happened ever to mention that she, her brother, and Hermione was all on Felix Felicitas potion on the Fatal Night…. Wait a minute. The effect of the potion on Hermione, apparently, was to have her (and Luna) in position to be drafted to take care of an unconscious Flitwick as Snape hurtled out of his office. Which kept the girls out of the battle and out of harm, true, but Hermione could have been lucky IN the battle like Ginny and Ron were. Or delayed by twisting her ankle running back up all those flights of stairs, if she really would have been likely to die if she made it to the battle scene. Or…. Lots of things.
So, what did indisputably happen when Hermione was on the Felix? She and Luna took care of Professor Flitwick, and sent Snape on his way without interference. What would have happened otherwise? Well, Professor Flitwick wasn’t hurt badly enough to die without care, so that wasn’t what was lucky about them staying. But Professor Snape might not have known that; is it possible he would have delayed a moment or two to look for help, had help not been conveniently lurking at his door? In which case, the effect of the Felix Felicitas potion was not just to send Professor Snape on his way without interference: it sped him to the tower faster—just in time to cast that Avada Kedavra. And it was lucky, it was the best of luck, for Hermione and her friends, that this happened.
Luna is twice mentioned as being present in the post-murder debriefing in the hospital wing. When Harry breaks the news that Snape killed Dumbledore, “Luna’s mouth trembled.” And she says not one word as Harry and the others discuss Snape’s perfidy. Because our Luna is so reluctant to discuss a conspiracy theory, right? I checked; every other character that was conscious in that scene had something to add to the debate. But not our Luna.
So what do you think? Did she see through Snape’s little charade, and if so, when?
(And if you want to comment on who else figured it out, and when, and why they said nothing, or if they did….)
Every time I write Luna, I keep revising forward when she started having suspicions about Snape’s true loyalties. Or, perhaps, when she stopped having suspicions.
Lovegood
Several people have suggested that she figured out after being sent on that picnic with Hagrid in DH.
One of which is the following great fiction on the topic (recced by Whitehound among others): http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3675387/1/F
In my Headmaster Snape series, I thought she’d notice discrepancies in his behavior even earlier.
http://terri-testing.livejournal.com/86
Here’s one that posits she knew from the first:
http://occlumency.sycophanthex.com/view
But thinking about Luna: the thing is, she isn’t bound by convention in what she sees. Which most of the time makes her “Loony”—but if the convention is to ignore a truth, Luna will be likely not to. Remember, she spots Harry in his Polyjuiced Barney form; in fact, it apparently doesn’t register with her that she was supposed not to recognize him. What truth does everyone spend Luna’s 5th year ignoring? That the Headmaster is dying slowly from a curse, which his cheerful unconcern masks from most everyone else. Except, of course, Professor Snape. Luna might well spot that Dumbledore is dying, and possibly that Snape’s the one keeping him going on. (Even if Snape’s demeanor doesn’t give him away, Dumbledore makes it clear that year that is the one Dumbledore relies upon for curse-breaking.) Add in the fact (which even Harry and Ron remark upon) that Dumbledore has given Snape the cursed DADA position and Snape has accepted it—meaning the two of them both expect Snape to be gone before the end of the year—well, she has to have put that Ravenclaw brain to wondering. She might even, like some of fanon, reviewed the fates under the curse of various DADA teachers: and she has a larger database than we to go on. Leaving in disgrace is the lightest we saw, and it’s not what happened to either of Voldemort’s agents.
And if her friend Ginny happened ever to mention that she, her brother, and Hermione was all on Felix Felicitas potion on the Fatal Night…. Wait a minute. The effect of the potion on Hermione, apparently, was to have her (and Luna) in position to be drafted to take care of an unconscious Flitwick as Snape hurtled out of his office. Which kept the girls out of the battle and out of harm, true, but Hermione could have been lucky IN the battle like Ginny and Ron were. Or delayed by twisting her ankle running back up all those flights of stairs, if she really would have been likely to die if she made it to the battle scene. Or…. Lots of things.
So, what did indisputably happen when Hermione was on the Felix? She and Luna took care of Professor Flitwick, and sent Snape on his way without interference. What would have happened otherwise? Well, Professor Flitwick wasn’t hurt badly enough to die without care, so that wasn’t what was lucky about them staying. But Professor Snape might not have known that; is it possible he would have delayed a moment or two to look for help, had help not been conveniently lurking at his door? In which case, the effect of the Felix Felicitas potion was not just to send Professor Snape on his way without interference: it sped him to the tower faster—just in time to cast that Avada Kedavra. And it was lucky, it was the best of luck, for Hermione and her friends, that this happened.
Luna is twice mentioned as being present in the post-murder debriefing in the hospital wing. When Harry breaks the news that Snape killed Dumbledore, “Luna’s mouth trembled.” And she says not one word as Harry and the others discuss Snape’s perfidy. Because our Luna is so reluctant to discuss a conspiracy theory, right? I checked; every other character that was conscious in that scene had something to add to the debate. But not our Luna.
So what do you think? Did she see through Snape’s little charade, and if so, when?
(And if you want to comment on who else figured it out, and when, and why they said nothing, or if they did….)
Thanks for giving me some great questions to explore about Luna and the extent of her insights into the chaos that was escalating in book 5.
Luna / Snape
Of course, we really don't see how any house but Gryffindor regards the head of Slytherin--the Harry filter deprives us of so much. Harry doesn't really often talk to anyone outside his own house to find out.
I did notice that in Slughorn's Potions class, 3 Slytherins, 3 Ravenclaws, 1 Hufflepuff, and 1 Gryffindor managed to get in on grades--i.e. an O on their OWLS. I assume that indicates that academic perfectionism sits better with Ravenclaws anyhow.
The Gryffindors--and most of the teachers and students, I suppose--can't see beyond their emotions to think that maybe Snape isn't what he seems on the surface. I think that Luna, however, is smart enough to see the implications of the detention, and since she looks at things from her own unique perspective, she might be able to see beyond the "Snape is a murderer" hatred blinding her friends. Even when we see her as a prisoner of the Death Eaters, she seemed remarkably calm under the circumstances, as far as I can recollect, though my memories of those scenes are a bit hazy.
I don't know if she knew with complete certainty that Snape was a good guy, but I think it certainly would have made her think. If she did figure out that he was working undercover, I think she'd keep her silence and not say anything about it, because Snape obviously doesn't want anyone to know.
It's possible that she could have figured it out earlier, too--I never noticed those subtle signs that you pointed out in HBP. But I think the detention thing would definitely have caught her attention.
And it's not canon, but I always thought that the Ravenclaws, of all the Houses other than Slytherin, probably got along best with Snape in his classes. Not as in "friendly," I hasten to add, but I feel like they'd be smart enough to follow instructions, do the work correctly, and keep a low profile so as not to provoke his anger the way the Gryffindors do. I don't see Snape really praising them or giving them points, but maybe there would be an air of tolerance and grudging respect between them. Perhaps if a Ravenclaw did something exceptionally brilliant in class, he might say something like, "Your potion was adequate, Miss Lovegood," and the Ravenclaws would know that was high praise coming from Snape.
That's my own fanon view, but I think that a Ravenclaw might be a little more objective about Snape than a Gryffindor.