"Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.
"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!"
"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw --"
"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.
"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"
"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT--"
****
Back before we knew the carefully concealed plot twist of Snape having once been friends with Lily, we thought Snape was upset about the Marauders getting their way again. We knew he took Sirius's so-called prank very personally and never forgave him for it and here was a scene of him being upset, angry for himself, for his own life being worth so little to Dumbledore and the rest of them that they think Sirius escaping *again* is funny. But just think back, with the knowledge that we now have, what he must have been thinking. He was not concerned for himself at all.
All he knows in this scene is that what he tragically believes to be James Potter's clone has in all his arrogance helped escape the murderer of Lily, snatching him right from beneath Snape's nose. SnapeĀ howlsĀ with the pain of Sirius escaping, of the presumed traitor of Lily evading justice. He doesn't care who sees him or how he looks absolutely unhinged in front of the Minister - he only cares about the traitor who turned his and Dumbledore's plan to hide the Potters upside down receiving his due punishment.
And there Snape was, just hours ago, being so good and official and taking Sirius back to Hogwarts on a stretcher so he would be comfortable just before his execution. Which Snape has no reason to believe he doesn't deserve, having been unconscious for the whole "rat in our midst" reveal.
And Dumbledore is just not taking Snape seriously here - amused by his meltdown along with the rest of the room. He's playing Snape for a complete fool, doesn't give him the information necessary, does not lift a finger to stop him from throwing a scene in front of the staff and the Minister of Magic and just lets Snape lose it thinking Sirius has escaped unpunished (and later, Dumbledore even has the gall to suggest Snape is disappointed because he did not get an Order of Merlin) ... and only a year later, this same Dumbledore matter-of-factly asks Snape to return to Voldemort and try and convince him he doesn't deserve to be killed on the spot.
Honestly, I would be surprised if SnapeĀ didĀ stay for dinners with the Order.
