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harry potter - How did Snape know that Moony was Lupin's nickname?


So, Snape calls for Lupin because his name shows on the Marauder's Map.



“Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.”


Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map didn’t stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first.


...


“So . . . ,” said Snape softly. “We’ll see about this. . . .”


He strode across to his fire, seized a fistful of glittering powder from a jar on the fireplace, and threw it into the flames.


“Lupin!” Snape called into the fire. “I want a word!”


Utterly bewildered, Harry stared at the fire. A large shape had appeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupin was clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabby robes.



“You called, Severus?” said Lupin mildly.


From PoA



Obviously, Snape knows Lupin by nickname.


How did he find out? I imagine that the nicknames were more secret...



Answer



They used their nicknames in public.



A gang of chattering girls separated Snape from James, Sirius and Lupin, and by planting himself in their midst, Harry managed to keep Snape in sight while straining his ears to catch the voices of James and his friends. ‘Did you like question ten, Moony?’ asked Sirius as they emerged into the Entrance Hall.


—Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix




Slightly after:



Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.


‘I wouldn’t go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid,’ said Lily.


‘Bad luck, Prongs,’ said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Snape. ‘OI!’


—Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix



Snape was clearly in hearing range to know that James' nickname was Prongs. Whether he had ever heard the others nicknames doesn't matter to much since Prongs would have instantly linked the map to James, Lupin, Sirius, and Peter.


But Sirius seems quite cavalier about using their nicknames in public so its pretty safe to say he knew all 4 of their nicknames.



@everyone whose confused about Snape



‘Indeed?’ said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. ‘You think a joke-shop could supply him with such a thing? You don’t think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?’ Harry didn’t understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, apparently, did Lupin.


‘You mean, from Mr Wormtail or one of these people?’ he said.


‘Harry, do you know any of these men?’


[...]


‘Why did Snape think I’d got it from the manufacturers?’


‘Because ...’ Lupin hesitated, ‘because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They’d think it extremely entertaining.’


‘Do you know them?’ said Harry, impressed.


‘We’ve met,’ he said shortly.He was looking at Harry more seriously than ever before.



—Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban



Here, on top of the nicknames, the text in book 3 itself indicates that Snape believed Lupin to be the manufacturer to begin with, but just can't prove it.


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