Oop-Snape's worst memory

[Christi]

No: HPFGUIDX 66158

> Alright, I may be, and most likely am, completely off base here, 
but 
> here it goes.  I was curious as to why that would be considered 
> Snape's worst memory, and here's what I came up with.  What if 
that, 
> more than the werewolf incident or anything else, was the 
proverbial 
> last straw?  The moment when Snape officially made the decision to 
> join Voldemort.  That would certainly explain why it would be his 
> worst memory, provided he truly is on the side of the light (which 
I 
> believe he is) and would have had the last fifteen years to regret 
> the decision.  That would also make his lines, "You...wait.  
> You...wait." more significant.  Very I'll-Show-You-Allish.

I can definately see the logic of that. In the pensieve scene we see 
a supremely vulnerable Snape. He gets disarmed before he can 
completely draw his wand, then he's hit with the impediment curse so 
he can't get his wand back. Next they hit his mouth with scourgify 
so he's choking. He only gets in one strike before they hang him 
upside down and show off his undies to a crowd of girls, and to top 
it off a girl tries to rescue him, which would be very damaging to 
the teenage male psyche. He's then dropped and hit with Petrificus 
Totalus. Just when it seems than he's going to be allowed to gather 
the shreds of his dignity and skulk off he's turned upside down and 
threatened with the removal of his underpants, which may well have 
happened. Through the entire scene he's hit with one indignity after 
the other, and the prospect of being publicly stripped naked would 
be the ultimate humiliation for a seemingly insecure teenage boy. 
One of my worst memories teenage is popping out of my swim top at a 
water park (no one was really watching me at the time, and certainly 
no-one said anything), which was nothing compared with what happened 
to Snape. It's easy to see how he would jump at the prospect at 
gaining power over his tormentors at that point. If the DE's operate 
anything like I imagine they do they would be very effective at 
spreading propaganda. I picture a glossy brochure embazoned with 
phrases such as "Tired of being powerless against your enemies? Join 
the Death Eaters and they'll wish they'd never toyed with you". All 
teh positives would be layed out in tantalizing detail,with nary a 
mention of the grovelling and nasty duties. 


If I had been posed the question of what Snape's three worst 
memories were before having read this scene, I would have listed 
whatever caused him to join the DEs and whatever caused him to leave 
the DEs, with some wiggle room for a third memory, probably in the 
service of Voldemort. Snape would probably have removed memories 
concerning hisspying activities. I also think that Snape would have 
a few memories that he left in the pensieve long term as well as the 
ones he removed and replaced at each lesson.


Christi T.