Snapes' worst memory/the worst is yet to come

[msbeadsley]

No: HPFGUIDX 80921

hecate wrote:
> I am enjoying this debate enormously, but have to say....none of 
> the other chapter titles seem to be entirely from Harrys' view, nor 
> do they seem cryptic. So, for the reasons seen, the WMPP incident 
> (complete or not) would be the worst memory.
<snip>
> Perhaps Snape really wanted Harry to see these memories so Harry 
> would "see" what an arrogant twerp James was as telling him was 
> having no effect.

I think I said this before: what if "Snape's Worst Memory" refers not 
to anything in the Pensieve but to how he will later regard his own 
actions around Now-you've-really-pissed-me-off-Potter-no-more-lessons-
for-you?

"Snape stopped give me Occlumency lessons! Harry snarled. "He threw 
me out of his office!"

And part of Dumbledore's response is, "I thought Professor Snape 
could overcome his feelings about your father--I was wrong."

Now, if I were Snape, I would be castigating myself, especially if I 
knew Dumbledore viewed the matter as he seems to, as a failure on 
Snape's part to overcome his *feelings*, as well as failed judgement 
on his own (Dumbledore's) part (which, if I were Snape, might 
actually make me feel worse in that Daddy's-disappointed-in-me-and-
blames-himself kind of way). It would fit, later, too, with Snape's 
newly subdued reaction to Harry over his, "I'm trying to decide what 
curse to use on Malfoy, sir."

I can't help thinking (probably because this has already been said): 
if the Pensieve is the same one Harry investigated in Dumbledore's 
office, and Snape used it in accordance with Dumbledore's advice, 
well, did Dumbledore orchestrate Harry's new insight into "Professor" 
Snape? He knew Harry's propensity for snooping in the Pensieve. If 
Dumbledore expected Harry would investigate Snape's Pensieved 
thoughts, and Snape's apprehension of Harry doing just that brought 
about the end of those lessons, Dumbledore could very well be feeling 
extremely hoisted on that particular petard.

Dumbledore did not respond to Harry's bristling assertion with, well, 
Harry, you did snoop in his diary, what did you expect? (And where 
that *could* be tact on Dumbledore's part, it doesn't seem to fit the 
rest of the conversation where Dumbledore seems perfectly content to 
agitate Harry further.) He responds with a comment about Snape's 
feelings about Harry's father; I don't think Dumbledore is just 
taking a stab at what happened: he knows that Harry went into the 
Pensieve and he knows what Harry saw there. How else would he chalk 
up the end of Occlumency lessons to Snape's feelings about James, 
unless he is just generically assigning blame for Snape's dislike of 
Harry to that Snivellus/Prongs dynamic?

Sandy aka "msbeadsley" [nod to Pippy Elf: yes, smaller spring board 
give adequate boost]