SNAPE'S "WORST" MEMORY?

[chrusotoxos]

No: HPFGUIDX 123834


Hi everyone!
I've just read Maline's 2nd editorial about Snape on Mugglenet (if you haven't, shame on 
you :)) and here is my answer to her. As her next one could be in weeks, given the way she 
carefully does researches about them, I've decided to post my opnion here and see what 
people think. I'm very interestd in this.
To give you a background (if you haven't read her text), she says that Snape showed 
intentionally one of his memories to Harry since he knew that that particular memory 
would hurt Harry a lot - having broken into his mind, he knew that Harry himself had been 
bullied.
Here is my opnion:

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RE: MALINE'S SNAPE EDITORIAL N.2

Oh god, Maline, I don't thank you...I'm so confused now, even more than I was before. 
Your editorial is great, plus I respect you for being a Snape lover as I am, but all the 
same...I feel like go and read Peter Rabbit for a while...sigh...
Here are my doubts:
1) Of course, the chapter's title is ery strange. Snape's Worst Memory. Before reading your 
editorial, I sincerely thought that the title alone proved that Snape was a very bad person. 
After all is JKR who chooses them, she should know, shouldn't she? That Snape, after 
having witnessing horrible things in his years as a DE (possibly not over yet) still thought 
about a child's teasing as of his worst memory...well, that would mean that he doesn't give 
a damn about other people's suffering (as is partially proved in COS with his reaction at 
Filch's sorrow, or in GOF with Hermione's teeth...) and he's ready to accept wounds on his 
own body if they help him in the way of knowledge/power (I see DE's initiaitions rituals as 
something bloody and scary). But now that I have read your point of you, it makes a lot of 
sense.
2) Still, there is something annoying me. Snape is a bastard, but I do believe that he's 
working for Dumbledore. And Dumbledore must have said to him (or he could have 
guessed himself, he's not so stupid after all) how important it was for Harry to learn 
Occlumency at his hands. Maybe he doesn't believe the prophecy, or he doesn't know it, 
but he has never disobeyed an order by Dumbledore before. He hates the boy, ok, but 
would he jeopardize the wizarding's world only chance of peace just to make Harry sad? 
No, he wouldn't, unless he's loyal to the other side. But anyway it's strange that he put 
something like that in a Pensieve and then let him lying around.
3) My conclusion is that he prepared that specific memory intentionally so that Harry 
should see it, as you said, but that afterwards he went further then he wanted to. He got 
angry by the thought that maybe Harry was enjoying himself after all (as he himself would 
have done if roles were reversed), and decided to take the Pensieve thing as an excuse not 
to teach Harry again. A moment later he realized he'd been wrong, that he was essential 
for Harry to shut his mind, but then a) he didn't think that Harry could master such a 
subtle subject anyway, and b) he was way too proud to call him back to his classroom. 
Ever. So he tries to do his part as he can, giving Umbridge fake Veritaserum (why would he 
do that? Harry doesn't know anything whcih would be dangerous but anyone but him, after 
all. He cannot even reveal where Sirius is, as he's not the Order Secret Keeper) and the like.
That's my opnion.
Looking forward to Snape n.3,

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Please help me out there! What do you think about all this mess????