Snape's Remorse vs. Snape's Worst Memory

[kiricat4001]

No: HPFGUIDX 139587

Ah, yes, just what we've been lacking around here lately - a Snape 
thread.  

I was pondering what DD told us and Harry in Chap. 29:

Harry let out a yell of mirthless laughter.

"He hated my dad like he hated Sirius! Haven't you noticed, 
Professor, how the people Snape hates tend to end up dead?"

"You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he 
realised how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, Harry. I 
believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason he 
returned-" 
end quote

The events surrounding the prophesy were enough to so overwhelm 
Snape with remorse that he changed from an active DE to someone 
working for Voldemort's downfall. This is life-changing, dangerous 
stuff taking place in the middle of a chaotic and deadly war. It 
strikes me now as a little peculiar that Snape's worst memory should 
still be his ambush by James and Sirius after their O.W.L. in fifth 
year.

If you subscribe to the "Snape loves/loved Lily" scenario, then 
surely the part Snape played that led directly to her death would be 
a worse memory than being a victim of an act of bullying.  And, even 
if Snape did not have feelings for Lily, this horrible moment of 
realization of what Voldemort intended to do with the knowledge of 
the prophecy IMO seems like a worse memory than what we've been told 
was Snape's worst memory. 

Unless of course, Snape's tale of remorse is a whole lot of hooey.  
Or his remorse was for Lily only, and he secretly danced a jig about 
James' death.  Or that, when titling chapters for OoP, no one 
thought carefully about Snape's story line in HBP.

Marianne