Question from a newbie: Taking memories out of your head?

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 164098

---  "Dana Hoogland" <ida3 at ...> wrote:
>
> Hi I am new and I have a question. I have been reading
> many posts in the archives and I have a question 
> regarding the speculations about "Snape's Worst Memory".
> I have seen many suggestions that Snape removed these
> memories from his head to protect them from being seen
> by Harry. Can anyone tell me why so many think that the
> pensive is a memory elimination device? ...

bboyminn:

Other have answered you, and I have actually addressed 
this issue in the past. While some have suggested 'Shadow'
memories, I think 'secondary' memories is closer to the 
truth.

Most of us who are over a certain age have fond memories
of our past, of endless summer days running down broad 
tree lined streets. Yet, when we return to these 
childhood places, they do not quite live up to our
memories. Why is that? 

Because after a certain age, you are no longer 
remembering the actual event, you are remembering the
last time you remembered the event. You remember the
last time you fondly remembered, and with each
rememberance, we embellish slightly; tree grow taller
and more stately, avenues grow wider and grander, etc....
These are what I call Secondary Memories.

So, let's say Snape removes an event from his memory.
Once he does that, how does he even know to look at it?
How does he even know the event occurred? How does he
know that he should put it back, if he can't remember
that he ever had it? I believe this is the heart of
your question. Of course, the answer is he has many 
secondary memories related to the event that he can 
draw on. To remember to view it, he can recall putting
it in the Penseive, why he put it their, the general 
nature of the thought placed therein, etc....

Now with respect to any form of Legilimency or other 
magical mind probing, secondary memories are very
vague and often, as in old memories, inaccurate. They
would be much harder for a Legilimens to read and
interpret, and they would not likely come forward the
way memories are force by the Legilimency Spell. That
seems to bring forward Primary Memories.

That is, when Harry burns with jealousy at Dudley's
new bike, that is a Primary Memory. A Secondary Memory
would be a memory of Harry in his closet stewing and
fuming over the thought of Dudley's new bike. The
Secondary Memory would be a little value to anyone, 
but it would be sufficient enough to remind Harry that
he had stored this memory and needed to view and retrieve
it.

Do you see how this might work? 

Steve/bboyminn