OoP: Confused and bemused - some questions about Snape's Worst Memory

[pippin_999]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, Catherine Coleman 
<catherine at c...> wrote:
  So how do we know that the whole 
> nasty interchange between him, the Marauders and Lily wasn't 
a mish mash  of different memories as well?  His memory could 
be selective - in that  he had experienced something of that 
nature from James et al, but he  could have omitted the fact that 
he provoked it.  Farfetched, and I'm grasping at straws, because 
even if they were all really arrogant, I  can't bear to think of them 
being as thoughtless and as cruel.
<<

Sirius and Lupin confirmed Harry's account of what he'd seen, 
so I'm afraid I can't let them off so easily. I'm sure they'd have 
said something if they'd been provoked. Sirius was  quick 
enough to blame Snape for spying on them and trying to get 
them expelled when he spoke about the prank in the SS.

Lupin already admitted they were thoughtless in the Shack as 
well. As for cruelty...I don't think James and Sirius were cruel the 
way Bella is, they just didn't think Snape had any feelings they 
should bother about. They'd never suffered, so they didn't know 
what it was like. 

Strange, people are all for redemption, but don't want to accept 
that redeemed people could have ever really been so bad they 
needed  it.  

Pippin