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They obviously feel 'safe' that no matter what they do to Snape, he will not let out Remus' secret (implying SOME kind of Vow or big enough threat that they believe Snape wouldn't dare).
This is a good observation. It makes sense of what, at first, many people were saying didn't make sense: how SWM could follow the Shrieking Shack incident. If we assume that James rescued Severus out of a change of heart about persecuting Severus, then yeah, it wouldn't make sense for SWM to follow only a week, or a few weeks, later. And it wouldn't make sense that James continued to harass Severus during 6th and 7th year, behind Lily's back.
However: If James rescued Severus because he realized that he, James, could get in trouble if Severus were killed, and in fact he had no remorse whatsoever about his treatment of Severus--be a man, James! try for a little remorse!--then his attitude in SWM makes perfect sense. He and his friends got away with damned near murdering Severus, and the only consequences meted out seem to have been towards Severus, telling him to keep silent about Remus' furry little secret. So we see James cocky, even gloating, in continuing to bully Severus, because he knows now that he can get away with it, and that Severus can never tell just how far the Marauders had carried their little schoolboy grudge against Severus.
This is a good observation. It makes sense of what, at first, many people were saying didn't make sense: how SWM could follow the Shrieking Shack incident. If we assume that James rescued Severus out of a change of heart about persecuting Severus, then yeah, it wouldn't make sense for SWM to follow only a week, or a few weeks, later. And it wouldn't make sense that James continued to harass Severus during 6th and 7th year, behind Lily's back.
However: If James rescued Severus because he realized that he, James, could get in trouble if Severus were killed, and in fact he had no remorse whatsoever about his treatment of Severus--be a man, James! try for a little remorse!--then his attitude in SWM makes perfect sense. He and his friends got away with damned near murdering Severus, and the only consequences meted out seem to have been towards Severus, telling him to keep silent about Remus' furry little secret. So we see James cocky, even gloating, in continuing to bully Severus, because he knows now that he can get away with it, and that Severus can never tell just how far the Marauders had carried their little schoolboy grudge against Severus.