Lily's magical abilities?

[mtwelovett]

No: HPFGUIDX 75325

Ariadne wrote:
<snip>

 I started re-reading the pensieve scene in Snape's Worst Memory, 
> and noticed a little detail that I missed before.  Here's the snippet:
> 
> "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lilly shouted.  She had her own wand out now. 
> James and Sirius eyed it warily.
> 
> "Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly.
> 
> Take the curse off him then!" 
> 
> James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the 
> countercurse.
> 
> 
> Isn't that interesting, the way it's phrased?  James is threatening 
> to hex Lily, more or less, (maybe in jest), and it's like Lily 
> doesn't hear it, or knows he can't/won't do it, or whatever.  That 
> got me thinking, not only does Lily stand up to James and Sirius, 
> something Lupin won't even do, but James and Sirius "eyed her wand 
> warily." They aren't looking at Snape warily even though he came to 
> school knowing more curses than a 6th or 7th year!
> 
> So, what's the deal?  Is Lily very powerful when it comes to her 
> magical ability? Is her ability in charms greater than curses and 
> hexes?  Wondering, wondering...


This is interesting... They are fifth years here, and we know that
Lily and James were Head Boy and Girl in thier 7th year, so prusumably
the best wizards of the students of thier year. Surely there would be
some evidence of that by 5th year. I mean, is anyone including Malfoy
really going to mess with Hermione regardless of how many curses he
may know? Maybe this is the same sort of scenario. They know she knows
more charms or whatever than they do, and thus don't really want to
mess with her. (I know there has been discussion recently about
Hermione having to study "too hard" but in class the charms and things
come easily to her, maybe that is because she has "pre-studied" or
maybe because she does just get it.)   I think Lily is probably very
powerful. Hagrid alludes to it too in SS/PS (sorry don't have the book
here). How this relates to James' ability, one can only guess at this
point, but we do know from Olivander that Lily's wand was good for
charms, and James' for Transfiguration... maybe this is a clue to
their real strangths, and since James isn't transfiguring Snape, he
knows that he isn't a match for Lily and her Charm work because even
if they aren't aware of the wand's strenghts, surely some of their own
have started becoming evident. 

(and James may be "flirting" with Lily at this point to some extent too.)

Mtwelovett