James an Auror? and Link to Interview on Clearing Hagrid's Name

[Tom Wall]

No: HPFGUIDX 59417

Phyllis wrote:
While it's definitely possible that James was an Auror, I don't 
think it's probable. 

The job of an Auror is to fight against dark wizards. Barty Crouch 
Sr. authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects, 
and gave them powers to kill rather than capture. But when Harry re-
lives his parents' last moments when faced with a Dementor, we hear 
James saying to Lily that he'll hold off Voldemort. There's no 
indication that James tried to kill or to use an Unforgivable Curse 
against Voldemort. Now it could be that James did try such a curse 
and failed, and we're just not hearing about this in Harry's 
recollection (it is a very brief recollection, after all). But I 
don't think so.

I, Tom, reply:
Well, on this note, perhaps it's possible (although I'm just playing 
devil's advocate here and don't really think that James was an 
Auror) that Auror!James might have held to the same ethics as Mad-
Eye Moody.

Sirius tells us in GoF, Ch.27:
"I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help 
it.Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but 
he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters." US paperback, 
p532.

So, although Crouch granted new, more formidable powers (such as the 
Unforgivables) to the Aurors, I don't think that their use was 
anything like a standing order. It was likely up to the individual 
Auror to deal with the situation however they liked. The 
Unforgivables would have simply been an addition to the Auror's 
arsenal. So, whereas Moody was *allowed* to use the Unforgivables on 
suspected Death Eaters, he probably just didn't want to, and so 
wouldn't have unless it was absolutely necessary. 

In that light, Auror!James might not have wanted to use the 
Unforgivables if there was another alternative. Indeed, he might 
have exhausted all the alternatives to avoid using, say, Avada 
Kedavra on Voldemort. 

After all, Dumbledore confirms in PoA that James likely would have 
spared Pettigrew the same way Harry did. So, I interpret this as an 
indication of James' character - he *could* have killed, but 
probably wouldn't have wanted to. When "James" (actually, I never 
questioned that James was the voice Harry heard - interesting 
possibilities there, for sure) told Lily he'd hold Voldemort off, 
perhaps he had no intention to use an Unforgivable Curse on him.

-Tom