OoP: I'll do it: In defense of James

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 62409

Another poster suggested an "In Defense of James" post, and I'll take up the 
slack as best I can. What the hell. It's only flames.

First, something still doesn't track. Snape came to school knowing more 
curses and hexes than any seventh-year, and here we are in the middle of 
fifth-year and James clearly outclasses him, even with a bit of the element of 
surprise going on.

I remember before OoP, I read a rebuttal to the "picked-on Snape"  theory that 
was eloquent in its practicality, so elegant that I wished I'd said it.

"He knew more curses than any seventh-year. Snape didn't get picked on 
more than once."

Yet that is contradicted. How is this possible?

One possibility is that Snape talked a heck of a lot bigger than he walked, 
meaning he mouthed off -- kinda like Draco -- about how big and bad he was 
and how much he knew and how powerful his friends were, but ultimately -- 
kinda like Draco -- couldn't bring it off.

James and Sirius, like Harry and Ron and Hermione, who really outclass 
Draco in every aspect but money, obviously have punctured that false 
bravado. Draco is a punching bag. He hasn't been a real threat to Harry since 
he got him in trouble in SS/PS and even after his big, bad "I'll get you speech" 
at the end of OoP, he gets made a slug on the train.

So, maybe Snape wasn't really all that.

I will plead moron teenager for a lot of James' actions, and he clearly grew up. 
Just as Lupin and Sirius yell at Harry for sneaking out in PoA and GoF, 
respectively, even after being rulebreakers as a kid, the adult James would 
likely be horrified if Harry was doing that to a fellow student. 

Hyprocrisy? Perhaps, but it's also the wisdom of adulthood and experience.

Am I disappointed in James? Absolutely.  But at some point, is Snape 
overplaying his victimhood? 

He's the Potions Master of the most respected wizard school and he's the 
head of a House. Perhaps he couldn't attract women on his looks (no flames 
from the Snape is Sexy crowd, please) but anyone who could bottle fame, 
brew glory and put a stopper in death could certainly potion his way to a booty 
call. 

I agree that Snape has done his fair share to keep Harry alive, but at some 
point, isn't thanking Snape for saving Harry's life so he could make it more 
miserable in Potions and everywhere else a little like Harry thanking the 
Dursleys for the scraps of cheese and broom closet to sleep in?

I'm getting away from James. I apologize.

But why does James continue to torment Snape? Here's a reason why and it 
goes back to the mudblood thing.

I've long considered "mudblood" to be the equivalent of the n-word in terms of 
the reaction in brings, and the bile with which it is spit. Trust me, if a kid in my 
school took it upon himself to spew that word with such venom, I'd take him 
down a time or two, just on general principle.

And if he kept doing it, yeah, it would just be because he existed.

Darrin
-- Flame on!