OOP: Sirius, Snape & James the JerkS (was:Sirius the Jerk)

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 62636

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "isabella_080" 
<isabella_080 at y...> wrote:
> > "Kewpie" <dkewpie at p...>  wrote:
> > > >I can't see how anyone can still find Snape a nasty bastard  
> > 
> > And "burrow242000" replied:
> > > I do.  I will say that I felt a twinge or two for the 15 yr old 
> > > Snape.  But there is no excuse IMHO for his treatment of Harry 
> > over 
> > > the years.  Being abused is no excuse for becoming an abuser. 
How 
> > > many Nevilles and Harrys has he ridiculed, insulted, and 
> tormented?
> 
> I completely agree that there is no *excuse* for Snape's treatment 
of 
> Harry.  I also agree with other posters that the behavior of James 
> and Sirius in the Pensieve scene was utterly reprehensible. Had I 
> been at Hogwarts with them, I would have hated them as well. But I 
> think people shouldn't be so hasty to divide themselves between 
> supporting either Snape or James/Sirius because I think the whole 
lot 
> of them were/are jerks.  I felt absolutely *horrible* for Snape in 
> that scene - I just didn't see how he deserved it.  But, let us not 
> forget that Snape was at one point a Death Eater....why do I think 
> that's relevant, you ask?  Well, I'm goign out on a limb and 
assuming 
> he has at some point probably taken part in Unforgivable Curses, 
and 
> has probably at least allowed murder to happen, if not committed it 
> himself.  But, as Dumbledore has said, he is now no more a DE than 
DD 
> himself. So he has *changed*; he has presumably made a choice at 
some 
> point that he did not want to be that DE person that he had 
become.  
> I feel it is more than possible that James, likewise, had reformed 
> himself.  Yes, he was said to still hex Snape, but I like to think 
> Snape did the same himself (and also, I really *want* to believe 
that 
> once James grew up, it never reached that point in the Pensieve 
> again...perhaps it's wishful thinking)
> 
> I wholeheartedly believe that James must, at some level, have been 
a 
> good person; I do not believe that Lily would have married him, or 
> that Hagrid and Dumbledore would continually vouch for him being a 
> good person, if he was only what we saw of him in the Pensieve.  I 
> also think that on some level, Snape has good qualities.  But, like 
> they said, the world isn't divided in good people and DE's.  He 
> treats Harry horribly, but he also has his reasons, as wrong as 
they 
> may be.  He is human and fallible, as James was.  And as human as 
> Sirius is throughout this book.  But that doesn't mean he isn't 
> capable of love or compassion just because he can be a real jerk 
> sometimes.  I believe Snape is also capable of this, we just 
haven't 
> had the chance to see it yet.    
> 
> I also think there has to be more revealed about the character of 
> James and Lily.  We have only seen one memory of them, but we at 
> least know that Lupin cared a good deal about them, and I tend to 
> trust his judgements...well his judgements as an adult.  I hope he 
> sheds more light on the situation in Book 6.  Note that he was 
always 
> very calm and fair with Snape in PoA; I hope his understanding rubs 
> off on Harry.  Already, Harry is proving to be much more mature and 
> compassionate a 15 year old than Sirius & James were, considering 
his 
> horror at the scene, and I think that was a major point to 
including 
> this characterization of James.  Because Harry does not = James.  
> ("It is our choices.." blah.)
> 
> One of the reasons I love JKR so much is she is just wonderful at 
> creating this beautifully complex characters.  Her world, like 
ours, 
> is not just black and white.
> 
> Oh this is too long and rambly.  Sorry.
> 
> Isabella


No, Isabella, it was just about perfect.

If Snape can reform and come to the light (and spend every waking 
moment SAVING Harry, as some allege, why couldn't James have 
repented?)

Darrin