[HPforGrownups] Re: James/MWPP in Slytherin (was MWPP in all 4 Houses)

[Christie Nixon]

No: HPFGUIDX 83458

sachmet96
>>I also think it unlikely that all major players are
from Gryffindor. 
But I do believe that James at least might have been
in Gryffindor. 
He acts like a bully but putting him in Slytherin
would be too 
stereotypical, so I hope JKR puts him in Gryffindor
(or antoher 
house) to avoid such stereotypes.<<

CP (me):
I think that it's believable considering that we're
dealing with war here, and lives are on the line. It
makes sense that the major players would be from the
house known for courage.

sachmet96:
>>The points above are very good and I agree but there
is one thing 
that I think might speak against the Slytherin theory.
When Harry was 
in the pensieve he saw James and Sirius and they
surely wore their 
school uniforms. Wouldn't Harry have noticed (and
reacted) if they 
were form Slytherin? He might not have said anything
if they were 
form any other house, but Slytherin would surely have
been a shock 
for him?<< 
> > 4) Harry might have been sorted into Gryffindor or
Slytherin. 
This 
> > makes more sense with one parent in each.
> 
> Mm. Maybe.

CP:
I like the idea that Harry could somehow have a
connection to both Gryffindor and Slytherin through
his parents... In a post that I deleted by accident,
someone brings up the fact that it could be considered
proof that James was in Gryffindor based on the
comparison Harry makes between James and Ron when Ron
rumples his hair. Someone else said this could be a
red herring, that Houses are not always clear based on
uniforms... What do I know, but this moment does not
*feel* like a red herring, like Harry could be
mistaken. There is one moment where Harry is wondering
about a possible connection to Salazar Slytherin in
COS and his mind automatically leaps to not knowing
much about his father's side of the family, as
discussion of his wizard side of the family is
forbidden (COS, US paperback, p. 250) at the
Dursleys'. *This* feels like a red herring, and made
me think instantly that JK Rowling may have
intentionally planted the idea of the Slytherin being
on his dad's side when it could be on Lily's from way
back. 


darryl_oneill wrote:
> > 2) The behavior of MWPP especially in book 5 seems
much more like 
> > Draco than anyone in Gryffindor.
Del wrote:
> I heartily agree ! Harry's not terribly nice with
Draco, but at 
least 
> he doesn't go out of his way to provoke him. Draco
does it, though. 
> Just like James and Sirius did it with Severus.
Slytherin way of 
life.

sachmet96:
>>Not neseccarily only Slytherin. It depends on the
point of view. The 
Weasley twins and other Gryffindors have shown that
Gryffindors can 
also be extremely provoking.<< 

CP:
It's probably obvious that I think that MWPP were all
Gryffindors. If a parallel must be drawn between
James/Severus and Harry/Draco, I think that a
generational reversal (The Slytherin being picked on,
while the Gryffindor is the bully) is more interesting
(like what sachmet96 said above). Besides, James and
Sirius are definitely torturing Snape, but when Snape
strikes back, whatever he hits James with actually
makes Potter bleed. That's pretty extreme. Also, I'm
not sure exactly how the Pensieve works. Snape's worst
memory (as has been mentioned, I'm sure) could be
influenced by Snape's bias.

darryl_oneill and dell:
> > 3) Hagrid said that every bad wizard was from
Slytherin at a time 
> > when he thought that Sirius was an evil wizard 
> 
> That one has always bothered me !! Sirius is
supposed to be the 
> ultimate traitor, he's supposed to be the one and
only reason James 
> and Lily were killed and Harry ended up as an
orphan. So surely 
> Hagrid could not have forgotten about him when he
talked to Harry 
> about the different Houses ? 

CP: 
This brings up a question about how someone like Peter
Pettigrew (or even Percy Weasley?) may have been
sorted into Gryffindor. He seems to exemplify the
coward in this series. Maybe the Sorting Hat, as we
saw in OoP, has a more prophetic nature in mystery
cases such as these. Maybe PP will redeem himself,
sacrifice himself or something -  We'll probably have
to wait until Bk. 7 to find out why Harry might me
thankful that he spared his life (as DD suggested in
PoA).

> > 5) There have been 5 books and J.K. has been very
silent about 
what 
> > houses they were in.
> 
> Now THAT is the MAIN clue as far as I'm concerned. 

CP: 
This is one of the two reasons that I'm open to the
possibility that James may not have been in
Gryffindor. The other one is that he and Lily were
Head Boy and Girl. They were the same year (they were
both taking OWLs); wouldn't it be atypical for Head
Boy and Girl to be in the same house? Since I don't
know how this system works, I would also think that it
would be atypical for James to become Head Boy after
not being a Prefect (wouldn't Sirius have mentioned it
if James became a prefect in 6th year in OoP US Ch.9?)
Do we know if Lily was a prefect? If they were in the
same house and were not prefects first they must have
been pretty exceptional to get be Head Boy and Girl.

> > 7) Lily and James refer to each other by their
last names. If 
they 
> > were both in Gryffindor together for 5 years then
why so 
distant. 
> > Everyone in Gryffindor always call each other by
their first 
names.
> 
> Ah-ah. Good one ! Dean and Seamus are Dean and
Seamus, but Draco is 
> Malfoy (and Crabbe and Goyle).

CP:
Doesn't Malfoy call Crabbe and Goyle "Crabbe and
Goyle"? I think that James and Lily call each other by
their last names because the fake fomality and the
forced distance is like flirting - they have crushes
on one another. 

3 more reasons why I think MWPP were in Gryffindor:
1) In the Three Broomsticks in PoA, McGonagall seems
to have a certain affection for James and Sirius
(maybe I was reading something into it) and she would
have been the Gryffindor head-of-house. 
2) since we seem determined that Snape and James were
in different houses, Snape was definitely in
Slytherin.
3) There's a trend of Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry
that dates back to the founders (CoS)

CP



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