James the Berk?

[Lee Moyo]

No: HPFGUIDX 105705


Lissa <drliss at comcast.net> wrote:
> There's no doubt James' and Sirius' (and even Lupin's, to an extent) 
> behavior rings a bell with most of us and with Harry.  We can all agree 
> that it's terrible to threaten someone with bodily harm, but we get just as 
> strong a reaction watching the threat of humiliation.  I think the reason 
> we (and Harry!) respond so strongly to this one is experience.  Not all of 
> us are threatened with someone murdering us.  But how many of us remember 
> being horribly embarrassed on the playground?  And still have some rancor 
> over those memories?  I read what James et al did to Snape and I feel 
> furious at them because I remember in sixth grade an entire class of kids 
> trying to force me to kiss a guy on the playground- and I think of that.


Lee:
That is definitely a valid point. Another reason for this could be that it is labelled as Snape worst thought. I think after some consideration, it might be that Snape removes the thought as one of the bad ones that he has. And he does this for many others but we don't actually see all them as Harry does not explore more. The fact that Harry is still young and has not seen the other side of what Snape has done he then finds is hard to accept and he is angry with his dad. Which is what Sirius implies. Then there is the fact that we see this through Harry's eyes and the thought could be that Harry thinks it is Snape's worst thought. Snape probably just removes the thought so that Harry can not use it against him along with other thoughts which Snape removes. In short, it is probably one of many things that happened between Snape and James as Sirius said that he does not want Harry to know.

Just my humble opinion on this.


Alla wrote :
> I am positive that Pensieve scene had a HUGE backstory. I am 
> ready to bet ANYTHING that there was a very old feud either between 
> James/or Sirius and Snape or their families.

Del replies :
> I realise that maybe I didn't make that point clear enough : I was
> just discussing the Pensieve scene. I too am fully convinced that 
> there's a whole backstory. James and Snape hated each other at least
> as much as Draco and Harry do. It was only James' behaviour *in that
> one scene* that I was criticising.


Lee:

Sorry to but in to this rather good conversation so late but saying things with kids, though a bad thing as we know and I don't support it, well kids will say things in heated situations because they are hurt. They may not mean it that way, but will say it just to hurt someone because they are hurt. And when young what more to hurt someone than embarrassing them, which Snape would not have liked, a girl fighting his corner from his nemesis who likes the girl in question.

Sorry for butting in again.

Lee