Conspiracies and re-assessments

[Justine]

No: HPFGUIDX 111929

Pippin:
James's motivation isn't unclear at all. He hated Snape 'because he 
exists' and his friend was bored with celebrating.

James was not a willing, conscious ally of Voldemort, nor do I 
think he ever wanted to become one. But the world isn't divided 
into evil people and non-Death Eaters either.
 
Alla:
Sorry, Pippin, but "because he exists" could cover A LOT of things. 
Who knows what encounters James and Snape or Sirius and Snape had 
prior to that. But of course I am just speculating and it could be a 
statement from a bully, who simply does not like Snape walking on 
this Earth,

Justine:
We must remember that Snapes's existence includes an extremely nasty 
attitude, (at that point) a pureblood superiority mindset, and, most 
importantly, an obsession with the Dark Arts.  James loathes the 
Dark Arts, because they are what he views as evil, and 
Snape "exists" with a love for and propensity toward them.  In 
James's mind, he's battling evil, even though he and Sirius are 
being ::ahem:: hugely, extraordinarily arrogant idiots (and most of 
it is for show... they are the popular ones, and the popular ones 
usually feel they have to live up to their reputations each and 
every day).  Of course, the world isn't divided into evil people and 
non-Death Eaters; it's not divided into good and evil either--there 
are shades between, probably innumerable.  So James and Sirius 
aren't pure goodness.  They're not pure evil, either.  They're 
fifteen years old and infinitely full of themselves and intensely 
averse to thinking things through.  Immature and stupid?  Yes, 
intensely so.  Evil.  No.  Good people?  For the most part, I think, 
at least later in their lives.  Let's give Lily *some* credit for 
her husband-choosing skills...

Justine, who's just as afraid of confrontation as Remus, and I'm 
definitely the least evil person I know...