Conspiracies and re-assessments

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 112395

> Alla:
> 
> Not me. I most certainly emphasise with the kid, being 
attacked by 
> two others.
> 
> But JKR definitely prevented me from considering James to be 
EVIL  becuase of such action (I find his ACTION to be cruel, I 
think that  there are reasons why he felt that way towards Snape).
That was the original question, I think.<


It seems to me whatever reasons there were, the feud had its 
own momentum by then, or surely James wouldn't have 
considered dropping it if Lily would go out with him. Would Harry 
even consider dropping his hatred of Malfoy or Snape just to get 
a date? 

I understand why you feel the way you do, but perhaps we are 
simply not using 'evil' in the same way. I don't take it to mean 
'beyond redemption'. I don't think any living Being in JKR's world 
is supposed to be evil in that sense.

We've never come to a consensus on the meaning of Dark Arts. 
Isn't one of the difficulties that it's difficult to be consistent
and still carve out an exception for James and his friends, 
studying illegal magic and roaming a village with a Dark 
Creature in tow?  Maybe we shouldn't be trying so hard. 

If it was all about hating and fearing the Dark Arts, imagine how 
Snape must have felt in the Shrieking Shack, learning that his 
Hogwarts persecutors, who had done it all for such supposedly 
noble reasons, were guilty of such crimes. No wonder he was in 
a rage! Anyway, should a Gryffindor be afraid of anything? 

Pippin
thinking that James's defenders are doing a good job of adding 
hypocrisy to his list of virtues ;-)