James, a paragon of virtue? Was: Why Do You Like Sirius?

[phoenixgod2000]

No: HPFGUIDX 123692



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mommystery2003" 
<mommystery at h...> wrote:

> Well I don't hate Snape.  I do detest Black, Potter and Pettigrew 
> though.  And I have to say while I think McGonagall would have an 
> idea of just how her students are doing in all classes, she 
> 
> Notice we don't see anything of Pettigrew in class in Snape's 
> pensieve.  I'm sure he wasn't the smartest nut in the bag, and I 
bet 
> he wasn't just sitting there cruising through the exam.  Unless he 
> was cheating, which wouldn't surprise me, since, if they already 
had 
> the map done at that point, Black and company could already have 
> known all the answers.

I don't think there is any evidence of the Marauders cheating. If 
anything I think their pride in their arts would preclude them from 
cheating. Plus they clearly knew at least Transfiguration at a post 
hogwarts level since they were all animagi.

Honestly the pensieve scene seemed nothing more than a group of 
popular friends taking it easy after a final.  Sounded like my water 
polo teammates and I during high school. No need to drag conspiracy 
theories about them cheating into it.

> What did Potter do after Hogwarts?  Join the Order?  Big deal.  If 
he 
> had lived, what would he have done with his life?  > Black, to his 
credit, managed to stay alive for 12 years in inhuman 
> conditions.  Lily is the one who ensured Harry stayed alive, James 
is 
> never mentioned for any part of that - it's always Lily's love 
that 
> keeps Harry alive.  I'm always surprised that there wasn't any 
> secondary defense of their house, like when Voldemort stepped foot 
on > their property, didn't any alarms go off so they could 
disapparate?  > That should have been James's job.

I honestly did not know how to respond to this section. Joining the 
Order not a big deal! The order is clearly a small elite group of 
wizards and witches that operate outside the normal ministry chain 
of command.  Joining the order is a big deal and it was a big deal 
that cost them both their young lives. they were a young married 
couple with a newborn volunteering for a war. No freakin' wonder 
James was in Gryffindor.  Lily too.

As for secondary defenses. There are spells to bring those down, and 
somehow I think they are not beyond the ability of Voldemort to do 
so.

Last thing. when Harry gets around dementors he hears this:

"Lily, take Harry and run. I'll hold him off!"

James is a man who can stand between his family and a wizard so bad 
he's the equivalent of the bogeyman in their world fifteen years 
after he's dead. If I learn nothing else good about him, I will 
still have learned all I need to know about who he is as a man.

phoenixgod2000, who freely admits he was wrong about James not being 
rich, having never seen the interview that spelled that out. My bad.