[HPforGrownups] Re: James, a paragon of virtue? Was: Why Do You Like Sirius?

[Magda Grantwich]

No: HPFGUIDX 124254

>Betsy:
>Erm.  Yes.  I'm not sure what the argument is here.  James follows
> the letter of his ideology while essentially breaking his ideology.
> Wrong clothed in right.  He's like the Spanish Inquisition (and
> also unexpected).<
> 


James didn't have an "ideology" that he was following in the Pensieve
scene.  He was hacking around with his buddies, harassing an
anti-social geek with poor grooming skills who always rose to the
attack so well that it never occurred to James that what he was doing
was bullying.

Yes, I'm sure James hated the Dark Arts at the age of 15 but I'm also
sure that if you asked him what the Dark Arts were, he'd say
something like "you know, what we study to prevent in DADA" or "you
know, bad stuff like killing people or torturing them or, uh,
something".  I strongly doubt that he viewed bugging Snape as taking
a principled stand against the Dark Arts.  

(It would also help if JKR told us what exactly the Dark Arts are,
but that's a side issue.)

And yes, I know Vold War I was going on but unless James' parents or
family had been touched directly (and I don't think that happened
until after he graduated, IF at all) then I think for most of the
kids it was something outside of the school.  

Again, I think we're over-analyzing this scene.  For me, the message
is that up until the Prank, James viewed his relations (for want of a
better word) with Snape as something not altogether serious (as
opposed to Sirius).  Not until the Prank happened and was barely
stopped did it really register with James that things were getting
badly out of hand.  And from the time of the Prank, I'm willing to
bet that there was no more two-on-one with Snape.

Yet by this time, Snape was an enemy and hexing James.  And I'm sure
James fought back.  But there was no more "I'm bored; let's amuse
ourselves" stuff; it was one-on-one between James and Snape, and
let's pray that Lily doesn't find out or James is really dead meat.

Magda

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