[HPforGrownups] Re: Predictions for Harry Potter Ending

[Goodasitgets]

No: HPFGUIDX 171989

Damit Lazarus:
> Does anyone else think that Harry's father James was a bit 
> arrogant in his youth?

stanner91:
As far as JK Rowling has shown him, James Potter was an 
arrogant show-off due his natural magical talent. Frankly, 
he sounds like a jerk. I also agree Prof. Snape will be 
shown to be working for the Order and specifically with 
Prof. Dumbledore.


Goodasitgets:
MANY if not MOST High School age (relatively the comparison to the
school age James) boys of this day (or mine 20 years ago) show similar
"arrogant" behavior in addition to trying to impress friends and girls
usually in the  worst or counterproductive ways.  James being a Seeker, along with his other abilities and we assume good looks, was sure to have enough "going for him" to have it go to his head. I think what we see of James in Snape's worst memory wasn't due to those abilities of James though. I certainly knew a number of James-like boys in my school.

Also James didn't have (that we are aware of) the circumstances of
suffering and humility such as Harry did at the hands of the Dursleys,
which made him sensitive to the feelings of others. So I never really
thought James was a jerk AND felt that because we saw these memories
form Snape's perspective the incident could have been easily out of
context; ...what had Snape already done? Or how did James perceive
Snape's actions? I now believe Harry has always misjudged Snape's
actions, as well, despite the fact that Dumbledore repeatedly reinforces his trust in Snape. Harry continues to believe that he knows better than Dumbledore on that issue. Harry only believes what he sees/perceives to be true. I want to ultimately believe that because we see Lily and James happily together in the photos Harry has of them, there is much more GOOD to James Potter than we have been allowed to see though the glimpses of these memories. Maybe I am a "Disney" reader but I have to believe that Harry was loved by TWO wonderful people in his parents NOT perfect Lily and "just accepted for the jerk he is, James". The Lily factor aside, James may have been aware that Snape disliked Lupin attending Hogwarts and wanted to be sure to have a go at Snape for giving one of his mates a hard time.  

However, that doesn't conflict in my opinion with Snape also being on
the good side.  I believe in the theory of Snape either using a
non-verbal spell at the time when he said the killing curse or not
having the intention of killing so that Dumbledore ultimately survived
OR that Snape did this on Dumbledore's orders and was the only one EVER perhaps even more loyal or equally loyal to Dumbledore as Harry.  I love the similarity of Harry being loyal to Dumbledore forcing him to drink the liquid from the basin in the cave despite the obvious suffering of Dumbledore...because he promised Dumbledore he would follow through.

Just pages later, Harry is forced by Dumbledore to remain a silent,
unseen witness to such similar loyalty to Dumbledore by Snape. 

~Goodasitgets