Maraurders/he exists

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 168286


> Pippin wrote:
> >  Nor were Harry and Draco having any kind of a hex war when
> Dumbledore compared them to James and Snape, IIRC, Draco had never
> even tried to hex Harry at that point. <snip>
>  
> Carol responded:
> While I'm generally on your side in this discussion, I don't think
> this statement is quite correct. 
<snip examples>

zgirnius:
And I generally agree with both you you as well on this subject. :)

I believe that Pippin's point is that Dumbledore made the comparison 
of the Harry/Draco and Snape/James relationships (or whichever order 
the reader prefers ;) ) at the end of PS/SS. Examples from CoS 
through HBP are therefore not relevant to Dumbledore's thought 
process at the time he makes the comparison. He could not have had a 
hex war in mind when making the comparison. Personally, I think all 
he was saying was that Harry and Draco detest each other, as did 
James and Snape. Presumably his goal was to get Harry to understand 
Snape's motivations, since that is what he went on to discuss. In 
that sense, he was asking Harry to compare himself to Snape, I would 
guess, to think how he might react to being saved by Draco. Harry, 
however, got a headache just thinking about it. ;)

We as readers are of course free to more broadly try to make the 
parallel work one way or the other based on events from all six 
books, but I think this can be argued both ways and probably does not 
contribute greatly to our understanding of the James/Snape 
relationship. Many particulars of that relationship are known to be 
different from Harry and Draco's, no matter who you cast in which 
role. Reasoning from the evidence that we have actually *about* them 
seems likely to be more productive, to me.

For example, there are parallels in background between James and 
Draco. Both are purebloods, and have wealthy and indulgent parents. 
(Lucius may set standards for Draco, but then I am sure the Potters 
did likewise for James. Lucius does, however, buy top of the line 
brooms for his whole Quidditch team). And the corresponding parallel 
exists between Harry and Snape. Both are half-bloods, both *may* have 
been raised among Muggles (I think there is evidence to suggest this 
about Snape), and both were poor (Harry in the sense that the 
Dursleys, while comfortably middle class, give him as little as they 
can get away with).

On the other hand, there are also parallels Between Harry and James 
that are mirrored between Snape and Draco as well. House being the 
most obvious. Another is the Prank/Sectumsempra: both Draco and Snape 
are nearly killed by their adversaries (apparently unintentionally in 
both cases).

But then there are things that just don't fit no matter how we try to 
match the characters up- we don't have a scene comparable to the 
Worst Memory at all for Harry and Draco. Harry and the Trio could be 
paralleled to James and the Marauders, fast friends sticking up for 
one another and all, but Snape appears to have lacked a Crabbe and 
Goyle. His "Slytherin gang" appear to have been older students, among 
whom it is unthinkable he would have been a leader in the way Draco 
seems to be among students in his own year.