Sevie vs. James Dynamic (Was: Maraurders/he exists)

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 168287

Mike:
I picture the Sevie v James dynamic quite parallel to Draco v Harry. 
Think back to the dueling club. Draco conjures a venomous snake with 
prompting from Snape. By the sixth year, the most we've seen Harry 
conjure has been water. And I don't think Snape is *that* good of a 
teacher. I think Draco knew many more spells than Harry did, in the 
early years, despite Ron's exhortations in PS/SS to the contrary. But 
Harry is able to hold his own because of his quick reflexes, even 
though he can only retaliate with a tickling charm.

Montavilla:
The funny thing about comparing the S/J dynamic with the H/D one is
that everyone seems to equate Harry with James and Draco with
with Severus.  That's backwards, as I see it.

Sirius said that Snape was always sneaking around, trying to get 
the Marauders in trouble.  But Draco only really tried to get Harry
in trouble in PS/SS--by setting him up with the duel.  When he
catches them outright he doesn't tell anyone.  It's only that Draco gets 
caught out of bed that causes them McGonagall to catch Harry and 
the others.

On the other hand, the Trio is definitely sneaking on Draco in CoS
(a book in which he confines himself to evilling getting a spot on the
Quidditch team and casting a scary spell during a duel).  In PoA, Draco
pulls a prank by dressing up as a Dementor and tells whem Harry's
head appears in Hogsmeade--although, judging by his terrified reaction, 
that might have been less about getting in trouble and more him
thinking Harry had been decapitated by the Madman Sirius Black.

In GoF, more pranking by Draco and again no sneaking.  In OotP, an 
abuse of prefect power--at which point sneaking is irrelevant.  He 
doesn't need to tell on Harry, he can take the points directly.  And,
in HBP, Draco is done with Harry--it's Harry who can't stop obsessively
following Draco around, sneaking, trying to get him in trouble....

Sound familiar?

Moreover, Harry is the half-blood raised in a muggle neighborhood.  
Draco is the pureblood from a well-to-do family.  Both of them have
their entourages, so it's a little hard to judge on that score.  But Harry
often feels alone, while Severus was literally alone in SWM.  Draco's
never without Crabbe and Goyle (they're even there in HBP, although
they don't know what's going on).  Harry has been an outcast at times
within Hogwarts and was very much the weird oddball in his former
school.

Dumbledore never specified who was who in the Snape/James feud that
seemed so much like Harry and Draco.  But, if pressed, he might admitted
that James was more the Draco in the feud than the Harry.

Montavilla47