Maraurders/he exists

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 168289

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "wynnleaf" <fairwynn at ...> wrote:
>
> wynnleaf
<SNIP>
> I certainly don't think James is much of a parallel to Draco.
> 
> However, I do think JKR created an intentional parallel between 
> James and Dudley.
> 
> The Marauder's attack on Snape in the Worst Memory scene is much 
> more like an attack of Dudley and his gang on Harry than it is like 
> any other of the wizard to wizard attacks we've seen in HP.  Like 
> Dudley and his gang, James attacks (at least in the context of that 
> particular scene), without provocation.  The attack is from James 
> and Co. against one person.  The reasoning is "because he exists."  
> 
> Dudley attacks Harry with his gang to help out.  Dudley attacks 
> Harry simply because he's "a freak" which seems akin to Sirius 
> attributing some of the Marauder's dislike of Snape to his 
being "an 
> oddball."  
<SNIPPING of the further reasoning for parallels between James and 
Dudley>
> Would I push that parallel even further?  No, I wouldn't.  We have 
> no evidence that James' parents were horrible like the Dursleys.  
> Piers is Dudley's best friend while Peter is a sort of "hanger on" 
> with the Marauders.  James apparently matured to the extent that 
> Lily loved and married him.  We haven't seen any sign of that in 
> Dudley so far.  Dudley appears to be a coward.  James is not a 
> coward.
> 
> So the parallel is by no means complete.  But it's pretty obvious, 
> especially with Piers and Peter both being rats of a sort, that JKR 
> intends a parallel.
> 
> Now what does that say for Snape, eh?

Alla:

What does that say for Snape? I don't know - I am guessing something 
good, if one buys parallel between James and Dudley.

If one does **not** buy parallel between James and Dudley in any way, 
then I have no idea frankly what that says about Snape.

The major flaw I see in the parallel that you developed is that 
several people brought up the reasoning why pensieve scene may not 
turn out to be all that reliable. Then analogy does not work at all 
for me, because I see no reason to think that Dudley attack on Harry 
can be unreliable either.

But I will tell you this - if after book 7 pensieve scene will stays 
on with the same degree of reliability as it stayed after OOP, I will 
agree with your parallel.

I think that there would be far more *understandable* reasons for 
that attack than attack by Dudley, but I can be wrong.

JMO,

Alla.