James again

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 181364

> Julie:
> How hard would it have been for JKR to give us one moment of James as 
an adult, protecting someone
> as an Order member, sharing affection with Harry and Lily, having a 
thoughtful adult conversation with
> someone, expressing his adult views or feelings--anything that would 
have given us an opportunity to
> know the real James, and to make a connection with him?

zgirnius:
But she did. She gave us the moving photograph of little Harry on the 
broom being chased by James as Lily looked on fondly, together with 
Lily's letter describing such a scene. The moving photograph, at any 
rate, is an objective record, and the letter seems a fair description 
of what it shows. I'd say this is James "sharing affection with Harry 
and Lily".

Why this should change anything is not clear to me. We already knew 
James could be affectionate towards people he likes, the SWM before 
James and Sirius decide on a spot of Snape-harassment already shows 
this. I never doubted he had been a fond father and loving husband. 
Then again, so in his way was Lucius Malfoy.

I don't doubt he did protect people as an order member - while we are 
not shown the Prank, he was certainly protecting someone there - Snape, 
Lupin, and Sirius all. And I tend to think his adult views and feelings 
were much like those of his younger self.