James Potter: Character Analysis

We see James only twice in the series, both times in memories of Severus Snape. Based on those instances, and what people say about him, I would guess that he is, unlike Harry, an extravert.

Going down the list:

Extravert

Expressive - Yes
Outgoing -Yes, it is he that starts the conversaton in the Hogwarts Express, if only to insult Snape's choice of House.
Energized by action, people, things - Yes, impatience with hiding from LV as mentioned by Lily's letter, for example
Speak before they think
Share personal information easily - yes, again the Hogwarts Express
Prefer to be in the company of others - At a guess, one reason he found hiding so trying
Distracted easily
Have a lot of friends - Yes, everyone in the Order seems to have been a friend
Uninhibited - Yes
Like working in teams
Approachable, open with strangers - Yes
Like meeting new people - Yes
Develop ideas through discussion
Party animal, social butterfly

Introverts
Quiet
Reserved
Energized by ideas, feelings, impressions
Think before they speak
Reluctant to share personal information
Prefer to be left alone
Can concentrate well - this I presume, based on his academic success
Small, close group of friends
Inhibited
Would rather work alone
Stand off-ish, keeps to themselves
Prefer a small group of people they already know
Ideas come from thinking alone
Wallflower - opposite of "party animal, social butterfly"

I see a lot more of the extravert traits. :)

Extravert

Expressive - Yes
Outgoing -Yes, it is he that starts the conversaton in the Hogwarts Express, if only to insult Snape's choice of House.
Energized by action, people, things - Yes, impatience with hiding from LV as mentioned by Lily's letter, for example
Speak before they think
Share personal information easily - yes, again the Hogwarts Express
Prefer to be in the company of others - At a guess, one reason he found hiding so trying
Distracted easily
Have a lot of friends - Yes, everyone in the Order seems to have been a friend
Uninhibited - Yes
Like working in teams
Approachable, open with strangers - Yes
Like meeting new people - Yes
Develop ideas through discussion
Party animal, social butterfly
I definitely agree with that, considering how easily James made friends with Sirius, and he did not seem shy at all. Also, he seems that way considering his group activities.

One other thing - the Marauders Map was a group endeavor, and not something James did alone.

I would agree that James seemed to be outgoing and an extravert. We don't have enough canon to definitively call things, but from the little we know about him, that is how he seemed. One other event that would lend credence to that was in GoF when Lily and James came out of Voldy's wand. Lily deferred to James telling Harry, 'your father wants to talk to you' (paraphrase). While James and Lily were apparently able to embody those shade-spirit entities from the afterworld (as they were giving real time instructions, etc.), James did seem to carry on with his leadership role even on that occassion. (Not that Lily wasn't also a very strong person and outgoing in her own right :)). But I think it does lend to the idea that he was an outgoing leader and strategist that others looked up to in that role.

WWB: I agree that James felt comfortable with a leadership role (not sure how that applies to Priori Incantatum, though - isn't it just that he is the last one out of the wand and that's why Harry has to wait for him?).

Harry on the other hand does not always seem comfortable taking the lead or being the center of attention. For instance, the DA was a group activity, but Hermione had to persuade him to teach the others out of necessity, and Harry is very humble about it and not sure if he knows what to do. James strikes me as much more confident, obviously due to his upbringing as a beloved only child.

WWB: I agree that James felt comfortable with a leadership role (not sure how that applies to Priori Incantatum, though - isn't it just that he is the last one out of the wand and that's why Harry has to wait for him?).

Harry on the other hand does not always seem comfortable taking the lead or being the center of attention. For instance, the DA was a group activity, but Hermione had to persuade him to teach the others out of necessity, and Harry is very humble about it and not sure if he knows what to do. James strikes me as much more confident, obviously due to his upbringing as a beloved only child.

Oh I think you misunderstood me; I wasn't refering to the order they came out, I was refering to the fact that Lily didn't start giving Harry instructions, but rather, told Harry that James was coming, 'your father wants to talk to you'. So obviously Lily and James had conferred ahead of time about the situation and James was the one who was going to do the talking - just showing his leadership/strategist ability which was likely recognized by many, including Lily. I wasn't making a comparison to Harry. :)

(So offtopic it's not even funny but that was originally a book error, in the original James came out first and asked Harry to wait for Lily, so it's pretty shaky evidence :) )

(So offtopic it's not even funny but that was originally a book error, in the original James came out first and asked Harry to wait for Lily, so it's pretty shaky evidence :) )

So I read up on this - JKR claims she had written it with James coming out second, but her editor spotted it and thought it was an error, so she "changed it without thinking" - so if that was the story, I would say the original intent was still to show James' leadership/strategist ability. :) But I admit it is all a bit convoluted, what with the errors.

I agree with zgirnius. James seemed to be very extroverted. I'm just unsure about him having a lot of friends or having a close group of friends. I'm sure James was friends with members of the Order, but were they really good friends? Harry has plenty of friends from the D.A. but they're not as close as Ron and Hermione. James may have had a lot of friends, but I always thought he was a lot closer to others, such as Lily and the Marauders.

originally posted by beautifically
I agree with zgirnius. James seemed to be very extroverted. I'm just unsure about him having a lot of friends or having a close group of friends. I'm sure James was friends with members of the Order, but were they really good friends? Harry has plenty of friends from the D.A. but they're not as close as Ron and Hermione. James may have had a lot of friends, but I always thought he was a lot closer to others, such as Lily and the Marauders.

I think that is the case with most people. Extroverts tend to have a lot of friends, but everyone has certain people that they are closer to then others. James was undeniably popular in Hogwarts, he would've had a lot of friends. But he wouldn't have been as close to any of them as he was to the other Maruaders. IMO, that doesn't take away from his extrovert status.

James seems to have enjoyed being popular. If that is the case, he probably would've enjoyed making new friends and talking with lots of different people, besides just the Maruaders. Harry is a lot different. He doesn't enjoy the popularity, and he seems to prefer spending time with people he already knows. He has many friends from all the different things he has done, but he prefers the "core group". Even the DA wasn't really anyone new. They were the same people that Harry had been hanging around with (however breifly) for years.

IHarry is a lot different. He doesn't enjoy the popularity, and he seems to prefer spending time with people he already knows. He has many friends from all the different things he has done, but he prefers the "core group". Even the DA wasn't really anyone new. They were the same people that Harry had been hanging around with (however breifly) for years.

I think there is a significant difference between being naturally popular, as James was, and being sought out because one is famous, as Harry was.

No one was looking for a scar on James' forehead. He didn't have the title "The Boy Who Lived." There was no prophecy hanging over his head, no books written about James before he even learned to read.

Harry was hugely popular in SS, at least until the Norbert business, and he was enjoying it immensely.

He was miserable in CoS because people thought he might be the Heir of Slytherin and therefore didn't like him.

He had a good year in PoA other than being sheltered from Sirius Black, only to be ostracised again in GoF for becoming a school champion. His popularity rebounded after the first task of the tournament, only to drop again after Cedric died and the Ministry began manipulating public opinion of him.

That continued until the battle at the Department of Mysteries in OotP, and then Harry's popularity burst into full flower in the last two books. By then, however, Harry had a lot on his mind and a need to keep his thoughts quiet less Voldemort catch a rumor of what he and Dumbledore were up to... what Harry had to continue to do without Dumbledore in DH.

It seems to me that Harry enjoyed his popularity a lot more when he was younger. By the time he was a teen, when such things are normally hugely important, Harry had meatier issues to be concerned with.

I think that is the case with most people. Extroverts tend to have a lot of friends, but everyone has certain people that they are closer to then others. James was undeniably popular in Hogwarts, he would've had a lot of friends. But he wouldn't have been as close to any of them as he was to the other Maruaders. IMO, that doesn't take away from his extrovert status.

James seems to have enjoyed being popular. If that is the case, he probably would've enjoyed making new friends and talking with lots of different people, besides just the Maruaders. Harry is a lot different. He doesn't enjoy the popularity, and he seems to prefer spending time with people he already knows. He has many friends from all the different things he has done, but he prefers the "core group". Even the DA wasn't really anyone new. They were the same people that Harry had been hanging around with (however breifly) for years.

I don't think that it takes away from his extrovert status either. I was just thinking that his friendship with the Marauders would fall under the introverted category on the list. I don't have a problem with it being an introverted quality because no one is an extreme version of either. People usually have some qualities of an extrovert/introvert.

I think there is a significant difference between being naturally popular, as James was, and being sought out because one is famous, as Harry was.

No one was looking for a scar on James' forehead. He didn't have the title "The Boy Who Lived." There was no prophecy hanging over his head, no books written about James before he even learned to read.

Harry was hugely popular in SS, at least until the Norbert business, and he was enjoying it immensely.

He was miserable in CoS because people thought he might be the Heir of Slytherin and therefore didn't like him.

He had a good year in PoA other than being sheltered from Sirius Black, only to be ostracised again in GoF for becoming a school champion. His popularity rebounded after the first task of the tournament, only to drop again after Cedric died and the Ministry began manipulating public opinion of him.

That continued until the battle at the Department of Mysteries in OotP, and then Harry's popularity burst into full flower in the last two books. By then, however, Harry had a lot on his mind and a need to keep his thoughts quiet less Voldemort catch a rumor of what he and Dumbledore were up to... what Harry had to continue to do without Dumbledore in DH.

It seems to me that Harry enjoyed his popularity a lot more when he was younger. By the time he was a teen, when such things are normally hugely important, Harry had meatier issues to be concerned with.

Well - not to stray too far off topic with discussing Harry, but for the purpose of comparison - Harry actually did not like being popular due to the whole "Boy Who Lived" deal. Even in the first book, it bothered him that he was so famous for something he didn't even remember. When he caught that first snitch, that was one of the first things he thought about - finally being liked for something he had done on his own - something he knew he had earned.

I think that was the difference between Harry and James - primarily because the reasons they were popular were so different. And - as you mentioned - Harry alternately loved or hated by all without any middle ground - and it was pretty much dependent on whatever press he was getting at the time. James was popular because people liked him - he was outgoing, funny, a Quidditch star - and so on. He didn't have a heavy destiny or unwanted fame to deal with. He didn't have to deal with being hated one minute and loved the next dependent upon what the Daily Prophet had to say.

The other difference is with their upbringing. Harry was abused and neglected by the Dursleys. He was not shown any love or affection in any form until he went to Hogwarts and became friends with Ron and Hermione. He grew up feeling unloved and unwanted - unworthy of even simple affection. Harry wasn't completely lacking in self confidence, but he did have concerns regarding his abilities and why people liked him. James grew up with lavish amounts of love and affection. His parents adored him and spoiled him to some extent. That gave James more confidence in himself. He didn't worry about being sent home because he was the worst in his class - he had love, support, and encouragment. He didn't have to worry about whether people wanted to be his friend or if girls only wanted to go out with him because he was famous. He was confident and self-assured.

But we see similarities as well. When Harry felt he had earned it, he enjoyed the attention like his father did. He didn't strut or brag about himself because he wasn't completely self-assured, but he did enjoy it when he got attention that he felt was deserved. James was more arrogant, but he could always be confident that he had earned the attention he got. Harry didn't have that luxury because he was "The Boy Who Lived".

I think Harry was very similar to both James and Sirius in that regard though. Had the circumstances been different and Harry had been raised by his parents instead of the Dursleys, I think the similarities between James and Harry would be more obvious. Harry's personality was a great deal like James' personality. It was the difference in their upbringing that led Harry to behaving differently from James overall.

I don't think that it takes away from his extrovert status either. I was just thinking that his friendship with the Marauders would fall under the introverted category on the list. I don't have a problem with it being an introverted quality because no one is an extreme version of either. People usually have some qualities of an extrovert/introvert.

I agree. The Marauders were very much like surrogate brothers in many ways - particularly James and Sirius. James does appear to be very extroverted and he probably did have quite a few casual friends. But the Marauders were his best friends and that was who he was closest to. They were the ones he could completely relax with and be himself.

Re-Introducing Snape (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=112996)

I don't think that it takes away from his extrovert status either. I was just thinking that his friendship with the Marauders would fall under the introverted category on the list. I don't have a problem with it being an introverted quality because no one is an extreme version of either. People usually have some qualities of an extrovert/introvert.

I respect your view, but I would think it would show an extrovert character; only because the group as a whole was extrovert in nature. They pranked, snuck out and ran around the grounds and got up to all sorts of things. But maybe I don't know what you mean exactly.

James himself appeared to be very outgoing imo, much like his son.

I respect your view, but I would think it would show an extrovert character; only because the group as a whole was extrovert in nature. They pranked, snuck out and ran around the grounds and got up to all sorts of things. But maybe I don't know what you mean exactly.

James himself appeared to be very outgoing imo, much like his son.

Yes, of course the whole group were extroverts. But I was thinking that it's possible that his close group of friends could be considered an introvert quality. Under the list of extroverts/introverts, it said that extroverts have a lot of friends. While I do think James had a lot of friends, he only has a few close ones. I was just wondering if this is considered an introvert quality as well. In the forum about Harry, some thought that Harry's friendships was still under introvert because he's only close to a few, though he may have friends outside his group. If this is the case, I was wondering if James's friendships could be considered introvert as well.

I'm not sure if it's an introvert quality, but if it is, I still think James is an extrovert overall. His behavior in SWM proves this, especially since he was so popular.

Yes, of course the whole group were extroverts. But I was thinking that it's possible that his close group of friends could be considered an introvert quality. Under the list of extroverts/introverts, it said that extroverts have a lot of friends. While I do think James had a lot of friends, he only has a few close ones. I was just wondering if this is considered an introvert quality as well. In the forum about Harry, some thought that Harry's friendships was still under introvert because he's only close to a few, though he may have friends outside his group. If this is the case, I was wondering if James's friendships could be considered introvert as well.

I'm not sure if it's an introvert quality, but if it is, I still think James is an extrovert overall. His behavior in SWM proves this, especially since he was so popular.

Frankly, it's very hard to tell. Before OotP, I always imagined the rest of the school to see them as those four strange boys who snuck around a lot and kept secrets to themselves, talking in code names and such. Then seeing them as popular people, the "height of cool" and the brightest in their year, it seemed to completely oppose that idea. They started sounding much more like Fred and George - doing their little pranks in secret (no one knew what those loud bangs really were coming from their room, and no one knew about the Marauder's Map they'd discovered before they gave it to Harry) and yet making everyone laugh. So I'd say, like Fred and George, they were popular in the sense that they were funny and out-going, but they were still a tight-knit group that shared many secrets from outsiders. I'm not sure what that is on an introvert/extravert scale, though.

Frankly, it's very hard to tell. Before OotP, I always imagined the rest of the school to see them as those four strange boys who snuck around a lot and kept secrets to themselves, talking in code names and such. Then seeing them as popular people, the "height of cool" and the brightest in their year, it seemed to completely oppose that idea. They started sounding much more like Fred and George - doing their little pranks in secret (no one knew what those loud bangs really were coming from their room, and no one knew about the Marauder's Map they'd discovered before they gave it to Harry) and yet making everyone laugh. So I'd say, like Fred and George, they were popular in the sense that they were funny and out-going, but they were still a tight-knit group that shared many secrets from outsiders. I'm not sure what that is on an introvert/extravert scale, though.

I agree with that interpretation as well. However, I'm not sure if that's considered to be an extrovert/introvert quality. Introverts would be people who don't have many friends, but have a close group, I assume. And extroverts would be social butterflies and friends with all kinds of people. But James' friendships is a bit inbetween - he has a close group of friends, but I think he had plenty of other friends too.

I agree with that interpretation as well. However, I'm not sure if that's considered to be an extrovert/introvert quality. Introverts would be people who don't have many friends, but have a close group, I assume. And extroverts would be social butterflies and friends with all kinds of people. But James' friendships is a bit inbetween - he has a close group of friends, but I think he had plenty of other friends too.

Yeah, I guess it's one of those cases where you can't really sort it into either. It's kind of in-between. I don't think anyone is purely introvert or extrovert, so I'd say James kind of fell right in the middle with respect to his friendships with others.


Btw, I love your signature (again!), where did you get that picture? :)

Yeah, I guess it's one of those cases where you can't really sort it into either. It's kind of in-between. I don't think anyone is purely introvert or extrovert, so I'd say James kind of fell right in the middle with respect to his friendships with others.


I agree. I don't think there's such thing as being a pure extrovert. I do think that James has plenty extroverted qualities, but he does have some introverted as well. He would be an unrealistic character if he didn't, IMO.

Btw, I love your signature (again!), where did you get that picture? :)


Thanks! I get pretty much all my art from here (http://www.artdungeon.net/). She's my favorite artist, especially since she has drawn plenty of pictures including the Marauders and other characters I love.

I agree. I don't think there's such thing as being a pure extrovert. I do think that James has plenty extroverted qualities, but he does have some introverted as well. He would be an unrealistic character if he didn't, IMO.

Agreed! He had an interesting kind of friends situation, really, but I guess that's why I love the four of them so much. I agree that, overall, James was an extrovert but with many introvert qualities.

Thanks! I get pretty much all my art from here (http://www.artdungeon.net/). She's my favorite artist, especially since she has drawn plenty of pictures including the Marauders and other characters I love.

No wonder it looked familiar - I love her stuff, too. :) I love the way she draws Jame; he looks very close to how I imagined him.

originally posted by LilyDreamsOn
Agreed! He had an interesting kind of friends situation, really, but I guess that's why I love the four of them so much. I agree that, overall, James was an extrovert but with many introvert qualities.

Agreed. James definitely had a interesting friendship dynamic with the other Marauders. I'm still not sure how the close-knit group becomes an introvert quality, because even with the group, James would've been social and very open, just like around his other friends. But then, I haven't take psychology so what do I know, right?

No wonder it looked familiar - I love her stuff, too. I love the way she draws Jame; he looks very close to how I imagined him.

Me too! She draws James, Harry, Ron and Ginny exactly how I picture them in the books! I love her site. By the way, does anyone know of any sites with great James/Lily fanart? I never seem to find any besides Marta.

I was thinking about the latest revelation from JKR (TLC interview in NY) about James (and Lily) having supported Remus financially after Hogwarts because he could not find work due to his being a werewolf. I think this shows a side of James we already saw - when he researched with Sirius to become an Animagi and make things easier for Remus. The love James had for his friend Remus is imo a wonderful thing and that it was enduring is to me, very telling of a compassionate and generous nature that was a part of his character from early on.

I don't imply that Sirius too did not have as much compassion in becoming an Animagi - and he too may have given Remus money in the form of 'come on I'll buy dinner' or 'look at this brief case I found that will be great when you finally find a teaching job'. I just mean that with James giving the main support, Sirius wouldn't have had too (as he was rich also). But in terms of James, I think he was evidently first to offer assistence the moment he realized how tough Remus would have it.

They were all working full time for the Order, so employment wouldn't have been that much of an election of course, but nonetheless, Remus would have to eat and would not have been able to work for the Order full time without some assistance.

Often people conclude that James didn't trust Remus merely because Sirius didn't when they all found out that the Potters were marked for death. However, there is no canon at all to support that, and I believe this new revelation further supports that James always trusted all of his friends. The canon says Remus and Sirius mistrusted one another because they believed they, of the three suspects, could be the only possible spies. However, James, like Harry, imo, refused to believe it was any of them.

There is no canon that Sirius related his mistrust of Remus to James or that Remus told James he mistrusted Sirius. I believe that Sirius simply told James that Peter would be the better man for the job because of his lack of being a suspect. That occurred a week before the Potters were killed.

Prior to that, Remus and Sirius - and Peter, likely continued to visit and be friendly with the Potters. There was no reason that they could not, or even for Sirius not to want Remus to know where the Potters were because Sirius knew that as Secret Keeper only he could tell their location. Not Remus, not Peter - no one, even if they knew where the house they were staying in was. So there would be no need for Sirius to tell James of his suspicions which he realized James would not believe and merely chastise him for his thoughts about it. Same with Remus, who also didn't likely bring up his suspicions of Sirius to James.

Thus James I believe had complete trust in his friends and continued to compassionately support Remus and hold both Sirius and Remus (and Peter) in high regard until he died. I personally admire James attitude, regardless of the fact that he was mistaken in Peter.

Your waxing eloquent again. :lol:

originally posted by wickedwickedboy
Thus James I believe had complete trust in his friends and continued to compassionately support Remus and hold both Sirius and Remus (and Peter) in high regard until he died. I personally admire James attitude, regardless of the fact that he was mistaken in Peter.

I agree. I never felt that James would believe that Remus, Sirius, or Peter would've ever betrayed him. It goes back to what Remus said in DH, didn't he accuse Harry of being far too trusting like James had been? That he wouldn't believe any of his close friends were capable of betraying him? James just didn't have it in him to think badly of his friends. He seems to have hated and loved with a passion. He despised Snape, and I'm sure he would never trust him, but he loved his friends just as much and would never think ill of them.

I've always wondered though, in that moment of realizing Voldemort was in the house, did James wonder about Peter? He would've realized that Voldie being there meant Peter had revealed the secret, but was it under torture or was he in fact the spy they'd been looking for? Or did he even think about Peter, but was instead focused on his Lily and Harry?

I was thinking about the latest revelation from JKR (TLC interview in NY) about James (and Lily) having supported Remus financially after Hogwarts because he could not find work due to his being a werewolf. I think this shows a side of James we already saw - when he researched with Sirius to become an Animagi and make things easier for Remus. The love James had for his friend Remus is imo a wonderful thing and that it was enduring is to me, very telling of a compassionate and generous nature that was a part of his character from early on.

I don't imply that Sirius too did not have as much compassion in becoming an Animagi - and he too may have given Remus money in the form of 'come on I'll buy dinner' or 'look at this brief case I found that will be great when you finally find a teaching job'. I just mean that with James giving the main support, Sirius wouldn't have had too (as he was rich also). But in terms of James, I think he was evidently first to offer assistence the moment he realized how tough Remus would have it.

They were all working full time for the Order, so employment wouldn't have been that much of an election of course, but nonetheless, Remus would have to eat and would not have been able to work for the Order full time without some assistance.

Often people conclude that James didn't trust Remus merely because Sirius didn't when they all found out that the Potters were marked for death. However, there is no canon at all to support that, and I believe this new revelation further supports that James always trusted all of his friends. The canon says Remus and Sirius mistrusted one another because they believed they, of the three suspects, could be the only possible spies. However, James, like Harry, imo, refused to believe it was any of them.

There is no canon that Sirius related his mistrust of Remus to James or that Remus told James he mistrusted Sirius. I believe that Sirius simply told James that Peter would be the better man for the job because of his lack of being a suspect. That occurred a week before the Potters were killed.

Prior to that, Remus and Sirius - and Peter, likely continued to visit and be friendly with the Potters. There was no reason that they could not, or even for Sirius not to want Remus to know where the Potters were because Sirius knew that as Secret Keeper only he could tell their location. Not Remus, not Peter - no one, even if they knew where the house they were staying in was. So there would be no need for Sirius to tell James of his suspicions which he realized James would not believe and merely chastise him for his thoughts about it. Same with Remus, who also didn't likely bring up his suspicions of Sirius to James.

Thus James I believe had complete trust in his friends and continued to compassionately support Remus and hold both Sirius and Remus (and Peter) in high regard until he died. I personally admire James attitude, regardless of the fact that he was mistaken in Peter.

:agree: I agree with everything you said. When I read that James gave money to Remus, I wasn't surprised. I already thought James was extremely loyal. He risked sentence in Azkaban to help his friend - an obvious sign of loyalty, IMO.

Did James and Lupin switch bodies before James was killed?
An ingenious theory, but no; James would never have saved himself and left his wife and son to die.

Even that made him seem loyal.

It was lovely learning how generous James was to his friends. And I agree - there is no canon that says James ever mistrusted Remus. That wouldn't make sense, especially with what Remus said in DH. If James mistrusted Remus, why would Remus make the comment in DH about James' trust?

If there's one quality I admire in James, it's his deep loyalty to those he loved. He risked a lot by becoming an animagus, he let Sirius into his home, he gave Remus money, and he died for his wife and son.

I've always wondered though, in that moment of realizing Voldemort was in the house, did James wonder about Peter? He would've realized that Voldie being there meant Peter had revealed the secret, but was it under torture or was he in fact the spy they'd been looking for? Or did he even think about Peter, but was instead focused on his Lily and Harry?

I think James was mainly thinking about Lily and Harry. But if he did think about Peter, I imagine him briefly thinking about him when he heard Voldemort enter the house. He was probbaly thinking that it couldn't possibly be Voldemort because Peter was SK.

You're probably right, I'm sure James was much more worried about Lily and Harry. But I wonder if, in the moment he sees Voldemort if his thoughts turned breifly to Peter, whether realizing the truth or worried that his friend was now dead.

I'm a little blown away by the news, to be honest. If James and Lily decided to help Remus out financially, there's a fair chance that it wasn't easily done, not least because Remus has his own pride and would have probably refused at first. Which is where James's skills (ones I think he has) at overriding objections come in handy- I imagine he had to suggest it more than once, a bit like:
"Come on, Moony, don't be a prat- we can't get jobs anyway if we're working for the Order, and if you want to be so wet about it you can pay me back when we've run Zonko's out of business."
On a side note: I do like the information that he was in the Order full-time. I doubt he'd have liked any other job as much.

I was thinking about the latest revelation from JKR (TLC interview in NY) about James (and Lily) having supported Remus financially after Hogwarts because he could not find work due to his being a werewolf. I think this shows a side of James we already saw - when he researched with Sirius to become an Animagi and make things easier for Remus. The love James had for his friend Remus is imo a wonderful thing and that it was enduring is to me, very telling of a compassionate and generous nature that was a part of his character from early on.

I don't imply that Sirius too did not have as much compassion in becoming an Animagi - and he too may have given Remus money in the form of 'come on I'll buy dinner' or 'look at this brief case I found that will be great when you finally find a teaching job'. I just mean that with James giving the main support, Sirius wouldn't have had too (as he was rich also). But in terms of James, I think he was evidently first to offer assistence the moment he realized how tough Remus would have it.

They were all working full time for the Order, so employment wouldn't have been that much of an election of course, but nonetheless, Remus would have to eat and would not have been able to work for the Order full time without some assistance.

Often people conclude that James didn't trust Remus merely because Sirius didn't when they all found out that the Potters were marked for death. However, there is no canon at all to support that, and I believe this new revelation further supports that James always trusted all of his friends. The canon says Remus and Sirius mistrusted one another because they believed they, of the three suspects, could be the only possible spies. However, James, like Harry, imo, refused to believe it was any of them.

There is no canon that Sirius related his mistrust of Remus to James or that Remus told James he mistrusted Sirius. I believe that Sirius simply told James that Peter would be the better man for the job because of his lack of being a suspect. That occurred a week before the Potters were killed.

Prior to that, Remus and Sirius - and Peter, likely continued to visit and be friendly with the Potters. There was no reason that they could not, or even for Sirius not to want Remus to know where the Potters were because Sirius knew that as Secret Keeper only he could tell their location. Not Remus, not Peter - no one, even if they knew where the house they were staying in was. So there would be no need for Sirius to tell James of his suspicions which he realized James would not believe and merely chastise him for his thoughts about it. Same with Remus, who also didn't likely bring up his suspicions of Sirius to James.

Thus James I believe had complete trust in his friends and continued to compassionately support Remus and hold both Sirius and Remus (and Peter) in high regard until he died. I personally admire James attitude, regardless of the fact that he was mistaken in Peter.

What a nice post; I agree with you completely. :)

I think that's probably the thing I like most about James: the way he treated and interacted with his friends. In his own way, he's a bit of a tragic hero - his tragic flaw being his unwavering trust in his friends. It was, to a point, what came about to end his life, along with the lives of his wife and son, but it was an admirable trait of his. Trusting his friends so deeply no matter what accusations were brought against them showed his willingness to see the good in his friends, and I really admire that. It's something Harry really shares with James, and I'm glad to see that parallel.

I was happy to hear that James and Lily supported Remus. I agree with Drusilla that they would have had to reason with Remus about it, cause he probably wouldn't have wanted to take it. Because James was so close with his friends, that they were almost like brothers, he would have told Remus to just take it because it was all his parents' money in the end, anyways, and they were all jobless other than being in the Order.

I'm always late on catching up with Jo's interviews, but this revelation was very nice. I've always suspected James, and then Sirius years later, "helped" Lupin financially. Sirius gave Harry an expensive set of books for Christmas in OotP, but the card was marked "Sirius and Lupin." Lupin was also living at 12 Grimmaud Place throughout that book.

I love your sig purplehawk! :D

Anyway, here are the exact words JKR said
Q: Harry often wondered about his parents lives before he died. What did Lily, James, Remus, Lupin and Sirius do after Hogwarts?

JKR: To take Remus first, Remus was unemployable. Poor Lupin, prior to Dumbledore taking him in, lead a really impoverished life because no one wanted to employ a werewolf. The other three were full-time members of the Order of the Phoenix. If you remember when Lily, James and co. were at school, the first war was raging. It never reached the heights that the second war reached, because the Ministry was never infiltrated to that extend but it was a very bad time, the same disappearances, the same deaths. So that's what they did, they left school. James has gold, enough to support Sirius and Lily. So I suppose they lived foff a private income. But they were full-time fighters, that's what they did, until Lily fell pregnant with Harry. So then they went into hiding.

James supported Remus, Sirius, Lily and later on Harry? :wow: He is very generous! Well, at that point, I think both of James' parents died. So he probably saw the Marauders and Lily and Harry as his own family, and supported them all. I think James saw them as family and had great trust in them. It was a good quality about him, but a tragic one. :( His loyalty and dedication to his best friends caused him to die.

You're probably right, I'm sure James was much more worried about Lily and Harry. But I wonder if, in the moment he sees Voldemort if his thoughts turned breifly to Peter, whether realizing the truth or worried that his friend was now dead.

Yes, I'm sure he thought about Peter eventually. But that night everything changed in a second. He probably didn't get time ot think about Peter properly. In the afterlife, I imagine James would think about Peter. Would James immediately think that Peter betrayed him like Sirius did? Or would he think that Voldemort forced it out of him? I have no idea what he'd think.

I'm a little blown away by the news, to be honest. If James and Lily decided to help Remus out financially, there's a fair chance that it wasn't easily done, not least because Remus has his own pride and would have probably refused at first. Which is where James's skills (ones I think he has) at overriding objections come in handy- I imagine he had to suggest it more than once, a bit like:
"Come on, Moony, don't be a prat- we can't get jobs anyway if we're working for the Order, and if you want to be so wet about it you can pay me back when we've run Zonko's out of business."

As soon as I heard the news, I almost immediately thought about how Remus would have reacted. I imagine Remus would be hesitant to accept the offer, but gave in eventually. James strikes me as being really stubborn, anyway.

Does anybody have a link to that interview? I always hear about them last.

originally posted by beatifically
As soon as I heard the news, I almost immediately thought about how Remus would have reacted. I imagine Remus would be hesitant to accept the offer, but gave in eventually. James strikes me as being really stubborn, anyway.

Yeah, that's what I thought too. I'm not surprised that James supported Remus, but I'm surprised that Remus gave into that. He always came off to me as the kind that wouldn't accept charity.

I'm also surprised that Sirius needed support. Didn't one of his uncles leave him a whole pile of gold? Hmmm...:hmm:

Anyway, that seems like the thing James would do. The Maruaders were his family, of course he would try to help them as much as possible. Poor Remus, that makes the blow of James and Lily's death even harder for him (although I'm sure his first thoughts were not about money :))

Does anybody have a link to that interview? I always hear about them last.

You can see TLC's report of the event here (http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/10/20/j-k-rowling-at-carnegie-hall-reveals-dumbledore-is-gay-neville-marries-hannah-abbott-and-scores-more). :)

I'm also surprised that Sirius needed support. Didn't one of his uncles leave him a whole pile of gold? Hmmm...:hmm:

Anyway, that seems like the thing James would do. The Maruaders were his family, of course he would try to help them as much as possible. Poor Remus, that makes the blow of James and Lily's death even harder for him (although I'm sure his first thoughts were not about money :))

As soon as I read what JKR said, I was surprised James had to support Sirius. As you said, Sirius' Uncle Alphard (?) gave him some money after he ran away. If Sirius wasn't financially well off, how was Sirius able to buy Harry a Firebolt? I don't really understand that either.

I agree that it's in James' character to be generous to his friends. He saw them as family and grew to see the Marauders as his brothers. It reminds me of how Harry said he would want to give money to the Weasleys if he knew they'd accept it, actually.

I'm sure Remus was hurt when James died. James supported Remus when he found out about Remus' lycanthropy and when Remus had trouble with money.

As soon as I heard the news, I almost immediately thought about how Remus would have reacted. I imagine Remus would be hesitant to accept the offer, but gave in eventually. James strikes me as being really stubborn, anyway.
I agree. And I imagine needing to accept charity would have been a bit of a sore point with Remus, which is why he never told Harry about it.

I can just see James putting his inherited wealth to good use by helping his friends and indirectly subsiding the Order, since the money allowed them all to work full time for the Order. It strikes me as just the sort of gesture he would make naturally, and shows that he only valued his wealth for the good he could do with it, IMO.

I think she actually meant James supported Remus and Lily, not Sirius and Lily. It's probably a slip of the tongue...
I thought it was a great gesture on the part of James, really. Though I do suspect Lily might have brought a bit of tact to bear in the matter too, so that Remus didn't feel bad about it, it probably took their combined wheedling to make him accept the money. I don't think he actually lived with the Potters, though- and it's not clear whether the cottage in Godric's Hollow is the house where James grew up, or a hiding place they were using temporarily. About the only thing we really do get to see there was that family life suited James tremendously- he enjoyed playing with his son, he was clearly batty about his wife, and even if they were in hiding and getting a bit restless towards the end (not surprising, really- if they'd been in hiding since before Harry was born, and he was a year old when Lily wrote her letter to Sirius), he did try to keep it from Lily so she wouldn't worry.

I agree. And I imagine needing to accept charity would have been a bit of a sore point with Remus, which is why he never told Harry about it.

I can just see James putting his inherited wealth to good use by helping his friends and indirectly subsiding the Order, since the money allowed them all to work full time for the Order. It strikes me as just the sort of gesture he would make naturally, and shows that he only valued his wealth for the good he could do with it, IMO.

I agree. James didn't use his gold simply for luxurious reasons. He used his money by helping out his friends that were in need of money. He was lucky to have so much money so he could help out in the Order. And in case James died and Lily and Harry were left alone, I bet James wanted a lot of his money to go to them. Erich Fromm said, "Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much." This describes James accurately, IMO.

Edit:I think she actually meant James supported Remus and Lily, not Sirius and Lily. It's probably a slip of the tongue...
I thought it was a great gesture on the part of James, really. Though I do suspect Lily might have brought a bit of tact to bear in the matter too, so that Remus didn't feel bad about it, it probably took their combined wheedling to make him accept the money. I don't think he actually lived with the Potters, though- and it's not clear whether the cottage in Godric's Hollow is the house where James grew up, or a hiding place they were using temporarily. About the only thing we really do get to see there was that family life suited James tremendously- he enjoyed playing with his son, he was clearly batty about his wife, and even if they were in hiding and getting a bit restless towards the end (not surprising, really- if they'd been in hiding since before Harry was born, and he was a year old when Lily wrote her letter to Sirius), he did try to keep it from Lily so she wouldn't worry.

I agree with you. I think it was a mistake JKR made as well, because I don't see Sirius needing any money from James. I imagine James gave Remus money to that got him a flat, but I don't think Remus lived with James. The Potters went into hiding as soon as Lily found out she was pregnant, so I think Remus lived somewhere else. I don't know if James stayed at Godric's Hollow all his life, but it would make some sense if he did. Old wizarding families stayed in Godric's Hollow for a long time, and it would make sense for James to, especially since he was descended from Ignotus Peverrel.

I also agree that it was natural for James to feel restless. I always see James as a person loving to be in the midst of action, especially since he defied Voldemort three times. Even though James felt restless, he didn't go anywhere. He resisted the temptation and stayed with his family.

James Potter was a great friend, a wonderful husband who was very much in love with his wife and a terrific father -- he was willing to and did die for Harry when they were betrayed and attacked by Voldemort.

But I also think he was very petty and a bully to Snape all through his school years and had he been alive, he still would have belittled and cursed and fought with Snape just the same way Sirius does in OOTP when Snape comes over to GP for Occlumency.

I think it was his insecurity and jealousy of Lily's close friendship with a Slytherin and a git to the core. Sirius always took his part and we see that spills over so many years later in Harry's fifth year.

In the end James Potter and Sirius Black were almost like the man they thought so little of -- Snape; for when it came to Snape they became bullies and cursed him four on one -- Remus and Peter did not do a thing to stop all this.

In the end James Potter and Sirius Black were almost like the man they thought so little of -- Snape; for when it came to Snape they became bullies and cursed him four on one -- Remus and Peter did not do a thing to stop all this.

I can think of two similarities between James and Snape.

They both loved the same woman; and

They appear in the same series of books.

Otherwise they were polar opposites.

Originally posted by purplehawk
They both loved the same woman; and

They appear in the same series of books.

Yes that is also correct -- but James and Sirius in SWM in Book V started the confrontation and they were being nasty bullies about wanting to remove Snape's underpants for the world at large.

It is Snape who is spoken of as a bully and a nasty git. These two were certainly not far behind I felt *shrug*

Let's keep this more on the analysis on James, not so much on Sirius and Snape, please. Thanks. :)

But I also think he was very petty and a bully to Snape all through his school years and had he been alive, he still would have belittled and cursed and fought with Snape just the same way Sirius does in OOTP when Snape comes over to GP for Occlumency.

IMO, James would have gotten over his school grudge against Snape, had he lived. One thing we've been told about James was that he was incredibly forgiving. We're told he would have forgiven Peter, and so I'm sure he did, somewhere in the after life. If he could forgive the man who used to be one of his best friends, who shared many secrets with him, and whom he trusted with the lives of his wife and son, along with his own life, only to be betrayed and sold out intentionally to Voldemort, then framing his best friend for the murders he himself was responsible for before fleeing and leaving Sirius to go to Azkaban for over a decade - then I'm sure James could get over his school grudge against Snape.

I don't think we can really expect James to have reacted the same way towards Snape as Sirius did in OotP - first of all, Sirius really lived in the past because for over a decade he was trapped in a prison where he wasn't able to grow emotionally as healthily as normal (not to mention he was reminded every day of the night Lily and James were murdered, which wouldn't help him move on), and so I think that greatly factored into his continued "bullying" of Snape (like callling him Snivellus) in OotP, or his unyielding hate towards Peter in PoA. In PoA, we're told James would have done what Harry did in the Shrieking Shack, not what Sirius and Remus were about to do (kill Peter). So I don't think James would have continued to treat Snape the way he did while at Hogwarts had he lived. It's hard to imagine a scenario where James and Lily lived, however, because their deaths were instrumental to what happened throughout the series. Judging on his character, though, IMO, we can conclude he'd have moved on and forgotten about his schoolyard enemies.

The new version (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=113276) is up.