The Marauders: Group Character Analysis v.2

[lightreading]

Originally Posted by Beatifically

The point is that Peter was being annoying and earning no one's respect. Sirius (who I imagine would be rather blunt) called him out on it. Peter was embarrassed, but that could be because he hero-worshiped Sirius, too.

Understandable, but if Sirius was just being blunt, why didn't he call James out on the way he was showing off? I don't recall him doing that(if he did, please quote for me, I've lost my copy of OOtP )

Originally Posted by Beatifically

But, like mentioned earlier, if he was mistreated, you'd think he would have mentioned that in PoA instead of using an excuse like that he could have died.

I didn't think he would have the guts to bring it up/admit it upset him. More than that, if he did, would Sirius have cared?

Originally Posted by LilyDreamsOn

Peter only blushed. We have no mention in the books of him feeling like his friends treated him badly.

Of course we don't--can you really imagine Peter confronting them?

[Beatifically]

Originally Posted by lightreading

Understandable, but if Sirius was just being blunt, why didn't he call James out on the way he was showing off? I don't recall him doing that(if he did, please quote for me, I've lost my copy of OOtP )

He probably was more annoyed by Peter than James, but he did indirectly tell James to stop.

I didn't think he would have the guts to bring it up/admit it upset him. More than that, if he did, would Sirius have cared?

But Peter knew he was close to dying. He was grasping at straws at that point in order to possibly save himself. Why wouldn't he mention something if he thought it might keep him alive? Of course Sirius wouldn't care, but Peter was desperate; he tried to use Voldemort's threat to kill him as and his lack of courage as a way to gain sympathy.

[lightreading]

Originally Posted by Beatifically

He probably was more annoyed by Peter than James, but he did indirectly tell James to stop.

Could you quote?

Originally Posted by Beatifically

But Peter knew he was close to dying. He was grasping at straws at that point in order to possibly save himself. Why wouldn't he mention something if he thought it might keep him alive? Of course Sirius wouldn't care, but Peter was desperate; he tried to use Voldemort's threat to kill him as and his lack of courage as a way to gain sympathy.

But I think he thought Sirius would care about Voldemort's threats. He probably didn't think he would care about the things that happened at school.

[Beatifically]

Originally Posted by lightreading

Could you quote?

"Put that away, will you," said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer, 'before Wormtail wets himself with excitement."

While he was insulting Wormtail, Sirius was also telling James to stop showing off.

But I think he thought Sirius would care about Voldemort's threats. He probably didn't think he would care about the things that happened at school.

But if he was really that desperate, he would have tried to use any excuse that came to him, wouldn't he?

I just find it hard to believe that the Marauders mistreated him because there's no evidence that any cruel treatment took place for a long period of time. (Not to mention it's also blaming the victims, in a way.) When Sirius and Remus confronted Peter, all he said was that he was not brave like the rest of them and his own life was in danger. IMO, his only motive was to save himself when he betrayed the Potters.

[lightreading]

Originally Posted by Beatifically

"Put that away, will you," said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer, 'before Wormtail wets himself with excitement."

He was telling him to put it away because of Wormtail, not because he was showing off and it was annoying him.
I am not trying to excuse what Peter did at all. I am saying that he was treated badly by them, IMO, not that this was reason for his betrayal--just reason for their friendship to be less strong.

[meesha1971]

Originally Posted by lightreading

I don't care much, to tell the truth. He did nothing disrespectful, so why shouldn't he be shown respect?

People are only going to respect you if you earn it. And acting like he was so excited that he was going to wet his pants because James was playing with a snitch isn't the type of behavior that garners respect. Pettigrew intentionally presented himself as a pathetic loser because that's how he wanted everyone to perceive him - and that's how everyone did perceive him.

Alright, agreed. Sorry I misunderstood your post.

Not a problem.

Originally Posted by Beatifically

The point is that Peter was being annoying and earning no one's respect. Sirius (who I imagine would be rather blunt) called him out on it. Peter was embarrassed, but that could be because he hero-worshiped Sirius, too.

I think Pettigrew blushed because he realized that he was going overboard in his act of hero-worship. He didn't want them to be annoyed with him - he wanted them to feel sorry for him and protect him.

I agree that you can't judge a friendship that lasted over ten years based on one line. But, like mentioned earlier, if he was mistreated, you'd think he would have mentioned that in PoA instead of using an excuse like that he could have died.

I agree. If there was any plausibility to that claim, Pettigrew would have used it that night because he knew that Sirius and Lupin were prepared to kill him for his betrayal. From Pettigrew's perspective, putting the blame on Sirius and Lupin would have garnered more sympathy from the trio - who had their wands at that point - than admitting that the only reason he betrayed his friends was because he only cared about his own life.

Originally Posted by lightreading

Understandable, but if Sirius was just being blunt, why didn't he call James out on the way he was showing off? I don't recall him doing that(if he did, please quote for me, I've lost my copy of OOtP )

OOTP “Put that away, will you?” said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer. “Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement.”

That is as much of an admonishment to James for causing Pettigrew to act that way as it is for Pettigrew acting that way, IMO.

I didn't think he would have the guts to bring it up/admit it upset him. More than that, if he did, would Sirius have cared?

Of course we don't--can you really imagine Peter confronting them?

In POA, it wasn't an issue of standing up to them. It was an issue of finding a way to save his own life - which was the only thing Pettigrew really cared about. First, he insists that Sirius is guilty and claims that he hid because he was afraid that Sirius would break out and come after him - which Lupin calls him on because nobody had ever broken out of Azkaban before. Then he tries to claim that Sirius practiced the Dark Arts and learned tricks from Voldemort - but Sirius calls him on that and reveals that Pettigrew was hiding from the Death Eaters because they knew he was the real spy and blamed him for Voldemort's downfall.

Pettigrew continues to deny it and grasps at any straw he can think of to try and get Lupin to feel sorry for him and protect him, but he eventually accepts that's not going to happen. Lupin and Sirius both know the truth and he finally admits it - the only reason he betrayed his friends was to save his own life. That's all there was to it.

Eventually, Pettigrew switches his attention to the trio and tries to gain their sympathy in hopes that they will protect him from Sirius and Lupin - they did have their wands by then. But they aren't fooled by his act any more than Lupin and Sirius were - they see him for what he is and the fact that the only reason he betrayed his friends was to save his own life is repugnant to them.

If there was any plausibility to the claim that he was angry with the Marauders for how they treated him and betrayed them to get revenge, Pettigrew would have made that claim that night in POA because that would have been more likely to garner him the sympathy he was trying so hard to get. From Pettigrew's perspective, trying to make Lupin and Sirius feel guilty would have been a more effective ploy than admitting they were right about him - and it would have given the trio more cause to feel sorry for him rather than repulsed because he admitted that the only reason he betrayed his friends was to save his own life. Pettigrew admitted the truth because he had exhausted all plausible alternatives to the truth - telling the truth was his last resort to try to save his own life.

Originally Posted by lightreading

He was telling him to put it away because of Wormtail, not because he was showing off and it was annoying him.
I am not trying to excuse what Peter did at all. I am saying that he was treated badly by them, IMO, not that this was reason for his betrayal--just reason for their friendship to be less strong.

Being annoyed at Pettigrew for how he was acting in that moment is not an indication that their friendship was not strong though. It's one moment out of a friendship that lasted for over 10 years. Harry says worse things to Ron over the course of their friendship, but that didn't change the fact that they had a very strong bond and loved each other like brothers. Ron also had a tendency to be blunt with his criticism, but that doesn't result in Harry or Hermione hating him or trying to frame him so he'll be sent to Azkaban.

What we are shown is that, in spite of the fact that he annoyed them at times, the Marauders loved Pettigrew like a brother and they stood by him and helped him - and they would have died to protect him if it came down to that. Pettigrew knew that. He knew that Sirius was setting himself up as bait and risking his own life to keep him safe as much as he was keeping James, Lily, and Harry safe. Lupin, Sirius, James, Lily, and Harry are the victims here. They didn't do anything to deserve what Pettigrew did to them.

[lightreading]

Posted by meesha
Being annoyed at Pettigrew for how he was acting in that moment is not an indication that their friendship was not strong though. It's one moment out of a friendship that lasted for over 10 years.

But we don't see them together much, do we? Wouldn't JKR have tried to make this scene representative of their friendship as a whole?

[meesha1971]

Originally Posted by lightreading

But we don't see them together much, do we? Wouldn't JKR have tried to make this scene representative of their friendship as a whole?

A single moment cannot be representative of a friendship as a whole - particularly a long term friendship that lasted over 10 years. There are too many variables to consider. If the only scene we ever saw the trio together in was something from OOTP where Harry was yelling at Ron and Hermione because he was angry and frustrated about everything happening to him, would that make you question the strength of their friendship? Would you think less of Harry if the only moment we saw of his and Ron's friendship was Harry joining with Ron's siblings to tease him? Would you think any less of Hermione if the only moment we saw of their friendship was her snapping at Ron and telling him he had the emotional range of a teaspoon? There are a lot of times when the trio gets annoyed with each other or snap at each other because they are annoyed, but that didn't change the fact that they had a very strong bond and loved each other.

As I said before, we know that they did love Pettigrew as a brother and that they would have died to protect him if it had come to that. Sirius was setting himself up as bait knowing that he could be killed because of it to protect Pettigrew just as much to protect James, Lily, and Harry. That says a lot more about the strength of their friendship than this one moment when they were 15. At least for James, Sirius, and Lupin. They would have died for Pettigrew and he knew that. That trumps any incident of teasing when they were teenagers, IMO. Pettigrew knew what he was throwing away when he decided that Voldemort was stronger and his best bet to stay alive. He had friends who would have willingly stood between him and Voldemort to protect him if he had gone to them and told them that Voldemort had threatened to kill him if he didn't pass information about James and Lily. He had friends who loved him enough to die for him. But he didn't care because he had come to believe that they were not strong enough to protect him anymore and the only thing that really mattered to him was staying alive.

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by lightreading

But we don't see them together much, do we? Wouldn't JKR have tried to make this scene representative of their friendship as a whole?

She could have written more about the Marauders and their friendship but it's back story material and therefore not strictly necessary for the advancement of the main narrative. We know enough in order to make sense of the back story and how that impacted the present.

Personally, I would have liked rather more Marauder-era stuff ...

[lightreading]

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

Personally, I would have liked rather more Marauder-era stuff ...

Me too. It would have made analyzing the characters a heck of a lot easier.

[LilyDreamsOn]

Originally Posted by meesha1971

A single moment cannot be representative of a friendship as a whole - particularly a long term friendship that lasted over 10 years. There are too many variables to consider. If the only scene we ever saw the trio together in was something from OOTP where Harry was yelling at Ron and Hermione because he was angry and frustrated about everything happening to him, would that make you question the strength of their friendship? Would you think less of Harry if the only moment we saw of his and Ron's friendship was Harry joining with Ron's siblings to tease him? Would you think any less of Hermione if the only moment we saw of their friendship was her snapping at Ron and telling him he had the emotional range of a teaspoon? There are a lot of times when the trio gets annoyed with each other or snap at each other because they are annoyed, but that didn't change the fact that they had a very strong bond and loved each other.

As I said before, we know that they did love Pettigrew as a brother and that they would have died to protect him if it had come to that. Sirius was setting himself up as bait knowing that he could be killed because of it to protect Pettigrew just as much to protect James, Lily, and Harry. That says a lot more about the strength of their friendship than this one moment when they were 15. At least for James, Sirius, and Lupin. They would have died for Pettigrew and he knew that. That trumps any incident of teasing when they were teenagers, IMO. Pettigrew knew what he was throwing away when he decided that Voldemort was stronger and his best bet to stay alive. He had friends who would have willingly stood between him and Voldemort to protect him if he had gone to them and told them that Voldemort had threatened to kill him if he didn't pass information about James and Lily. He had friends who loved him enough to die for him. But he didn't care because he had come to believe that they were not strong enough to protect him anymore and the only thing that really mattered to him was staying alive.

Exactly!

Even if it was the only scene given to us to witness their interaction, we have so much information otherwise to show us that they loved him enough to die for him. And as you said, that's much more important than their teasing. Like within the Weasley family, teasing may be taken the wrong way and can indeed be hurtful, but in the end the important thing is that they'd stand up for each other and take an AK curse for each other if need be, because they love each other.

I still maintain that if they had treated him badly, he would have used that as an excuse in his desperation in PoA to gain sympathy, if not from Sirius and Remus then from the trio. But I do think it would have struck a chord with Sirius because he already blamed himself for James and Lily's deaths when it really wasn't his fault at all, so he would probably blame himself for that, too. But Peter's only excuse for himself was that Voldemort was powerful.

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

Personally, I would have liked rather more Marauder-era stuff ...

I know, me too! If only. Hopefully the Scottish Book will have enough back-story on all the characters that we can have a better idea of how things went. I mean, she has Dean Thomas's life down to the details, she must have a few things on the Marauder-era characters!

[sekhmetlion]

I agree that a single scene is not representative of a whole frienship. We could have taken a scene from Harry's 15 years and it would look as if he was a terrible friend.
But, even if we know that Peter enjoyed the priviledge of his friends willing to die for him, I think this was more due to the fact that he was included in the group as a Marauder than the fact that individually he was very appreciated. I mean, he gained his place in the group by hero-wordshipping and by sacrificing his self-respect. It is true that he does nothing to gain respect from the other memebers, in a way, he sacrificed his self-respect in order to portray a role that would gain him the membership. He traded self-respcet for membership.
But this fact doesn't make impossible that he was also resentfull for the treatment. We know he was selfish, so it fits that he would have wanted everything (membership and respect) and as we see he doesn't take responsibility for his acts, so why would he take conscious that his self-respect was lost by himself and not taken away by James or Sirius?
Personally I can see Peter wanting both.

About Weasley's, it is not the same, the twins and Ginny tease Ron, but Harry is not as harsh as they are, because Harry is closer to Ron, and understands him better. Another issue is that sometimes Ron and Harry crash, but that is because they both compete with each other or somhow because they are too close.

[MinervasCat]

IMO, there was never a time that Peter Pettigrew was willing to die for anyone, or, even be threatened by then. That, as far as I'm concerned, is why he aligned himself with the Marauders in the first place. He saw that they were going to be a "power" group.

As we see, Peter didn't really care how low he had to grovel or scrape to ingratiate himself to someone for his own purposes. IMO, he did what he needed to do to get the group to accept him. The other three, I strongly feel, considered him a friend...although, as I've said before, I think that James and Sirius were closest, and that James and Lupin were closer than Lupin and Sirius. But, the three of them did believe in that bond and the trusted Peter and considered that he would feel the same -- that he would die for them as they would have died, any of them, for the others.

Unfortunately, I don't think Peter did feel that way about anyone. Peter was out for himself, and did whatever he had to do to survive...including living as a rat for 12 years.
That should tell us a lot about Peter's character.

I think he stayed in touch with the Marauder's group after leaving school, but, possibly only as much as he needed to for his own reasons.

I'm not sure if the nickname "Wormy," that Lily refers to in her letter was an "endearment" or a put down version of his nickname. I also wonder if there wasn't a beter nickname than "Wormtail," that they could have found for him. Wormtail never struck me as a very flattering nickname. And, unfortunately, since we only see a brief interaction with the group, and it isn't totally "warm and fuzzy," it's really hard to judge their true relationship.

I did quote and interview several posts back where Jo did say that the Marauders treated Peter:

Jo - The Leaky Cauldron, 16 July 2005
(Answering a question about why Sirius was laughing hysterically
when Pettigrew "blew himself up.")
"He was unhinged. Yes, he laughed. He knew he'd lost. It was a humorless laugh. Pettigrew, who they, in a slightly patronizing way, James and Sirius at least, who they allowed to hand
around with them, it turned out that he was a better wizard than they knew. Turned out he was better at hiding secrets than they knew."

I prefer to do character analysis from canon, but, IMO, talking about Wormtail wetting himself in front of a group does fall under my interpretation of "patronizing."

[meesha1971]

Originally Posted by sekhmetlion

I agree that a single scene is not representative of a whole frienship. We could have taken a scene from Harry's 15 years and it would look as if he was a terrible friend.
But, even if we know that Peter enjoyed the priviledge of his friends willing to die for him, I think this was more due to the fact that he was included in the group as a Marauder than the fact that individually he was very appreciated. I mean, he gained his place in the group by hero-wordshipping and by sacrificing his self-respect. It is true that he does nothing to gain respect from the other memebers, in a way, he sacrificed his self-respect in order to portray a role that would gain him the membership. He traded self-respcet for membership.
But this fact doesn't make impossible that he was also resentfull for the treatment. We know he was selfish, so it fits that he would have wanted everything (membership and respect) and as we see he doesn't take responsibility for his acts, so why would he take conscious that his self-respect was lost by himself and not taken away by James or Sirius?
Personally I can see Peter wanting both.

About Weasley's, it is not the same, the twins and Ginny tease Ron, but Harry is not as harsh as they are, because Harry is closer to Ron, and understands him better. Another issue is that sometimes Ron and Harry crash, but that is because they both compete with each other or somhow because they are too close.

Actually, Harry was very harsh at times. What if the only moment we saw the trio interacting was this one?

OOTP “You can’t tell me you’ve stopped having funny dreams,” Hermione said now, “because Ron told me last night you were muttering in your sleep again. . . .” Harry threw Ron a furious look. Ron had the grace to look ashamed of himself. “You were only muttering a bit,” he mumbled apologetically. “Something about ‘just a bit farther.’ ” “I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch,” Harry lied brutally. “I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit farther to grab the Quaffle.” Ron’s ears went red. Harry felt a kind of vindictive pleasure: He had not, of course, dreamed anything of the sort.

Harry knew how insecure Ron was and that his difficulties in playing Keeper stemmed from his insecurities. In this moment, he was mad and he deliberately insulted Ron about his problems with Quidditch because he knew that's what would hurt Ron the most. And, in HBP, he went along with Ron's siblings in teasing him exactly the same way that they did. There is no difference because - to Harry - Ron was his brother.

That's what happens in close friendships like this - it's not always sunshine and roses. The people who are closest to you are also the ones who are most likely to hit the bullseye in saying something to insult or hurt you when they're irritated or angry because they know you better than other people. Sure, the Marauders could be patronizing towards Pettigrew and they teased him at times, but the same is also true within the trio. Hermione could be very patronizing towards Harry and Ron and her blunt comments could be insulting even if she didn't mean them to be. Harry and Ron could be patronizing towards Hermione and they teased her a lot - and Ron's blunt comments could be insulting as well. That doesn't change the fact that they had a very strong bond and loved each other. The same is true for James, Sirius, and Lupin - the loved Pettigrew like a brother and it didn't matter to them that he was annoying sometimes. They still loved him and would have died for him.

Pettigrew knew that they loved him like a brother and would die for him to protect him. There is nothing in the text that even remotely indicates that he harbored any resentment towards the Marauders. If he had, that would have come up in POA when he was grasping at anything he could to try and save his own life. The difference is that Pettigrew didn't care what they thought of him because he was intentionally presenting himself that way so they would think of him as weaker and feel sorry for him. As you said, he was willing to sacrifice self-respect in order to have them protect him. He would have let them die to protect him, but he didn't care enough about them to do the same in return. It didn't have anything to do with how they treated him. The only reason he betrayed them was because the only thing he really cared about was staying alive and he decided that aligning himself with Voldemort was his best chance for staying alive. That's all there was to it and that is clearly shown in the text, IMO.

[Lord Godric]

Originally Posted by sekhmetlion

But this fact doesn't make impossible that he was also resentfull for the treatment. We know he was selfish, so it fits that he would have wanted everything (membership and respect) and as we see he doesn't take responsibility for his acts, so why would he take conscious that his self-respect was lost by himself and not taken away by James or Sirius?
Personally I can see Peter wanting both.

I disagree. From everything we've seen of Peter, old and young, he would quite literally bend over backwards just to stay in the good graces of Voldemort/The Marauders. He never seemed to really care much or take anything to heart as long as he was still welcomed around. I do think the Marauders were probably patronizing of him at times, but it just seems like the way their friendship with. James and Sirius would pick on Peter, but if he were threatened from anyone outside the group they would band together. In fact, I always imagined the Marauders would pick on each other quite often, but never let anyone else pick on them. That seemed to be the nature of their friendship. I can't imagine Peter would resent the other Marauders for childhood teasing, especially when teasing was probably common among the group. The Marauders gave Peter friends and protection for many years, if he resented them for childhood teasing and was okay with Voldemort cutting off his hand and not giving him a new one for sometime, he is more mentally unstable then we've been led to believe.

[SiriusBlackX]

1.Sirius would have died for his friends and expected the same from Peter. Was this unfair or was this an integral part of being a Marauder?
The right thing to do, would be to die rather than betray your friends, like Sirius said. But then again, Peter ended up working for the Dark Lord, so I suppose he wasn't QUITE as noble and selfless as the other Marauders...

2.How did James' and Sirius' particularly close friendship influence Remus and Peter? Did they feel left out or inferior?
No. All groups have the best friends in it. I would say Peter was kind of a tag-along, not a true Marauder, as in all the stories you hear about the Marauders, it's always about Moony, Padfoot and Prongs. Wormtail isn't really involved in the Marauders.

James, Sirius and Peter became Animagi for Remus. Was this noble or adventurous?
I think they wanted to become Animagi to support Remus, but also wanted to see what it was like to be able to transform. So I think it's a bit of both, really.

What did the other Marauders think about James' obsession with Lily?
Sirius was always a little sceptical, but always supported James in Lily-matters. Remus always supported him from the start, even though he probably didn't think it would ever happen. Peter... didn't really do anything.

How did Lily influence the dynamics within the Marauders? Did she become the fifth Marauder, so to speak?
I don't think she became anything like a fifth Marauder. She just simply transformed the arrogant, stubborn James into a loyal, selfless person. She really helped him grow up.

James chose Sirius as godfather. Were Remus and Peter understanding or hurt by this decision?
Peter betrayed his friends. Was he ever happy with this decision and do you think that his friends would be able to forgive him if they had the chance?
I don't think any of the other Marauder's felt left out by this descision. Perhaps Peter was a little miffed, but all in all, Remus and Peter understood that Sirius and James were best friends, so he was more likely to choose Sirius over them. They know that they are good friends to him, and I think that was enough for them.

Was joining the Order a joint decision or was peer pressure involved? For instance, did James and Sirius lead the way and Remus and Peter follow?
I suppose it was more or less James's idea. Sirius is the kind of reckless soul that would follow James through anything, if just to chat to him and support him. Likewise with James. Naturally, Sirius jumped to the chance when James suggested joining the Order. Remus was probably unsure at first, but quickly came on board, and like I said, Peter is kind of a tag-along, so he probably just followed.

How do the Marauders compare to Fred and George? Do you think that they, and especially James and Sirius, were worse or just as (un)funny as the Weasley twins?
I think Sirius and James are like a version of Fred and George, kind of. Both groups were trouble makers, and loved to have fun, though some things the Marauders did, the Weasley twins wouldn't do, and vice versa. For example, you can't really imagine a Weasley twin leading Malfoy to his death - they would probably just prank him. Likewise, you can't really imagine Remus and Peter jumping up and shooting fireworks into every classroom. (James and Sirius, I'm not sure!)

Did Deathly Hallows change your mind about the Marauders? Do you think that they were portrayed favourably or came out badly?
I haven't seen DH yet - going to see it the day after tomorrow. No spoilers, please!

Which Marauder do you like best and what are the traits that endear him to you? Did the other Marauders appreciate these traits? Sirius! More or less... his hotness LOL also, his recklessness and need for adventure, yet loyalty to his friends. It's quite nice. And like, duh, the other Marauder's appreciated these things... Apart from the hotness thing, that would have been a bit gay. James was probably jealous - he wanted the girls!

[ItsOnlyMe]

1. Sirius would have died for his friends and expected the same from Peter. Was this unfair or was this an integral part of being a Marauder?

I think that that's kind of the trait that goes with Gryffindors. Putting everyone else above them... so I don't really know how Peter wound up there really. I think that it was fair for Sirius to expect that. I'm sure that all four of them at one point told each other that they would rather die then betray them. And obviously, they were very good friends with Peter and expected him to be faithful to them.

2. How did James' and Sirius' particularly close friendship influence Remus and Peter? Did they feel left out or inferior?

I can't imagine that they wouldn't feel left out in some way. I believe that Sirius and James were like brothers, and while they were very good friends with Remus and Peter, I imagine that the two of them would run off on their own every once in a while.

Why was Remus the main suspect in 1981? Did Peter have a walk-over to discredit Remus if he did so at all?

I don't think anybody expected Peter to be brave enough to face Voldemort and betray his friends honestly. And everyone knew how close James and Sirius were. I think just from process of elimination Remus ended up getting the blame for it.

James, Sirius and Peter became Animagi for Remus. Was this noble or adventurous?

Both I think. James and Sirius would have thought it was a great adventure, but I also think that they wanted to take care of their friend. Peter just did whatever James and Sirius told him to do.

What did the other Marauders think about James' obsession with Lily?

I don't think they ever really thought much of it up until their seventh year. I think before that they just thought she was a girl that James thought was really pretty. When they started getting closer in their seventh year... well I don't know if they would feel jealous about that or not. I don't think so. I think they all liked Lily and I can't see James giving up his adventurous Marauder lifestyle just because he as dating someone. I imagine the friends would still sneak off in the night, but Lily might hang out with them more during the day.

How did Lily influence the dynamics within the Marauders? Did she become the fifth Marauder, so to speak?

Aha oops I sort of just answered that. Yes, to an extent I think she did. I think by their seventh year she would eat with them, do homework with them ect. But I do still believe that the four boys would go off on their own every so often.

James chose Sirius as godfather. Were Remus and Peter understanding or hurt by this decision?

I don't think so. They all knew how close the two of them were. I don't think they would have expected anything different.

Peter betrayed his friends. Was he ever happy with this decision and do you think that his friends would be able to forgive him if they had the chance?

Happy? No I don't think he was happy. I think he was terrified. I think he was trying to stay alive. Everything he did, he did for himself. But I'm not sure that that made him "happy" per say.

No I don't think his friends would have ever forgiven him. They were ready to kill him in PoA, it was only Harry who stopped them. Sirius and Remus never, ever would have spoke to him again.

Was joining the Order a joint decision or was peer pressure involved? For instance, did James and Sirius lead the way and Remus and Peter follow?

Peter - yes. Remus I don't think so. I think being a werewolf its very hard to find a place to fit in. Dumbledore gave him that opportunity and I think Remus would do anything to help Dumbledore after that.

How do the Marauders compare to Fred and George? Do you think that they, and especially James and Sirius, were worse or just as (un)funny as the Weasley twins?

They are very similar. I do believe that they were at times worse then the Weasley's though. I love the Marauders, but from what we've heard of them, they were kind of jerks in school. I never got the impression that Fred and George were ever mean to people just for the sake of being mean. They just liked to pull pranks.

Did Deathly Hallows change your mind about the Marauders? Do you think that they were portrayed favourably or came out badly?

I'm not sure DH really changed by opinion on them very much. I think that they were portrayed favorably at the end of the day. They did some awful things to Snape, but I think that from what we've heard, they were very mature and respectful adults.

Which Marauder do you like best and what are the traits that endear him to you? Did the other Marauders appreciate these traits?

It's a very close battle between Remus and Sirius. I'm going to say... Remus. I think that he was very down to earth. Smart, kind, handsome. I think Sirius would have been a blast to be with though. He would always have some sort of idea on what to do. There would never be a dull moment with him.

I do believe that all of the marauders were treated very well within each other. I think Remus was very much like Hermione within the trio. He was kind of the odd one out at the beginning, and James and Sirius were always the best of friends... but they still would have done anything for him.

[arithmancer]

Originally Posted by ItsOnlyMe

They did some awful things to Snape, but I think that from what we've heard, they were very mature and respectful adults.

As a group? James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter were "mature and respectful" adults? I am curious on what you base this conclusion.

I do believe that all of the marauders were treated very well within each other. I think Remus was very much like Hermione within the trio. He was kind of the odd one out at the beginning, and James and Sirius were always the best of friends... but they still would have done anything for him.

What about Peter? The only time we see him as a kid, we see Sirius belittling him and James ignoring this...

[eliza101]

[quote]

Originally Posted by arithmancer

As a group? James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter were "mature and respectful" adults? I am curious on what you base this conclusion.

I don't know about the original poster but I would base that on the fact they didn't join a terrorist orginisation and did not set out to murder families. Remus and Sirius grew into fine men, brave and loyal. Peter turned out to be...a traitor and James loved his family, fought against the Dark with his wife and friends and sacrificed his life to try and save his wife and child. Two out of three ain't bad.

What about Peter? The only time we see him as a kid, we see Sirius belittling him and James ignoring this.

And yet he stayed in with them as a friend. True, he turned out to be a snivelling traitor but much like other characters he had not enlisted as a Death Eater at this point.

[ItsOnlyMe]

Originally Posted by arithmancer

As a group? James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter were "mature and respectful" adults? I am curious on what you base this conclusion.

Well excluding Peter, I do think that they all grew into fine people. Remus and Sirius we both see take almost a father-like position in Harry's life. Remus is a kind man. Sirius may be a little reckless but he's good at heart and would go anything for Harry. James sacrificed his life for his wife and son. He fought against voldemort. And in the first book when Dumbledore and McGonagall meet on Privet Drive that are both devastated over Lily and James' death. Anyone who could do that to Dumbledore and McGonagall have to have been brave, upstanding people.

Originally Posted by arithmancer

What about Peter? The only time we see him as a kid, we see Sirius belittling him and James ignoring this...

This is where personal opinion comes in. Yes, we do see them as children very little. But personally, I do believe that they were all very good friends in Hogwarts. I would think that Peter would have been made fun of a lot, but more in a kind of friendly way. We know for a fact that Sirius, Remus and James helped Peter out a lot. We know that they all helped him become an anamangi, helped him get his first kiss, helped him with schoolwork...

We see everything in the novel from Harry's eyes, and Harry never got to see Peter at Hogwarts. The only people he learns about Peter from are his godfather -who was trapped in Azkaban for a crime Peter commited- and Remus -who had every one of his friends taken away by Peter-. So obviously, we aren't going to get to know about the romping good times they had with Peter, but I do believe that they really happened.