D_J267 I'm not going to defend James's behaviour as a teenager because bullying is despicable and NEVER justifiable. However I disagree that he couldn't have matured into a better man by the age of 21, finding out that you are going to be a parent can change you, it can make you look at yourself and the person that you are and make you want to be better. Make you want to be someone your child can look at with pride rather than shame. By the time Harry arrived I believe that he could easily be disgusted with his behaviour as a teenager, and have matured into a good man.

boolander25 ^I do agree about the parenting thing making you more mature. But I also totally dig this article. I've never liked James.

lilysev1134e I agree i loved Severus Snape*sob*

LadyNottingham I'm a total Severus fan and there are some points you made in the article that are very true. Yet, people can change. Even overnight. Look at Severus : on learning that Lily was in grave danger, he changed his loyalties, took the risk to turn to Dumbledore, thinking the old wizard would kill him (remember the "Don't kill me !" he said to Dumbledore first thing on meeting him). Love can do that to a person. So maybe it also happened to James too : he may have changed on marrying Lily, for example. I don't say James changed or not - we don't know that really. I'm not a James fan, but parenthood can change a person, sometimes for the best (in his case), sometimes for the worst (maybe the case for Tobias Snape). JKR created a whole series of flawed characters, with James and Severus, among them. Besides, the point was to show that at some point during teenage years, our parents fall from their pedestal to become normal human beings, with their qualities and flaws, no longer the gods they used to be when we are kids. It happened to Harry when he discovers that in Severus' memories - like it happened to all of us when we were teenagers or young adults.

HotshotChick Dumbledore had many years to work towards his redemption, as did Severus. Did anyone read the Potter Prequel that Rowling wrote? Both Sirius and James somehow managed to get themselves cornered by Muggle policemen and then used magic in front of them, and this is supposedly during their time as members of the first Order of the Phoenix, so you tell me if that’s mature; and if that doesn’t satisfy you, then how about behaving like an utter ass towards Lily’s sister’s soon-to-be-husband during their first meeting, which left Lily in tears and guaranteed that Lily would not be a bridesmaid at the Dursley’s wedding? Potter picked on/goaded Vernon because he couldn’t friggin’ help himself and didn’t even think about what repercussions his actions might have for Lily

ClaireVoyant I support anything to kick james potter in the ass <3 a bully when you are a kid is somewhat common but sirius and james are not only a bully but also self righteous bastard..

emerald18 yh i totally agree, i hate james and love sev <3

kaatie ^^Are you really suggesting that in an argument between James and Vernon Dursely of all people, that James was to blame! JK wrote that Vernon tried to patronize James first. so if it was anyone's fault it was his. And about the prequel? James and Sirius were having fun. I don't recall them hurting anyone for sport, in fact they used magic to fight Death Eaters. Don't you mess around and act a little less mature around your friends?

HotshotChick No they were being stupid and describing the muggles as stupid and "fat"

kaatie Maybe you got confused with a fanfic or something! I can't find where it says that in the story at all, sry :D

forsnape Hello HotshotChick,the story in Pottermore is canon?Is it written by JKR?

AiluKeanaKanta OK, I very much agree that James was very nasty to Snape, & i wish more than anyone that he hadn't bee, but we all know we don't want snape to marry lily. why? think about it.... CAUSE THEN THERE WOULD BE NO HARRY POTTER YOU IDIOTSS!!

Merope29 There's nothing in the marauder prequel saying they called the muggles stupid and fat. Do you really think someone who hates Voldemort and his twisted, anti-muggle propaganda would go as far as calling them stupid and fat? I disagree with what the article said that James Potter had "no likable traits." The mere fact that he chose to fight the death eaters at his own personal risk even if he wasn't actually part of those people who were being persecuted by them shows that James Potter was an innately good person. Well, why not? Why is it hard to believe he changed? Psychology says a person's capability to change is influenced by his/her surroundings, by a significant person in his/her life, and by his/her own willingness to change. Considering that there was a war going on during that time I think it was quite likely that James saw this reality and began being more responsible with his actions. It was said he "deflated his head a bit" during 7th year, which means that by then, he would have come of age. I think that by then, he at least tried to act more grown up; and haven't you ever experienced that need to become more responsible when you reach a certain age? (I certainly did feel that when I turned 18 and went to college) [i]Thus, all of them lied about it, and I’m sure that a shit like James—as Head Douche—probably threatened to hex anyone who thought to tell Lily the truth.[/i] Nowhere in the text was that even alluded to. In all actuality, the text says: [u]"She started going out with him in seventh year," said Lupin. "Once James had deflated his head a bit," said Sirius. [b]"And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it,"[/b] said Lupin.[/u] and then there's this: [u]"Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?"[/u] sounds to me James was merely retaliating. And even if he wasn't, there is no denying that Snape wasn't quite the innocent victim. here's another little gem people tend to overlook: [u]Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: Dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes, and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, "Expelliarmus!"[/u] Snape was never the passive victim. He fought back, and [i]most probably[/i] (basing on the excerpts from the book) there were times when he was also the one who initiated the attacks. So forgive me for not being too sympathetic towards him. [i]If James had changed so much, then WHY did he make sure Lily ended up in tears by antagonizing Vernon during their dinner together?[/i] So are you saying he deliberately made Lily cry? I don't think that was his intention in "insulting" Vernon. Where did you get that impression? See, James haters tend to blame him for every bad thing that happened to other people without considering that those people might have been responsible, too, in getting into the mess they were in. Throughout the series and beyond, it was always clear that Vernon was quite an unpleasant person. He was apt to judge people based on the kind of clothes they wear and on the cars they drive. For someone who grew up in an entirely magical home and who was now fighting in a wizarding war, it was inevitable that James would find it amusing that this muggle man would put so much importance on such superficial things as cars and unemployment benefits. says the text on pottermore: [u]Vernon tried to patronise James, asking what car he drove.[/u] which just goes to show that Vernon was trying to make James look stupid. Of course he failed and made [i]himself[/i] look stupid, which of course made him mad. There was nothing there that says James didn't behave himself. He was merely answering Vernon's questions in the way he thought was normal. I don't see why James was to blame for this incident. I think James is a good person. If you fail to see this, then perhaps you are refusing to look at the big picture. He was fighting against inequality and injustice. Yes, he might have been arrogant and a bully as a kid and there's no point in denying that, but you know what? In the end, he had his heart in the right place. He was brave and loyal. Those are pretty much likable traits of you ask me.

dobbyssocks I think that James was a good person overall. He did make some mistakes, but if he had not changed, why would lily have married him? In order to get Lily to go out with him, James must have done something good. Also, people seem to forget that Snape was a Death Eater, not some poor innocent bystander. James could not stand Death Eaters. As for James not growing up. People can changes overtime or rather quickly. I have seen both. People also forget that James saved Snapes life. He never wanted to truly harm or kill Snape. James also was a really good friend.. i mean.. he befriended a Black ( a family that supported the Dark Lord) a werewolf, and a awkward boy. He not only befriended a werewolf but became an illegal animaguis for him. James also fought for the Order, something very dangerous and life threatening. He also tried to save lily and harry, and dying for them. Overall i think james was a good person that made some mistakes, like Dumbledor!!!

Lord_Darling Brilliant article - James was a turd.

SiRiUsLy_bLaCk i never saw James as an official "bully"; rather, i see him as that arrognat guy in high school that you hated because of his stuck-up arrogance, then once you really got close and got to know him, was actually a decent person. believe me, ive met plenty of those! And i've also met plenty of guys who left school in june as an immature jerk, only to return in september an entirely different person. so no, i dont think it's that unlikely for James to change. and he didn't "let" lily cry; he acted the way any pure-blood wizard wouldve acted around muggles, just look at arthur weasley! if anything, it was vernon dursley's fault for trying to indimidate lily and james. the reason we like snape so much is his tragic backstory. but if we put that aside, he's not a very nice person! the reason he defected from the death eaters was because lily became a victim, which he couldnt bear. yes, james was arrogant, but if you think about it, so is harry, in a way. he was immature, but how mature do you expect 11-15-year-old boys to be? books state he cooled-off by his seventh year and became head boy despite not being a prefect. two years is a long time, and like i said, ive met ppl who've matured in a mere 2 months. and james was very loyal to his friends, very brave. he spent his last moment hoping 2 protect his wife and child. he's flawed, that's undeniably true, but then, arent we all? that doesnt make us bad; it only makes us human.

Vernon23 How do I expect 11-15 year old boys to be? Idk I guess asking kids not to act like douchebags is expecting too much of them. I swear, all the Marauder fans ever do is make excuses for them. I suppose Snape and his junior gang of DE's get a free pass as well because they were only 11-16 at the time. Maybe 12 year old kids that shoot 6-12 people should get a slap on the wrist because they were only 12 when they murdered everyone. Voldemort gets a free pass for sure, because he was only 16 when he murdered his father+ grandparents and made his first horcrux. The old "they were just kids" excuse just doesn't cut it unless it applies to everyone.

Vernon23 And as for Merope 29, -"Do you really think someone who hates Voldemort and his twisted, anti-muggle propaganda would go as far as calling them stupid and fat?" - How old are you? The fact that the Marauders stood against Voldemort doesn't make them saints. They could have called the cops stupid and fat. The fact that James opposed Voldemort meant that he did have a good trait but it hardly made him a great guy. Just look at Mundungus Fletcher. There were several wizards that stood against Voldemort and some of them were terrible people. You said -"Well, why not? Why is it hard to believe he changed?"- Yes because if he had truly changed he would have been a better person because of it. But he still hexed Snape at will, he only did it *behind Lily's back* Why didn't he drop the grudge if he had changed? He was the Headboy. He of all people had the power to stop the feud but he chose to prolong it. If there was no shame in what he did, why did he do it behind Lily's back? . He also knew how bad Lily wanted to mend her relationship with Petunia. Did he swallow his follish pride for one night so she would have that opportunity? I know Vernon was a douche but so was James. A better person would have tried to tolerate Vernon for one freaking night.. But he refused to let Vernon get by with one insult. Vernon asked what he did for a living and he couldn't think of a good lie because he didn't bother to study muggle culture. or just ask Lily about any of it the night before they had that dinner. Wake up, he didn't have any real respect for muggles. He just had a crush boner for Lily because she was a beautiful muggleborn girl. If he had truly given a damn about her feelings he would have never allowed that argument to happen.

Vernon23 And here's a good one Merope 29 - "Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?" sounds to me James was merely retaliating. And even if he wasn't, there is no denying that Snape wasn't quite the innocent victim."- No it sounds to me like James' best friends are lying to cover him. Who would believe Sirius of all people? James was the Headboy. He wasn't helpless to stop Snape's attacks He chose to target Snape at his own leisure. If anything it's more like he continued to stalk/bully Snape and the latter chose to stand up to him.

Vernon23  Merope23 my fav James lover by far - " Throughout the series and beyond, it was always clear that Vernon was quite an unpleasant person. He was apt to judge people based on the kind of clothes they wear and on the cars they drive. For someone who grew up in an entirely magical home and who was now fighting in a wizarding war, it was inevitable that James would find it amusing that this muggle man would put so much importance on such superficial things as cars and unemployment benefits. says the text on pottermore"- James was hardly the person in a position to criticize another snobby bully. He pretty much set the standards on that along with his buddy Sirius and it was quite clear that neither he nor Sirius were pleasant people to anyone but Marauder fans. Didn't James and Sirius make fun of Snape's hair? Didn't James ay he picked on Snape because the latter existed? James wasn't any better than Vernon. And yes that argument was bound to happen, because 2 pig headed bullies can't exist in the same room together without either joining forces (James +Sirius) or having a pissing contest ( James + Vernon). James may not have deliberately meant to make Lily cry but he sure as heck didn't put any effort into preventing that outcome.

Vernon23 "Vernon tried to patronise James, asking what car he drove. which just goes to show that Vernon was trying to make James look stupid"- No James made himself look like a stupid prick when he chose to argue with a muggle over petty things. And Vernon didn't look any dumber than James in that situation. He bragged about having a vault full of gold. Didn't Lily teach her rich, handsome moron ANYTHING about muggle currency? And omg I think you James fans have been trolling the rest of us all along. Wow. You all pretended to be oblivious to anything negative Rowling ever wrote in her books that concerned the Marauders, while pointing out every other character's faults. I wish I had caught onto the sarcasm a lot sooner doh.

Tasha1993 @Vernon23 Rowling says on Pottermore that Snape constantly nosed on the Marauders and tried to get them expelled. She also implies on Pottermore that Snape caused the Marauders to lose their map to Flich. Furthermore, she said on Twitter that Snape was a bully during his schooldays too. It wasn't Sirius, but Remus who said that James continued hexing Snape (but stopped hexing others) because Snape never lost an opportunity to hex James either. And what proof do you have that Remus lied? They could have called the muggle cops stupid and fat? Well they didn't because it isn't stated on text. Vernon tried to patronize James and called him an unemployed bum who lived on government unemployment. The guy had his pride, so of course he was going to make it clear to Vernon that he didn't live off government unemployment. He did feel ashamed when Lily cried and promised to make it up to her. The what happened? Oh that's right. Vernon REFUSED TO SPEAK TO HIM at Vernon and Petunia's wedding and called James an amateur magician within earshot. James didn't make a scene when Vernon did that. He seemed to have put up with it for Lily. @HotshotChick James is a fictional character. He's not a real person for you to be debating on whether or not his change was real. It's stated on text that he changed. And there's no proof otherwise. Sirius and him were merely being cheeky with the muggle cops. Being cheeky and mischievous doesn't make them bad people. They had to use magic in front of those cops. They were being attacked by Death Eaters who could have killed those muggle cops. That's why they refused to stop for the cops in the first place which is clear by James' line "We would have loved to stop for chat but we ... (were being chased by Death Eaters).