Heya folks!

Here's a question for all and sundry. What do you think of the Lily and James' relationship now post-HBP and the infamous interview?

I found myself quite disliking the information and the questions that the new recollections of Lily and James given through the book's backstory. Lily became a great deal more shallow and it gives me pause to think so, since her sacrifice is such an integral part of the series.

What's your take on Harry's parents now? Is it better or worse after HBP?

I don't have my book nearby. What are the examples in HBP? I just remember that Lily was well liked by Slughorn. What else?

Primarliy the information that Lily was a favorite and popular girl, despite all the magical racism that would be prevalent during LV's first rise to power.

Also the quote in the MN/LC that despite the image in Snape's memory, that Lily liked James despite his bullying behavior. The inference seems to make both James and Lily much more shallow individuals that they had been previously.

Should we have learned more about the Potters? And why hasn't Harry been curious to glean as much information as possible regarding his parents?


Any thoughts?

I'm starting to think that maybe JKR hasn't thought out Lily's and James's characters as much as others. Unless she plans to do a character dump about both of them in book 7, she really hasn't told us very much about them OR about why they ended up together.

I'm being a little bit of a devil's advocate here, just to warn you. Do we know that that racism was any more violent then as compared to now? A lot of people from magical families might've seen Muggle-borns as not *quite* on the same level, but aside from those who were firmly in Voldemort's camp (the Malfoys, etc.) they seem to have been every bit as frightened of him and his followers as Muggle-borns would. The Longbottoms and Bones', for just two examples, were targeted too.

I've noticed more than once that even prejudiced people can change their attitudes somewhat when they actually get to know someone from the group they're prejudiced against or go through some sort of extreme experience (such as being in the same unit in a war, and saving each other's lives) together. Therefore, it doesn't strike me as so strange that an intelligent, talented, basically considerate member of an outsider group might be accepted, even if also thought an exception to the rule.



Liking James doesn't mean condoning his behavior, especially when she refused to get involved with him before he'd cleaned up his act. If anything, I imagine it aggravated Lily a lot... she was able to see what kind of man he could (and did) turn out to be, but couldn't deny he wasn't living up to that potential at all yet. And, let's be honest, haven't we all been amused by something we shouldn't?



I think in a lot of ways we know as much as we can without really meeting them. They're sort of ghosts, and that makes sense as Harry can't really remember them. James was a bit of a troublemaker, but Sirius and McGonagall would have differerent opinions as to why, and just how 'bad' his troublemaking was. Sirius himself would've seen James differently at 15 as opposed to 30. As for why Harry hasn't shown more curiosity about them, I think the Dursleys are primarily responsible for that. He was trained to not ask questions, especially about his parents, and given little reaon to trust adults.

We haven't been told quantitatively, but given the descriptions of Lupin and Moody, I think that it's pretty safe to assume, qualitatively, that the bias was prevalent. Sirius' brother, Regulus, may have not been unique in his fate, and that would certainly play to an impression of changing values.

I think it is fair to presume that the majority of the Wizarding World are sheep in many ways, and will follow rather than challenge the status quo.

The experiences of the first Order of the Phoenix would seem to indicate that LV used that complacency cunningly in his first rise, and that it was a lonely and difficult job to oppose the Dark Lord



I'll yield that point in general, but will clarify what I mean by the statement. The interview and it's transcript gives the impression that Lily's anger and negative opinion of James that we get from Snape's memory was just primarily for show.

Lupin's account is that James did change perceptibly, and that change open the gates to the pair becoming a couple.



Hmm, perhaps, but that would seem to be a little too pat to my mind. Harry leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of his other adventures during school, so I have trouble buying that he would not pursue the topic of his parents more agressively than he has to date.