He might have been a harmonal teenager ho made a bad decision, but you would think 16 years later he'd have grown out of it. But he's still a bully. Meanwhile, James was obviously a harmonal teen, as well. Except James grew out of it. Snape still acts like a moody child.
I agree with you.
James was a bully to Snape, but as you said he grew up and became a man. _________________
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Definetly James, he may have picked on Snape when he was younger, but he grew up and matured, I mean obviously he was better when he was older since he was on the Order and things, then in the end he died rather then let Voldemort take his family. I'd say James was just as brave as Snape and he was the man Lilly fell in love with. _________________
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Both were good guys in general but in different ways. I prefer James tho. He did grow up and become a better person. I cannot hate anyone that made someone as seeeexy as Harry lmao. _________________
[[CREDiT: HARRY'S GAL]]
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I think when they were young, both James and Snape did wrong: James was a bully and Snape "joined the dark side"
however both grew up:
James married Lily and ied to prevent Voly from killing Lily an Harry
Snape left the Death eaters and joined DD to help save Lily
James did somthing that was no-doubt brave but he was going to di anyway, he cant realy have thought that he could stop Voldy with no wand so Voldy would hav killed him anyway. And we hardly knew much about James life.
Snape did something more brave by leaving the most feared wizard and becoming a spy.
In my eyes Snape was the better man, pretty much any father would try to protect his wife and child, but it is far more difficult to stand up and say you were wrong, spy on the dark lord, and grow to care for a child fathered by a man you hate and a woman you love. _________________
"Well, you seemed too busy to call him a prat and I though someone should-"
-Ginny, HBP
1. James - Snape was a good man, but he only saved Harry a numerous amount of times because he loved Lily
2. James - Doesn't help if someone calls you "MudBlood". _________________
james wos way beter than snape he gave his life to try and protect harry even without a wand but snape was only doing what he did because he loved lily and dint want im to die so he went to dumbledore but i got to admit that he was pretty brave pretendin he was on voldemorts side all that time imagine what voldy wuld have dun if hed found out snape was really on dumbledores side!!!!
You are contradicting yourself. didnt James do this only becasue he loved Lily and Harry? So how is he different?
Poeple keep on coming up with " snape only did it because he loved Lily" but everyone, the weaselys, Lupin, Sirius, Hagrid, all helped Harry becasue they knew his parents and then they grew to like him. Everyone was in it for theri selfish reasons so why only point Snape out. No one did it for any lofty goals of right and wrong. It was a very personal war. Even for Harry, it was revenge for his parents more than good or bad.
In my eyes Snape was the better man, pretty much any father would try to protect his wife and child, but it is far more difficult to stand up and say you were wrong, spy on the dark lord, and grow to care for a child fathered by a man you hate and a woman you love.
omg good point!! it takes guts and maturity to say you were wrong, clearly Snape has grown up!!!
potter10 wrote:
Poeple keep on coming up with " snape only did it because he loved Lily" but everyone, the weaselys, Lupin, Sirius, Hagrid, all helped Harry becasue they knew his parents and then they grew to like him. Everyone was in it for theri selfish reasons so why only point Snape out. No one did it for any lofty goals of right and wrong. It was a very personal war. Even for Harry, it was revenge for his parents more than good or bad.
Couldn't agree more. Deep down, I mean really deep down, people have the same animal instincts. Ron was really worried about his family in DH and said some harsh things to Harry 'you're families out of the picture, so you've got nothing to worry about' or something (I know it was the necklace but still, the thoughts were alerady in him.) So yeah the excuse that "Snape wasn't a great person because he only did it for Lily" is total rubbish!! lol imo _________________
S'up Figgy? ~ Mundungus
'DON'T-' screamed Snape ...'CALL ME COWARD!' --because he so totally isn't!
I think Snape was the better man. I have no idea how his unrequited love for Lily kept him from permanently becoming lost to Voldy. That's some powerful one-sided love.
I think Snape was the better man, because he had so much more keeping him back from all the things he ever wanted...he was cerebral, unpopular, feared, and bullied while James was athletic, spoiled, and popular.
I just think by the time Harry walked into his classroom, that Snape was SO USED to people hating him all the time, and mostly for no reason (i.e....JAMES!) that he just...didn't care anymore, and getting to know Harry (who, granted, was thankfully NOT like his father, and mostly like his mum) was waaaaay down on the priority list.
Snape reminds me of someone who does things because he HAS to. He HAD to be cruel to Harry and his supporters...though I'm sure he enjoyed every moment of it...how else could he have remained a convincing double agent if he didn't??
James was never *involved* in the Dark Arts...while Snape loved it and was right there in the middle of it. Snape had the greater temptation to throw everything "good" away, and become Voldy's right hand man. He certainly had the skill and knowledge to be so.
Basically, I just think Snape NOT turning irredeemably, hopelessly evil despite never getting anything he wanted was a more powerful thing, more of a manifestation of love, than James's "fighting for good".
But best for Lily?? Well, the man she married, of course!
I think Snape was the better man, because he had so much more keeping him back from all the things he ever wanted...he was cerebral, unpopular, feared, and bullied while James was athletic, spoiled, and popular.
I know poor Snape!!!! It's not easy when society rejects you.
artisanrox wrote:
Snape reminds me of someone who does things because he HAS to. He HAD to be cruel to Harry and his supporters...though I'm sure he enjoyed every moment of it...how else could he have remained a convincing double agent if he didn't??
I totally agree, I've always thought that this was the only way he could behave. He didn't have a choice really, even if he liked Potter!
artisanrox wrote:
Basically, I just think Snape NOT turning irredeemably, hopelessly evil despite never getting anything he wanted was a more powerful thing, more of a manifestation of love, than James's "fighting for good".
Take that all you guys who love James more than Snape! lol interesting point to make. _________________
S'up Figgy? ~ Mundungus
'DON'T-' screamed Snape ...'CALL ME COWARD!' --because he so totally isn't!
Okay I really really dont like James, its not because I am a uber Snape supporter, not at all really I am not obsessed with him one bit. Snape would often get my blood boiling from what he did to Harry. I'm not sure if I hate James because I question his character, but I do know from Snapes memories that I think of him lowly. Yes he was a teen when he did and supposively he changed when he got older... well... might I point out he didnt live much past his teens. So most of his life he was an aloof guy in my eyes. But then again Snape could give a rats ass about anyone other than Lily and maybe Dumbledore. And he redeemed himself I think in the end. So if you ask me they are on the same level of character. I dont think anyone of them is better than the ohter.
Now for Lily, I think that James was better for her. Only because I dont think that Snape coudl ever truly get the idea of her being a muggleborn out of his head. He would always have issues with that and in the end their relationship wouldnt last very long. _________________
Ah, whatever. Severus`s better. Potter was an ignorant jerk. Just because he was good at Quiddich wasn`t reason good enough to jinx Snape just because he exists. He was such a show-off. While Sevy was studying. lol He did join the wrong side of the game, though, but oh well... and he showed that he can be trusted. _________________
It's hard to decide i think, because you know all of so many of the horrible things that Snape has done over the years whereas we don't know quite what James would have done in those 16 or so years since he died....i know that james was in the Order and Snape was a death eater, but he was spying for them too...
James showed such absolute bravery for the sake of the woman he loved and his child, by allowing Voldie to kill him to try and allow lily the chance to save harry....but then Snape showed just as much, if not more bravery for the same woman, for the same reason...loving her, by turning spy for Dumbledore....he put his life on the line to protect her son, even though he has always hated his father, James..... really i guess i kind of think Snape, even though he has done many horrible things...because even if you say that he never put hating james behind him and just carried it over to hating harry...really he DID kind of put it behind him by protecting him for Lilys sake. it must have really took a lot...a brave man i think, to do that.
PART 2:
as for the better man for lily....i think that both of them had their flaws, and rather big ones at that....but at the end of the day, they both loved her, and i think that as she brought out the best in james when they were together (later on obviously, not before they were dating when he was a bully just to try and get her attention), that had she ended up with Snape, that she would have brought out the best in him too...it was just that with him getting in with the wrong crowds and such, it was not to be.
i reckon overall though.....it really would have been down to her to choose which one was better for her...and i guess she chose james:)
_________________ "Give in to love or live in fear""
It's hard to say since they're such totally different people - and they definitely both had their faults. I can't agree with the idea that James "grew up" and Snape didn't. He did grow up - but I think he was already too damaged to completely snap out of the way he was before.
I doubt he and Lily would have been incredibly happy together. Snape seems like someone who very easily says things he shouldn't in moments of anger - and Lily someone who can't forgive such an outburst. They would have hurt each other too much. _________________ I don't have a lot of experience with vampires, but I have hunted werewolves. I shot one once. But by the time I got to it, it had turned back into my neighbor's dog. ~ Dwight Schrute
I think Snape was cowardly when it came down to it.
He was sucked into the Slytherin way and became a death eater when he obviously had different views than that.
Yet what he did for Harry was probably the bravest thing anyone did in the story. He risked his life for 17 years pretty much.
I think they are equal in their actions.
They both would die to protect the one they loved. And devoted their lives to them.
I think Lily liked Snape only as a friend so definately James.
Snape is still ew to me, ha.
As to the comments about Snape not growing up. I agree kind of, he hated Harry the whole time simply because of his father. Dude get over it! I think Harry was more like Lily anyway, and if Snape had let the past go he would have seen that
James bullied Snape not without a reason. I trust Lupin on this. Snape was a freak who fell deeply into dark art. Every good man would hate him for this.
James seemed very into Lily. He even tried to make Snape appoloize after he called her mudblood. And what matter most is that James hated dark art. That's a good enough reason to impress Lily.
Besides, Snape was much luckier than Kakaroff who was killed by Voldemort after he ran away. Snape got some precious information from Dumbledore. He used the information to trade his life, to save his own neck by pretending he was always a spy for Voldemort. How lucky he was!!!!!!!
A real Slytherine!!!!!! Those cunning guys can always achieve their goal by all means.
James for both of course because he was nice(sometimes) and good all at the same time. _________________ I would like to call myself "The Boy of Intelligence".
Wand: Mahogany, 13 inches, pliable, excellent for Transfiguration.
A Quote "Wit Beyond Measure is a Man's Greatest Treasure".....
....And I would Say "It is. Obviously".
wow....very interesting thread. First off, this is very difficult, though I am certainly partial to James.
I love how JKR wrote James as a bully during his times at Hogwarts. It only slightly tarnishes his name to me, because it is evident that James matures. Ultimately, I believe that James is both the better man, and the best match for Lily. However, I admire Snape's commitment to Lily, even though he wouldn't put her above the dark arts. I think later he realized he should have, but didn't, so later he tried to redeem himself, after her death.
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lol interesting point to make.
He did join the wrong side of the game, though, but oh well... and he showed that he can be trusted. 
