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sicklesforsassP L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: Jade
OOC Journal: N/A
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: Nope
Email + IM: On file
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Tadashi Hamada, Ailanne Rei
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: James Potter
Canon: Harry Potter and the ______
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Near the end of his sixth year at Hogwarts.
Setting: The world of Harry Potter is mostly set in various bits of Europe. It's a world of schools for magic -- a place where mythical beasts are reality. There are dragons about, though there are general attempts to keep them to reserves. Unicorns can be found in the woods if you know where to look. Goblins run banks, werewolves prowl during the full moons, and centaurs read the stars. All of this is, of course, kept from your average Joe. The witches and wizards of this world adhere to a strict policy -- the International Statute of Secrecy. They call those without magic "Muggles" and keep magic from them for several reasons. One, there's a fear that Muggles would demand magical solutions to all of their problems, which the average witch or wizard really doesn't want to be bothered with. Second, people tend to fear those things which they don't understand... which has never ended well.
It's best for everyone involved to keep the worlds separate. And so, separate they stay. Much as magic is kept from the Muggles by virtue of wizards and witches tending to live in their own villages apart from the general Muggle population, Muggle technology is kept from their magical brethren by a general lack on integration. James is from a wizarding family, and generally looks at Muggle things as amusing oddities. Almost anything that vacuums or electric stoves can do, his family can accomplish quickly and easily with a flick of a wand and a few choice magic words. There's no need for a torch when you can mutter lumos and never worry about dead batteries, after all. Therefore the lion's share of those living in the wizarding world seem to be operating under conditions most Muggles would think of as archaic. Fireplaces in place of heaters. Floating candles for mass lighting.
Extrapolate from there. Wizards have their own fashion (a great deal of robes and cloaks are involved), jargon, and history. All of it evolving separate from the rest of the world it's a part of.
History:
James Potter was something of a surprise -- a happy one -- to his elderly parents. As the only child of the family, James found himself doted upon. Very rarely could he do any wrong in their eyes. By the time he was ready for his first year of Hogwarts, he was already in possession of a fair bit of self-confidence and some overinflated views of himself. During the time right before that fateful first ride to Hogwarts, things were changing for the darker in wizarding the world. His parents didn't stand in line with the pureblood views that they'd all be better off if Muggles and their sort were wiped out. These views trickled into James' consciousness and shaped the way his life would play out for the next ten years.
But first.... Hogwarts! James made fast friends with a young boy by the name of Sirius Black, and was beyond excited when the other boy was Sorted into the same House as him at Hogwarts -- Gryffindor. From that point onward, Sirius became James' best friend and confidant. It became increasingly rare to see one without the other. They fed off of one another's energy, egging each other on to go for increasingly ridiculous pranks and other miscellaneous bits of trouble. Luckily, the two of them made friends with Remus Lupin -- a slightly more serious student, who then enabled the drawing in of the timid Peter Pettigrew to finish off their little group.
Second year was much the same as the first, with one large discovery to set it apart. There were the usual pranks: detentions spent together with the boys basking in the popularity their charismatic personalities brought them. The same charisma that, paired with their reckless disregard for the rules, left them feeling like they ran the school. Their animosity toward Severus Snape -- a Slytherin boy in their same year grew alongside their popularity. All in all, everything seemed to be going well for them despite the ugly rumors that floated in by owl past the safe walls of Hogwarts. Aside from one thing.
Remus Lupin was always sick. Or his mother was sick. Once, it was his third cousin (twice removed, of course). James was, despite his overinflated ego, a clever boy. Sirius was also quite brilliant. Between the two of them (and Peter's tagalong encouragements), they finally sorted out the truth behind the matter to discover their friend's lyncanthropy. Somehow, the other boy seemed to expect that James and his other mates would abandon him there, but not so. Likely more excited than they should have been that one of their best friends was a werewolf, the boys hatched a plan to transform themselves into animals. A tricky bit of magic that would make the three sans Lupin into animagus.
Life progressed on after that. James started to fall for the pretty redhead, Lily Evans. He became insufferable where she was concerned. This only seemed to add more fuel to the fire that was his hatred of Severus Snape, who had the unfortunate pleasure of being the best friend to James' object of affection. By the time they all hit their fifth year, James and Sirius had developed the habit of cursing students for fun -- especially those who made it onto their shit list. The constant insults and bad feelings eventually culminated in Sirius letting Snape know the secret to getting past the Whomping Willow. The lethal tree was the guardian of the tunnel Remus retreated down every full moon to transform safely into a werewolf. James found out at the last moment about the "trick" and rushed to his enemy's aid, snatching Snape back from almost certain death at great risk to himself. The rescue only increased the nastiness between the boys, as Dumbledore said something to keep Snape's mouth shut to allow Remus to stay in school.
That same year, James, Sirius, and Peter mastered the animagus ability to turn into a stag, dog, and rat (respectively).
And here comes James, straight out of his sixth year at Hogwarts. He's been playing on his House's Quidditch team as a Chaser. He's worked on the Marauders' Map with his mates (an intricate bit of magic that is a showcase of just how clever they are). He's hexed Snape, flirted with Lily Evans, and considers himself brilliant. He's wrapped up in his youth and the false sense of invincibility that gives him, fully unaware of the short life that waits for him after graduation. He knows about the dangers. He wants to join in the fight. But for now none of that is real, or physical, or now enough for him to really take in.
Personality:
There are two very distinct versions of James Potter that people are likely to hear about. One, is that he was something of a saint. Brilliant, young, and with a strong sense of justice. The other, is that he was an arrogant toerag of a wizard, with a nasty streak and an inflated view of himself.
Neither are really true. But this sort of crystallization of memories into sharp focal points is what happens when you die too young.
But while neither are true, they do both hold truth.
As we know that James joined up with the Order of the Phoenix later on, and we know how his friends felt on the subject, it's almost certain that James didn't hold to any of the pureblood prejudices. We can see from James' choice of House that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. When asked where he would go if he had the choice, he lifted an imaginary sword and declared, ""Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave of heart!" Like my dad." It's possible, therefore, that James inherited a sense of acceptance when it came to Muggleborns, Muggles, and Squibs from his parents. They very likely didn't look down on any of them in the same way that other Pureblood households tended to. They also must not have approved of the Dark Arts, as seen by James' views as a young child, and by the fact that they took in Sirius after his own parents disowned him for not falling into line with those pureblood ideals. James, doted on as he had been, must have adored his parents. He likely took their views of the Dark Arts and made them his own. He railed against the very idea of it so violently, that it set him up perfectly to build a rivalry with Severus Snape, a boy who he saw as an embodiment of that detestability. Or at the very least as a weak, obvious target deserving of his bullying.
Possibly building off of that doting, James seems to have developed a strong sense of worth that at times drifted too far into arrogance. Upon seeing flashbacks of his father, Harry's thoughts run along the lines that, "[...]his father had been every bit as arrogant as Snape had always told him." He was always a clever boy, as we hear on numerous occasions from sources such as McGonagall, and see proof of with the Marauders Map that would have been completed when James and his friends were still in school. This could have meant that knowledge came easily to James without much study. He was a natural in the classroom, a natural on a broomstick... life seems to have simply came easily to him. It's fair to assume that hard work wasn't something he needed in order to survive life and school -- it was simply a means to more advanced magics beyond his age. Or getting into situations that he should have been banned from getting near. Without the drag of struggling with school, he was able to apply himself to his interest, and therefore excelled even more. And, to his ego's delight, he wasn't the only one to find himself impressive: "And he's not... Everyone thinks... Big Quidditch hero--" - Snape, raging to Lily.
The problem with being clever and having a strong sense of self-worth is that those traits combined need an outlet. James wasn't one to be quietly brilliant (he probably always thought that was more Remus' game). He needed everyone to know exactly how wonderful he was. In the flashback where Harry sees his father and Sirius tormenting Snape, Harry notes that James seems to enjoy the attention he receives from Peter cheering him on every time he makes an impressive catch of the Snitch he nicked to toy about with. Beyond showing off with sports, James clearly had a sense of humor. In the short story where he and Sirius are chased by the police, he seemed to revel in being cheeky and making jokes about names. It might be that the steps involved in creating pranks (it's noted many times that he was a notorious troublemaker, much like the Weasley twins became later) to wage war on other students (and sometimes teachers) gave his mind something to do. Instead of spinning idly, the wheels in his brains could likely turn over a small idea until it became something of note. Something that would get James the attention he grew to crave during his younger years at school.
As an offshoot of that sense of humor, James was the sort to always find a way to make light of something. In his world, there was rarely anything that needed brooding over for long. Whereas Sirius was sometimes prone to sullen moods, James tended to be a bright candle -- always taking a more solemn occasion and turning it on its head. You've been cursed with lycanthropy since you were four? Brilliant. Did you know he'd always fancied having a werewolf for a best mate? Quick: he's always been dying to know -- is there any sort of food you've got a thing against? Vampires have the whole garlic nonsense sorted, so he's always assumed werewolves are allergic to, say, cat kibble... While it's not noted in canon exactly how he addressed the discovery of Remus' lycanthropy, it can be extrapolated that he took a positive route with it -- finding a way to join his friend for transformations, and then using it as a way to explore the grounds and learn more about Hogwarts than most other students.
Light as he could be, James always had his own darkness, as well. Power can do things to even the most conscientious adult. Popularity is just a form of power. With his mates always there to back him (or to at least not get in his way, as shown when Remus stares hard at his book while James and Sirius go about using a spell to dangle Snape by his ankles in front of a crowd), James was prone to be particularly nasty and foul to anyone who got in his way. Sometimes he would torment fellow students who had done nothing to him. In her rant about why she'll never go out with him, Lily calls him out for, "[...] walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can [...]". It seemed that, like the Weasley twins who praised the Marauders Map creators, no amount of detentions or lectures could ever fully get it through James' head that what they were doing was cruel. "What is it with her?" James is shown to wonder, after Lily's rant.
His parents were clearly kind, people, though. Despite James' failings, he was always a good person deep down. By sixth year he was already beginning to grow out of some of his nastier tendencies. He was still something of a smarmy git, but he started to stop cursing people for fun. More and more, his better qualities could shine through. In his sixth year, a struggle clearly took place between that darker side of James and the heroic, good person various members of the Order seem to remember. James may have begun to associate what he was doing to the sort of oppression that began to become more apparent as the first wizarding war truly began to get underway. It's likely James started to dislike that part of himself and worked to become more thoughtful -- more aware of his actions. It's almost impossible that he could have grown up as much as he is known to have later on without taking positive action. Once he made it to his seventh year, he grew up enough that he was made Head Boy. And Lily Evans, perhaps recognizing his growth as a person, began to go out with him. As a sixth year, though, James is still in a middling ground between Head Boy and the git who hexed people just because they existed. And could be used to entertain his best mate.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:
James is a wizard who is known to fight in the first wizarding war against Voldemort and his supporters. He is of an impressive enough caliber that Voldemort asked him to join his side early on, which James staunchly refused. Therefore, even as a teenager, James is a force to be reckoned with. He's particularly good at Transfiguration, and as he's nearing the end of his sixth year of Hogwarts, he's already worked on the intricate magic to begin making the Marauders Map, become an illegal animagus (allowing him to transform into a stag at will), and learned to work many of the spells the world of the Harry Potter series has to offer. He's noted to be naturally talented.
That natural talent leads into James Potter's biggest weaknesses -- namely overconfidence/taking things too lightly and arrogance.
James is sixteen and invincible in his mind. Even after he learns that he's fated to die, it's going to be difficult for him to fully absorb that fact and apply it to his current life. If there's trouble, it's very likely that James will either make a joke out of it or charge ahead, relying on his cleverness to help him save the day. This isn't going to work in every situation. He's missing an entire year of schooling, and everything about an alien planet will be... well... alien. He's going to be completely out of his element and still feeling like he's got the world going for him.
That arrogance is also going to be a weakness that will show up. Anyone who he doesn't see as being on the same level as him and his mates, he's likely to treat in a slightly patronizing fashion. He hasn't quite worked out how to be a team player yet. He's used to being in charge, after a sort. Popularity and Quidditch fame have done their work on him. James is starting to get over this weakness on his own, but it's going to take him time. For a while, Sirius is going to be the main one he'll listen to when it comes to toning the arrogance down -- if Sirius sees fit to pass along that instruction.
Inventory:
~ one wand: Mahogany, 11 inches, pliable
~ one Deathly Hallow: invisibility cloak
~ one pair of glasses: good for eyesight
~ one tie: Gryffindor colors
~ one shirt: standard, white, button-up, school uniform
~ one pair trousers: black , school uniform
~ one tattered quill: stuffed in a back pocket, color-changing ink, Charmed
Species/Race: Human/Wizard
Appearance: Hazel eyes, a nose slightly longer than Harry's, but messy black hair that sticks up in much the same way -- James is described in the books as being very similar to Harry in his Hogwarts years. A thin face and glasses. Hair that he purposely rumples to look as if he's just alighted from a broom.
I'll be using Kristopher Turner as my PB. He wears glasses amazingly.
Age: 16
S A M P L E S
Log Sample:
[ The first indication for James that something is wrong is picked up from the way Sirius bristles under his arm. James shoots him a questioning glance, then adjusts his stance to smoothly support his own weight as Sirius ducks away.
Something in him instinctively braces when he takes in the wordless ferocity in his friend's expression.
Well... Almost wordless. That look conveys a lot more than James wants to see.
He opens his mouth to protest against the possibility that he could ever forget anything related to Sirius. Even with time all mucked up -- he feels like he should intuitively know about anything they've ever done together. But then the blunt delivery of what his future holds fills his veins with ice. ]
Peter would never-- there's a mistake-- You-- [ James stops short before his protests can come close to implying that Sirius is lying.
Just as quickly as there was cold, now there's fire. It's a burning deep in his gut that sears away any fears regarding his fate and allows him to focus sharply on what he's been told. He automatically clenches his hands into fists as he processes a future he never imagined for himself.
Almost like a defense mechanism taking control, his thoughts flee from Peter's betrayal and circle back to focus on Voldemort. James has never made it a secret where he stands regarding the Dark Arts, but it seems mental to think at sixteen that Voldemort will come to personally off him.
His last chance to find a way out of accepting everything about what's happening lies with Remus. But he's doing that thing of his. The carefully neutral expression that James has come to define as everything is on fire, but if it doesn't show on my face we can pretend it's fine. Even when they all know it's not.
It's hard to keep up that last scrap of denial with both of his mates confirming every fact with their body language. Something in him prickles at how bollocks everything is. But, finally, he's got just one question. His expression is somewhat strained as he asks, like he's still unsure which emotion to go with at the news. Even now he doesn't want to believe it. ]
Why?
[ Peter is... was... is? One of his best mates. A Gryffindor. ]
I'd die before I gave him up.
[ And there's the affront that at last solidifies into a statement. It's fact. Even if the situation has never come up for him before, James knows he wouldn't hesitate to die to save someone. ]
Comms Sample:
[ It doesn't take nearly as long as it should for James to be on the makeshift network. Sirius has, it seems, briefed him on all there is to know where the Muggle wirings are concerned. At the very least, he feels like he texts like a champ (never minding those botched attempts and half-typed replies that have been sent to unintended recipients the first few days of this week).
Today, James' grinning face takes up the screen as he activates the video. He's likely a touch too cheerful for the situation. Forgive him that. ]
Oi, you lot. I know there's the gloom and doom about how we're never going to have Christmas pudding ever again, but you're in luck today. In case you haven't been made properly aware -- which, as an aside, I'll blame on Remus if it's so -- my mates and I happen to be utterly brilliant. Above and beyond anything you could ever hope for.
[ He brushes a bit of dirt from the shoulder of his robes, drawing out the moment before allowing himself a smirk. ]
It's been survive this or that since I arrived. Only now we're come across what we're going to decide are baby dragons. We think we've worked out how to magic them to breathe fire. The spells a bit tetchy, but we'll have it worked out by tonight.
Therefore tonight we're going to see how they do after an Engorgio charm.
[ He looks pleased with himself. And expectant. Go on, then. Tell him what a great idea this is. ]
Your Name: Jade
OOC Journal: N/A
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: Nope
Email + IM: On file
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Tadashi Hamada, Ailanne Rei
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: James Potter
Canon: Harry Potter and the ______
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Near the end of his sixth year at Hogwarts.
Setting: The world of Harry Potter is mostly set in various bits of Europe. It's a world of schools for magic -- a place where mythical beasts are reality. There are dragons about, though there are general attempts to keep them to reserves. Unicorns can be found in the woods if you know where to look. Goblins run banks, werewolves prowl during the full moons, and centaurs read the stars. All of this is, of course, kept from your average Joe. The witches and wizards of this world adhere to a strict policy -- the International Statute of Secrecy. They call those without magic "Muggles" and keep magic from them for several reasons. One, there's a fear that Muggles would demand magical solutions to all of their problems, which the average witch or wizard really doesn't want to be bothered with. Second, people tend to fear those things which they don't understand... which has never ended well.
It's best for everyone involved to keep the worlds separate. And so, separate they stay. Much as magic is kept from the Muggles by virtue of wizards and witches tending to live in their own villages apart from the general Muggle population, Muggle technology is kept from their magical brethren by a general lack on integration. James is from a wizarding family, and generally looks at Muggle things as amusing oddities. Almost anything that vacuums or electric stoves can do, his family can accomplish quickly and easily with a flick of a wand and a few choice magic words. There's no need for a torch when you can mutter lumos and never worry about dead batteries, after all. Therefore the lion's share of those living in the wizarding world seem to be operating under conditions most Muggles would think of as archaic. Fireplaces in place of heaters. Floating candles for mass lighting.
Extrapolate from there. Wizards have their own fashion (a great deal of robes and cloaks are involved), jargon, and history. All of it evolving separate from the rest of the world it's a part of.
History:
James Potter was something of a surprise -- a happy one -- to his elderly parents. As the only child of the family, James found himself doted upon. Very rarely could he do any wrong in their eyes. By the time he was ready for his first year of Hogwarts, he was already in possession of a fair bit of self-confidence and some overinflated views of himself. During the time right before that fateful first ride to Hogwarts, things were changing for the darker in wizarding the world. His parents didn't stand in line with the pureblood views that they'd all be better off if Muggles and their sort were wiped out. These views trickled into James' consciousness and shaped the way his life would play out for the next ten years.
But first.... Hogwarts! James made fast friends with a young boy by the name of Sirius Black, and was beyond excited when the other boy was Sorted into the same House as him at Hogwarts -- Gryffindor. From that point onward, Sirius became James' best friend and confidant. It became increasingly rare to see one without the other. They fed off of one another's energy, egging each other on to go for increasingly ridiculous pranks and other miscellaneous bits of trouble. Luckily, the two of them made friends with Remus Lupin -- a slightly more serious student, who then enabled the drawing in of the timid Peter Pettigrew to finish off their little group.
Second year was much the same as the first, with one large discovery to set it apart. There were the usual pranks: detentions spent together with the boys basking in the popularity their charismatic personalities brought them. The same charisma that, paired with their reckless disregard for the rules, left them feeling like they ran the school. Their animosity toward Severus Snape -- a Slytherin boy in their same year grew alongside their popularity. All in all, everything seemed to be going well for them despite the ugly rumors that floated in by owl past the safe walls of Hogwarts. Aside from one thing.
Remus Lupin was always sick. Or his mother was sick. Once, it was his third cousin (twice removed, of course). James was, despite his overinflated ego, a clever boy. Sirius was also quite brilliant. Between the two of them (and Peter's tagalong encouragements), they finally sorted out the truth behind the matter to discover their friend's lyncanthropy. Somehow, the other boy seemed to expect that James and his other mates would abandon him there, but not so. Likely more excited than they should have been that one of their best friends was a werewolf, the boys hatched a plan to transform themselves into animals. A tricky bit of magic that would make the three sans Lupin into animagus.
Life progressed on after that. James started to fall for the pretty redhead, Lily Evans. He became insufferable where she was concerned. This only seemed to add more fuel to the fire that was his hatred of Severus Snape, who had the unfortunate pleasure of being the best friend to James' object of affection. By the time they all hit their fifth year, James and Sirius had developed the habit of cursing students for fun -- especially those who made it onto their shit list. The constant insults and bad feelings eventually culminated in Sirius letting Snape know the secret to getting past the Whomping Willow. The lethal tree was the guardian of the tunnel Remus retreated down every full moon to transform safely into a werewolf. James found out at the last moment about the "trick" and rushed to his enemy's aid, snatching Snape back from almost certain death at great risk to himself. The rescue only increased the nastiness between the boys, as Dumbledore said something to keep Snape's mouth shut to allow Remus to stay in school.
That same year, James, Sirius, and Peter mastered the animagus ability to turn into a stag, dog, and rat (respectively).
And here comes James, straight out of his sixth year at Hogwarts. He's been playing on his House's Quidditch team as a Chaser. He's worked on the Marauders' Map with his mates (an intricate bit of magic that is a showcase of just how clever they are). He's hexed Snape, flirted with Lily Evans, and considers himself brilliant. He's wrapped up in his youth and the false sense of invincibility that gives him, fully unaware of the short life that waits for him after graduation. He knows about the dangers. He wants to join in the fight. But for now none of that is real, or physical, or now enough for him to really take in.
Personality:
There are two very distinct versions of James Potter that people are likely to hear about. One, is that he was something of a saint. Brilliant, young, and with a strong sense of justice. The other, is that he was an arrogant toerag of a wizard, with a nasty streak and an inflated view of himself.
Neither are really true. But this sort of crystallization of memories into sharp focal points is what happens when you die too young.
But while neither are true, they do both hold truth.
As we know that James joined up with the Order of the Phoenix later on, and we know how his friends felt on the subject, it's almost certain that James didn't hold to any of the pureblood prejudices. We can see from James' choice of House that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. When asked where he would go if he had the choice, he lifted an imaginary sword and declared, ""Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave of heart!" Like my dad." It's possible, therefore, that James inherited a sense of acceptance when it came to Muggleborns, Muggles, and Squibs from his parents. They very likely didn't look down on any of them in the same way that other Pureblood households tended to. They also must not have approved of the Dark Arts, as seen by James' views as a young child, and by the fact that they took in Sirius after his own parents disowned him for not falling into line with those pureblood ideals. James, doted on as he had been, must have adored his parents. He likely took their views of the Dark Arts and made them his own. He railed against the very idea of it so violently, that it set him up perfectly to build a rivalry with Severus Snape, a boy who he saw as an embodiment of that detestability. Or at the very least as a weak, obvious target deserving of his bullying.
Possibly building off of that doting, James seems to have developed a strong sense of worth that at times drifted too far into arrogance. Upon seeing flashbacks of his father, Harry's thoughts run along the lines that, "[...]his father had been every bit as arrogant as Snape had always told him." He was always a clever boy, as we hear on numerous occasions from sources such as McGonagall, and see proof of with the Marauders Map that would have been completed when James and his friends were still in school. This could have meant that knowledge came easily to James without much study. He was a natural in the classroom, a natural on a broomstick... life seems to have simply came easily to him. It's fair to assume that hard work wasn't something he needed in order to survive life and school -- it was simply a means to more advanced magics beyond his age. Or getting into situations that he should have been banned from getting near. Without the drag of struggling with school, he was able to apply himself to his interest, and therefore excelled even more. And, to his ego's delight, he wasn't the only one to find himself impressive: "And he's not... Everyone thinks... Big Quidditch hero--" - Snape, raging to Lily.
The problem with being clever and having a strong sense of self-worth is that those traits combined need an outlet. James wasn't one to be quietly brilliant (he probably always thought that was more Remus' game). He needed everyone to know exactly how wonderful he was. In the flashback where Harry sees his father and Sirius tormenting Snape, Harry notes that James seems to enjoy the attention he receives from Peter cheering him on every time he makes an impressive catch of the Snitch he nicked to toy about with. Beyond showing off with sports, James clearly had a sense of humor. In the short story where he and Sirius are chased by the police, he seemed to revel in being cheeky and making jokes about names. It might be that the steps involved in creating pranks (it's noted many times that he was a notorious troublemaker, much like the Weasley twins became later) to wage war on other students (and sometimes teachers) gave his mind something to do. Instead of spinning idly, the wheels in his brains could likely turn over a small idea until it became something of note. Something that would get James the attention he grew to crave during his younger years at school.
As an offshoot of that sense of humor, James was the sort to always find a way to make light of something. In his world, there was rarely anything that needed brooding over for long. Whereas Sirius was sometimes prone to sullen moods, James tended to be a bright candle -- always taking a more solemn occasion and turning it on its head. You've been cursed with lycanthropy since you were four? Brilliant. Did you know he'd always fancied having a werewolf for a best mate? Quick: he's always been dying to know -- is there any sort of food you've got a thing against? Vampires have the whole garlic nonsense sorted, so he's always assumed werewolves are allergic to, say, cat kibble... While it's not noted in canon exactly how he addressed the discovery of Remus' lycanthropy, it can be extrapolated that he took a positive route with it -- finding a way to join his friend for transformations, and then using it as a way to explore the grounds and learn more about Hogwarts than most other students.
Light as he could be, James always had his own darkness, as well. Power can do things to even the most conscientious adult. Popularity is just a form of power. With his mates always there to back him (or to at least not get in his way, as shown when Remus stares hard at his book while James and Sirius go about using a spell to dangle Snape by his ankles in front of a crowd), James was prone to be particularly nasty and foul to anyone who got in his way. Sometimes he would torment fellow students who had done nothing to him. In her rant about why she'll never go out with him, Lily calls him out for, "[...] walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can [...]". It seemed that, like the Weasley twins who praised the Marauders Map creators, no amount of detentions or lectures could ever fully get it through James' head that what they were doing was cruel. "What is it with her?" James is shown to wonder, after Lily's rant.
His parents were clearly kind, people, though. Despite James' failings, he was always a good person deep down. By sixth year he was already beginning to grow out of some of his nastier tendencies. He was still something of a smarmy git, but he started to stop cursing people for fun. More and more, his better qualities could shine through. In his sixth year, a struggle clearly took place between that darker side of James and the heroic, good person various members of the Order seem to remember. James may have begun to associate what he was doing to the sort of oppression that began to become more apparent as the first wizarding war truly began to get underway. It's likely James started to dislike that part of himself and worked to become more thoughtful -- more aware of his actions. It's almost impossible that he could have grown up as much as he is known to have later on without taking positive action. Once he made it to his seventh year, he grew up enough that he was made Head Boy. And Lily Evans, perhaps recognizing his growth as a person, began to go out with him. As a sixth year, though, James is still in a middling ground between Head Boy and the git who hexed people just because they existed. And could be used to entertain his best mate.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:
James is a wizard who is known to fight in the first wizarding war against Voldemort and his supporters. He is of an impressive enough caliber that Voldemort asked him to join his side early on, which James staunchly refused. Therefore, even as a teenager, James is a force to be reckoned with. He's particularly good at Transfiguration, and as he's nearing the end of his sixth year of Hogwarts, he's already worked on the intricate magic to begin making the Marauders Map, become an illegal animagus (allowing him to transform into a stag at will), and learned to work many of the spells the world of the Harry Potter series has to offer. He's noted to be naturally talented.
That natural talent leads into James Potter's biggest weaknesses -- namely overconfidence/taking things too lightly and arrogance.
James is sixteen and invincible in his mind. Even after he learns that he's fated to die, it's going to be difficult for him to fully absorb that fact and apply it to his current life. If there's trouble, it's very likely that James will either make a joke out of it or charge ahead, relying on his cleverness to help him save the day. This isn't going to work in every situation. He's missing an entire year of schooling, and everything about an alien planet will be... well... alien. He's going to be completely out of his element and still feeling like he's got the world going for him.
That arrogance is also going to be a weakness that will show up. Anyone who he doesn't see as being on the same level as him and his mates, he's likely to treat in a slightly patronizing fashion. He hasn't quite worked out how to be a team player yet. He's used to being in charge, after a sort. Popularity and Quidditch fame have done their work on him. James is starting to get over this weakness on his own, but it's going to take him time. For a while, Sirius is going to be the main one he'll listen to when it comes to toning the arrogance down -- if Sirius sees fit to pass along that instruction.
Inventory:
~ one wand: Mahogany, 11 inches, pliable
~ one Deathly Hallow: invisibility cloak
~ one pair of glasses: good for eyesight
~ one tie: Gryffindor colors
~ one shirt: standard, white, button-up, school uniform
~ one pair trousers: black , school uniform
~ one tattered quill: stuffed in a back pocket, color-changing ink, Charmed
Species/Race: Human/Wizard
Appearance: Hazel eyes, a nose slightly longer than Harry's, but messy black hair that sticks up in much the same way -- James is described in the books as being very similar to Harry in his Hogwarts years. A thin face and glasses. Hair that he purposely rumples to look as if he's just alighted from a broom.
I'll be using Kristopher Turner as my PB. He wears glasses amazingly.
Age: 16
S A M P L E S
Log Sample:
[ The first indication for James that something is wrong is picked up from the way Sirius bristles under his arm. James shoots him a questioning glance, then adjusts his stance to smoothly support his own weight as Sirius ducks away.
Something in him instinctively braces when he takes in the wordless ferocity in his friend's expression.
Well... Almost wordless. That look conveys a lot more than James wants to see.
He opens his mouth to protest against the possibility that he could ever forget anything related to Sirius. Even with time all mucked up -- he feels like he should intuitively know about anything they've ever done together. But then the blunt delivery of what his future holds fills his veins with ice. ]
Peter would never-- there's a mistake-- You-- [ James stops short before his protests can come close to implying that Sirius is lying.
Just as quickly as there was cold, now there's fire. It's a burning deep in his gut that sears away any fears regarding his fate and allows him to focus sharply on what he's been told. He automatically clenches his hands into fists as he processes a future he never imagined for himself.
Almost like a defense mechanism taking control, his thoughts flee from Peter's betrayal and circle back to focus on Voldemort. James has never made it a secret where he stands regarding the Dark Arts, but it seems mental to think at sixteen that Voldemort will come to personally off him.
His last chance to find a way out of accepting everything about what's happening lies with Remus. But he's doing that thing of his. The carefully neutral expression that James has come to define as everything is on fire, but if it doesn't show on my face we can pretend it's fine. Even when they all know it's not.
It's hard to keep up that last scrap of denial with both of his mates confirming every fact with their body language. Something in him prickles at how bollocks everything is. But, finally, he's got just one question. His expression is somewhat strained as he asks, like he's still unsure which emotion to go with at the news. Even now he doesn't want to believe it. ]
Why?
[ Peter is... was... is? One of his best mates. A Gryffindor. ]
I'd die before I gave him up.
[ And there's the affront that at last solidifies into a statement. It's fact. Even if the situation has never come up for him before, James knows he wouldn't hesitate to die to save someone. ]
Comms Sample:
[ It doesn't take nearly as long as it should for James to be on the makeshift network. Sirius has, it seems, briefed him on all there is to know where the Muggle wirings are concerned. At the very least, he feels like he texts like a champ (never minding those botched attempts and half-typed replies that have been sent to unintended recipients the first few days of this week).
Today, James' grinning face takes up the screen as he activates the video. He's likely a touch too cheerful for the situation. Forgive him that. ]
Oi, you lot. I know there's the gloom and doom about how we're never going to have Christmas pudding ever again, but you're in luck today. In case you haven't been made properly aware -- which, as an aside, I'll blame on Remus if it's so -- my mates and I happen to be utterly brilliant. Above and beyond anything you could ever hope for.
[ He brushes a bit of dirt from the shoulder of his robes, drawing out the moment before allowing himself a smirk. ]
It's been survive this or that since I arrived. Only now we're come across what we're going to decide are baby dragons. We think we've worked out how to magic them to breathe fire. The spells a bit tetchy, but we'll have it worked out by tonight.
Therefore tonight we're going to see how they do after an Engorgio charm.
[ He looks pleased with himself. And expectant. Go on, then. Tell him what a great idea this is. ]
