#redeemed sirius

[rewritingcanon]

What would you say are your more controversial opinions about the hp characters?

ohhhh okayyy. i feel like my opinions on a lot of the characters aren’t controversial because i dont feel super strongly towards anyone in any negative light but here are some i could think of at the top of my head:

i’m glad the malfoys faced more extreme backlash after the second wizarding war. a lot of people in the fandom seem to be very sympathetic towards draco and scorpius for getting dogpiled with the brunt of it (which yeah, it sucks, especially for scorpius) but the prejudice makes complete make sense to me. if i was someone who didn’t know scorpius’ character, and had someone from my family get killed in the second war due to death eaters or something— seeing the malfoys still be wealthy and walk around freely without any jailtime, i would be bitter too. they’re hated on but they’re still one of the richest families ever, so they’ll live LOL

another anon has asked about this and i haven’t responded to them yet but when i do i will link it here for my reasons. basically: the best character in the cursed child is harry potter. i think the way they wrote his character and ptsd carried the play. it was def his story, not albus’.

i do think dumbledore has some aspects of him that may be considered morally gray, but mostly i dont think he is. he does everything for the good of the world, and his complete selflessness leads him to sacrifice anything for it— even himself and the people he loves, when necessary. i completely understand why people wouldn’t agree with his methods though.

james potter isn’t a sunshine character he’s a dickhead. fans of him made him a golden retriever character to be more palatable for modern times. i like him the way he is: an asshole and then less of an asshole 👍 this is what true stanning looks like

pansy parkinson is racist and out of all the female side characters, developing HER is so questionable from fandom

harry had questionable descriptions about a lot of male characters to make people think he could be a little 🏳️‍🌈 there was bill, there was sirius, there was cedric. but draco is not a part of that list. harry was not feeling draco whatsoever throughout the series but drarry shippers cling to that one ‘obsessed’ line

furthermore, harry rejecting draco’s offer of friendship wasn’t a sad or a ‘what if’ scene. draco was being a classist piece of shit and harry didnt want to fuck with that, there isnt any way in any timeline he wouldve accepted draco’s friendship.

slytherin sucks just generally lol. people want so bad to pluck anti-heroes out of a series that was written specifically with the mind to make all the characters suck.

hermione and ron’s drama isn’t as toxic as people make it out to be. yes, this includes the time hermione sent birds after him. people act like its the end of the world but she was tackling puberty and the end of society soooo i give her a pass to tweak out.

mostly every harry potter character has horrific names. like literally mostly everyone. even the name harry potter 🙁

movie romione wasn’t that bad LOL

severus snape’s ‘redemption’ or whatever was so ass. he bullies kids for five years and then everything is chill because… true love? on harry’s mum? are you kidding me 💀

weasley family angst goes hard but people (especially percy stans and some ron&ginny stans) acting like they’re the most toxic family to walk the earth make me want to rip my hair out and eat it. molly loves her kids guys shes not evil. jesus.

genuinely trying to think of more but i can’t right now…. maybe i will reblog and add to it. i feel like most of my opinions aren’t that controversial though 😭

[hbpseverus]

okay, one thing about james. he is the only marauder (casting peter aside) who i just can't forgive. i like remus, and while i dislike sirius i can at least appreciate his strenghts and his good sides. but i can't forgive james for the swm incident and many people seem to have trouble understanding why this isolated event ruins his entire character. because i am willing to believe that he worked on himself and became a better person after hogwarts (mainly because i don't think lily would have ever married him otherwise). i completely believe that even at hogwarts, he was considered a likable person by many. that he was fun to be around and friendly to most. that he wasn't all bad or only a bully.

but here's the thing. there are things you only have to do once to be irredeemable, and what happened in snapes worst memory, to me, is one of those things. i do not care if james was an amazing person outside of this one incident. and i understand that everyone has different morals and that other people can forgive james - or not forgive severus. unlike james, severus got a chance to redeem himself and he took it. he was still a bully, but here's where my personal perception comes into play again. i had many awful teachers who were bullies and i know how much it sucks (in my country, teachers are insanely hard to get fired, meaning they truly can get away with almost anything including obvious discrimination). i can't justify his mistreatment of students, but to me his good sides outweigh it, so i can forgive and like him despite this flaw while others can not which is valid too. but sexual harassment is not something i can forgive no matter the circumstances or the person who did it. i would feel the same way if the roles had been reversed and james had been the victim - i wouldn't be a snape stan. ultimately we all have our own individual morals that play into how we perceive these complex characters.

tldr: it doesn't matter to me if james was a balanced character and a good person outside of swm because committing sexual harassment 'just once' is still one time too many and makes anyone permanently irredeemable in my eyes

[redr0sewrites]

i would talk about harry potter on here but no one agrees with my headcanons i fear

[starchaserdreams]

It's been bugging me for a long time that the Black family all have these incredible astronomy names, all except Narcissa.

I figured out why, finally, and I'm gonna die mad about it.

Rowling didn't decide to do it until halfway through the series. It looks like this beautiful, thoughtful idea, but she didn't think of it before she introduced Narcissa.

I would bet money that this is how it went down:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Names Sirius at the very beginning, in chapter one. "Sirius" is a great, strong name... But it's nothing more than that.

2. HP2/HP3: Doesn't think any more about it

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Names Draco's parents

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Needs names for the whole Black family, most of whom were ever mentioned by name before. Oh WAIT! Sirius is a great astronomy name! What if I named them all that way, that'd be so cool! *Checks notes* oh whoops, I named one of the cousins "Narcissa" in the last book and that doesn't work. .......Y'know what? Who cares if one is messed up, I'll just do the rest of them that way. It won't be a big deal.

............That is so fucking annoying. The *only* solid thing she ever did, and it was a half assed afterthought.

[hasturlover]

Hc: James is the one who did parenting stuff the most between him, Lily, and Regulus.

Lily overspoiling harry and James fucking knows what's the consequences of granting every wish to the only child (james definitely didnt want harry to be like him in his teenage years and what i mean is being an arrogant who picks figts with everyone he dislikes).

Meanwhile, Regulus who got raised by Sirius and other Black cousins has no clue of danger or not so Regulus always ended up giving Harry the knife or let him too close to the stove. Harry 3yo would ask if he could take a sharp scissors and regulus just shrugs, of course you can sweetie (and that's why reg is his favorite in circumstances, and by circumstances i mean dangerous stuff)

[impishtubist]

Shoutout to the handful of writers who can write a Remus who is actually worthy of Sirius, you’re doing the lord’s work.

[jadescornerofinternetinsanity]

Just encountered the babygirlification of Orion Black first hand and i- I really thought that was some kind of joke 😭

Like maybe I'm a hypocrite BC I adore Regulus and tolerate Barty and Evan, but the established fanon for Orion is literally that he was either actively abusive or passively allowed wallbitch to be abusive. Like that is inescapably The Lore (tm). Idc I am *so* here for morally grey characters and ethical complexity and nuance, but trying to make out an abusive parent as redeemable. I just. I can't fuck with that. I cannot.

[astrophysicistnotastronaut]

So I was watching POA for the first time since becoming heavily invested in the marauders fandom and WHY DOES EVERYTHING HIT SO MUCH HARDER. 

like, I am GUTTED for Sirius, the entire movie I felt like crying because of the realisation that he spent his whole life trying to prove to the world that he was different to his family, better than his family, and just when he finally managed to get people to see past his name it all got destroyed. And that is so utterly devastating because people were so quick to believe that he was just like them. All that work just completely unraveled and basically his worst fear had come true??? it is so depressing I genuinely cannot. 

[solis-angelus]

FIC PROMPT/IDEA (very basic)

When Sirius falls into the veil, Harry loses his lungs. Bellatrix goggles at the fabric, an expression of pure disbelief written on her face, as if questioning the fabric to confirm her cousin dearest's demise, utterly absorbed in its caresses that she becomes blissfully unaware of her surroundings, as if under an Imperius. So much so that when Harry hurls her with a crucio right there in the middle of a suddenly paused battle, she goes down without complaint. The curse fizzles out after a moment though.

—

When Sirius falls into the veil, Remus goes blind. Still, he grabs onto Harry's thin shirt by the hem and manages to grip his arm when the boy seems to be making a run for the archway after his Godfather. Harry's sudden maneuver when he twists his wand to land on Bellatrix, catches him off-balance and in his physical and magical exhaustion (it had been a full moon the night before), he goes down in a pile of ragged robes and clacking wand wood.

The quiet doesn't last long enough.

—

When Sirius falls into the veil, he doesn't fall to the ground on the other side. Rather, he tumbles sideways straight into someone's open arms and has a moment to register the almost forgotten familiar skin before being abruptly pushed back out. It seems someone pushed both him and his hugger-captor out of the whatever-white-grey-place that was and now they were stumbling back and Sirius is fairly sure he's going to fall on his face this time around (much more embarrassing and much more painful, no question).

Instead of making a fool of himself, as was intended surely, he careens right into someone when some other someone in motion crashes with his side. The person he crashes into is none other than Bellatrix because of course it is. The person behind him seems to have had better luck, it seems, as there is no additional weight from behind pushing him further into cousin dearest.

Said cousin, who had just made to stand up from some sort of half kneel-half bow position and in his crashing Sirius had launched his knee to her forehead and knocked her out. Great.

He doesn't register the chaos moments away from unfolding as a voice he hasn't heard in over a decade and half, speaks out.

—

“What are you doing on the floor?”

Remus hears the words. Yes, he does but he's too tired to tell his tormentor to call it off. They need to bugger the fuck off and leave him to his very-disappointing afterlife in-between.

—

Sirius turns. He's seeing double, his brain very helpfully informs him. The hazel eyes he's burning holes into finally looks up to him after abandoning his long stare at the lying face flat Marauder. He distantly imagines he'd be treated with the same fanfare if not more had he actually gone through with the painful fall on his face. James' lips quirk up. His eyes crinkle. “H—"

—

Harry vaguely notes Sirius accidentally knocking out Bellatrix. (Good riddance. He thinks viciously even though he's 90% sure the spell she launched was red and not- some other colour- green ). A stunner. He cannot believe the burnt-into-his-retina image, but oh well.

But then he comes face to face with a mirror of himself. With hazel eyes. Instinctively, Harry lifts his wand, no spell or magic, nothing in mind. (It seems he underwent the Imperious thing that came over Bellatrix a minute ago, bliss utter bliss, empty mind).

The eyes widen, “H-”

the figure topples over. Petrificus totalus taking it's perfect effect, Moody steps up the dias. And promptly casts the same spell a dozen or so times it seems, taking Bellatrix out first (not that there was much to take out at the moment), following close with Lucius (who for some bizarre reason, had gone still as a statue, thus not getting any more statue-like as he simply falls forward. Harry hopes the nose breaks.) Moody misses the third and fourth times with the respective Death Eaters (Harry has to guess by the scuffle and apparition pops, apparently they can do that inside the chamber. What a joke of magical security.) In hindsight, the wards must have already broken during the battle. The other Order members get most of them, he thinks, not turning back to look. Moody finishes up with Sirius, for good measure, it seems, judging by the satisfaction in the auror's jaded eyes. (The ministry needs to be urgently convinced of Sirius’ innocence, he briefly registers)

—

Hermione is lying in the hospital bed next to him. The curtains on the bed left of him are drawn, he numbly guesses it's Ron.

—

I need your opinion on how to pursue this. Give me future plots, any character you'd like given focus/have any quality, give me anything I'll accept it for thinking through. Please.

I literally have no idea about any plot. None. It's the imperius bliss ~no thoughts head empty~ for me.

[yandere-writer-momo]

Yandere Short Stories:

Play Pretend

Yandere Past Stalker x Fem Reader

TW: unsettling themes, manipulation, stalking (mentioned), yandere behavior, and drugging

Sizzle. Snap. Pop.

The sounds of eggs frying on a pan filled (your name)’s ears while she sat at the mahogany kitchen table. No matter how many times her husband made her breakfast, she couldn’t quite get used to it… (your name) couldn’t help but feel as if there was something horribly amiss.

A little voice often cried in the corners of her mind that this beautiful man was not her husband. That he was an imposter. Yet she couldn’t understand the voice… this man had to be her husband!

Desiderio was there by her side the moment she opened her eyes when she woke up from her coma. She recalled how his large hands held hers while fat tears rolled down his cheeks. That man clung to her like a lifeline, his lips fervently pressed against the top of her head the moment her eyes fluttered open.

And here she was today! In their house that still felt foreign to her despite the two months that had rolled by… a foreign home with no tv nor a radio. A home full of books, plants, and even six photo albums of her. Yet there weren’t many pictures of the two of them together... Desiderio was an incredibly passionate man when it came to her. (Your name) had no doubt this man worshipped the ground she walked on.

(Your name) jumped when a neatly prepared plate was placed in front of her. Desiderio’s chocolate eyes scanned her face with a frown before he smiled brightly.

“Cara mia, you’re lost in thought again.” Desiderio took a seat beside her, large hand now wrapped around hers. His dark eyes filled with concern. “You’ll get a headache if you think too hard about everything… how about you try some eggs? I prepared them just the way you like them!”

(Your name) smiled at her husband who gently pushed the plate closer to her. “Aren’t you going to eat too, darling?”

The large man shivered at the nickname, a dark blush now on his cheeks. “Yes… but I worry more about you. You’re still so weak.”

Desiderio pressed a kiss on the top of her head before he made his way over to fetch himself a plate.

(Your name) raised a brow at the slightly unsavory taste of the eggs. How odd… had her husband used a new kind of seasoning?

(Your name) continued to much away, blissfully unaware of the twisted smile on Desidedio’s face. The brunette’s hands shook as he tried to keep his breathing calm.

Desiderio had loved this beautiful woman since university nearly a decade ago. He knew they were destined to be together from a single glance and Desiderio would have done anything to make sure that happened…

(Your name) was like a fairy tale princess who was kind to everyone, even someone like him. Desiderio was a loser back then. A nerd with little social skills and a scrawny body, he was half the man his brother was… all his life he was compared to his perfect brother. All because he wasn’t athletic.

Desiderio always yearned for (your name) and her affection. It wasn’t fair that his older brother was the one who swooped her up. His cold, neglectful brother who had the emotional capacity of a rock.

It wasn’t fair! Sirius knew Desiderio loved (your name)! Sirius had everything growing up. The family business, the looks, the love of their parents, the money, everything. So why did Sirius get the girl too?

What could (your name) possibly see in Sirius? Sirius was dull and uninteresting, he was only handsome and the heir to a multi-generational company. He had no other redeeming traits! Desiderio was far more romantic and he always left her loving notes in the locker! Was his heartfelt emotion not enough for (your name)?

Desiderio went into a deep depression when the love of his life married Sirius. He threw himself into medical school and painstakingly climbed up the ladder until he made it to the position of medical director. Desiderio worked out until sweat would puddle at his feet, he grew out his black hair, and he became a beloved member of society to try to forget (your name).

It was pure luck (your name) had gotten hit by that car and ended up in a coma at his hospital. It was destiny that her workaholic husband ignored the frantic calls of the nurses and that he only left his last name down as her emergency contact. It was simply too easy to slip his fingers into the sweet honey pot he had always wanted…

And it was even better that she had amnesia. Now Desiderio could mold her in the way that was always intended… as his wife. There would never be a day where she’d feel unloved or neglected. She’d be pampered and endlessly doted on like the princess she was!

(Your name) let out a cute yawn as she stretched her arms above her head. The sweet sight snapped Desiderio from his musings. Goodness she was so precious… and she was all his.

Desiderio slithered forward to wrap his arms around her shoulders with a smirk.

“Cara mia, it seems you’re still sleepy. How about I carry you back to bed?” Desiderio pressed a tender kiss to her temple. The softest of smiles on his plump lips. “We can lay on each other’s arms for a while longer.”

“You’re always so sweet…” (your name) nuzzled her head into Desiderio’s shoulder as the man gave her a bright smile. “I don’t know where I’d be without my darling husband.”

“You’d just be cold and lonely.” Desiderio would play pretend until the very end.

[moonstruckme]

Could you please write an emt!marauders drabble with their girlfriend who is blind or that has temporarily lost her sight and them helping her move around the house because she often bumps into furniture and things like that. Just something fluffy with blind!reader pretty please??🥺

Thanks for requesting!

emt!marauders x visually impaired!reader ♡ 527 words

James comes home to find all the furniture in the wrong place and his two boyfriends fretting over your ankle. 

He drops his gym bag by the door, looking around bewilderedly. “Has there been a tornado I didn’t hear about?” 

“No,” Remus says, pressing gently around the circumference of your ankle with his fingers, “only Sirius.” 

“He wanted to rearrange the furniture,” you clarify. 

“Oh.” James nods slowly. “Why?” 

“Because variety is the spice of life, James,” Sirius snipes, no small amount of defensiveness in his tone. It earns him a weary look from Remus, and he quiets, taking your hand apologetically. “And also because I wasn’t expecting you back inside yet, dollface.” 

“It’s fine.” You cast a little smile in his direction. Then, wavering, “It is fine, isn’t it?” 

“I think so.” Remus sets your foot down. It’s promptly picked back up by Sirius, who presses a firm kiss to your ankle. “I think it’s only twisted, not sprained.” 

“I’ll get some ice,” Sirius volunteers. He hops up, eager to redeem himself. 

“So,” says James, sitting down on the edge of the couch, “what exactly happened?” 

Remus gives him an apologetic look. “The two of us were out back in the garden, when I guess Sirius was in here executing his home makeover. We came in for something to drink, and she went ahead of me and tripped over the coffee table because it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Twisted her ankle a bit.” 

“Oh, poor lovie.” James leans down to kiss the top of your head. “If I make you a pillow tower, will you elevate your foot on it?” 

You hum, shrugging. “Sure.” James sets to work. 

“Found some peas for my sweetpea,” Sirius announces himself. He laughs when you and Remus groan. 

“I promise I’m not upset with you,” you say as he touches your ankle, a silent warning before setting the frozen peas on it, “but if you ever call me that again, you’ll wake up the next morning and all my things will be gone.” 

“I sort of like it,” James admits.

“Thank you, Jamie.” Sirius rewards him with a grin. James leans over to kiss his cheek. He gives his boyfriend’s face a tiny, affectionate squeeze, knowing what he puts himself through when he thinks he’s hurt someone he loves. Sirius is all levity, though, as he accepts the kiss smugly. “See, someone around here has some taste.” 

“Don’t think that means he’s going to help you rearrange the living room,” Remus warns. “You’re going to put this all back so it’s navigable again.” 

“Suppose that means I should go,” you say, starting to push up off the couch. 

Three pairs of hands move to stop you. 

“No, you’ve only just started icing your ankle,” Sirius chides. “Let it rest for a while before you go back out.” 

“Yeah,” James agrees. “Give us about twenty minutes of rest, and then I’ll help you find your way out of this labyrinth, okay?” He gives the layout of the furniture a long, critical look to tease Sirius. “No way you’re getting through this mess on your own. It’s complete madness.”

[iamnmbr3]

Snape puts them all on stretchers - even Sirius. Despite all the reasons he has to hate Sirius - the bullying he suffered at his hands as a child, the time Sirius almost got him killed, the fact that Sirius has just stated he doesn’t regret that incident, the fact that at this point Snape believes that Sirius was responsible for Lily’s death - he still treats him with dignity and care (which also contrasts sharply with the disregard Sirius showed Snape when he was unconscious.)

And despite all Snape’s nastiness towards Harry and his friends he is gentle with them as well. I just find it fascinating how Snape’s best side is always hidden. This little redeeming moment of honor and gentleness occurs when he believes himself unobserved.

[ihatehomework]

yall i miss jily😭😭😭 not like its gone but like the marauders used to be so happy sunshine gryffindor vibes. but also i feel like we collectively all forget how much james potter HATED slytherin. idk i also think that yes death eaters were humans BUT they also killed so many people like are we forgetting that barty crouch jr literally tortured alice and frank longbottom he is at fault for neville growing up without his parents😭 i genuinely think that people forget that evan, barty etc. actually killed people and killed people who were probably friends with the marauders. ik that everyone deserves a second chance but seriously???? do you actually think that the rosiers were good people and didn't hate and discriminate against muggleborns??? NOT EVERYONE HAS A TRAGIC BACKSTORY IDK SOME OF THEM ARE JUST EVIL. the way everyone defends evan rosier (love his character but i have beef with the way he gets away with being a death eater later on) but snape, who i absolutely detest, hate and think should have died earlier, who also actually did something that was not evil in his lifetime, is the most hated marauders character like????? and the black sisters???? yes love a complex female character but are we seriously trying to redeem bellatrix? do we not remember WHAT SHE SCARED ON HERMIONE LIKE WHAT. and love the newer marauders fandom but everyones so emo and depressed this is supposed to be FUN. also the characters feel so ooc. everytime i see casanova remus lupin im like 'huh thats supposed to be sirius and james???' love remus but my boy aint rizzing anyone up hes a shy af introvert. and jegulus is so cute but remember that james is #no.1slytherinhater and he was absolutely smitten with lily evans FROM THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. REMEMBER WHEN JILY WAS THE BACKBONE OF THE MARAUDERS? like they ate fr. this became a whole ass paragraph damn i did not know i had so much to say about this. i can lowkey already sniff the comments or thoughts saying 'oh let us have our fun its just a story' im not stopping you this is just my opinion. 'oh none of this is actually proven' please give me a break😭🙏 like most of the source material goes against the fandoms perception of the marauders. 'fuck jkr we'll do what we want' youve basically just made 10 million ocs and give them names of characters like im eating up all the marauders content but genuinely can we go back to the happier times??

[superfallingstars]

Personally I think jily is supposed to be idealized (like how James and lily were idealized) to Harry. James gets knocked of his pedestal in swm and so does jily by Harry questioning if his father forced his mother into marriage. Later when talking to lupin and Sirius James and Jily get a slight defense and Harry is back to feeling alright but with the knowledge that things weren’t perfect.

I personally don’t read Jily as abusive (even though I read James as being abusive to snape at school, but I don’t think that violent, physical behavior was extended to Lily) but I definitely don’t read them as a “good” couple (whatever that means). I think you can read it in many different ways given there is so little of them and I think an interpretation that their relationship wasn’t the healthiest is perfectly plausible with the scant information we’re given.

Yeahhhh that’s probably what JKR intended. James and Lily are the fridged parents who are dearly mourned and missed, and as a result, their flaws are completely smoothed over in everyone’s memories. But in Snape’s Worst Memory, Harry learns the hard lesson that things aren’t always what they seem, and that nobody is perfect, not even his dead father. Hurrah.

My problem with this is that I think it’s very boring, LOL. Like it really is probably exactly what JKR intended (given her middle-of-the-road takes on every moral and political question that happens in these books), but man, it feels like such a cop out. James basically ruins Snape’s life for no reason, and the conclusion we’re meant to draw from this is just, well, people are complicated! NO!!!! Bad answer!!! Like, Snape also did some terrible things, but at least he spends a ton of pages actively suffering/atoning for his sins. But James, on the other hand, is only somewhat implied to have changed maybe slightly a little bit somewhere off-page, and we just have to take #1 James Potter fanboy Sirius Black and serial understater Remus Lupin at their word. So if James was supposed to be “redeemed” – or even just excused – wow, it really doesn't work for me. You can't go as dark as "protagonist questions if his father forced his mother into marriage" and then just brush it off like no big deal, Joanne! And it’s so frustrating, because all it would've taken to fix this would've been to show James being a good person instead of just telling the reader that he was one (proof: trust me?). Ugh.

So because of all that, I agree that from what we’re given, it’s quite difficult to read Jily as “good.” We rarely see them interact, and when we do, James’s behavior is wayyyy too similar to the trope of “terrible guy eventually gets the girl even though she seems to hate him with every fiber of her being because his persistence and not taking no for an answer is just toooo romantic to resist.” Which sucks, lol. It feels like JKR is basically being like, “eh, James was young and dumb, whatever” and giving him a huge out for all the grief he caused Snape (and Lily, for that matter) – and she expects that the reader will agree that that is a legitimate excuse for his behavior, and by extension think that it's reasonable for Lily to forgive and eventually marry him. And man, I am just not sure if that is enough to convince me. (And evidently, I'm not alone, considering the “Jily is abusive” meta post that likely sparked this ask!)

With that said, I agree that it’s a stretch to say that James was abusive (or even implied to be abusive) toward Lily. It’s not a completely unfounded take – it could probably be written well in a fic, and even be canon compliant – but you would really have to extrapolate that dynamic from the little information we’re given (as you pointed out). And more importantly (at least, re: that meta), I don't think JKR intended that interpretation at all.

Personally, I just don’t think it makes sense for the narrative for James and Lily to have been in an abusive relationship. And by the narrative, I mean Harry. If Jily is an abusive (or even just bad) relationship, that would have massive ramifications for the way Harry sees his parents. Ideally he would have to come to terms with that at some point – I don’t think it makes sense for James’s and Lily’s relationship to have been this way and not have significantly affected Harry – but imo JKR clearly does not want to deal with that. Like you said, the point of SWM – aside from foreshadowing Lily and Snape’s relationship – was to knock James off his pedestal and basically go, See, nobody’s perfect. <3 And the story is not interested in engaging with James’s behavior on a level any deeper than that lol. Which ok, I don’t love it, but if we’re not going to spend time dealing with morally gray James, then it doesn’t make sense for him to be even more morally gray (or rather, have him fall face first over the line into becoming a downright despicable person) by making him abusive toward Lily.

So that's my Doylist analysis: no way in hell did JKR intend Jily to be an abusive relationship, but she also didn't do a good enough job defending and/or redeeming James after SWM, so we're just left to speculate about how much he really changed. Still, I don't think "JKR is a bad writer" is a very satisfying answer. After all, the only reason that I'm engaging with this text in the first place is because I'm a fan of it, so I think it's also worth looking at it from a Watsonian perspective – or at least, to accept the events of the book as they're written and try to fill in the blanks. (Imo so much of the fun of fandom is trying to fill in those blanks in a satisfying way, to expand upon a character and try to reach a more interesting conclusion than the author did... And I would be remiss not to mention that, because it undoubtedly influences the way that I (and probably also you, if you're on this side of tumblr) engage with the text.)

So for me, as a Marauders era fan, I’m faced with: ok, I don’t really like the idea of these two characters together, but they canonically got together, and I think the story is better because they got together, and it’s better if they genuinely like each other, and it all had to happen somehow – so how can I explain it in a way that both makes sense with the story and is satisfying to me? And my answer to that is twofold.

First, I imagine that James was not always quite such an awful guy (as in, not always as showy, combative, and cruel as he was in SWM). After all, there is a glimmer of goodness in him when he chooses to save Snape’s life during the Prank, revealing that somewhere deep down, he does in fact have a moral compass. And second, I think that he has to have changed. And I mean a genuine change – one that might not have resulted in completely different behavior (after all, he was still hexing Snape through his seventh year) – but regardless, something that makes him seriously reflect on his actions and reconsider his motivations. His behavior in SWM is just too inexcusable for him to get with Lily – partly because Lily is generally framed as a Very Good Person, and partly because regardless of how she is framed, James was still awful to her – without any self-reflection or growth. Of course, the problem then becomes explaining this in a satisfying way!

And I have some ideas in mind – but they’re definitely more speculation than fact, and omg this post is long enough already. Luckily, I received another ask on this topic, so I will save my self-indulgent headcanons for that.

There is one last thing I want to mention, which is (part of) my reasoning for why James may not have been such a bully all the time and why I think he has the capacity for change, and it's been nagging at me ever since I read that meta post (which again, presumably started this whole thing). I think one thing that bothers a lot of people (including me!) about James is that it seems like he chooses to pick on Snape in SWM because of Lily’s presence. He wants to show off to her, so he keeps looking over to the girls by the water, he ruffles his hair, he deepens his voice, and he tries to get her attention by targeting Snape. Following this logic, we can presume that James wouldn’t have done any of this if Lily hadn’t been there – and that’s the part that got me thinking. I have to wonder if Lily was perhaps not the only person who James wanted to impress in that scene… in fact, I think it’s incredibly likely that James would have acted differently if the Marauders hadn’t been there! (Harry has "the distinct impression that Sirius was the only one for whom James would have stopped showing off," and Sirius saying that he's bored is the inciting incident for James spotting Snape...!) Yes it’s going to be a James masculinity analysis because this is what happens every time I talk about these fucking characters apparently. So idk, stick around if you’re into that.

And of course, thank you for the ask!

[mo0ns-and-stars]

I like to think that Sirius saw Peter as second chance for him to be a good older brother. To redeem himself for what he felt he did wrong with Regulus. Only to ultimately be betrayed by him and loose him to the death eaters aswell.

Little did he know he actally never failed Regulus in the first place.