James Potter

James Fleamont Potter (born March 27, 1960, died October 31, 1981) was an English Pureblood wizard and member of The Marauders, a group of mischievous Hogwarts students that dominated the Hogwarts social scene during the 1970's. As an only child to much older parents, James was spoiled and very comfortable, leading him to be an arrogant but still decent child and teenager.

At seven years old, his parents would take him to a Black family ball as their cousin had married into that family. It was at this where he first met Sirius Black, the heir to the main family and who would become his best friend.

James and Sirius would later befriend Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, and the four friends would 'terrorize' Hogwarts for a generation, creating many impressive magical items and accomplishing feats of magic far beyond their peers' capabilities. However, they could also pull cruel pranks, especially on Severus Snape, Lily Evans' (James' eventual crush) friend. Several circumstances over the Marauders' time at Hogwarts forced James to grow up, including his parents' deaths.

After he graduated in 1978, James married Lily Evans, a Muggleborn he had had a crush on since the fourth year. The two would join The Order of the Phoenix together, and eventually have a son named Harry. Shortly before their deaths, they learned of a prophecy concerning their son, how he was destined to defeat Lord Voldemort and end the war.

Early Life (1960-1971)
James Potter was born to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter in Potter Manor in Norfolk, England on March 27, 1960. His parents were extremely well off potioneers whom had met at a Potioneers' Consortium in Sicily, where Euphemia's family originated from. The two were very wealthy and in their early 60's when he was born, so James was pampered to an extreme. However he was also given a twisted sense of right and wrong that bordered on zealotry: that he could do no wrong yet that kindness was absolutely essential. The two opposing views gave him a lot of latitude in his behavior, especially as he went on to Hogwarts.

At seven years old, his parents would take him to a Black family ball as their cousin had married into that family. It was at this where he first met Sirius Black, the heir to the main family and who would become his best friend. Neither believed in purebloodism and conflated Dark Magic with evil, though the distinction was tenuous in those days.

At 11, James would purchase an 11" mahogany and unicorn hair wand, pliable and suitable for Transfiguration from Ollivander's wandshop.

Hogwarts (1971-1978)
James Potter was sorted into Gryffindor along with his childhood friend Sirius Black, as well as their new friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. All four were gifted wizards who either squandered their talents through pranks and hexing their classmates or utilized them for good or inventive purposes, such as creating the Marauder's Map or becoming Animagi to be with Remus during his monthly transformations.

James would run afoul of Severus Snape after their first meeting and would slowly begin to antagonize the young Slytherin particularly once James began to crush on Lily Evans, Snape's dearest friend.

James would join the Gryffindor Quidditch team, first as a reserve Chaser in his second year, then as one of the three on the main squad in his third year. He prided himself on his natural ability. He would also join the Dueling Club, becoming the Dueling Captain in his sixth year.

James would discover Remus was a werewolf early on in their times at Hogwarts, and would work with the other three Marauders to become Animagi to be with Remus during his transformations by their fourth year.

In 5th year, the rivalry between Snape and the Marauders would come to a head in a traumatic way: Severus would be saved in the nick of time by James after Sirius lured Snape to the Shrieking Shack in order for a transformed Lupin to severely injure or turn Snape into a werewolf. A week before, James had humiliated Severus in front of Lily Evans that later caused the two's friendship to end permanently. Another shock would come when Sirius was disowned later that summer by his parents for other reasons, mainly his ties to Muggleborns and blood traitors. The combination of these two events catapulted James from schoolyard bully and pampered jock to an honorable, courteous gentleman.

At long last, Lily Evans would finally accept James' advances after his complete transformation during their 6th year. They would later be engaged shortly after their graduation.

The First Wizarding War (1978-1981)
At 18 and shortly before graduating, James and the other Marauders were approached by Albus Dumbledore to join the Order of the Phoenix, a secret cabal that aimed to destroy Lord Voldemort's forces and ideals within Wizarding Britain. They accepted and worked within and outside of the Ministry and Wizengamot to further Dumbledore's goals.

During the war, James would put himself at the front lines alongside his wife Lily and his best friend Sirius. Remus would be hyper-focused on parleying with the werewolf groups in Britain and abroad while Peter performed stealth missions in his Animagus form. The five would meet in The Hogs' Head monthly, but hardly saw each other. In these fights, Lily and James would face and evade Lord Voldemort himself three times.

James' parents died shortly after their son's wedding to Lily Evans of dragon pox in 1979. The next year, a prophecy would be made by Sibyll Trelawney concerning the defeat of Lord Voldemort which was tied to the birth of a boy born at the end of July. Both Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort took to mean Lily and James' expected son as the subject of the prophecy.

Shortly after Harry's birth, the Potters would retreat to Godric's Hollow in a newly-purchased cottage, hidden from the Death Eaters and from the majority of the Order. Only four people knew of the family's true location, as other false ones had been meted out: Albus Dumbledore (the leader as well as a very powerful Occlumens), Bathilda Bagshot (who was considered very trustworthy and inconspicuous), Peter Pettigrew (a trusted friend who was considered inconspicuous), and Sirius Black (a trusted friend and powerful Occlumens). Remus Lupin was not told due to his work amongst the werewolves; he had been away for nearly a year at that point.

October 31, 1981
However, the Potters had been betrayed. One amongst their number had defected to Voldemort's side though James and Lily never truly knew who. On Halloween night, their cottage was attacked by Lord Voldemort himself. The Dark Magic sensors reported the attack to Albus Dumbledore. In a last-ditch effort to save his wife and child, James Potter delayed Voldemort for a moment to allow his wife to gather Harry in the upstairs bedroom. The Dark Lord killed James without a second thought.

Post Mortem
In death, James was lionized as a hero and as a true friend, his flaws by all accounts forgotten under the weight of his sacrifice.

After his death, James' son Harry was sent to live with the Dursleys, Lily's sister Petunia's family. Originally Harry was to live with Sirius Black, but as he had been imprisoned for the Potters' betrayal and the murder of twelve Muggles, the Dursleys had no other challenge to taking in Harry. Despite not remembering his parents, Harry would soon be introduced through their former friends in the Wizarding World and come to revere his father as a young boy.

Physical Appearance
James was classically handsome: tall, with tanned olive-toned skin and devil-may-care pitch black hair. His eyes were dark brown. James had an indescribable air of wealth and confidence.

James wore casual Wizarding clothing: puff-sleeved shirts with waistcoats, knee-length coats, and hastily-tied cravats. He favored lighter fabrics and wore lots of brown and red, his two favorite colors. He also wore glasses in his Third Year after a curse fired by Severus Snape limited his eyesight permanently. His glasses were round and made of gold wire.

Personality
James was initially a very arrogant but very friendly individual who oozed self-confidence and wealth. He was naturally gifted with magic, though disdained putting effort into things he was not interested in. Despite these two flaws, he was a very passionate and loyal friend who was generous with his time, whether wanted for or not.

James was also mischievous and assertive, both fond of pranks and used to getting his way He would use one to accomplish the other, or as a reaction to something that didn't go his way. The negative aspects of his personality wore down as he matured however, particularly around his fifth and sixth years when he no longer viewed himself as all-important and learned to truly value his gifts and position in the world- not to mention his friends.

In large part, James' humbling came as an influence from his friends Sirius and Remus, who both had turbulent and or unhappy upbringings.

Abilities and Skills
See Power Scale for more information.

Other Skills

 * Animagus: James was an Animagus able to transform into a large red stag at will.
 * Apparition: James could Apparate from Norfolk to London with some effort, and London to Yorkshire with extreme effort.
 * Italian Fluency: James' mother was Italian, so James grew up bilingual.
 * Magical Inventor: As part of the Marauders, James was integral in the creation of the Marauder's Map.
 * Master Prankster: James, along with all the Marauders, were masters of pranks and sabotage, which was used to great effect during the First Wizarding War.
 * Patronus Charm: James was able to cast the Patronus charm, which took the form of a large stag.
 * Quidditch Knowledge: James had a storied Quidditch career and grew up idolizing players as celebrities. James was a fan of Puddlemere United.
 * Transfiguration Prodigy: James was naturally suited to Transfiguration of all sorts.

Possessions and Properties

 * Cloak of Invisibility: From his third year at Hogwarts to a few months before his death, James Potter was the sole possessor of the Cloak of Invisibility, a relic of the Potter family.
 * James Potters' Wand: James' wand was 11 inches, made of mahogany and unicorn hair.
 * Marauder's Map: James and the other Marauders created their map in their fourth year that allowed them to see all of the inhabitants, passageways, and passwords of Hogwarts. It was later confiscated by Argus Filch.
 * Potter Cottage: James owned a cottage in Godric's Hollow with his wife, which he purchased shortly after the Prophecy was uttered in 1981.
 * Potter Manor: James was the heir to Fleamont's entire estate, including Potter Manor in Gloucestershire in the Wye Valley.
 * Potter Legacy: James was left the entire Potter estate upon his parents' deaths, including his family's wands, the Sleakeazy's formula, and their fortune.
 * Two-way Mirror: James held a two way mirror that was connected to another held by Sirius Black, a gift from Sirius during their third year.
 * Wedding Ring. James wore a wedding ring, a simple rose-gold band.

Fleamont Potter and Euphemia Lagorio
Fleamont and Euphemia had a good relationship with their son, despite his mischievous side and blatant disregard for school rules. They were one of the few people James would actually listen to.

Sirius Black
Sirius Black was James' best friend since the age of seven. The two had to be careful with what they could get away with on account of Sirius' parents, but were nevertheless as mischievous as they came. The two followed each other to Hogwarts and into Gryffindor House, one of Sirius' first true defiances against his parents. James coaxed Sirius out of his parent's toxic ideology, and Sirius helped James to focus his creative energies- though to the deficit of other students, especially Slytherins.

Later on, the two would join the Gryffindor Quidditch team, with Sirius joining as a Beater. Sirius would also be in the Dueling Club with the other Marauders. The four were inseperable, but Sirius and James especially were. In their group, Sirius was often the 'Visionary', the person who thought through James' rambling plans and decided what pranks they were going to employ. The two also became Animagi together, with their forms able to subdue a transformed Remus Lupin.

When Sirius was disowned by his parents in fifth year, James would open his home to him, and Fleamont officially adopted him into the House of Potter, giving Sirius political protection.

Later on when his family was threatened, James trusted Sirius with the true location of their hideout, Godric's Hollow. In his last moments, James did not know who betrayed him, though Sirius was in his mind beyond reproach.

Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew
James had a different but close relationship with both Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew than he had with Sirius.

James caught on early that Remus was a werewolf and worked tirelessly to defend him from scrutiny during their Hogwarts years. The two were very different personality wise, with Remus more straightlaced and careful than James ever could be. However the two worked extremely well together with Remus being the main researcher of the group. During their friendship, James often supported Remus financially and left a generous stipend to him on his death. During the Wizarding War, Remus was called away to the Continent to deliver aid and news to the werewolf packs and thus didn't know James and Lily's true whereabouts or the prophecy surrounding Harry.

Peter Pettigrew seemed to worship James as he did the other Marauders, though was no lesser a wizard for it. James noted Peter's hesitancy with most pranks at the last moment and tried to coax Peter to commit, often to the detriment of the plan's timing. Unfortunately, Peter was often the odd man out due to his hesitancy and risk-aversion (not a trait shared with James or Sirius) which definitely came back to bite James. During the Wizarding War, Peter was used as a spy on the Death Eater camp due to his useful Animagus form. However he was also informed of James' true location. Unbeknownst to James, Peter would make a calculated decision to betray his friend to Voldemort to save his own skin.

Severus Snape
Severus Snape and James had a strained relationship that turned outright hostile during their time at Hogwarts. One part jealousy and House rivalry on Severus' part, and one part prejudice against the Dark Arts and House rivalry on James' part. The two would often come to blows during their time at Hogwarts, which Lily Evans would often compare to Tom and Jerry: Snape gave as good as he got.

In their fifth year, the all-out war between Severus and the Marauders began to draw to a close. One part of this was due to James' growing concern over his actions, his desire to get into Lily Evans' true good graces, and a growing sense of maturity on James' part. James would continue to target Snape, though never again to the degree he had before. At that time, James was utterly convinced (and correct) that Snape had joined Voldemort's cause and thus was a greater threat than just a schoolyard rival.

Lily Evans
Lily Evans initially was aloof towards James and his friends, aware of his popularity and physical appearance but disgusted by his bad habits of hexing innocent students and being an arrogant toerag. Another wedge in their relationship was Lily's contradictory friendship with Severus Snape. Over time however and especially after fifth year, the two grew to appreciate one another (James at this point had been remarkably unsuccessful in wooing her) and eventually fell in love.

Lily and James both loved their son Harry dearly. The two were terrified of the Dark Lord and had done all they could to protect him. A little over a year into Harry's life, the two would be set upon by Voldemort and murdered, with James using his final moments to attempt to hold off his attacker.

Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall and James Potter had a close student-teacher relationship during Hogwarts, with James serving many of his detentions with her to learn more about Transfiguration and used her notes in order to become Animagi with his friends. James referred to Minerva as 'Minnie' in private.

Once James had graduated, Minerva was horrified to learn that he had joined The Order of the Phoenix and railed against Dumbledore for recruiting one of her favorite students. She was deeply saddened to learn of the Potters' deaths later on, and helped Dumbledore to scout out the Dursleys.

Albus Dumbledore
During his school years, Albus Dumbledore was intimately familiar with the Marauder's exploits due to his connection to Remus Lupin and being the Headmaster. During their years at Hogwarts, Albus would only intervene in the most dangerous of circumstances as he was coordinating the formation and tactics of the Order in addition to keeping the Ministry and Wizengamot off of his tail. Despite this, he received reports from his teachers about suspicious behavior and or true academic promise, in the hopes of gauging Voldemort's support among the students as well as potential members for the Order.

When they graduated, the Marauders would've been approached by Dumbledore to join the Order as each were highly competent wizards with unorthodox experience in dueling and sabotage, with James in particular as top of his class for Transfiguration. and the Captain of the Dueling Club.