The Measure of a Man

[gilpin25]

Title: The Measure of a Man
Author: gilpin25
Summary: I’m sixteen years old and I’m in love with a girl who thinks I’m an arrogant, bullying toerag, and I don’t know how to change her mind as everything I do just makes it worse. James Potter, who usually has all the answers, has none for this... (James/Lily)
Rating: R
Warnings: Language; violence
Prompts

Comments

[hrymfaxe]

This is a really good piece of characterisation, bringing a character to life at an important moment in his life. I agree with you, that we certainly didn't get much information about James in the books, but it's great to see how you have managed to use what there is to connect child-James with the adult he became.

The way he suddenly connects why Lily sees him as arrogant with how he had just treated Euan, is also really well done. You take this moment of James searching his soul but not coming up with an answer until something from the outside triggers him. Very believable!

And of course Remus is wonderful in this. James is learning many unpleasant truths about himself on this day, but at least he hears them from a friend. The mention of The Prank and the strained relationship between Remus and Sirius made me think on how much this one event impacted on the future: the possible source of mistrust between Sirius and Remus, but also perhaps the beginning of Lily being able to see some good in James. (If she did know about it, of course. ;) But I digress..

It's always hard to predict what Snape will do, and even James hasn't considered the full consequences of his surrender! That was a scary moment, because Snape is proud too and 6 years of constant stabbing at his pride has obviously made him very hateful. Luckily his pride also stops him from taking advantage of this situation - he wants it to be completely beyond doubt that he can take James on alone and win.

And Lily at the end - shaking her head at the stupid men, but taken by surprise at James' new behaviour. :) It's a lovely scene (minus the puking and general violence that led up to it) and James doesn't miss a chance to lean on her, I note. ;)

Wonderful story, Gilpin! I love it when you write in the marauder era, and I hope to see more from you.

[gilpin25]

Thank you for such lovely, thoughtful comments. To tell the truth, I'm a bit stunned by how much I really got into writing James; he very much grew on me as I went along!

I'm delighted you liked the part Euan played in this tying in with the sudden realisation of how he does treat people arrogantly and carelessly - and people he likes as well - so that he understands clearly for the first time why Lily sees him as the arrogant, bullying toerag. I think James will always think it's fair enough to despise Snape, and his cronies, and treat them as contemptible, but not quite so funny when people loyal to him start getting hurt. (I wanted to mention The Prank so the memory of how they've had a very narrow escape once already with that isn't too far in the past.) I did debate using Peter in Euan's role, but then that's taking the emphasis off James' 'growing up', and making it sound as though I'm writing why Peter would betray them later on.

Of course, I'm thrilled you like Remus in this - fortunately, no one has yet spotted I've claimed to have written James/Lily, but really it's James and Remus, with Lily turning up at the end, lol. I think Remus admires James so much, but I hope it's plausible that on this occasion he'd understand, sympathise, but get the point across that other people are copying him and Sirius because they're considered the height of cool, and getting hurt because of it.

The glimpses you get of Lily in the books are quite hard to build on (I couldn't get owning a cat into it;)), but she does seem very kind and loyal, so I thought she'd be moved by seeing this very different James, literally on his knees instead of swaggering around. And the fact that he let Snape go, even though he didn't know she was there, would surely help his cause too. As for Snape he's such a wonderful contradiction; I thought he'd never trust James' motives after all that ahd happened between them.

Anyway, all that rambling is to say thank you so much. I love writing about the Marauder era and it makes my day to get a review like this. :)