Is James Potter the kind of character that we can say ‘redeemed’ himself?

He might be Harry’s dad and have given his life for his family, but that might not excuse all the wrong things that James Potter did as he was growing up at Hogwarts.

James Potter may have sacrificed himself for his family but he wasn’t always that way. Sure, he was a caring child, taking in Sirius Black to be with his family when he didn’t have anywhere else to go, James was always there for his friends and those he cared about. Can’t say the same for those he didn’t really like, however.

While a great person to have on your side, James was a bully when he was at Hogwarts. Which was the way of the Marauders back then. They were the cool guys, up to mischief and ready to have fun when they were in school. Severus Snape was often the target of their jokes and they weren’t exactly nice to him or even Lily until James fell in love.

So, does his actions as an adult make up for the fact that he wasn’t great as a kid? I say that it helps show that he grew up. Sure, it wasn’t great that his first thought was to mock others but he learned from his mistakes and started to become a better man. It makes him imperfect and shows his willingness to change and I think that we can’t forgive everything that James Potter did but we can at least see that he was trying to be a good person.

Do you think that James Potter is redeemable? Or do you think that his actions as a teenager make him questionable at best? Let us know what you think of James and his friends in the comments below!