One of the more common fannon ideas is that [Remus Lupin] was the most inteligent of the Marauders. This is sometimes stated explicitly, other times it is done by stating that “[Hermione] is [the younger generation’s] [Remus]” or that “[Hermione] is a female [Remus].” Either way, there is a strong implication that he did the thinking and planning for James and [Sirius].
The problem is that [Lupin] states that James and [Sirius] were “the cleverest students in the school.”1 Supporting his admittedly biased statement, [McGonagall] describes the other two with these words: “Both very bright, of course exceptionally bright.”2 This flatly contradicts the idea that the pair of them were morons who relied on [Lupin] to do their thinking.
This thought pattern is generally used by those who have so strongly bought into Mrs. Rowling’s redemption of Snape that they need him to have always been in the right, and actually morally superior to those he showed such hatred and derision towards. This is incredibly shallow thinking. I do not believe that Snape was anywhere near as reformed as Mrs. Rowling would have us believe by the Epilogue in [book seven]. That being said, the redemption arc she describes is truly an attempt at a redemption arc. Snape certainly was quite clearly fallen, and, per cannon, trying to make amends for his past failings. For this to mean anything, those failings must then be quite real.
If Snape was *actually quite fallen in his younger years, we do not actually need to minimize James’ intelligence. I believe it was precisely his actual ability that, in part, made Snape resent him so much. Do not be fooled by the comments Snape makes about James being a typical brainless jock.3 This is a combination of hatred and self-delusion speaking.
[Sirius]: </Harrypedia/people/Black/Sirius III/>/ [Lupin]: </Harrypedia/people/Lupin/Remus John/>/ [Remus]: </Harrypedia/people/Lupin/Remus John/>/ [Remus Lupin]: </Harrypedia/people/Lupin/Remus John/>/ [Hermione]: </Harrypedia/people/Granger/Hermione Jean/>/ [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]: https://www.librarything.com/work/2742161 [book seven]: https://www.librarything.com/work/3577382
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban] p. 363, location 4403 of 5714. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban] Location 2551 of 5714. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban] 284 Location 3556 of 5714. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎