James Potter

James Potter, nicknamed Prongs, is the father of Harry Potter. As an only child, James is very pampered as "an extra treasure" because his parents are already elderly when he is born. James meets Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew when they enter Hogwarts, When James, Sirius and Pettigrew discover that Lupin is in fact a werewolf, the three of them illegally learn to become Animagi, to safely accompany Lupin during his transformations and keep him under control. It is during this time that they discover almost all the secret passageways of Hogwarts and design the Marauder's Map. At school, James is a brilliant student, appointed as Head Boy without being a prefect, and said to have been a talented player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. In the film version of Philosopher's Stone, Harry and his friends find James's name listed on a plaque as a Seeker on his Quidditch team; however, Rowling stated in an interview that she intended him to be a Chaser.

Rowling describes James and Harry as having similar attributes: the same thin face, same hands, and the same untidy black hair sticking up at the back, and nearly the same height as his son during their school days. However, Rowling also describes James as having hazel eyes and a slightly longer nose than Harry does. Like Harry, James is generally described to be a good, loyal friend who "regarded it as the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends." Characters in the books often comment on James's personality, about which Rowling comments that "there was a lot of good in James". The Hogwarts student population seems to have admired James back in his day, and teachers respect his talent, though not his behaviour. His popularity, however, is not universal, as a mutual hatred sprang up between him and Snape. Snape constantly tells Harry that James was "exceedingly arrogant",[18] and at one occasion, Sirius admits that he and James could sometimes be "arrogant little berks" but that "[James] grew out of it" (which Lily is said to have noted by their seventh year). In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, after seeing a scene from Snape's memories within a Pensieve of a fifteen-year-old James and Sirius bullying Snape, Harry agrees with Snape's assessment of his father's arrogance. According to Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, however, James and Snape shared a rivalry not unlike that of Draco Malfoy and Harry. In addition, Lupin tells Harry that Snape "never lost an opportunity to curse James". According to Rowling in a recent interview: "James always suspected Snape harboured deeper feelings for Lily, which was a factor in James's behaviour to Snape". However, when Sirius attempts to goad Snape into the Shrieking Shack where Lupin stayed after transforming into a werewolf, James saves Snape's life.

After graduating from Hogwarts, James — along with Lily and his friends — become "full-time fighters" for the Order, and do not hold regular jobs, supporting his family and Lupin, whose status as a werwolf made him unemployable, on family gold. In an interview, Rowling revealed that James and Lily were asked by Voldemort to join the Death Eaters, but refused, making it "one strike against them before they were even out of their teens". When his son Harry becomes Voldemort's target, the Potters go into hiding and name Pettigrew as their secret keeper. However, on 31 October, 1981, the Potters' whereabouts are betrayed by Pettigrew, and they are attacked by Voldemort without warning at their home in Godric's Hollow. James urges his wife to run and take Harry while he holds Voldemort off. Wandless, he is killed.

James and Sirius are the protagonists of the Harry Potter prequel, an 800-word story set three years before Harry's birth. The two friends are riding Sirius's motorbike and are chased by two Muggle policemen for breaking the speed limit. The policemen attempt to arrest them when three Death Eaters on broomsticks fly down towards them. James and Sirius use the police car as a barrier and the Death Eaters crash into it. In the end, they escape from the policemen flying on the motorbike.