The Golden Trio and friends are the Marauders done right.

I've seen different versions of this theory scattered around the internet for some time and have always found it intriguing. I hope that one of the video bloggers like TheSuperCarlin brothers takes this on but until then...the idea is that members of the Golden Trio and their friends mirror the Marauders but the Golden Trio made better decisions and avoided the mistake of the Marauders. They are the Marauders 'done right'. This isn't intended to 'bash' any character but to point out comparisons and discuss the ramifications of their choices and they aren't expected to be 'exact' matches.

There are many variations on this theme and debate on who is the equivalent of whom but we'll start with these.

Harry vs. James. The leaders of the group but unlike his father, Harry did not stoop to bullying. He would defend himself but it would stop there. James broke the rules for his own amusement, Harry because he thought he had no choice and his rule breaking, with few exceptions, were mostly for the benefit of others. James liked being 'the big man on campus' while the last thing Harry wanted was to be a 'celebrity'. Both sacrificed themselves for others.

Ron vs. Sirius- Best friend. Both met their best friend 'on the train'. Both from pureblood families. Both rejected the extreme idealism that came from that way of thinking. Both were loyal and both do resort to extreme measures at times but Ron shows regret (I'm thinking of Sirius and the Whomping Willow and Ron leaving the group) I don't know that Sirius ever does.

Hermione vs. Remus-both were 'outsiders'. Looked down on. Both tried to 'rise' above their circumstances, both tried to keep their friends in line but where Remus would stand aside and let his friends do what they wanted, Hermione would actively try to stop them and sometimes step in, even if it made them angry.

Peter Pettigrew vs. Neville Longbottom-both timid, not very good wizards, not very brave.Underestimated. Unlike Peter, Neville 'stood up to his friends and chose to stick with them even when he could have easily gone to the other side, like Peter.

Luna vs. Snape. I thought this one was a bit odd but when you think about it, they were both 'outside the mainstream'. Both were smart, creative but had few friends because of their personalities. Luna could have sought refuge, as Snape did, in the dark arts but choose 'the light side'.

Lilly and Ginny-Bright, more than capable witches. Both fought the Dark Lord. I'm hard-pressed to figure out what mistakes Lilly did that Ginny did 'better' and the only thing I can think of is Ginny remained friends with Luna despite her weirdness while Lilly walked away from Snape but that's a stretch. If anyone can come up with something better, please share.

In the end, despite their friendship, the Marauders fell apart. Peter betrayed them, Sirius thought Remus was a spy, Remus thought Sirius killed Lilly and James...Snape, of course, was never their friend and was in Voldie's camp at the time. The friendship of the Golden Trio (and friends) remained firm.

Agree, disagree or think other parallels are better?