James' Position in Quidditch

[Mrs. Luca Black]

This has bothered me for quite awhile and makes no sense to me what-so-ever.

We'll just go by what's canon and not what's in the movie (but in the movie, he's a seeker).

So, in OotP James is playing around with the snitch, then JKR goes and does an interview saying James is a chaser.

Why would a chaser be playing around with a snitch? Do you think Katie Bell would do this? Angelina? Alicia? Even Roger Davies? No, I don't. However, Harry is seen doing this, in a less pompous way, in OotP.

I know James is a show off, but come one, show off with your own position so you don't seem like even more of a butt.

Personally, I see this as JKR messing up in an interview and refusing to admit it, or changing her mind (ahem, the number of students switching from hundreds to thousands). I know she has creative control, but she needs to stick to what she's already said and stop changing things!

END RANT.

[Person1]

Coulda sworn in the 1st book it said he waz a seeker....

[Curiouser]

Oh good, I'm not the only one who thought he was a seeker....

Yeah, that doesn't make much sense! I knew there was something fishy going on, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. All my friends say that he was a chaser, and then they tell me to reread the books. Well, I did. So far all evidence points to James being a seeker, not a chaser. But I suppose it's JK's decision, after all. But in my fics, he's a seeker!

[Mrs. Luca Black]

*clears her throat* Well obviously, her FIRST decision was to make him a seeker, otherwise she would not have put the clues that he was in the books. Her SECOND decision was to change him to chaser to confuse us all and try to prove she has ultimate power. She doesn't have ultimate power, what is already published has ultimate power. *growls*

(My first smiley, and how appropriate)

[annachie]

Or, perhaps he started as a chaser, and then moved to the seeker spot after a couple of seasons.

[Snow_Crystal]

I remember reading in the books that he was a chaser (think it was one of the earlier books) and thinking it was strange that the shield in the film said he was a seeker.

There was definitely a conflict of info somewhere. Like you say though if he was actually a chaser then it wouldn't make sense for him to be playing with the snitch unless he changed to seeker later.

[annachie]

I was thinking of Ginny when I thought of that. I'm sure she played both positions

[Scellanis]

Why is it completely impossible to be good at several different positions like Ginny is.

I mean he could be a chaser and then also be a stand in seeker if the seeker was ill or something.

Then again all people in a quidditch team need to be able to catch balls except the beaters and they need to be able to see them coming and hit them so maybe he liked to play with a snitch because it moves unlike the quaffle which is inanimate and the bludgers which are violent so it would make sense to practise catching a snitch to improve your reactions.

[Snow_Crystal]

Good response. When I used to play the muggle game of netball (!) I used to play in every position but I had my preferences. Maybe he preferred being Seeker but was put in as a Chaser because the post had already been "filled" perhaps he nicked the snitch because he wanted to improve his responses so he could become seeker.

[Chimera]

Maybe he started as a chaser, improved his seeking skills, and then moved on to be a seeker in his 6th or 7th year. Ron is keeper through attrition, if Wood was still there he'd still be blocking rings.