That's very much the way I see it, I think, especially with Sirius saying things as he remembered them. It's like...it doesn't have to be a lie to be inaccurate. I imagine what Sirius meant was that Snape was seen with the same students a lot. If he was in a gang, I doubt very much he was the leader--which is probably why Sirius taunts him with being a lapdog. And it does seem like Snape probably spent a lot more time planning while James would just act if he had an opportunity--that seems like their natures. Snape might have described James as having a gang, or whatever insulting term he thought was right for the Marauders (my guess would be something like "sycophants" which Draco might use for Harry).
It's funny, because it's not really that Draco has never fought physically, exactly. Ron jumps on him in PS/SS and they come out pretty even. He might have fought back in OotP except that it seems like he got barrelled into by two people at once and never recovered. He tries to ambush Harry on the train, though I have a hard time imagining that as being a beating because it really does seem more in his nature to either jump out with a wand or threaten him before doing anything to him, when he thinks Harry can't get away (like Voldemort, he suffers from a little James Bond Exposition problem, is my guess) and a train hallway seems awkward for a physical beating. It doesn't seem like him to start a physical fight, though. I think if he's faced with one his response is to get scared and want to run.:-)
But yeah, Harry would really never have to set an elaborate trap for Draco since he always comes to Harry..though wait, I just realize that's not exactly accurate either since the polyjuice potion kind of was that, though it was part of solving a mystery as well. The Trio used to sit and talk about ways to get Malfoy expelled from school back and first year, iirc. But yeah, they've got their eye on other things and I can't see Harry plotting to get Draco, but I can see the opposite--failing, of course.
I also agree that JKR's flaws can just make things more interesting--it's good authors can be that way.:-) There's a difference between doing something badly and being flawed, sometimes. It is really frustrating to think that a bunch of flaws can seem to be leading to something coherent, though, so I try not to look for evidence of what's going to happen, really. When I read something that sounds promising I tell myself it won't.
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It's funny, because it's not really that Draco has never fought physically, exactly. Ron jumps on him in PS/SS and they come out pretty even. He might have fought back in OotP except that it seems like he got barrelled into by two people at once and never recovered. He tries to ambush Harry on the train, though I have a hard time imagining that as being a beating because it really does seem more in his nature to either jump out with a wand or threaten him before doing anything to him, when he thinks Harry can't get away (like Voldemort, he suffers from a little James Bond Exposition problem, is my guess) and a train hallway seems awkward for a physical beating. It doesn't seem like him to start a physical fight, though. I think if he's faced with one his response is to get scared and want to run.:-)
But yeah, Harry would really never have to set an elaborate trap for Draco since he always comes to Harry..though wait, I just realize that's not exactly accurate either since the polyjuice potion kind of was that, though it was part of solving a mystery as well. The Trio used to sit and talk about ways to get Malfoy expelled from school back and first year, iirc. But yeah, they've got their eye on other things and I can't see Harry plotting to get Draco, but I can see the opposite--failing, of course.
I also agree that JKR's flaws can just make things more interesting--it's good authors can be that way.:-) There's a difference between doing something badly and being flawed, sometimes. It is really frustrating to think that a bunch of flaws can seem to be leading to something coherent, though, so I try not to look for evidence of what's going to happen, really. When I read something that sounds promising I tell myself it won't.