verysiriuspotterhead:

has anyone noticed that Harry and James parallel regarding their hair and what it shows about them?
the first time we see James Potter is in SWM, where he’s with his friends in the grounds after an exam. when he notices there are girls nearby, he ruffles up his hair (I think Remus and Sirius comment on this later, as well) to make it look windswept and and like he’s just stepped off a broom. he does this because he thinks it makes him look attractive, and he wants the positive attention from the girls. we know James’ biggest fault is his arrogance, which often manifests in his cruelty (initially bullying Snape as he sees him as competition for lily, his casual attacks on the student body, his attacks on Snape in SWM where he’s fuelled by the crowd’s attention, etc) and we know his vanity and arrogance are closely linked.
now, to counteract that with Harry – when we see Harry interact with his hair in the books, it’s always to flatten it. he tries to tame it, make it lie flat, and frequently tries to flatten it so it’ll cover his scar. he hates people looking at his scar because: 1) he’s uncomfortable with people glamourising the murder of his parents through celebration of Voldemort’s defeat and 2) he’s uncomfortable with people thinking he’s amazing over something he had no control over/judging him before they meet him. this is indicative of one of Harry’s biggest strengths – his humbleness. he wants people to judge him for who he is; he’s embarrassed by attention and hates people liking him for fallacious reasons.
the main mannerisms of both revolve around their hair, but we have James in one corner, making his hair messy for attention, and Harry in the other furiously flattening his hair to avoid people staring at him and liking him falsely.