Does anybody know this or was it left unsaid?

I've tried searching quite a few sites for information about it but most just say, James became headboy, James married Lily, James defied Voldemort three times as a member of the Order, James had a baby with Lily...

Thanks.

 

Left unsaid. Over a decade of JKR hinting that we might find out in the next book, then it never materialised. Same with a lot of stuff ("You'll find out something REALLY IMPORTANT about Lily in book 5 and 7". No, no we didn't. The status of her romantic feelings towards James and Sanpe do not count as REALLY IMPORTANT).

I suppose it got to the point where it would just not be viable to cover. It would be a bit odd for Harry to finally ask what his parents did after 7 years of not seeking out any information about them.

 

As Taure has already said, nothing in canon.

Fanon, however, usually has James as an Auror, and Lily as a Charms Mistress or something.

 

It will likely be in the Encyclopedia. If I had to venture a guess, I'd think Auror. However, I would imagine Professor McGonagall would have elaborated on Harry's father's history when he brought up wanting to be one in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As for Lily, I really don't know. Perhaps something to do with educational standards; I got that vibe from Deathly Hallows.

 

They did porn. That's why no one brings it up with Harry.

 

Hmm. Its more likely that they didn't really have an occupation after they left school. They joined the order early on, didn't they? James came from a wealthy pure blood family, so no immediate worries. Then they got married (at a young age), had a kid, and then the prophecy happened. Went into hiding, got killed.

~finis~

 

James coming from a wealthy, pure-blood family is largely a fanon creation:

FROM Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Akzaban, Chapter IV: The Leaky Cauldron

Once Harry had refilled his money bag with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from his vault at Gringotts, he had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend the whole lot at once. He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spellbooks, to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player’s face when they lose a point). He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson. But the thing that tested Harry’s resolution most appeared in his favorite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, a week after he’d arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.​

It then goes on to convey how easy it would be to empty his vault on the Firebolt:

Price on request… Harry didn’t like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life — but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already? Harry didn’t ask for the price, but he returned, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt.​

Wealth is being able to afford the excesses. Getting through five years of Hogwarts? The Weasleys have gotten through forty-eight years of Hogwarts. What Harry has isn't wealth. He has what amounts to a security blanket that will run out once he comes of age and has real expenses. And no, there isn't some imaginary primary vault with a large amount of coin. That isn't canonical. You can speculate, but that isn't the case.

 

I don't know. We know for sure James was in the order. So, its logical to assume he also would've made some financial contributions. Plus, if you count him being a good friend, he definitely would've helped Lupin. By the time they went into hiding, I'm assuming they had enough to get by for a year or two. They weren't planning on staying hidden forever were they? So, all that wealth in their vault should've been only enough for Harry to complete his education, etc.

Not wealthy per se. And during those dark times, maybe they thought having a regular occupation could be postponed.

I'm grasping at straws...

 

You don't have to grasp at straws. If you have a little bit of money, your own home, perhaps both passed down to you by your parents, and have three mouths to feed, you'll be alright for a while. What you aren't is wealthy. At least not in the sense that most fanfiction authors wish to convey.

At the same time, they went into hiding relatively late in the game (the fall of 1980); they didn't cast the Fidelius Charm until October 1981. There was time to have an occupation that got them some money.

 

Didn't Rowling retcon in one interview, stating the James wouldn't have to work for the rest of his life if he chose ?

 

Pretty sure that's fanon.

 

Things is, if the encyclopedia does come out I'd bet my nuts that JKR goes witht he fanon suggestions and has James as an auror even though he didn't need the money and have Lily be a charms/potionsWTFGODESS.

 

Pretty sure you should've looked it up, Big D.

 

I don't take any of her interviews serious. She's contradicted herself often enough.

 

Not on that point. It seems rather straightforward, actually.

Whatever Harry's perception of the amount in his inheritance in relation to his ability to afford a Firebolt or pay for textbooks, it was enough that James could support his family and Remus and work in the Order, without having to work.

 

Yup. It's not like James (and by extension, the Potters) were the wizarding equals of Bill Gates' with his wealth. :awesome

 

How about the fact that with Remus being unable to gain employment because of his condition, it introduces another problem: that more than a handful of people were aware of his condition.

Jo related the fact that Remus Lupin, prior to the third book, was unemployable because he was a werewolf and upon his graduation from Hogwarts along with James and Lily, was supported by James using their own money.​

Which begs the question as to why the subplot in Prisoner of Azkaban would be surprising to anyone involved? It was apparently common enough knowledge that he was unemployable. Parents would know and there'd be a controversy.

Again, I don't take her interviews serious.

 

I believe I have heard that James Potter supported his family and friends using his own money, while remaining unemployed. This may well be speculation, but the link below certainly suggests an answer to this question.

http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/1000-aol-chat.htm

 

Depends really. The order obviously knew. Was Remus an outgoing person? Did he really hung out with people outside the order that much? After James and Lily died, the order didn't really have a purpose for much longer, so they split. And he could've gone to some remote wizarding village, doing minor jobs to support himself.

 

Thanks for all the info. ^^

I guess that if James' parents died while he was in Hogwarts it could of easily went from being wealthyness to just fairly well off.

James was spoiled so they must've spent galleons on him.

Sirius ran away from home so they may have provided for him afterwards when he needed it.

James providing for himself, Remus and Lily from when they leave school till when they die, and then when Harry comes along.

It could quite easily happen I suppose.