James Potter's father

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad."

- James Potter

Mr. Potter was a pure-blood wizard and Gryffindor student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was the father of James Potter and the paternal grandfather of Harry Potter.

Childhood
Mr. Potter was born into a wealthy pure-blooded family. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the age of eleven and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. At some point, he inherited the Cloak of Invisibility from one of his parents, who was a distant descendant of Ignotus Peverell.

Marriage and family
Mr. Potter married a pure-blood witch, and together the couple had one son, James Potter, who was born on 27 March, 1960. The Potters had James later in their lives; he was their only child, and was pampered and cherished accordingly.

Around 1976, Mr. Potter and his wife took in their son's best friend, Sirius Black, who had run away from home at age 16. They treated Sirius like a second son. Though Sirius only stayed in the Potter home for a year, eventually using money inherited from his uncle, Alphard Black, to buy his own flat, Mr. and Mrs. Potter always welcomed him over for Sunday dinner thereafter.

Post-mortem
Mr. Potter and his wife both died of a wizarding illness sometime between when they took in Sirius and the night of 31 October, 1981. The couple were elderly at the time, which suggests they may have come down with dragon pox, which is known to pose a particular threat to aged wizards.

Mr. Potter left his son an invisibility cloak which had passed down through the Potter family for many generations. James also inherited a considerable sum of money, and, as such, was able to lead a comfortable but all too brief life with his own family.

James and his wife Lily were murdered by Lord Voldemort on 31 October, 1981. Mr. Potter's grandson Harry was sent to live with the family of his daughter-in-law's unloving sister, Petunia Dursley, who were Harry's only surviving relatives. It is thus likely that Mr. and Mrs. Potter never got a chance to meet their grandson. However, Harry probably saw an image of his paternal grandparents in the Mirror of Erised, among a number of other relatives in 1991.

Physical appearance
When Mr. Potter's grandson Harry looked into the Mirror of Erised and saw his family, he noted several individuals who had "green eyes like his, other noses like his, [and] even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees." While it is almost certain that Mr. Potter could not have had green eyes, which Harry inherited from his mother, Lily Evans, he may have been one of the other individuals who shared traits with his descendants.

Behind the scenes

 * It is widely speculated that Charlus Potter and Dorea Black, who appeared on the Black family tree, were James' parents. The couple had one son, whose name was not listed on the tree, but whether he was James has not been confirmed. There is some other supporting evidence, such as Dorea's relatively older age when James was born, but there is also some possibly conflicting evidence, such as Dorea dying at the age of 57, rather than being old in wizarding terms.


 * Other speculation, due to the fact that they share a surname, includes that Charlus Potter is rather Mr. Potter's brother or, perhaps, cousin. In all actuality, the relationship could be very obscure.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (appears in flashback((s)

Notes and references
Mr Potter