Real life: James’ parents passed away from Dragon Pox while he and Lily were expecting. They were just a few months shy of meeting their grandson.
Real life: James could have gone pro as a chaser if it hadn’t been for the war. He wouldn’t have been a starter right off the bat or anything, but he had strong potential. The recruiter for the Arrows still vaguely compliments and harasses him whenever they run into each other.
Erised: James had a lot of talent in soccer that he was never allowed to develop. As a child alone, he liked kicking a ball around, but at recess, he was too competitive and played too rough. The teachers wouldn’t let him keep joining. When he was old enough to join a real team, his parents wouldn’t allow it. They thought sports were too much of a distraction from the things that really mattered like his academics.
Both: There’s a lullaby James’ mom used to sing him to help him fall asleep as a child. In the real world, he sang it to Harry to help put him down. In Erised, he sometimes wakes up humming it but can’t quite remember where he learned it.