Some random and disconnected thoughts on Narcissa Malfoy
i.
I'm endlessly fascinated by Narcissa, and not quite certain how to count the ways.
I've long argued that she is a far stronger character than we've yet had reason to suspect, to the point where she is probably more powerful, and stronger, than either her husband or sister (and I was convinced of this immediately after Order came out). I think she wears the pants in the family. Draco's schooling and name were determined by Narcissa. Of all of Draco's sore spots, Narcissa is the one about which he is the most sensitive; he frequently boasts that he will manipulate Lucius to do this favour or pull that string, but makes no such claims about his ability to manipulate his mum. And he never calls her that. She is "mother."
She posesses a quieter, softer, less obvious brand of power, but more palpably intimidating for it. She's tightly wound, and tightly controlled, and that scares me far more than Bella's often impotent rages. The need that Narcissa's family feels to protect her is façade, although they most likely don't know that; she is perfectly content to let others feel they are in control, all the while pulling the strings.
The notion of Narcissa as one of the most powerful witches we've yet met has been recently reinforced within this community, both by mrs_muggle's observations on the near-silence of Narcissa's Apparating compared to her sister's, as well as by hernandezstudio's speculation on Narcissa-as-Metamorphmagus. I was inspired to post this by onlyinfatuated's thoughts on the Black family, which were lovely to wake up to. The conjunction of their ideas made it fairly important for me to get mine out quickly.
She does love, of course, and that love is what drives her. Even when it drives her to betrayal of the ideals of those she loves. Bellatrix was absolutely right in pointing out how dangerous it was for them to approach Snape, to throw into question both the loyalty of the sisters, and of the potions master. Bellatrix's reiteration of the famous WWII-era ideal, the wishing for more sons to give to die for the cause, is hardly normal. Narcissa adores her men, and she will lay anything down (or lay anyone out!) to protect them.
Look at her manipulation of Snape at Spinner's End: how she plays her beauty, her expressions of helplessness against her sister's anger. Compare the vicious, righteous pureblooded fury of Bellatrix (pointedly, repeatedly rubbing Snape raw with his Muggle father's name) with Narcissa's tact. The lovely, wily pureblooded witch, grasping his ankles (classical signal of submission, gripping the back of Zeus's knees), and letting her hair spill over his lap.
She's clever, she knows how to work people. Bellatrix just gets worked; she has no finesse, which is why her ability to perform or teach Occlumency surprises me greatly. Narcissa is likely a very clever Legimens. We see Bella and Lucius (and even Snape!) sputter frequently; Narcissa never does, never falters. She's ruthless. She was evendare I say itclassy in Madame Malkin's shop, a spectacular feat in the circumstances, of which she remained in complete (and slightly terrifying) control.
She is raw and focused Will, noun meaning volition, in the Nietzschean rather than Schopenhauerian sense (Snape is a Schopenhauerian Will), and that makes her spectacularly dangerous. When she says "there is nothing I wouldn't do anymore," I for one believe her.
ii.
Mommy Issues. A tangent.
Jo said that Narcissa's name doesn't follow Black family convention because she's always thought of Draco's mother as a Narcissa.
The name comes, like so many constellations' names, from Greek mythology, where Narcissus became so infatuated with the beauty of his reflection that he wasted away, and was eventually tranmuted into a flower, the Narcissus. He also gave his name to the psychological disorder Narcissism, where one becomes completely obsessed with one's own superiority, to the exclusion of healthy human interactions.
Incidentally, Draco exhibits rather many of the signs of this disorder.
iii.
Unmarked.
I, personally, think Narcissa does not have a Dark Mark. And I think it's for precisely the same reason that Josef Mengele never got an SS tattoostraight-up vanity.
I'm endlessly fascinated by Narcissa, and not quite certain how to count the ways.
I've long argued that she is a far stronger character than we've yet had reason to suspect, to the point where she is probably more powerful, and stronger, than either her husband or sister (and I was convinced of this immediately after Order came out). I think she wears the pants in the family. Draco's schooling and name were determined by Narcissa. Of all of Draco's sore spots, Narcissa is the one about which he is the most sensitive; he frequently boasts that he will manipulate Lucius to do this favour or pull that string, but makes no such claims about his ability to manipulate his mum. And he never calls her that. She is "mother."
She posesses a quieter, softer, less obvious brand of power, but more palpably intimidating for it. She's tightly wound, and tightly controlled, and that scares me far more than Bella's often impotent rages. The need that Narcissa's family feels to protect her is façade, although they most likely don't know that; she is perfectly content to let others feel they are in control, all the while pulling the strings.
The notion of Narcissa as one of the most powerful witches we've yet met has been recently reinforced within this community, both by mrs_muggle's observations on the near-silence of Narcissa's Apparating compared to her sister's, as well as by hernandezstudio's speculation on Narcissa-as-Metamorphmagus. I was inspired to post this by onlyinfatuated's thoughts on the Black family, which were lovely to wake up to. The conjunction of their ideas made it fairly important for me to get mine out quickly.
She does love, of course, and that love is what drives her. Even when it drives her to betrayal of the ideals of those she loves. Bellatrix was absolutely right in pointing out how dangerous it was for them to approach Snape, to throw into question both the loyalty of the sisters, and of the potions master. Bellatrix's reiteration of the famous WWII-era ideal, the wishing for more sons to give to die for the cause, is hardly normal. Narcissa adores her men, and she will lay anything down (or lay anyone out!) to protect them.
Look at her manipulation of Snape at Spinner's End: how she plays her beauty, her expressions of helplessness against her sister's anger. Compare the vicious, righteous pureblooded fury of Bellatrix (pointedly, repeatedly rubbing Snape raw with his Muggle father's name) with Narcissa's tact. The lovely, wily pureblooded witch, grasping his ankles (classical signal of submission, gripping the back of Zeus's knees), and letting her hair spill over his lap.
She's clever, she knows how to work people. Bellatrix just gets worked; she has no finesse, which is why her ability to perform or teach Occlumency surprises me greatly. Narcissa is likely a very clever Legimens. We see Bella and Lucius (and even Snape!) sputter frequently; Narcissa never does, never falters. She's ruthless. She was evendare I say itclassy in Madame Malkin's shop, a spectacular feat in the circumstances, of which she remained in complete (and slightly terrifying) control.
She is raw and focused Will, noun meaning volition, in the Nietzschean rather than Schopenhauerian sense (Snape is a Schopenhauerian Will), and that makes her spectacularly dangerous. When she says "there is nothing I wouldn't do anymore," I for one believe her.
ii.
Mommy Issues. A tangent.
Jo said that Narcissa's name doesn't follow Black family convention because she's always thought of Draco's mother as a Narcissa.
The name comes, like so many constellations' names, from Greek mythology, where Narcissus became so infatuated with the beauty of his reflection that he wasted away, and was eventually tranmuted into a flower, the Narcissus. He also gave his name to the psychological disorder Narcissism, where one becomes completely obsessed with one's own superiority, to the exclusion of healthy human interactions.
Incidentally, Draco exhibits rather many of the signs of this disorder.
iii.
Unmarked.
I, personally, think Narcissa does not have a Dark Mark. And I think it's for precisely the same reason that Josef Mengele never got an SS tattoostraight-up vanity.