Poor Draco?

[rj_anderson]

So in preparation for OotP coming out, I'm re-reading the HP books from the beginning -- something I haven't done in quite a long while -- and noticing all kinds of things I hadn't seen before.

Comments

[shellebelle93]

Interesting theory. I tend to think Draco's a bit afraid, but that he knows he can manipulate his family into doing what he likes. Hubby of mine seems to think that once Draco sees what it's *really* like to be a Death Eater, that he'll begin to come around, but I don't buy that. I think Draco knows exactly what he's getting into.

It will be very interesting to see what Draco's character will become. I tend to think that he's going to be 'Voldemort Jr.'(tm) I will until I read different. He's shown no redeeming qualities thus far.

[rj_anderson]

Well, I think Draco might be afraid of his father on occasion, but only in the way that Dudley was afraid when Vernon freaked out over Harry's Hogwarts letters. In other words, he knows his father has a dangerous side and that it's not smart to cross him, but at the same time he knows that he's Daddy's Favorite Boy, so he doesn't spend his life worrying that Lucius will make him pay if he puts a foot out of line.

Like most bullies (and like Dudley), Draco is essentially a coward, I think; if he were suddenly stripped of all the protection and prestige that come from being Lucius Malfoy's son, he might not like the idea of serving Voldemort so much and indeed might even try to get out of it. But that's not the same as having a genuine change of heart based on the moral conviction that Voldemort's agenda is evil and that he ought to be stopped. I have a hard time imagining Draco going the latter route.

[meril]

I don't see why both can't be true, really; Draco is a manipulative spoiled brat, but Lucius is also, well, a cold guy with very high expectations for his son. They're not mutually exclusive.

Draco reminds me of this very odious character from another favorite series of mine; they're both rich boys who think their wealth and social status gives them the right to use and abuse people who they see as their social unequals.

I think Dudley can be redeemed--there are hints about the Smeltings staff trying to help him (well, the diet was the start, at least.) I don't see the same for Draco, and it honestly wouldn't be a satisfying end to that plot. I want to see his comeuppance, and I want it to be spectacular.

[rj_anderson]

Oh, sure, Lucius is frosty and has high expectations but my point is, Draco doesn't appear intimidated by him or desperately worried about living up to those expectations. To me it appears he's proud of his father's ruthlessness because he enjoys seeing it turned against other people, rather than cringing from it because he's afraid it's going to be turned on him.

Point is, if Lucius were as aloof and overbearing with his own family as fanon sometimes makes him out to be, there's no way a little weasel like Draco could bully him into anything. And he wouldn't be caught dead buying Draco's schoolbooks for him, to be sure.

[heidi8]

I think the movie portrayals of both Draco and Lucius might be in part responsible for this slight skewing of the fanon interpretations.
I have to disagree. I wrote a fanfic with this type of interpritation starting back in the fall of 2000 (Surfeit of Curses, over on Schnoogle) and while it was one of the earlier fics with such a theme, it certainly predated the book by a good two years, enough so that when CoS actually was released, I got a flurry of reviews saying (jokingly) that Jason Issacs must've read my story.

I don't actually *think* he did - but my interpritation is certainly consistent with his.

Re:

[rj_anderson]

Well, she did say "might be" and "in part", so I think that leaves room for SoC to be an exception to the rule. The more recent Lucius and Draco fics are much more likely to have been influenced by the movie, though.

[flourish]

((Oh, you might say, but Draco is playing tough, trying to look good. And Harry dislikes him, so he's assuming the worst about him, thinking he's just like Dudley. But there's no reason for Harry to be prejudiced against Draco at this point, because he knows nothing about the wizarding world in general or Slytherins in particular. Neither is there any reason for Draco to want to impress Harry by pretending he can bully Lucius around, because Harry hasn't any idea who Draco's father is

Re:

[rj_anderson]

We've seen that Draco has a high opinion of himself and his family and one might think that the average English wizard would know Lucius Malfoy (after all, considering how rich they are and how politically active...). So Draco could very well be trying to show off,

But then he would have to think that the average English wizard would know him, too -- because he hasn't introduced himself to Harry as Draco Malfoy at that point. You might think it was because he assumed he was famous enough not to need introduction-- but then on the train, once he knows who Harry is, he introduces himself.

So I don't think Draco is just boasting when he says he's got both his parents wrapped around his little finger.

[heidi8]

But Lucius isn't there when Draco says this. It's not unusual for kids whose parents are controlling or manipulative to deny the reality of their lives when they're having conversations with peers, especially when there's a benefit to them in doing so - and here, Draco clearly sees an advantage to having Harry think he's able to boss his parents around - regardless of whether it's true or not.

I think that, in comparison to the bit you quoted, the fact that Draco never has a line of dialogue when Lucius and other people are around - he's totally silent once Lucius is on the scene in Flourish & Blotts and he doesn't speak once in the Top Box in GoF - is at least as telling, if not moreso, of his true relationship with Lucius.

Re:

[rj_anderson]

Draco clearly sees an advantage to having Harry think he's able to boss his parents around -Does he? What advantage? He's only making idle conversation with a boy he's never met before and knows nothing about, who just happens to be having his robes fitted at the same time. Why would he think that a total stranger would be impressed by hearing that Draco can boss his parents around, when Harry knows neither Draco nor his parents and therefore has no reason to be impressed