But my question is, do you think Rowling thought of Draco first, and then came up with Lucius and Narcissa, or the other way round?
My guess would definitely be that she thought of Draco first. Lucius and Narcissa seem to be there to give more insight to Draco, rather than the other way around. Narcissa has only really existed by name in all the books so far, and Lucius comes off as much more of a type, much more 2D than Draco. We didn't even get to meet him until the second book. And how exactly do Lucius and Narcissa relate to Harry? They don't, really, they relate to Voldemort, whereas Draco is the only one in the family who relates to Harry directly. And it just seems more likely that she would have made up all the characters who relate, directly, to her hero, before she takes it a step further and make up/flesh out the characters who relate to the antagonist.
I've also always assumed that she was talking about Draco, when she said how his name suited him. At least it's him I mostly associate with the name. He's the one who has "blind faith" in his father, but it just doesn't really strike me that Lucius has the same kind of blind faith in Voldemort. Maybe it's me making an interpretation here that JKR had not intended, but whatever "faith" Lucius has it seems to be less blind and more "self-serving". Like, it seems that he was quite happy with Voldemort out of the picture, but is working for him again at his return, because what other choice does he have? Voldemort would take revenge on him if he deserted him, and who would protect him, if he did? Yes, he believes in the Pure-blood values, but he also seems like a rationalist and realist, so I wouldn't classify him as "Fanatic" (which I think Voldemort, "Bella", and Crouch Jr all were).
Speaking of faith, did you follow the Luna-discussions that appeared right after OotP? Because many people associated her with "faith", and I don't think they were too far off. And her name, "good love", it almost seems like the opposite of "bad faith". Like, if we're supposed to think the names say something about the characters, are we supposed to think that the faith Luna shows is "good" as opposed to "bad"? Like, love is some kind of faith, and it's "good" (constructive?) in her case, but "bad" (destructive?) in Draco's? I mean, Draco's "blind faith" comes from "blind love"...
My guess would definitely be that she thought of Draco first. Lucius and Narcissa seem to be there to give more insight to Draco, rather than the other way around. Narcissa has only really existed by name in all the books so far, and Lucius comes off as much more of a type, much more 2D than Draco. We didn't even get to meet him until the second book. And how exactly do Lucius and Narcissa relate to Harry? They don't, really, they relate to Voldemort, whereas Draco is the only one in the family who relates to Harry directly. And it just seems more likely that she would have made up all the characters who relate, directly, to her hero, before she takes it a step further and make up/flesh out the characters who relate to the antagonist.
I've also always assumed that she was talking about Draco, when she said how his name suited him. At least it's him I mostly associate with the name. He's the one who has "blind faith" in his father, but it just doesn't really strike me that Lucius has the same kind of blind faith in Voldemort. Maybe it's me making an interpretation here that JKR had not intended, but whatever "faith" Lucius has it seems to be less blind and more "self-serving". Like, it seems that he was quite happy with Voldemort out of the picture, but is working for him again at his return, because what other choice does he have? Voldemort would take revenge on him if he deserted him, and who would protect him, if he did? Yes, he believes in the Pure-blood values, but he also seems like a rationalist and realist, so I wouldn't classify him as "Fanatic" (which I think Voldemort, "Bella", and Crouch Jr all were).
Speaking of faith, did you follow the Luna-discussions that appeared right after OotP? Because many people associated her with "faith", and I don't think they were too far off. And her name, "good love", it almost seems like the opposite of "bad faith". Like, if we're supposed to think the names say something about the characters, are we supposed to think that the faith Luna shows is "good" as opposed to "bad"? Like, love is some kind of faith, and it's "good" (constructive?) in her case, but "bad" (destructive?) in Draco's? I mean, Draco's "blind faith" comes from "blind love"...
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