I think sometimes he acts more Gryffindor in this story, but then Harry's behavior forces his into sharper contrast. He hasn't quite got over that schoolboy rivalry thing that shapes his behavior into the opposite of what his rival is doing. :)
Watch me faint before I ask for help! Hello, Potter, meet Kettlucius Malfoy.
I like this scene, because it shows us so much more of Harry than it did from his own perspective, which showed us bits of Draco that Draco is unwilling to acknowledge completely. The wizarding world needs very badly to change the way it takes in halfblood and muggleborn children - something that helps them integrate better. That would help to solve some of the issues Draco is raising here - and one or two of them, when shorn of the rhetoric of blood alone, make sense.
Also. Draco's study habits? Eeek. I wish I could do that. :( And I'm a pro-Harry reader, so it seems to me that Harry sees his criticisms with less contempt than Draco does, ergo Beloved Fool. But as I typed that last sentence I remember what Narcissa said very early on in this fic, so I suppose I shall be quiet about it.
Oh, clever pun! And yes, Harry is being hypocritical there- not that he'll recognize it for a long time, if ever.
I think it would be interesting to write a story that focuses on the integration of non-pure-blood children to the magical world. Unfortunately, most of those I've read seem to take the position that it would be best to just "steal" the children wholesale, as if Muggle families would always abuse their magical children.
Harry is, overall, less contemptuous than Draco, and less prone to use contempt as a weapon. Draco, I think, is far too used to using sarcasm as a weapon.
FTuS 26 (aka Inner Slytherin)inviticus1January 6 2009, 18:02:01 UTC
A few of my favorite moments:
"As long as there were real house-elves around, and not wizards who had been raised to think they were like them, life would not be entirely bleak." Yes, amidst the splendor and the threats, at least there wouldn't be any domestic chores to handle *smirk*
"... just in case Harry wanted to accuse him of eavesdropping-which would be normal for a man Draco adored and who trusted him so little. Draco saw no need to run himself headlong into unnecessary pain." Oh Draco, so blindingly self-serving and gratifying at the same time. Why would Harry think you would stoop to eavesdropping? Paragon of virtue that you are, the thought of avoiding unnecessary pain is far more important than being open and honest, of course.
"Of course, Draco realized after a moment’s reflection, that only proved how brilliant a manipulator he was, because he had done it without any conscious intention to do it." Quintessentially Draco, wowed by his own inner brilliance!
"Draco smiled at him, because there was no other response
( ... )
Re: FTuS 26 (aka Inner Slytherin)lomonaaerenJanuary 7 2009, 04:35:51 UTC
Thank you very much indeed for the long review! (And the pointing out of that error. One problem with writing a retrospective story like this is that I don't always remember what happened in the original as compared to this one. I'll correct that error in the next chapter).
Draco still sometimes judges Harry by his own standards, even when he's trying to judge him by Harry's. He would think that someone who came in quickly was trying to eavesdrop, so he thinks Harry would also think it.
Draco's compassion will grow stronger, but I think his games also will. In a way, his compassion scares him, because once Harry was an enemy, and here Draco is falling harder than Harry, which scares him. So he retreats into game-playing to prove to himself that he's still "tough" enough for a relationship like this.
(Draco's remark about an interesting life was actually referring to Emptyweed. He intends to make Emptyweed's life interesting indeed with his curse).
Alas, certain secrets may be kept from Harry still and there will be some sort of
( ... )
Comments 21
Draco was rather engaging this chapter. He was also wonderfully Slytherin.
Reply
I think sometimes he acts more Gryffindor in this story, but then Harry's behavior forces his into sharper contrast. He hasn't quite got over that schoolboy rivalry thing that shapes his behavior into the opposite of what his rival is doing. :)
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
I like this scene, because it shows us so much more of Harry than it did from his own perspective, which showed us bits of Draco that Draco is unwilling to acknowledge completely. The wizarding world needs very badly to change the way it takes in halfblood and muggleborn children - something that helps them integrate better. That would help to solve some of the issues Draco is raising here - and one or two of them, when shorn of the rhetoric of blood alone, make sense.
Also. Draco's study habits? Eeek. I wish I could do that. :(
And I'm a pro-Harry reader, so it seems to me that Harry sees his criticisms with less contempt than Draco does, ergo Beloved Fool. But as I typed that last sentence I remember what Narcissa said very early on in this fic, so I suppose I shall be quiet about it.
Reply
I think it would be interesting to write a story that focuses on the integration of non-pure-blood children to the magical world. Unfortunately, most of those I've read seem to take the position that it would be best to just "steal" the children wholesale, as if Muggle families would always abuse their magical children.
Harry is, overall, less contemptuous than Draco, and less prone to use contempt as a weapon. Draco, I think, is far too used to using sarcasm as a weapon.
Reply
"As long as there were real house-elves around, and not wizards who had been raised to think they were like them, life would not be entirely bleak." Yes, amidst the splendor and the threats, at least there wouldn't be any domestic chores to handle *smirk*
"... just in case Harry wanted to accuse him of eavesdropping-which would be normal for a man Draco adored and who trusted him so little. Draco saw no need to run himself headlong into unnecessary pain." Oh Draco, so blindingly self-serving and gratifying at the same time. Why would Harry think you would stoop to eavesdropping? Paragon of virtue that you are, the thought of avoiding unnecessary pain is far more important than being open and honest, of course.
"Of course, Draco realized after a moment’s reflection, that only proved how brilliant a manipulator he was, because he had done it without any conscious intention to do it." Quintessentially Draco, wowed by his own inner brilliance!
"Draco smiled at him, because there was no other response ( ... )
Reply
Draco still sometimes judges Harry by his own standards, even when he's trying to judge him by Harry's. He would think that someone who came in quickly was trying to eavesdrop, so he thinks Harry would also think it.
Draco's compassion will grow stronger, but I think his games also will. In a way, his compassion scares him, because once Harry was an enemy, and here Draco is falling harder than Harry, which scares him. So he retreats into game-playing to prove to himself that he's still "tough" enough for a relationship like this.
(Draco's remark about an interesting life was actually referring to Emptyweed. He intends to make Emptyweed's life interesting indeed with his curse).
Alas, certain secrets may be kept from Harry still and there will be some sort of ( ... )
Reply
Leave a comment