A (long) Draco musing

[bookraptor11]

No: HPFGUIDX 31966

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Aja Fair Romano <aromano at i...> wrote:
>we've never seen
> Dumbledore interact with Draco in any way.  How can we know how 
Dumbledore
> really feels about him? Perhaps Dumbledore too is withholding 
judgment on
> Draco's character until he has made the choice to step out from 
under his
> father's thumb.  Making him head boy, or even a 6th-year prefect, 
would be
> an excellent way to observe this.
This is a great point. I wonder if Dumbledore doesn't interact with 
Draco because he fears Draco would align himself even more closely 
with his father if Dumbledore tried to influence him too openly.  
Draco might be scared enough by the threat to his world view and 
close his mind completely.

> ...and then jennyandraul wrote:
> > I think JKR already has very subtly set up the possibility for a 
Draco 
> > redemption.  She has shown us times when Draco just may not be DE 
> > material.  The best and most used example is when Draco runs 
screaming 
> > from the "thing" drinking the unicorn blood in SS.  
> 
> Also, he took the coward's way out in shirking the wizard's duel 
with
> Harry in book 1.  This has puzzled me for some time, because in the
> wizard's duel the following year, he proves himself more than 
capabale of
> fighting, and even produces a snake from his wand, something I 
doubt most
> 2nd years could do so easily. I suggest that one reason Draco might 
have
> had no intention to participate in the wizard's duel with Harry the
> previous year is because he *knew* he would have more experience 
than 
> Harry, and didn't want to run the risk of being expelled after 
harming him
> in some way.
Unfortunately, talent doesn't necessarily give one self-confidence.  
I think the above examples highlight Draco's insecurity.  He's 
probably 
very eager to prove himself to his father and also very worried he 
won't be good enough. When he produces the snake from his wand, Snape 
has been leaning down just prior to that, whispering to him. I figure 
Snape gave him the spell, but that just shows how adept Draco is,
to cast a spell successfully on a first try, after a hastily 
whispered conference. Maybe if he gains a little confidence, he'll 
question his father's beliefs more. It's going to be hard going 
though, as I picture what Lucius has to say to him over the summer 
about Potter's exploits as opposed to Draco's, Draco's loss to Harry 
on the quidditch field, etc.

Donna