[HPforGrownups] Re: SS/PS Chapter 06 Summary

[Kanna Ophelia]

No: HPFGUIDX 27885

Original message from: themoondoggirl at hotmail.com

>EVERY time I read SS, I always wonder why Harry didn't become friends
>with Draco, and why Draco wanted to become friends with Harry in the 
>first place. 

<delurking>

I'm not so sure Draco did want to make friends initially... I kind of
read him as being bored, and wanting - whether to cover up insecurity
or out of genral boring egocentrism, depending on how you chose to
read his character - to spout off to a handy audeince. *Any* audience.
The whole Crabbe-Goyle thing suggests Draco isn't any too choosy who
he gets his self affirmation from...

Harry first meets Draco in Ch. 5, and their first 
>converstation is actually friendly. Draco sounds somewhat snobby, but
>he certainly doesn't sound evil.

Somewhat snobby? Draco comes across as a nasty piece of goods.
Apologies to the Draco-Sues, but anyone who starts by slagging off
everyone who comes into range, from Harry's own beloved friend (the
first person to show him any real caring) to an entire House at the
school - well, I'd hardly be overcome by a desire to make them my
bosom buddy.

His speech, whether intentionally or not, also had the effect of
making Harry feel even more insecure in the wizarding world than he
was feeling already.  And we don't tend to like people who make us
feel bad about ourselves.

 And then on the train (here's when 
>Ch. 6 comes in), Draco still attempts to be Harry's friend. Harry 
>could have taken Draco's side as easily as he took Ron's. <snip> So
what, ultimately, made 
>Harry choose Ron as a friend? 

Hmm... I know that, in Harry's place, I'd feel less that Draco was
trying to make friends then, as that he was trying to slime in well
with the famous Boy who Lived...

As for whose side Harry would more easily take... Well, look at it.
In one corner, a snob who has already insulted someone Harry cares
about, and who mocks someone simply because of lack of wealth - which
is a despicable character trait. (I've always been vaguely bemused by
people who describe Draco as witty - endless, semi-obsessive
variations on "your parents don't have any money and mine do, ha ha"
hardly strikes me as witty in any real sense of the word, let alone
"someone's died/is going to die, ha ha.") 
 
And on the other corner - someone as alone and apparently uncertain of
their place as Harry, someone willing to make themselves vulnerable
over lack of money), someone who *needs* his friendship - and is being
unfairly picked on by a bully.

As it stands, Harry's choice of friend is a quite simple and effective
device to show that Harry is a Good Kid - he can see real worth over
flash, he has good instincts, and he's kind.  If he was the kind of
child who would choose Draco's side and join with him in mocking Ron
for having no money - well, would we still be as inclined to
sympathise with Harry over his adventures?

Unless, of course, there was a kind of reversal as there was when Ron
learned that spiteful mocking of Hermione was a Bad Thing and closed
him off from a potential wonderful friend.

It's worth remembering, I think, that the canonical Draco is often a
very different beast from the tragic, romantic, beautiful,
misunderstood and desperately in love with Harry/Ginny/Hermione Fan
Draco. <g>  Yes, his father is dreadful and he's only a child, but
that doesn't necessarily make him some kind of fallen angel.

Besides, he picks on my precious adorable Neville. <pout> (Okay, so
I'll freeely admit to haviong my own irrational fan allegiences... My
beloved and I are going to break into the wizarding world, adopt
Neville and give him all the adoring maternal love he needs so badly.)

I'm currently dealing, as part of my Narcissa femmeslash fic, with the
challenge of making an at least semicanonical Draco someone Narcissa
can truly love, even though she's increasingly disgusted with what her
own son represents, and hates his father.


XXX Kanna-Ophelia  cleffa at start.com.au
www.geocities.com/diversiontactics/
ffnet: KannaOphelia

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