Draco at the World Cup, Dumbledore's methods (was Wherefore Art Thou Draco)

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 37922

I agree with the general thesis of Heidi and a number of other 
posters that there is more to Draco than meets the eye (and 
his 'redemption' is possible, even hinted at), but I want to take 
issue on a couple of points of detail.

Heidi:

>  at the
> World Cup, he warns the boys to get Hermione out of
> there - he is mean to Ron and criticises Hermione when
> he does it, but he could've summoned the Death Eaters
> instead, even surreptitiously. He didn't. 
> 
I agree that Draco's comments at the World Cup are not those of a 
person who is calculating what will give most benefit to the cause of 
Death Eaterism.  He is potentially putting his father in danger of an 
investigation, should R, H & H report and be believed.  He is helping 
his parents' opponents to understand the situation that is developing.

However, I do not believe he is covertly trying to help Hermione 
evade anti-Muggle-born persecution either.  At least that is not the 
natural interpretation of the text in the wider context of Draco's 
actions generally.  (We do need a discussion some time about the 
status of speculation that is consistent with canon but not the most 
probable interpretation, and how that is to be related to JKR's 
propensity to mislead - but it would take us too far afield here.)

My understanding of Draco's behaviour is that he wants to be seen as 
top dog by his own group (to my amazement, he seems to succeed in 
this - as a second or third year he gets an appreciative audience of 
much older Slytherins when he taunts Harry), and to express his 
superiority in wit and sport over others.  His main motive seems to 
me to be to put down Ron in particular, and to a lesser extent Harry 
and Hermione.  For example, his anti-mudblood remarks in COS do not 
necessarily express a deap-seated ideological conviction - he is just 
using whatever weapon comes to hand in the contest he wants to fight.

I think the World Cup case fits in with this.  He wants to make H, H 
& R uncomfortable; he wants to signal that though he is in (as he 
sees it) a put-upon minority at Hogwarts, his sub-culture commands 
support from significant numbers of people.  He just wants to hit out 
at Harry's insufferable way of winning favour no matter what he does, 
show Ron that the Weasley world view has not prevailed, and crack 
Hermione's irritatingly impervious ignoring of him.

That brings me to my second point.  Heidi again:

> People have argued that at Hogwarts, where he's
> exposed to kids from Muggle backgrounds who are
> smarter than him (like Hermione) and where he is
> exposed to Dumbledore's "Muggle-loving", he should see
> that the world is not what Lucius described. BUt when
> is he to see this? Only at the end of Book 4 does
> Dumbledore ever talk about Voldemort; nowhere does
> Dumbledore do a big speach about living together and
> building bridges among the houses (schools, yes!
> houses - never a word!) and becoming understanding of
> other witches & wizards regardless of background. He
> never does it. Are his housemates? And if they did,
> would he listen to them over Lucius? Has Snape?
> Doubtful he's done more than an official paen of some
> sort - it would be too risky. 
> 

I believe that from Draco's POV, it is very obvious what 
the 'Hogwarts Doctrine' on Muggles, people of partial wizarding 
blood, and magically disabled people, is.

I see it as a tribute to Dumbledore's teaching methods, not a 
criticism, that he does not resort to preaching at the students to 
get his point across.  Draco knows that this is a man who lets Muggle-
borns into Hogwarts, employs a Squib, and allows ghosts, werewolves 
and half-giants (and of the alleged servant class) to be on the  
teaching staff.  He knows that Dumbledore did all that was legally in 
his power to get Buckbeak off.  (BTW, I think that those who see 
Draco as 'only' engaging in mild bullying and verbal abuse without 
any real determination to make his malice stick have a case to answer 
in Buckbeak: even if Lucius took over the running of the case, it 
seems clear that Draco was out from the start to inflict real damage 
on Hagrid, both emotionally and on his career.)  Dumbledore's values 
are in the air Draco breathes - people sing the school song at their 
own pace, teachers are given free rein to teach in their own way, 
good acts are publicly commended, the point of feasts is enjoyment, 
and earnestness takes second place to 'nitwit, blubber, oddment, 
tweak'.

I'd say it is clear that Draco knows that while he is at Hogwarts he 
represents a beleaguered minority view, and whenever he tries to 
assert *his* cultural values he suffers a reverse.  Powerless (in the 
main) to effect real change, he contents himself with throwing stones 
at what he imagines to be soft targets from the sidelines.

So, in summary, I don't see any hidden pro-Hermione (or Dumbledore) 
agenda in his 'warnings' at the World Cup,  nor do I feel he lacks 
opportunity to understand what Dumbledore is about.

David