Draco and redemption potential (long)

[serenadust]

No: HPFGUIDX 37989

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., heidit at n... wrote:
> In a message dated 4/19/2002 11:03:47 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
> lucky_kari at y... writes: 
> > 
> > Now, whether he can come back is another question. But I think 
he's 
> > already crossed the crucial line.


Heidi wrote:
> What crucial line is that? The Line of Saying Obnoxious Things? 
The Line of 
> Being Cruel?  Or the Line of Coping With Things One Cannot Really 
Comprehend 
> by Joking About Them, which a lot of teens then would've crossed 
after 9/11. 
> 
> ANd I also don't really think that it's a significant degree of 
cruelty for 
> him to have been set against Hagrid after Buckbeak struck him in 
3rd year. It 
> says pretty clearly in FB&WTFT that they are dangerous creatures, 
and yes he 
> should've paid attention and not insulted Buckbeak, but on the 
same line, 
> Hagrid should not have brought the hippogryffs to class. They. 
Were. 
> Dangerous. And you can't really blame him for thinking that Hagrid 
should be 
> sacked for doing something that was dangerous to the students - 
but then 
> again, I think Hagrid's done a lot of things which aren't exactly 
sensible 
> from a teaching perspective. Of course, I feel the same way about 
Madam Hooch 
> and the first flying lesson too...
>

Are you actually saying that Draco wasn't cruel about Hagrid before 
the Buckbeak incident?  His whole sneering dismissal of Hagrid as 
being a "sort of servant" and describing his living conditions made 
it very clear that he despised him before he even had any personal 
contact with him (PS/SS).  I also don't buy your defense of him in 
the Buckbeak incident, either.  Hogwarts classes have the students 
dealing with dangerous things all the time (as you point out in the 
first flying lesson...in the first year, no less!)  Potions also 
exposes them to significant harm, and don't even get me started on 
Quidditch. They don't perceive danger in the WW the way we do 
(probably because of the superiority of wizarding medicine)since it 
does seem to be a warrior culture.
I've read all the posts exploring the possiblity of Draco's 
redemtion, and am utterly unconvinced my any of them.  His character 
has been consistent from the first moment we meet him, and has 
steadily gotten more malignant.  By the time the kids are on the 
train in GoF, he is probably 15 (or nearly so), and has clearly 
chosen his path.  I agree with lucky kari that he has crossed an 
important line, and would not find it believable or likely that he 
would change his position after this.  Like it or not, most people's 
basic characters are fairly well fixed by this age.  It's not at all 
like he's making the same sort of stupid jokes (some) teens who were 
far removed from the 9/11 situation made.  No indeed, this is 
*personal* for little Draco, and he clearly relishes the upcoming 
fun when Hemione and Ron "get theirs".  I firmly believe JKR is 
carefully showing us how a truly evil person develops, and don't 
think she's going to give the cowardly, bullying Draco character a 
personality transplant.  He's too far gone.


Jo Serenadust