Draco vs Ron (Was Re: Musings on Draco0

[uncmark]

No: HPFGUIDX 35389

I posted on my Nephew's idea on a Draco/Hermione match because he 
says Draco warned Hermione at the World Cup. 
As I remember it, Draco warned Harmione to "Watch out if you don't 
want everyone to see your knickers!" 

In response ladjables <ladjables at y...> wrote:

> uncmark, I think your nephew's very clever.  You
> should listen to him, he knows how teenage boys think!
>  I remember reading this and thinking exactly along
> the same lines.  Well, I'm not a 13 year old boy, but
> I did wonder for a minute if Draco had started to
> notice Hermione as a girl first, and a mudblood
> second.
> 
> Draco's prejudice doesn't preclude normal, human, adolescent 
> emotions. Hormones, those hormones determine feelings for the
> opposite/same sex!  It's not rare for a prejudiced
> teen to have a crush on someone from another
> race/ethnicity/gender, because he simply can't help
> the way he feels!  

Excuse me? You consider Draco's hormones on the same level as caring 
for her? The incident brought to mind a son of a Grand Wizard 
reveling as his fathers group of Klansman milested a black woman. If 
he warned a black girl that she would be next would that show any 
feelings but the basest?

ladjables continued
> "on the flip side, realization of such feelings may lead to a 
> more virulent form of prejudice, especially if the person 
> experiences self-loathing, and/or is even rejected by the object
> of his affections.  The suppression of anger and shame in a 
> prejudiced mind must be like a powder keg about to go off. So while 
> D/H isn't impossible, Hermione could also find herself the victim 
> of unrequited love!
>  Talk about putting a fatal spin on the Hermione/Draco
> romance.

Have you forgotten Chapter 12 of ChofS? Harry & Ron as polyjuiced 
versions of Crabbe and Goyle questioned Malfoy about the heir of 
Slytherin. Malfoy knew nothing definite about the heir, but 
boasted "But I know one thing -- last time the Chamber of secrets was 
opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of 
them's killed this time.... I hope it's Granger," he said in relish"

Doesn't sound too subtle or hidden. Draco would like H dead. And it 
doesn't sould like juvenile joking either.

I posed the question about Draco's redemption and consider it a 
possibility

ladjables relied

> Since redemption is about delivering from evil and all that, who 
> would make a better candidate than Draco, ignorant child of 
> aristocratic bigots?  He is, after all, still a child, and as far 
> as I'm concerned still teetering on the precipice overlooking
> damnation.  And even if you fall, you can cling on for dear life.  

Still a child? In ChofS he was 12 and in GofF, 14. In Tacoma 
Washington last year a man was beaten to death by a gangs of kids 
ages 11-17 and they were discussing charging all of them as adults (I 
think the youngest charged as an adult was 13) 

I'm not sure about Wizard Law, but Draco can be seen as an accomplice 
in his Father's crimes of Dark Arts contraband (ChofS) as well as 
aiding and abetting in the torture of Muggles (GofF). Still, his 
father kept him ignorant of his diary conspiracy in ChofS and he may 
still not know. 

ladjables continued
> My point simply is that Draco is as acceptable a subject for 
> redemption as anyone who is being led astray.  As you've said, he's 
> been spoon-fed his parents' "values", but he may find himself in a
> position one day where he realizes it isn't worth leading a life 
> full of hate.  We'll just have to wait and see what JKR does with 
> him.   

I think her treatment of the Malfoy's might be JKR's greatest 
challenge. It's easy to write racists, It hard to write multi-
dimensional characters. I'm guessing that the trio of Malfoy, Crabbe, 
and Goyle have been playmates since preschool, repeating Daddy's 
garbage and only seeing anything new at Hogwart's. 

In four books he's seen LV's plans fail 4 times (OK 3 1/2, LV made it 
back to life, but Harry survived) While C&G appear dumb as posts, 
Draco presnts himself as bright. Its possible he might be as high as 
straight A's, but considered as a failure to Daddy because a Mudblood 
was first in class.

Still if we see a full wizard war and Draco is forced to become a 
participant, he will have to make a difficult choice... And as Dumble 
dore told Harry in ChofS Ch. 18, "It is our choices, Harry, that show 
ehat we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Can't wait to see what Draco decides.

Uncmark