Draco and Lucius

[jenny_ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 35455

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "catlady_de_los_angeles" <catlady at w...> 
 
> 1) If the way we heard Lucius snark at Draco about grades seems 
> 'parental and caring' to you, then I'm very glad I'm not your child. 
> (God, *how* I always hated my parents telling me that I'm no good!)   
> 
> 2) There is no contradiction between giving a child a lot of 
material things and physically beating the same child. Some physically 
abusive parents give their children gifts as bribes not to tell, or in 
an attempt to make up for the physical abuse committed in fits of lost 
temper, not that I think Lucius would stoop to either of those: his  
level of self-confidence is such that he wouldn't feel he had anything 
to make up for and he couldn't imagine that Draco would be so 
disrespectful and sissy as to go whining to Children's Protective 
Services about him.
> 
> 3) I read the nagging about grades, the gift of first-rate
> broomsticks, and several other gifts, as a parent who believes that 
> he has the right to own a prize child, a child who is the best at 
> everything (Quidditch, grades, attractive appearance, etc) and will 
> be admired by all the other parents, and takes out his resentment at 
> having been stuck with a less-than-perfect child on the child. 
> 
> 4) As for evidence of Draco having been abused: it seems to me that 
> Draco is pretty sensitive/observant in terms of noticing what other 
> people are touchy about, so he can insult them on those points that 
> hurt the most. It is said that very often abused children grow up 
> very perceptive about people, because they spent their early lives 
> watching their parents for every little clue about when the parent 
is dangerous, so the child can avoid the parent at those times.>

Sorry to snip so much here.  These are good reasons to support why 
Draco may be abused by his parents, but I still don't buy it.  I don't 
recall Lucius telling his son that he is "no good"; Lucius was simply 
disappointed that his son did not reach his potential as the 
intelligent boy Lucius believes his son to be (of course, I haven't 
looked at that scene for quite a while, so feel free to quote from it 
and say "see, dummy Jenny!).  I wish my parents had put *more* 
pressure on me to do better in school.  As an adult, I don't think my 
parents encouraged me enough.  That scene shows me that Lucius has 
high expectations of his some because he thinks highly of his son.

For me, the bottom line in Draco's behavior comes from being overly 
spoiled, not physically abused.  I am not saying this is a good thing, 
or that Lucius and Narcissa are the models for the way parents should 
be, but I believe that they have raised him to be a bully without 
using their hands, belts, brushes, or cords.  Lucius is known for 
bullying others around him: to make decisions about Dumbledore in CoS 
and about Buckbeak in PoA and this is what Draco sees at home.  Draco 
knows how to spot weaknesses in others because he was raised to do so.  
Lucius clearly thinks that those with money are superior and we all 
know what the Malfoys think of Muggles.  It doesn't take physical 
punishment for these things to stick in a child's mind.

--jenny from ravenclaw*******************