[HPforGrownups] Re: Draco's Grades

[heidi tandy]

No: HPFGUIDX 46720

> Corinth   wrote:
> I think Lucius only mentioned Hermione because 
> she was at 
> > the head of the class, and he doesn't feel a muggle-born 
> witch should 
> > have this honor.  He is appalled that his own son hasn't 
> managed to do 
> > anything about this.  It seemed to me that this criticism 
> was an old 
> > one, about which Draco was clearly tired of hearing.
> >
Irene wrote: 

> I'm not a fan of Draco, so I don't care either way, but it 
> just does not feel right for Lucius. Did he memorise the 
> whole list? What's the point of berating Draco about letting 
> "muggle-born" to top the class if there were other people 
> ahead of Draco? I think he only knows Hermione's name because 
> she's taking the place he thought was Draco's birth-right.

I've actually thought that this complaint by Lucius indicates that Draco
is towards the top of the class, but not necessarily second overall - in
other words, if he'd been bested by a pureblood in Ravenclaw or two, I
don't think Lucius would've complained like this over and over again. 

However, I've tried to think of other reasons why Draco would be
obsessive in his irritation with Hermione - why does he act so cruelly
to her at the Quidditch practise (of course, presuming that he knows
just how insulting "Mudblood" is, which I'm not perfectly sure he does),
and why he wishes her dead on Christmas day - why would she upset him so
much if there wasn't some academic competition between them? I mean,
what else could they possibly compete in that would make him more
irritated with her than with, say, Dean Thomas?

heidi