Draco's Warning (?) WAS: Austen and Parallels

[Julie Holmes]

No: HPFGUIDX 52488

--- "Nicole L." <nplyon at yahoo.com> wrote:

(Quoting Heidi)Heidi said:

> You mean on the train? The day after Draco stood
> with the rest of the school and toasted Cedric's 
> memory? If you'd like to go back to my posts
> from last month that his comment on the train could
> be read as a warning, just as his comments in the 
> woods at the World Cup were a warning, you might 
> have a slightly different take on why Draco said
what
> he said in the train. 

Nicole responded with:

>Sorry, but post or no post, you're not going to
>convince me that Draco was just giving them a friendly
>warning, just as I probably won't convince you that he
>wasn't.  To me, a warning is, "You know, Harry, I'm
>really concerned about your safety.  The Dark Lord
>doesn't take too kindly to those who befriend those
>who don't come from wizarding families."  



Warnings come in different packages and are not always
straightforward. For the sake of argument, it's
possible Draco was giving a cryptic warning of sorts
to Harry et al on the Hogwarts Express at the end of
Fourth Year. He says:

'You've picked the losing side, Potter!  I warned
you!  I told you you ought to choose your company more
carefully, remember?"

Note he didn't say the *wrong* side. Just the losing
side. And he may well be right- we won't know for sure
until all seven books are available. Maybe Voldemort
will win in the Potter universe (I doubt it,
personally, but I just extrapolating on the
possibility). People like the Malfoys look after their
own asses first- moral obligations are secondary.
Thus, Draco's main interest at this point may well be
self-preservation. And only that. We only have three 
books left, though, to demonstrate whether Draco is
capable of rising above his primary instinct of Me,
Myself, and I. 

Would Malfoy honestly give Harry a genuine warning?
Even if he really, really wanted to (for whatever
unimaginable reason he might have ;) I doubt he'd be
straightforward with it, at least not at this
juncture. Draco's jealous of Harry and there's still
that little part of him (that he likely never
acknowledges consciously) that wishes Harry would
accept him. Yet the part of him that wishes for some
kind of partnership with Harry could prompt a warning
of some kind...albeit in a rather uncouth way! He may
even be unaware he is actually giving a warning, as he
disguises it so thoroughly with vitriol. *IF* Draco
gave Harry a warning, I imagine it would be just like
what he said on Hogwarts Express-so horrid, it would
go largely unrecognized. 

I'm not implying Malfoy is virtuous in canon-he
appears not to be. JKR describes Draco as a bully,
nothing more, nothing less. But I think we all know
there can be a lot more to bullies than what meets the
eye, and it's so appealing to want to see them
redeemed. I think this is why some people read this
implication into Draco- that is, he would want to
somehow help Harry out or warn him of bad things to
come.

And just so you know my bias...I lurve Draco
immensely. Especially in fanon. 

~Julie

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