Draco as leader and bigot (was:Re: Scapegoating Slytherin - The Moral Majority)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 144439

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > [Draco] is the established face of Slytherin, both for the      
> > readers and for Harry.  He's a leader within his house, and he   
> > encapsulates both the negative and I think positive aspects of  
> > Slytherin.  

> >>a_svirn:
> I don't see him as a leader. He only ever had two thugs to boss 
> about and a girl who has had a crush on him from the day one.

Betsy Hp:
Draco is the Slytherin prefect of his year.  He's respected and 
liked (I believe) by Blaise, who has been established as somewhat 
picky about his company.  And there've been several scenes where 
Harry notices Draco "holding court" or entertaining a group of 
laughing Slytherins.  

I'm not saying Draco's a great leader overall.  But he *is* the face 
of Slytherin within Harry's peer group.  So if JKR *does* address 
the Slytherin issue, it'll be beyond jarring if some other random 
Slytherin is brought in to do the job.  (Plus, it'll be a total 
waste of Draco's development in HBP.) 

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > The negative (the blood bigotry) is already starting to slip.  
 
> >>a_svirn:
> Not noticeably.

Betsy Hp:
Draco gets some major ideas from Hermione in HBP.  A fact he 
completely acknowledges.  So he's crediting her abilities there.  
And I think Dumbledore's chiding about calling Hermione a mudblood 
may have made an impact.

I'm not saying Draco is a shiny example of openmindness.  But I 
think his world view has been seriously shaken and his beliefs may 
be primed for a change.

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > (I honestly don't think it was all that firmly attached to      
> > begin with.)

> >>a_svirn:
> I wonder why would you believe in it so firmly? With all the 
> evidence to the contrary?

Betsy Hp:
Because calling Hermione a mudblood was not a natural instinct for 
Darco.  In the first book he completely ignored her, choosing to 
pick on Neville Longbottom (the pureblood) instead.  And it cannot 
be that Hermione was unnoticable as a target.  She was incredibly 
overeager in PS/SS.  Everyone around her noticed and was a bit 
annoyed or amused by it.

But it wasn't until Draco's father said, "Look, there's a mudblood!  
Go get her!" that Draco turned on Hermione.  And even then, Hermione 
tended to be his only target for those sort of attacks.

I'm not saying Draco didn't believe what he was saying. (After all, 
it came from his *father*.)  And I'm not saying he didn't enjoy 
attacking Hermione in that manner.  I'm just saying that I don't 
think his bigotry is unassailable.  Especially after receiving such 
a big shock to his belief system in HBP.

Betsy Hp