Scapegoating Slytherin - The Moral Majority / Draco's bigotry and leadership

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 144483

>Betsy Hp:
>And the Slytherins may have just followed their head of house's
>lead. Snape appeared to be assisting Umbridge.

a_svirn:
Where exactly did he appear to assist Umbridge? He was annoyed with 
her and didn't even bother to hide it. 

>Betsy Hp:
>Which would be joining with her. There was no middle ground here.
>Which is why the school descended into such chaos.

a_svirn:
Really? So when McGonagall told Harry to keep a law profile she 
suggested that he should join forces with the Ministry? 

And I don't see how having one lousy subject would have plunged the 
whole school into chaos. It would certainly have affected their OWL 
results; on the other hand it would probably have roused the 
Governors from the lethargy and moved them to get rid of such a 
demonstratingly incapable teacher.

  
>Betsy Hp:
>Total control by the Ministry would mean total destruction of the
>Founders' Hogwarts. Total destruction of their fingerprints, the
>houses.

a_svirn:

How so?

>Betsy Hp:
>And in a school of Hogwarts size there is no way the students didn't
>know that some sort of resistance group was operating. They might
>not have known the who, what and where, but with most of the houses
>prefects on the role call, they'd know *something*. And the
>Slytherins would recognize it as well.

a_svirn:
And where is the canon to support that?

>Betsy Hp:
>So name me the Slytherin counterpart for Harry Potter.

a_svirn:
Lord Voldemort. Harry has no worthy opponents among the 
contemporaries. 

>Betsy Hp:
>What? Blaise hung out in Draco's compartment; put up with smunching
>into a seat with Crabbe and Goyle so Draco could spread out all king
>of his domain on the other seats; downplayed the Slug Club so
>Draco's feelings weren't too bruised; and hung out with Draco in the
>common room as per Harry's map. The only thing Blaise hasn't done
>(that we've seen anyway) is get rip roaring drunk and tell Draco
>that he's the best friend Blaise's ever had. And he really means
>it, man. The best!

a_svirn:
Blaise hung up in Slytherin compartment, not Draco's. He did not 
downplay the Slug Club thing, on the contrary, he rather gleefully 
pointed out to Draco, that Slughorn had no time for DE, which 
certainly did bruise Draco's feelings. He also made his rather 
unflattering opinion on Draco's abilities abundantly clear when he 
said that the Dark Lord cannot be interested in Draco's services. As 
for hanging out with Draco in the common room, it's like saying that 
Harry was hanging out with Romilda Vane in the common room. Common 
room is called common for a reason. 

For the rest I agree, the only way for Blaise to announce his 
friendship to Draco is to get royally drunk. 

>Betsy Hp:
>Yes, Draco parrots his father beautifully to the Muggle dressed boy
>standing beside him. A boy he doesn't even think of questioning the
>parentage of until their conversation is near conclusion.

a_svirn
I agree, that was stupid. But – as Harry pointed out – since when 
has Malfoy been the world's best thinker? Besides, he still meant 
his every word for all that.

>Betsy Hp:
>Which is
>why I don't think the bigotry is something Draco has really made his
>own. His father says it is so, and it is so. Draco hasn't thought
>it out for himself. He hasn't had reason to, really.

a_svirn:

But this is always the case with bigotry. It is a matter of nurture 
rather than nature. Unless of course, your name is Tom Riddle. 

>Betsy Hp:
>The greatness of the Dark Lord is the foundation on which many of
>Draco's beliefs are built. And the Dark Lord has demonstrated his
>contempt for Draco's family. So suddenly, everything Draco has
>believed to be true about Voldemort has been shown a lie. Which
>shakes everything built upon that lie. Many of his beliefs, the
>negative ones especially, will be, have been, shaken. What will come
>of it, only JKR knows. But something will come.

a_svirn:
His contempt for muggleborns is not rooted in his family's 
allegiance to Voldemort, though. If anything, it's the other way 
round. 

>Betsy Hp:
>I'm not sure what you're driving at here. What didn't work with
>Lucius? 

a_svirn:
Well, his father didn't particularly want for Voldemort to return. 
He felt much more comfortable on his own. Yet, his disappointment in 
Voldemort did not affect his views on muggles and muggleborns. 

>Betsy Hp:
>And who is the half-blood upstart? Snape or Voldemort?

a_svirn:

Voldemort.