Draco and Lucius (was: Harry and starvation)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 123665


>>Del (I think?):  
>Draco doesn't measure up to his father in any way.<

>>Phoenixgod:
>Sure he does. Draco *is* his father writ small, petty, and 
inexperienced.<

Betsy:
Sorry, I just can't let this one go. :)  Because Draco really is 
*nothing* like his father.  Sure, he looks like him, but personality 
and skills wise, these are two vastly different characters.  Lucius 
is a political animal - well versed in deception and obfuscation.  
Draco is a performer, an attention grabber who has no earthly idea of 
when to keep his mouth shut.

Back in message # 123478 I said about Lucius: "The Lucius who
managed to talk his way out of Azkaban while Crouch was still in
power strikes me as at least a tiny bit politically astute. We know
who Lucius is because Dumbledore and the Weasleys know who he is.
The WW does not (or did not - the MoM battle changes things of
course). Lucius is probably not the Pimpdaddy!Lucius of the movies,
nor the seducer of innocents of fanfic, but he is a political
player. He would not have challenged Dumbledore while still a
student at Hogwarts - certainly not openly by attacking young
Gryffindors."

Compare that to Draco who in CoS yelled out, "You're next Mudbloods!" 
in a fit of excitement in front of professors, no less, (and I 
believe Dumbledore) after Mrs. Norris was attacked.  Not smooth.  At 
all.  Or let slip to the trio that his folks just might be out with 
the hooligan Death Eaters in GoF, or that Sirius had been spotted on 
platform 9 3/4 in OotP.  Draco likes to be center of attention, and 
he doesn't care what secrets he might be spilling to get there.  (I'm 
quite certain his father would not have been pleased at the Sirius 
spill.)

I wouldn't make a big deal about this, but I think it's essential to 
the Draco and Lucius characters that they are so different.  There 
are hints in PoA that Lucius is not well pleased with his son's lack 
of political intuition.  And I think it may be important in the 
upcoming books.  That Draco worships his father is obvious.  The 
possibility that Draco is failing to live up to his father's 
expectations could have interesting repercussions. 

Betsy, who's dying to call Pheonixgod, "Peh-ho-nix god" 'cause she 
gets far too much enjoyment out of the FedEx ads. <bg>