Elkins' Draco Malfoy Is Ever So Lame. (But not sympathetic)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 124614


>>Naama:
<snip>
> Draco's roll is exactly the same, on the level of Hogwarts - he is 
the paradigmatic Slytherin, embodying all of its worst qualities - 
ruthlessness, cold heartness (snakiness?), ambition untempered with 
compassion. And the pure-blood ideology.<

Betsy:
Except that he's not.  Ruthlessness and cold heartedness?  Draco is 
anything but.  Both qualities demand a certain cutting off of emotion 
and Draco is almost pure emotion.  Why else has he refused to let go 
of his ongoing vendetta against Harry, a vendetta that has only 
brought him pain and humiliation, a vendetta that his father has 
specifically frowned upon, except that he cannot temper his emotion?

And ambition?  When has Draco ever expressed ambition, beyond the 
childish wish to bring a broom first year (failed) and perhaps to 
beat Harry at Quidditch (failed again, because of lower quality 
broom)?  We haven't seen him express much compassion, but then we've 
never been witness to an opportunity for Draco to do so.  

Draco does express the pure-blood ideology, but he's a child 
parroting his parents' politics.  He does hate Hermione (and I can 
understand why) and he uses his ideology to attack her, but it's a 
mere tool in his arsenal.  He doesn't hate Hermione *because* she's 
Muggle born.  Her blood just gives him a stone to throw.

Harry et al think Draco is pure evil, but JKR shows us again and 
again that they are wrong.  Just as Hagrid contention that all bad 
wizards are Slytherin has been shown, time and again, to be wrong.

Betsy