Draco Dementor (was: Draco = Evil?(was: Elkins' Draco Malfoy Is Ever So Lame. )

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 125270


>>Alla:
>Why children of Hogwarts would necessarily be well aware of what in 
the Dementor brings about the effect?<

Betsy:
Because every single Hogwarts student experienced the effect of 
Dementors at the very beginning of PoA while on the train to 
Hogwarts.  The Dementors searched the entire train.  The Trio were 
*not* the only ones to feel what the presence of a Dementor does.

>>Alla:
<snip>
>...I am not exactly sure whether Draco even had time to FEEL the 
real effects of the Dementor. It seems to me he run away really fast 
as soon as he SAW Dementor. 
>Here is what George says:
>"That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night 
when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running 
into our compartment, din't he, Fred?"
>"Nearly wet himself," said Fred, with a contemptuous glance at 
malfoy - PoA, p.97, paperback.<

Betsy:
But of course Draco felt the effect.  Dementors arrive, you feel the 
effect.  That's why Draco left the corridor and ducked into a 
compartment on the train (even though that compartment contained Fred 
and George - not people he'd look to for protection, normally).  He 
*felt* that the Dementors were bad news.  Remember, Mrs. Figg wasn't 
incredibly close to the Dementors in OotP, nor was she their intended 
victim, but she certainly felt the effects of their presence. 

>>Betsy: 
>Which is a really long and complicated way of saying that I think 
Draco's goal (and Flint's who was also involved, IIRC) wasn't 
necessarily to have Harry fall off his broom, but to throw him off 
his game and keep him from grabbing the Snitch.  Not a decent goal, 
no, but not a murdereous one, either.<

>>Alla:
>Betsy, I think you threw me off my track again. Sorry!
<snip>
>What exactly do you mean by "throw him off his game"? Like provide a 
small distraction? But Draco KNOWS that dementors are really BIG 
distraction for Harry.<

Betsy:
"Throw him off his game": Like in basketball, when the shooter is 
going for his penalty shot and the opposing crowd yells "air ball!" 
hoping to throw off his concentration and make him miss his shot. 

Draco et al were hoping to distract Harry so he failed to catch the 
Snitch (he was diving for the Snitch when they appeared) and 
therefore lost the game to Ravenclaw.  Which would take Gryffindor 
out of the running for the Cup, and put Slytherin in a more 
comfortable position going into the final game.

They (Draco and Flint) know how good Harry is.  They know that a 
small distraction wouldn't effect Harry at all (when he's in the air, 
the boy is *focused*).  So they choose the big distraction of showing 
up as Dementors, drawing Harry's attention to them and away from the 
game, and the Snitch.  They just needed to pull Harry's attention 
away from the Snitch.  They did not need to injure Harry or cause him 
to fall off his broom.  If Gryffindor lost that game, it would have 
been the last game they played that year.

Betsy