Why did Draco do it?

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 125377


Betsy:
> One thing I'm sure of: Lucius didn't give Draco any advice in PS/SS 
> on whether or not befriending Harry Potter was a good idea.  I'm 
> quite sure that Lucius is as hands off with Draco as he can 
> possibly be.  The one scene in CoS where we see Draco and Lucius 
> interacting made very clear (to me anyway) that Lucius doesn't 
> think Draco quite measures up.  I imagine Lucius is one of those 
> parents who dislikes children and are not pleased that their 
> offspring have to go through that rather drippy and disgusting 
> stage.  (I think that part of Draco's hero-worship of his father 
> springs from his constant attempts to win Lucius's notice and 
> approval.) So I think Lucius would be a little too busy ignoring 
> and avoiding his son to sit down and give him some fatherly advice 
> on who to hang with at school.  
 

SSSusan:
Hmmmm.  I'm curious why you're so sure of this.  We *have* seen 
Lucius make a remark which shows that he expects more from Draco and 
isn't afraid to note it in public.  OTOH, we have also heard Draco 
say he thinks he'll go bully his dad into buying him what he wants.  
I don't think that's all huff & puff.  And Draco *does* end up with 
those brooms, does he not?  

I think one could argue that Draco, while definitely not having daddy 
totally wrapped around his finger, does have his ear and does make 
his desires known, often enough to have built confidence that he can 
whine or bully or demand things and expect to get them.

I also am not convinced that Lucius stayed totally out of fatherly 
advising where Harry was concerned.  As you say, Draco is likely 
curious about Harry, having heard about him for years.  At the time 
of their departure on the Hogwarts Express, no one really knows just 
how Harry has turned out, what he's like, where his loyalties might 
lie.  Heck, no one even knows if Harry knows his own story enough to 
know what loyalties people would be referring to.  

So, yes, I'll bet you're right that Draco is curious.  However, I 
think Lucius is plenty curious, too.  I'll bet he's *dying* to get a 
report on Harry Potter.  

I could quite easily imagine a scene, prior to school's starting, 
when Lucius suggests it might be WISE of Draco to introduce himself 
to Harry Potter, see what the kid is like, see how he behaves.  In 
fact, I can't imagine any reason *not* to imagine a scene like that.  
It'd be easy enough, as they enjoy their evening meal perhaps, to 
talk about his surely being sorted into Slytherin, how he should be 
sure to hook up with Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, et al., and how it sure 
would be interesting to know just what Harry Potter is made of....

Siriusly Snapey Susan