Draco and Daddy (was: Why did Draco do it?)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 125419


>>SSSusan: 
>Again, when [Draco] said he needed to go bully his dad, I believe 
he knew he could say this because he *had* done so successfully 
before. Kind of like how Dudley could have bragged to his friends 
that he bullied his parents into giving him two additional birthday 
presents.  Now, I do not picture Lucius going to the extreme that 
Petunia & Vernon did in that situation, but I do think Draco is used 
to often getting his way.<

>>Deborah:
>I've always thought that what puts Harry off Draco in the beginning,
and keeps him hostile, is Draco's eery resemblance to Dudley in
character and upbringing. OK, Dudley does his own beating up and 
Draco needs his hit squad, but apart from that ...<

Betsy:
I've always thought the so-called resemblances between Draco and 
Dudley was a red-herring.  Mainly because Draco and Dudley are 
*opposites* if anything.  It seems to me that Dudley has a certain 
contempt for his parents.  They do what he wants when he wants them 
to, so they're useful tools, but he acts in a manner (street-hood) 
they would totally be against. I seriously doubt Dudley quotes his 
father at his school, or invokes his anger as the ultimate 
punishment (wait until my father finds out!).  Dudley is a physical 
bully.  His friends hang with him because he can beat the crap out 
of anything.  He's not witty, he's not amusing, he wouldn't come up 
with a clever song or catchy badge to intimidate his enemies, he'd 
pound them.  And I've never gotten the sense that Dudley worries 
about his academic ranking.

Draco, on the other hand, worships his parents, eschews physical 
violence (please quote me an example where he and his gang beat up 
on younger students for fun and entertainment, because I can't 
recall any), and is academically competitive.  Draco is a perfomer.  
He's at the center of crowds because he's entertaining them with his 
clever mimicry and amusing stories.  Another of Draco's 
characteristics is he's not afraid to lie or put on a pose if he 
thinks it makes him look good or more in control of a situation 
(OotP regarding the OWL examiners).  Since I have yet to see Draco 
bully his father into doing anything for Draco he did not already 
wish to do, I doubt Draco's brag to Harry in the dress-shop, 
especially since his goal at the time was so obviously to impress 
Harry.

An aside on the Slytherin brooms:  Lucius bought the team brooms to 
show off his wealth.  This was the time period that Lucius starts 
courting Fudge, and he uses the impression of wealth (I have some 
doubts as to the veracity of the "Malfoy Fortune") to do so.  What 
better form of display than to sponser his son's quidditch team?  It 
gets the message out to his peers as well.  (If Lucius was doing it 
for his son, why didn't he drop *any* hints to Draco while selling 
his dark goods?  What better way to shut-up a whiner than with the 
promise of an extra special treat?)

>>Eustace_Scrubb:
>It is possible for children to be "spoiled" by their parents--given
all the newest toys, most stylish clothes, sent to the best
camps/schools, etc.--even when (perhaps in fact most often) when 
those parents maintain a distant personal relationship with the 
children.<

Betsy:
It's hard to compare a child from an old family of a certain level 
of wealth (or maintaining the appearence thereof) and the child of a 
middle class family aspiring to something higher.  Because the rich 
child will *always* appear to be more pampered, more spoiled, just 
in maintaining his position.  Of course Draco will have the best 
clothes, the highest quality of a certain amount of toys (though he 
would *never* be encouraged to count the amount of presents).  If 
the WW (or the British) went in for summer camps, Draco would attend 
the best one and be kitted out in the best manner (though probably 
with his father's sleeping bag, and his grandfather's tent, if there 
wasn't a certain newness to the Malfoy wealth).

The utter tackiness of Dudley counting his gifts, the very shiny 
newness and bigger, bigger, bigger! hysterics of it all is 
*completely* at odds with the Malfoy way.  The Dursleys give Dudley 
more than they can afford because he's their little Dudley-kins.  
The Malfoy's give Draco what he's entitled to because he's a 
Malfoy.  There is a *profound* difference.  The Dursley's teach 
Dudley that he's special and entitled in a way that they are not.  
The Malfoy's don't have to teach Draco anything.  Draco knows that 
he is entitled because his parents are entitled.

>>Hannah: 
>You argue your case very well, Betsy :-) But I'm still
with SSSusan on this one. Draco *is* pampered by his parents.
<snip>
>...the constant packages from home full of sweets. Those are 
doubtless from his mother, but *she* at least is spoiling him. And 
who's to say Draco didn't *want* to stay at school for Christmas in 
CoS, since we know he himself was trying to find out who the heir of 
Slytherin was? If his parents didn't want him around at Christmas, 
why does he go home in PS/SS and PoA? And why did Narcissa not want 
him to Durmstrang because it was so far away, if she at least didn't 
want him to come home for holidays?<

Betsy:
Thanks, Hannah :) Narcissa *is* the dark horse in this family 
drama.  We know next to nothing about her.  It *looks* like she 
cares for her son - at least according to Draco.  But again, Draco 
is not above lying to maintain appearances, (maybe Durmstrang was 
too expensive, or maybe no Black ever attended Durmstang, who 
knows?).  The sweets from home could be from Narcissa (out of love, 
out of appearances?), they could be from a house-elf.  We don't 
know. (Though I will say I'm not sure that sending care-packages 
from home to a child at boarding school are good examples of 
*spoiling* your child.  Harry thinks so, but what does Harry know 
about such things?) Plus, Draco's method of finding out who the Heir 
was, was questioning his father.  He didn't go on any sleuthing 
missions, that we saw anyway.  So I'm still pretty sure he was left 
at Hogwarts to report back to his father.  

>>SSSusan:
>In sum, I think Lucius likely does use his own son.  So in that 
way, they're not a close-knit family, no.  But I think you can 
pamper a child, teach him that he's special & important & one of the 
Entitled Ones at the same time that you don't mind using him a 
little to advance your own agenda.<

>>Eustace_Scrubb:
>Anyway, I suspect that Lucius and Draco are both adept at using each
other to get what they want. And I suspect that Lucius _does_ want
first-hand reports on the remarkable Harry Potter.<

>>Ginger:
>If LV returns, all [Lucius] has to do is write to Draco asking him 
to invite Harry home on the next break. Poof! Harry's head on a
platter to prove his loyalty to his dear master. With tartar sauce
and a slice of lemon for aesthetic purposes.
>That sounds like Lucius to me. Plan for the win-win situation.<

>>Hannah: 
>But Lucius, at this point, is trying to appear respectable. He's 
schmoozing politicians, such as Fudge, who was quite keen on Harry 
at that time, making donations to St Mungo's, etc. He's practically 
renounced his old 'master' by claiming he'd been under the Imperio 
curse when performing whatever crimes they accused him of the first 
time round. As far as I can see, Lucius has behaved in character, 
and switched to the winning side as fast as possible. So I don't 
think he'd worry what LV would say.<

Betsy:
I do agree that Lucius would not hesitate to use his son if he 
thought there was *any* benefit for him.  (Though, I disagree with 
Eustace_Scrubb that Draco is any good at using his father - I've yet 
to see it happen, frankly.)  And I can see your arguments that 
Lucius could see a benefit in wooing Harry Potter.  

Here are two counter-arguments:  1)In PS/SS Lucius is not trying to 
accomplish anything. He's laying low under his Voldemort-victim 
alibi, not rocking any boats.  It's not until CoS, when his home is 
invaded, that Lucius starts re-entering the world of WW politics, 
throwing around his money and cosying up to Fudge.  Befriending 
Harry Potter would definitely rock some boats.

2) If Lucius did try and approach Harry Potter there are several 
Aurors that would find his motives *very* questionable.  It's a high 
risk move, guaranteed to call attention to himself, and I'm not sure 
what agenda Lucius could possibly have that would outweigh the 
risks.  You all may suggest that if he worked through Draco, none 
would be the wiser, but one thing we all know about Draco - the kid 
ain't subtle.  And he's no good at keeping secrets, especially at 
that age.  If his father suggested he should be friends with Harry, 
I can easily imagine Draco saying, "My father thinks you and I 
should be friends!  Oh, hello Professor Dumbledore!"

Everyone hated my Snape idea <pout>, but if Lucius was interested in 
gathering knowledge about Harry, Snape would be the most subtle way 
to go.  Before Voldemort returned, Lucius was all about the subtle.  
(Another way I imagine Draco disappoints him.)

And I still think Lucuis *is* disappointed in his son, and not close 
to him at all.  I think he acts like a parent who wants to be around 
his child as little as possible.

>>SSSusan:
>OR it's the actions of parents who never *make* their child do 
anything for himself, but rather do everything *for* him, which is 
how I took the shopping outing.< 

Betsy:
Except, doesn't Draco strike you as a child that would *love* a 
shopping trip?  Being with his parents, able to pick out things, 
seeing and being seen in Diagon Alley, this all sounds like Draco's 
idea of heaven.  So why would he do anything to hurry the process?  
Lucius, on the other hand, I can see trying to get through the 
entire trip as quickly as possible. 

>>SSSusan:
>I don't think the family is close in the sense of 3 people who just 
love spending all their free time together or who sit and have heart-
to-heart talks all the time.  I think Lucius is likely stern with 
Draco on occasion.  So I'm with you that far.  But I don't get the 
sense that Draco is ignored.<

Betsy:
I do.  I really feel that Lucius spends as little time as possible 
with Draco, and that Draco spends most of his vacation time 
slouching around the manor, listening at doors, trying to get as 
close to his father as he can.  And I think part of his obsession 
with beating Harry Potter comes not just from Harry's rejection of 
him in PS/SS but from his desperate attempts to finally measure up 
to his father's expectations.

Draco craves attention.  He's always joking and performing, needing 
to be in the center of the crowd.  Even on the Hogwarts train, Draco 
can't sit still in a compartment, he has to go up and down the 
aisles getting attention of all the other students.  He's an 
outgoing boy, and that's fine, but I also think he might be trying 
to get something he doesn't get at home.  Again, there's not any 
canon I can point to.  It's just a feeling I have, based on Draco's 
actions, and his few interactions with his father.

Betsy, who pieced together about six billion posts (okay, five?) for 
this response so is quite sure she snipped, took out of context, and 
maybe even mis-credited the various quotes she used.  If so, she 
apologises and assures everyone it was done in ignorance, not malice.