[HPforGrownups] Harry, Draco and bathroom/ A couple of theories - Snape

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 162332

> Alla:
>
> Right, no. Not heart melted of course and why would he be suddenly
> sympathetic to his plight after all crap Malfoy did to him and his
> friends after all? But judging by the fact that at the end Harry is
> talking about having tiny bit of pity for Malfoy I think he is
> getting there.

Magpie:
He definitely could be.  It's just, as you say here, he's got this history 
with Malfoy and he, unlike most people, has an idea of what Malfoy's up to 
this year. So it's not like seeing him cry over working for Voldemort would 
make Harry suddenly change that much.  There's only so much sympathy Harry 
would have that it's stressful working for Voldemort.:-)

[snipping}

> Alla:

> Yes, I checked the book, no mention of the wands, you are right, but
> narrator also describes them as looking more menacing ( Draco and
> Co) than he ever saw them, so I would argue that the possibility of
> deducing the physical threat was also there. IMO of course.
>
> But whether it was there or not, what I saw happened made me think
> of Trio's response as justified.

Magpie:
Heh--I know you do!  I was just trying to draw the distinction between being 
attacked first and feeling or being justified for attacking first, which I 
assume everyone did in this scene.

> Alla:
>
> I do understand what you are saying about Draco's twisted ways and
> why he would think that he is acting defending himself. In short I
> get and accept that this is what Draco may be thinking.

Magpie:
LOL!  I just love the phrase "Draco's twisted ways."  Though in this case I 
can imagine a lot of characters responding this way--at least the boys.

Alla:
>
> But let's talk about what we had seen happened in this scene. Draco
> may think that
> he is defending himself, but the one who truly does it is Harry.
> Harry does not throw curse at Draco first. It is the opposite. I am
> just puzzled as to how scene of Harry defending himself suddenly
> gets transformed in **Draco** defending himself.
>
> Harry not only does not do anything wrong, he defends himself
> against Unforgivable. Blinks.

Magpie:
Harry is absolutely defending himself--from actual hexes.  I think that's 
one of the reasons the whole thing is so shocking from his pov, that he's 
not really ever feeling angry at Malfoy in the bathroom. He really never 
loses control.  He just reaches for the spell he thinks will take care of 
things and he's not expecting what he gets.  He does feel twinges of 
conscience about it, which I hope will be explored later, because he did 
almost kill someone violently, which went beyond defending himself.

>> Magpie:
>> I have to say--I doubt it since Draco didn't actually cast the
> Unforgivable.
>> Not that I have a big problem with Snape not pressing charges--I
> think
>> pressing charges is rarely something that's going to happen in
> canon, and
>> anyway it wasn't something I wanted Snape to do either.  But of
> all the
>> reasons he had for not doing so, I don't think Malfoy going to
> prison was
>> really a danger (for that at least).
>
> Alla:
>
> He started though - we don't know for sure if wand does not register
> the attempt - it may or it may not IMO.

Magpie:
I really doubt it does--and regardless I can't imagine the legal machinery 
of the WW ever being truly helpful that way.  It seems to only come in to 
push someone's agenda.  And since Harry's attempted Crucio's as well with 
nothing much coming of it I just can't imagine that being an interesting way 
to go.

Alla:
> I mentioned Snape not pressing charges because it is often mentioned
> as something awfully noble on Snape's part and the best I can come
> up with is Snape protecting little ferret against Azkaban, not
> protecting Harry against being expelled.

Magpie:
I always figure he's probably protecting a whole lot of things.  He's 
protecting Draco in general so even without the threat of Azkaban for that 
particular spell I can't imagine Snape would want him in trouble.  Also I 
wonder if he doesn't want his own spell coming out.  Not that I think he'd 
get in trouble for creating the spell at 16 that somebody used later, but I 
can just imagine him not really wanting that aspect of it known.

Anyway, my point is basically that I agree it's not all about protecting 
Harry from being expelled because again, it just doesn't seem like any sort 
of enforcing body is at issue. Draco doesn't much seem to figure into much 
of the equation after he's on his feet either. I feel like if it were really 
significant that Snape didn't try to get Harry expelled we'd have heard it 
from someone.

-m