Draco's alleged dark mark

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 162517

> >>MQ:
> Hello all,
> I have been dealing with this itchy theory- farm in the back of my 
> head and I would like your opinions on this. I have searched the    
> old messages for a few hours looking for theories on this and have 
> not found them.  if they're there, I'd appreciate the link...      
> otherwise please chime in.
> <snip>
> Or does Draco not have the mark yet?  I wonder if Voldemort's order 
> is like other magical orders of lore, and if Draco has not yet been 
> through the proper initiation to earn the Dark Mark. This is a big 
> bone of contention in my house at the moment.  
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I've wrestled with this question too.  Here's a link to an older 
discussion about it:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/139684

It's a bit long, and the short version is this:  there is nothing in 
HBP that definitivly *proves* that Draco has a dark mark.  And in 
fact, during the Tower scene JKR goes out of her way to avoid proving 
the issue.  Draco goes up to the Tower before the "Marked Death 
Eaters only, please" barrier is set up.  He is not the one to set off 
the Dark Mark in the sky.  And Snape drags Draco off the Tower once 
the barrier has come back down.

So, since JKR is being so careful about the issue, I suspect (but of 
course, cannot prove <g>) that Draco *does not* have a dark mark. It 
would be the bangier surprise, IMO.

Betsy Hp