Why Tom left Merope /Draco and Harry

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 146988

> >>>Betsy Hp:
> > Actually, I think Tom Riddle left his "wife" because he finally 
> > realized that she'd used either a mind-altering potion or a mind-
> > Altering spell to kidnap and repeatedly rape him.

> >>Alla:
> Correct, but this is a smaller revelation, the larger revelation   
> is that Merope is a witch and I don't remember that Tom Riddle    
> knew that.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Yes, but it was the kidnapping and raping that turned Tom off 
Merope.  And it was the spell or potion that turned Tom onto her.  
Tom didn't leave Merope because she was a witch.  He left her 
because she'd used him so horribly.  Merope didn't rape Tom 
*because* she was a witch.  Being a witch *enabled* her to rape 
him.  If Tom had fallen in love with Merope all on his own he may 
well have stayed after the big reveal.  But Tom didn't love Merope.  
He never loved Merope.  And her treatment of him guaranteed he would 
never come to love her.  Compare that to say, Seamus's parents where 
the big reveal was a surprise but not a horror.

> >>Alla:
> Personally I see a lot of similarities between Draco and Dudley. 
> Dudley is engaged in 'Harry hunting", Draco seems to be very happy 
> to engage in "Hermione hunting" in CoS and then adds Ron to the    
> mix. 

Betsy Hp:
So the fact that Draco dislikes someone means he's just like 
Dudley?  Wouldn't that mean that Harry is just like Dudley?  Sirius 
is just like Dudley?  Ron is just like Dudley?  (I could go on and 
on.)  Because I really don't recall this "Hermione hunting" you 
speak of.  Did Draco ever chase after Hermione, with a gang of 
supporters, intent on doing her physical harm?  Did he ever do such 
things to Ron?

> >>Alla:
> Dudley is Muggle type of bully, Draco is a Wizard type of bully,   
> not only bully, but the one who seems to be willing to go further 
> than words into actions. IMO of course.

Betsy Hp:
Hmmm, I know Draco is often referred to as a bully, but I'm not sure 
there's any instinces of Draco bullying in canon.  He's cruel to 
Neville a few times, but I don't recall him ever coming near the 
type of bullying we see Dudley engaged in.  Draco doesn't stick 
people in toilets.  I don't recall him ever hunting down weaker 
children to use as punching bags.  He *says* some rather nasty stuff 
to Hermione, but Hermione never seems to feel physically 
threatened.  And yes, Draco knows how to get Ron riled up, but 
again, it's not a case of a much stronger Draco physically attacking 
the much weaker Ron.

> >>Alla:
> So, no I don't see much difference between them at all. And of 
> course Draco's "I'll bully father into getting me one" reminds    
> Harry of Dudley wanting more and more presents. Mistake?          
> Personally I don't think so. JMO of course.

Betsy Hp:
Could you point out the canon where Draco *succeeds* in "bullying" 
his father into buying him that broom for his first year?  Because 
if Dudley wanted a broom, Dudley would have gotten a broom.  
Actually, I'd say JKR bends over backwords to show us that Harry's 
first impression of Draco being just like Dudley is quite wrong.

When Dudley doesn't do well in school, he's praised for not being a 
nerd.  But when Draco doesn't do as well as Lucius expects him to, 
he's dressed down in front of a store clerk.  That strikes me as two 
very different boys with two very different fathers.  
 
> >>Betsy Hp:
> > Draco makes the mistake of thinking making fun of Hagrid 
> > would amuse Harry (too bad it wasn't Filch peering in the 
> > window).  

> >>Alla:
> How do you know that? How do you know that Draco insults Hagrid 
> because he wants to amuse Harry?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Because Draco calls Harry's attention to Hagrid and because Draco 
likes to be amusing.  And because, quite frankly, Hagrid is a rather 
amusing character.

> >>Alla:
> The way I see it Draco already has his opinion of Hagrid before he 
> knew who Hagrid was. When Draco sees Hagrid at first, he is just   
> surprised, but when Draco hears who THAT man is, oh then he spits 
> the words of contempt right away.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
When did Draco spit?  I don't recall any spitting. Your quote 
certainly doesn't have any spitting in it.  And of course Draco's 
heard about Hagrid.  His father is on the Hogwarts board of 
governors, so I'm sure Draco has heard plenty of tales about Hagrid 
getting drunk and doing silly things with his umbrella.  Per canon 
Hagrid does get drunk and per canon Hagrid can take some rather 
foolish actions (Norbert).  I'm not sure why pointing that out means 
that Draco is either prejudiced (against what exactly?) or 
judgemental.

Think about what Ron might have said if he were in the shop and 
Snape or Filch were peering through the window.  Heck, Ron may well 
have said the same things about Hagrid.  I'm sure Ron had heard a 
few stories himself, what with his brothers and all.

> >>Alla:
> That's the point, IMO. Because he did not know who Harry Potter   
> was, Draco shows him his ugly inner self by insulting ALL         
> muggleborn witches and wizards.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Wow!  I didn't realize you disliked Draco so strongly.  I mean, yes 
I knew you didn't like him all that much, but you've pretty much 
written him off entirely, yes?  So Draco's beliefs about Muggleborns 
aren't because he's been raised to think a certain way and has never 
had that sort of thinking challenged, but because deep inside Draco 
is just a horrible, ugly, little boy.

Draco *does* display his prejudices.  And Ron does not display his.  
So Harry befriends Ron, and when Ron recoils from Hagrid because 
he's a half-giant, and when Ron is repulsed by Lupin being a 
werewolf, and when Ron thinks it's fitting that Filch is a squib, 
Harry forgives him and gives Ron a chance to realize that Hagrid is 
still Hagrid and Lupin is all right too.  But Draco is such a lost 
cause anyway, it's best that Harry have nothing to do with him.  The 
Sorting Hat is completely wrong, and Dumbledore is a fool.
 
> >>Betsy Hp:
> > And Draco was merely curious about the boy in the shop. 

> Alla: 
> Till he found out that that boy's parents were of the "wrong kind".

Betsy Hp:
When did that occur?  Harry tells Draco that his parents are the 
right kind.  They're both wizards.

Betsy Hp