Draco and Harry (was:The GoF Train Scene - and beyond...)

[festuco]

No: HPFGUIDX 147019

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "horridporrid03"
<horridporrid03 at y...> wrote:

> > >>Gerry:
> > The difference is that Ron is interested and Draco is prejudiced.
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> Ah, but it's Harry who wants to know all about Ron's blood-lines and 
> it's Harry who talks about how horrible his Muggle family is.  If 
> Harry had taken this line of conversation with Draco, Draco would 
> have eaten it up with a spoon.  I mean, yes Draco is prejudiced (as 
> he's been raised to be, never exposed to another way of thinking), 
> but again, Harry's conversation with Ron is not all that different 
> from Draco's conversation with Harry.

Gerry:
So? Harry is curious. He is interested about his fascinating new
world. He has gotten snippets from the conversation with Draco and now
tries to find out more from a source he likes. Harry wants to know
about his world. That to me is very different about a conversation
that is drenched with prejudice like Draco has. 

> Betsy Hp:
> But Draco doesn't insult Lily on purpose.  That's where the 
> misspeaking comes in, I think.  If Draco had realized that this was 
> Harry Potter he was speaking to he probably would have asked Harry 
> about the horrors of being raised by Muggles, and Harry would have 
> been glad to fill him in.

Yes he does. He gives his opinion about the 'other kind,' and he does
so quite openly under the mistaken assumption he is talking to another
pureblood. Now the 'other kind' happens to be Harry's mum. That Draco
does not know that the boy's mum is the 'wrong kind' does not really
matter to me. He gives his opinion about her just the same. Maybe if
he did know he would have held his mouth shut, but he still would have
felt the same way about Lily, so no sympathy for Draco on my part. 

> Betsy Hp:
> And Draco was merely curious about the boy in the shop.  It's just 
> that Ron had a better idea of what questions to ask because he had 
> some idea of who he was talking to.  Ron is a lovely person, and he 
> makes a great friend.  But he had a leg up on Draco, as it were.  
> And I also think his self-effacement (I'm nothing much, I'm so very 
> poor, I'll probably do horribly at Hogwarts) was much less 
> intimidating than Draco's confident "I am going to *shine* at that 
> school" for Harry, who was so worried about his own chances of 
> success at Hogwarts.

Gerry

I'm sorry but I could not disagree more. Yes, Draco makes Harry
insecure. But that is not why he does not like him. It is the way
Draco talks, the way he complains about not being allowed a racing
broom, that all makes it clear this is one spoiled little brat. 
> 
> And while I'm not surprised Harry equated Draco with Dudley (being 
> so socially isolated it's no surprise Harry saw confidence as a 
> negative trait) Harry does get it wrong.  Draco and Dudley have very 
> little in common.

Actually, they have a lot in common. Both are bullies utterly spoiled
by doting parents. Both want power, and both like to pick on people
they consider inferiour.

Gerry