Draco is quite the wizard

[Eddie]

No: HPFGUIDX 160562

> [... extensive snippage ahead ...]
>
> Eddie wrote:
> > Has anybody noticed that Draco is a pretty talented wizard?
> > [...]
> > Sure, there are extenuating circumstances: Snape coddled Draco
through Potions,
> > [...]
> 
> Carol responds:

Eddie:
Carol, as always, responds most excellently, fully, and carefully
thought out!  Go upthread to catch it all.

> Carol:
> There are also the badges he made in GoF, changing from "Support
> Cedric Diggory, the real Hogwarts champion" to "Potter Stinks!"
> [...]
> if his Potions performance is any indication, he probably does very well
> in most of his classes. We've yet to see his potion orange when it
> ought to be green or giving off smoke when it ought to give off vapor.
> [...]
> Draco could cast Serpensortia as a
> second-year and has always had a fair number of imaginative hexes at
> his command 
> [...]
> [ re: nonverbal spells] He certainly
> did well enough against Harry in the bathroom scene before he stupidly
> resorted to Crucio and prompted Harry to try out Sectumsempra.
> 
> Oh, and we forgot. He's a fair to middling Occlumens thanks to Aunt
> Bellatrix. 

Eddie:
Yes, yes, and yes.


> As for his Potions performance, can you cite your evidence for Snape
> coddling him? I recall his pointing to Draco's perfectly stewed slugs
> on the very first day of class in SS/PS, as he certainly wouldn't have
> done unless they really were perfect. I doubt that Snape coddles
> anybody, Lucius Malfoy's son or not. I think the fact that Draco
> excels in and likes Potions contributes to Snape's favoritism, which
> would be greatly diminished if Draco were a dolt like his friends
> Crabbe and Goyle.

Eddie:
I think your answers to my post are right on.  I don't know that I
have canon for Snape coddling, other than HRH's annoying assumption
that Snape would never be rude to Draco.  I seem to recall right in
the beginning of SS/PS, before they've ever had even one Potions class
HRH had already heard the rumors about Snape and how he was always
easier on Slytherins.  Nevertheless, you are right that Draco seems to
have done pretty well on his Potion OWL and deserves to be there as
much as anybody.  Further, I can't think of any canon — as you pointed
out — where Draco's potions were described as being poorly executed.

Eddie