Cabinet FIRST!

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 157989

> Orna:
> I understood it meant this particular mission was chosen for Draco 
> by Voldemort. I didn't understand it as meaning Voldemort 
approached 
> Draco and invited him to join forces. Bellatrix says "
I will say 
> this for Draco: He isn't shrinking away from his duty, he seems 
glad 
> of a chance to prove himself
" Narcissa says he has chosen Draco. 
It 
> could be read as Voldemort choosing Draco, as you say. But I find 
it 
> very unlikely that Voldemort just sends a message to Draco – "I 
have 
> a mission for you", without Draco sending any initiative of his 
own 
> to join the Des, or something like this. > But he did send 
invitations to the giants. And Dumbledore is 
> surprised the Des haven't approached Slughorn yet. 

Magpie:
I don't understand what you need here.  Bellatrix just described 
this as a duty, something required of him, not something he 
demanded.  Draco's never made a secret of his desire to join the 
DEs.  His family is already completely bound up in the 
organization.  Seems to me he's right there for Voldemort to tap.  
Crabbe, Goyle or not might have been tapped the same way.  

Orna:  
> I don't want extra bitterness because of the comeuppance theme – I 
> want it because it is important if Draco got where he got because 
of 
> his active choice. You could see it also as his choice because the 
> mission was his chance to fulfill a dream, but I like it more, if 
he 
> did make some active step towards having this mission. (Not that 
my 
> personal tastes matter much).

Magpie:
But that's what I'm saying--ultimately personal tastes don't matter 
when it comes to what's in the book.  Wanting Draco to have gotten 
where he is because of his personal choice is wanting the story to 
be written differently.  The fact is, he isn't in this situation due 
to his active choice.  He's in this particular situation because of 
his father.  His story may echo Regulus' and Snape's in some ways, 
but he's not a carbon copy of either of them.  One of the 
differences JKR is capitalizing on is the generational one.

Orna:

 But I think that if Voldemort 
> initiated the mission – it is a bit more difficult to put 
> responsibility on Draco. Because even if he was happy about it – 
did 
> he really have a choice? Does Voldemort offer missions, and accept 
> refusals? Would Voldemort entrust him with such a secret mission 
> without having Draco swear loyalty to DE? You might argue for 
> Voldemort telling him I have a mission for you, are you willing to 
> join? Possible, but not very refusable, so how could Draco get the 
> full moral responsibility for this choice?

Magpie:
Easy.  He doesn't. And I think Dumbledore is stressing that in the 
last scene. His moment of choice comes at the end, at the place the 
book spends all those pages getting to.  That's the big moment of 
the whole story, imo, where the possibility of choice becomes a 
reality to him.  Before that it's been all bad faith.  

-m