[HPforGrownups] Re: Borgin and Draco's supposed Dark Mark (was Ultimate and Last Bragging Rights)

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 171048

 Jadon:

> Those who think Draco showed Borgin the Dark Mark burned 
> into his arm: why, particularly, do you think Borgin would 
> be so 'very frightened'? If not a death eater himself, he's 
> been supplying them for years.
<SNIP>

Goddlefrood:

I'll give you my reasoning as you asked.

First Draco is probably a Death Eater already by the beginning of 
HBP. It's a pity to think this as I'd like to see a DE induction 
ceremony and Draco would be the prime candidate for that. However, 
there will be plenty going on in DH without a chapter or part of a 
chapter being devoted to this.

In the Mugglenet / Leaky Cauldron Combined Interview of 16th July
2005 JKR said:

"But I thought of Draco as someone who is very capable of
compartmentalizing his life and his emotions, and always 
has done. So he's shut down his pity, enabling him to bully 
effectively. He's shut down compassion - how else would you 
become a Death Eater?"

That strongly suggest Draco *is* a Death Eater and so I conclude 
he is one already and no rite of intitiation will be shown. That 
is probably a good thing as it may or may not resemble either a 
satanic mass or the induction ceremony alleged against the Knights 
Templar that led to their disbanding. We will not go there, IOW.

Magpie:
You could be right, but I've never understood why that quote is always
taken to say that Draco is marked one way or the other. She's talking about
Draco's entire life of compartmentalizing. I take that sentence to be her
saying that of course Draco always knew to do that because he knows this is
what one must do to become a DE and that has always been his goal. So the
quote, for me, doesn't make me imagine Draco going to some intitiation and
repressing compassion while he does it--I don't think he'd need to there.
For me it calls up Draco in second year actively repressing his compassion
because he's following in his father's foosteps always. It would like
saying, "Draco has always taken care of his looks--how else would one
become a movie star?" The "someday" was implied for me.

Draco "is" a DE in HBP whether he's marked or not, I think. There's no
induction ceremony needed to say that Draco is acting as a DE in trying to
kill Dumbledore. He's also supposed to be dead by the end of the year, so
from that pov he's never really a DE as far as Voldemort is concerned. He's
the child of a DE whom he's manipulating into getting killed. If he was
inducted in any official way, it was just part of the Prank, for the most
part, since he wasn't expected to survive.

I admit I can't think of anything else at this point that Draco could have
shown Borgin, but I'm unsatisfied with it being the Mark. While I can see
good reason for Borgin to be intimidated by Voldemort even as someone who
presumably deals with DEs a lot, if I assume that Draco is showing him a
Dark Mark, I'm not sure looking "very frightened" rings so true to me for
Borgin, who's known Draco from childhood. 

So I'm hoping it's an open question, since for some reason we never *see*
the mark in HBP even after the question of whether or not he has one has
been raised in the text itself. I'd expect it to be answered to prove Harry
was right once again, probably on the Tower. (Harry's claim that Draco
pulled his arm away because Malkin touched his mark I thought sounded
completely false--Draco said twice she was sticking him with pins, he
doesn't ever look like his arm hurts generally, and we've never seen Dark
Marks hurt from people touching them. I think Harry implies Draco just
doesn't want Malking to see the mark, but his reaction doesn't seem to show
that to me. He even rips off the robe right afterwards, showing us what's
underneath. Nor does he seem like he'd be nervous about it being seen that
way.) 

Goddlefrood:
Her whole motive in making the UV could be that she wanted 
Snape rather than Draco to do the latter's task.

Magpie:
I basically consider that canon.

BetsyHp:
Then he ate it on the way home.

Magpie:
Perfect.

-m