Fathers (was: A message?)

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 179009

Pippin: "I think Lucius and Crouch Sr are two sides of the same coin,
fathers who see their sons as extensions of themselves and express
their love only when the son is fulfilling their expectations. It's a
very withholding, conditional kind of love. It isn't surprising that
Barty Jr rebelled, and hmm...I wonder if Draco's perpetual
incompetence as a DE wannabe wasn't a kind of rebellion too? Did he
keep failing because subconsciously he wanted his father to prove that
he loved Draco for himself?"

I agree with you in principle but I guess there's a difference between
Lucius and Barty Sr.: I bet there was a lot more contact between
Lucius and Draco. Several times over the course of canon Draco refers
to things his father has told him or written to him (I'm sure I
remember Draco referring to letters from his father). Lucius
intervenes on Draco's behalf more than once, and we know what Barty
Sr. did. It's not the same as a loving father, but I imagine it's a
lot better than what Barty Jr. got.

Draco isn't as deadened as Barty Jr. is, maybe because he did get more
bonding with his parents than Barty Junior did. Draco seems to be less
psychopathically detached than Barty, and he isn't a simple thug like
most of the other Death Eaters. (Crabbe, for example, is; it's an
interesting contrast).  We see from Draco breaking down as we see him
do that he still has enough humanity in him not to have his whole
heart into evil.

Jim Ferer