Dark Book - Blood and Cruelty/ Draco

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 177235

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > <SNIP>
> > Draco isn't the big man on campus.  Harry is.  And that's who     
> > Draco is continually throwing himself against.

> >>Alla:
> I am going to make clarification of the sort. I reread my post and 
> I do not want to be accused of misrepresenting your opinion even a 
> little, so I will rephrase  a little bit.

Betsy Hp:
Well... Okay.  But just this once. <bg>

> >>Alla:
> If Draco is not a Big man on campus, but Harry is and Draco is 
> continuasly throwing himself against Big Man on Campus it is much 
> easier to justify Draco's behavior.
> 
> I realised that you did not call him poor dear, although I phrased 
> it that way not because I wanted to built a straw man, but because 
> the implication screamed to me from your post. Sorry about that     
> part.

Betsy Hp:
You're right, it's got nothing to do with Draco being a "poor dear."  
Because he's not.  He's bats**t crazy, and quite the little scrapper, 
but he's not a "poor dear."  Which is why I like him. <g>  I've not 
got much time for "poor dears".  They bore me.  Oh sure, the puppy 
dog eyes work for a time, but after awhile I get annoyed and want 
them to get off their duffs and *do* something.

Draco, say what you like about him, is a doer.  What I object to (and 
was objecting to) was this idea that Draco was attacking from a power 
position; that he's a bully.  Draco does not behave like a bully.  He 
continually goes after a boy his age, his build and with bigger goons 
and more staff support.  A boy who *always* beats him.  And Draco 
*keeps on going*.  I like that. <g>  But I also wasn't saying Draco's 
behavior was *justifiable*.  Just that Harry and Co.'s responses 
where over the top.  A lot.


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/177203
> >>Carol responds:
> Can you please point out a single reference in canon to Harry (or
> James, who looks just like him) as "handsome"?

Betsy Hp:
God no.  Harry's not going to sit around thinking about his own 
dreaminess.  But everytime there's a date-able event, Harry's having 
to run away from the womens.  And James was popular with the ladies 
too.  Ergo, they're both handsome devils.  (I'm not talking GQ 
spread, just athletic with non-freakish features, which is about all 
it takes.)

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > (Hermione is the same way, I think: smart, beautiful, admired and
> > courted by all who see her. <snip comment on Ron as underdog>

> >>Carol responds:
> She seems to be regarded as pretty when she's dressed up for the   
> Yule Ball or Bill and Fleur's wedding, but otherwise she's just    
> Harry's bushy-haired friend, who, until Draco's Densuageo spell is  
> deflected onto her and she gets her teeth shrunk by Madam Pomfrey, 
> also has over-large, protruding teeth. "Beautiful" compared        
> with "pug-faced" Pansy Parkinson, maybe, but Parvati Patil's       
> surprise that she looks pretty at the Yule Ball suggests that she   
> normally looks rather plain. Smart, yes, but "courted by all"?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Yes.  JKR's one of those bizzaro "feminists" who think that calling a 
girl or woman pretty is condemning her to bad things (apparently).  
So again, we're not going to get canon of people not bad guys calling 
Hermione pretty all that often.  But her first ever date is with an 
international, much sought after sports star.  She's in a position 
for the next big date-able event to pick and choose her date.  And 
she gets whistled at in the street.  (Which generally just takes a 
pulse, but this is "anvil-Jo" we're talking about here, so I'm going 
with what she's telling me: Hermione's a hotty.)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/177221
> >>Betsy Hp:
> > So yeah, when Draco gets into the Trio's face, he's not doing it
> > from a superior position. He's totally taking on the Man. He     
> > might be wrongheaded and crazy to do so, but there's still       
> > something there to admire. At least for me. (I wasn't the Man in 
> > highschool, myself.)

> Amy:
> Well, I agree that Draco is definitely not in the superior position
> during his confrontations with Harry. But taking on the Man? Really?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Goodness yes!  Cheered at his Sorting, youngest ever Seeker, "the 
hero who conquered the Dark Lord," chased by older girls for his 
first ever school dance, stalked by younger girls when he's an 
upperclassman, close to the elusive headmaster, beloved darling of 
most of the staff...  How is Harry *not* a BMOC?

> >>Amy:
> Throughout the HP books, Harry's average hangout group consists of  
> Ron and Hermione ( and Fred and George on frequent enough occasion 
> to be mentioned).

Betsy Hp:
Exclusive inner circle.  This doesn't make a good case for average, 
overlooked Harry, I'm afraid. <g>

> >>Amy:
> It's been mentioned on this list before that Harry barely knows the 
> names of the students in his year, let alone in the rest of the    
> school.

Betsy Hp:
He doesn't need to.  They know *him*.

> >>Amy:
> *Hermione* is able to convince a group of students to join a       
> Defence group led by him in order to pass their DADA OWLs.

Betsy Hp:
By evoking Harry's name.  As became clear at their very first 
meeting, which pissed Harry off, but was still the case.

> >>Amy:
> Could he convince half the school body to join in a smear campaign 
> against one student? I don't know, I have yet to see evidence of it.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Harry did one better.  His popularity lead to large group of students 
*literally* smearing three other students.  (The OotP train stomp.)

So yeah, I'm still rather convinced that when it comes down to 
student popularity, Harry has it over Draco.

Betsy Hp