Dark Book - Blood and Cruelty/ Draco

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 177258

> >>Carol:
> <snip>
> But Harry *isn't* handsome.

Betsy Hp:
Then why are all those girls falling all over him in HBP?  Why does 
Cho fancy him?  Why does Hermione take the time to explain to Harry 
that he is actually attractive to the opposite sex?

Yes, JKR doesn't come right out and *say* this is a very good looking 
kid we've got here, but she implies it pretty stongly.  Honestly, I 
think we're supposed to take  Moaning Myrtle's cooing and sighing as 
proof positive.  (Myrtle is a pretty good judge of the man flesh.  
It's one of her things.) 

> >>Carol:
> His ordinariness is supposed to be part of his appeal. The
> skinny kid with glasses isn't the nerd this time. He's the hero. And
> at the same time, he's Everykid.

Betsy Hp:
Right.  A wealthy, supernaturally gifted athlete, tragically 
orphaned, wickedly abused, chosen by fate, facer of challenges 
Hercules would shake his head at, everykid.  Because he wears 
glasses.  I often sit around and think, what with his dark hair and 
glasses, Harry's just like me! <eg> 

(Also, Harry's in no way a nerd.  It takes more to earn that moniker 
than wearing glasses.  Non-glasses wearing Snape is a nerd.)

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > <snip>
> > How is Harry *not* a BMOC?

> >>Amy:
> I think you may be assuming that the average Hogwarts resident     
> thinks about Harry Potter a lot more often than they really do.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I'm assuming every student at Hogwarts has an opinion about Harry 
Potter, yes.  What with the cheering and jeering I think the books 
back that assumption up.  Frankly, I'd love to see evidence of Harry 
introducing himself to a fellow student and that student saying, "Now 
who are you again?"  Good Lord, even Loony Luna knows who Harry is.

And that's really all it takes to be a BMOC.

> >>Amy:
> <snip>...and I think this is the first time I've ever heard Harry   
> called the "darling" of most of the staff...most of the staff that 
> he hardly knows exist, I might point out. 
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
And I'll point out (again) that it *doesn't matter* if Harry knows 
someone or not.  They know him.  I did make up the "darling of the 
staff" phrase all by myself. <g> JKR doesn't use it. But the staff 
(expect for Snape) do seem to like Harry quite a bit.  The ones we 
know anyway.  McGonagall, Trewlawney, Hagrid, Flitwick, Sprout, 
Slughorn all show at various times, that they think Harry is a good 
boy.  

And that's really all it takes to be a BMOC.

> >>Amy:
> I think there's a difference between people knowing of you
> (and possibly not thinking badly of you), and liking you well enough
> to call yourself popular.

Betsy Hp:
Ah, see I'd say being known by all is pretty much a massive part of 
being "popular".  I'm not saying Harry's Ferris Bueller.  I'm saying 
he's BMOC.  Everyone knows, everyone has an opinion, and everyone 
thinks Harry's got something they don't and for the most part they 
admire him for it.  Even if sometimes they're angry at him.  

> >>Amy
> To have an exclusive inner circle, you have to have enough people   
> actually *wanting* to be part of that circle to make                
> it "exclusive". 

Betsy Hp:
Exactly.  And people want to be friends with Harry.  (The Creevy 
brothers are one example.)  Ergo, though he doesn't set it up this 
way on purpose, his circle of friends is "exclusive".

> >>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:
> My point was that there was maybe 30 students, tops, in that group,
> and the majority of them were there to pass their OWL/NEWT exams;   
> not because Harry or his name had any particular pull...<snip>

Betsy Hp:
Ooh, I *strongly* disagree with that.  The students (there by 
invitation only, by the way) were there to hear Harry tell his 
story.  Remember, that's why Harry was so annoyed at Hermione at 
first.

> >>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.)

> >>Amy:
> I'm sorry, maybe it's a difference of opinions, but I can't count a
> group of six students as a "large" one that somehow surpasses the
> combined Households of Slytherin and Hufflepuff, regardless of what
> they were doing.

Betsy Hp:
For one, Draco joined a moving train with that "smear campaign".  
Hufflepuffs were pissed at Harry for Cedric's sake (battle of the 
BMOCs <g>) and Slytherins don't like Harry because of their natural 
evilness.  Draco just made badges for everyone to express an opinion 
already held.  Heck, I'd be surprised if most of the badge wearers 
(especially the Hufflepuffs) didn't even know who'd made them.

(I'll also point out that the other half of the school were cheering 
*for* Harry.  In either case, the entire student body were expressing 
an opinion about him.  He's not just some guy at their school.  And 
that's about all it takes to be a BMOC.)

For another, Harry's friends didn't just stick on a badge. They took 
action on his behalf. They acted *for* Harry.  People didn't stick on 
the badges *for* Draco.  (Except *maybe* the Slytherins.)

Therefore, when it comes to the clash of popularities, Harry trumps 
Draco.  (Is there ever a time half the student body cheers for 
Draco?)  And I honestly do think, Harry trumps all of his fellow 
students.  Do you have someone in mind as being more popular than 
Harry?

> >>Pippin:
> In fact, much of the Draco/Harry interaction takes place
> in potions class, where Draco has the staff support and bigger     
> goons.

Betsy Hp:
Really?  I don't think that's a fact at all.  Actually, I think 
that's wrong.  *Snape* will pick on Harry in Potions class, to 
Draco's amusement.  And there are a *handful* of times where Draco 
says something to Harry while in class.  But most of their 
confrontations takes place outside the classroom.

> >>Pippin:
> When Harry retaliates it is generally after months or weeks of      
> having to take it.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Again, I don't think this is true.  Usually Harry is responding to 
what Draco is saying at that point in time.  Now Harry has a really 
hard life and bad things happen to him, so he does have a lot of 
anger boiling away inside.  But usually it's not Draco actually 
*causing* those bad things.  Draco just comes along to point and 
laugh and give Harry a chance to snap.  For example: Draco doesn't 
kill Cedric, but he gives Harry a chance to express his anger over 
Cedric's murder.

> >>Pippin:
> Draco before Hogwarts would have been surrounded by people who     
> deferred to the Malfoys and their sneering treatment the way Borgin 
> does.

Betsy Hp:
I agree.  But that's not the case in Hogwarts.  In Hogwarts, Harry's 
the bigger name with the bigger pull.  As demonstrated to Draco (and 
us all) by Harry's broom in PS/SS.

> >>Pippin:
> Draco doesn't expect to be called to account for his words.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Honestly, I don't know Draco's motivation behind saying what he says 
when he says it.  But by his... gosh, third year at the outside I 
think, Draco should've started to figure out that his words get 
called to account.

Betsy Hp