Resolutions (was: Epilogue (was Re: Ron and Parseltongue)/Slytherins are Bad

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 183416

> > Magpie:
> > Snape (not Draco) killing him was the most important part of the 
> > precious plans. Whether Draco himself became a murderer didn't 
have
> a  quarter of the importance I thought it would have, myself. 
> 
> Pippin:
> But that's the point. The strategic purpose for saving Draco's soul
> was gone, but Dumbledore still took the time to save it, though that
> time could have been used for strategic purposes such as telling 
Harry
> about the sword.  

Magpie:
The strategic purpose wasn't gone. Severus, please...kill me like I 
asked you to.

Pippin: 
> Draco's soul is not valuable  because he was a cog in Dumbledore's
> wheels within wheels, or a potential hero, or the reformer of
> Slytherin House, or Harry's bestest friend, or the guy who
> will make the Trio sorry they ever assumed that Slytherins were no
> good, or because he could become a cool, sly, masterful Slytherin 
like
> Snape at Spinner's End. 
> It's valuable because...it exists. 

Magpie:
Not any more it isn't.

That's what I *thought* was important about it. I thought the story 
would underline this by showing that the soul of this highly flawed 
person is valuable just by existing in some unexpected way--iow, that 
Dumbledore's good act would turn out to have some result because he 
didn't do it for any strategic reason and in fact risked everything 
on this seemingly worthless thing. But in the end this act didn't 
interfere with Dumbledore's plan, he got to make some noises about 
what an epitome of goodness he is without putting anything on the 
line and without much of a result on Draco either way. The idea that 
his soul is important just because it exists was exactly what was 
undermined for me in DH. The strategic value of Draco not killing 
Dumbledore was that Snape was supposed to kill him. That was the 
plan. Luckily not knowing Draco was the master didn't screw anything 
up since Harry happened to have yoinked his wand earlier in the 
series. As opposed to, for instance, Harry *not* stealing Draco's 
wand and having Draco give him the wand as the logical result of all 
that came before with Harry and Dumbledore.

-m