CHAPDISC: DH, EPILOGUE

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 185653

> > Magpie:
> <snip> I think what zanooda was referring to was that Narcissa is 
> keeping *Lucius* from taking a risk by calling Voldemort without a 
> clear ID, thus backing up Draco's inability to say for sure who 
they 
> are. Isn't Narcissa actually  encouraging of Draco to ID them? 
<snip>
> >
> Laura replies:
<snip>
Narcissa is the effective head of the 
> house, and Draco, always the coward looking for a protector, knows 
it.  
> He understands that Narcissa fears another mistake that could cost 
her 
> family dearly, so he refuses to commit himself to something that is 
a 
> huge risk to himself and his parents.  No one cares if the other 
two 
> captives aren't Ron and Hermione, but everyone knows that LV is 
about 
> out of patience at that point.  Narcissa's actions in the forest 
show 
> that indeed, she had ceased caring whether LV got his way, as long 
as 
> her son was safe.

Magpie:
But this isn't only about how you think the dynamics of the family 
work in general. (Certainly in the opening scene the Malfoys are 
clearly showing all the behavior you're describing here, but this is 
a different scene.) Narcissa brings them in, dragging Draco into it 
by name, confident that he can id them and so put them back in LV's 
good graces. Draco knows perfectly well who these people are. 
Narcissa is encouraging him to identify all three--she's not warning 
him not to make a mistake so much as she's encouraging him to agree 
with her that this is Hermione, Harry's friend. Draco's following 
orders in the scene, but he's also passively resisting going past his 
limits. He's not looking Harry in the face (despite Narcissa and 
Lucius telling him to look closely to see if he can id him). The 
concession to his parents is in his weak agreement. He says, "Yeah, I 
guess so. Maybe" because he's pushed. Narcissa isn't acting like 
Draco better not make a mistake that I remember, she acts like she 
wants him to back her up, but he'll only do so as weakly as possible 
so she's not sure. Draco's being passive, but he's exerting some 
passive control with it.

-m