CHAPDISC: DH36, THE FLAW IN THE PLAN

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 185455

Nikkalmati wrote: 
> 
>  <snip> 
> I am not sure she [Narcissa] ever believed in LV.  She does not seem
political to me.  <snip>

Carol responds:

She certainly believed in Pure-blood supremacy, possibly more as a
prejucide than an ideology, as we see when we first see her looking
down her pretty nose at "Mudblood" Hermione. We see the same attitude
again when she seems to share Draco's views about the stink of
Hermione's ostensibly dirty blood in Madam Malkin's. She also,
evidently, shared her husband's contempt for House Elves (other than
Kreacher) and abuse of Dobby, who calls the whole family, including
twelve-year-old Draco, "bad Dark wizards." (Maybe some of the Dark
artifacts and poisons that Lucius sold to Borgin in CoS were hers; we
don't know.)

As for politics, we have her toasting the Dark Lord in HBP although
that could be for form's sake (or a mask for disloyalty, as it is for
Snape). She expresses fear of retribution, fear that Voldemort wants
Draco to fail (and be murdered) as punishment for Lucius's failings,
but there's no sign of her loyalty wavering or her beliefs changing in
consequence. (Of course, she thinks she's in the presence of two
faithful Voldemort supporters who could betray her disloyalty if she
expressed or hinted at it.) We do know that she's not ready to
sacrifice her son to the cause, but that's not the same as believing
in it herself. Certainly, she had no qualms about marrying a Death
Eater and has not broken off relations with her DE sister. She has,
however, broken off contact with the "Mud-blood"-loving Andromeda. Her
son is still an ardent Voldemort supporter, probably a newly branded
Death Eater, which indicates that she never discouraged his following
in his father's footsteps when the time came. She just didn't think it
would happen when he was only sixteen or that it would place him in
such (to her) obvious danger.

I think we can best see Narcissa's attitude toward the Dark Lord in
the scene in Madam Malkin's, where she seems to have returned to her
normal self again after being reassured (by Snape's Unbreakable Vow to
watch over Draco and protect him) that her son is safe.

She doesn't reprimand Draco for saying, "If you wonder what the smell
is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in." (The very fact that he would
speak such words to her suggests that she shares his view, as, of
course, does her husband.) She also ignores his added insult to
Hermione, "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I'd like to send them flowers."

In response to Madam Malkin's plea for help, she turns to Ron and
Harry, who have drawn their wands and pointed them at Draco, saying
coldly, "Put those away. If you attack my son again, I shall ensure
that it is the last thing you ever do."

Now, granted, she's defending her son, but she's also ignoring the
reason they drew their wands, Draco's words about "Mudbloods," Quite
clearly, she thinks that Draco has done nothing wrong, and she's not
above veiled threats of murder if they attack him again. (Sidenote:
I'm not sure whether she views drawing their wands as an attack or
whether she knows that Harry and his friends are responsible for the
condition she found her son in when she picked him up at Platform 9
3/4 after the attacks on him and his friends Crabbe and Goyle in GoF
and OoP. Naturally, she would view those attacks as unprovoked and
Draco as innocent regardless of the actual circumstances, which Draco
would present to his advantage, in any case.)

Harry responds to the threat with, "Really? Going to get a few Death
Eater pals to do us in, are you?"

Narcissa doesn't deny this interpretation of her words, probably
because it's exactly what she meant. Instead, she says, "I see that
being Dumbledore's favorite has given you a false sense of security.
But Dumbledore won't always be around to protect you." In other words,
she knows about the plan to kill Dumbledore, and as long as it's Sanpe
who does it (or Draco has Snape's support and protection to make sure
that Draco succeeds in his own attempt to murder DD), she doesn't
care. Let the "old Mud-Blood lover" (as Draco calls him at some point)
die. She doesn't care. Nor is she a supporter of Harry Potter, the
Prophecy Boy, over Voldemort. It appears that she still supports the
cause that her husband went to prison for. (And she's also, it seems,
giving aid and shelter to her sister, Bellatrix, a wanted Death Eater
who must already be hiding in Malfoy Manor.)

Harry taunts her, telling her to "have a go" at killing him and noting
that she could share a double cell in Azkaban with her "loser of a
husband." (That she loves Lucius is clear from her earlier rebuke to
Bellatrix, who dared to blame the MoM fiasco on Lucius.) 

Draco tells Harry not to dare talk to his mother like that, and she
responds with, "It's all right, Draco. I suspect Potter will be
reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius." Clearly,
she knows exactly what happened to her cousin at the hands of her
sister and approves heartily. Her use of "Potter" probably reflects
the use of the surname by Draco and possibly Snape. She may have heard
Snape as well as Draco speaking of Harry as Dumbledore's favorite
(and, in Snape's case, of Potter's "mediocrity." Certainly, she sees
him as no threat. The situation remains a stalemate, with Draco
glaring and the other boys still pointing their wands.

Only when Madam Malkin, trying to pretend that nothing is happening,
starts to turn up Draco's left sleeve and he complains that she's
stuck him with a pin does the situation resolve itself. Draco throws
off the robe, stating that he wants to shop somewhere else.

Narcissa responds with, "You're right, Draco. Now I know the kind of
scum that shops here" (glances at Hermione). "We'll do better at
Twilfitt and Tatrings." (HBP Am. ed. 112-113).

It seems clear from this exchange that she not only shares her husband
and son's views of Pure-blood supremacy but that she still supports
Voldemort (as long as her son is safe). I don't think that she's
actually a Death Eater, but she's clearly a DE sympathizer who has no
qualms about having a sister, a husband, and even a son who are DEs,
as long as her son doesn't die for the cause.

Even in DH, which I won't quote here because the post is already too
long, she still seems haughty and arrogant. (Lucius certainly hasn't
changed his views despite having lost his wand and his status; he just
wants his old position and authority back.) I think that both of them
would be happy in a world ruled by Pure-bloods (as long as their son
is safe).

It does seem that by the end of the novel, after Voldemort has further
humiliated her family and killed who knows how many followers in a
blind rage, that her support for him has ended. All she wants at that
point is to get to her son. But I doubt that her views on Pure-blood
supremacy and whatever drew her to Voldemort in the first place has
changed. She stills loves Lucius, who is not averse to casting
Unforgiveables to get his way (when he has a wand, that is), and I
doubt that she would have any scruples about using, say, Crucio or
Imperio to get her way if she saw the need--though, admittedly, she
isn't a sadist like Bellatrix who casts Crucios for enjoyment.

Carol, who thinks that Narcissa is a typical Black except that, unlike
her cousin Regulus, she continued to support Voldemort after knowing
what he was capable of doing