Draco and Intent: Re: Snape and Harry’s Sadism (was: Lack of re-examination)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 186786

> >>jkoney:
> > > Aren't you then ignoring what was written?

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > No, because what was written fit the trope so well. I do agree that my personal experience led me in a different direction than JKR was meaning to direct me, but I wasn't completely ignoring the text.  I just interpreted it differently.

> >>jkoney:
> Um, wasn't my original point that people didn't intrepret what she wrote correctly? 

Betsy Hp:
Gosh, I have no idea! I jumped into this mid-conversation.  (I suspect there's a lesson to be learned here... *g*) I do agree though, that JKR failed to give me a proper view of Draco. (I'm assuming, at this point, that readers were supposed to strongly dislike Draco pretty much on sight.) I do, however, put the failure more strongly on JKR's side than mine.  I interpreted based on what I was given by the author.

> >>Pippin:
> It only fits the trope if you ignore the existence of Ron. <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Oh, not true! Ron just added yet *another* trope (more strongly shown in the second book, I'll admit): the blood feud.  Even *more* lessons to be learned, thought I. :D  Plus...

> >>Montavilla47:
> It's not like you have to chose between Ron and Draco... <snip> 

Betsy Hp:
Exactly!  And your tying Harry-Ron-Draco with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"'s Buffy-Willow-Cordelia is dead on, I think.  As a viewer I could never have chosen between Willow and Cordelia, and I'm glad I didn't have to. :)

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > <snip> (That's actually a lingering question: why didn't Draco tell? The "he wanted to capture them himself," response is only reasonable if we totally ignore Draco's character. Really, Draco's constant hovering around Harry over the years is hard to explain.)

> >>jkoney:
> Draco did tell on Harry when he was caught by McGonegall. She just didn't believe him.

Betsy Hp:
Yes, but that was way late in the game and pretty much in self-defense. He had to explain why he'd leaped out onto McGonagall, after all.

> >>Pippin:
> Telling on Hagrid wouldn't get Harry in trouble. Draco had to catch Harry without any adults to take the blame instead. But he was a little too late, and McGonagall didn't believe there was a dragon at all.

Betsy Hp:
Why not tell Snape (a friendly ear as far as Draco knew) either when he saw the Trio heading down to Hagrid's cottage, or when he knew they were moving the dragon?  Why sneak out at night and try and capture them himself?  Did he expect to drag them *and* the dragon to the nearest prefect or something?  Especially since he didn't have his usual backup, this was very strange behavior on Draco's part, imo.

But, as I've freely admitted, I have a hard time following JKR's reasoning with this character (among many, many other things *g*).  I'm sure this was just Draco fulfilling his role of fly in Harry's soup.  JKR ordered up a standard school-yard bully from central casting and Draco was her result. (Though I still think there was some garbling in the original order, Draco was *way* too vulnerable to play 'bully' well.)

Betsy Hp