chapter discussions, SS/PS, chapter 5, Diagon Alley

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 187902

>
> Alla:
>
> I interpret that they did. When Gryffindors had risen in front of Harry they
are facing Slytherins, not Pansy. To me that imply that Slytherins already
stood up with their wands out, I think that if it was only Pansy, that's what
JKR would have written.

Pippin:


You mean, Gryffindors would never draw their wands on people who were sitting
quietly and not threatening them at the time? I think that particular assumption
got toasted in SWM. <SNIP>

Alla:

No, I mean that I read this scene differently from you. You seem to think that Gryffindors drew their wands at Slytherins who were sitting quietly and were minding their own business, and I think that they drew their wands at Slytherins who stood up to support Pansy. 


Alla:
> This however was not quite my point. As I said, I believe that at least many
Slytherins supported her, however what I was talking about is that to me as a
reader two years after the book was out, Pansy's betrayal is the most memorable
picture that packs a huge punch.

Pippin:

But it seems to only pack that punch because you've embellished it. <SNIP>

Alla:

If you call different interpretation embellishment then sure I embellished it.

Pippin:
<SNIP>
I agree that JKR never makes Draco into someone you'd *want* to treat with
kindness and respect. And people who were hoping for that as the conclusion were
doubtless disappointed.

But I've never heard even the most rabid anti-Slytherin poster allege that Draco
wasn't worth saving.

And that, IMO, is JKR's point, a much more difficult one than the one she could
have made by having Draco and Harry be friends. She wants us to see that it
just doesn't makes sense to go out of our way to protect people and yet not
treat them with kindness and respect, whether we want to be friends with them or
not. Not unless the Dursleys are our idea of how to behave. <SNIP>


Alla:

And I do not disagree with a single word that you wrote here. Yes, Draco is worth saving, yes I know that she wants to show that all people are needed to be treated with kindness and respect.   My point is that all of this is not enough for me to not think of Slytherin as a group as good guys. They are just not there yet in my opinion. That is not to say that some Slytherins were not heroes, of course they were. But whether author intended it or not, some things overshadow for me everything else.

Draco saving Goyle is nice, really, admirable and all that. However that does not make me think of Draco as decent human being anymore than I would think of Lucius and Narcissa as decent human beings just because they love their son.

Look,  say for example Draco would have said NO, it is not Trio in the Manor. This is ALL I would have needed. I did not need Draco to fight along Harry in the battle, really, I did not need or want them to become friends. But yeah, to see that he changed I needed more than hesitation. I needed some action on his part and saving somebody who was his friend all along is not enough for me.  

In fact, needed is probably the wrong word. I only say need if the goal was to convince me of said change, I could care less if Draco would have stayed the same as he always was.



JMO,

Alla