Omg, I ADORE your Draco feels. I'd like to get to know them a whole lot better, in fact, my Draco feels would like to take your Draco feels out to dinner, have a few glasses of wine, and then... *eyebrow waggle* see what happens after that.
I have a few things to say, but mostly just that I agree with you SO MUCH.
(I also defend JKR's wonderful writing and respect her right to write what she wants, however she wants, but I have FEELS too.)
Time and time again in canon, JKR shows Draco as not only a bigoted, cowardly bully, but someone who is vulnerable and conflicted. She then expects us to be satisfied without a redemption arc for him. I feel this omission contributes to the *cough* obsession some of us have with saving Draco and giving him Harry's love, again and again. (I need SOMETHING to blame :D)
I sometimes wonder if JKR was influenced by her feelings about the Draco fangirls. Draco seems PRIME for some kind of redemption, the story flirts in that direction again and again, but it never arrives. It's almost as if she thought, at the last, NO, LOOK, HE REALLY IS A SHIT, SEE, I TOLD YOU, BUT YOU WOULDN'T LISTEN.
Of course I must admit that his lack of redemption is a boon to those of us who sometimes like to write littleshit!Draco, or even olderbutstillacompletebastard!Draco. She did us a BIG favour, there :DD
I very much like your points about self-preservation, and would like to add the Fiendfyre scene to the evidence for this. This genuinely surprised me when I read it in canon, as I would have absolutely predicted Draco *would* show self-preservation in this situation. I had never imagined he felt true loyalty or love towards his rather 2d henchmen. Instead we see him with his arms round the unconscious Goyle, protecting him, and when Harry turns up to rescue him, and takes Draco's hand, Draco still doesn't let go of Goyle and clamber on until Hermione drags Goyle onto her broom.
Malfoy saw him coming, and raised one arm, but even as Harry grasped it he knew at once that it was no good: Goyle was too heavy and Malfoy's hand, covered in sweat, slid instantly out of Harry's
I must go to work, but Mr Birds just saw me frantically typing and flipping through Deathly Hallows and said, "Oh god, let me guess: someone on the internet is wrong."
"No, no." I said. "Someone on the internet is RIGHT."
no subject
I have a few things to say, but mostly just that I agree with you SO MUCH.
(I also defend JKR's wonderful writing and respect her right to write what she wants, however she wants, but I have FEELS too.)
Time and time again in canon, JKR shows Draco as not only a bigoted, cowardly bully, but someone who is vulnerable and conflicted. She then expects us to be satisfied without a redemption arc for him. I feel this omission contributes to the *cough* obsession some of us have with saving Draco and giving him Harry's love, again and again. (I need SOMETHING to blame :D)
I sometimes wonder if JKR was influenced by her feelings about the Draco fangirls. Draco seems PRIME for some kind of redemption, the story flirts in that direction again and again, but it never arrives. It's almost as if she thought, at the last, NO, LOOK, HE REALLY IS A SHIT, SEE, I TOLD YOU, BUT YOU WOULDN'T LISTEN.
Of course I must admit that his lack of redemption is a boon to those of us who sometimes like to write littleshit!Draco, or even olderbutstillacompletebastard!Draco. She did us a BIG favour, there :DD
I very much like your points about self-preservation, and would like to add the Fiendfyre scene to the evidence for this. This genuinely surprised me when I read it in canon, as I would have absolutely predicted Draco *would* show self-preservation in this situation. I had never imagined he felt true loyalty or love towards his rather 2d henchmen. Instead we see him with his arms round the unconscious Goyle, protecting him, and when Harry turns up to rescue him, and takes Draco's hand, Draco still doesn't let go of Goyle and clamber on until Hermione drags Goyle onto her broom.
Malfoy saw him coming, and raised one arm, but even as Harry grasped it he knew at once that it was no good: Goyle was too heavy and Malfoy's hand, covered in sweat, slid instantly out of Harry's
I must go to work, but Mr Birds just saw me frantically typing and flipping through Deathly Hallows and said, "Oh god, let me guess: someone on the internet is wrong."
"No, no." I said. "Someone on the internet is RIGHT."
♥