GOF Chapter 22: The Unexpected Task
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deathtocapslockToday's Transfiguration lesson is about turning an animal from one species to an animal from a different one. What's the point? Does the animal retain the neurology of its original species or acquire that of the new one? Even in the latter case, surely its memories are those of the original species? How do the poor creatures know how to do things?
Ron and Harry are having a sword-fight with fake wands. At least Minerva criticizes them. She announces the Yule Ball, where 4th years and up (as well as any younger guests some of them might invite) have a chance to socialize with the 24 guests. Because the guests are living on their respective vehicles and hardly have a chance to socialize with anyone. Unless you count Viktor ducking his fans in the library.
The champions and their dance partners traditionally open the ball. Now Harry has a task to distract him from preparing for the second task (something he hasn't thought about yet, despite his experience with the danger of the first one). Well, now he thinks of the dragon as a fun diversion, so maybe there is no contradiction.
Molly was right - at least among the 4th years and higher everybody is staying for Christmas, regardless of how they rank their prospects of getting a date to the ball. (Did Ginny think of going home before she got an invitation or was she counting on someone inviting her?) Harry suddenly notices the girls at Hogwarts, now that he needs one as a date. Until now he only noticed boys like Ron, Cedric, Viktor and Draco. Maybe he really is gay.
Well, at least Harry knows whom he'd like to ask, if given a chance. Now that he needs a date, he refuses 4 girls who ask him. Yes, they only care about him because he's famous, but so does almost everyone else, so what's the difference? Even Ron (and Draco!) originally got interested in him because he was TBWL.
The Hufflepuffs are letting Harry be. Which does not mean any of them believe he wasn't a cheat. Aw, Draco's audience has shrunk!
Rita's interview with Hagrid was mostly about Hagrid's opinion of Harry, of course. At least Hagrid acknowledges Severus' criticism about Harry's constant line-crossing wasn't entirely off. Oh, Hagrid will attend the ball. Guess with whom?
Why would Dumbles need to buy 800 barrels of mead for the ball? Buy one bottle and multiply however many times. Unless he wasn't that great at Transfiguration? But he did book the Weird Sisters, the only wizarding band in Britain (as far as we know). Wizarding cultural life is so exciting.
Filius let the students play games in class so he could chat with Harry and praise him. Is he the new Hagrid? Binns still insists on making goblin rebellions boring. That's because goblins are no longer rebellious. Now 'Moody' has them working seriously, he doesn't just impress them with Dark Arts demos. And he's teaching the entire class now, not just Harry. Severus would no sooner let them play games in class than adopt Harry. Little does Harry know. Right, how evil of a teacher to give students until the end of term to prepare for a test. (Which happens to be on a topic that is supposed to be crucial for Ron and Harry's preferred career path, BTW.)
Wizarding cards are cooler than Muggle ones because they explode occasionally, but skrewts are beasts from hell. I follow the logic, almost.
There are only 2 kinds of books Harry ever enjoys reading - Quidditch books and Dark Arts books. Now he is with the former. Despite having a potentially dangerous task to face in some 2.5 months. Hermione is such a spoil-sport to remind him of that.
The twins want Ron's owl to send a letter, but they won't tell him to whom. Fred knows he'll attend the ball with Angelina before he even asked her. Of course for all we know they have been dating since 1st year - Harry wouldn't be able to tell.
Ron wants to attend the ball with the best-looking girl he can manage, and that does *not* mean Hermione. This is his second major personal insult to her (in addition to many minor ones), which is why she made it a life mission to force him to acknowledge his mistake and marry her. Soulmates indeed.
Neither Harry nor Ron have a date, but Harry's fate is worse, because he is a champion. Harry can't get Cho alone. After all these years he finally discovered girls' preference to have company on the way to the bathroom.
A bezoar is a key ingredient of an antidote. Harry will remember this better coming from a younger version of Severus.
Harry manages finally to ask Cho, but he is too late. Oh, Cho would so have agreed if only he had asked before Cedric did! Even when he loses Harry gets affirmation that he really is the best. See, Cedric is pretty and brainless. As opposed to Harry who is not (yet) pretty and, er, well... (let's not discuss his brains here).
Harry's one consolation is that Ron failed even worse than he did, by asking someone who more obviously outclassed him. Ron's consolation is that Neville was refused by Hermione - ie Neville ranks even lower than Ron because the girl who turned Neville down ranks much lower than the one who completely ignored Ron. Of course Ron can't imagine anyone (but Neville) asking Hermione of his own will. Not happening, right? (Notice how Neville is better socialized and braver than both trio boys - he dares to ask a girl before they do, and his choice is based on the girl's behavior rather than purely her looks. Also, he didn't give up when he was turned down. Also, Ginny is so popular that the only one who asked her to the ball was Neville, and only because Hermione refused him.)
Suddenly Ron has the realization of the century - Hermione has 2 X chromosomes! (Do wizards know about chromosomes? Never mind.) But despite her repeated insistence, he can't get that she already had a date. Ron even tries setting Ginny up with Harry - again, too late. Not that Ginny likes Neville, in any way. Not that he was her preference. He was just her ticket to the ball. As she leaves for dinner we part for ever with Ginny V1.0, the one who, among other things, keeps Hermione's confidence.
Finally Harry asks Parvati, who for plot-contrived reasons is still available. Lavender was already asked by Seamus, but Padma might go with Ron. We can all sigh with relief that this messy business was completed in a single chapter.
Ron and Harry are having a sword-fight with fake wands. At least Minerva criticizes them. She announces the Yule Ball, where 4th years and up (as well as any younger guests some of them might invite) have a chance to socialize with the 24 guests. Because the guests are living on their respective vehicles and hardly have a chance to socialize with anyone. Unless you count Viktor ducking his fans in the library.
The champions and their dance partners traditionally open the ball. Now Harry has a task to distract him from preparing for the second task (something he hasn't thought about yet, despite his experience with the danger of the first one). Well, now he thinks of the dragon as a fun diversion, so maybe there is no contradiction.
Molly was right - at least among the 4th years and higher everybody is staying for Christmas, regardless of how they rank their prospects of getting a date to the ball. (Did Ginny think of going home before she got an invitation or was she counting on someone inviting her?) Harry suddenly notices the girls at Hogwarts, now that he needs one as a date. Until now he only noticed boys like Ron, Cedric, Viktor and Draco. Maybe he really is gay.
Well, at least Harry knows whom he'd like to ask, if given a chance. Now that he needs a date, he refuses 4 girls who ask him. Yes, they only care about him because he's famous, but so does almost everyone else, so what's the difference? Even Ron (and Draco!) originally got interested in him because he was TBWL.
The Hufflepuffs are letting Harry be. Which does not mean any of them believe he wasn't a cheat. Aw, Draco's audience has shrunk!
Rita's interview with Hagrid was mostly about Hagrid's opinion of Harry, of course. At least Hagrid acknowledges Severus' criticism about Harry's constant line-crossing wasn't entirely off. Oh, Hagrid will attend the ball. Guess with whom?
Why would Dumbles need to buy 800 barrels of mead for the ball? Buy one bottle and multiply however many times. Unless he wasn't that great at Transfiguration? But he did book the Weird Sisters, the only wizarding band in Britain (as far as we know). Wizarding cultural life is so exciting.
Filius let the students play games in class so he could chat with Harry and praise him. Is he the new Hagrid? Binns still insists on making goblin rebellions boring. That's because goblins are no longer rebellious. Now 'Moody' has them working seriously, he doesn't just impress them with Dark Arts demos. And he's teaching the entire class now, not just Harry. Severus would no sooner let them play games in class than adopt Harry. Little does Harry know. Right, how evil of a teacher to give students until the end of term to prepare for a test. (Which happens to be on a topic that is supposed to be crucial for Ron and Harry's preferred career path, BTW.)
Wizarding cards are cooler than Muggle ones because they explode occasionally, but skrewts are beasts from hell. I follow the logic, almost.
There are only 2 kinds of books Harry ever enjoys reading - Quidditch books and Dark Arts books. Now he is with the former. Despite having a potentially dangerous task to face in some 2.5 months. Hermione is such a spoil-sport to remind him of that.
The twins want Ron's owl to send a letter, but they won't tell him to whom. Fred knows he'll attend the ball with Angelina before he even asked her. Of course for all we know they have been dating since 1st year - Harry wouldn't be able to tell.
Ron wants to attend the ball with the best-looking girl he can manage, and that does *not* mean Hermione. This is his second major personal insult to her (in addition to many minor ones), which is why she made it a life mission to force him to acknowledge his mistake and marry her. Soulmates indeed.
Neither Harry nor Ron have a date, but Harry's fate is worse, because he is a champion. Harry can't get Cho alone. After all these years he finally discovered girls' preference to have company on the way to the bathroom.
A bezoar is a key ingredient of an antidote. Harry will remember this better coming from a younger version of Severus.
Harry manages finally to ask Cho, but he is too late. Oh, Cho would so have agreed if only he had asked before Cedric did! Even when he loses Harry gets affirmation that he really is the best. See, Cedric is pretty and brainless. As opposed to Harry who is not (yet) pretty and, er, well... (let's not discuss his brains here).
Harry's one consolation is that Ron failed even worse than he did, by asking someone who more obviously outclassed him. Ron's consolation is that Neville was refused by Hermione - ie Neville ranks even lower than Ron because the girl who turned Neville down ranks much lower than the one who completely ignored Ron. Of course Ron can't imagine anyone (but Neville) asking Hermione of his own will. Not happening, right? (Notice how Neville is better socialized and braver than both trio boys - he dares to ask a girl before they do, and his choice is based on the girl's behavior rather than purely her looks. Also, he didn't give up when he was turned down. Also, Ginny is so popular that the only one who asked her to the ball was Neville, and only because Hermione refused him.)
Suddenly Ron has the realization of the century - Hermione has 2 X chromosomes! (Do wizards know about chromosomes? Never mind.) But despite her repeated insistence, he can't get that she already had a date. Ron even tries setting Ginny up with Harry - again, too late. Not that Ginny likes Neville, in any way. Not that he was her preference. He was just her ticket to the ball. As she leaves for dinner we part for ever with Ginny V1.0, the one who, among other things, keeps Hermione's confidence.
Finally Harry asks Parvati, who for plot-contrived reasons is still available. Lavender was already asked by Seamus, but Padma might go with Ron. We can all sigh with relief that this messy business was completed in a single chapter.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-02 02:25 pm (UTC)Her defense is that Arthur's career is being hobbled by his love of Muggles. Since she doesn't share said love nor does she respect Arthur's interest the message isn't that Arthur's superiors are bad for not promoting him but that Arthur is wrong for not dropping his hobby.
Draco was definitely a miserable human being up until the last book or so. And even there at the end he was fighting on the side of the Death Eaters, right?
Draco was no worse than Harry for 4-5 books, got worse and improved. Harry managed to stay just ahead of Draco for a while but caught up with him, without making much of a swing back (at least on camera). Yes, Draco was fighting with the DEs - Voldemort was living in his home, with Narcissa in his reach whenever he wanted to, of course Draco did everything to keep her from harm. And Draco had to be threatened to torture people. Harry was the one who learned to enjoy it.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-05 12:47 pm (UTC)But she supports her husband. You forgot that option.
Draco was no worse than Harry for 4-5 books
Of course he was. He cowardly challenged Harry to a duel and left him for Filch. He was a coward in the forest when they served detention. He played up his injury with Buckbeak to get the poor beast killed. He gloated over the idea of OUR HERMIONE being killed as a mudblood.
Then in book 6 he 'got worse', as you say - tried to murder Dumbledore, almost murdered two fellow students, let in murderous terrorists.
Book 7 he fought with the DEs.
And Draco had to be threatened to torture people. Harry was the one who learned to enjoy it.
Hmmm. Draco was pretty quick with the Cruciatus in the HBP Sectumsempra chapter. And he was the one who struck first then, too.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-06 04:37 pm (UTC)I used to think so, but I no longer do. No, she was rather disappointed and bitter about his lack of advancement until HBP which is why her passive-aggressiveness sent him to the shed and lost him the kids' respect.
He cowardly challenged Harry to a duel and left him for Filch.
What's cowardly about a not-nice-but-harmless prank? Not worse than Harry flinging mud at Draco from the cover of his invisibility cloak.
He was a coward in the forest when they served detention.
What is cowardly about being afraid when there is good cause? There was someone desperate enough to live the cursed life offered by unicorn blood lurking there. Sending kids there (as a lesson about not being out at night in dangerous times, no less!!!) was outright abusive of Minerva. Being 'brave' about it is either stupidity, extreme naivete or hubris.
He played up his injury with Buckbeak to get the poor beast killed.
You do realize that if his injury was really as bad as he claimed he would have had to pretend to Harry that he was playing it up in order to avoid being attacked when he couldn't defend himself? IOW we can't know if he was or wasn't.
He gloated over the idea of OUR HERMIONE being killed as a mudblood.
So? Kids grandstand. He didn't do anything about it. In GOF he warned Hermione of the rioters. And we have Ron having death fantasies for both Draco and Viktor, Harry thinking he wouldn't have warned Draco or Severus about dragons even though he knew neither of them wanted him dead and fantasizing about Cruciating Severus.
Book 7 he fought with the DEs.
Both his parents were Tom's hostages (with Bella as an enforcer in Tom's absence). He did the bare minimum he could get away with without endangering his parents. Do read Terri's fic. She points out there that at Hogwarts Draco went where he least expected Harry to be (while staying out of where he would have to make a show of fighting for Tom). It was Harry's lack of thought that enabled the ROR ambush in the first place.
Hmmm. Draco was pretty quick with the Cruciatus in the HBP Sectumsempra chapter. And he was the one who struck first then, too.
But since the spell never connected we don't know if it would have been a successful one like Harry with Amycus or more of a dud like Harry with Bella.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-10 10:51 am (UTC)I used to think so, but I no longer do. No, she was rather disappointed and bitter about his lack of advancement --
Sure, she wasn't over the moon about her husband's lack of ambition. She might have preferred that he have more of an eye on his career. But she felt more strongly that he be happy in his work; that he do things of which he could be proud.
Molly was disappointed, she had a mix of opinions ... but ultimately she came out supporting her husband.
What's cowardly about a not-nice-but-harmless prank?
There's a lot of cowardice. Draco's challenge had two sides to it:
a. the prank - aiming Harry at Filch;
b. running away from a duel.
It's the second part that was straight-out cowardly.
From dictionary.com, the definition of 'coward':
a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc
Draco most definitely set things up so he *wouldn't* have to 'face' that danger, difficulty, opposition or pain. He was a coward.
But all Slytherins are cowards. Except those who were sorted too soon.He was a coward in the forest when they served detention.
What is cowardly about being afraid when there is good cause? ...
Ah, but Oryx, I have the perfect canon evidence that PROVES that Draco was a coward in this instance. It comes in two parts; the first is when Draco wants Fang (he of the long teeth) to accompany him for protection:
"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid.
Okay. So we're told that Fang is a coward.
And then later on when Harry, Draco and Fang come across Quirrelmort drinking the unicorn blood, we see the reactions of all concerned:
Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted -- so did Fang.
Fang runs. Because he's a coward.
Draco runs. Because he's a coward.
QED!
You do realize that if his injury was really as bad as he claimed he would have had to pretend to Harry that he was playing it up in order to avoid being attacked when he couldn't defend himself?
WHAT?!???????
He gloated over the idea of OUR HERMIONE being killed as a mudblood.
So? Kids grandstand.
If that's another word for 'gloat', sure. Draco grandstanded about Hermione's impending death and took pleasure in it. Nothing's changed; Draco's still an evil git.
Both his parents were Tom's hostages ...
Certainly Draco wasn't eager to be evil in DH. He didn't want to be an all-out murderer. But he never, not once, tried to switch sides. I guess I'm being unfair in expecting him to (if he wasn't evil); difficult to do, perhaps, without damning his parents. So I'll go along with you on that one. Maybe. Hmmm. There's still his protecting Goyle in the RoR ... he could have done nothing and thereby 'help' Harry with no danger to himself or his parents. So no, I think he was still (mildly) evil. Just not very good at it, and not murderously evil.
But since the spell never connected we don't know if it would have been a successful one like Harry with Amycus or more of a dud like Harry with Bella.
But we know that Draco tried to cast it, and it's the thought that counts. Whether he was mildly evil or majorly evil, he was still an evil git.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-14 06:10 am (UTC)I'll need a quote that makes you feel this way about her.
b. running away from a duel.
He didn't 'run away' from the duel, he tricked Harry into believing there was going to be a duel. He made an empty 'invitation' to a duel. Harry was dumb to accept it.
Draco runs. Because he's a coward.
BS. I'd have run too, and I expect every single person with a brain to run. I don't sacrifice my safety because I care if some childish idiot thinks that makes me a coward. Someone drinking unicorn blood is someone who is unpredictable, who has no moral scruples - that's not someone one should be within eyesight or wand-range with.
WHAT?!???????
Suppose Draco was injured. In his arm. So badly he couldn't cast spells properly. Should he rather have Harry know he is so helpless or should he have Harry believe he is faking and in fact can cast spells as well as usual?
If that's another word for 'gloat', sure. Draco grandstanded about Hermione's impending death and took pleasure in it. Nothing's changed; Draco's still an evil git.
No, he is merely childish. It was all empty talk. Just like Ron's joke about pushing Draco off a glacier. Harry is slightly worse for thinking he would leave Draco to the dragons, but again, it was a hypothetical situation.
There's still his protecting Goyle in the RoR ... he could have done nothing and thereby 'help' Harry with no danger to himself or his parents.
Supporting Harry by throwing a friend under the bus? That would have been 'good'? Seriously? You are coming close to sounding like Dumles. Or Hermione at her worst.
But we know that Draco tried to cast it, and it's the thought that counts
No. Harry cast it at Bellatrix and failed. Which means he was not being evil then, he did not mean to torture her. We do not know if Draco meant to torture Harry or not because he did not even complete the spell.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-18 07:31 am (UTC)Nothing comes to mind (I don't have a canon memory like you). But I don't think you've come up with anything too damning on your side either. Sure, Molly may not have the enthusiasm for muggles that Arthur has ... but she accepts that as part of the package.
He didn't 'run away' from the duel, he tricked Harry into believing there was going to be a duel. He made an empty 'invitation' to a duel.
If only one person turns up for a duel does that make it one? :-) I say yes.
Draco set up the duel; Harry attended. Draco never meant to attend. He's a coward.
"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only -- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"
Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.
"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."
The invitation to the duel isn't as 'empty' as you'd like it to be. It sufficed to sidetrack the ire of Harry & Ron. Draco detoured their retribution to the duel, which makes it a solid entity, not an 'empty' abstract thing. A duel which Draco then avoided. I.e. he avoided - see 'ran away from' - the duel.
Supporting Harry by throwing a friend under the bus? That would have been 'good'? Seriously?
It wasn't a bus. It was a STUNNING Spell. Something that wouldn't harm his friend at all, but would assist the side to whom Draco was supposedly supporting, if your theory had credence.
So yes. Seriously.
We do not know if Draco meant to torture Harry or not because he did not even complete the spell.
It's a torture spell, it's an unforgivable, Draco tries to cast it but is interrupted. So, as I said, it's the thought that counts.
Harry cast his Unforgivable at Bellatrix in *hatred*, but it didn't work because it was 'righteous anger'. Please tell me what was 'righteous' about Draco casting his Cruciatius at Harry? Harry hadn't just killed Draco's godfather. No, all he'd done was - *snigger* - seen Draco crying.
You've got to be an evil git if you're prepared to cast the Unforgivable torture curse at someone for merely witnessing your tears.
So no, there was no chance Draco's curse would fizzle due to the 'righteous anger' caveat.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-18 04:49 pm (UTC)I say there is one foolish person around. Aren't kids taught *not* to let themselves be taken in by a dare? That's just what Harry did. Harry isn't brave for showing up after hours when invited for a duel, whether real or not, he was foolish. And Draco wasn't nice to set Harry up but that doesn't make him a coward, it makes him sly. And quick on his feet.
It wasn't a bus. It was a STUNNING Spell. Something that wouldn't harm his friend at all, but would assist the side to whom Draco was supposedly supporting, if your theory had credence.
Oh, you mean before the room was aflame? I think he was concentrating on Vince, the real danger and the loose canon. As well as on Harry and his friends. Greg wasn't doing anything, taking him out was little help and a distraction.
It's a torture spell, it's an unforgivable, Draco tries to cast it but is interrupted. So, as I said, it's the thought that counts.
BS. Without seeing the effect of the spell on Harry we don't know if the thought counts or not. We don't know if he meant it enough to really cause Harry more than mild discomfort. Draco is just the type who likes to imagine himself being badass, torturing and killing, but when the thoughts come anywhere close to reality he doesn't really want to.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-19 12:06 am (UTC)Sure, Harry was foolish. So? We're talking about Draco; don't change the subject! :-)
Draco was facing a fight. If he'd run away he'd be a coward.
But instead of *Draco* running from Harry's anger he instead moved the anger away from him. He transferred it to the duel. But never turned up.
The theory of relativity shows that both actions are the same; Draco cowardly removed himself from Harry's ire. Draco = coward.
Greg wasn't doing anything, taking him out was little help and a distraction.
Sorry. If Draco was on Harry's side he could have just stood there and allowed Harry to gain an advantage. Which you're saying was Draco's true aim.
But Draco *didn't*.
So your theory fails.
Draco is just the type who likes to imagine himself being badass, torturing and killing, but when the thoughts come anywhere close to reality he doesn't really want to.
That's your whistling-in-the-wind opinion, yes, but the fact remains - Draco cast a torture curse intended to cause pain. And we KNOW that your 'Harry' excuse wouldn't get him off, as there was clearly no motivation of 'righteous anger'.
So Draco evilly cast an evil curse. He's evil.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-19 04:36 pm (UTC)But instead of *Draco* running from Harry's anger he instead moved the anger away from him. He transferred it to the duel. But never turned up.,/i>
I find Draco's solution to his problem of being in a fight commendable except for his choice of time and place for the 'duel'. What is the point of participating in a fight? Proving one's manliness? Yes, he antagonized Harry in the first place. But he was merely talking, it was Harry who escalated the talk to a fight. One should only engage in a fight for a good cause. This one wasn't. Running wouldn't have solved the problem, only deferred it. And negotiating wasn't going to work on Harry (not that I believe Draco had the skill to do it). So he did the almost right thing.
Sorry. If Draco was on Harry's side he could have just stood there and allowed Harry to gain an advantage. Which you're saying was Draco's true aim.
Not if turning to Greg would have left Vince free to attack the trio.
That's your whistling-in-the-wind opinion, yes, but the fact remains - Draco cast a torture curse intended to cause pain. And we KNOW that your 'Harry' excuse wouldn't get him off, as there was clearly no motivation of 'righteous anger'.
We see Draco on the tower. And your reasoning is wrong. Any emotion besides really wanting to cause the pain would have failed the curse.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-19 10:38 pm (UTC)And yet that's exactly what Draco did. He deferred it. While cowardly not intending to turn up.
Oryx, if I say "I'm not scared of you, I'll beat you up [this way]" and then I show by my actions (or lack of actions) that I was lying from the start, then I'm clearly a coward. If I lied about the "I'll beat you up [this way]" part then I also lied about the "I'm not scared of you" part too.
Facing up to one's fear is bravery. Saying you don't have fear .. but then showing that you do ... and not facing it - that's cowardice.
Not if turning to Greg would have left Vince free to attack the trio.
But that's not the case at all. In fact:
a. Draco could have let Crabbe be safely stunned (if Draco was on Harry's side);
b. By *not* facilitating Crabbe's stunning Hermione was almost killed!; and
c. It's clear from the passage that none of this interaction had any impact on Goyle's actions; he's "aiming at Harry" a couple of seconds later. Absolutely NOTHING in the text showing how Draco and Crabbe had any influence on him one way or the other; in fact -
d. Goyle IS 'attacking the Trio' right after Draco pulls Crabbe out of the line of fire. But you're saying that Draco *didn't* allow Crabbe to be stunned because that would have left Goyle free ... to attack the Trio?!?!???
Sorry Oryx, it does not compute. You're desperately trying to conjure excuses out of thin air to save Draco on this one.
Any emotion besides really wanting to cause the pain would have failed the curse.
And we see absolutely no sign of any such saving emotion. And it's a safe assumption to believe that Draco's face was 'contorted' through anger.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-20 06:53 am (UTC)No, he did not run. Physically. That's what wouldn't have worked. Deferring the fight was a good choice. It is wrong to fight just because not fighting would make some people whose opinion shouldn't count think of you as a coward. It is stupid to fight. Stick to words. Don't make it physical (or magical). If the other side escalates to physical/magical try to defuse it. If you don't know how distract. Or a tactic Draco learned well in their later encounters - make sure it happens when a teacher is looking. Your rival will either be deterred or caught.
Facing up to one's fear is bravery. Saying you don't have fear .. but then showing that you do ... and not facing it - that's cowardice.
Showing up for a fight isn't facing one's fears. It is surrender to the greater fear of social consequences. It is being physically brave but morally craven. It would be saying that people can get you and manipulate you, put you where they want you and hurt you by threatening your self-esteem. If you behave like you don't care if anyone thinks you are a coward you win - you stay in control.
For evidence see 'Back to the Future' parts 2 and 3. Marty McFly ends up suffering an injury leading to lasting disability, loses his job (and perhaps was going to face criminal charges) and nearly got himself killed in a stupid unnecessary gun fight, simply because he couldn't stand being called 'chicken'. Learning to control that, turning away from the fights is what reversed his fate and saved him.
To quote Salvor Hardin, violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. In the Potterverse more often than not, the Gryffindors are the incompetent ones. Except for GOF chapter 13 (ferret incident) Gryffindors are the ones who escalate an exchange of insults to a fight. Just makes them come across as dumb jocks.
Draco in the ROR:
All you can claim is that he wasn't the most efficient support Harry could have had. But there is the fact that he stopped Vince from torturing Harry - something completely unnecessary if his intent was as he claimed, to bring Harry alive to Voldemort in order to be rewarded by him. (Read Terri's fic for a possible reason for his inefficiency.)
And it's a safe assumption to believe that Draco's face was 'contorted' through anger.
So? Anger may equal 'I'd like to hurt you' but not necessarily 'I want to hurt you so much that seeing your suffering won't cause me any regrets' which is what is needed to sustain a Cruciatus, what Harry lacked in the Ministry but had when he faced Amycus. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and the proof of the Cruciatus is in the sustained pain. This case remains unproven.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-20 07:43 am (UTC)That's a good example which shows how Draco is a coward, by seeing the differences between him and Marty.
See, when Marty was challenged - 'chicken!' - he chose to 'turn away from the fight', as you say. And so he did. Right then and there.
Draco, though, did NOT do this. No, he cowardly pretended that he would *accept* the fight ... only to not turn up.
Marty Malfoy would have said, then and there, "no, I'm not going to fight, that's silly".
Godric Gryffindor would have said "yeah, let's get to it!" and brought out his sword.
Draco took neither of these courses. He pretended he was brave ... but he was not.
Re: Comment #1 of 2
Date: 2011-06-20 03:42 pm (UTC)So in total, in this situation Draco makes me almost smile (as I said, I'm not happy he chose a time after curfew), Harry makes me despair. Both over escalating the name-calling into a fight and for taking Draco's bait.
Challenges, Empty or Otherwise
Date: 2011-06-20 03:29 pm (UTC)I wonder if it might not be akin to the exact same thing that happened to me in high school...
For some reason a bunch of girls -- a clique known for being "tough", and who'd had fights with others before -- challenged me to meet them behind the school (the usual place for fights) that afternoon.
I don't even remember anymore what precipitated the whole thing, but after school *I* showed up at the designated "dueling" location, alone. None of my friends would dare come with me, because this gang of trouble-making girls were known to have caused some physical harm to their previous victims.
But as it turned out, I was completely alone! None of the gang showed up! In fact, the whole schoolyard (a very LARGE schoolyard) was eerily empty that afternoon!
So I just schlepped home by myself. My friends called me later to find out what had happened, and I told them that nothing had happened, that the ringleader who'd issued the challenge and her gang never showed up.
No one ever accused them of cowardice (altho I suppose they MAY have gotten wind of how I single-handedly defeated the school bully and his two buddies -- yes, a very Draco Malfoy dynamic there -- back when I was 7 or 8. But I doubt it.
I think the ringleader and her gang thought that *I* was going to chicken out. Scuttlebutt over the following day or two had it that they had been inside the school and surreptiously checked to see if I showed up, because what they really wanted to do was publicly humiliate me afterwards by letting our classmates know that I hadn't showed up.
So perhaps they WERE cowards, in that if they really did see me and chose not to take me on, there must have been SOMETHING that made them think that 4 to 5 against 1 still weren't good enough odds in their favor. But I never found out for sure that they indeed were hiding in the school and sneaking peeks to see if I showed up, like I said, it was just a rumor that circulated the next day or so.
Again, these girls hadn't hesitated to beat up others, so to this day I really think they just didn't plan on having a fight with me at all, the plan was that they expected me to immediately go home after school, and then they would have claimed victory by default and labled me as the coward.
So it wasn't so much that they were afraid of fighting me -- the odds were overwhelmingly in their favor, so I don't see why they'd have been afraid of taking me on -- but rather it was a matter of strategy, the plan all along was to not fight me, just to turn around and crow that I'd been chicken.
So I wonder if Draco might not have been playing the same game -- it was never a matter of actually fighting a duel with Harry, but rather to have it common knowledge, at least amongst his fellow Slytherins, that he'd challenged Harry to a duel but that Harry had been too afraid to show up.
The fact that Harry did show up and got caught for breaking curfew was just an unplanned bonus for Draco.