I wish I'd seen it before I replied--I totally agree. Also, remember how JKR said that she imagined James the son of older parents who indulged him (read: spoiled, but we like him) and all that. James' family may just never have come into it. Perhaps they weren't progressives but respectable people with nice views who didn't rock the boat so much. It was James who showed up not caring and reading to show it whichever way he wanted. His parents are dead by the time Harry was born, so they may just not even have been an issue. Even if they were letting Sirius stay with them, they weren't the ones feeding his rebellion.
It's the tangible political threat that makes the purebloods frightened, and therefore wild and furious.
Also we're forgetting to talk about the fact that the Weasleys go after the Malfoys, who are also Blacks, you know? Pharnabazus points out in that essay about how the WW works that it's not like Lucius draws first blood in CoS. Arthur is already raiding the homes of suspicious Purebloods (even though he himself doesn't even seem to be in that department). We maybe shouldn't assume that the Weasleys are just not interested in knowing anything about their history either. If they are the Purebloods who have come down in the world, maybe they do want themselves to be the model family rather than the other families who are more successful financially and look down on them, you know? The resentment some of the Weasley kids feel, to me, has always made sense given their Pureblood status. There is some pride and entitlement there. The ones who have it the least are the ones who seem to suffer the least from the poverty: the older two boys (who would not be wearing hand-me-downs and have made their own way in the world) and Ginny (who as the most beautiful girl in the world and the only girl in the family also doesn't seem to have the same insecurity).
Also, one of the reasons Lucius always seemed so important is that it seems like he's the one who really hates Arthur. Perhaps Draco gets his Weasley hate from his father, who competes with Arthur at the Ministry, while the Blacks aren't as interested in them (acknowledging them as distant cousins). I don't remember Kreacher having a problem with them apart from the twins being "unnatural" because they're twins.
Well, but when he does focus personal insults on Potter, they all seem to have to do with Lily.
Is it a blood issue or just a mother issue? "You're momma wears army boots..." type thing? It's more cutting for him to accuse Harry of wanting a mummy at the Weasleys.
In private, it seems, we don't get the sort of direct personal contempt vibe we'd expect from Draco --
You know, I think you're right. In person Draco mocks Harry for being a drama queen ("Been a week since you've been in the Infirmary-that's a new record for you, isn't it?") or whatever, but in private he's usually just all, "Perfect Potter" and complaining how everyone thinks he's so great. In HBP, when he learns that he hasn't been invited to the Slug Club he just says of course Harry would be invited. He's far more upset about Neville being invited, despite Neville's blood, because I think he honestly (and correctly) thinks he's a better student. But he doesn't go off on it being unfair that Harry is brought in.
His feelings towards Harry may go through a more subtle development than we think. Sometimes he does seem to make some attempts to interact with Harry in more normal ways (the first train scene in GoF comes to mind). In HBP he should be at his most personal, but he's not. He seems to have accepted that Harry will always get attention, but you're right, there is a sort of grudging respect there. Not that he's complimenting him, but he seems to accept that it would be silly to fight about it too much. That seems like one of the things that give him hope, actually, that however much he protests he really can't completely divorce himself from reality. In CoS he protests that Hermione's the teacher's favorite, but by HBP he's obviously accepted that she's genuinely smart enough to have ideas for him to copy.
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Re: Part 2
Date: 2005-09-09 05:01 pm (UTC)I wish I'd seen it before I replied--I totally agree. Also, remember how JKR said that she imagined James the son of older parents who indulged him (read: spoiled, but we like him) and all that. James' family may just never have come into it. Perhaps they weren't progressives but respectable people with nice views who didn't rock the boat so much. It was James who showed up not caring and reading to show it whichever way he wanted. His parents are dead by the time Harry was born, so they may just not even have been an issue. Even if they were letting Sirius stay with them, they weren't the ones feeding his rebellion.
It's the tangible political threat that makes the purebloods frightened, and therefore wild and furious.
Also we're forgetting to talk about the fact that the Weasleys go after the Malfoys, who are also Blacks, you know? Pharnabazus points out in that essay about how the WW works that it's not like Lucius draws first blood in CoS. Arthur is already raiding the homes of suspicious Purebloods (even though he himself doesn't even seem to be in that department). We maybe shouldn't assume that the Weasleys are just not interested in knowing anything about their history either. If they are the Purebloods who have come down in the world, maybe they do want themselves to be the model family rather than the other families who are more successful financially and look down on them, you know? The resentment some of the Weasley kids feel, to me, has always made sense given their Pureblood status. There is some pride and entitlement there. The ones who have it the least are the ones who seem to suffer the least from the poverty: the older two boys (who would not be wearing hand-me-downs and have made their own way in the world) and Ginny (who as the most beautiful girl in the world and the only girl in the family also doesn't seem to have the same insecurity).
Also, one of the reasons Lucius always seemed so important is that it seems like he's the one who really hates Arthur. Perhaps Draco gets his Weasley hate from his father, who competes with Arthur at the Ministry, while the Blacks aren't as interested in them (acknowledging them as distant cousins). I don't remember Kreacher having a problem with them apart from the twins being "unnatural" because they're twins.
Well, but when he does focus personal insults on Potter, they all seem to have to do with Lily.
Is it a blood issue or just a mother issue? "You're momma wears army boots..." type thing? It's more cutting for him to accuse Harry of wanting a mummy at the Weasleys.
In private, it seems, we don't get the sort of direct personal contempt vibe we'd expect from Draco --
You know, I think you're right. In person Draco mocks Harry for being a drama queen ("Been a week since you've been in the Infirmary-that's a new record for you, isn't it?") or whatever, but in private he's usually just all, "Perfect Potter" and complaining how everyone thinks he's so great. In HBP, when he learns that he hasn't been invited to the Slug Club he just says of course Harry would be invited. He's far more upset about Neville being invited, despite Neville's blood, because I think he honestly (and correctly) thinks he's a better student. But he doesn't go off on it being unfair that Harry is brought in.
His feelings towards Harry may go through a more subtle development than we think. Sometimes he does seem to make some attempts to interact with Harry in more normal ways (the first train scene in GoF comes to mind). In HBP he should be at his most personal, but he's not. He seems to have accepted that Harry will always get attention, but you're right, there is a sort of grudging respect there. Not that he's complimenting him, but he seems to accept that it would be silly to fight about it too much. That seems like one of the things that give him hope, actually, that however much he protests he really can't completely divorce himself from reality. In CoS he protests that Hermione's the teacher's favorite, but by HBP he's obviously accepted that she's genuinely smart enough to have ideas for him to copy.