I have enough cases to make this stick, or whether I'm overgeneralizing from a few incidents.
Looking forward to it! But luckily I don't think it contradicts my idea. Basically, the point of the thing is about the racism of the DEs and the way that it sort of offers a substitute connection to people that is really the opposite (Voldemort=personal immortality/no love, Harry=mortality/love). And here's Draco who's both the bully and the kid who's attracted to it. And I think it's interesting that JKR's chosen to make him this very social creature who's so connected to fitting in, but is also connected to problems with exactly that (as opposed to the Angry Young Man that was Snape or another Dudley). I wanted to look especially at PS and CoS, which I think set him up for the part he's really meant to play in HBP.
In PS he plays the role of school antagonist more than any other book--but instead of setting him up as a Dudley bully Rowling specifically has him try and fail to be Harry's friend. Then he swings back and forth between trying to get rid of Harry, the face of his failure, and sticking himself in Harry's face. There's even two kind of primal images of him in that book--the hand stuck out and refused, and the face pressed up to the window of the cabin where the other kids are gathered (Ginny ironically describes something similar later). Then in CoS Draco doesn't have as much of a plot but we see a pattern of problems in the relationships he does have: Lucius, the Quidditch team, Crabbe and Goyle.
The kind of relationship you describe with his friends is more what his real advantage is in HBP. These are people who don't see him as heroic, have seen him at his most humiliated, but perhaps see something in him anyway. But he seems almost enamored by fantasy relationships that are perfect and he's just adored and feels great all the time. Maybe, if we go back to Lucius, because Lucius seems to lay that out as the problem: He's not good enough, so he's not loved enough.
Harper of Slytherin has certainly seen something [the Snitch] that Potter hasn't."
Man, that line always gets me, because Zach wins the game for Harry there. He was distracted and might not have even looked for the Snitch if he hadn't heard what he took as an insult. And what does Zach get for that but knocked unconscious? Now that I think of it it really does make for a nice parallel. Zach worked for Harry the year before as well, but the next year, when he wasn't needed any more, the inner circle couldn't get rid of him fast enough. I hope they need him in the future (Heir of Hufflepuff?)
You know, the more I think about the Weasleys, the creepier I think they are.
Seriously--which is why I find the theories where they represent some family Harry longs for awful. Even weirder is where people assume that the great thing about the Weasleys is how they never care about Harry as TBWL when we've got, as you say, Ginny the worshipper, Ron who resents, Molly's grand claims, etc. When Harry's Sorted into Gryffindor the Twins break out chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" None of them seem to show quite that much pride in having Hermione adopted.
Re: (Corrected version of comment)
Looking forward to it! But luckily I don't think it contradicts my idea. Basically, the point of the thing is about the racism of the DEs and the way that it sort of offers a substitute connection to people that is really the opposite (Voldemort=personal immortality/no love, Harry=mortality/love). And here's Draco who's both the bully and the kid who's attracted to it. And I think it's interesting that JKR's chosen to make him this very social creature who's so connected to fitting in, but is also connected to problems with exactly that (as opposed to the Angry Young Man that was Snape or another Dudley). I wanted to look especially at PS and CoS, which I think set him up for the part he's really meant to play in HBP.
In PS he plays the role of school antagonist more than any other book--but instead of setting him up as a Dudley bully Rowling specifically has him try and fail to be Harry's friend. Then he swings back and forth between trying to get rid of Harry, the face of his failure, and sticking himself in Harry's face. There's even two kind of primal images of him in that book--the hand stuck out and refused, and the face pressed up to the window of the cabin where the other kids are gathered (Ginny ironically describes something similar later). Then in CoS Draco doesn't have as much of a plot but we see a pattern of problems in the relationships he does have: Lucius, the Quidditch team, Crabbe and Goyle.
The kind of relationship you describe with his friends is more what his real advantage is in HBP. These are people who don't see him as heroic, have seen him at his most humiliated, but perhaps see something in him anyway. But he seems almost enamored by fantasy relationships that are perfect and he's just adored and feels great all the time. Maybe, if we go back to Lucius, because Lucius seems to lay that out as the problem: He's not good enough, so he's not loved enough.
Harper of Slytherin has certainly seen something [the Snitch] that Potter hasn't."
Man, that line always gets me, because Zach wins the game for Harry there. He was distracted and might not have even looked for the Snitch if he hadn't heard what he took as an insult. And what does Zach get for that but knocked unconscious? Now that I think of it it really does make for a nice parallel. Zach worked for Harry the year before as well, but the next year, when he wasn't needed any more, the inner circle couldn't get rid of him fast enough. I hope they need him in the future (Heir of Hufflepuff?)
You know, the more I think about the Weasleys, the creepier I think they are.
Seriously--which is why I find the theories where they represent some family Harry longs for awful. Even weirder is where people assume that the great thing about the Weasleys is how they never care about Harry as TBWL when we've got, as you say, Ginny the worshipper, Ron who resents, Molly's grand claims, etc. When Harry's Sorted into Gryffindor the Twins break out chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" None of them seem to show quite that much pride in having Hermione adopted.