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I was flipping around today and must have seen something that started me thinking about Harry and Draco in canon, so I'm writing about it. Rambling about it is maybe a better way to describe it. I have a feeling I'm probably saying things in a way that makes it come out differently than I intended so I may be clarifying a lot.
There's a way that people sometimes characterize the Harry and Draco rivalry in canon that bothers me, saying that Harry hates Draco because of all the nasty things Draco has done to him and just wishes he would leave him alone. Obviously Draco has done plenty of things in canon to inspire Harry's dislike but the thing is, Harry already disliked him when he did it.
Harry starts to dislike Draco when Draco, while making small talk, says he plans to bully his parents into buying him a racing broom. Harry thinks of Dudley. Draco next seriously puts his foot in it when he describes Harry's new best friend Hagrid in less than flattering (though basically accurate) terms and then, even worse, calls him a "servant" because he's Head Groundskeeper. Harry responds to that "coldly," thus making things openly antagonistic and Draco responds with even harder snobbery, saying he doesn't think they should let non-wizard parented kids into Hogwarts. Later, when they meet again, Draco again tries to make friends in his snobbish way, snaps at Ron ("more children than they can afford...") and Harry smacks him down. I submit that Harry does not hate Draco primarily for what he has done but for what he represents, probably somewhat like the way James hated Snape, only more personal.
So what does he represent? One of my favorite lines in OotP--I was so shocked to see it--was where Harry had a memory of 3-year-old Dudley on a new tricycle while Harry watched "burning with jealousy." Up until this point Harry has never been characterized as jealous in that way. I think it's the kind of thing that became so much part of who he is he's no longer aware of it. When we meet him he's adopted a, "Well, I don't want anything from you anyway," attitude. But oh, how this little blond kid bugs him! Suddenly it's not poor Dickensian orphaned Harry who just wants love and doesn't care about material things like spoiled Draco or Dudley, it's an angry toddler who wants his own tricycle, damn it, and probably feels he deserves it a lot more than that that big fat pig riding it. He wants tricycles and candy and birthday presents and burns with jealousy around kids who have them.
Interestingly, Dudley himself no longer makes Harry quite so angry. In fact, he almost enjoys having the Big D around to bully when he needs to get out his aggressions. If Harry were really hating people just for what they've done to him, hasn't Dudley been more successful at hurting him than Draco? After all, it's Dudley who scarfed down food while Harry was starving, Dudley who physically beat him up with the help of his friends, Dudley who got him punished whenever he wanted. Draco, when he has tried any of these things, really hasn't succeeded. Dudley had power and Draco does not. Frankly, Harry seems much more passionately against what Draco *is* rather than what he's done. Sometimes he almost wishes Draco were guilty of more to have better reason to take care of him (Snape too).
One reason Draco's so important to the plot is that he makes Harry active in ways that aren't easy to do. In fact, his relationship with Draco is practically the only one at school that Harry actively created. Ron happened to sit next to him on the train so he stuck with him at the feast. Ron insulted Hermione, they went to apologize, were surprised by a troll and fell into a friendship. Most everyone else in his circle of acquaintances came or were brought to him. He didn't even actively seek out Quidditch. Harry could just as easily have passively accepted Malfoy's good-feelings but he didn't. He actively set himself against him, and not in self-defense. Of course one can make a case that Harry is right to set himself against what Draco represents: snobbery, being spoiled, thinking he's better than others just because of who his parents are, but the fact remains he targeted Draco as standing for what he didn't like because of his own sensitivities. Sure he'd like it if Draco never tormented him again, but he would still hate him, regardless. Draco's not doing anything to Harry when he's described as "holding court at the Slytherin table," but he's clearly still annoying just by existing. Personally, nothing Draco says early on would inspire anger in me. I knew plenty of kids who had more than me growing up and it always seemed silly to resent them for that. But then, I had enough, and Harry didn't.
Now, just to be clear, I'm not trying to reduce Harry to nothing more than a jealous kid here--it's more complex than that. There's a whole sense of justice that Draco offends for him (just as he often offends Draco's own sense of justice, imo) and plenty of times Draco's just a little putz. I just think that Harry's seeing himself as a "have not" is a very important part of his personality. He always seems to see other people as having things that he doesn't; it's just the way things have always been. This aspect of Harry is also interesting, imo, in the way it affects his friendship with Ron. Harry and Ron first bond over the way both of them wear hand-me-downs and are denied presents and candy. They feast on the candy Harry buys as only two have-nots can do that first day on the train. When Harry tells Malfoy off on Ron's behalf he's also speaking for himself. In recent years, though, Harry's become more and more embarrassed by Ron's jealousy. It makes him uncomfortable.
So...I guess what I'm saying is that I think Draco is special in some ways, for the kind of hatred he inspires in Harry. Harry hates Voldemort and Lucius and even Snape because of what they have done to him. All of them are more powerful than he is (well...Lucius was before his brains fell out). He hated all of them in response to their doing something to him or a loved one first. He's also suffered humiliation at all their hands and hasn't yet been able to strike back the way he wants. Draco, of course, loves to see Harry humiliated too--in fact, he makes Harry feel stupid in that very first scene completely by accident by asking him about things he doesn't know.
There's where I think the difference lies. Draco represents personal humiliation even when he's not actively doing anything against Harry. Even after humiliating this kid again and again Harry still never wants to look bad in front of him. He's able, perhaps, to make things Harry loves seem shabby or ridiculous, like it will never be enough. Because he's a boy like Harry himself Harry naturally compares himself to him the way he doesn't with Snape or Voldemort. And on that level, the boy vs. boy level, Draco differs from Snape and Voldemort again by having parents who buy him things. I think, in that way, he just represents something slightly different than the other two, something that strikes a different nerve in Harry.
There's a way that people sometimes characterize the Harry and Draco rivalry in canon that bothers me, saying that Harry hates Draco because of all the nasty things Draco has done to him and just wishes he would leave him alone. Obviously Draco has done plenty of things in canon to inspire Harry's dislike but the thing is, Harry already disliked him when he did it.
Harry starts to dislike Draco when Draco, while making small talk, says he plans to bully his parents into buying him a racing broom. Harry thinks of Dudley. Draco next seriously puts his foot in it when he describes Harry's new best friend Hagrid in less than flattering (though basically accurate) terms and then, even worse, calls him a "servant" because he's Head Groundskeeper. Harry responds to that "coldly," thus making things openly antagonistic and Draco responds with even harder snobbery, saying he doesn't think they should let non-wizard parented kids into Hogwarts. Later, when they meet again, Draco again tries to make friends in his snobbish way, snaps at Ron ("more children than they can afford...") and Harry smacks him down. I submit that Harry does not hate Draco primarily for what he has done but for what he represents, probably somewhat like the way James hated Snape, only more personal.
So what does he represent? One of my favorite lines in OotP--I was so shocked to see it--was where Harry had a memory of 3-year-old Dudley on a new tricycle while Harry watched "burning with jealousy." Up until this point Harry has never been characterized as jealous in that way. I think it's the kind of thing that became so much part of who he is he's no longer aware of it. When we meet him he's adopted a, "Well, I don't want anything from you anyway," attitude. But oh, how this little blond kid bugs him! Suddenly it's not poor Dickensian orphaned Harry who just wants love and doesn't care about material things like spoiled Draco or Dudley, it's an angry toddler who wants his own tricycle, damn it, and probably feels he deserves it a lot more than that that big fat pig riding it. He wants tricycles and candy and birthday presents and burns with jealousy around kids who have them.
Interestingly, Dudley himself no longer makes Harry quite so angry. In fact, he almost enjoys having the Big D around to bully when he needs to get out his aggressions. If Harry were really hating people just for what they've done to him, hasn't Dudley been more successful at hurting him than Draco? After all, it's Dudley who scarfed down food while Harry was starving, Dudley who physically beat him up with the help of his friends, Dudley who got him punished whenever he wanted. Draco, when he has tried any of these things, really hasn't succeeded. Dudley had power and Draco does not. Frankly, Harry seems much more passionately against what Draco *is* rather than what he's done. Sometimes he almost wishes Draco were guilty of more to have better reason to take care of him (Snape too).
One reason Draco's so important to the plot is that he makes Harry active in ways that aren't easy to do. In fact, his relationship with Draco is practically the only one at school that Harry actively created. Ron happened to sit next to him on the train so he stuck with him at the feast. Ron insulted Hermione, they went to apologize, were surprised by a troll and fell into a friendship. Most everyone else in his circle of acquaintances came or were brought to him. He didn't even actively seek out Quidditch. Harry could just as easily have passively accepted Malfoy's good-feelings but he didn't. He actively set himself against him, and not in self-defense. Of course one can make a case that Harry is right to set himself against what Draco represents: snobbery, being spoiled, thinking he's better than others just because of who his parents are, but the fact remains he targeted Draco as standing for what he didn't like because of his own sensitivities. Sure he'd like it if Draco never tormented him again, but he would still hate him, regardless. Draco's not doing anything to Harry when he's described as "holding court at the Slytherin table," but he's clearly still annoying just by existing. Personally, nothing Draco says early on would inspire anger in me. I knew plenty of kids who had more than me growing up and it always seemed silly to resent them for that. But then, I had enough, and Harry didn't.
Now, just to be clear, I'm not trying to reduce Harry to nothing more than a jealous kid here--it's more complex than that. There's a whole sense of justice that Draco offends for him (just as he often offends Draco's own sense of justice, imo) and plenty of times Draco's just a little putz. I just think that Harry's seeing himself as a "have not" is a very important part of his personality. He always seems to see other people as having things that he doesn't; it's just the way things have always been. This aspect of Harry is also interesting, imo, in the way it affects his friendship with Ron. Harry and Ron first bond over the way both of them wear hand-me-downs and are denied presents and candy. They feast on the candy Harry buys as only two have-nots can do that first day on the train. When Harry tells Malfoy off on Ron's behalf he's also speaking for himself. In recent years, though, Harry's become more and more embarrassed by Ron's jealousy. It makes him uncomfortable.
So...I guess what I'm saying is that I think Draco is special in some ways, for the kind of hatred he inspires in Harry. Harry hates Voldemort and Lucius and even Snape because of what they have done to him. All of them are more powerful than he is (well...Lucius was before his brains fell out). He hated all of them in response to their doing something to him or a loved one first. He's also suffered humiliation at all their hands and hasn't yet been able to strike back the way he wants. Draco, of course, loves to see Harry humiliated too--in fact, he makes Harry feel stupid in that very first scene completely by accident by asking him about things he doesn't know.
There's where I think the difference lies. Draco represents personal humiliation even when he's not actively doing anything against Harry. Even after humiliating this kid again and again Harry still never wants to look bad in front of him. He's able, perhaps, to make things Harry loves seem shabby or ridiculous, like it will never be enough. Because he's a boy like Harry himself Harry naturally compares himself to him the way he doesn't with Snape or Voldemort. And on that level, the boy vs. boy level, Draco differs from Snape and Voldemort again by having parents who buy him things. I think, in that way, he just represents something slightly different than the other two, something that strikes a different nerve in Harry.
