Now, Draco. He's a peculiar case. And I think maybe a lot of what you can say about Draco depends on how you interpret the canon because, as I've said before, Rowling doesn't really tell us who he is and doesn't even seem to be expecting us to try to find out. But yes, Draco is a bully--kind of an inept one for some reason. His bullying isn't physical like most of F&G's or (usually) power-based like Snape's. He is left to what he can say to you. He's quite talented about knowing what button to hammer on but usually not so talented at the hammering itself. I'm not sure why I say that... just that usually he comes across as knowing what subject will drive you bonkers but never saying anything very subtle or cutting. His actual insults aren't impressive--he makes up for this by hitting the right subject and usually he can make people crazy even when he says unsubtle insults.
He's kind of a truth-teller, but not quite in a Cordelia way. (I forget if you're a Buffy fan, but the stuff you were talking about seems far more Cordelia than Draco. An insulting, tactless truth-teller who steps on the egos of the main characters by puncturing their illusions, sometimes intentionally and sometimes because that's just the way she approaches the world.) When he first met Harry he was just telling the truth as he saw it, oblivious to Harry's coldness at what he was saying. It was really the same in the train when he said Harry had better make the right kind of friends. But after that he seemed more trying to bug people with everything he said.
The examples from your life seemed neat to me--I sometimes wish I were more like that. I hate having to pretend the world is other than it is because everyone else agrees to. I do it, though, pretty successfully, but it grates on me.
As for liking characters... I think I have a hard time separating fiction from reality in that way. Sometimes I'll cheer on an underdog even if they're awful, but I think sometimes I'll do that in real life as well. Snape is kind of an example--a friend of mine hated Snape and I would kind of like him and we'd have these strange conversations about him. She couldn't excuse his behavior, even if she understood him more. I couldn't excuse him either, but for some reason I didn't care. I understood him. That meant a lot to me; I don't always understand Harry or Sirius or Ron or Hermione or Dumbledore or really anybody else. I think if I had to be around him I'd smack him in the head frequently (that'd get me some interesting punishments) but that I might, even still, find him intriguing, and lonely, and maybe more like me than anyone else is.
no subject
Now, Draco. He's a peculiar case. And I think maybe a lot of what you can say about Draco depends on how you interpret the canon because, as I've said before, Rowling doesn't really tell us who he is and doesn't even seem to be expecting us to try to find out. But yes, Draco is a bully--kind of an inept one for some reason. His bullying isn't physical like most of F&G's or (usually) power-based like Snape's. He is left to what he can say to you. He's quite talented about knowing what button to hammer on but usually not so talented at the hammering itself. I'm not sure why I say that... just that usually he comes across as knowing what subject will drive you bonkers but never saying anything very subtle or cutting. His actual insults aren't impressive--he makes up for this by hitting the right subject and usually he can make people crazy even when he says unsubtle insults.
He's kind of a truth-teller, but not quite in a Cordelia way. (I forget if you're a Buffy fan, but the stuff you were talking about seems far more Cordelia than Draco. An insulting, tactless truth-teller who steps on the egos of the main characters by puncturing their illusions, sometimes intentionally and sometimes because that's just the way she approaches the world.) When he first met Harry he was just telling the truth as he saw it, oblivious to Harry's coldness at what he was saying. It was really the same in the train when he said Harry had better make the right kind of friends. But after that he seemed more trying to bug people with everything he said.
The examples from your life seemed neat to me--I sometimes wish I were more like that. I hate having to pretend the world is other than it is because everyone else agrees to. I do it, though, pretty successfully, but it grates on me.
As for liking characters... I think I have a hard time separating fiction from reality in that way. Sometimes I'll cheer on an underdog even if they're awful, but I think sometimes I'll do that in real life as well. Snape is kind of an example--a friend of mine hated Snape and I would kind of like him and we'd have these strange conversations about him. She couldn't excuse his behavior, even if she understood him more. I couldn't excuse him either, but for some reason I didn't care. I understood him. That meant a lot to me; I don't always understand Harry or Sirius or Ron or Hermione or Dumbledore or really anybody else. I think if I had to be around him I'd smack him in the head frequently (that'd get me some interesting punishments) but that I might, even still, find him intriguing, and lonely, and maybe more like me than anyone else is.