freak22 @ May 16 2003, 19:34:23 UTC

I couldnt agree more.
I wonder just what needs to be done if it is the case that PS thinks more of J_H then his family?

myrddin @ May 16 2003, 19:41:23 UTC

I think Lucius is talking more about the heir. *squee* They need to quit teaseing us. LoL, but it's so fun when the do. Ack! ^_^

notapipe @ May 16 2003, 19:42:44 UTC

Transferred to here from my other post:

It appears Draco has skipped out on his meeting with his mother and Lucius is enraged. Not just angry, or disappointed, but enraged. Though it is possible that Lucius is talking about his non-communicativeness with his mother in general rather than tonight. What matters is that Lucius is enraged and scolding Draco for apparently preferring the company of Harry to Narcissa (gee, why ever would he do that? What reason could someone possibly have to not want to spend time with a ditzy, alcoholic, sobby and clingy mother who basically ignores them until such time as she decides miss her little puppychild?) Lucius's disapproval carries considerable weight with Draco, and since Lucius seems to come down hard on Draco's associating with Harry, I forsee possible rough weather ahead for the good ship H/D.

moonlitpages @ May 16 2003, 19:49:19 UTC

I don't think PS's meeting with his mother has happened yet, has it? I would think he would have until after tonight until it was declared for certain that he was skipping and not just merely late - I think Lucius is just being Lucius and not bothering to read the comments on his son's journal. You know they couldn't let us get too excited before something happened to shake up the harry/draco vibe *laughs*.

notapipe @ May 16 2003, 20:14:39 UTC Mea culpa

Well, it looks like you were right. I jumped the gun.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 19:50:00 UTC

Transferred here from your other thread, where I deleted it!]

While I have a healthy fear of getting into another date-stamp discussion, I wonder if this post is really about Draco missing tonight's appointment with his mother. I took it to be evidence that Lucius was behind the curve, responding to Narcissa's complaints from yesterday without having read either Draco's explanation (that his mother was with Arithmantra) or the posts about tonight's appointment.

If this is the case, it would be further evidence, continuing from last week's thread about Harry's parents, that Lucius is not as smart or on top of things as he pretends to be, and it would continue a pattern where Draco is given reason to question his father's sense and judgment, and the moral authority behind his threats. It will be fascinating to see how defiant or manipulative he will dare to be in his response.

It also seems to represent a sharp and almost desperate escalation of Lucius' efforts to undermine any Draco-Harry alliance. Why is he so scared about that?

Of course, if it does turn out that Draco missed an appointment with his mother -- the setting of which was itself a breakthrough for them both -- then that will raise a whole other set of issues. We'll have to wait and see if that's the case, I think.

notapipe @ May 16 2003, 20:00:18 UTC

And I was just about to post this reply on the other thread when I noticed the move. Consolidation is more work than it should be.

I considered that, and put that disclaimer rather than attempt a date-stamp analysis, since we both the problems those may lead to (and hey, it's Narcissa and Draco issues again!). I think, as you say, we will have to wait it out before we say.

However, I actually sort of hope that it is a Lucius not knowing what's going on issue, because this revelation of a NotVeryInformed!Lucius is an intruiging possibility.

But to that which IS known, the Lucius discouragement. Assuming that it's not just a "family uber alles" thing and the Harry disuasion is real, I think that an effort to prevent a Draco/Harry relationship on any level could very well be rooted in a deep concern for his son. He is, after all, working for Voldie, and so presumably he thinks at some point Voldie will end up killing Harry (though other options may occur). I don't think a caring Lucius (and I do think Lucius cares. He's just not very good at it) would want to kill his son's friend or lover, or have Draco go through that. Especially if Draco were to end up as a DE, in which case the conflict of loyalties would spin out of proportion and not be very fun.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 20:07:03 UTC Re:

Interesting, I had thought about Lucius' behavior in self-protective terms, but it's true, as we found out on Veritaserum-night, that he's genuinely afraid of losing connection with Draco. Where I disagree slightly is in the assumption that Lucius/Voldie have the power to "kill his son's friend or lover." Been there, couldn't do it. The "caring" aspect might have more to do with Lucius' facing up to the realization that his son may be turning out not to be like him at all, and may reject him over his alignment with Voldemort. He's fighting for Draco's continued allegiance. It's warped, but you're right, it may still be love.

notapipe @ May 16 2003, 20:28:11 UTC

I'm pretty much going all off of Veritaserumnox, myself :) But I'm not saying that they actually DO have the power. I'm just saying that there is the perception of power. Though I do think that the rejection for allegiance thing is vitally important as well. Especially since Veritaserumnact suggests that it's not so much that he wants to protect Draco as much as to not have Draco fuck up his relationship beyond all hope of reconciliation. Additionally, I think that he probably doesn't want Draco to fuck up his relationship with his mother. Lucius seems to place an almost Confucian emphasis on proper familial and societal relationships, so having the proper relationship between his son and his wife is also important. (Okay, now I'm imagining Lucius in confucian robes and speaking chinese. It's very funny)

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 20:19:45 UTC

And a good strong reply from Draco. No cringing at all. Strong enough to avoid even engaging with the Harry issue, refusing to be put on the defensive. Let's see how Lucius takes it.

bookshop @ May 16 2003, 20:31:03 UTC

Go, Draco. *nods fervently*

I mean, honestly, Lucius patently *ignores* his son and drives his wife out of his house, and then we're suddenly supposed to believe he's suddenly engaged enough to notice that Draco is working on a project with Harry?

This whole post just doesn't fly with me. How can Lucius be seriously "enraged" over Draco's not saying hello to Narcissa, even disregarding the fact that had he read the post he would know that Draco *did* say hello to Narcissa?

And most importantly, how are we supposed to believe that Lucius is suddenly so observant that he's noticed Draco has spent these two nights at Dogear Wyrde with Harry-- when he can't even be arsed to read his son's entries in entirety?

One bundle of infuriating contradictions, you are, Lucius. Gah.

notapipe @ May 16 2003, 20:34:46 UTC It's always the fault of those damn emotional women

I can't shake the feeling that he's probably going on the basis of half listening to Narcissa drunkenly sob about how much Draco is ignoring her.

bookshop @ May 16 2003, 20:39:32 UTC Re: It's always the fault of those damn emotional women

Except that we have no evidence that Narcissa has been communicating anything of the sort to him. And I think if Narcissa *had* been sobbing drunkenly it would have been to Vector over tea last night; instead we heard nothing about it from either women. At least if that's the case they showed more discretion than Lucius. His admonitions aren't likely to make it *easier* for Narcissa and Draco to communicate.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 21:40:46 UTC Re: It's always the fault of those damn emotional women

Speaking of which, what will Narcissa respond to this? She's finally gotten her son back and we know how she feels about that Harry Potter--such a nice young man. I can see her seriously questioning what Lucius is doing here. After all the trouble ps just caused why is Lucius demanding that he disrupt a class yet again for no reason whatsoever? Narcissa isn't always aware of everything that's going on but I think she knows that Harry didn't come between her and Draco. She may even want them to continue working together because it gives Draco more reasons to come to Dogear.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 20:47:01 UTC

Could it be a pretext? And the real issue is a Harry-Draco alliance, which Lucius is determined to quash? You're absolutely right that the way Lucius is handling the Narcissa issue seems fishy -- and depends on inconsistent reading of other people's journals.

Draco's first move in reply is to focus on Narcissa, but Lucius is having none of it and repeats his insinuations about Harry, which forces Draco into a corner in his second reply.

bookshop @ May 16 2003, 20:54:42 UTC

Yes, but if it *is* a Harry-Draco alliance, isn't it just a little too soon for Lucius to be noticing it, being as it is that Draco has only spent *two* nights in company with Harry, and those as part of a class assignment?

I don't get what Lucius is playing at. I don't think it's necessary, and I don't think it's warranted by *any* stretch of the imagination, even if he had been an attentive parent at any time before this, which personally I don't think he has. We know from the Veritaserum that he cares about Draco, but if this is some attempt to solidify family unity and protect his interests heightened as a result of the wedding night, then, although I buy that as a motive, it still doesn't seem to be in-character for me. I just can't see that it's something Lucius would have noticed.

And as his second reply, as you've said, makes it clear that Lucius' primary motive is about Harry... I'm at a loss. It just *doesn't* make sense, unless he were trying to prevent Harry and Draco from seeing one another ever again-- and since as far as we know they aren't even together, I see utterly no point in it.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 21:03:32 UTC

The fourth and fifth comments confirm the "it's all about Potter" theory. Draco concedes the main point, so Lucius can forgive him on the Narcissa issue, which was a pretext. I think.

I think it does make sense that driving Harry and Draco apart is a goal for Lucius. I don't think that's negated by the fact that they aren't "together" yet -- in fact makes the most sense for him to hit hard, now, before the friendship is solidified, when it's still just an agreeable possibility and Draco is still weighing pros and cons. Look what he's accomplished -- he's shut down their time together at Dogear Wryde. He's committed Draco to resisting any move by Sinistra to pair them up in the future.

As for what Lucius fears from a Draco/Harry alliance, I think that's a bit clearer. Even if it's not an issue of exposure, it clearly would represent a permanent estrangement from his son for Draco to pass to the "other side," or even to find himself disapproving of his father's DE connections.

My .02 anyway.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 21:03:36 UTC

It's possible that the H/D alliance isn't Lucius' main concern but that he knows that Harry is a super sensitive subject for Draco. The disowning doesn't work, but suggesting that Draco is a Harry fanboy, or pitting Harry against his family, might still be something Lucius knows will knock Draco off balance.

I do think Lucius sees Harry as a threat but I'm not sure exactly what kind yet. I don't buy that he just really loves Draco. Even his confessions under Veritaseum, as I remember them, had to do with not wanting a distant relationship with him which is nice but, I don't know, it's really not that strong a feeling.

moojja @ May 16 2003, 21:18:20 UTC

Harry is a threat to Lucius simply by being the boy who lived. The fact J_H might be getting closer to P_S, makes Harry a larger threat. I think Lucius is worried about the H/D alliance, for all the reason people have stated, fear that he might lose his son, an ally for Voldmort. The thing w/ Lucius is, that he wants the pretense of Draco getting along w/ Harry, but not really. He wouldn't want an actually friendship btw the two, but a fake friendship on Draco's part would give him a subterfuge that he can hide behind. The problem is not even Lucius knows Draco's motive. If he can't control Draco's friendships, then he will crush it.

bookshop @ May 16 2003, 21:24:28 UTC

but all we've seen so far is that any relationship between the two of them would only be a fake relationship. lucius has no way of knowing suddenly if their "friendship" is more than mere lip service. until lucius has some clue it just seems premature to quash something that, as far as we know-that-he-knows, has only been just what lucius suggested that day: draco is doing his best not to appear less-than-fond of harry potter.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 21:31:02 UTC

Hmmm. Let's try a different theory then. Lucius is going through the anxiety all parents go through as their kids grow up and separate from them. And the tangible form that Draco's apparent estrangement takes, is a budding friendship with the archenemy of Lucius' master, and a new willingness to see how far he can defy Lucius.

And Lucius responds with the bitterness, and instinctive vindictiveness, of anyone whose love is spurned, anyone who sees a rival. He instinctively attacks the new relationship. He pushes Draco's buttons, humiliates him, attempts to infantilize him by playing on his sexual insecurity, with the goal of crushing his new confidence, making him the child that he used to be.

It could all be about emotional ghosts like that, rather than any explicit political calculation.

Just trying on ideas, but this one I think should be in the mix.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 21:35:00 UTC

Right--what Lucius is suggesting now goes totally against his previous thoughts. He never said boo about Draco and Harry playing golf together, yet now he's nervous about them working on a project to which they were forcibly assigned...?

Not to mention the fact that Draco went to Dogear straight from an Anti-Potter meeting!

moojja @ May 16 2003, 21:49:08 UTC

Yes, but that was before Harry's outing and Narcissa leaving, and Lucius admitting to his son that he is worried about their father and son relationship. I'm just saying that Lucius has more reason to be insecure right now. He gave up an emotional position, when he admitted that he wants a relationship w/Draco. He doesn't have the backing of Narcissa like he though he would. And Harry must have care about Draco, just by the fact that Harry forgave Draco so easily after the outing. It's a tug of war, Draco has more backing now, then before, people who care more about him than his father. Draco is also more independent, so Lucius must try to separate him from these people and curb his independence a bit.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 22:02:24 UTC

Oh yes, I agree. I see what you mean. What's important, imo, is that this is Lucius lashing out from some emotional and probably childishly petty place. It's not a purely politically move. I think he naturally seeks to cut down family members when they seem to be getting stronger.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 21:48:53 UTC

Oh, let me amplify, because I wasn't reading you carefully enough.

You suggest that Lucius has no reason to even suspect a Harry/Draco alliance. But I don't agree, I think the evidence that something is up, or at least that something is worth suspecting, is overwhelming.

There's the shared email from last week. There's the fact that Harry's defiant response to Lucius coincided with a resumption of his communication with Draco. There's the obviously teasing, perhaps even affectionate banter between Harry and Draco on their last several threads. There's the fact that he's found a pretext to spend time alone with Harry at Dogear Wryde. And all of this after a bitter, bitter outing that would have permanently estranged people who didn't have something connecting him.

In short, there's all the exact same evidence that has us all squeeing -- and I've called Lucius occasionally clueless, but surely he's not that clueless. And there's perhaps even some recent evidence that he feigns cluelessness to encourage people to underestimate him, while he prepares to pounce.

Sure, it could just be about Sinistra's astronomy assignment. But if you're calculating the odds, as Lucius surely must be, would you want to bet everything on that?

And again, even if it's not a sound calculation, there's evidence that Lucius has reason to be stressed and a bit paranoid, on just an emotional level, about the possibility that Draco is growing away from him.

So all of that, I think, does make H/D a perfectly plausible thing for Lucius to take a conscious shot against.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 21:24:55 UTC

he knows that Harry is a super sensitive subject for Draco

You're right -- it may just be a more general control issue. He certainly used words -- like "cavorting" -- that were sort of insinuating, and that would press Draco's hot buttons.

I've been using the word "alliance" as an alternative to "love" because I think it's overreading to see H/D as an item quite yet. But even "alliance" may be too strong -- there's just a potential, there's something very tentative. And Lucius may be sensing this and quashing it out of some kind of almost subconscious emotional rivalry, as much as any explicit fears that he may have.

More cool stuff to think about!

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 21:59:58 UTC

Whatever his motivations I think you were totally right on in another post about his methods--infantalizing Draco, putting him down, trying to shake his newfound confidence.

Draco does so many stupid things that deserve reprimand that I'm sure that's the reason we naturally get furious to see him smacked down when he's starting to behave in a way approaching good. He's being somewhat civil to Harry, he's doing a school project with little complaint(!!), he's made the mature move of asking to meet with his mother and THIS is when Lucius steps in with a flimsy story about being angry at how Narcissa's been treated and blows him all to pieces. Words like cavorting are, you're right, calculated to make Draco feel like he's making a spectacle of himself.

The Malfoy family's been going through a series of power plays lately. Lucius used to have all the power. Then Narcissa took a stand and moved out, finding other allies. Lucius responded by fawning over her, subtly (and not so subtly) undermining her, playing on her sympathy and trying to distract her with presents and drinks. Is his behavior that much different with Draco? He's offered him gifts, fawned over him a bit about the MoM job.

Also in both cases Draco and Narcissa were not a united front. Draco was angry at her for leaving the Manor. Now the two of them have come together and it happened not at the Manor but at Dogear! Lupin's house. Harry's house. Could this be the thing that drove Lucius to act--not Draco doing a project with Potter, since he's spent time with him before under even more friendly circumstances, but the idea of Draco and Narcissa coming together without him...?

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 22:15:12 UTC Re:

Extremely cool to think about. So Lucius, maybe, was just as happy to see Draco and Narcissa estranged, though of course he could never admit that, and he thought he had more time to play both sides of that issue, because they wouldn't make up any time soon. But then suddenly, D and N are talking, and agreeing to meet, and Lucius realizes he's failed to do his duty, has placed himself in a potentially false position with Narcissa. So here comes Lucius, chivalrous defender of Narcissa!

And you have all the subterfuge that suggests a hasty intervention, all the huffing and puffing about Draco's neglect and the ridiculous excuse of writing the owl in the morning and sending it in the evening. I mean, if he had read the posts while holding the owl he wouldn't have sent the owl at all, and if he really hadn't read the posts, he wouldn't have to talk about writing them before he "didn't" read them.

[I do like my idea of blundering Lucius who, despite his failings, is still dangerous to underestimate!]

OK, so that reassigns some weight back to the Narcissa issue. And thinking about it, I guess Lucius could have been a bit freaked out by the tableau at Dogear, in much the way Draco was upset, two weeks ago, by his mother's attention to Harry. I mean, here's Lucius' son, who's been showing scary signs of independence lately, having dinner at Dogear with Lucius' estranged wife and his master's archenemy. It's enough to send anyone around the bend.

Love it. Love it all.

notapipe @ May 16 2003, 20:19:36 UTC

I love how Draco responds with his "i am beautifully enraged" icon. Can't you just feel the love? I mean rage. And one-upsmanship too, really. Lucius isn't so beautifully enraged as Draco, presumably.

Anonymous @ May 18 2003, 00:53:50 UTC also

Note how Draco signs himself just "Draco."

None of that "your pride and joy" "your protege" stuff

nmalfoy @ May 16 2003, 20:22:17 UTC

I see it as a general response to Draco's continued snubbing of his mother over the past few weeks. For some reason, Lucius has just. had. enough. So he sent Draco an owl. A few days ago, he read that Draco was right there at Dogear Wryde and snubbed his mother. It's plausible, to him, that Draco will go back there and by Merlin, Draco better go see his mother. He doesn't seem to tolerate Draco talking back to or being rude to Narcissa.

weatherby @ May 16 2003, 20:25:31 UTC

But Lucius did not read Draco's comments and now Draco just looks like an idiot. >:0

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 20:29:30 UTC

Draco does? Or Lucius?

weatherby @ May 16 2003, 20:34:41 UTC

Draco. All that stuff about spending too much time with Harry.

notapipe @ May 16 2003, 20:36:16 UTC

He seems to have recovered quite nicely.

bookshop @ May 16 2003, 20:48:36 UTC

If you can call that "recovery." I wouldn't, but that's just me.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 20:57:43 UTC

Dammmit, ps, don't let him manipulate you! Now he's volunteered to stop working with Harry. GRRRR! Lucius found the sensitive issue--Draco's still vulnerable about stuff concerning Harry!

But then, it's not like ps has ever been able to truly stay away from Harry!

I would love it if Harry took action in the situation. j_h puts up with a lot from ps but I can't imagine him allowing Lucius to take Draco away from him.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 20:43:09 UTC

Aha. By definition, he's been indiscreet, if his father has been able to call him on it. I'm more and more fascinated by Lucius, since with his genuine blind spots and occasional sloppy judgment it's still dangerous to underestimate him. Yet Draco seems strongly tempted to try the risky game of managing him. Point for Lucius, in Draco's second post. But boy, is this good theater.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 20:47:31 UTC

But Draco really hasn't been indiscreet. As he points out, he's partnered with Potter.

I think Draco knows Lucius is trying to do some revisionist history here and isn't falling for it. He's even using his "something is awry" icon.

Plus, I think Lucius is throwing out that "disowning" card a little too quickly. He seems to bring it up all the time now. But I think it's starting to weaken as a threat.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 20:55:14 UTC

Well, yeah I guess it depends on whether his reply in his second post, "I don't respect Potter . . . I won't work with him ever again," is sincere or has been forced on him by Lucius. So I may be jumping the gun in thinking that he really is, possibly, open to friendship with Harry.

When I say he's been indiscreet, I'm assuming that there is a budding alliance, but that he's talked about it enough in his journal that he's allowed his father to credibly call him on it, and force him to back off because he wasn't quite ready to declare it openly.

Of course, what Draco says for his father's ears may not be important if he has an understanding with Harry about Lucius.

bookshop @ May 16 2003, 20:58:10 UTC

it sounds utterly forced to me. i mean, his last post was almost a paeon of praise to harry--cloaked in sarcasm but with a touch of genuine and unmistakable fondness (that i was really surprised nraged wasn't raving over).

i hate lucius so much right now.

imochan @ May 16 2003, 21:00:38 UTC

>> i hate lucius so much right now

"I will endeavour to complete the project without Potter's assistance from here on out."

grrr. i am so there with you. :(

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 21:05:51 UTC

Hey...maybe we're looking for H/D when there's a more mundane reason for Lucius to want him away from Harry. Could he just see Harry as a bad influence in that Draco has been sounding a lot more like Harry in his dealings with Lucius of late? Like when he gave Harry information about his parents and now when he stands up to him again?

Anonymous @ May 16 2003, 21:11:21 UTC

All this may go back to Lucius's control issue. Draco's change in behavior when around Harry seems to be habitual, drawing him away from Lucius's influence.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 21:19:32 UTC

I'm very very suspicious of Lucius story about writing the owl in the morning and then sending it in the evening. It just sounds kind of ridiculous. Why would he wait to send it? Sounds like he's backdating it to either cover up that he didn't read Draco's journal (and so learn about the planned meeting with Narcissa) or cover up that he had and wants to pretend he hadn't.

I lean towards the latter idea. If he's worried about Draco spending time with Harry wouldn't he have wanted to send the owl in the morning and so prevent any possible Dogear trips that night?

luleh @ May 16 2003, 21:29:22 UTC

I'm wondering that too.

Perhaps he doesn't like Draco hanging out with Harry because it could lead Draco into trains of thought that aren't good for a pureblood.

Imagine Draco expressing some sort of anxiety about his mother and her ancestry, is Lucius worried that Harry might convince Draco that it doesn't matter? That would be a tall order, I know, but a even if Harry can place the teeniest bit of doubt in Draco's mind...

Though, I've always wondered about Lucius grooming Draco to be a DE from a canon standpoint. But that's for another day.

black_dog @ May 16 2003, 21:13:10 UTC

An interesting question is, what's the nature of Lucius' power over Draco in this situation. I think I've been tending to reduce it to one dimension when there are several. There's the implicit threat of disinheritance, but that's a disaster for both of them. There's also a lingering desire, on Draco's part, for his father's approval even as he is challenging him for the first time -- a very human contradiction. And I think there's a social aspect, that Draco really isn't ready to openly declare even a basic friendship with Harry at Hogwarts, perhaps because of his sexual identity issues. Lucius is playing on all of these, to durably drive a wedge between them. And he's won a point, tonight. As for the future . . . [cheesy sound-effect music] . . . only time will tell!

moojja @ May 16 2003, 21:28:36 UTC

Draco is still in school, a disinheritance is a much bigger threat for him than for his father. I don't see what Lucius would lose by disowning Draco. Also, as the head of Malfoy House, I would think Lucius could make life very difficult for Draco. B/c Draco would have all the disadvantage of being associated as a Malfoy,(though of as evil and a deatheater)and none of the advantage such as the money and prestige.

Side note: For Draco, I notice that he no longer sign off, as "your pride and joy", or "your son", just "Draco" Draco is definitely taking a few step away from his father's identity to form his own.

Anonymous @ May 16 2003, 21:47:06 UTC

I think Lucius has allot to lose should be decide to disown his Heir:

~The Malfoy line will end. If there is no cousin or younger brother to carry on the line, the family ends. Nacissa might agree to get pregnant again, but she would want a girl and might not be willing to try again once she has a daughter(pregnancy causes the hips to spread and I don't think she sees that as a good thing).

~Disowning Draco looks bad in the public eye. Parents disown their children because they did something wrong and the public looks to the parents to see how the child could have turned out badly. You don't have to look to far to see why Draco acts the way he does/did. This would reflect back on Lucius in a very unfavorable light, in both public and not-so-public circles.

sistermagpie @ May 16 2003, 20:44:12 UTC

The tremors continue in the Malfoy family, I think!

I don't buy Lucius' sudden anger at Draco re: Narcissa. Up until now Lucius hasn't truly been upset by the break between Draco and Narcissa. I know in the past he's yelled at Draco for being rude to her but during this fight maintained a "he'll come around" approach. I may have quite liked the idea of Narcissa getting the brunt of Draco's rudeness after the way she left him supposedly for Draco. We may be far too quick to dismiss how angry Lucius might have been over Narcissa taking charge as a parent.

When I read Lucius' post I suspected that he had been reading the posts and now that he saw Draco and Narcissa were going to meet he wanted to re-invent himself as Narcissa's champion while there was still time. Whether or not he knew about the meeting already set up for this evening, I don't think Lucius was really standing up for Narcissa here.

He definitely seems to be becoming more nervous at the idea of a H/D alliance. Draco's sending that e-mail to Harry may have really freaked him out. And look how perfectly his fears are realized. When has Draco ever used that icon with Lucius? Or corrected him the way he is here, except a bit in that previous thread about what happened to Harry's parents? Even there Draco was much more superficially polite to him, taking the position that he was just doing what he thought Lucius would want by telling Harry the truth. Here, though, he actually starts out with, "You must have missed..."

That's positively snarky!! He's TOTALLY refusing to get in line with Lucius' story where in the past he totally would have practically apologized for Lucius being wrong. Then he even winds up by making it clear that he went to see Narcissa on his own terms long before receiving Lucius' owl. Like he wants to let the record show that this meeting was not Lucius' doing. That could back up the idea of Lucius wanting to pretend he'd orchestrated it as Narcissa's protector. And he doesn't mention Harry at all. Oh, I so want to know how ps really reacted to Harry's fight with Lucius. He may FINALLY be recognizing that Harry is the braver, stronger wizard and the one to which he should be drawn. Go potterstinks!

imochan @ May 16 2003, 20:53:30 UTC

"I am sure that you will not fail, however. You always come out on top."

*gasp* Is that a compliment? O_o

Anonymous @ May 16 2003, 20:58:03 UTC

I wouldn't call it a compliment, I see it as more of a "Remember that you are a Malfoy, and Molfoys always come out on top."

But it could be; but one can never tell with Lucius.

luleh @ May 16 2003, 21:35:37 UTC

I reallllllllly read that in a way I don't think Lucius intended....

imochan @ May 16 2003, 21:48:15 UTC

join usssss...

kearie @ May 16 2003, 21:52:24 UTC

As did I, as did I....

zorb @ May 16 2003, 22:34:17 UTC

Me too. Oy vey. -_-

shusu @ May 16 2003, 22:35:41 UTC Voldie?

"I was preoccupied with a special project I'm working on for a close friend."

We can go to the den of Evil or the Bad Place. Both is just ickie.

notapipe @ May 17 2003, 16:45:05 UTC Re: Voldie?

Funny. I never saw Voldie as anything other than strictly seme.