dragynville @ August 1 2003, 01:08:21 UTC

Favorite lines:

he became rather cranky and decided to take his mood out on the rest of us by dancing. Several students were injured.

shortly after this, Potter invented the wheel.

My love knows no bounds. <3 XD <3 XD <3

nightflight @ August 1 2003, 01:11:49 UTC

::DEAD::

OMG.

>.> This is not covered by the drinking game, to my recollection, but may we all take an appreciative GULP anyway?

notapipe @ August 1 2003, 01:28:43 UTC

Yes. Yes, that sounds like a really great idea. *gets some drink to gulp*

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 02:06:45 UTC

When something unforeseen, yet unbelievably squee worthy happens, on N_A take one gulp and an extra one for luck.

coocoocthulhu @ August 1 2003, 01:12:24 UTC

'Let us consume your flesh, as our digestive systems work despite the fact that our skin has rotted.'

potter_stinks is my new personal god. Seriously. I'm gonna go build him a secret shrine in my closet or something. I'll make daily offerings of chocolate pudding and bananas, and consult it in all matters of life. PRAISE THE DRACO.
Funniest thing I've read all day week.

loony_moony @ Deleted Deleted

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notapipe @ August 1 2003, 02:04:04 UTC

Do you think he would start a company to mass produce shrines? It seems likes a good policy.

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 02:10:10 UTC

Failing that, t-shirts. If he could bring himself to be tacky enough. The could say "Potterstinks is my god" and M.B. could sue for copywrite infringment.

loony_moony @ Deleted Deleted

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notapipe @ August 1 2003, 03:16:47 UTC

He could just be CEO.

loony_moony @ Deleted Deleted

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notapipe @ August 1 2003, 03:44:34 UTC

Okay, he can sit on the Board of directors and have a controlling stock interest.

loony_moony @ Deleted Deleted

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noirenails @ August 1 2003, 06:53:43 UTC

XD your icon!

dragynville @ August 1 2003, 01:18:08 UTC

And, you know, he's once again seeking Harry's attention in the most direct manner he's capable of.

saffronlie @ August 1 2003, 04:43:08 UTC

Ah, that sounds about right. I was thinking of how it seems that whenever things are going relatively well between him and Harry (okay, so this time there was the asleep slight, but at least an appointment had been made), Draco will go and do something like this (eg, the un-outing, and another incident which temporarily escapes me). It seems slightly kamikaze-like, but yeah, a plea for attention makes sense most of the time.

Also, Draco has a real obsession with Harry's [lack of] dancing skills.

dry_your_eyes @ August 1 2003, 04:46:16 UTC

do we know that Draco's a good dancer? i'm not sure it was mentioned in the books, but NA draco should certainly be !
so why doesn't he give Harry lessons?:D

noirenails @ August 1 2003, 01:22:06 UTC

Over in Wiltshire, I myself was a much more handsome child. Of course, this has nothing to do with Potter, but it's worth mentioning.
For some reason, I find this utterly hilarious.

corsiva @ August 1 2003, 16:42:33 UTC I agree

I agree completely. I laughed myself silly at that entire post. Oh, and whoever said that potterstinks was their new personal God...add me to your religion! He is the best.

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 02:20:20 UTC

I second the motion.

There could be a new addition every update!

sadly I suspect sarcasm. How tragic these plebians do not see his true potential.

Anonymous @ August 1 2003, 02:30:47 UTC

I...I....*dead* Funniest thing. Like, ever. Seriously considering copying and pasting this so I can read it over and over :D I just hope Harry takes this well - to us, we can obviously see the affection behind it (squeeeee) but Harry is, I think, in a very sensitive mental state right now, feeling depressed and lonely etc and he may possibly take this as a dig at himself? I dunno. Of course, if Lupin and Sirius *did* go to pick him up, that may make all the difference :D

notapipe @ August 1 2003, 02:59:59 UTC

And Lupin IDs the H/D while providing an important geography lesson (Quatar is in fact one of those weird islands in the Persian Gulf). some subjects are just far more interesting than others

Anonymous @ August 1 2003, 03:07:45 UTC

Haha, Lupin ownz me! He knows the score. Also - he sounded pretty cheerful, so maybe that's a good sign of the possible return of Sirius?

dry_your_eyes @ August 1 2003, 05:27:32 UTC

i don't know... i think Sirius's return would make him much more cheerful - almost crazy i'd say
and if Sirius has returned, why don't they post about it?

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 12:04:01 UTC

maybe they can't. maybe he's not supposed to be there or it's too dangerous or, for whatever reason, they don't want people to find out.

dry_your_eyes @ August 1 2003, 17:28:52 UTC

lets hope so!

hezzabeth @ August 1 2003, 03:03:27 UTC

This was so funny I started screeching " whose dah biatch now?" once I managed to catch my breath.
This has to be one of the funniest P/S posts I've ever read.

Anonymous @ August 1 2003, 03:12:09 UTC

The bit that tickled me the most was, I think, simply because the other Seeker was so good. He just won't let that comment go, will he? :D

tabiji @ August 1 2003, 03:46:28 UTC

This is going to be a ramble...I just don't even know what to make of Draco.

Narcissa's post indicated jealousy that she was worring about Harry, but Draco's post made it sound like he had spent a lot of time that day with Narcissa...and she was wanting to spend more time with him after that. He's been home all summer with her, so I wouldn't think he'd actually be jealous.

I wonder if it was really because he was miffed, because he had actually been looking forward to seeing Harry...and since Harry was asleep, Draco was thinking that it couldn't have been very important to Harry, and maybe Draco's ego was a bit bruised?

I really think he likes the attention from Harry. So maybe he's re-thought things and now with this post he's trying to get Harry's attention again?

loony_moony @ Deleted Deleted

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sistermagpie @ August 1 2003, 06:57:52 UTC

Yeah, it is interesting. I doubt ps is able to recognize Harry's state for what it is. He may feel a general disquiet at the way he might look or seem when he's with him (mentioning the bags under his eyes etc.) but I can see him being entirely too self-centered to see how upset Harry has seemed to be, or to be just afraid of it and want to deny any glimmers of understanding he has.

It's interesting that Draco still has a sore spot concerning Narcissa and Harry. He may not be continually jealous but having Narcissa take him on a surprise visit to Harry because she wants to check up on him would probably bug him for a number of reasons. There's the idea that during a day with him Narcissa was thinking of Harry, but also perhaps his being territorial about Harry? Like he really doesn't want to see Harry because his mother brought him, especially since she's got presents? He sees Harry on his terms (or Harry's) and not hers, especially on his birthday? Anyway, he was just uncomfortable and angry at being brought there unexpectedly and staged a small rebellion by disapperating and refusing to see Narcissa again. The idea seems to be if she's more interested in Potter, he doesn't need her.

Then he goes to see M.B.'s mother which both mirrors Narcissa's actions (she goes to see another "son" he goes to see a different mother) and Harry's (other people's mothers love me too!). He waits until the end of the day to put up his story, presumably waiting for all the riff raff to say Happy Birthday before he comes in for the big finish.

I don't think his post was meant to be that cutting, really. It's just too funny for that, and mostly funny in ps's best absurdist way. (Most obviously, he leaves Harry's parents out completely.) Plus there's even the little nod to his own humiliation with the mud in the middle of a funny story. Bringing it up that way implies a bit of forgiveness over the incident, imo.

bookshop @ August 1 2003, 07:18:10 UTC

Plus, do you really call someone the greatest thing since sliced bread, even indirectly, if you don't have just the slightest bit of admiration for them???

*hearts forevermore*

sistermagpie @ August 1 2003, 08:40:29 UTC

Oh, the boy might as well have typed the entire thing on his knees. He's MAD about Poter! Mad mad mad!

But he still thinks he's prettier.

imochan @ August 1 2003, 12:07:35 UTC

Oh my god, this is better than golf clubs and cabbage. Your comment made me all teary with joy! <333 It's SO TRUE.

black_dog @ August 1 2003, 12:45:59 UTC

perhaps his being territorial about Harry? Like he really doesn't want to see Harry because his mother brought him

That's a really interesting point, because the jealousy thing really does seem odd at this point. I mean, I thought they overcame that when Harry was fixing "hamburgs" for Draco and Narcissa at Dogear a while back. [couldn't find link.]

It's clear from Narcissa's post that she hadn't told Draco in advance where they were going, so the question is why did he freak out when they arrived in Little Whinging? If I had to guess, I'd say it was a "not like this!" reaction -- a social call with his mother was not the way he wanted to see Harry for the first time in a month. His feelings are too intense, and who wants their mother chaperoning a reunion with their maybe-boyfriend, anyway?

I don't think his post was meant to be that cutting, really.

Oh not at all! He's positively giddy, I think, and I'm guessing it's the prospect of seeing Harry at Dumbledore's party. The reason I think so is that PS' new Harry-epic most closely parallels PS' own epic encounter with the house elves back in June. That was just after his victory over Ravenclaw, his moment of glory and the attention he got in the hospital wing, and just as he was preparing for Pansy's birthday -- about the happiest I ever remember PS being. I think he gets this way, makes up long exuberant silly stories, when he's happy.

And Harry's reply, about how he "shouldn't have told you about the wheel thing" is almost exactly parallel to his comment about "getting the hinkypunks and the grindylows to speak to each other again" in the June thread. They totally understand each other and they're doing their totally-infatuated-and-silly banter again!

sistermagpie @ August 1 2003, 19:21:07 UTC

Harry's comment made me so happy. Because although ps is obviously loving the attention he's getting from everyone for his Potter story he really wrote it for Harry. Harry's comment just says so much while being so intentionally laid back, almost like the slightest nod of approval. I'm happy to see that given how upset Harry's been. Not that this comment means Harry's all better now at all, but I'd like to think he found the story amusing and knew Draco had spent a long time on it and was thinking about him and made everyone else think about him too. It's just goofy.

And really, the effect might have been spoilt had Draco been with Narcissa that day, unable to totally be himself with Mom there.

black_dog @ August 1 2003, 20:49:42 UTC

I'd like to think he found the story amusing and knew Draco had spent a long time on it and was thinking about him and made everyone else think about him too.

Yeah, you're right, I think -- I had seen it in self-referential terms, as being all about Draco's mood, but it's more than that. It's easy to forget, given the "performance" aspect of the game, how much time and effort and regard would go into a post like that. In large part, it's PS' response to Harry's depression -- despite the messed up night visit, despite the strangeness of skipping out on his mother's visit, PS is thinking about Harry, wants Harry to know it despite the mixed signals, wants to make him laugh and cheer him up.

Not that this comment means Harry's all better now at all

No, but at least things are getting better, little by little -- Harry's connections are coming back on-line, so to speak: he's got Sirius home, he's going to visit Remus, he and Draco are teasing each other again. *Crosses fingers and passionately hopes Harry will be able to spend August at Dogear*

I love the way PS is all messed up about seeing Harry. I mean, why wouldn't he have persisted until Harry woke up during the night visit, unless he were really terribly nervous about the whole thing? And perhaps another reason he cut out on his mother was that he couldn't bear to let her see how much his reaction would give away. And he talks about his mother and father "forcing" him to go to Dogear, something he's "dreading." Of course he badly wants to go, I think, but is messed up about admitting it and maybe about facing it, too. But by whining about going, and then being such a brat to his mother, he now has Lucius putting his foot down -- "You're going to Dogear with your mother and myself. End of discussion." [sorry, too lazy to link.] Can you say, "Please, please don't throw me in the briar patch?"

Gah. Ever wonder why you're taking time out of your day to worry about the happiness of fictional 17-year-olds? But this whole story is so much about the obstacles we create to our own happiness that it just cuts close to the bone. Harry & Draco 4 eva!

sistermagpie @ August 1 2003, 21:12:45 UTC

LOL! It's so true!

A couple of things I was also thinking about Draco's not wanting to go to the party. One is that remember when he asked to go see Harry to kick him Lucius said he was suspicious. So saying he doesn't want to go is probably a good plan, knowing that of course he's going to go.

Then I also wonder if Draco is afraid of seeing Harry again after a while. Could he really not wake him up during that visit (Harry might have been sleeping very heavily after all) or was he freaked out watching him sleep? (I can't help but think the last time Draco watched him sleep was when Harry was badly hurt. This could be cause for some personal revelations there!) I also wondered about Harry's reaction to the idea Draco was there. When he said the thing about Draco not being able to find parchment I wondered if Harry was embarassed at Draco coming into his messy room. If he's depressed it might be messy beyond the normal level of messiness. This is, after all, the boy he likes. How embarassing the whole thing must be for Harry. (Btw, has ps ever been at a party with Harry? The last couple he wasn't there.)

The Narcissa thing is now really fascinating me. I have no idea all the buttons this could have pushed. There are certainly plenty of issues between the two of them that are unresolved that Narcissa may be unaware of. This visit would bring up plenty of things regarding her, but I'm not yet sure exactly which ones and how.

*There's the whole issue of Narcissa liking Harry too much. That seems to be the main jist we've gotten so far with Draco's mutterings about her always worrying about Potter. I, too, would have thought that ps was mostly over this and he has progressed in that he no longer lashes out at Harry over it. But his reaction makes me wonder if there's something about it I'm still not getting--and Narcissa obviously isn't either. M.B., help us out here!

* Also, if we think about Harry the potential boyfriend, this is the woman who made Draco promise to lose his virginity at 16, loves the idea of him with Pansy and gave him wildly mixed signals on homosexuality. I have no idea if that came into play at all, but it's an issue that was only really solved through a possible lie on ps's part about being with Pansy.

black_dog @ August 1 2003, 21:54:30 UTC

Thinking about Narcissa here, and just trying ideas on for size.

I guess I'd love to know the answers to two questions: 1. What does Narcissa know or suspect about H/D? and 2. What does PS think Narcissa knows or suspects?

Ever since Harry was outed, Narcissa seems to have been going out of her way to demonstrate her approval and support for him. I think we can take it for granted that she reads the journals and knows he's gay, and if that's the case she also knows that he tried to kiss Draco, and has admitted feelings for him. Like the rest of us, she's been able to watch Draco's reaction to Harry, their reconciliation, etc. The night when Ron "outed" Draco has Harry's boyfriend, Narcissa seemed very skeptical of PS' explanations. Narcissa may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, and she's capable of forgetting her son's age, (though that's possibly for some neurotic reasons of her own). But I have to assume she knows the score here, and assumes that at the very least, there's some sexual/romantic tension between PS and JH.

So why is she acting the way she does? She goes out of her way to make it clear that she approves of Harry as a person, she springs things like the Little Whinging visit on Draco, she cultivates her relationship with Remus and her own visibility at Dogear. She is making it clear that she expects, and welcomes, Harry as a part of their most intimate social circle.

I'm thinking PS has to see all this too, and wonder the same thing. We know Narcissa was part of the horrible pressure on Draco to lose his virginity by 16. Is Draco afraid Narcissa is trying to help fix him up with Harry? Is he afraid that one of these days when she's complimenting Harry she'll cross some unstated barrier and offer him unsolicited and probably mortifying romantic advice?

And what would happen if she did that? In the best neurotic tradition, the whole Harry/Draco thing seems to be the subject of fraught, inhibited hints and silences within the Malfoy family. Just the way the "losing his virginity" topic was abruptly and awkwardly dropped when PS turned 17, with only the barest acknowledgment of the flimsy Pansy cover story. Lucius makes nasty insinuations about Draco's interest in Harry but they are very vague -- and Lucius can be very blunt when he wants to be, so I have to assume that even he's a little afraid of the practical and emotional implications of speaking more explicitly. Narcissa may seem, to Draco, to be performing some sort of creepy high-wire act on the subject of Harry, flirting with the boundaries of a topic that has huge explosive potential within the family.

Jealousy of Harry may be a small part of the mix in Draco's emotions. But I suspect it's just the most intelligible and "acceptable" reaction for him to have, and it screens a whole bunch of other issues. I think he's just creeped out whenever his mother mentions Harry, and is avoiding her as part of avoiding any possible confrontation on the issue.

As for Narcissa herself, I can't decide if she's genuinely trying to be helpful and welcoming about Harry, or if she's pulling some sort of weird emotional power play on Draco, or if she's just recklessly playing with fire. I suppose it's also possible that she's clueless and really is just being polite, but I can't see her being that clueless. In any event, I see plenty of reason for PS to be wary of his mother on the subject of Harry.

sistermagpie @ August 2 2003, 18:37:45 UTC

God, I love it when the characters act rather oddly when you've got little things to speculate about!

Narcissa is definitely a puzzle. She tends to swing back and forth between pushing Draco sexually and seeing him as a child. So I can almost see her assuming his relationship with Harry is innocent because he's just her little dragon. It's also possible she doesn't really see Harry as gay because of his age. I mean, like she might see him as harboring crushes but not think of him as really sexually mature.

Otoh, I can also see her putting two and two together (whether she's come up with 4 is another question entirely!). Iirc, Narcissa's main response after Ron's outing of Harry was to say she was sure Harry would never make up a story about him and Draco. That could mean she thought Draco was lying about being Harry's boyfriend or just that she thought Ron was mistaken or lying about it. The main thing was that Harry was innocent. If she wanted to encourage H/D it would make sense for her to defend Harry, though it would also make sense to do that if she just liked Harry.

She didn't warn Draco about the visit to the Dursleys though, and one would think if she was encouraging their relationship she would have done that. She was bringing a gift to Harry--why not ask Draco if he had a gift to give to Harry in person too? I can't completely trust that she's fully aware and encouraging H/D just because these are the Malfoys here--they have a way of surprising you with rules or customs you didn't expect. I suspect Draco might know that too. Like with the Weasleys if Molly or Arthur are suddenly inconsistent the kids can call them on it. I think Draco knows never to feel too confident that his actions will be approved, despite the signals he's gotten about it.

Plus we've never really understood Draco's own attitude towards homosexuality--something I'd love to know about. He was just SO sensitive about the issue and Narcissa's comments about it "not existing" in the past can't be totally to blame. One of the things I love about ps is I get these flashes of him that seem very much tied to a childhood filled with landmines if you know what I mean--in fact the whole Slytherin Trio seems to be shaped by strange, disfunctional family lives. I could be wrong in doing this, but I tend to make a connection between things like ps hating homosexuality and Lucius' playing around and Narcissa's denials of it just as I associate ps's offhand remarks about being particularly disgusted by the smell of alcohol with his mother's reliance on vodka. I can imagine plenty of disturbing things in his childhood that could have combined the two.

black_dog @ August 2 2003, 19:57:34 UTC Narcissa's possible take on Draco and Harry

She tends to swing back and forth between pushing Draco sexually and seeing him as a child.

Yes, and the sheer inconsistency is one reason I suspect that her behavior, whatever it's about, is neurotic and impulsive rather than a calculated policy. Is she in denial about his possible homosexuality and afraid to find out? Does she oscillate between "acting out" a completely "innocent" relationship with Harry and inventing excuses for some of the explosive reactions this generates? I guess I continue to think that subconsciously she must know the score, but it bubbles up to her conscious and overt behavior in bizarre ways. And that Draco senses this, and wants no part of it because, first, his mother's emotional problems are kind of icky and second, he has enough trouble with his own issues.

Plus we've never really understood Draco's own attitude towards homosexuality . . . I can imagine plenty of disturbing things in his childhood that could have combined the two.

I think it was you who made the case, some time back, that Draco may have been sexually abused as a child, perhaps even by Lucius. He certainly has issues with both intimacy and sexuality itself that would be consistent with some sort of abuse. I think the single bit of evidence in NA is this really ugly exchange with Ron from last fall. Not enough to be certain, but worth keeping in mind as a hypothetical possibility. If Narcissa was aware of/in denial about such abuse, then that too may be part of the backstory of Narcissa and Lucius' recent rivalry over Draco, tentative estrangement, and Narcissa's very public defense of someone she knows to be Voldemort's and therefore Lucius' adversary. I see a real tangled knot of possible issues here -- Narcissa protecting Harry for Draco's sake and also to raise the stakes for Lucius, Narcissa wanting to ease her son's acceptance of his sexuality and telegraph her own acceptance of it, if she must, at the same time she would like to deny it.

Well, it is fun to open this issue up but I feel no closer to a resolution. I hope there are lots of interesting posts and confrontations at tonight's party.

sistermagpie @ August 2 2003, 21:09:04 UTC Re: Narcissa's possible take on Draco and Harry

Yes, and the sheer inconsistency is one reason I suspect that her behavior, whatever it's about, is neurotic and impulsive rather than a calculated policy.

Definitely. This is one of the things that is consistent (and something I really like) about Narcissa's character. She's not calculating or cruel-though that's not to say she's stupid or can't ever be those things if she thinks it's necessary. I think she has conflicting impulses and is easily distracted. She does things without fully thinking about the consequences. Also with her background she probably isn't used to other people really being "real" in a way. So she tends to expect them to react the way she wants them to or thinks they should.

I think it was you who made the case, some time back, that Draco may have been sexually abused as a child, perhaps even by Lucius. He certainly has issues with both intimacy and sexuality itself that would be consistent with some sort of abuse.

I did suggest it--though I never thought of Lucius as being the abuser if it happened. It's not something I'd want to just put out there like it's real since it's a big accusation. Also I wouldn't want to feel like I was reducing a complex character like ps to a single issue. But I will say that if the players decided to go that way I would respect how well they laid the groundwork and wove it into his character without making it "the big answer" to him or anything like that.

Because yeah, there are some really interesting family dynamics in that family that get particularly weird when it comes to Draco, the more we get to know him. Lucius and Narcissa seem to have, to me, a working relationship. Maybe it's not what everyone would want for themselves but it doesn't seem horrible or anything. Often they seem to both be confused by their son...which could be the natural reaction of parents to a teenager but could be because of something important about him that they don't get.

Whatever the reason for Draco's feelings they do seem to be incredibly strong for him, and usually self-destructive. I feel like there's probably still some rivers to cross before he and Harry could have a relationship. I can't quite say what D&H's relationship is at this point, but I can see ps still wanting to avoid the sex issue completely. Eventually Harry would have to push that issue (we've seen him do this plenty of times with other things between them). Already everyone else takes it as a given that ps really likes him and is just being difficult. But I still feel like ps is scared of that step in ways he's not even ready to face yet. Exactly why he would feel this way I can't say yet, but it seems like a real source of confusion/pain/anger/whatever to him.

black_dog @ August 3 2003, 06:11:48 UTC Re: Narcissa's possible take on Draco and Harry

Often they seem to both be confused by their son...could be because of something important about him that they don't get.

Part of it, I think, is that he is much, much more intelligent and (at least in his evolving potential) more formidable a personality than either of his parents. Narcissa's case speaks for itself -- the best you can say about her is that she shows occasional spunk that makes her self-absorption not completely enervating. Lucius has a certain cunning, and an eye for the jugular, and a willingness to intimidate by disregarding boundaries, but I think one of the subtler parts of his character, as played here, is that he's not particularly clever. (e.g. saying too much to Harry after the Veritaserum incident.)

So I think both of them are -- I won't say intimidated, because he's still young and they can still outmaneuver him -- but a little unnerved by the potential they can see in this extraordinary child and a little puzzled about where it all came from, given their own banality. I don't think either of them are particularly good or insightful parents. I think they both vacillate between infantilizing him out of their own needs, trying to control/intimidate him, and backing away at strategic moments out of a sense that they are perhaps out of their depth.

I can imagine that it must all be confusing as hell for Draco, who is going through his own process of trying to redefine his relationship with them as he matures. Clearly we've seen signs of him tentatively challenging his father, sometimes explicitly, sometimes manipulatively, though he remains fearful of going too far and losing his father's approval. His father is a little scary, but PS can still respect power and wants to learn how it works.

But with Narcissa, I think he's more completely baffled. Unlike Lucius, Narcissa seems to have nothing to offer him but confusion -- I think he thinks that his mother is nuts, that she is just exhausting to deal with. And I think he feels a little betrayed by this, partly because he's very confused about his own emotions and could use some help with that -- he'd love to have someone to turn to, and the natural person would be his mother, but she's just unreliable and a basket case. I think he feels -- and shows -- a great deal of hostility toward her because she's just radically absent when he needs her. He may resent not so much her attention to Harry as the fact that she's so distractable and missing, period.

I can see ps still wanting to avoid the sex issue completely. . . . Exactly why he would feel this way I can't say yet, but it seems like a real source of confusion/pain/anger/whatever to him.

I didn't mean to put words in your mouth on the abuse issue; I remember your own discussion was much more subtle than my quick summary of it. But I still feel that his sexual anxieties go beyond a minor character quirk, that he has serious, serious issues that suggest a more significant disturbance.

I'm trying to think of what other things might be behind it. If he's gay, could the pressure of parental expectations make him feel boxed in, and completely unable to confront that fact?

I still think the most significant thing that's happened to him, emotionally, over the past year, is the shattering of his sense of his parents' infallibility, of the limitless security he felt in their love for him. He's started to emerge from his narcissistic cocoon, taking his day-to-day life at school more seriously, and taking more initiative to secure his own happiness (it's easy to forget that Millicent is a new friend, he wasn't particularly close to her at the beginning of the school year. Not to mention Harry.) But it's got to be a painful process, it's got to feel like it leaves a gaping hole, emotionally. He does tend to retreat to comfortable, silly, childlike behavior sometimes. Maybe sex seems like it would mean crossing the threshhold decisively, seems like something you can't go back home after, and it's just too much for him right now.

Well, my .02 again. But I can't figure it out either. Fun to speculate, though.

sistermagpie @ August 3 2003, 09:18:12 UTC Re: Narcissa's possible take on Draco and Harry

Oh, I love your sum up of the Malfoys and Draco in terms of his being so different than they are. Ironically Lucius' sex-life is probably a big weakness of his, another area where he can be sloppy. Draco is incredibly controlled in comparison to them.

I also agree about Narcissa. Maybe it is just that she's just plain nuts! I think in the past Draco was able to construct a more stable image of her, back when she was just removed and he occasionally went to see her for upperclass chats. But once she decided to be a better mother everything may have exploded. I can also see him being angry at her for being so willfully oblivious to the things Lucius does, for instance. Narcissa's also been the one to most openly air her problems and seek outside help and Draco may instinctively not like that because it changes the rules again.

But I still feel that his sexual anxieties go beyond a minor character quirk, that he has serious, serious issues that suggest a more significant disturbance.

Frankly, so do I! I just don't want to put words in the character's mouth.:-) This issue, to me, seems like something the player's taken very seriously even when it's produced some funny results. M.B. and Pansy both seem to sense it and be protective about it, taking him into their bed for physical comfort with no sex implied. That could be just about Draco being gay but I agree there seems to be much more to it than that because Draco hasn't shown signs of wanting boys either, just unconscious leanings towards bananas rather than melons.;-) This is even after all the teachers, a lot of students and his parents have said homosexuality as just fine and, more importantly, HARRY has been revealed as one. Most gay teenagers wouldn't be as inept as Draco when it comes to women.

Like here are things that stick in my mind when it comes to ps and sex:

Contamination
This is a big fear in general. He associated gay people with disease much the way he worried about being turned into a werewolf.

Force
In his outing post he suggested that Harry might have taken out his wand and had his wicked way with Draco if he hadn't gotten away. Padma, the only girl to post a description of a date with Draco, talked about Draco just suddenly pawing her as well. Sex, to him, is about doing to/taking from another person, it seems, and not affection.

Repulsion
Draco was made physically ill by what he thought was a drunken joke on Harry's part about kissing him. Later he throws up again when he discovers Harry was telling the truth. He also talks about being repulsed by the smell of alcohol on someone's breath. Yes, Draco was making up a dramatic story regarding the night with Harry, but he didn't lie about the basic facts. When Harry drunkenly said he wanted to kiss Draco Draco ran away and then was sick. He runs away when he's frightened.

sistermagpie @ August 3 2003, 09:18:50 UTC Re: Narcissa's possible take on Draco and Harry

(con't)

So...I don't know. I almost find it difficult to believe he could be this screwed up--so afraid, so afraid of being out of control, touched, contaminated, violated--without something genuinely traumatizing somewhere. Plus there was his "protection spell" which was really a black cloud that rained down on him. I don't know what form Harry's spell would have taken but I don't think, even during his recent depression, that it would have been so turned against himself. But ps is constantly bringing the world down on his own head. Even his affectionate stories to Harry seem to highlight the gulf between them. When he says Harry invented the wheel it's like he probably could have. When he says he battled monsters it's funny because he couldn't have. There really does seem to be some self-loathing in him.

So to me his behavior would make perfect sense given sexual abuse. Plus his background left him wide open for it. The Malfoys are careless, keep questionable company and seem to use a lot of drugs (alcohol or otherwise). There are big pockets of his childhood they don't know about. He's been raised to behave a certain way around them or be rejected. Draco could have been easy prey for any number of questionable party guests reeking of alcohol. I honestly can't imagine him being able to tell someone about it if it happened--possibly he might not even have access to his parent (or the other parent) at the time it did.

saffronlie @ August 1 2003, 04:19:39 UTC

Aww, looky, Draco wrote a fanfic!

greenapricot @ August 1 2003, 05:32:16 UTC

My love for potterstinks grows larger with every passing day. Just about every post he makes has me giggiling but this... gah. This takes the cake.

'Potter, that was unnecessary,' said I, the protagonist.

'Yes, yes it was,' said Potter, the antagonist.
*gigglesputter*

And, Lupin's comment. He so know what's up.

*reads again*

babytyggeryss @ August 1 2003, 06:22:50 UTC

I find this very amusing. Draco has taken the time to write a twisted epic-poem-thing for the boy he loves.

It's like he's saying "All this belongs to me. So ha ha ha."

I do hope Draco replies to Remus's comment; that man knows what's going on.

lindra @ August 1 2003, 06:29:53 UTC

OMG.

Oh... My... God.

*cracks up*
*cries hysterically*
*dies*

anjaliesque @ August 1 2003, 07:15:40 UTC

I rather liked Harry's purported statement of, "All right, zombies, I am now going to release some metaphorical hellfire on you. Prepare to have your collective arses blasted to smithereens." He should definitely recite a variation of this before stunningly slaying the Dark Lord. And also hire Draco as his publicist!

imochan @ August 1 2003, 07:36:51 UTC

HAHAHAHAHA.

Okay, so since this is the most obvious declaration of PS's love for J_S (oh, stop it, I'm a fangirl, I'm ALLOWED), I can't exactly say in all truthfulness that wanting to have his babies is a feasible reaction. But you know, the feeling's there all the same. :D I'm a bad slasher.

And also, lupercus is the shiznit.

qwyneth @ August 1 2003, 10:22:49 UTC

dude, you can *always* say you want to have someone's babies. Hell, my friends and I say it all the time (the more the better--six million babies has been popular lately). Except the people who say it most are gay! It's beautiful!

::hearts everyone involved and offers her uterus::

onthehillside @ August 1 2003, 08:07:39 UTC

I thought Ron's comment to the whole things was interesting: Ha ha! Good thing you can teach dancing then? So what did you get Harry??

There is two things that are interesting here.
1. He figures that Draco will teach Harry how to dance
2. he assumes Draco got something for Harry's birthday

Also, Lupin totally knows when he comments Though, I suppose that some subjects are just far more interesting than others. Ah, well.

All in all: Squee!!

el_erzulie @ August 1 2003, 08:42:45 UTC

I was just about to say - Ron is such the litte H/Der! Dude! *L*

That was so fucking hilarious. There are no words. The dancing line had me in hysterics, but I can't choose favourite quotes other than that, for the whole thing was just a work of frikkin' brilliance.

As somebody up there said, he is clearly a God. So... am starting a new religion. Is called potter_stinks. Whose with me? Or, alternatively, who's, I really don't know my grammar this late at night.

tonic_x @ August 1 2003, 09:51:51 UTC

Who's!

AND I AM WITH YOU.


:D :D :D

el_erzulie @ August 1 2003, 20:44:48 UTC

*hands you robe*

tonic_x @ August 1 2003, 21:05:51 UTC

*struts around*

el_erzulie @ August 1 2003, 21:29:53 UTC

I feel it is a part of our religion to try and make our God happy.

Thus, we must kidnap Harry and leave him scantily clad where Draco will find him. *nods* A cunning plan.

tonic_x @ August 1 2003, 22:47:00 UTC

Most cunning. Perhaps in Draco's bed...?

el_erzulie @ August 2 2003, 03:39:55 UTC

Naturally. Black silk sheets are also a must.

noirenails @ August 1 2003, 10:09:27 UTC

*makes a shrine for potterstinks with black and white candles and 'Draco luvs Harry' drawings*

el_erzulie @ August 1 2003, 20:47:22 UTC

*g*

*supplies the beanbags*

noirenails @ August 2 2003, 00:06:21 UTC

Do we need a Draco-type religious song? Please. No. Volga Boat song. Or. What the hell. *goes Volga Boat*

el_erzulie @ August 2 2003, 03:41:05 UTC

*L* Do I need to download this song?!

noirenails @ August 2 2003, 04:17:58 UTC

*weeps* I don't have Volga Boat mp3 or MIDI. It's surprisingly hard to find Volga Boat Song in the internet, if you ask me. But no one asks me and I continue my living.

el_erzulie @ August 2 2003, 04:21:43 UTC

*pets* That is perfectly tragic. I, ummm, do not believe I have heard it! (O^__^O)

noirenails @ August 2 2003, 04:51:57 UTC

Really, I don't know however shall I survive without the precious and infamous Volga Boat song. Woe me.

I nearly typed snog ^_^ Anagrams are nice.

Anonymous @ August 2 2003, 22:17:30 UTC

is that a russian folk song or am i just lost? ^^;

noirenails @ August 2 2003, 23:27:31 UTC

You are not lost.

tonic_x @ August 1 2003, 09:46:02 UTC

I CAN NOT BREATHE. Wow, that was so hilarious. PS=Genius.

oh my god.

Excuse me I just died.

tonic_x @ August 1 2003, 09:51:10 UTC

And his mood.

Enraged. SEE, HE KNOWS. He knows somewhere in his mind that every fangirl/boy at Nraged would flip out over the post. So.



kldsglsd;gksysdh

Anonymous @ August 1 2003, 12:03:22 UTC

...his mood is always "enraged."

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 12:14:14 UTC

Except that time it was fine and Nraged had conniptions .

tonic_x @ August 1 2003, 21:04:46 UTC

Yep.

anjenue @ August 1 2003, 10:56:35 UTC

*falls to her knees in true squealing fangirlish style and worships the God that is potterstinks*

AND LUPIN ROCKS MY WORLD!

wednesday_tea @ August 1 2003, 11:31:56 UTC

I never do this, but: ROFLMFAO!!!!

I adore Draco. He ismy Harry's lovemuffin. Haha, didn't he pretty much imply that Harry was the best thing since sliced bread? Ahahaha, I love him. That was brilliant. <3

nightflight @ August 1 2003, 11:39:24 UTC

Another thing I found interesting about this riveting account of young Harry's life was Draco's entire lack of reverence for Voldemort. You'd think that a budding Death Eater would always keep on his/her toes when referring to the Dark Lord, even in a piece of satirical genius such as this. Just a random thought.

...and I want someone to make an icon of Harry making a lightning bolt in the air. XD

imochan @ August 1 2003, 12:04:45 UTC

Zorro!Harry is a hot young thing. Am getting visions off him deftly slashing all of Draco's clothes off.

ooo... wordplay.

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 12:16:19 UTC

::dead::

dragynville @ August 1 2003, 13:56:57 UTC

<3lurve<3

corsiva @ August 2 2003, 06:11:04 UTC an icon for you

Ok, here is my take on Harry's dramatic scene in the "forests" of Qatar. Notice the lovely colors of Harry's lightning bolt insignia? lol

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 12:17:57 UTC

turns out Draco was right about the wheel thing.

Harry sounds happier^-^

qwyneth @ August 1 2003, 13:03:03 UTC

No kidding--he's flirting! :p

greenapricot @ August 1 2003, 13:15:58 UTC

Oh, he so is. *squee*

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 13:49:54 UTC

And guesss who's flirting right back?

and the icon! *swoon*

imochan @ August 1 2003, 14:22:00 UTC

THEIRLOVEISSOWITTYANDCOY!!!!!!!!1!

Oh my god, this is so great. I think I'm going to have a seizure.

noirenails @ August 1 2003, 14:32:42 UTC

Okay, I know it's just me, but I get the feeling ps is telling j_h to come out of the closet. But then again, it's just me.

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 14:46:13 UTC

hasn't he already done that? (albet through others.)

noirenails @ August 1 2003, 15:03:02 UTC

What I meant to say is 'come out of closet with Draco'. It's 1.01am, I'm not thinking clearly.

tiamet_nox @ August 1 2003, 15:16:23 UTC

ahhhhhhh that makes more sense.

zionsstarfish @ August 1 2003, 23:59:18 UTC omg.

*loves NA!Ron!!! OMG, Draco's flirtiness. The implied romantic trip for two to Azkaban!!! lolol. ok I am better now.

dragynville @ August 2 2003, 16:08:02 UTC Re: omg.

Oh yes, I loved that too! Very squee of him. :D