lindra @ May 8 2004, 09:55:25 UTC

I don't think he's trying to get PS to talk to him. I think he's trying to avoid recalling PS, or thinking of him, and not calling him by name is a way to distance himself from PS.

hezzabeth @ May 8 2004, 10:01:52 UTC

But if he was trying to distance himself why mention him at all?
I think it's a sad almost longing sort of thing, the way he acknowlages that Draco doe's work hard for his goals.

emony @ Deleted Deleted

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hezzabeth @ May 8 2004, 10:12:37 UTC

If it was a no the enemy thing would'nt Draco have put a stop to it? I can hardly see him allowing that sort of thing.

lindra @ May 8 2004, 10:18:24 UTC

Neither can I. So perhaps Draco was, in his own way, distancing-but-not-quite, since we don't any mention of Draco confronting him about it at all, and that seems out of character for him, that he wouldn't pounce on something like that.

I think there's still senstive feelings between them, and they're both feeling hurt and trying to get the other to make the first move.

hezzabeth @ May 8 2004, 10:19:35 UTC

Very true, or perhaps Draco was'nt even aware of Harry's prescene at all? who knows?

lindra @ May 8 2004, 10:23:55 UTC

We know that Draco and Harry have always been competitive where Qudditch is concerned, so it seems unlikely that Draco didn't notice, since Quidditch is done pretty high up and I don't think there are that many places to watch from and not be seen around the Quidditch pitch.

But if we go with the theory that Draco didn't see him, then Harry could be mentioning it as an kind of opening to Draco talking to him again, even if it is to tell him off about spying on the Slytherin formations/etc. I think that would make j_h a lot happier, to have some sort of word from Draco.

hezzabeth @ May 8 2004, 10:27:07 UTC

Well Harry doe's have the invisibilty cloak.

lindra @ May 8 2004, 10:31:51 UTC

But then if he used it, why would he mention spying on the Slytherin team? The entire point of using the invisibility cloak would be nullified.

hezzabeth @ May 8 2004, 10:33:27 UTC

Oh I dont know, I'm just throwing random idea's into the air.

lindra @ May 8 2004, 10:34:11 UTC

So am I. :P

Anonymous @ May 8 2004, 17:32:31 UTC

Why do you keep putting apostrophes in words that don't need them?

lindra @ May 8 2004, 10:16:44 UTC

So it wasn't as glaringly obvious as if he'd discussed and mentioned each team captain and not mentioned PS at all.

And the longing-for thing? I'm not sure about that. Draco does work hard, yes, but he prefers it to look easy - except when he can make a point. And... hmm. Working hard for his goals... it sounds almost regretful, doesn't it? A sort of 'I wish that this had been different' kind of thing, but not longing-for, just this recognition that things could've been different.

hezzabeth @ May 8 2004, 10:18:34 UTC

Yes I agree with what you just said, I don't think I really wrote what I meant down clearly enough.

lindra @ May 8 2004, 10:25:28 UTC

Or, perhaps, Harry could be playing silly buggers and and making a point about Draco himself - that Draco doesn't work hard enough.

OR that Harry, compared to Draco, doesn't work hard enough, and it's sort of a roundabout apology.

inomhe @ May 8 2004, 14:55:24 UTC

I would definitely go with the roundabout apology. I don't think he was talking about all the captains and had to mention Draco; it seems like he was talking about all the captains so he'd have an excuse to mention Draco.

He's pointed out something Draco does well, that he himself has never done and doubts he could do well. He's trying to get Draco's attention. And unlike Draco trying to get Harry's attention by being generally nasty, Harry is using flattery. Such odd apt understandings they have of each other's psychology.

And the breakfast thing: isn't that another reference to Draco? Or does either of the Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff captains worry about their players' morning meals?

keristars @ May 8 2004, 15:32:21 UTC

And the breakfast thing: isn't that another reference to Draco?

My nails or wet or I'd make an effort to get links (don't want to put undue strain on myself and potentially muss them, you know), but last Friday, the Night of Walpurgis, Draco went through a lot of effort to get breakfast for M.B. and the others, if you recall, and it seems to me that's what Harry's referring to. M.B. even put up scans of part of the note Draco left for her.

sistermagpie @ May 8 2004, 19:43:57 UTC

I think making sure his team eats what he considers a good breakfast has been an issue before. It's one of his things as captain, I think.

sistermagpie @ May 8 2004, 19:42:39 UTC

I would definitely go with the roundabout apology. I don't think he was talking about all the captains and had to mention Draco; it seems like he was talking about all the captains so he'd have an excuse to mention Draco.

That's what I thought too. I thought the whole thing was very complimentary and sad about Draco. He's almost never mentioned him by name in his journal, and since Draco acts weird about their relationship I think he isn't sure if he can without making him angry. So he just addresses him as the Slytherin captain. But I think it's the first time he's ever made a post talking about ps.

It seems like he's finding a way to say it's his last game and he respects ps as a player and is sad not to be playing against him because Quidditch was a big part of Hogwarts and Draco was a big part of Quidditch. If you go through his posts he mentions him positively by saying

a) That he really enjoyed the last game, that it was fun. Because they were playing against Slytherin and it was exciting.

b) That Draco works hard as captain although, "You wouldn't think he would." That seems like it could have a lot of different meanings. Is he defending him slightly to people, hinting that there's more to him than meets the eye? Admitting the way he himself didn't understand him in the past and thought he was just a brat who bought his way onto the squad? Whatever he's saying beyond that, he's telling everybody that although Malfoy seems like a lazy sod who can't take anything seriously in fact he works really hard.

c) He also just in general says he doesn't think he would have made a good captain, thus complimenting all the other captains for having a skill he lacks.

d) Then there's the reference to breakfast in bed, saying that he wishes his captain did that.

Also, I thought the line, "I guess Quidditch captains are just that way," was more a reference to Draco being the way he is than Quidditch captains in general being obsessed with Quidditch, since really we don't hear anything about Mullarkey or Susan and how they work.

So yeah, I got the sense Harry was trying to make some kind of connection before the game, make it clear he appreciated and respected ps as an opponent. Try to find some way they could talk again.

conversant @ May 8 2004, 22:19:00 UTC If wishes were fishes...

d) Then there's the reference to breakfast in bed, saying that he wishes his captain did that.

*clears throat*
*raises eyebrow*

Actually, j_h says, "Evan doesn't make us breakfast before matches though and I kind of wish he would.

I don't see any reference to bed there. Now, you may be right: perhaps he does wish Evan would make him breakfast in bed, but he doesn't say that here. (It might have been a good strategy for raising a little jealousy in ps, so perhaps he should have said that.)

sistermagpie @ May 8 2004, 22:38:09 UTC Re: If wishes were fishes...

LOL! I didn't even realize I said bed! I wasn't thinking of it that way at all--I think I had a picture of MB being woken up by ps and having raw eggs shoved down her throat when she didn't want them before she could get away.:D

Actually, now that I look at the part I quoted I don't know if it was an apology either (didn't realize I'd snipped that part). I do think he mentions the others to get to ps, but I think the apology is over and now it's just, "Look, let's talk."

conversant @ May 9 2004, 02:23:25 UTC Re: If wishes were fishes...

;p

And I agree about the strategy of mentioning the others only to provide cover for his real point which is to compliment ps and to say rather shyly, "You know, I'm going to miss you, so let's not waste the time we've got left here."

awwwwwww

tabiji @ May 8 2004, 19:54:24 UTC

It reads like "I enjoyed Quidditch last week (with Draco) and I'm looking forward to this game (with Draco) and I wish I could stay here another year for Quidditch (with Draco)". Then again, Harry loves Quidditch, so he could just be getting sentimental about leaving school/nervous about what he'll do after.

I can't tell if this means they've talked or not. Harry's seeing part of Slytherin's practice could have been because they were going to meet after, 'cause he was trying to talk to Draco, or could have just been that Gryffindor had the pitch afterwards.

This reminds me of a post a while back where Harry was talking about Slytherin playing one of the other houses and how "the other seeker is so good". I think the compliment made an impression on ps at the time, and this one should too - Harry's basically saying "I wouldn't be as good a captain as Draco is". (C'mon Draco...!)

greenvarnish @ May 9 2004, 00:55:19 UTC

Do you get the feeling that he's still trying to get PS to talk to him?

Get the feeling? It's like he's marching about, screaming, "SPEAK TO ME, DRACO!"

vassilissa @ May 10 2004, 03:25:19 UTC

It struck me as really bleak. I went 'waaah' for him.

It didn't sound to me like he had any hope left for him and Draco, just regret.

It struck me that he said "It's our last game." While it's this year's Gryffindor team's last game together, and his and Ron's and a bunch of other people's last game at Hogwarts, I couldn't help but think he meant his and Draco's last game. :-(

sistermagpie @ May 10 2004, 14:08:22 UTC

Yeah, and it was too. And this week Harry's thinking about it when he wasn't last week. It was after the match that Harry started trying to talk to him, iirc. Because Draco came straight back from the Manor and played in the game, then posted about all of it together.

They still have a week's worth of detention to get through, I think.:-)