luleh @ April 14 2003, 23:44:00 UTC

*GASP*

non_inferno @ April 14 2003, 23:45:02 UTC

Sounds suspiciously like a date.

kat99999 @ April 15 2003, 01:27:38 UTC

Heeeeeh. Date. *gibbers incoherantly*

Anonymous @ April 14 2003, 23:56:10 UTC a question

I am at a loss as to understanding just why Professor Vector favors Draco Malfoy so much. I have seen nothing in his behavior that warrents it...


Alice

arithmantra @ April 15 2003, 00:10:59 UTC Re: a question

Vector has a thing for the underdog and as far as she's concerned Draco's an underdog. He has to fight for every drop of respect and dignity he gets not only from his fellow students but from his parents. She thinks he is horribly misunderstood and blames his nasty qalities almost entirely on his parents' neglect and abuse, Lucius in particular. She's also a terrible idealist so she's inclined to give Draco much more credit than he deserves. It doesn't help that he's a terrible suck-up to her and does very well in her Arithmancy class. If you asked her she would tell you Arithmancy is his favorite subject--in reality he probably can't stand the class, or her, but she is oblivious to all that.

She also plays favorites with other students she likes, of course, like Hermione. But none of them are as shockingly alienated as Draco is so she feels it her duty and obligation to mother him as much as she can.

Get an LJ, Alice. :D

zhonnika @ April 15 2003, 00:26:01 UTC Re: a question

Do remember to log out, t00b.

darkflame173 @ April 15 2003, 00:37:55 UTC Re: a question

that icon is far too cute to be legal =)

zhonnika @ April 15 2003, 00:39:03 UTC Re: a question

*giggle* Why, thank you ;)

kat99999 @ April 15 2003, 01:40:29 UTC Re: a question

Just wanted to say I've been thoroughly in love with your icon for some time now too. Ickle Danny makes me squee to all hell... :-D

Anonymous @ April 15 2003, 07:25:18 UTC Re: a question

Hmph, I meant to post in-character! Hahahaha, I thought it would be cute.

Also, I like being right. :D

sistermagpie @ April 15 2003, 07:29:14 UTC Re: a question

Ha! I thought maybe...no, maybe not...

I'm so glad I was wrong!

zhonnika @ April 15 2003, 15:20:21 UTC Re: a question

In that case, carry on ;)

Anonymous @ April 15 2003, 00:47:06 UTC Re: a question

Professor,

I find it disheartening that one who is so consciencious about precision and numerical measures in her studies has not looked at all the facts involving Draco Malfoy. Perhaps his angelic little face might blinded one to the faults of his character that lead him to use racist epithets, steal other student's stew and generally be a nasty little so and so.

I will think on your advice, Professor.

Yrs respectfully,
Alice

arithmantra @ April 15 2003, 08:12:33 UTC Re: a question

Dear Miss Alice,

Thank you for your thoughts on the subject. Are you a student yourself? If you are I'm sure you've no doubt seen your share of students upon whom the world had given up, whom even their very teachers were convinced could do nothing but bad things. Why, I myself remember back when I was on a thrilling excursion to Zimbabwe in the fall of 1978--I had a German guide who told me a very memorable story while pitching our tent one evening on the shores of the Zambezi, when the dusk was just falling and all of our mosquito wards were at their thickest, and you could hear the great roar of the majestic Victoria Falls for miles and miles away, faint like the rumbling of a freight train over the next mountain pass--he said that he had run away from his school when he was sixteen because he had never had anyone to tell him who he really was. You see, not every witch and wizard is fortunate enough to be guaranteed a place in a school like Hogwarts. At that time the Muggle Recruitment and Development departments of the Ministry were falling by the wayside, you see, what with You-Know-Who and the Dark Reign, and sadly I suppose scores of witches and wizards (and doubtless a number of their children and their children's children) all across this fine globe were lost forever to the ways of Muggles because no one was available to help guide them to their truest nature. My young dragoman--frightfully handsome thing he was, with flowing hair and calves like moist copper--said to me then that the reason he had run away from his home, his life, left everything behind him, was because one of his own teachers had said to him after a particularly upsetting school episode, that he was a freak who would never amount to more than a criminal. And so my young friend in his confusion ran away to try and avoid hurting all those he cared about, and it wasn't until he happened upon a band of Gypsies months later in the wilds of Bavaria that he was able to understand the source of his mistreatment for all of those years. Yet still, he said to me in a voice like the hush of wind over a field of barley, still I hear those words in my ears, and feel the great trepidation come upon me--what if that teacher were right? Vector, he said, use your influence wisely, for you never know in what mysterious ways the things you do and say will be taken to heart.

That is why, I personally believe that every child should feel wanted and loved, no matter what their capabilities for nastiness are. I have seen quite a few Draco Malfoys in my own time, you know, and I do say that on the whole I think if they are given the chance to prove themselves to people who believe in them, instead of being constantly told that they are not a worthy son and student--well, I believe they will simply rise to the occasion.

Gracious, I have rambled! Do forgive me for taking up so much of your time. You can tell it's my septcyclic day, for I'm feeling delightfully reminiscent.

Best Wishes,

Prof. Hildegarde Vector

sistermagpie @ April 15 2003, 08:23:14 UTC Re: a question

Professor, you are a teacher in the truest sense of the word.

Anonymous @ April 15 2003, 12:35:02 UTC Its a reply... no it's a badly-written coy arguement, no it's me being a big dork...

Dear Professor Vector,

Although I have heard that on occasion Hogwarts takes American muggle transfer students, I regret to say that I am not currently a student there. I think you would know if I were, as I have been told I am hard to miss with my unusual personality, long raven tresses, and startlingly violet orbs.

The memories of your travels are lovely. You paint quite a vivid picture of the past, and I cannot help but be impressed by the depth of your caring for your students. Yet I think that the cases of the poor German guide and the young Mr. Malfoy are quite different.

I doubt that the young man really wanted someone to “tell him who he truly was.” No one can do that for another person, and perhaps Draco Malfoy has already had too much of that sort of thing. The guide could have benefited from learning that there were others like him, that there was a world where his strangeness was normal. I do not see Draco Malfoy as having these problems of basic identity or acceptance, being raised as a wizard and, however imperfect, generally approving parents and friends.

I am not an educator (so I readily admit that my experience in this case is less than your own), but I see Draco Malfoy’s behavior as stemming from a lack of proper discipline by moral individuals. He has shown himself fairly capable of behaving up to standards and within limits set by his father (the most recent lapse notwithstanding). Yet at Hogwarts he has received only minimal discipline for variously horrible comments and actions. Would this not imply to a young man that these infractions are negligible, that he is above accountability... or alternately that he is a lost cause, not worth whipping into shape? His Motrher and friends will be no help in curbing his nastiness as they either blindly support him in all he does or may be using him for their own mysterious ends.

I have great hopes for Professor Lupin’s methods. (and Sirius had SO better not cheat on him >:( )

Professor Snape does the Slytherins a disservice by cosseting them, however nice the short-term benefits of favoritism appear. The world will not do the same, and they must become adults one day.

As for The Professor Vector Approach, I cannot help but feel that a wizard like Neville Longbottom is much more in need of such moral bolstering and would be far more receptive to it ... despite the fact that he does not remind one of a painting or have nice calves.

If nothing else, please spare some of the sympathy one feels for Mr. Malfoy for the students that must suffer from his nasty behavior. After all there are many people that have troubles in their life, but are nevertheless very sweet and more likely to buy golf clubs than steal stew.


Yrs. Respectfully,
Alice


(is a *total* addicted dork writing so much... and during lunch break...)

sistermagpie @ April 15 2003, 07:04:52 UTC Re: a question

That's why I love her, even when she forgets to log out.

arithmantra @ April 15 2003, 07:30:12 UTC Re: a question

Why, thank you, young lady. I see you must be a fan of Montrose. Their numbers were miserable last season, for I'm sure they were in their cyclic decline, but we can expect better things from them this year. Good luck to you, then.

greenapricot @ April 15 2003, 06:05:46 UTC

Harry buys him lunch and golf clubs and then carrys them all around London for him. Not to mention that Draco is talking about Harry again. Ohh things are looking up. What a wonderful disaterous day yesterday was.

sistermagpie @ April 15 2003, 07:07:08 UTC

That one pretty much floored me.

Do you think the buying of golf clubs (which I suspect may have been more of a case of Draco about to be arrested and Harry buying the golf clubs to prevent it...) and lunch etc. was also a bit of apology on j_h's part for whatever went wrong originally? (God knows it's not like Draco would make the effort.)

I love that Vector was giving Draco points for accepting help from people. Because despite what he says I have a feeling he really was in need of help and he and Harry both knew it.

moonlitpages @ April 15 2003, 07:16:41 UTC

I love Vector's interesting little point system, even if it does seem a bit patronizing. I really don't think trying to coddle and hold PS's hand is what is going to get through that pride of his- but who is he to turn down free points? *laughs* Hmmm....*lightbulb* Five hundred points to Slytherin for every snog with a certain Gryffindor. *dangles points temptingly* You know you want to ;-)

sistermagpie @ April 15 2003, 08:19:45 UTC

I think Draco thinks he's playing Vector but really he isn't. Vector's got no illusions about Draco turning into a cuddly bunny over this. I think she realizes--okay, this is just the way I see it--that it's important to show Draco that he's not going to get rejected even when he's a jerk. This is just what M.B. did with him after Colin nailed him. Draco's posts all scream I DON'T NEED ANYONE. So I think it's valuable to say to him over and over that she will be in his corner no matter how awful he is until he gets it. When he does get it, imo, he may stop being so angry and defensive and be able to show affection himself. This is something that all the other characters have. Ron, for instance, could act terribly and his family would still be there to help him if he needed it. Because Ron knows this he can also accept criticism from his family when it's warranted. For Ron (who is healthy) the two things can go together--he can be angry at Harry but still defend him to Snape. Ron didn't stop caring about Harry just because Harry disappointed him.

Draco, imo, doesn't think anybody cares about him at all. It's always been this way, I suspect. He's only valued when it suits someone else's agenda. If Vector was a big sucker who was just doing this because she thought Draco would love her for it, she'd be a fool and she'd also be no better than others who are only nice to him when it suits their own purposes. But she knows he's going to take advantage of her at first, thinking he's foiling some manipulative plan of hers. I think she wants to show him there is no manipulative plan, that she's being upfront about wanting to help him just because he deserves it. That's not going to be easy, but I think deep down he's dying for her to succeed.

moonlitpages @ April 15 2003, 11:14:21 UTC

True, I agree with your take on PS completely. But I do think that, as well meaning as Vector is, and as much as she has the right idea, the way she is going about it at times doesn't seem as if it will really be all that successful. For instance, in the huge tug-of-war match between McGonagall, Snape, and Vector, Vector degenerated into the childish power struggle over whose office Draco should stop by first right along with the rest of them and only ended up compounding Draco's problems instead of helping. Of course, she is only human, and that is what I love about all these characters- that they mean well but are as flawed as the rest of us in going about it. I do think that her persistence is admirable and necessary, showing Draco that no matter how arrogant and off-putting he might behave that she will not give up on him. I definitely think that he needs that, as his parents have always made it very clear that their affections towards him are dependent on his behavior and will be withdrawn should he so much as put one toe out of line.

I most definitely think that Vector has the right idea, but I wonder if the way she executes it will really be all that effective in getting through to him in the end given his personality. Draco, above all, does not want to be seen as weak and seems to be going out of his way to act as if there has been no change in the status quo between himself and his parents. It seems as if her very public attempts to mother him make him recoil a bit because even if he would like to accept them, he can't let himself.

Of course, I would love if she were able to get through to him, and it certainly makes me smile to see someone so consistantly on Draco's side because Merlin knows he needs someone to be. He's not used to having anyone on his side but himself.

sistermagpie @ April 15 2003, 13:00:47 UTC

Oh definitely. And really, isn't she much the better character for being flawed and biased about it? Another teacher might be more effective, but I prefer Vector.:-)

I've just been reading over Draco's accounts of that day and something struck me. Maybe I'm being completely over the top with this, but lookee here. This is what Ron supposedly said to Draco to "force" him to take out his wand:

"'Draco Malfoy,' he said to me, 'you have shamed my family with the class you possess that we simply do not for the last time. I do not have one minute need to take this lying down. It is killin' time, boy. If only I had a switch. Take out your wand, my more handsome enemy, or it's stew for you.'

Check out the bolded part. Now, Draco's sort of all over the place with whose voice he's giving Ron here (and I love the stew reference) but isn't it a little weird that in the middle of it he suddenly turns into an abusive authority figure? I mean, I doubt this is an actual quote from Lucius because "killing time" doesn't sound exactly like his style but I do wonder where this image of being called "boy" and mentions of a "switch" come from. Maybe Draco's just been reading some strange books but I can't help but now wonder about Sinestra telling us how she saw Lucius "raising seven shades of holy hell upon ickle Draco" who looked like he "seemed ready to wet his trousers, cry, or spontaneously combust." It sounds almost like he's taking the basic jist of Lucius and putting it into what he imagines a poorer sounding person would sound like. I dunno. Please get the switch if I'm being melodramatic here.

moonlitpages @ April 15 2003, 14:49:20 UTC

Hmmm- I don't think that's too far fetched an observation at all. In fact it does make quite a lot of sense that Draco would slip into what he knows. Especially when he is trying to make Ron sound villainous and threatening there, and the most threatening voice he knows to conjure would probably be his father's whether he even realizes it or not. It just makes me sick to read Sinestra's entry, because the sad truth is that there really are parents out there like that, who think it's acceptable to treat a child in such a manner just because the child is theirs, and they're entitled to treat them however they please. *hisses at purestblood* It just breaks my heart.