The Bergére
This part of the site consists on my random ramblings on HP matters. Everything written here is my opinion only, and has the sole purpose of sharing some points I think important. If it hits too close to home, don’t take it personally because this isn’t aimed at anyone in particular but at the large hordes of the HP fandom that do tend to support theories and characterisations (mainly of the Slytherins) that, to me, are just absurd. Here I tell you why I think so, and babble about a bunch of whatnot.
Note: The Bergére is being revised by me, for it's been long since the first drafts of it were written. Some of the material I've left intact, but I've fumbled about most of it to fit my current reasoning.
New points might be added and, if you have a suggestion of your own, e-mail me. If you’ve written on something I might comment and post here, simply post here or e-mail you and we start a good discussion to be posted here later. For now, this section covers:
Slytherins: so delightful to play with (under revision, coming soon)
(Some words on) Slash: taking over the universe of fandom (under revision, coming soon)
Dissecting Draco Malfoy
> Item One: he happens to be a git
> Item Two: Struggling with the world (under revision, coming soon)
> Item Four: Lucius and Draco, closeness nearing an unhealthy level (under revision, coming soon)
> Draco/Lucius: Can't get much better than two naked male Malfoys (under revision, coming soon)
Brainless Evil at work
> Item One: Some good reasons why Lord Voldemort deserves respect(under revision, coming soon)
> Item Two: Lucius Malfoy has got a functioning brain, contrary to those who portray him otherwise (coming soon)
The (infamous) Slytherin Redemption Issue
> Item One: Draco Malfoy (under revision, coming soon)
> Item Two: Severus Snape (under revision, coming soon)
> Item Three: Lucius Malfoy (under revision, coming soon)
> Item Four: Lord Voldemort (under revision, coming soon)
Most of it is pretty short. Have fun and keep in mind that none of this has the pretension of being anything other than my humble view on things.
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Dissecting Draco Malfoy
I've taken the time to create such a topic basically because Draco Malfoy is my favourite character in the whole Harry Potter series and he's evilly trashed about daily by millions of pseudo-fans who just wanted a good-looking wizard to pair with their Mary-Sues. So they commit the grievous blasphemy of calling 'Draco' a fluffy, sensitive and inherently nice little blond boy who hates his father. Which is immeasurably wrong as far as canon and sense go. Whilst Fluffy!Draco isn't completely impossible to write, it's notoriously hard to find one that is In Character. Within this topic, I have tried to make an analysis of how I perceive Draco. I have read all books, written several works of fiction featuring him, plus have Role-Played him for close to two years now, so I feel I am fairly acquainted with Draco's psyche and behaviour and entitled to express my extreme disappointment at and the absurdity of some of the common Out Of Character Dracos that we get to see around the net. Split in four items, on which I attack some of the issues that are most appalling to me.
Item One: he happens to be a git
And immensely pleased with himself, at that. So should a fan be - not that being a fan implies instant quitting of one's critical sense, there is much that could be improved on Draco. However, what draws attention the most in him is that he fits in the Slytherin stereotype, in the evilness department. That given, why go and change specifically his chief feature?
Many people dedicate a lot of time and effort to that. From what I gather, they attempt to make him more human, and I honestly have no idea of what could be the whole point of it, if usually what happens is a distorted version of Draco falling for a Mary-Sue and all of a sudden going against his Father and his inner beliefs and everything he fought for his whole life and built his personality upon. Unreasonable to the brick of nausea. He would hardly change his attitude, when he has spent the whole five books of the series boasting about it. For more on this see The (infamous) Slytherin Redemption Issue, One: Draco Malfoy, bellow.
No reason to re-shape him to quiet and introspective, or sensible and fluffy, when his witty lines in the books have captured your heart. Much to Ron's dismay, he can even rhyme.
No motive to butcher Draco into being helpful and chivalrous, if that arrogant look suits him so well - and you know it. Why have him as the poor little boy who’s victim of parental abuse and in desperate need of help from the noble Gryffindors when we all know so well that it just isn’t true, that he gets expensive presents from home, that his father got a hippogriff killed and a professor in Azkaban just because of a cut to his arm. And, most importantly, why make him nice if you became a fan of Draco's because he’s the series’ bad boy?Why pervert J. K. Rowling's work while claiming to be a fan.
If you're here and reading this nonetheless, you probably like Draco, even though he is an insensitive git, a total jerk who knows just the wrong thing to say at the wrong time to make someone feel miserable and inferior. Even if he’s an insufferable brat, spoilt rotten by his father, weaver of lame ways to climb up the power ladder. He has Crabbe and Goyle beat people for him so that he won’t mess his hair. There are some times we feel seriously tempted to tell him to take his stupid pride and beloved Malfoy name and just shove them. Even though he's sourly incompetent at times and has been hexed successfully by Ginny Weasley, one year his junior.
That I am able to expand on Draco's faults doesn't make me less of a fan. The devil's advocate tactic simply brings out that, instead of trying to shape him into a nice Gryffindor with blond hair, I accept Draco the way he is. A little bastard. So kisseable. There’s no need for him to change.
Needless to say he has got good traits as well. Canon Draco is Slytherin, dream-like in beauty, intelligent, and can be trustworthy if he wishes so. He's selective, true to his history and traditions, and that of his family and world. Protective of his aims. Ambitious. Builds a safety network to reach to when he's in trouble, knows better than to get caught. He's witty, pleasantly sarcastic. Gifted when it comes to Potions, as well as Quidditch - maybe not as much as Harry, but the final match is always against Slytherin, which testifies in favour of his quality. He's Harry Potter's more than worthy counterpart. In the hands of a good writer he can be wonderfully deep, with internal struggles that warrant for heart-twitching during the read.
Guess that would have me talking about how Draco struggles with the world.
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More ramblings to come soon
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