professional platinum quartet spokeswoman

@myownishveer lmao literally this is what went down!!

And lest any of you think our love for drarry has clouded our judgement here's the canon passage:

I just can't. Like. Harry. I'm pretty sure of the people in this scene, right at this particular moment Rowle's the one having the least fun... But nope. Harry's brain goes right to worrying about Draco. And it's clearly because he feels something more for him than indifference or just the general pity he would feel for anyone. Because Draco and Rowle are both Death Eaters, and in this scene Rowle is the one actually being hurt.

Rowle is literally lying on the floor screaming and writhing in agony. But the person Harry is worried about, whose plight is so disturbing to Harry that he literally feels "sickened" - is Draco. It is Draco, not Rowle, whose visage Harry cannot get out of his mind. It's not the scene as a whole he can't forget. It is specifically Draco's face that Harry feels is "branded on the inside of his eyes."

It's also notable that Harry can immediately read Draco's mood here and never even considers that he wants to be doing what he is doing. He immediately places the responsibility on Voldemort for coercing Draco ("the use to which Draco was now being put by Voldemort"). Note again, as in the aftermath of the Astronomy Tower scene in book 6, how Harry's narration slips into the use of the passive voice and the verbal distancing between Draco and the crimes being described.

Harry's strong emotional reaction to this vision is also not typical. Harry sees Voldemort torturing and terrorizing and punishing his Death Eaters lots of times and he doesn't enjoy it but he doesn't react like this either. The only other times he has very strong reactions like this are when the vision involves someone he cares about - specifically his visions of Arthur and Sirius in book 5.

Harry never even considers for a moment that what he sees is evidence that Draco has succumbed to evil or that he's made his bed and now he has to lie in it. He's just absolutely horrified. So much so he doesn't even register the other potentially upsetting aspects of what he's seen.

I think Draco was intended to come off as a weak and kind of pathetic bully. The Dudley Dursley of the Wizarding World. 

That’s how we’re introduced to him: “Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.” Almost he first thing we hear Draco say is the very Dudley-ish -  “I'm going to drag [my parents] off to look at racing brooms... I think I'll bully Father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." Later books re-contextualize this as a brag - he is not actually able to bully his father into buying him presents, and instead of Dudley's tantrums Draco likes to embellish things in order to seem more impressive and get the result he wants. But initially, I think Draco = Dudley. They both dislike people who are different, dislike Harry for being more special (and because they’ve been given tacit permission to bully him...)They’re spoiled by their parents. They’re even both platinum blonde. 

JKR loves the idea of an antagonist who realizes that they were wrong and *you were right* a little too late, and then has no choice but to punish themselves. (Basically the entire deal with Snape.) So - Draco and Dudley get some of that treatment too. After Dudley meets the dementor he breaks down, has a moment where he leaves Harry a cup of tea, and another where he says “I don’t think you’re a waste of space.” BUT Dudley’s initial breakdown is framed as pathetic (even a touch comedic.)The tea he leaves outside Harry’s door has gone cold, and when Harry steps in it he initially thinks it’s a dumb prank. Dudley says “I don’t think you’re a waste of space” only in response to a comment Harry makes. Hestia Jones is super unimpressed, and thinks Dudley should be doing more. 

Like, JKR is aware that it’s not *completely* Dudley‘s fault he’s like that. Dumbledore comments on the “appalling damage [Vernon and Petunia] have inflicted on the unfortunate boy sitting between you.” But the damage is still done, and Dudley is meant to be seen as a figure of pity. All this is supposed to read as ‘too little, too late.’ If Dudley were less of a coward, a stronger person, a better person, he would’ve brought Harry the tea directly. 

Now let’s look at Draco, who is given some *very* similar beats. We see him crying in the bathroom, comforted by Myrtle (a comedic character) very similarly to how Dudley basically goes into shock after the dementor. Draco and Dudley are both framed as weak, but able to see the error of their ways, and their breakdowns set up an important plot/character moment for Harry.

Draco’s little “I can’t— I can’t be sure,” when he’s asked to identify Harry at Malfoy Manor is another beat of ‘too little, too late.’ Harry takes Draco’s wand a few minutes later (absolutely castration imagery - just look at how the text treats Lucius losing his wand) and then Dobby shows up to low-key shame Draco by doing the job that he [narratively] was supposed to have done: rescuing Harry and friends, probably dying in the process. I do think that’s how we’re supposed to read that scene. And then Harry gets these very similar selfless beats of saving Dudley (from dementors) and saving Draco (from fiendfyre.) That’s why JKR is so baffled when people like Draco, think he’s attractive, or ship him with Hermione. It’d be like shipping her with Dudley, it doesn’t make sense.

But a couple things went “wrong” when Draco was released into the world. For one thing, I think a lot of people saw his more indirect underhanded approach (he likes rumors, smear campaigns, blackmail, poison, sneaky back entrances, tricking/provoking Harry into breaking rules) as evidence that he's clever, and not that he’s a cowardly, spineless little weasel.

Then because JKR is committed to making Draco look ineffectual and comedic, she also makes him… not that bad? Most of his bad behavior goes down between books 1 and 3, and I’m sorry - when you’re 12 your politics are your parents' politics. You are not not responsible for that. By the end of the series Draco’s politics *have* changed, pretty drastically, and they changed under challenging circumstances.

I also think JKR accidentally gave him a better relationship with his father than she meant to? Jason Isaacs plays Lucius Malfoy as cold, I could see him being a *bit* of a bully when it comes to Draco -  but in the book, they go on outings, Draco complains to his father, Lucius is patient with him, gives him advice, sets boundaries, sends him little newspaper clippings in the mail. Lucius and Narcissa are running around without wands during the Battle of Hogwarts looking for him, and it’s supposed to be like “here are the Malfoys defanged.” But it's just a sweet moment. And if you’re positioning Draco as a romantic lead, then yeah I’d say that “good relationship with his parents” is an attractive trait.

The movie also did Draco Malfoy a HUGE favor by saying that yes, he absolutely does have the Dark Mark. That is never confirmed in the book. You can make the case that he doesn’t have it, and he’s doing what he does and embellishing the truth to seem more impressive. Hermione doesn’t think he has it. Ron says “I still don’t reckon You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join.” If he doesn’t have the Dark Mark, Draco gets to stay a semi-pathetic minor villain. But the second he does have it… well now you have someone who was given this tattoo/brand thing the *moment* he turned 16 (Draco has a June birthday) and now is 100% stuck. He is on a magical leash to Voldemort. He can’t run, can’t hide. All he can do is ride out this thing as best he can, and hope it doesn’t kill him or his parents. That’s a much more sympathetic character.

And my last thing, about the moment where he lies for Harry in Malfoy Manor (movies frame it as 100% a lie, books keep it ambiguous)... is I don’t think J. K. Rowling realizes that Draco is the first person in the entire 7th book who helps Harry, at all. Molly Weasley is actively sabotaging the Golden Trio's planning by splitting them up and making them do wedding chores. Xenophilius Lovegood betrays them, Bathilda Bagshot betrays them, Rufus Scrimgeor is no help, Remus Lupin needs *their* help, Dumbledore gave them a series of maddening riddles. Snape gives them a weird puzzle to solve (also he’s very much acting under Dumbledore’s orders…) So when Draco DOES put himself on the line to buy them a few minutes, it makes for a pretty striking moment. He also keeps to this lie even when Lucius tells him not to, he lies to Bellatrix, he is almost certainly going to have to repeat this lie to Voldemort, who can read minds… 

Every time I see Draco antis reduce Draco down to being a cowardly ferret and nothing else, I wonder if they read the same books I did (well the same books I partially read lol). It's like they see the bully side and nothing else which is kind of sad.

In a way it kind of parallels, though also contrasts with, the way that in book 2 everyone thinks Harry is the Heir but Draco immediately knows that despite the compelling evidence to the contrary (after the Parseltongue incident) Harry couldn't possible be the culprit and would never harm Muggleborns.

Harry: he is and he could

Everyone: Harry is absolutely the Heir of Slytherin and would totally go around attacking random muggleborns at the slightest provocation.

Drarry as Onion Articles (pt. 1?)

Do you think that a lot of people at hogwarts had a crush on Harry? Do you consider him a dreamboat? I like to think that Parvati, Dean and even Neville had a crush on him at some point

Hi 👋

Thank you so much 💕

Honestly, yes. We know Harry was considered a catch at Hogwarts.

In 4th year before the Yule Ball, multiple girls ask him out (even older ones that didn't need a date to go to the ball):

“Why do they have to move in packs?” Harry asked Ron as a dozen or so girls walked past them, sniggering and staring at Harry. “How’re you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?”

(GoF)

A curly-haired third-year Hufflepuff girl to whom Harry had never spoken in his life asked him to go to the ball with her the very next day. Harry was so taken aback he said no before he’d even stopped to consider the matter. The girl walked off looking rather hurt, and Harry had to endure Dean’s, Seamus’s, and Ron’s taunts about her all through History of Magic. The following day, two more girls asked him, a second year and (to his horror) a fifth year who looked as though she might knock him out if he refused.

(GoF)

Cho Chang seems to have been open to it when he asked her out she declined becouse she already agreed to Cedric:

“D’you — d’you want to go to the ball with me?” said Harry. Why did he have to go red now? Why ? “Oh!” said Cho, and she went red too. “Oh Harry, I’m really sorry,” and she truly looked it. “I’ve already said I’ll go with someone else.”

(GoF)

And in OotP, Cho clearly was interested in Harry (not in his personality, but in who she thought he was):

“Yes, it’s on Valentine’s Day. . . .” “Right,” said Harry, wondering why she was telling him this. “Well, I suppose you want to — ?” “Only if you do,” she said eagerly.

(OotP)

Parvati was all for going with Harry Potter to the ball. So much so she dragged her sister to be Ron’s date so she could bag the Boy Who Lived:

“Parvati? Will you go to the ball with me?” Parvati went into a fit of giggles. Harry waited for them to subside, his fingers crossed in the pocket of his robes. “Yes, all right then,” she said finally, blushing furiously. “Thanks,” said Harry, in relief. “Lavender — will you go with Ron?” “She’s going with Seamus,” said Parvati, and the pair of them giggled harder than ever. Harry sighed. “Can’t you think of anyone who’d go with Ron?” he said, lowering his voice so that Ron wouldn’t hear. [...] “Well . . .” said Parvati slowly, “I suppose my sister might . . . Padma, you know . . . in Ravenclaw. I’ll ask her if you like.”

(GoF)

Who ended up being a disappointing date. Harry being a lousy date didn't stop Parvati and Lavender from thinking Harry is hot though:

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the last two of whom gave Harry airy, overly friendly greetings that made him quite sure they had stopped talking about him a split second before.

(OotP)

And in HBP we see many girls trying to get Harry's attention:

Then he blinked and looked around: He was surrounded by mesmerized girls. “Hi, Harry!” said a familiar voice from behind him. “Neville!” said Harry in relief, turning to see a round-faced boy struggling toward him.

(HBP)

The second group was comprised of ten of the silliest girls Harry had ever encountered, who, when he blew his whistle, merely fell about giggling and clutching one another. Romilda Vane was amongst them. When he told them to leave the pitch, they did so quite cheerfully and went to sit in the stands to heckle everyone else. The third group had a pileup halfway around the pitch. Most of the fourth group had come without broomsticks. The fifth group were Hufflepuffs. “If there’s anyone else here who’s not from Gryffindor,” roared Harry, who was starting to get seriously annoyed, “leave now, please!” There was a pause, then a couple of little Ravenclaws went sprinting off the pitch, snorting with laughter.

(HBP)

While I don't think Harry is Hermione's ideal romantic partner, she thinks he is a catch too:

“Oh, come on, Harry,” said Hermione, suddenly impatient. “It’s not Quidditch that’s popular, it’s you! You’ve never been more interesting, and frankly, you’ve never been more fanciable.” Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry. [...] “And it doesn’t hurt that you’ve grown about a foot over the summer either,” Hermione finished, ignoring Ron. “I’m tall,” said Ron inconsequentially.

(HBP)

And I don't really ship Drarry, as in, I don't really like the dynamic, but I have eyes and I can see Draco can very much be read as having a crush on Harry. I mean, he seeks out Harry on the train literally every year except 6th (& 7th), he seeks Harry out whenever he can in general, and his wand (with a super loyal unicorn core that tends to wilt rather than work for another owner) works for Harry perfectly — which says something about Draco's feelings for Harry. (His behaviour towards Harry kinda reads as pulling pigtails — he just, really wants Harry's attention and goes out of his way to seek it out way too often).

Not sure if Neville had a crush on Harry (I see him as straight), but he definitely looks up to him:

Neville Longbottom, who gave a roar of delight, leapt down from the mantelpiece and yelled. “I knew you’d come! I knew it, Harry!”

(DH)

Harry is who all the DA look to lead them, though, to know what to do:

“Look who it is! Didn’t I tell you?” As Harry emerged into the room beyond the passage, there were several screams and yells: “HARRY!” “It’s Potter, it’s POTTER!” “Ron!” “Hermione!”

(DH)

The DA are happy to see Ron and Hermione, but Harry is first, Harry is their figure-head and source of hope, so it's not just Neville and I wouldn't really call it a crush. You can headcanon it, but, it didn't read that way to me.

Dean is a possibility, honestly, but I don't really have any evidence for it, so you could headcanon that too if you want. (It could be funny that Dean and Ginny are dating each other to make Harry jealous because both of them like Harry. They spend their dates talking about Harry).

And obviously, Ginny thinks Harry is a catch.

via @deafeninghairdodreamerbailiff

Listen. To each their own interpretation. These are only my views of course. But here's the thing. Ginny may be a year younger than Harry but she's in his same House which means they share a Common Room and also sit near each other at the same table. He also lives with her during multiple summers and she's the sister of his best friend and she also becomes part of his friend group in 5th year. And yet, he knows nothing about her.

Meanwhile Draco is in a different House, isn't Harry's friend, only shares a few classes with him (in lower grades Gryffindors and Slytherins seem to have at most 2 classes together every year), and sits at a House table that is ALL THE WAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GREAT HALL. Harry can't be bothered to look a few seats over to see who Ginny is sitting with but he constantly stares through crowds of student to check out whatever Draco is up to at his table. This isn't a one time thing. It's a habit throughout all the books that take place at Hogwarts. Harry pays so much attention he know what kind of pet Draco has (an eagle owl) and what sorts of care packages it brings him from home.

Also, Harry doesn't know much about other people in his year that he's not friends with. He only knows about Draco and people Draco associates with. Harry doesn't know who Theodore Nott is till 5th year because that's the year Nott starts hanging out more with Draco (and in fact only when Harry sees him with Draco does he bother to find out his name). Same for learning who Zabini is in 6th year.

Harry has a hyper-fixated focus on Draco - everything from who he spends time with to the exact tone of his skin to the specific shade of his eye color to what his footsteps sound like to what he looked at in a store years previously to his exact mood and expression to his opinions on and reactions to pretty much everything that goes on a school etc. etc. Harry knows none of these things about Zacharias Smith who he also dislikes. He doesn't even know this much about Dean or Seamus. And as for Ginny, it's not that he couldn't learn these things about her. But he just isn't interested enough to notice or bother. And that really stands in contrast to how he is around Draco.