krishnarjunforlife

Latest Posts by krishnarjunforlife

Ok, so here we go.

Today I lost someone from my family and I also started shit in here without meaning to. Since I can’t bring people back from the dead, I can at least clear the air with the person I offended (and I already did it). So anons, please stop sending me messages of support or calling me a bitch. It literally makes no difference to me.

What I would like to do then is share my views on the topic because I do think we need to discuss it. It’s extremely relevant right now.

And I do this because it’s what I should have done from the beginning: express my POV without lowkey saying “you’re wrong”. It’s a lovely process to be part of this fandom and we can disagree (as we usually do in everything) but respect each other’s POVs.

So here’s my personal experience with “Draco Malfoy is an analogy for Nazi youth” and I hope you can share yours and we can grow together.

It is common knowledge that the Death Eaters are an analogy to Nazis. I mean, it’s freaking obvious. So yes, sometimes I find it bizarre when people romanticise them and tattoo dark marks and shit. At the same time, though, I understand that fiction is not real life, so that doesn’t really mean they are Nazi sympathisers. Actually, most HP readers are just the opposite.

Now talking about Draco specifically: for a looooong time I felt like SHIT for liking this ship. It’s nothing new if you follow my personal posts. I used to literally ask God to cure me from this disorder. So yeah, highkey self-loathing.

The thing that made me make peace with this pairing was Deathly Hallows. I don’t think I would still be a shipper without it. Both because it developed their relationship and because it gave me a glimpse of hope for Draco’s redemption.

I love Draco. He’s one of my favourite characters in the whole of Literature. I am literally obsessed with him. And at the same time I am a crazy activist who wants to punch Nazis in the face. So how can I be both?

First of all, because I have so clear to me the difference between fiction and real life. And that’s something that I can only vouch for myself. Young girls don’t always have that. Even 40-something women don’t sometimes (50 Shades of Fake-BDSM, anyone?).

So yeah, I get why it’s a problem.

JKR said that several times and, although the way she said it was not cool at all (and she blocked a bunch of real HP fans for asking her about Draco and complaining about the way she was saying things) I can still see why she’s concerned.

But to be honest, I think Draco is not the best example of Nazi or alt-right in HP that people love and admire. Snape, for instance, never had real redemption. He was just in love with this ONE PERSON. Also, he was a 30-something yo man, not a 16 yo boy. And still JKR herself loves him.

So I don’t see how she really understands the problem. Her issue is with Drarry in particular - and she apparently changed her mind before Cursed Child, so really, it’s in the past.

Back to the issue: Draco is indeed a born and raised Nazi in that analogy. I do think we have to be careful when discussing fiction, even when problematic, because it’s really not the same as real life. But I can see where this point comes from. And I respect it, because I saw it like that for a long time.

How did I forgive him?

I am 25 yo right now and let me tell you, I was a child when I was 16. I didn’t know ANYTHING. In fact, my bullies/enemies didn’t know anything as well. I actually am friends with one nowadays and he’s a completely different person (a much better person). So yes, 16 is early to have a completely formed character.

From HBP you can see his redemption being slowly added into the main plotline and it’s a beautiful thing to see. Loving Drarry is about loving redemption and coming-of-age and to me that’s one of the most beautiful and addictive aspects of this pairing. It wouldn’t be the same at all without it.

But to be honest, in my head any fanfic I read has this same POV, so even if they don’t address it throughout the fanfic, to me it happened at some point. Because I do believe people need to address the things that happen to them before they can move on.

And come on, pretty dark shit happened between them. Harry tried to kill Draco, Draco tried to kill Ron AND Dumbledore. It’s something very dark and in MY personal experience, I would have to deal with it to be able to look the other person in the eye.

So yeah, I agree that to me, right now, these kinds of fanfics are the most relatable and I almost don’t consider anything else plausible TO ME. But also, if you feel forgetting is better, hey, be my guest. Liking fluffy Draco doesn’t mean you love Nazis. I think that should be obvious to you guys.

That was my point the whole time and I think she never said anything different from that: liking Draco DOES NOT make you a Nazi supporter. But thinking about it and trying to explore real redemption can be the best way to make peace with the actual political climate and our favourite characters.

And also, PLEASE try not to start shit with each other in here. Just because we disagree about something, it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. It’s not like any of you are actual Nazi supporters, right? (In that case, please fuck off forever).

Ouch, my heart: an analysis of the Sectumsempra

Well, well well…. look who’s back from the dead (me, if you couldn’t guess).

First of all, I want to apologise for not doing these for so long. Things got a little insane in my life. I haven’t had time to blink these days, but here I am, because I love you all.

First of all: thank you and sorry it took me over a year to do this. And second of all: of course I can! 

I think this is the post everyone was waiting for and I have no idea if I’m ready for it. Wait. I know I’m not.

But since I’m either a masochist or already too numb from all the pain this ship causes me, I’ll try anyway. Fuck the police.

I’ll open this discussion with Harry’s last thought about Draco before the horrible tragedy that we call Sectumsempra:

Was it his imagination, or did Malfoy, like Tonks, look thinner? Certainly he looked paler; his skin still had that greyish tinge, probably because he so rarely saw daylight these days. But there was no air of smugness, or excitement, or superiority; none of the swagger that he had had on the Hogwarts Express, when he had boasted openly of the mission he had been given by Voldemort … there could be only one conclusion, in Harry’s opinion: the mission, whatever it was, was going badly.

Ok, let’s start by the fact Harry says Draco has a “swagger”. Not my words!

And also: Yer a stupid wizard, Harry.

The boy is falling behind in classes, he’s sad and lonely, he looks sick, you know he’s terrified he’s not pleasing Voldemort. So instead of trying to help him, you go and use a spell for enemies on him. A boy genius.

I don’t even know why I’ll point this out again, but it’s not normal to keep noticing those things about people you don’t care about, ok? It’s just not done. You’re fooling yourself!

Meanwhile, Harry is getting desperate here. If it’s because Draco looks sick or because he couldn’t find out what his mission was, we’ll never know. But he knows he’s running out of time, and he has other personal problems to deal with, like the horcruxes and his huge crush *sarcasm* on Ginny.

And coincidentally his crush on her seems to grow, suddenly. Almost like it’s a distraction… hm. She’s exactly like the opposite of his true crush, I mean, obsession, I mean… Malfoy. She makes him forget, instead of making him feel like everything is falling apart; she doesn’t have any problems besides boys and Quidditch, while Draco’s buried in shit.

But still, he thinks about her far less than he thinks about *someone else*. Because a constant in this book is that nothing is more pressing than Draco Malfoy. Not the Prince himself, not the horcruxes, not girls or Quidditch. Nothing.

In the midst of all his preoccupations Harry had not forgotten his other ambition: finding out what Malfoy was up to in the Room of Requirement. He was still checking the Marauder’s Map and, as he was often unable to locate Malfoy on it, deduced that Malfoy was still spending plenty of time within the Room.

Oh yeah, in the midst of his problems, one being he didn’t know if Ginny was worth upsetting Ron (and if that’s not an indicative that she’s not your one true love, Harry, I don’t know what is), he still has plenty of time to obsess over Draco Malfoy.

Just healthy, really.

And now, because I didn’t forget the real issue here, let’s read what brilliant thoughts Harry Potter has about the Sectumsempra:

…he saw the Sectumsempra spell, captioned ‘For Enemies’, that he had marked a few weeks previously. He had still not found out what it did, mainly because he did not want to test it around Hermione, but he was considering trying it out on McLaggen next time he came up behind him unawares.

Oh yeah! He was considering trying the Sectumsempra on Cormac! That’s how much of a genius he is. Harry, go study some latin before you use a fucking spell, will ya?

I mean, you would think that a boy who lost both parents to a curse and studied Charms for 6 years would think to at least check the etymology of a spell before using it on another human being. Or not, if you’re stupid as fuck!

Ok, so are you ready for the heartbreak? *takes deep breath*

Harry made his usual detour along the seventh-floor corridor, checking the Marauder’s Map as he went. For a moment he could not find Malfoy anywhere, and assumed he must indeed be inside the Room of Requirement again, but then he saw Malfoy’s tiny, labelled dot standing in a boys’ bathroom on the floor below, accompanied, not by Crabbe or Goyle, but by Moaning Myrtle.

First of all, Harry, why??? What kind of dodgy business could he be planning with the ghost of a muggleborn girl murdered by Voldemort? If anything, that shows he’s really not who you think he is.

It took me years after reading this book to realise Draco was confessing to a mudblood, and a victim of Voldemort. To me, that’s a symbol of how his views were changing and how, in the end, he was a victim, not a villain. He was like her in a way. 

Also, how fucking lonely he was. *sobbing*

God, that makes me so mad! This is the only time Harry really disappointed me and I think he fucking knows it. He disappointed himself too.

Draco Malfoy was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, his white-blond head bowed.

‘Don’t,’ crooned Moaning Myrtle’s voice from one of the cubicles. ‘Don’t … tell me what’s wrong… I can help you …’

‘No one can help me,’ said Malfoy. His whole body was shaking. ‘I can’t do it … I can’t … it won’t work … and unless I do it soon … he says he’ll kill me …’

And Harry realised, with a shock so huge it seemed to root him to the spot, that Malfoy was crying – actually crying – tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin.

To be honest, I can’t choose what’s worse about this whole thing. Draco confessing to a ghost, because he has no one (and not just any ghost, but the one everyone can’t stand)? The fact he is crying because he’s so scared?

Or maybe the fact that Harry is just so stupid he can’t use simple logic and understand that, whatever this is, Draco doesn’t have a choice???

Ouch, my heart just broke real quick.

Malfoy gasped and gulped and then, with a great shudder, looked up into the cracked mirror and saw Harry staring at him over his shoulder.

Malfoy wheeled round, drawing his wand. Instinctively, Harry pulled out his own. Malfoy’s hex missed Harry by inches, shattering the lamp on the wall beside him; Harry threw himself sideways, thought Levicorpus! and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked the jinx and raised his wand for another –

(…)

There was a loud bang and the bin behind Harry exploded; Harry attempted a Leg-Locker Curse that backfired off the wall behind Malfoy’s ear and smashed the cistern beneath Moaning Myrtle, who screamed loudly; water poured everywhere and Harry slipped over as Malfoy, his face contorted, cried, ‘Cruci—’

I can’t imagine how humiliated he feels, and how terrified he is, because not only was he crying because of Voldemort, but now Harry Potter knows too much. And Harry won’t help him, he’s sure of that.

You know what breaks me? They start do duel with childish hexes and curses, and it escalates so quickly, before any of them can take a moment to realise the seriousness of it.

And I wish Draco was going to say “Crucifix nail nipples!”, but we know he was not. But do you wanna know what I believe? If he had time to finish saying the word, nothing would happen, and Harry would be able to see he’s not evil. He obviously didn’t mean the Crucio. 

But before he has that chance, Harry goes and fucks up royally:

‘SECTUMSEMPRA!’ bellowed Harry from the floor, waving his wand wildly.

Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backwards and collapsed on to the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand.

‘No –’ gasped Harry.

Slipping and staggering, Harry got to his feet and plunged towards Malfoy, whose face was now shining scarlet, his white hands scrabbling at his blood-soaked chest.

‘No – I didn’t –’

Harry did not know what he was saying; he fell to his knees beside Malfoy, who was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood.

To be honest, Harry never in a million years thought that would be a lethal curse. Never. He wanted to test it on McLaggen!

I can’t stand this moment, I can’t. I makes me tear up every time.

Because there is Draco’s physical pain, which was probably horrible, then there’s his emotional pain, because he’s at his most vulnerable moment and it’s such a betrayal! Harry is one of the good guys. He was afraid Voldemort would do something like that to him, not Harry. And that is so so so sad.

And there’s Harry’s pain as well, because he’s fucking terrified. He knows Draco is dying, he knows he did something unthinkable, he knows he fucked up. Sometimes I can’t believe Draco actually saved Harry after that, because this probably haunted him for a long time.

Just imagine seeing someone surrounded by their own blood, with deep cuts and shaking in pain. I don’t think you can forget it that easily. Especially if you were responsible for it.

And you know what makes me angry? That Harry compartmentalises what he’s feeling so well that it’s like two different people: one when he’s alone, looking at what he did, and one once he finds his friends. It’s maddening.

But there’s a reason for that, and we’ll get into it soon.

“Harry was still watching, horrified by what he had done, barely aware that he too was soaked in blood and water. Moaning Myrtle was still sobbing and wailing overhead. When Snape had performed his counter-curse for the third time, he half-lifted Malfoy into a standing position.

‘You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that … come …’

He supported Malfoy across the bathroom, turning at the door to say in a voice of cold fury, ‘And you, Potter … you wait here for me.’

It did not occur to Harry for a second to disobey. He stood up slowly, shaking, and looked down at the wet floor. There were bloodstains floating like crimson flowers across its surface. He could not even find it in himself to tell Moaning Myrtle to be quiet, as she continued to wail and sob with increasingly evident enjoyment.”

I love the way JKR describes how Harry sees it, how vivid are the consequences of what happened. And I obviously love how Snape tells Draco it might scar, possibly more for Harry to hear than for him. Snape knows him well, he knows the guilt trip he could go into and is trying to push him into it. And Harry deserves it.

It doesn’t happen, though, because immediately after, he goes to find his friends (and Ginny), who make him forget about his feelings.

But before we get into that, I’d like to talk about the symbolism of Harry finding the room of hidden things when he’s trying to hide the book. It’s the room he’s been trying to get in all year, and it’s almost like a physical representation of Draco at this point.

It’s very interesting how he can suddenly get in, almost like the barriers are all down, almost like Draco stopped caring about hiding it from him. Almost like he’s so sad and hopeless he stops trying. Thinking about the wave of disappointment he must be feeling, it’s very possible that Draco’s feelings were an influence in the door showing up for Harry.

Anyway, then Harry tells his friends about what just happened and they respond exactly like you would expect them too, almost to a stereotypical extreme.

“I won’t say “I told you so”,’ said Hermione, an hour later in the common room. ‘Leave it, Hermione,’ said Ron angrily.”

Isn’t it interesting how none of them we just horrified by the whole thing? How Hermione just focuses on the book, not on the teenager almost bleeding to death?

“(…) Malfoy had already been visited in the hospital wing by Pansy Parkinson, who had lost no time in vilifying Harry far and wide…”

I just love this sentence. First of all, with all her flaws, I love Pansy. She’s just the best friend Draco could have in that moment, because she takes no bullshit. And to be fair, Harry deserved to be vilified. And you can sense his opinions on what he’s done are changing because his friends just excuse what he did, especially Ginny:

“Give it a rest, Hermione!’ said Ginny, and Harry was so amazed, so grateful, he looked up. ‘By the sound of it Malfoy was trying to use an Unforgivable Curse, you should be glad Harry had something good up his sleeve!”

I hated her so much in that moment. What Harry did it’s inexcusable, and he knows it. So it hurts my eyes to see her say something so dismissive. Draco would not be able to actually Crucio him and, deep down, Harry knows it. He doesn’t even try to convince himself he’s faultless, that it was self-defense.

Ok, so let’s expand on Ginny’s rare presence being right in this chapter.

It’s no coincidence this is the same chapter where Harry kisses Ginny for the first time. Remember what I mentioned in the beginning of this post? The whole of Half-Blood Prince is built using a parallel between Harry’s relationship with Draco and his relationship with Ginny to move the plot in the right direction.

“Hermione and Ginny, who had always got on together very well, were now sitting with their arms folded, glaring in opposite directions. Ron looked nervously at Harry, then snatched up a book at random and hid behind it. Harry, however, though he knew he little deserved it, felt unbelievably cheerful all of a sudden, even though none of them spoke again for the rest of the evening.”

I mean, come on. He literally buries his guilt in giddiness because Ginny is defending him. Defending him against something he knows is his fault. She’s helping him forget Malfoy. Again.

And this chapter is so cleverly written it splits his feelings with the places and situations he’s in: when he’s with Snape, in the dungeons, he can feel the guilt as a physical presence. Snape makes sure he understands that the detention is about making him feel guilty:

“Mr Filch has been looking for someone to clear out these old files,’ said Snape softly. ‘They are the records of other Hogwarts wrongdoers and their punishments. Where the ink has grown faint, or the cards have suffered damage from mice, we would like you to copy out the crimes and punishments afresh and, making sure that they are in alphabetical order, replace them in the boxes. You will not use magic.”

When he thinks about Gryffindor and Ginny, he forgets about any negative thing happening with him: 

“And while he copied out all their various offences and punishments, he wondered what was going on outside, where the match would have just started … Ginny playing Seeker against Cho …”

To be honest, that is one of the things that always bothered me with this ship being canon. Ginny never sees the Harry we see, she always sees someone who’s always right, someone who’s the hero. And Harry only sees Ginny as a ladder to a life he wants so desperately. A life with no complications, with a family, with giddiness and lightness. He holds onto her because she makes him forget all the horrible things he has gone through, and that’s one reason why he never tells her anything: he wants her in a bell jar, untouched by his traumas.

And we all know that’s not who he really is. The final proof is how this chapter ends:

Harry looked around; there was Ginny running towards him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her.

(…)

The creature in his chest roaring in triumph, Harry grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which – if they had time – they might discuss the match.”

This moment is like a completely different book. It’s a fantasy. Something Harry knew couldn’t last. It was escapism.

This chapter is also the last before Malfoy finally figures out how to fix the cabinet and Harry goes with Dumbledore to retrieve the horcrux. It’s almost like a tragic farewell to the relationship the two of them had prior to thing getting fucking serious. It all changes after that.

The Sectumsempra in itself changes everything. Harry, someone who we know as heroic and honourable, commits an act that shifts what we know about him, and at the same time Draco, who up until then we see as a bidimensional character, comes alive and gets layers on top of layers. It’s the only possible introduction to what happens in Deathly Hallows. Tragic and horrible, but beautiful to watch.

I mean, I could go on and on. If I had the time, I would probably debate every single sentence in this book that, to me, is the most symbolic and crucial of them all.

But I do have a job, so this will do. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Mapping the Drarry storyline: a deep analysis of Draco and Harry's relationship in the Harry Potter series

Yes, I did it. I made it into a fucking essay.

Well, my pals, let me begin by explaining that I should be paid for this, because holy shit, this is a Herculean task. But it’s fine, I’m doing it because I love these books too much and it’s my duty! *standing up with the union flag in the background*

How is it going to work?

This very post will be my masterlist, where I’ll slowly be adding links to all the text posts as I write them. So like it, save it, reblog the shit out of it. Thank you.

Each post will discuss a specific moment in the books (as well as getting references from the movies and discussing what they left out), so it could be just one interaction or a whole point in their relationship, it will depend on my methods at the time.

Will you talk from a shipper perspective? Isn’t that biased?

Well, I’m glad you asked. I will, indeed, talk about how their interactions are further proof that DRARRY IS FUCKING CANON, but I promise to be rational. Furthermore, this is not the only aspect of their characters that I love, so I’ll include a lot of discussion about character development, redemption, coming-of-age and all that.

When will you be posting each post?

I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep a steady rhythm going, but I’m already writing the first one, about the moment they met at Madam Malkin’s. Please, don’t push me about it, because I do have a real job and all that rot.

So yeah, it’s on!

Philosopher’s Stone Chapter 1 - First Impressions

Draco Malfoy hated Harry Potter so much that he…

Tried to befriend him in Madam Malkin’s even though he didn’t know who he was at the time, and Harry probably looked a bit raggedy

Tried to befriend him again on the train once he realized who he was

Was so upset that Harry didnt take his hand when they were 11 that he spent most of the next 5 years holding a grudge

Constantly talked about Harry to his friends

Even when he didn’t know Harry was listening, so it’s not like he was just doing it to annoy him

Spent the entire summer between first and second year talking about Harry Potter, to the point that his father actually lost his temper with him because he was so sick of hearing about Harry Potter all the time

Knew a startling amount about Harry despite the fact that they are 1) in different Houses and 2) decidedly not friends

Remember when Rita Skeeter recruited him as a source about Harry Potter and he was actually pretty good at it because he knew so much about Harry’s life?

Remember when everyone thought Harry must be the Heir of Slytherin but Draco knew that couldn’t be the truth because he instantly understood Harry wouldn’t do that?

Started avoiding Harry as soon as he (albeit unwillingly) became a Death Eater, even though then he should’ve wanted to go after Harry more than ever

Failed to seriously harm Harry or deliver him to Voldemort when he had him paralyzed, defenseless, and completely at his mercy on the train at the beginning of 6th year, even though killing or capturing Harry Potter would certainly have saved him and his family from Voldemort’s wrath, and probably would have ensured they received a rich reward beside. 

Refused to identify Harry at Malfoy Manor, thus buying him enough time to escape, even though he knew that he was risking certain torture and quite possibly death for both himself and his family

He had Voldemort living in his house. He knew the price he was paying and he knew how valuable delivering Harry Potter could be for him and his family. And his still chose not to.

And he paid the price. Harry could feel Voldemort’s wrath and weeks later at the Battle of Hogwarts Lucius still bore visible marks from what Voldemort did despite the healing powers of magic in that world

Could not harm Harry in the Room of Requirement even though taking him in was probably the last chance he had for salvation for him and his family

Turned his back on the beliefs he had been raised with as soon as he was free to

Yeah. Seems legit. 

A Justification of Drarry

Here’s a fairly extensive compilation of Drarry ‘evidence’ (it got kind of lengthy so the rest is below the cut) <3

Keep reading

Someone ought to tell Harry…

Have a wonderful week everybody 🌻🐝💚

Every canon Dramione moment

I have compiled here a list of every single time Draco and Hermione interacted in canon, talked about one another, or could have conceivably interacted for all your Hogwarts-era fanfic needs! 

If I left anything out, please don’t hesitate to comment or DM me! There are some really obvious ones I left out e.g. the fanfic classics: prefects’ bathroom, Astronomy Tower, Black Lake, Potions lesson…

I haven’t included page numbers because every edition is different and it would be confusing. This list is intended as pinpoint references for you to check out the scene in your own books, which is why they’re not super detailed.

Enjoy!

Keep reading

In a Heartbeat - Animated Short Film (2017)

A closeted boy runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams.

© Beth David and Esteban Bravo 2017

It’s here! After a year and a half of hard work, we are both so excited to finally share our film with you. Thank you all for your support and encouragement - this film means the world to us, and your kindness and enthusiasm has made this journey all the more meaningful. It is our great pleasure to share with you this labor of love, and we hope with all our hearts that you enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.

<3

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2REkk9SCRn0 Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/227690432

the Harry Potter handsome men’s club

i’m not even kidding, I went on a word search rampage, motivated by an initially serious thought train about how JK Rowling depicts & portrays conventional attractiveness vs. non-attractiveness (inspired by me finally reading the Robert Galbraith books) and how it contributes to her characterizations. It has resulted in this:

The only characters ever outright called “handsome” by either the narration or another character, in the order of “handsome” appearance:

Gilderoy Lockhart: Actually indirectly called handsome: introduced as “very good-looking”; handsomeness only mentioned in that “he didn’t look remotely handsome anymore” and Ron going “*cough*Lockhart*” when accusing Hermione of only liking people (aka Cedric) for handsomeness’ sake. 

Tom Riddle. Not introduced as handsome by 12-year-old Harry (16-year old Harry makes up for it by calling young Tom Riddle handsome EVERY time he is mentioned), just as a boy “much taller” than Harry with the same jet black hair. Dumbledore makes the handsome explicit* when at the end of CoS he refers to how most people failed to connect Voldemort to the “clever, handsome boy” Riddle had been.

Sirius Black: Pre-Azkaban, in the wedding picture: “handsome, full of laughter”; his “handsome, laughing face.” In the flashback, after we’re reminded he’s very good-looking he sits around looking: haughty and bored “but handsomely so”. Our last look at him alive is of his “wasted, once-handsome face” (this is where I cry); in the picture on his wall we see Sirius looking “carelessly handsome … slightly arrogant”, and of course break-our-hearts-one-last-time-Resurrection-Stone Sirius looks “tall and handsome” with a grin on his face and even walks handsome, really: “loped with an easy grace.” 

Cedric Diggory: uh, Cedric may actually be the best-looking, according to the text.  

Cedric alone gets adverbs of degree; he is “extremely handsome” and “exceptionally handsome”, thank you, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter. Cedric also gets called pretty boy at least twice, once by Seamus Finnegan, and once by a jealous Harry in his thoughts. Yet he is one of the few members of this club who shows no signs of a) evil b) vanity or c) arrogance. Cedric is downright lovely; poor Cedric.

Firenze: he’s confirmed as the “handsome centaur” in HBP, but we assumed as much before from Parvati & Lavender, whose giggles are probably the best non-explicit* barometer of male handsomeness in-text.

Bill Weasley: 14-year-old Harry actually calls long-haired Bill “cool”, not handsome. But we gather more information from Fleur’s eyeing him up: aka by “cool”, Harry, I think you meant “hot”, or possibly, since this is UK-set, “fit”. Hot/fit, being of course a distinctive category of literary attractiveness, it can, but does not always, crossover with “handsome”. 

Mrs. Weasley (painfully) confirms Bill’s handsomeness after his face is ruined: “very handsome little b-boy”, “always very handsome”. Again, the handsome is there to make us sad- but not too sad this time, since it’s a glorious set-up for Fleur’s epic good-looking-enough-for-the-both-of-us moment of true <3.  

Tom Riddle Sr. - the “handsome” Muggle, whose son looks like his “handsome father in miniature”; his handsomeness is both a huge plot point in Merope’s story and further re-emphasis of T.R. Jr.’s own looks.

Gellert Grindelwald - yes, the other Dark Wizard was also a card-carrying member of the handsome club. We first get him stealing the Elder Wand with “delight upon his handsome face”; later as Dumbledore’s “handsome companion,” “merry-faced” and “smiling lazily” in his picture. You wouldn’t remember it from the Very Serious version of the photograph used in the movies, but it’s also noted in the photograph Dumbledore and handsome friend Grindelwald are both “roaring with laughter”. 

…which, interesting: the association of handsome + laughter is explicitly connected, repeatedly, with only one other character: Sirius Black. 

-and not to go all psychoanalytic literary criticism, but THAT adds an angle to Dumbledore’s distrust of Sirius (offering to be the Potters’ Secret Keeper instead, buying into Pettigrew’s frame job) and how Dumbledore & Sirius have little rapport, especially compared to Dumbledore & anyone else from Sirius’ generation. 

Am I making the ridiculous statement that Dumbledore didn’t like Sirius because he was handsome? …actually, sort of, yes.

Keeping in mind that Sirius and James are pretty confirmed to have gone around the school hexing people, that Grindelwald was kicked out of Durmstrange for much-more-extreme “near fatal” attacks on other students, and that Sirius did in fact set a “near fatal” situation up by telling Snape about the tunnel as a prank… 

I think there’s a reasonable argument that Dumbledore looked at a clever, handsome boy, and thought of other clever handsome boys he’d known and how they’d turned out-  particularly the one who was briefly part of his own laughing double act - and did not trust Sirius Black. And so offered to be the Potters’ Secret Keeper instead. And bought into Pettigrew’s frame job. And even later (in one of Dumbledore’s many What the Hell, Hero moments) letting that whole Sirius-confined-at-Grimmauld-Place situation build, and critiquing his character ten minutes after he’s dead. Sirius is one of the few characters in the series who Dumbledore never seems to give a fair shake, even while able to analyze him to a T… 

But I digress, so back to the handsomeness:

 runners-up:

11-year-old Dudley Dursley- looking v. “handsome and grown-up” in his uniform, but since it is Aunt Petunia saying so, and Harry is choking on laughter, HEAPS of salt from the narrative here. 

Ron Weasley, assured he is “very handsome” by, of all people, Slughorn. Grain of salt for love-potion circumstances, but giggling sixth-years suggest it is not much of an exaggeration.  

Regulus Black is “rather less handsome” than Sirius. While not 100% confirming handsomeness, given how often it comes up regarding Sirius, a remaining degree of reasonable handsomeness is implied.

handsome woman’s club: 

Madame Maxime! at least three “handsomes” to her name 

other “handsome” things: Fawkes except on Burning Day, silver platters, roaring fires, leather-covered books, tawny owls, a Christmas tree, and the face of the  “noble-looking” from a distance but up-close vacant wizard of the Fountain of Magical Brethren, etc

*any other male characters’ handsomeness is either implicit, fanon, or movie-driven assumptions. There’s plenty of strong implicit arguments to be made, though, through the lovely showing-not-telling of attractiveness. But no one else is explicitly “handsome”, unless I missed one, in which case, do tell.

generally, though, if you are handsome in a Harry Potter novel, you are either evil or something terrible is going to happen to you. But handsomely so!

Well it's time for the beginning of their O.W.L exams. They're all super nervous for their first practical exam, but even that isn't enough to stop Draco and Harry being obsessed with each other.

Harry going into his first practical exam ever: who cares about paying attention to the exam? i have my priorities. I need to look over and see what Draco Malfoy is doing.

Draco apparently is equally not normal about Harry because despite being IN THE MIDDLE of his own exam he is apparently listening to Harry and his examiner.

Why are they both like this?! Harry's watching Draco instead of listening to his examiner. Draco is staring right back and gets so distracted he messes up his spell.

They're hopeless.

Love how when they're all locked in the cellar in Malfoy Manor, Harry doesn't even think of attacking Draco when he comes down into the cellar. Even though he and the others are loose by then and they could probably have easily overpowered Draco and taken his wand - as they do immediately when Pettigrew comes in.

They could've overpowered Draco, Imperiused him with his own wand, and sent him back up to give some excuse while Dobby evacuated the others. But that would've put Draco in terrible danger. It would've meant attacking and potentially injuring him. It also would have meant that he would be blamed for the resultant escape, vastly increasing the likelihood that Voldemort would kill him. And Harry simply cannot bring himself to hurt Draco or put him in danger.

So when Draco comes down Harry does nothing. He doesn't even speak to him to try to shame or manipulate him as he does when he tells Pettigrew that he owes Harry his life. Even though Harry witnessed the scene on the Astronomy Tower and he knows that Draco isn't happy with his lot and is experiencing a lot more doubt and conflict than Pettigrew is, he says nothing to Draco and just complies with him. Thus keeping him out of a situation that could put him in danger.

And Draco, for his part, sees that Harry and Ron have already managed to escape from their bonds but doesn't report it when he goes upstairs. He takes Griphook, who confirms Hermione's story, thus saving her from being murdered on the spot or tortured more. And he says nothing about the fact that Harry is free, possibly planning an escape.

He didn't identify Harry. He turned his back on Ron and Hermione and refused to confirm their identities either, even though this behavior was very notable and suspicious given that they are not disguised and other recognize them. And when he sees that Ron and Harry are already loose in the cell, not still bound as they are meant to be, he says nothing.

He's probably sick with fear and horror, certain that there's no possibility of escape, and probably cursing himself for taking these risks and not simply doing everything he can to get his family back in Voldemort's good graces. But somehow he still hopes.

Draco's Motivations in the Book 7 Room of Requirement Confrontation

I just reread the Fiendfyre sequence and based on a close reading Draco's motivations and actions are a lot more complex and sympathetic than I remembered. Not to mention, once again, here there be drarry.

First, the context:

After the incident at Malfoy Manor, we know from Harry's psychic connection to Voldemort and from the Carrows' overheard discussion that Voldemort's wrath was exceptionally terrible. The Malfoy family became virtual prisoners in their own homes for months and were subjected to especially brutal (even by Voldemort's standards) torture that was also likely quite protracted. Lucius has visible marks on him months later - which, given what we know about magic in that world, really speaks to the level of what has been going on. While he probably got the worst of it, it's certain that none of his family members escaped unscathed. After their other failings they have at this point probably permanently fallen out of favor and have nothing but a (likely short) life of misery to look forward to.

Draco bears a lot of responsibility for this state of affairs since it was he who chose not to identify Harry. This likely adds to his sense of conflict as his conscience tells him one thing and everything he has ever been taught tells him something else. He presumably feels responsible for the suffering his family (we know from book 6 that he does genuinely care about them) has to endure.

Not to mention that he himself is suffering along with them. It would be unsurprising therefore if he felt tempted to "rectify" his earlier moment of what he probably perceived as weakness and made a last ditch attempt to save his parents' (and his own) lives and prestige. While Harry has been taught that love and mercy are noble and valuable impulses, Draco has not. In his world love and mercy are called weakness.

Quite possibly as he suffered and faced death alongside his family, part of him must have felt ashamed of the impulses that led to his choices when Harry was a prisoner at the Manor. Everything he has been taught tells him that Voldemort's victory is inevitable and that his moment of shameful weakness has accomplished nothing except to fail his own family and condemn them (and himself) to a likely short life filled with suffering.

At most what we see in the Room of Requirement is a replay of what we saw on the Astronomy Tower - where Draco is deeply conflicted and when confronted with the reality of violence in support of Voldemort cannot go through with it even under tremendous pressure and even though his failure to carry out these acts of violence will inflict danger and suffering on himself and his loved ones.

But, is that even what actually happens? In my opinion, the answer is "no."

The scene in question:

If we actually look at the text it's not even clear that's what's going on at all. Draco's motives are ambiguous at best here. The scene starts when Harry is stretching out his hand to take the diadem. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle come up behind him and he is completely unaware of them. Draco then announces their presence, alerting Harry that he is being watched. He could've very easy simply stunned Harry or attempted to put the Imperius Curse on him (or killed him) while his back was turned. But he didn't do any of those things. Instead he talks, thereby ruining the element of surprise.

And that's not typical of Draco at all when he actually wants to attack Harry. He's never beaten Harry in a face-to-face confrontation. (In fact, the last time he tried - in 6th year - he almost ended up dead.) The two times he has managed to incapacitate Harry - when he petrified him on the train in 6th year and when he hid and caught Harry for Umbridge with a tripping jinx in 5th year - he did so by using the element of surprise to his advantage.

Given that Draco knows that Harry is a very formidable opponent (AND that Harry's friends are nearby) if he truly simply wanted to capture or kill him, announcing his presence is the last thing he would ever do. Then he says "That's my wand you're holding." He still doesn't cast any spells - not even to try to disarm Harry. He also doesn't say he wants to hand him over to Voldemort. He doesn't even tell Harry to drop his own wand, attempt to take him prisoner, or even threaten him.

It is Crabbe, not Draco who says "We're gonna be rewarded...We decided to bring you to 'im." Draco doesn't say anything about his own intentions other than that he wants his wand back - and we certainly know that even in 6th year he didn't trust Crabbe and Goyle, much less now, and thus is unlikely to speak openly in front of them. 

At this point Ron comes to investigate and Crabbe tries to use magic to cause a mountain of debris to fall on Ron and crush him. Harry counters the spell and Draco then grabs Crabbe's arm when he tries to repeat the spell. He gives as his justification the need to avoid the diadem being crushed but since we know he doesn't trust Crabbe it's likely this isn't truthful. Especially since Voldemort has not said anything about wanting the diadem (and even if it wasn't a Horcrux it likely wouldn't be damaged in any case).

Crabbe points out this very thing and Draco argues with him at which point Crabbe says "Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your dad are finished." So arguably he was not even including Draco in the "We" he imagined would be rewarded. Crabbe then tries to use Crucio on Harry.

Draco then again intervenes and tries to stop him. 

"STOP" Malfoy shouted at Crabbe, his voice echoing through the enormous room. "The Dark Lord wants him alive--"  

He doesn't even just say it. He shouts. We rarely see Draco shout. He is someone who generally keeps his deeper emotions hidden - it's why he's so naturally gifted at Occlumency to the point that he is powerful enough at a young age to lie to both Snape and Voldemort.

What he says here doesn't really even make sense because Goyle isn't even trying to kill Harry; he's just trying to hurt him. However Draco is so distressed by this that he actually starts yelling, something we NEVER see him do at ANY other point in the book. "The Dark Lord wants him alive" is also exactly what Snape says to Bellatrix as they flee in book 6, and we know that Snape's real intent was to protect Harry with a believable excuse. It's the only thing Draco could reasonably say in that moment as a justification. 

Crabbe (rather sensibly) points out that 1) he didn't even try to kill Harry and 2) Voldemort ultimately wants Harry dead so it probably doesn't matter that much. This makes perfect sense. And yet Draco is inordinately concerned with preventing harm to Harry & Co rather than with taking any action to capture or even disarm any of them.

Clearly he did not expect to lose control of Crabbe and Goyle like this and as a result is now losing control of the situation (and himself). (Unlike Harry, Draco is more of a planner and is not as good at reacting in the moment.) Also the possibility that Harry could be killed seems to drive him nearly to the point of hysteria - rather like how Ron reacted to Hermione being in mortal peril at the Manor. This is not just a general aversion to killing. This is something more. He finds the idea of Harry dying truly unbearable. (I don't need my ships to be canon; this one just happens to be.)

At this point they start fighting and Draco loses Narcissa's wand. Wandless, he STILL tries to intervene. Crabbe and Goyle are both aiming their wands at Harry and Draco once again starts yelling -  "Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" and is obviously in significant distress and is not at all happy with what is going on. 

After that the Fiendfyre gets loose and the rest of the scene goes down without much dialogue.

At NO POINT does Draco 1) actually say he wants to hand Harry to Voldemort OR  2) attempt to attack Harry or Ron or Hermione at all OR 3) use his Dark Mark to call Voldemort OR 4) tell anyone he's seen Harry after they get out of the Room of Requirement - even in a later scene when he's been cornered by a Death Eater who is considering killing him he doesn't reveal this information even though that probably would've proven his loyalty or at the very least distracted the Death Eater.

Conclusions about Draco's motivations:

So, where does that leave us? What went down there and what was Draco trying to do?

We really have 3 options.

Option 1: Draco tried to hand Harry over to Voldemort in order to save himself and his family, got cold feet and couldn't really go through with it, and then lost control of the situation due to Crabbe and Goyle's changing loyalties. 

Verdict: Possible but unlikely given the remarkably bad job he does of it and how inconsistent his approach is with his usual MO. Even if we assume his heart wasn't in it you'd think he'd at least have got as far as disarming Harry before announcing his presence. Especially since Harry almost killed him last time they fought (and Draco probably doesn't know Harry didn't know what the Sectum Sempra curse would do.)

And if his heart WAS in it then then this makes even less sense since he not only didn't attack Harry while his back was turned but also didn't call Voldemort or even inform anyone that he'd seen Harry. 

Option 2:  Draco wanted to get himself captured in a way that looked convincing so that he could take the chance Dumbledore offered in 6th year, only it went quite badly wrong.

Verdict: This would be an interesting possibility but I think it's also unlikely as it's simply too risky. He doesn't know Harry was there on the astronomy tower or that Harry would make the same offer. His family would also likely be murdered if Voldemort realized this had happened.  

Option 3: Draco wanted to cut a deal in order to improve his family's situation without actually handing Harry over - perhaps he hoped for some kind of exchange where he could get his wand back and bring Voldemort the diadem as some kind of consolation prize - but overestimated his control over his cronies and lost control of the situation. 

Verdict: I actually think this works best given his behavior during the scene. He initiates a conversation because he wants information about what and where the diadem is (and what value it would have to Voldemort) and because he wants to make some offer along the lines of 'give me my wand and the diadem and we'll let you go.' This could get him what he wants and help his family without actually harming anyone.

Also it hedges his bets a bit because if Harry wins he will owe Draco. The problem of course is that Crabbe and Goyle aren't happy to just take orders anymore and have their own goals. At that point, instead of caving and going along with what Crabbe and Goyle want to do instead, Draco actually tries to intervene, albeit in a way that doesn't actually expose him as questioning Voldemort.  

Draco made his choice at the Manor. If he wanted to hand Harry over he would have. But he couldn't. He cares about him too much. But he also feels tremendous guilt and fear over the price he and his family are still paying for that decision. This is his attempt to try to fix things - to try to find a middle ground between the conflicting imperatives that are tearing him apart. The reality though, as he shortly discovers, is that there is no middle ground. And when he sees that, once again he chooses Harry.

We've reached it! The taking of the Hawthorne wand. One of the best moments in the book. And also one of the darryest.

Harry doesn't disarm Draco with magic. He physically takes the wands from him. But Draco never even tries to shoot a spell at Harry which he could easily have done since he's literally holding the wands while Harry is trying to pull them out of his grip. I think in that moment Draco doesn't lose; he surrenders.

At first he puts up a fight because it's his instinct and he because he knows that it's what he's supposed to do and because Voldemort's punishment for letting Harry escape will be so awful and Draco's so, so scared of what will happen to him and to his family. So he tries to fight back but he just can't. He can't hurt Harry. He can't be the one to stop him from escaping.

Because he loves him. Yes Draco wants Voldemort to fail. But I think that alone isn't enough to motivate him to risk so much and to offer so completely his loyalty and his power. It's love that makes him do it.

And so he gives in. He lets Harry take everything - lets him go, lets him escape, lets him take Draco's own wand. And that's why the wand feels so friendly. Not just because Harry won it. Not just because since Draco and Harry are so compatible, Draco's wand is compatible with Harry. (Though there's some hella drarry implications there already). But ALSO because Draco WANTED Harry to have the wand and felt loyalty for him and cared for him. And so the wand reflected that.

Also I'd like to note that at no point does Draco try to grab the wands back while Harry is distracted attacking Greyback. And in turn Harry never attacks Draco once he's got the wand.

And maybe Draco regrets what he did as he suffers Voldemort's wrath and thinks he and his whole family are going to die in agony and curses his own weakness. But it's done. And somewhere inside he's probably glad of that - glad that he can't go back on his decision now.

There's so much drarry content to comment on in this passage I hardly even know where to start.

1) Harry's animosity is all for Snape. The only time we really see him feel true anger towards Draco is at the end of 4th year. Otherwise he's rarely deeply angry at him. It would certainly be unsurprising if Harry blamed Draco for what happened, even if Snape struck the killing blow. But he doesn't. Quite the opposites in fact. He feels sympathy for Draco's plight and actively worries about him. Because he knows Draco so well that he can see right through him to the kind of person he really is - not a willing acolyte of Voldemort. And because Harry is drawn to and cares about Draco a lot more than his is willing to acknowledge, even to himself...

2) The thing Harry picks that he still blames Draco for is...his infatuation with the Dark Arts. Not his role in Dumbledore's death. Not anything he's ever done to Harry. Harry's nice but he's not usually THIS forgiving. Certainly not with people he doesn't care about or dislikes... And for all that Harry claims to dislike Draco he spends an awful lot of time worrying about him. Both here and in later passages as well as in book 7. In this section of book 6 he also claims Crabbe and Goyle look "lonely" without Draco but given the interactions we see between them in book 7 it's pretty unlikely they miss him so if anyone misses Draco and feels like his presence is something that has always been part of his life and that it's strange with out him...it's probably Harry.

3) It's also notable that even though Draco only had the chance to lower his wand a little bit Harry is utterly sure he wouldn't have killed Dumbledore. And instead of thinking about how Draco missed his chance to come back to the Light and now will fall deeper into the Dark, he worries about what Voldemort is "making" him do. Thus accepting that any further acts Draco carries out on Voldemort's behalf are against his will. He really understands Draco. And cares about his welfare. A lot more than an enemy or casual acquaintance would.

4) As an aside, it's also pretty hilarious that Harry's like 'Draco Malfoy? No I haven't thought about him much' *proceeds to spend an entire paragraph thinking about him and worrying if he's ok and then brings him up again a few paragraphs later*

When Harry witnesses Draco being forced to torture Rowle, he is extremely upset. Much more so than he typically is about these visions. There are a lot of very drarry implications. Let's break it down.

"Malfoy’s gaunt, petrified face seemed branded on the inside of his eyes. Harry felt sickened by what he had seen, by the use to which Draco was now being put by Voldemort.”

Notable points from this passage:

1) Harry understands Draco so well that he immediately takes for granted that he doesn't want to be using the Cruciatus curse. It never even crosses his mind to take this as evidence that Draco is now a willing torturer who enjoys cruelty or that he deserves to be in this situation for having chosen the wrong side and for his role in Dumbledore's death.

Nor does Harry think Draco is just scared and upset because he's afraid Voldemort might lash out at him too - which is what Harry would think if he saw any other Death Eater acting afraid around Voldemort. He clearly sees that Draco is horrified by the acts he is being forced to commit. And he also completely accepts that it is Voldemort forcing Draco to commit these acts, thus absolving Draco of responsibility.

2) Harry is DEEPLY upset by seeing Draco in this position. More upset than he ever is about seeing any other Death Eater being terrorized or hurt by Voldemort (Harry doesn't even spare one thought for Rowle for example!) Not only that. He's also more upset than he is about seeing Ollivander tortured. Or about seeing Voldemort murder a woman and her children later on while searching for information about Gregorovitch. He finds those visions alarming but he shakes them off pretty quickly.

The only comparable strong reactions are how he responds to his visions of Arthur Weasley and Sirius in book 5 - i.e. visions of people he knows and cares about in danger and suffering. And it's not even the scene as a whole that upsets him. It's specifically Draco - whose frightened face seems "branded" on the inside of Harry's eyes. Harry can't get the vision out of his head, feels sickened, and fights to keep his voice casual afterward. Even though Draco wasn't even actively being hurt.

So canonically Draco matters to Harry in a way that almost all other people don't. It's not generic nobility that gives Harry sympathy even for an enemy - because he doesn't feel this way about other Death Eaters. And it's not general pity that Harry would feel for any innocent hurt by Voldemort - because he doesn't feel that way about victims like Ollivander or the children Voldemort killed. It's the type of reaction Harry ONLY has to people he deeply cares about suffering or being in danger. Harry may not think of it that way on an intellectual level. But his heart knows it even if his brain doesn't. He cares about Draco Malfoy. A lot. He cares about him more than he cares about almost anyone else.

3) Also notable. Harry starts out referring to him as Malfoy but then switches to thinking of him as Draco as he starts worrying about him. (Yes. The drarry trope of Harry switching from "Malfoy" to "Draco" literally happens. IN CANON.) And he keeps thinking of him as Draco after that point. The next time Draco is referred to is during the whole sequence where the Golden Trio are prisoners at the Manor. Harry refers to Lucius by his full name multiple times, but consistently refers to Draco as "Draco" rather than "Malfoy" in his internal narration.

4) (Also the fact that Draco's face is described as "gaunt" hits me right in the feels. It seems that he's in worse shape even than he was when Harry last saw him at the end of 6th year. Sad but not surprising given the guilt that is probably eating at him over his role in Dumbledore's death, what he is now being forced to do as a Death Eater, and the very tangible dangers and suffering that come with being out of favor with Voldemort while having him in your house.)

Tldr: I don't need my ships to be canon but drarry is. jkr who? ;)

People say Harry's oblivious and unobservant but that's not true at all. It's just that he completely tunes out things he doesn't care about. If he's not interested in a topic or a person he ignores them. When he thinks something is interesting or important he's actually hyper observant and incredibly perceptive.

It's why he notices everything about Draco from his appearance to his moods to what kinds of packages he gets from home but Harry didn't even get the names of Theodore Nott or Zacharias Smith till 5th year. It's why he remembers every story and stray comment that comes out of Draco's mouth and why in sixth year he remembers what Draco looked at in a shop 4 years ago but can barely name a single thing said in his History of Magic class.

Harry only pays attention to things that matter to him. And Draco is indisputably one of those things.

Drarry: Draco getting slapped by an ex death eater. So hard it leaves a red mark on his face and tears appear in his eyes.

Harry Potter pushing his sleeves up, master of death vibes coursing through him: You just made a big mistake. Huge.

I mean. That practically happened in canon. Remember this bit in book 7?

I think the best part is how when Parvati is dueling Dolohov, Harry's all 'wish i could help everyone but we have a mission to do' but as soon as Draco is in trouble (or rather MIGHT be in trouble because he's not even actively being hurt) Harry not only stops to help him but also shoots a Stunner from under the cloak, which could've revealed him and Ron & Hermione and jeopardized their whole mission.

But. You know. When Draco's in trouble Harry puts everything else on hold.

Canon is wild.

in the bathroom scene what are the spells that harry and draco used on each other? truthfully i only remember crucio and sectumsempra but i vaguely remember that they actually dueled before those two spells

We don't know exactly. Draco attacks first with what Harry describes as a hex and his next spell is a nonverbal spell that destroys a sink. Harry tries Levicorpus (shout out to Draco for being a good enough dueler to block a nonverbal spell - especially from Harry given that Harry has VERY fast reflexes and is a deadly dueler) and then a leg-locker curse. Interestingly, not only is Harry clearly NOT trying to hurt Draco (or even come close, since he's using much milder spells than Draco is) but also both the spells he tries are things that would restrain Draco but not incapacitate him in any way, thus allowing Harry to speak to him.

Obviously it doesn't work out. Draco completely loses it and attempts to use an Unforgivable - the only time he ever tries one of those spells out of anger (not sure it would've actually worked tho) but before he can finish casting Harry tries the first thing he can think of - Sectumsempra - with deadly but very clearly unintended results.

Also once again shoutout to the fact that Harry witnesses Draco 1) saying some hugely incriminating things and 2) attempting to use an illegal curse that carries a lifetime prison sentence and says...nothing about it to any authorities. Given that Lucius is already in jail and out of favor by that point he could've quite possibly gotten Draco expelled or even jailed if he reported his attempted use of an Unforgivable. But he doesn't. Instead he backs off. He puts Draco's safety and happiness above stopping him from whatever it is he's trying to do because he is so deeply affected by seeing Draco cry and by having almost killed him.

I think it speaks to his special regard for Draco because I can't imagine him reacting that way to a duel with Crabbe or Goyle or Snape or any other Death Eater.

every time i think book 6 can't get any drarryer i go back thru it and notice something else. just noticed this bit where harry is canonically able to recognize the sound of draco's footsteps.

it could've just as easily been snape walking towards the door. but harry doesn't need to wait for the door to open to know whether it's snape or draco who is walking out. just a split second of hearing draco's particular gait is enough for him to recognize it.

lmao love how in the fiendfyre scene Ron is so desperately trying to convince Harry to not die for Draco and Harry is not having it.

Ron just like 'oh no. not his Malfoy thing. not NOW. I hate my life.'

What even is this bit lol?

Harry: I hate when my friends are in danger.

Harry when Draco's in trouble: ... but it's a risk we have to take.

The fact that this is canon is WILD.

Harry: *a full paragraph of thoughts about Draco*

Ron: *practically in tears* Please. Now is not the time. Can you at least introspect about him when were are not LITERALLY IN A ROOM THAT IS ON FIRE?! PLEASE????

Harry: Where's Draco? Burning to death is such a terrible way to go. I can't bear it. I must find him.

Ron: Remember me and Hermione? Your best friends in the whole world? WHO ARE CURRENTLY ALSO ABOUT TO BURN TO DEATH IF YOU DON'T LEAVE?!?!

And then he finds Draco holding Goyle who's unconscious and he just tries to grab Draco and ignores Goyle. Even though it would make sense to help the unconscious person first. Goyle probably only lives because Draco won't let go of him so finally Ron and Hermione come and get him so that Draco can get on Harry's broom.

Ron & Hermione must be so Done by that point.

I've talked about the "Malfoy stood to one side, the sunlight gleaming on his white-blond head" bit before. But it's even funnier in context because Harry literally spends a paragraph describing the rest of the Slytherin team in very uncomplimentary ways - comparing a player to Dudley (who he hates), saying they look stupid, likening one player's forearms to "hairy hams" etc. And then he gets to Malfoy and drops that line. I mean, look at it:

It's literally like: "The rest of the team was ugly and stupid. Except for Draco Malfoy, who stood apart, haloed in a beam of sunlight that illuminated his beautiful gleaming blond hair." The way Harry's brain sees Draco versus everyone else is just...so telling.

And of course Draco's looking right back and making eye contact and smirking at Harry. Yeah he's doing it because he's smug about the "Weasley Is Our King" badges (which you know he only made because 1) he's insanely jealous that Harry chose Ron over him and 2) he knows going after Harry's friends is the best way to get a rise out of him) but also he and Harry just orbit each other so much. For the first 5 books Draco's whole life revolves around getting attention from Harry. They are both just constantly so aware of each other. Fic has nothing on canon.

So it seems that not only did Harry shift blame away from Draco in book 6 in the immediate aftermath of Dumbledore's death (x) but apparently based on this bit from book 7 it looks like when Ministry officials arrived he didn't implicate Draco at all and instead only gave evidence about Snape's guilt despite the fact that he heard Draco confess to a number of crimes.

The lengths he goes to to shield Draco are actually wild. Guess all our headcanons where he testifies on Draco's behalf don't go far enough lol.

Fanon Harry: Yes Draco made terrible mistakes but he shouldn't go to Azkaban because if you look at the whole context it's clear he was coerced and didn't want to do it and subsequently changed his mind and even risked his life to save mine so he deserves a second chance.

Canon Harry: Idk what you all are talking about. I was on the Astronomy Tower the night Dumbledore died and I only saw Snape. And sure someone Imperiused Rosmerta and made her pass on poisoned mead and a cursed necklace but anyone could've done that. If we had a witness who overheard the perpetrator confess their guilt then we'd know. But. Sadly. We don't. :)

Draco sitting in his own trial listening to Harry's version of events:

THIS BIT. THIS BIT THO. Because remember, this is from BEFORE Harry even lands on his "Malfoy is a Death Eater” theory. Like. He hasn't even figured it out yet. But he still spends the entire last week of his VACATION thinking about Draco.

He's in denial though. Obviously he's not obsessed with Draco. No. Draco is just objectively a fascinating topic. And therefore it's totally rational to be annoyed that Ron and Hermione don't want to take part in the perfectly normal hobby of discussing Draco Malfoy 24/7. How dare they?

I just know that after drarry finally happens someone asks Ron if seeing the two of them together feels weird and Ron's like 'honestly it was weirder when they weren't together.'

Can we talk about the scene where Draco gets dragged into Slughorn's party by Filch? Because that whole sequence is honestly wild from a drarry pov.

Draco of course was lurking around doing stuff for his mission - presumably he was on his way to the Room of Requirement. (Or else he wanted to steal supplies from Slughorn's office and forgot about the party).

Of course, he can't admit that so he says he was trying to gatecrash and it backfires a bit because Slughorn invites him to stay, which is the opposite of what he wants. No one else notices this though, except for Harry who sees how he really feels despite the fact that the fleeting look on his face is just there for a fraction of a second. Look at this.

Harry immediately can tell exactly how Draco's feeling despite the fact that the look is gone so fast even he barely has time to register it. It must've literally been a millisecond that the look was on Draco's face. But that was enough for Harry.

And then of course this bit is immediately followed by Harry immediately noticing that's Draco's skin is a slightly different shade than usual - a fact that NO ONE else seems to pick up on, indicating it's a very subtle change. AND the lighting level is low.

AND THEN Harry is able to recognize the sound of Draco's footsteps in seconds.

Drarry is so accidentally canon. I love it. HBP is one of my favorite drarry fics.

Time to discuss drarry moment number 923074037286 in HBP. I think it's really notable how in the aftermath of Dumbledore's death Harry not only canonically doesn't feel angry at Draco at all despite feeling murderous rage towards Snape, but actually goes out of his way to recount events in a way that shifts blame away from Draco as much as possible.

First, Tonks asks how Dumbledore died and we get this bit:

"Snape killed him," said Harry. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was . . . Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak -- and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him--" Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron groaned. Luna's mouth trembled. "-- more Death Eaters arrived -- and then Snape -- and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra."

Harry says there was a trap but doesn't mention anything about it having been a trap planned and set by Draco.

He uses passive, distancing language that doesn't even make it clear whose footsteps they heard on the stairs or under what circumstances Draco disarmed Dumbledore.

He doesn't mention anything about Draco having been assigned to kill Dumbledore, and almost makes it sound like he could've just happened on them and disarmed Dumbledore as a reflex or even in self defense.

And then he doesn't say that Draco held Dumbledore there at bay for a while, instead leaving it ambiguous as to whether the other Death Eaters arrived right away on Draco's heels.

And that's it. That's all he says. He puts all the focus and blame on Snape. Only several pages later when McGonagall asks how the Death Eaters got in does Harry even explain about the Vanishing Cabinets. Specifically the text says:

[H]e explained, briefly, about the pair of Vanishing Cabinets and the magical pathway they formed.

Again we see the same passive, distancing language that we saw when Harry mentioned "footsteps" on the stairs but didn't clearly say whose. It says he explained about the cabinets rather than something like "he explained about Malfoy's treachery and his plan to use the pair of Vanishing Cabinets to let Death Eaters into the school."

Harry directs the focus away from Draco and Draco's intent and involvement. I'm not sure this is even on a conscious level. His words are mimicking what his mind and his emotions are doing.

When someone asks what Snape shouted to the other Death Eaters as he ran past we get this:

"He shouted, 'It's over,'" said Harry. "He'd done what he'd meant to do."

Harry says he'd done what he - Snape - meant to do. Not what Draco had meant to do. Or what they'd planned together. So once again we see that Harry avoids blaming Draco or even revealing his full role in what happened.

And then, most interestingly, not till later when he's alone with McGonagall does he reveal that Rosmerta is being controlled. And the way he recounts it is REALLY striking.

"There's one thing you should know before the Ministry gets here, though. Madam Rosmerta's under the Imperius Curse, she was helping Malfoy and the Death Eaters, that's how the necklace and the poisoned mead--"

Again the use of passive language. He says that she is under the Imperius Curse rather than that Draco put her under the Imperius curse. In fact, he avoids directly blaming Draco at all. Harry merely says that she has been put under the Imperius curse by someone and that she was forced to pass on the necklace and the poisoned mead, leaving it ambiguous who cursed her and on whose orders she did those things, thus shielding Draco from blame.

He only brings up Draco to say that Rosmerta had been helping him and the Death Eaters rather than that it was Draco specifically who was controlling her. Given that the use of an Unforgivable Curse carries a life sentence in Azkaban this phrasing is certainly interesting. And it means that if Rosmerta did not see who originally cursed her, she might not be able to say who forced her to help Draco or possibly even whose idea it was to send the necklace and the mead into the school. That would make Harry the only witness who could prove Draco's guilt, and seemingly he doesn't want to do that.

Also. Draco IS a Death Eater. Harry's known it since the beginning of the year. And yet he says "Malfoy and the Death Eaters," because without even realizing it, he mentally puts Draco in a different category.

And then the next time Harry thinks of Malfoy is when he's looking towards where Draco usually sits and thinking about how Crabbe and Goyle look "lonely" without him even though given the tensions between them that we see in books 6 and 7 it's almost certain that they don't miss him at all. It seems much more likely that Harry is actually projecting his own feelings. In this context we get this bit of internal narration:

His animosity was all for Snape, but he had not forgotten the fear in Malfoy's voice on that tower top, nor the fact that he had lowered his wand before the other Death Eaters arrived.

I mean just what? All? ALL of his animosity? Draco is the one who let Death Eaters into the castle. He disarmed Dumbledore, thus (seemingly) enabling Snape to kill him. He also got Bill permanently maimed (though he didn't intend for that to happen).

If Harry simply felt nothing for Draco but dislike I don't think these circumstances would put him in the best mindset to start empathizing with him. Harry has a temper. You'd think he'd disregard all the extenuating circumstances and blame Draco for Dumbledore's death too.

I mean this is some of his narration about Snape, for example:

"So when he arrived at the fight, he joined in on the Death Eaters' side?" asked Harry, who wanted every detail of Snape's duplicity and infamy, feverishly collecting more reasons to hate him, to swear vengeance.

But no. That's not how he feels about Draco at all. In fact after thinking about how his animosity is all for Snape and dwelling with pity and concern on how afraid Draco looked and how he had lowered his wand, Harry actually starts wondering where Draco is and worrying about him and about what Voldemort is "making" him do now.

Because despite their rivalry, there's more between Harry and Draco than simple dislike. Harry understands him deeply. And he's immediately ready to sympathize with him and to protect him.

For all that they are stranded on opposite sides of a brewing war, they also have things in common. Harry is drawn to Draco and he cares about him. He knows Draco isn't a murderer and he can't bring himself to even pretend to hate him anymore. He just wants him to be safe.

WAIT WHAT. the spouse-ification of chloe?? omg i never noticed this in canon?? PLS expand!!!

@tumblingxelian this is your topic go crazy 🫡

Adrien dropping hints again that he is Chat Noir and also wanting Marinette’s attention

i miss the miraculous ig content ☹️ so many cute interactions and pictures

adrien liking marinette’s comment (now deleted) on alya’s post with lila is still the funniest sht

Stuff I learned from the Miraculous Instagram and the wiki's guide on it:

Marinette is a Keysmasher.

2. Nino is probably a Soundcloud Rapper.

3. Kagami does not go to the same school as Marinette and the gang.