It is possible, however, that at eleven years of age Draco was spoiled rotten by both parents and little was expected of him, but as he grew older Lucius decided it was time for him to assume more responsibility and started putting the pressure on.
Or, even more likely, that Draco at eleven was happily living up to expectations, but that things changed as he got older, stronger in his own self-image, and as rebellious as a typical teen. His parents may very well smile indulgently at his thinking he can boss them around when he's just a kid; they'd probably feel quite differently about it when he reached the verge of adulthood. But I do think he'd continue to do his best to use them and get everything he could out of them; I don't see him rebelling by going on anti-Voldemort protest marches or joining the wizarding equivalent of the Peace Corps. There'd be a considerable amount of "you can't tell me what to do," though -- which, given what we do know about Lucius from canon, could lead to some pretty forceful measures of control, though not necessarily physically violent ones.
As far as "Draco would have been a nicer person if" -- that's impossible to theorize. His inheritance is genetic as well as environmental. Many Draco-centered fics end up removing his father and/or mother from the picture either completely or partially, but unless you go AU and make that happen before his personality is really formed, it's unlikely to make him a "nice" person overnight. I suspect he will always be an opportunistic, manipulative brat -- though just possibly one who could be used in the service of good in some way.
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Date: 2003-05-18 05:28 am (UTC)Or, even more likely, that Draco at eleven was happily living up to expectations, but that things changed as he got older, stronger in his own self-image, and as rebellious as a typical teen. His parents may very well smile indulgently at his thinking he can boss them around when he's just a kid; they'd probably feel quite differently about it when he reached the verge of adulthood. But I do think he'd continue to do his best to use them and get everything he could out of them; I don't see him rebelling by going on anti-Voldemort protest marches or joining the wizarding equivalent of the Peace Corps. There'd be a considerable amount of "you can't tell me what to do," though -- which, given what we do know about Lucius from canon, could lead to some pretty forceful measures of control, though not necessarily physically violent ones.
As far as "Draco would have been a nicer person if" -- that's impossible to theorize. His inheritance is genetic as well as environmental. Many Draco-centered fics end up removing his father and/or mother from the picture either completely or partially, but unless you go AU and make that happen before his personality is really formed, it's unlikely to make him a "nice" person overnight. I suspect he will always be an opportunistic, manipulative brat -- though just possibly one who could be used in the service of good in some way.
Erica