Narcissa Malfoy, Femme Fatale, Loving Mother or Manticore? Or all 3? |
 Apr 27 2007, 10:46 AM
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Shopping the sales rack at Madam Malkins  Posts: 2,547 Joined: 4:26pm August 4, 2005    |
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do any more!”
Narcissa Malfoy: the attractive wife of the Death Eater, Lucius, youngest sister of Voldemort’s former favourite, Bellatrix and proud mother of Draco, Harry’s nemesis. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince we apparently see a different woman, a mother who is desperate to save her son. But do we really? I think that she is still a true Slytherin, “those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.” Just because she is a protective mother that does not make her a saint. (And more of the manticore later!) A Femme Fatale is defined as an irresistibly attractive woman, especially one who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations. Narcissa certainly fits that description! "His mother was blonde, too; tall and slim, she would have been nice looking if she hadn’t been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose." Our first meeting with Narcissa Malfoy, née Black, is hardly an auspicious one. She is undeniably proud and haughty, a total snob. She is described as being tall, slim, beautiful and blonde, four superficially-attractive qualities, as befits someone named after the mythical Narcissus, a vain being who was so entranced by his own beautiful reflection in a pool of water that he wasted away. Like Narcissus, her attitude is extremely unattractive. What else do we know about Mrs Malfoy? In many respects she is very similar to Petunia Dursley, who is also thin, blonde, proud and snobbish. (the description in book 1, not the film version!) Like Petunia, Narcissa sends parcels of sweets to her only son and turns a blind eye to his bullying behaviour, refusing to see him as he really is. Sirius described her as making a “respectable marriage,” much as Petunia married respectable, boring Vernon, the epitome of Muggleness. Narcissa and her husband like to move in the best circles, donating money to St Mungo’s hospital and hobnobbing with the Minister for Magic at the Quidditch World Cup, which is on a par with the Dursleys social climbing, boasting to the neighbours about their new car, or wanting to buy a villa in Spain. Narcissa is a woman in denial, both about her son and about her husband’s Death-Eater pursuits. She is well aware of Lucius’ nefarious activities. Indeed, she is actively involved in some of them, giving Kreacher his instructions to lure Harry into the trap at the MoM in book 5, yet she clings to this faux-respectability, pretending to be of superior status, a pure-blood witch. She fires up when Bella blames Lucius for the Ministry fiasco, yet I can imagine her thinking similar thoughts herself, she threatens Bella because she is feeling guilty - she seems to blame everyone but herself. She married a DE - what did she expect any children of hers were going to do, become Aurors? We know that she insisted on Draco attending Hogwarts, not Durmstrang School as his father wanted. Where Draco is concerned, Narcissa’s word is law in the Malfoy household, another trait she shares with Mrs Dursley, as shown in Order of the Phoenix when Petunia insists that Harry stays at 4, Privet Drive, despite opposition from Vernon. We have our longest encounter with her in book 6, when she tries to use 'any means' to persuade Snape to murder Dumbledore, including seduction (oh yes!), emotional blackmail and eventually forcing Snape into the UV (thanks to the presence of her sister Bella, her 'secret weapon'), deliberately endangering Snape's life, hardly the actions of a friend. The whole manoeuvering of Snape and Narcissa in this chapter reminded me of those arachnids, scorpions, mating. It’s good to know those hours of zoology lectures weren’t totally wasted! QUOTE from Wikipedia: The courtship starts with the male grasping the female’s pedipalps with his own; the pair then performs a "dance" called the "promenade à deux". In reality this is the male leading the female around searching for a suitable place to deposit his spermatophore. When he has identified a suitable location, he deposits the spermatophore and then guides the female over it. Frequently described as holding Narcissa’s hands, keeping her at arms length, "Snape stooped, seized her by the arms, lifted her up and steered her back on to the sofa" It’s a promenade à deux! A scorpion dance, with Severus desperate to avoid the sting in the tail. Alas, Narcissa pounced when Snape said it might be possible to help Draco, making him agree to the Unbreakable Vow. Inevitably, she stings him, as she physically-stung her sister with the knife-like spell at the beginning of the chapter, forcing him to promise to do “the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform". Narcissa Malfoy is strongly implicated in the death of Sirius Black and her last act was to threaten Harry in Madam Malkin's shop. I actually think she will prove to be more of a manticore, a blue-eyed, human-faced monster with a scorpion’s tail, a real man-eater! So does anyone else agree with me? -------------------- "My idea of good company, Mr Elliott, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"You are mistaken," said he gently, "that is not good company, that is the best." Persuasion by Jane Austen |
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Apr 27 2007, 11:08 AM
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Getting Fitted for New Dress Robes Posts: 44 Joined: 8:18pm March 23, 2007 Location: a little town in oregon |
I'm kind of torn. I can totally see what you are saying and agree that she will use any means to save her son. But that may be what JKR was trying to show us. Most mothers would do anything for their children, look at Lily, she gave her life for her son. I think Narcissa would do the same if given the opportunity. Maybe this was just the beginning of her realizing that LV's way isn't the best way and she may decide to distance herself.
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Apr 27 2007, 11:33 AM
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Terrortours Travel Agent Posts: 6,828 Joined: 12:34pm January 24, 2007 |
QUOTE eventually forcing Snape into the UV (thanks to the presence of her sister Bella, her 'secret weapon') Though Narcissa did not intend to have Bellatrix around, she knew how to turn her presence to an advantage by getting Bellatrix to play her natural position of 'bad cop'. Very cunning. As was the rest of Narcissa's performance. |
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Apr 27 2007, 11:50 AM
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Shopping the sales rack at Madam Malkins Posts: 2,547 Joined: 4:26pm August 4, 2005 |
QUOTE(Oryx @ Apr 27 2007, 05:33 PM) [snapback]1196980[/snapback] QUOTE eventually forcing Snape into the UV (thanks to the presence of her sister Bella, her 'secret weapon') Though Narcissa did not intend to have Bellatrix around, she knew how to turn her presence to an advantage by getting Bellatrix to play her natural position of 'bad cop'. Very cunning. As was the rest of Narcissa's performance. It was definitely a performance Oryx. She's almost as good an actor as Snape! And she certainly didn't intend Bella to be present - she apparated alone - Bella followed her, she wasn't invited. Narcissa ordered her to go back and physically attacked her, then she rushed off ahead - she wanted to be alone with Snape! (Don't we all  ) She would not have chosen to disobey LV under the watchful eyes of his Toady-in-Chief, Wormtail, that makes no sense, so she was expecting Snape to be alone. A married woman turning up alone on a man's doorstep at Midnight  - I know what everyone would think if I did that! That is not an innocent gesture, it definitely hints at sexual intent. Bribery, just as her husband bribes the MoM to get what he wants. Snape has something Narcissa wants, no, not that, even though Lucius is in jail! (she has no real feelings for Severus, this is just a business trasnsaction as far as she is concerned) But she needs Snape's help to save Draco, and only Snape can help, no-one else. So what can she offer him? Well, the guy is practically a monk, with no obvious amorous relationships (that we know of). What about sex? Unfortunately for Narcissa, Bellatrix refuses to go away and follows her in to Snape’s home. With her sister stood glowering in the corner like a disapproving maiden aunt, Cissy has to change her (not very) original, cunning plan, which Bella has killed off as irrevocably as the fox. Initially Narcissa bursts into tears. This is followed by flattery, more tears, then by a very weak argument about how Snape is Draco’s favourite teacher and Lucius’ old friend, note, not his best friend, and nothing about being a friend of either the family generally or of herself specifically. She just does not claim him as her friend. Finally, there is more flannel about how he is the Dark Lord’s favourite. When this doesn’t appear to be working, Narcissa literally throws herself at Snape: Standing up, she staggered to Snape and seized the front of his robes. Her face close to his, her tears falling onto his chest she gasped, “You could do it.” Snape cannot bear this close contact with her, he thrusts her away from him as soon as possible, keeping hold of her hands to keep her at arms length, but ensuring that he can look into her eyes so that he can read her mind. He then forces her back on to the sofa and makes her drink more wine; in vino veritas! His main concern is finding out the truth from Narcissa about what Draco’s task actually is – I think he is lying when he says he has heard of the plan. Does this scene indicate a previous relationship between Severus and Narcissa? I certainly don’t think it does. Narcissa does not refer to any feelings they may have had for each other in the past when she is pleading with him, surely if that was the case she would have mentioned it? It would have been a much stronger argument than the one she eventually used. There is no real tenderness between the two. Snape is quite abrupt with her, picking her up off the floor and making her sit down, away from him. He offers her no comfort, no soothing words or caresses, which he could easily have done even under Bella’s unnerving gaze in those circumstances if he had any genuine feelings for her. Snape and Narcissa have about as much real empathy for each other as Blanche Ingram and Rochester in Jane Eyre! Narcissa’s gestures seem somewhat artificial, exaggerated for effect, an obvious attempt at emotional blackmail. Compare this scene with one of that other distraught mother, Molly Weasley, in the fifth book: “Oh - oh - oh!” gulped Mrs Weasley, and she broke into a storm of crying, her face in her hands. “Molly,” said Lupin bleakly, walking over to her. “Molly, don’t…” Next second, she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin’s shoulder. “Molly, it was just a Boggart,” he said soothingly, patting her on the head." Molly is extremely upset at the thought of what being a member of the Order could mean for her whole family, imagining all of their deaths. The threat to their lives is also very genuine. This is a very natural, unforced scene, no histrionics, between two friends who care about each other and no hint of any kind of ‘relationship’ between the two of them. Molly did not approach Lupin, she wasn’t hoping for anyone to console her. In contrast, Narcissa’s behaviour is highly unusual. She was clearly expecting Snape to voluntarily comfort her because when he didn’t, she took matters into her own hands, making a calculated gesture. This post has been edited by madamros: Apr 27 2007, 11:54 AM -------------------- "My idea of good company, Mr Elliott, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"You are mistaken," said he gently, "that is not good company, that is the best." Persuasion by Jane Austen |
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Apr 27 2007, 12:19 PM
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Terrortours Travel Agent Posts: 6,828 Joined: 12:34pm January 24, 2007 |
I don't think Narcissa and Snape ever had anything approaching a relationship in the past (age difference and social standing would have been in the way), but are you saying Narcissa chose to try to tempt Snape just because he was a man who lived alone and had no known relationships, with no indication of past interest in her? I wonder about Snape's comments to Harry during the Occlumency lessons about fools who proudly wear their hearts on their sleeves and handing weapons to the Dark Lord. Narcissa certainly had a whole arsenal.
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Apr 27 2007, 12:56 PM
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Shopping the sales rack at Madam Malkins Posts: 2,547 Joined: 4:26pm August 4, 2005 |
QUOTE(Oryx @ Apr 27 2007, 06:19 PM) [snapback]1197037[/snapback] I don't think Narcissa and Snape ever had anything approaching a relationship in the past (age difference and social standing would have been in the way), but are you saying Narcissa chose to try to tempt Snape just because he was a man who lived alone and had no known relationships, with no indication of past interest in her? I'm saying that Narcissa needed Snape's help. The only reason she ran to him was that Voldie threatened her son, and he put the idea in her head by emphatically forbidding both sisters to tell anyone (Normally, if Cissy was on her own, she'd have told her DE sister and asked for help, but because Bella was present too, Narcissa is immediately going to wonder who on earth LV had in mind as being someone she could have asked - by forbidding her, LV put the idea straight into her head, he may as well have imperiused her - LV wanted Snape to prove his loyalty) Narcissa has to persuade Snape to help her, somehow. Now she seems to think of him as being a powerful DE (that could be an act, she's certainly 'flattering him to deceive' him - is that in Pilgrim's Progress?). Death-Eaters are not renowned for their altruistic tendencies, to put it mildly. 'What's in it for me?' is their guiding philosophy - so why should Snape help her? How does her husband Lucius persuade people to do his bidding? The first time, in CoS, he used blackmail, threatening to harm the Governors' families unless they got rid of DD as Headmaster. The second time he used bribery - in Order of the Phoenix Arthur Weasley tells Harry about Lucius’ habit of “giving generously to all sorts of things for years…then he can ask favours,” as Mr Malfoy is observed with a pocketful of gold, conversing quietly with Cornelius Fudge. Which of these approaches is more likely to work with Severus? I cannot imagine Narcissa blackmailing him with threats; Snape is an extremely powerful wizard who has no obvious emotional ties. So, bribery it is. Again, I cannot imagine that Snape would be easily bribable with money, what would he do with all of it? He just doesn't seem the type to have a huge amount of interest in money, does he? What else could Narcissa bribe him with? What about with her body. It should be easy for a woman of Narcissa’s charms to tempt him, or so she thinks, vain woman that she is. Like Blanche Ingram in Jane Eyre, she is using Snape, she has no real interest in him, she isn't attracted to him, she just needs his help, and she'll do anything to make him help her. If she has to sleep with him, fine, she will. She's planning on using herself as the bait but is forced to use emotional blackmail by Bella's unwanted presence - she uses Draco as the bait for the UV, yet it's a Vow that goes beyond protecting her son and with the insertion of the final clause implies that, for her, Dumbledore’s death is all-important. Once Snape has agreed to the ‘soft’ version, she stings him with the death-contract in the final clause, one which means the end for either Dumbledore or Snape, as we find out later. I find her actions in this scene to be highly manipulative and duplicitous. The original wording Narcissa uses is “Would you look after him, see he comes to no harm?[…] if you are there to protect him…” There is nothing in that plea that mentions having to carry out Draco's task for him! QUOTE I wonder about Snape's comments to Harry during the Occlumency lessons about fools who proudly wear their hearts on their sleeves and handing weapons to the Dark Lord. Narcissa certainly had a whole arsenal.  She certainly does!
This post has been edited by madamros: Apr 27 2007, 12:58 PM -------------------- "My idea of good company, Mr Elliott, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"You are mistaken," said he gently, "that is not good company, that is the best." Persuasion by Jane Austen |
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 Apr 27 2007, 01:39 PM
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Buying a Half-Kneazle Posts: 530 Joined: 3:09pm February 8, 2006 Location: Getting a tetanus jab. Ouch, those scratches hurt! |
She definitely lured Snape into something he never intended to do. And I like the idea of Bella as self-chosen chaperonne - as if Bella guessed what Narcissa was up to. I wonder if Narcissa would have been able to lure Snape into the unbreakable vow if she would have been alone. (I'm ignoring the presence of Wormtail completely here.)
Even though things initially didn't work out as she planned, she completely achieved her goal to protect Draco from harm. |
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Apr 27 2007, 03:12 PM
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Shopping the sales rack at Madam Malkins Posts: 2,547 Joined: 4:26pm August 4, 2005 |
QUOTE(Domoor @ Apr 27 2007, 07:39 PM) [snapback]1197155[/snapback] She definitely lured Snape into something he never intended to do. And I like the idea of Bella as self-chosen chaperonne - as if Bella guessed what Narcissa was up to. I wonder if Narcissa would have been able to lure Snape into the unbreakable vow if she would have been alone. (I'm ignoring the presence of Wormtail completely here.) If Bella guessed what Narcissa was intending, she certainly didn't react to Narcissa literally throwing herself at Snape. (Where's the shocked protestation? I think she was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she wasn't paying much attention to Narcissa's behaviour, she was just reacting to the words spoken) Bella is quite selfish and doesn't seem very good at putting herself in someone else's shoes. She wouldn't have hesitated to turn up on Snape's doorstep at whatever time of day or night if she wanted to, she wouldn't have thought anything of it, she's a DE, in Voldemort's inner circle (or was until recently), she can do what she likes! But there would have been no hidden agenda with Bella - as I argued in my essay, she is very honest. I don't think the thought occured to Bella at the time that this was highly suspect behaviour. She was trying to protect her sister and herself from Voldemort's wrath (she thought Snape would betray them) Most of us lesser mortals would balk at turning up on a man's doorstep at Midnight - firstly we'd worry about our reputations (what will the neighbours think? scandalous!) secondly there's what will hubby think, and thirdly that's high risk behaviour - Narcissa doesn't know Snape very well, he's very powerful both magically and physically, and there's a real potential for rape (I'm not saying that Snape is a rapist, just that Narcissa cannot take that risk). This is no panic-reaction - Narcissa has had time to discuss the situation with her sister - she's been home (or to Bella's hideout, since I imagine the Aurors keep an eye on Malfoy Manor) since leaving LV's lair, drank a firewhisky or two (after an encounter like that with LV, she'd need a stiff drink  ) and raged at her sister for a couple of hours. She's had time to think of a plan.Bella is certainly acting as a chaperone, one that Narcissa was desperately trying to get rid of. I agree, Wormtail's presence wouldn't have mattered - the two of them would have been left alone in the sitting room! (A situation thousands of adoring female fans would be extremely jealous of - including me )QUOTE Even though things initially didn't work out as she planned, she completely achieved her goal to protect Draco from harm. Absolutely! though she seems to have gone all out to ensure that DD was murdered. She originally asked Snape to keep an eye on Draco, to protect him from harm - this is what Snape agreed to. Once she had him bound with a couple of glowing cords of the UV, she pounced with the final, lethal clause (Snape really should have read the small print!) She had no need to do that, the first two sections should have ensured Draco's safety. -------------------- "My idea of good company, Mr Elliott, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"You are mistaken," said he gently, "that is not good company, that is the best." Persuasion by Jane Austen |
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Apr 27 2007, 03:25 PM
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Terrortours Travel Agent Posts: 6,828 Joined: 12:34pm January 24, 2007 |
And Bellatrix's presence prevented Snape from pulling the 'agreeing to this would be disobedient to the Dark Lord' card. Had Narcissa been alone with Snape, how would she have reacted to that?
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Apr 27 2007, 03:39 PM
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Shopping the sales rack at Madam Malkins Posts: 2,547 Joined: 4:26pm August 4, 2005 |
QUOTE(Oryx @ Apr 27 2007, 09:25 PM) [snapback]1197273[/snapback] And Bellatrix's presence prevented Snape from pulling the 'agreeing to this would be disobedient to the Dark Lord' card. Had Narcissa been alone with Snape, how would she have reacted to that? I agree. Bella's presence was the only thing that forced Snape to agree to the UV. However, Narcissa didn't realise that when she set out, alone, for Spinner's End. She figured she'd be able to persuade him on her own, it may have taken a few visits, but she had the whole of the summer holidays to accomplish it in - hence my assertion that it really wasn't urgent that she dash to Snape's that night - she could have waited until morning, that would certainly be the safest option, both for her personal safety and for her marriage . Turning up that late at night is certainly highly suggestive - the thought would certainly occur to most men that maybe she had something else in mind (or am I being too sexist in my presumptions?) This post has been edited by madamros: Apr 27 2007, 04:28 PM -------------------- "My idea of good company, Mr Elliott, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"You are mistaken," said he gently, "that is not good company, that is the best." Persuasion by Jane Austen |
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