Ah, but you've got to take the snotty bastard from the books as your starting point - and if you re-read the books and look for instances of Draco being snotty bastardly, they are astonishingly few and far between. We're told that he's a wee shite, but we don't actually see very much of it at all. I was gobsmacked, on re-reading. He's actually perfectly pleasant to Harry, in his insecure- upperclass-brat-spouting-his-Daddy's-POV way, when first they meet in the Robe shop. And then he does make friendly overtures (albeit in a very obnoxious fashion) on the train, notwithstanding his bigotry towards the Weasleys (very much Lucius talking there, and he's 11 and being sent off to school all alone - of course he's cranking up the cocky can't-hurt-me thing). And when you factor in the nightmare of parenting that is Lucius, I'm prepared to give Canon!Draco some leeway so far. YSBMV.

Anyway, mine own version of Draco has a really harrowing thing happen to him right from the get go, and then it's pretty much all shit from then on out. I'm all about turning him from a snotty little brat into a wounded and snarky but palatable adult, which, please god, is what will happen in the story. Eventually.

Yeah, cool. Can't wait to read, doll.

Man, I wish I could/was writing something.

Oooh, Fay, I can't wait to read it.

Curse you fay. I'm reading that Pendle thing.

"Anyway, as I was saying; it's hard, it's risky, and it takes a long time becoming an Animagus. And practically all of the reasons you'd do it would be made completely useless if you actually then trotted off and registered yourself. Take your boss, for instance. Investigative journalism. Take me. Industrial espionage and general nosiness. To say nothing of all the unregistered Animagi in Wales and New Zealand - no need to ask yourself what they do it for -"

He couldn't help it. He interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Longbottom, you've lost me there. What do the Welsh and New Zealanders do it for?"

She flashed him an exceedingly beady glance.

"Getting into Rugby internationals that they don't have tickets for," she snapped. "What did you think I meant?"

Oh, my god, we've snagged ita! Where will it end?!

t it'll end with me not begging to beta Fay's Dracofic, because I've got V!Giles giving me very dirty looks for getting distracted by yet another platinum blond

edit: Mrs. Longbottom snags everybody, ita, don't worry too much about it.

Very, very, very nice.

Jesus! I could start my own Toaster Shop!

t / tickled pink.

Reminder - AJ Hall's got the Boxing Day fic set in the Pendleverse due out on Boxing Day, although we have to wait until February for the Valentine's Day fic, which details how Draco and Neville got together. And Fearless Diva is going to try to get Seeing the Light wrapped in time for Christmas.

crosses fingers. wonders how to bribe Santa.

eta: Yes, I do like Slyvia Kundera's stuff - hadn't seen her site, though. Nice.

A J Hall's posted another tantalising snippet of the Boxing Day story.

Wow!

Context? Who needs context?

And hey! Remember, I had to shag the dead. Shit, your foreplay's gotta be bloody good to make an inroad there, I can tell ya.'

It is an ongoing source of wonderment to me that I read stories in which this is a perfectly reasonable remark. And, for that matter, have written them.

t /bemused by the way life turns out.