thalthanmadanus

[thalthanmadanus]

Your previous anon hasn’t understood how prejudice works.

James *is* prejudiced. He’s a classist bigot. He’s also, despite fighting on the anti-Voldemort side of the war, got an ingrained sense of superiority based on his blood status. Yes, he marries a muggleborn and befriends a werewolf. But he picks his victim knowing Severus is an easy target who won’t be defended by his blood supremacist housemates because he’s the son of a muggle. He’s not going after the pureblood Slytherins, because he knows he wouldn’t get away with it so easily if he went after people with important families. He never unpacks what this says about his true attitudes towards blood status.

Severus is prejudiced as a youth, but it’s internalised self-hatred because he too is part of the marginalised class as somebody with a muggle father. As a teacher, he doesn’t dislike Hermione because she’s a muggleborn. He dislikes her because she’s a uniquely insufferable student who isn’t as clever as she thinks she is.

Many people in this fandom don’t seem to understand what classism is, nor do they grasp class dynamics or how they shape power structures. The globalized, neoliberal, Americanized perspective has led to a cultural misunderstanding of class as the foundation upon which all other social inequalities rest. By ignoring class issues, people tend to focus on individual trees rather than seeing the forest. So, let’s break it down:

James Potter comes from a wealthy and respected pureblood family, which places him in a position of privilege both in the wizarding world and within Hogwarts. Although he opposes Voldemort’s ideology and the explicit blood supremacy of the Death Eaters, he still benefits from a structure that grants advantages to those from old, wealthy families. His choice of Severus as a bullying target is not arbitrary; it aligns with the implicit social hierarchy at the school: Snape is the son of a Muggle, comes from a poor family, and lacks the protection of a powerful lineage.

James’ behavior can be analyzed through Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony, which argues that ruling classes maintain power not just through coercion but also by instilling norms and values that reinforce their status. James, while rebelling against the most extreme version of blood supremacy, still operates within the values of his class: he despises and torments a peer who represents marginality within the wizarding world.

Furthermore, his friendship with Remus Lupin, a werewolf, can be interpreted through the theory of “tokenism,” which suggests that elites often include a few marginalized individuals as a way to justify their own position as Rosabeth Kanter said on her sociology studies. His friendship with Lupin does not dismantle the system of privilege in which James operates, just as his marriage to Lily Evans does not force him to question the wizarding world's class structure as a whole.

Severus, on the other hand, embodies a different kind of prejudice. His initial alignment with Death Eater ideology does not stem from pure supremacist conviction but rather from a survival mechanism within a society that despises him. In terms of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory, Severus seeks to accumulate “symbolic capital” by associating with Slytherins of pureblood status, as his “social capital” (his family and connections) is practically nonexistent. However, despite his desire to belong, his lineage relegates him to an ambiguous position: he is not fully accepted among the blood purists, but he also finds no protection within the broader wizarding community.

His resentment toward Hermione Granger, therefore, is not because she is a Muggleborn but because she represents the kind of student who has always been valued by Hogwarts society in a way that he never was. In terms of Bourdieu’s theory of reflexivity, Hermione embodies the institutional validation of academic talent that Snape himself never received.

The relationship between James and Severus, then, is not just a school rivalry but a manifestation of class struggle within the wizarding world. James, the benevolent aristocrat who never fully questions his privilege, represents the dominant class—one that opposes extreme ideologies but does not challenge the system that benefits him. Severus, on the other hand, is the outcast who desperately seeks upward mobility, even if it means aligning himself with ideologies that ultimately despise him.

Rowling presents the characters through a lens of individual morality, but if we examine their actions from a structural perspective, we can see that Hogwarts' system perpetuates inequalities that go far beyond the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin divide.

[thalthanmadanus]

You’re telling me that in a series with the main lesson being the power of love, Harry saving the day with Draco’s wand is supposed to mean nothing????

[thalthanmadanus]

Yeah sure. I see them as magical detectives lol. And I am a fan of their robes.

My bad habit is that whenever I see a fic with the auror draco malfoy tag, I end up skipping it no matter how interesting the premise is. As much as I love draco, I just can't see him as an auror. I'm all for a redeemed draco, but I don't think he would go that far to redeem himself. Being an auror means you have to throw yourself into danger, and draco is someone who always avoids danger. Self-preservation is basically his trait. So no, I don't think draco and being an auror go well together.

[thalthanmadanus]

Aurors are part of The Department of Magical Law Enforcment.

While the intention is they're supposed to look cool.. in the books we have many examples of them being corrupted as they work for and under a corrupted ministry, like when they captured Hagrid under Umbridge's order..

My bad habit is that whenever I see a fic with the auror draco malfoy tag, I end up skipping it no matter how interesting the premise is. As much as I love draco, I just can't see him as an auror. I'm all for a redeemed draco, but I don't think he would go that far to redeem himself. Being an auror means you have to throw yourself into danger, and draco is someone who always avoids danger. Self-preservation is basically his trait. So no, I don't think draco and being an auror go well together.

[thalthanmadanus]

I also don't see Draco pursuing being an Auror as a career (and ngl neither Harry) and if I speak honestly, it's because I don't want them to become wizard cops. I don't see it as redeemable, nor good narratively or character development wise for either of them.

BUT...

I love case fics, and I love when Draco and Harry solve said cases together.. and it just happens that Auror in fanfics is a replacement for "detective" most often lol. so I don't mind it.

Though, I can read an Auror Draco fic only if he was a partner to an Auror Harry. Dumb and Dumber situation.

But like independently?? as in Draco is an Auror and Harry is off somewhere and has another job and life and is not in the Ministry being annoyed and obsessed by Draco at the same time and Draco trying to impress Harry and saving his reckless ass???... no thanks.

My bad habit is that whenever I see a fic with the auror draco malfoy tag, I end up skipping it no matter how interesting the premise is. As much as I love draco, I just can't see him as an auror. I'm all for a redeemed draco, but I don't think he would go that far to redeem himself. Being an auror means you have to throw yourself into danger, and draco is someone who always avoids danger. Self-preservation is basically his trait. So no, I don't think draco and being an auror go well together.

[thalthanmadanus]

when I take your hand and tell you the Hawthorn tree symbolizes love, protection and marriage.. then what then? then what?

When I tell you both the Hawthorn wand and the Elder wand share one common origin and that's death and yet the Hawthorn diverged by being used for healing.

When I tell you the unicorn core is loyal to its first master and the Elder wand is an unloyal one, jumping from powerful master to more.

When I tell you it will always be Draco's wand vs The Elder wand because was always about Love vs Power

and when I tell you that the unicorn core is so loyal to its first master and the hawthorn is difficult to master and yet Harry was pleased to find it worked for him fine, then what?? WHAT?

You’re telling me that in a series with the main lesson being the power of love, Harry saving the day with Draco’s wand is supposed to mean nothing????

[thalthanmadanus]

when im in a competition of who is more obsessed with harry but my opponent is draco malfoy 😧

[thalthanmadanus]

tried my first hand at beard!harry & i’m pretty happy abt it! thank you for the commission! ✌🏽🫡

they are open again until february 21ST! you can find the form here!

[thalthanmadanus]

happy valentines!💘

[thalthanmadanus]

[thalthanmadanus]

The year of snake!!!! Drarry!!!!

[thalthanmadanus]

would you consider having a dedicated tag for your art? I'd love to go through it often but it's hard to find in your blog (no pressure ofc!!)

Yeah Ofc. I thought about it before but I got lazy. Thanks btw for checking my art

[thalthanmadanus]

i'm so sorry in advance is your username pronounced " thal than mad anus" ?

you can pronounce it however you want 😭 I just picked it randomly. Even I pronounce it differently everytime I read it.

[thalthanmadanus]

a small detail but I love the fact that Harry's Godfather is Draco's First Cousin Once Removed, and Harry's Godson is ALSO Draco's First Cousin once removed.. like Harry is never escaping Draco..

[thalthanmadanus]

oh this is a good fic. Actually I think everything written by fencer-x is good

“You’ve rather a lot of nerve, you know.”

Harry winced. “…Yeah, I know.” “Barging in here, banging on about Oh Malfoy, you’re too young and beautiful to die and Oh Malfoy, life’s just not worth living without you around making it hellish—” Harry frowned. “I don’t…think that’s quite how I put it—” “—When you’re swanning around wizarding London in what I must assume are those ghastly scarlet Auror robes that do nothing for your complexion in the very line of work you selected at twelve—” “Was fifteen…” Were they really having this argument again? And Ginny had assured him he looked dashing in his uniform!

from Every New Beginning by @fencer-x

[thalthanmadanus]

[thalthanmadanus]

mutual pining IS the best trope. no they’re not trying to move on, no they’re not brave enough to risk it, no they’re not trying to date other people, they don’t know they can have it but it’s okay if they can’t (but they CAN)