Harry Potter Golden Age

OK well, to address the whole first part, I think that's what all of fanfic is for with regard to every character. People can write dark!Harry if they want or fluffy Marcus Flint. I've written many a fic that I don't "believe" in--ie that is not how I see the person in canon--but it's fun to explore the possibilities. So it's kinda slippery slope to assume the author's reasoning for writing something. Though, yes, there are some people who are apologetic to an absurd degree and I say that as a Snape fan. Whitewash all his faults and he's not half as interesting.

I adore Draco because he can be anyone I want him to be--he can be Lucius Jr or he can be like the children of Westboro Baptist Church who have left that cult and now promote everything their own family hates. I think there is room in canon for either one.

As for JKR, I honestly think it's a shame that now creators and fans *do* have interaction because I think, try as they might to ignore the buzz, it's there, even subconsciously. Even we as fanfic authors steal from each other accidentally (not taking into account borrowing on purpose).

There are certainly things she's said in interviews and on Pottermore that seem colored by her wanting to be sure fans are understanding what she intended, things fans have run with. And tbh, after the whole "Harry/Hermione fans are delusional" thing, we do know she has strong feeling about this stuff. Remus who's suddenly MADLY in love with Tonks. Holy shit, that was not in the books I read. She wanted him, they got pregnant/married (after his best friend died), and he was fucking MISERABLE the whole damn time. That relationship is so dysfunctional as to be laughable. If they'd lived, they'd have been divorced by the time Teddy was three. But you see, R/S shippers see more in canon to support *that* relationship than Remus/Tonks so it needed to be addressed. Clarified. And I am not even an R/S shipper! So yeah, I have absolutely no trouble believing there was a little bit of a dig in that toward the Draco lovers on the outside, not just Harry and friends there in the book.

OK ETA: Obviously we've gotten way off-topic here so I would be happy to continue debating but let's take this off the comm. Shoot me a PM if you like or find some post of mine that seems appropriate.