Intro and Lucius may not be evil

[DM]

No: HPFGUIDX 21031

Hi!
I joined a few days ago and now I'm finally getting around to 
introducing myself.  My handle is DangerMouse and I'm a twenty-year-
old college senior majoring in Biology (Environment, Evolution, and 
Behavior concentration).  I've very much enjoyed looking through some 
of the old posts on this list.  And here I was thinking that my 
sister and I were the only one's arguing Harry Potter this deeply.  
*smiles*
While I'm here, I thought I'd air out a few thoughts of my own.  If 
this has been discussed before, I apologize (the archive for this 
list is very, very large).  I think my sister is tired of hearing my 
talk about this and I'd also like to get some fresh opinions.  Here 
goes:

I don't think Lucius Malfoy is a bad guy.  I don't think he wants to 
be working for Voldemort and was most likely coerced into doing it.   
And yes, I have some evidence to back this up.
Lucius may be a complete jerk, but siding with Voldemort seems like a 
very, very, very risky venture on his part, especially considering 
his family is so old (this is all IMHO of course). Plus, we know 
that Dark Lords have risen and been defeated in recent history before 
Voldemort ("Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the 
dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945..." - HP and the SS, Ch6).  Given 
that I believe that Lucius must be around the same age as Arthur 
Weasley, it's not unlikely that he was alive during that time.  Why 
risk getting involved in something that has already failed once? 
Also, Lucius ran away from the Dark Mark when it was shot up in the 
sky during the Quidditch World Cup and sent his son to hide in the 
forest when the Death Eaters started running around.  If he was a 
loyal and happy Death Eater, why send his son away from the 
campsite?  Why not just let him sit in the tent or even join in?  Why 
run away from the Dark Mark? 
Another thing that needs mentioning is his large donations to St. 
Mungos. It seems strange to me for JKR to mention that specifically, 
unless it had some kind of meaning.  Also, the very fact the he was 
found innocent in his connections with Voldemort by the Ministry 
leaves one wondering - surely they used some kind of truth potion on 
the defendants. 
Finally, the most convincing part about this is how much Voldemort 
supporters seem to dislike Draco. Scabbers (Peter) attacked Draco on 
the train to Hogwarts in the first book; Mad-Eye Moody (or rather 
Crouch) turned him into a ferret and slammed him around the hallway. 
Also, one of the biggest non-supporters of Voldemort, Severus Snape, 
really, really seems to like Draco.
An individual with whom I was discussing this with through e-mail 
summed it up best - 
"The really convincing part is the Snape/Draco dynamic, why would 
Snape as a Death Eater turned Spy favour the son of a Death Eater 
unless he also had wavering loyalties?"  
Another interesting thing to note is the conversation that took place 
and Severus' reaction to it in GoF Chapter 26:

   "Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted.  He tried to get 
out of bed again, but Mrs. Weasley forced him back.  "I saw the Death 
Eaters!  I can give you their names!  Lucius Malfoy--"
   Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's 
eyes flew back to Fudge.
"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibaly affronted.  "A very old 
family -- donations to excellent causes --"

Odd reaction for Snape to have if Lucius was really a heartless Death 
Eater. 
It also is good to note that, once more, Lucius' donations 
to 'excellent causes' was brought up again.  Some say this was a way 
for Lucius to gain power for the Ministry, but maybe it was really a 
way for him to assuage some of his guilt.

The idea of Lucius having 'wavering loyalties' is a very compelling 
one indeed.  Of course, you can argue his actions in the Second book, 
what with diary and Dobby and all.  However, he was not out of line 
with he treatment of the house-elf as far as Wizarding society is 
concerned, and as far as we know, he could have been forced by other 
Death Eaters to make use of the Diary.

Anyway, I would like to know what everybody thinks.  I don't claim 
that Lucius is a saint.  He was probably dabbling in the Dark Arts 
long before Voldemort approached him, but that doesn't automatically 
make you evil.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!
DangerMouse
dangermouse42 at yahoo.com
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible 
worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true." - James Branch 
Cabell, "The Silver Stallion"