Why Draco Malfoy Isn't Evil

[heidi.h.tandy.c92 at alumni.upenn.edu]

No: HPFGUIDX 14830

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Angela Boyko <aboyko at n...> wrote:>
> Here is why I think Draco is officially evil. From GoF, end of 
book, on
> the Hogwarts express:
> 
> "'Too late now,  Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark 
Lord's
> back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well - second - Diggory 
was the
> f-'"
> 
> This is not just a little boy who was taught hatred at his father's
> knee. This is not "somewhat of a jerk". This is a nasty brat who is
> openly enjoying the prospect of seeing his schoolmates cut down by
> Voldemort. He can envision a "Mudblood" like Hermione getting 
killed,
> and he relishes it. And that awful remark about Cedric's death - I 
don't
> care how many pairs of leather pants he has, he is an evil skanky 
brat.

Ok, this is the part where I KNOW I sound like a Draco-apologist, and 
I don't want to because in canon, there REALLY may not be anything 
worth apologizing for. I know this. I recognize this. I don't care.
Look at that sentence without punctuation, and don't hear it in 
Draco's drawl:

"Too late now,  Potter. They'll be the first to go, now the Dark 
Lord's back - Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first,  Well - second - 
Diggory was the f..."

The speaker thinks that what he's saying is completely true - he 
knows that Voldemort has returned and it doesn't take a full fledged  
Death Eater to conclude that he'll go after muggle-born and muggle-
supportive wizards - in fact, it's implied that everyone around 
Harry's bedside believes the same thing. And Cedric Diggory *was* the 
first person to be killed by Voldemort in this second reign of 
terror. 

Why is this a malicious statement? Because of how he sounded when he 
said it? Because he was warning them - and trying to smile to look 
reassuring, not realizing that he was completely failing at it? We 
really do *not* know what he was thinking when he said this - and 
yes, it could be horrible, he could have the worst intentions in the 
world. It's entirely possible.

But Crookshanks didn't jump at him...so maybe he didn't....