Draco

[Amber]

No: HPFGUIDX 18373


--- In HPforGrownups at y..., heidi.h.tandy.c92 at a... wrote:
> If it is our choices that make us what we are, then shouldn't Draco
> get a choice at some point? Or is he just there to be hauled by
> Lucius Malfoy, who is evil, to Voldemort's side, then held down to
> get the Dark Mark, then trapped in the Evil!Universe forever? 

Well, I think I'll put on my Devil's Advocate hat for a moment; who's 
to say that he hasn't made his choice already? And we just haven't 
seen it? Granted, he is young, too young to know the full impact of 
his decision. But he may; we have absolutely no idea of how much 
Lucius has revealed to young Mr. Malfoy. I think there's an 
assumption that Lucius wouldn't reveal everything because of Draco's 
age, but who knows?

> In terms of redeemable things he's done...<snip> 
> 1. He ran screaming from voldemort-drinking-dead-unicorn-blood in 
> PS/SS

Okay, that happened in the first book. Say young Draco knew *some* of 
what being in leige with Voldemort meant but not all. So, he goes 
home during summer and asks to know all. Lucius explains everything 
and Draco goes "Oh, wow, I think I'll be evil" (I'm simplying things 
a lot for space). It may be farfetched, but it's possible...

> 2. Part-kneazle Crookshanks doesn't react badly to him ever on the 
> train rides, even when Scabbers isn't around and he's not 
> distracted by that little rat

I don't know how good an indication this is. Has Crookshanks ever 
reacted badly to any *humans*?

> 3. He doesn't hit hermione, or even report her for fighting, even 
> though he has no problem tattling in other circumstances

As for reporting her for fighting, he's embarassed that a girl hit 
him. Doesn't want it floating around the school. As for not hitting 
Hermione, he's too surprised by what she's done? I mean, hitting 
another person is a bit out of character for Hermione... 

> 4. Do you really think that in the fight in the begining of 4th
> year, right before he becomes a ferrett, he missed harry by
> accident? 

Well, this is open to personal interpretation.

I personally don't know what to think about Draco. Part of me says 
he's a miserable little git who's been pushed around by his father 
and can't help being being who he is because of his upbringing. The 
other part of me says that Draco makes his own choices while in 
school and if he wanted to change he could. There certainly are 
positive role models in the castle. I'll be very interested to see 
what happens in the next three books, although I have a hard time 
seeing Draco swinging over to Dumbledore's crowd.

~Amber