Malfoy's Redemption, Part II

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 25360

I'm glad that some of you were kind enough to say that you liked my
reasoning about Why (Some) Wizards Distrust Muggles.  However, I must stand
by my earlier statements that nothing Malfoy's done has put him permanently
in the Bad Guy (tm) list.  He's not as brave as Ron, Hermione and
Harry---but, frankly, in the Forbidden Forest, I'd be as spooked as a mage
facing the Witch-Smeller Pursuivant from _The Black Adder_.  He's mean to
Hermione.  _So was just about everybody else, at first!_  I hate to say
it---I yield to nobody on this list or off it in my affection for Hermie,
but she IS the sort of child that a lot of other children can't
stomach---officious about rules, a know-it-all in the classroom, and to add
insult to injury, extremely talented.  A lot of children resent the gifted
among them for their gifts---having to sweat to do something that the other
kid just does without any apparent effort is easy to resent.  On top of
that, Draco gets Hermione's good grades thrown in his face, which would sour
just about anybody's attitude.  I can speak from some experience on this
point---I only found out years after graduation that one particular person
who tormented me did so because his parents were always throwing "that nice
Eric Oppen, who reads all the time and is so quiet and well-behaved; why
can't you be like him?" in his face.  Had I known about this at the time,
I'd have paid his parents a visit with my own folks along for backup if
needed, and explained that this sort of thing wouldn't change their kid, and
made my life a lot harder, since I had to live with their kid _on his
level!_

Also, I think that a lot of people seem to feel that Malfoy's redemption
would have to involve being friends with HP, Ron and Hermione.  That, to put
it mildly, is unlikely.  Malfoy could easily turn against his father and the
DEs for his own reasons (finding out that they see him as an expendable
pawn, as I've mentioned, would be one likely scenario that comes to mind;
another might be Voldemort turning against Lucius Malfoy for any reason) and
STILL quarrel regularly with the Trio, and continue to consider them the
chief flies in the jam-jar of his life.