The Dullest Redemption Subplot Ever (WAS: Evil Is...)

[ecdc2 <john@sunstoneonline.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51712

Dicentra writes:

 Draco doesn't refrain from
> joining in with the DEs because he doesn't want to sully himself; he
> refrains because he has to.  Because he doesn't have the magical
> ability yet.  Of course, there is the question of what he would do 
if
> he *could* participate.  Would he jump in with both feet?  Maybe.  
He
> also might run off and hide, like a coward.  But refrain because he
> suspects deep down that torturing Muggles is wrong?  No, I don't 
think so.
> 
> Harry often wants to do evil, but refrains because he doesn't 
*really*
> want to do evil.  Not when push comes to shove.  That's why he 
didn't
> kill Sirius when he had him cornered--he didn't *really* want to be 
a
> killer, even though he had these terrible feelings of rage and a
> desire for vengeance.  
> 

Me:

I couldn't agree more. I've read with great interest the threads on 
this list that discuss HRH as bratty, pain in the necks, and those 
that suggest redemption for Draco. While very interesting, I think 
these arguments miss some important points. If you look at the things 
HRH have done, they don't strike me as qualifying as "evil" at all 
(keeping in mind that the word evil has different meanings to 
different people). They strike me as qualifying as dumb things 
teenagers do. Outside of the Potter Universe, is anyone really 
surprised when a teenager breaks curfew? How about when a teenager 
does something they think would be fun without thinking of the 
consequences (ie, stealing their parents car and crashing it into a 
tree)? During overnight debate trips in high school, my friends and I 
snuck out all the time! Sometimes we'd get caught and get in trouble, 
other times we wouldn't. We were stupid - not evil.

Harry sneaks out of Hogwarts to be with his friends at Hogsmeade, 
even when a killer is on the loose looking for him. That qualifies in 
my book as short-sighted, foolish, and selfish - but not evil. 

All those arguing for a "Draco redemption" or a "Draco is just a 
misunderstood teen from a bad family" seem to have missed some 
important details in the canon. Lets examine the first time Draco 
meets Harry when he knows it's Harry (the meeting they had in Diagon 
Alley probably shouldn't count, because they didn't know who each 
other was). Draco comes into Harry and Ron's train car, without 
knocking. He shows up with body guards on either side. He tells Harry 
that some wizarding families are better than others, an obvious 
reference to Ron and his family. All this might be passed off as 
normal teenage bullying. But I don't see how what happens next can be 
passed off as anything other than Draco being a really, really bad 
guy. After Harry refuses to shake Draco's hand since he just insulted 
Harry's new friend, Draco threatens Harry by telling him that if he's 
not careful he'll meet the same sticky end as his parents. He also 
tells Harry that they didn't know what was good for them either.

Yikes! We've just gone from a fairly traditional teenage argument to 
a person telling another person that their parents deserved to die 
and that they deserve to die too if they're not careful! 

In my book, Draco isn't just a misguided teen. He qualifies as evil. 
He openly praises Voldemort after he's risen again. He actually 
wishes he was the heir of Slytherin so he could kill "mudbloods". He 
rejoices in Cedric Diggory's death.

I agree that a Draco redemption just wouldn't cut it at this point. 
Remember, Malfoy hasn't just ratted on HRH to teachers, or gotten 
into fights with them, or told lies to Rita Skeeter. He has actively 
sought to ruin and destroy people's lives (trying to get Hagrid 
fired, comes to mind). 

I recognize that JKR has writted books of tremendous depth that allow 
for varying interpretations. However, I also believe she has written 
books that have certain boundaries in place that allow her to tell a 
compelling, engrossing story. I see one of those boundaries as being 
that: HRH are the heroes, regardless of the foolish mistakes they 
might make. Draco, his father, and certainly Voldemort are the 
antagonists of the story. Voldemort can't be around 24/7, so she's 
given us Draco to create conflict throughout the books.

John