Draco's Choice (was:Re: The Twins are bad, Harry is bad, but Draco is good...)

[ehteshamulh]

No: HPFGUIDX 137215

This is a contentious topic. What to make of Draco?

I agree that Draco did not volunteer to assassinate Dumbledore; 
Voldemort did "bestow" the honour on Draco. But leaving that
aside for a second, let's think back through our six years of
delightful association with Master Malfoy.

Think back to Harry's first meeting with Draco, all those years 
back, when they were both so tiny and cute. Doesn't something
strike you? This boy is coming to Hogwarts with an agenda. His 
parents have raised him on a steady diet of a particular social view-
point, and he is coming to Hogwarts to be the poster boy of that 
view-point for the next seven years, and diminish and push down 
anyone who dares think otherwise. Look, the job even comes ready-
made with two yes-men to do your bidding.

And then, finally, the Dark Lord returns. Surely great things are to 
follow. The Malfoys will again stand at the pinnacle of social 
eminence; no filthy blood-traitor Ministry scum will dare raid their 
hallowed mansion. But then, daddy dearest is thrown in jail, exposed 
once and for all irrevocably as a death eater, and Malfoy's
dreams of basking in his father's glory, and joining in at due time 
suddenly take a nose-dive.

The next part, I'm going to speculate about. There is no basis
for this in canon, so feel free to disagree/disprove. You are Draco. 
You suddenly see your father in prison (A Malfoy in Azkaban? 
Unthinkable, dear.) Suddenly other death eaters are spreading 
rumours and muttering amongst themselves. Even old-time family 
retainers are beginning to grumble.

To put a personal spin on things, remember the six members of DA who 
actually fought off the Death Eaters. Can you pick any other six 
students of Hogwarts Draco loathed more, even before this 
incident? We've seen interactions between Neville and Draco, any 
guesses on how he behaved towards Luna? No, they way I read it, 
Draco went post-haste to Voldemort, and kneeled in front of the Dark 
Lord, and begged the honour of placing his life and soul in service 
of the Dark Mark. And Voldemort, that prince of a wizard, promptly 
granted him that honour.

The rest, we all know, or think we know. But think back of all we 
have seen so far. Of course, all final judgments are held off till 
book seven. But I'd like to remind you about a postulate by 
journalist Oriana Fallaci. Tyrants, she wrote, should not be 
remembered as they were when they, shrunk and defeated, took their 
lives in underground bunkers or hung upside-down from lamp-posts. 
No, she said, remember them as they stood, in the fullness of their 
power, drunk on hubris and glory, and then remember what they did.

So, let us not solely remember Draco as he stood, allegedly 
choiceless, in front of his Headmaster with a slightly lowered wand. 
Let us also remember him as, with full freedom of choice, he lied to 
try and take the life of an innocent hippogriff, or dishonoured the 
death and the memory of a Triwizard champion.

Choices, not abilities, did someone say? So be it.

Ehtesham