Draco, and his peer group (Was: Why protect the Malfoys?)

[msbeadsley]

No: HPFGUIDX 137332

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "hyogoetophile"
<andrew101101 at h...> wrote:

> The Malfoys are in a position where they could destabilize 
> Voldemort's alliances, if not destroy some, many, or all of them. 
> When Voldemort returns in GoF it is said that those in the DE
circle 
> looked as if they loathed to return him, but didn't dare not. In 

<snip interesting DE group dynamic stuff I don't disagree with>

I'm glad someone brought this up! It ties in with some of what I think
about Dumbledore's attempt to shake Draco lose from Voldemort.
Although I believe Dumbledore's concern for Draco (body and soul) was
sincere, I also think it was about more than one student. If Draco
became a full DE, many of his peers would line right up to get the
dark mark. If Draco is (in hiding and) thought dead, it will probably
scare some of his peers out of following his path. And (although this
is much less likely), if he was able to be public in his new
sentiments, even if that wasn't sufficient to sway all the rest of
Slytherin House, it would have broad repercussions.

<snip stuff about the rest of the Malfoys>

> I think Draco was offered safety because yes, Dumbledore (although 
> that was not Dumbledore on the tower) is that kind of person. But 
> also, because the Malfoy family could be very instrumental in 
> forming a third side, that, even if it doesn't lend support to 
> Dumbledore/Harry & Friends/Snape/The Order, might at least draw
> some away from Voldemort.

That's it, exactly! (Except that was Dumbledore on the tower.) Sort
of. My personal belief is that Lucius will escape or be released from
Azkaban and that the entire family will disappear from the radar for a
long time. (Or it may just be Cissy and Draco who go into hiding.)
Depending on whether Draco loses Snape or vanishes after he is turned
over to his mother or Voldemort, Snape may catch some heat for his
disappearance. But I expect this to be one more way in which Bellatrix
loses status with Voldemort and the DE's; her sister, nephew, and
brother-in-law will be beyond anyone's grasp, and it will make her
suspect. That is, if Voldemort allows it to be known that the Malfoys
have escaped him (instead of having been murdered).

I'd also like to bring up and dispose of the notion of Draco as "an
innocent." That is not what Dumbledore said. He said, "Killing is not
nearly as easy as the innocent believe..." I read that "as those
innocent of murder believe," not "as innocents believe." I think there
is an order of magnitude difference between being innocent of heinous
(Unforgivable) crimes and being an innocent. (I don't think I've seen
an actual innocent up close in Harry Potter for a couple of volumes
now.) I think Dumbledore's reiteration of Draco's innocence was
largely manipulative (something I think the headmaster has few
scruples about; after all, he chose to be where he could mold young
minds instead of going into power politics). And it was justified; it
wasn't coercion, but persuasion. If it worked, Draco would actually
regain a bit of his innocence; if it didn't work, then not much had
been lost by the attempt.

Sandy, aka msbeadsley