Draco (Re: The GoF Train Scene (was:Re: Humanity, Kant, Caricatures, and Draco))

[quick_silver71]

No: HPFGUIDX 146821

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister" 
<gbannister10 at t...> wrote:
> Geoff:
> My interpretation of canon goes against your suggested view.
> 
> Looking at the scene at Spinner's End, we see the following clues:
> '"That's why he's chosen Draco, isn't it?" she (Narcissa) 
> persisted. "To punish Lucius?"
> "If Draco succeeds," said Snape, still looking away from her, "he 
> will be honoured above all others."
> "But he won't succeed!" sobbed Narcissa. "How can he, when the 
Dark 
> Lord himself-?"
> Bellatrix gasped; Narcissa seemed to loe her nerve. 
> "I only meant... that nobody has yet succeeded..."'
> (HBP "Spinner's End" p.38 UK edition)
> 
> 'Snape caught hold of her wrists and removed her clutching hands. 
> Looking down into her tear-stained face, he said slowly, "He 
intends 
> me to do it in the end, I think. But he is determined that Draco 
> should try first. You see, in the unlikely event that Draco 
succeeds, 
> I shall be able to remain at Hogwarts a little longer, fulfilling 
my 
> useful role as spy."
> "In other words, it doesn't matter to him if Draco is killed!"
> "The Dark Lord is very angry," repeated Snape quietly. "He failed 
to 
> hear the prophecy. You know as well as I do, Narcissa, that he 
does 
> not forgive easily."
> (ibid. p.39)
> 
> I thikn this, plus the fact that Snape takes the Unbreakable Vow 
to 
> protect Draco from harm, suggests that there is cause for concern 
> regarding Draco.
> 
> Again, Draco himself is fearful for his life:
> 'Draco Malfoy was standing with his back to the door, his hands 
> clutching either side of the sink, his white-blond head bowed.
> "Don't," crooned Moaning Myrtle's voice from one of the 
> cubicles. "Don't... Tell me what's wrong... I can help you..."
> "No one can help me," said Malfoy. His whole body was shaking. "I 
> can't do it... I can't... it won't work... and unless I do it 
soon... 
> he says he'll kill me..."
> (HBP "Sectumsempra" p.488 UK edition)
> 
> Now this might refer to Malfoy repairing the Vanishing Cabinet and 
> getting the Death Eaters into the school rather than killing 
> Dumbledore but Draco is obviously in fear of his life. He is 
shaking 
> and crying.
> 
> This hardly suggests that Voldemort will be pinning medals on 
Draco 
> since he really only completed half his task. Snape - for whatever 
> motive - completed Draco's task as he had promised Narcissa at 
> Spinner's End.
> 
> I have on more than one occasion said that I do not believe that 
> Draco is irredeemable. That, by the way, does not mean that I 
> necessarily think he /will/ be redeemed because if a person 
refuses 
> to hear or see what is to be done for redemption, then ultimately 
> they reach a point of being unable to see or hear anything. Again, 
I 
> have more than once pointed members to the fate of the dwarves in 
> C.S.Lewis' "The Last Battle" which chronicles the end of Narnia 
when 
> they refuse to believe in the existence of Aslan.
> 
> Anyone, however, wicked  has an opportunity to be redeemed. It is 
in 
> the very central core of Christianity. When considering Draco, I 
> sometimes find myself thinking of Saul of Tarsus, before he went 
to 
> Damascus. He was a man who had set his mind like flint against the 
> early Christian church, who rooted out believers and dragged them 
off 
> to prison, who consented in the stoning of Stephen, standing by 
and 
> holding the coats of those who hurled the rocks. And then, 
possibly 
> with the foundation of his enmity being undermined by the way in 
> which Christians responded to persecution, his meeting with the 
risen 
> Christ on the Damascus road completed the rethink. And from this 
came 
> St.Paul, possibly the greatest of the early missionaries.
> 
> Of course, much depends on Draco's whereabouts now. If he has been 
> hauled off to Voldemort, he could well be in extreme danger. On 
the 
> other hand, if Snape /is/ Dumbledore's man (and for me the jury 
has 
> been out for years on just what to decide about him), he may well 
> have spirited our young friend off to a safer place - if that 
exists 
> in the troubled Wizarding World.
>

Maybe I was being a little flippant when I said that Snape and Draco 
would get medals...my bad. But IMO Draco's redemption would more 
compelling if he had what he always wanted...power, importance on 
the Dark side, etc...and realized that he was supporting something 
immoral and that his parents were wrong to support Voldemort. 

Quick_Silver