Being Good and Evil ( Draco and a bit of Ron)/Harry as DD man

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 154718

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:

Phoenixgod:
> I get second chances. <snip> Nowhere in the dumbledore scene did I 
> hear that Dumbledore wanted Draco to be punished for what he had 
> already done. What right does he have to give draco that absolution?
> Or Snape for that matter?  Isn't giving freedom to the man who helped
> get harry's parents killed rubbing salt in Harry's wounds? Or
> Nevilles?  Do you think the victims of death eater attacks would like
> one of the black garbbed KKK wannabe's out free instead of in azkaban?
> <snip>

Carol:
> I agree with you that Draco committed crimes. He's very lucky that
> Katie Bell (the girl whose name you can't think of) and Ron didn't
> die, and even though he claims that he didn't know Fenrir Greyback
> would be joining the party of DEs, he still let him into the castle
> and led him along with the others toward the tower, so, yes, he's
> partly to blame for what happened to Bill and he was deliberately
> trying to engineer Dumbledore's death. Whether a stint in Azkaban
> would do him more good than forgiveness is another matter; I think
> what he must do is stop making excuses ("I didn't know *he* was
> coming!" "He [Voldemort] was going to kill my family!") and
> acknowledge that he did wrong. *That's* the first step toward redemption.

Geoff:
With respect, Carol, I must disagree with you - at least over Fenrir 
Greyback.

I don't think he was making an excuse. Draco's reaction suggests 
to me that FG's appeaerance was a complete shock and surprise to him:

'"Well, I cannot pretend that it does not disgust me a little," said 
Dumbledore. "And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited 
you, of all people, into the school where his friends live..."

"I didn't," breathed Malfoy. He was not looking at Greyback; he did not 
seem to want to even glance at him. "I didn't know he was going to come -"'

(HBP "The Lightning-Struck Tower" p.554 UK edition)

That, to me does not read as an excuse but as a shock response. 

I accept that Draco has a lot to answer for, but I am not prepared to 
load everything that went wrong on to him.