Draco's arc (was Re: What Came First: Task or Cabinet?...

[carodave92]

No: HPFGUIDX 157840

 Carol :
<SNIP> > 
> I do think that Draco is "a junior DE" on the train. He's always
> idealized his father and he's angry about his father's arrest (and 
is
> still angry at Christmastime--note the point at which he walks out 
on
> Snape), and someone, either Bellatrix or Voldemort, has presented 
him
> with the idea that killing Dumbledore will win him "glory." He's 
proud
> of his cabinet plan (as indicated by the tower scene), tough of 
course
> he doesn't speak of it to his friends, and of being given an 
important
> job by Voldemort. 
> 
<SNIP> 
 
> By the time we see him crying in the bathroom, those incidents are
> long past (and since both Ron and Katie have fully recovered, he 
has
> no reason to think about them or to feel remorse). His tears 
relate,
> not to them, but to his very real fear that he'll fail to fix the
> cabinet and be killed. (See his words to Moaning Myrtle that I 
quoted
> upthread). By this time, his eyes have been opened about what it 
means
> to be a DE. I don't know whether his loyalties have shifted--he 
still
> thinks Dumbledore is a "stupid old man"--but he certainly sees now
> that serving the Dark Lord is a dangerous business and that 
Voldemort
> has no more concern for his followers than for his enemies. <SNIP> 
So, for the
> moment, Draco is reveling in his triumph, forgetting the lessons 
that
> he's learned--that the Dark Lord is a harsh master who views his
> followers as expendable and is quicker to Crucio them than reward 
them
> and that death is a terrible and scary thing <SNIP> 
> Draco has reached a turning point. If the DEs hadn't come in,
> Dumbledore might have persuaded him to go into hiding. (As it is,
> he'll have to choose on his own, later, whether to hide or to fight
> and whose side to fight on.) <SNIP> 

Carodave:

Interesting post - sorry I snipped so much, but as I was reading it, 
I realized in how many places you could substitute the 
name "Regulus" for the name "Draco".  I never was a supporter of 
the'Regulus is in hiding'theories that passed a while back, but this 
post opened my eyes to the possibilities.  

Regulus was described as a young DE, similar to the way Carol 
describes Draco as a Jr. DE in her post.  Both are looking for glory 
and to prove their family worth - Regulus as the good son in a Dark 
family, and Draco to avenge his father's arrest.

At some point, both Regulus and Draco have their eyes opened to 
Voldemort's world - what it means to support him, and how dangerous 
and frightening it really is.  Both learn what death really means, 
and how literal the name 'Death Eater' is.

So it's not a big leap to say that maybe as they each reach a 
turning point and make a real decision about which side they want to 
fight for.  We know by his note in the locket that Regulus comes to 
the conclusion that he's on the wrong side and wants to fight 
against Voldemort.  Maybe he also had an encounter with Dumbledore 
and was offered protection in the form of a new identity, hiding, 
etc.  

Oh, awful thought, what if the protection was extended to his mum as 
well and that screaming spitting maniac in the portrait went into 
hiding with her son???  Well I guess that would make Kreacher 
happy...and it would be great to see that scary woman fighting 
against the DEs at the Battle of Hogwarts!

Carodave