HP and Moral Choices

[jkoney65]

No: HPFGUIDX 176144

> Carol responds:
>snip> 
> When he first encounters Draco and his cronies in the RoR, he seems 
to
> think that they've gone back in time and Draco is his old self 
backed
> by his thug cronies. But the balance of power has shifted; Crabbe
> isn't taking orders from Draco, whose father has been disgraced.
> (Crabbe and Goyle have also been using the Cruciatus Curse on fellow
> students, as we learn from Neville in "The Lost Diadem." There's no
> indication that Draco has joined them in doing so.)
> 
> Draco tells Harry that Harry is using his wand and Harry says the
> equivalent of "finders, keepers." Then he asks Draco whose wand he's
> using and Draco says it's his mother's, but he doesn't point the 
wand
> or cast a spell. Harry asks why they're not with Voldemort, and
> Crabbe, not Draco, says that they hung back to bring him in. It's
> unclear whether he's speaking for Draco or only for himself and 
Goyle.
> After some conversation (still no spells cast), Goyle asks what a
> "die-dum" is. Crabbe, hearing Ron call out to Harry, shouts
> "Descendo!" and part of the "mountain" of old furniture, books, and
> junk begins to fall. Harry cries "Finite!" and the spell ends. 
Crabbe
> starts to repeat his spell and Draco grabs his arm, shouting "No!" 
and
> warning him that he might "bury that diadem thing." Like Snape
> stopping the Crucio in HBP, Draco seems to be helping Harry here.
> Crabbe says that he doesn't take orders from Draco "no more." Crabbe
> tries to Crucio Harry but misses. Draco, again echoing Snape, calls
> out, "Stop! The Dark Lord wants him alive--" to which Crabbe 
responds,
> "So? I'm not killing him, am I? but if I can, I will, the Dark Lord
> wants him alive, anyway. What's the diff--" Hermione tries to Stun
> Crabbe, who actually casts a Killing curse at the "Mudblood." Draco
> yells, "Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" Both Crabbe and Goyle point
> their wands at Harry. Draco is wandless from a Stunning Spell aimed 
at
> Crabbe. Harry disarms Goyle but Crabbe yells "Avada Kedavra" again.
> Hermione hits Goyle with a Stunning Spell. Crabbe casts the 
Fiendfyre
> spell.  >
snip> As I read this scene, Goyle is his usual gormless self and is 
only
> following the rather confusing lead of Crabbe and Draco, who are at
> odds with each other. Crabbe has clearly gone over to the Dark Side,
> willing to cast every Dark Curse he knows and three times trying to
> kill someone. Ironically and fittingly, the only one who ends up 
dead
> is himself. Draco does not cast a single spell and several times 
tries
> to stop Crabbe from doing so. It seems to me that his purpose in
> entering the RoR was not to help Crabbe capture Harry but to prevent
> him from doing so. If not actively on the side of good, he is at 
least
> morally neutral.
> 
> I'm not sure how much of this Harry realizes, but he certainly knows
> that it's Crabbe who cast the Dark Curses, Crabbe who tried to 
Crucio
> him and kill Hermione. He sees Draco trying to comfort the 
unconscious
> Goyle, thinking that they're all going to die, and out of mercy or
> compassion or plain human decency he saves Draco while Ron, against
> his will and perhaps against common sense, pulls the unconscious 
Goyle
> onto his own broom with himself and Hermione.
> 
> Carol

Jack-A-Roe:
I read Draco's actions in the ROR differently. IMO. He was trying to 
capture Harry and take him back to Voldemort. He's hoping to be 
rewarded -- His family safe.

He tries to stop Crabbe because he knows that Voldemort wants Harry 
alive. This is very obvious to the DE's. Voldemort tells us this when 
he is talking with Snape.

Draco believes that bringing back a dead Harry is just as dangerous, 
if not more so, than not bringing Harry back at all.

So I basically see Draco still looking out for himself (and his 
family) and not really being on anyones side other than those that 
can help him.

I still can't believe he didn't end up in prison. He was responsible 
for Katy and at least partially responsible for the poisoning of Ron. 
He allowed DE's into Hogwarts, resulting in the death (while somewhat 
planned) of Dumbledore and injuries to others. Sorry, but Draco's 
scene pretending he doesn't recognize Harry doesn't quite make up for 
it.

Jack-A-Roe