[HPforGrownups] Analyzing Draco (Was: Re: Dark Book - Blood and Cruelty)

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 177322

Magpie:
I will just forever
be confused as to this scene (though generally I was always a bit
confused when Draco showed up in DH) since she just showed us a scene
where Draco is in the exact same situation, where turning Harry over
to LV will save his family, and he won't/can't do it himself. Nothing
happens after that that gives him any reason to change in the
direction of wanting Harry turned over, and indeed JKR doesn't quite
write him as having done that. Crabbe's not only not following
Draco's orders, he seems to be doing the ordering. Draco's behind
him, not taunting anyone. Harry laughs at the whole situation of
Draco being there with the wands etc.

It's like Draco's personality has been purged or split. His "evil"
side, the DE, has been removed and put into Crabbe, who's then
burned. Draco is left rudderless and confused (where I thought he was
at the end of HBP and thought would get over in DH). The only trouble
for me is that his being in the RoR seems too active for him. I guess
the motivation that makes sense to me given the state Draco seems to
be in in the book is to believe that Draco merely stayed behind to
opt out in general and when the Trio popped up in front of them
Crabbe decided to follow. It *would* go along with the motivations
we've seen Draco have if he then followed them to try to prevent
Harry being killed, only because the one overriding motivation Draco
*does* seem to have is a repulsion for violence and murder. He's not
*compeltely* self-preservation based, or he'd have run out of the RoR
with Crabbe. So I can imagine that he felt both pushed to follow
Crabbe due to his current trait for two reasons: a) the
former "spoiled child" has lost a lot of his ability to assert
himself against Voldemort, and if Crabbe pointed out that a real DE
would follow Harry to get him he might follow b) he *might* have a
problem knowing what Crabbe and Goyle might do, both because killing
Harry would get his parents in trouble and because we know he doesn't
want Harry dead.

Debbie:
I read a greater level of confidence (despite his hovering in the background
behind Crabbe and Goyle) in Draco's actions than we saw him exhibit at
Malfoy Manor.  There, he is very tentative and visibly scared.  In the RoR,
first tries to take control of the scene with his comment that Harry has his
wand.  When Crabbe takes over and begins throwing curses, Draco jumps into
action to thwart him.

I think Draco decided not to leave Hogwarts with the Slytherins for fear
that he would be led right back to Voldemort, and he clearly wanted out of
the DE agenda or he would not have hesitated to make identifications at
Malfoy Manor.  Whether he suggested to Crabbe and Goyle that they search for
Potter or whether Crabbe decided to go off on a vigilante mission is not
clear, but he felt compelled to stick with them, as you say, because Crabbe
(and presumably Goyle as well) was clearly too enthralled with the power of
the UCs at that point.  What Draco did was clearly the right thing.  He
protected Harry (and indirectly, his parents) and he protected his friends.

 I think one of the problems with the scene is that it's difficult for us to
adjust our own expectations of Draco's actions, so our first reaction is to
take statements such as Draco's admonition to keep Harry alive for Voldemort
at face value.  It's only later that we realize it's the same tactic Snape
used on the DEs during The Flight of the Prince in HBP.  I also think there
may be a bit of misdirection in the scene (as Crabbe includes Draco in the
*we* who decided to hang back to bring Harry to Voldemort), to keep us a bit
off-guard as to the Malfoys' intentions in general and to give Narcissa's
later lie to Voldemort a greater Bang factor.

Debbie
who really does think Draco has redeemed himself


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