Draco

[geoviki]

I have to say it was no surprise to me that Jo and I have differing views of Draco. Hell, half of my flist and I have differing views of Draco! In DH he did what Jo needed him to for her purposes - mainly to get a couple of wands in place and provide some UST in Harry's life. And she put him back on the shelf when he was done. Her call.

But...

But...

Even she gave us something in canon that I didn't even pick up on until I reread the fire scene more slowly.

First, she gives all the bad business in that scene to Crabbe, not Draco. Crabbe's the one who says they stayed behind to catch Harry and deliver him to Voldy, he's the one casting all the Unforgivables, he's the one who starts the fire. And he dismisses Draco in front of everyone, telling him: Who cares what you think? I don’t take your orders no more, Draco. You an’ your dad are finished.

In contrast, Draco's all talk (no surprise) -- how he wants his wand back, how he got in. Then he focuses on stopping Crabbe from destroying the room and killing Harry, although it's never made clear why he's doing this. He never casts a single spell, although he loses his (mother's) wand early on, so he didn't have much opportunity. Then the Fiendfyre is let loose and everyone runs:

Malfoy grabbed the Stunned Goyle and dragged him along....

Wow. He didn't just run full-tilt toward the door, as we would expect a selfish coward to do. Instead, he runs while dragging a stunned and, we already know, ginormous guy. Not at all easy. Or predictible. Not the action of someone looking out for number 1.

The fire worsens, Harry hears a thin, piteous human scream from amidst the terrible commotion, the thunder of devouring flame, and he turns to see:

Malfoy with his arms around the unconscious Goyle, the pair of them perched on a fragile tower of charred desks, and Harry dived. Malfoy saw him coming and raised one arm, but even as Harry grasped it he knew at once that it was no good. Goyle was too heavy and Malfoy’s hand, covered in sweat, slid instantly out of Harry’s –

So he's carried Goyle somehow to this precarious island in a sea of flame, and here comes Draco's one chance to be saved...and he doesn't let go of Goyle. He doesn't abandon Goyle to save himself in what might be his only chance to live.

Ron and Hermione make it possible to save both of them, and what's the first thing out of Draco's mouth when they're safe:

"C-Crabbe," choked Malfoy as soon as he could speak. "C-Crabbe…"

I don't think Jo planned to have us all think Draco's the coolest thing since the iPhone. I'm just saying she doesn't condemn him as much as we think, and that there's still a lot of wiggle room for us Draco fans to work in.

What say you?

Comments

[bloodyrose82.livejournal.com]

I don't usually like jumping in on other people's comments, but I had to reply here.

When he saw just how serious the war really was, he changed his mind very quickly but was too scared of Voldemort to join the Light.

I can't really agree with this statement. I don't think he changed his mind about anything in regards to war position. Draco has always been full of a load of hot air, but while I don't think he realised what being on Voldemort's side meant (did he even have a choice?), I don't think he would have made an active decision to join the side of the light either.

Defaulted there, perhaps, to save his own skin, but there is a difference, however slight it may appear, between that and choosing a side based on his moral values.

No matter what was going on towards the end, Draco always was, and always will be a Slytherin, and while I think he is perfectly capable of giving a shit about other people (like his friends, as geoviki talks about here), I don't think he would ever truly be under the illusion that he was doing it for 'higher moral reasons'.

I think that saying he was too scared of Voldemort to join the Light is perhaps a bit of a leap too. He was scared, certainly, of what would happen because of Voldemort, but again, I think the subtle distinction is that he was scared of what would happen to HIMSELF and his FAMILY because of Voldemort, not the concept of Voldemort in general. Hence why he was happy to throw around the theory for most of his schooldays - it suited HIS purpose to.

I think the difference with Draco, as compared to someone like Harry, is that in these circumstances, while Harry makes an active decison to DO something, or to take a stance, Draco is the polar opposite (and I don't think one has to be considered good, and the other bad). His concern isn't over doing what is right, in regards to a Greater Good (TM). His concern rests with his own world.

It just so happens the two don't always have to be mutually exclusive.

Apologies, Geoviki. *looks sheepish*

[rogue-sheep.livejournal.com]

I half agree with what you're saying. It's true that his concern rests with his own world, but this is why I think he would have joined the side of the Light. He may not have been as important to it as the Weasley family, but at the very least I'd think he'd give up all the information he and his family had on Voldemort in return for being kept safe, if given the opportunity. He wouldn't be joining because Voldemort is horrible to the muggleborns, he'd be joining because his family was loyal and did what they could, yet were being treated like filth.

[bloodyrose82.livejournal.com]

'In return for being kept safe' - yes. As I said, he would do it for HIMSELF. He wouldn't simply have a shift in his universal judgement.

So basically we're in agreement on this bit. :)

[rogue-sheep.livejournal.com]

Oh, I definitely agree that he has his safety in mind. I just don't think it's all about himself. He is mostly for the cause of the Light because Voldemort is crazy and needs to be stopped, therefore he will do what he can when he has the opportunity (Not identifying the trio, stopping Crabbe) yet he's not willing to risk his life. I don't think this makes him selfish, I think this makes him human.

[bloodyrose82.livejournal.com]

See this is the part where I'd start talking about why some people consider people ultimately to be altruistic, whereas others (like myself) believe that there is truly no altruistic act. In otherwords, I think he does what he has to when the situation presents itself, rather than 'doing what he can when he has the opportunity', to save his life. I think humanity is ultimately selfish, and that Harry is as selfish as Draco in that he's following his natural state by saving the world (you have to reconcile your behaviour with your true gut beliefs to remain some sort of sane, and Harry choosing not to save the world would be impossible while he remains Harry being true to himself).

Fine lines, all of it.

[rogue-sheep.livejournal.com]

I'll just reply to both our posts here and say again that yes Draco's acts did end up benefitting him in the end, yet I don't think he was constantly thinking about how every situation would work out to his advantage.

I thought this book especially showed us that Draco really was just another scared teenager trying to survive, up until the scene in the room of requirement. If Draco was ultimately an extremely selfish person he wouldn't have bothered trying to save the lives of his friends and would have focussed on getting himself out. This actually shows us that he's more caring than most people.

All in all, you can say that everyone's acts are ultimately selfish, but Draco is not more selfish than any other human being and that's really the point I wanted to get across.

[lemonade8.livejournal.com]

Bella mentions how Draco probably couldn't stomach "taking care" of the snatchers on the front lawn. Meaning he has no taste for murder. He also knew perfectly well that was Hermione Granger (the mudblood who punched him) and Ron Weasley and possibly Harry Potter in his living room. I think he didn't want to see them tortured and murdered. He waffled about casting doubt, doing the only thing he could probably think of at that moment to give them a chance to escape or SOMETHING.

And Harry and Ron saved him (wasn't it twice?) during the battle of Hogwarts. I think he was redeemable long before this point, and Dumbledore knew it. He spoke of saving Draco's soul, of valuing him, of wanting to help him. I think that seeing all of the atrocities that Voldemort was displaying and seeing who is willing to help and to save him and his family could be grounds for him changing his life. That was more than a kick in the pants, that was a yearlong bucket of ice water thrown on him. And his nod to Harry at the end says they have a truce. (lol, and for H/D hors, UST, BABY!!)

I think Draco became a man.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

I think Draco became a man.

I totally agree with you! The experience of the war is what finally redeemed him. Look how Lucius Malfoy taunted Arthur Weasley as adults; Draco doesn't do that with Harry at the end. Definitely a truce, or an end to hostility.

[bloodyrose82.livejournal.com]

I think apparently I'm incapable of making myself clear, because I'm not disputing anything you just said in the top paragraph.

As for the second, I think the idea of a redeemable Draco is laughable. You have to be in a position where you need to be redeemed in the first place, surely?

It's possibly the most tossed about, and incorrect, notion of fandom.

And again, redemption is very different from saving a child. Not that anyone did save any integrity Draco had - he did that himself.

[lemonade8.livejournal.com]

Ouch. Well, it WAS late when I typed this. I wasn't exactly disagreeing with all of your points, either.

I do disagree that Draco didn't need to be redeemed, though. I think that the way he was going before Voldy traumatized him was a bad one for his soul. The pureblood rhetoric that he was spouting was so harmful and wrong that he needed to be made aware of why and how. If Harry hadn't shown him remorse after doing sectusempra on him, if Dumbledore hadn't offered to help prise him out of Voldy's hands, if Hermione hadn't been such an amazing witch, if his mother didn't love him beyond all others, and if he hadn't been shown firsthand that ending lives of innocents is one of the most horrible things imaginable... I think these things were his catalyst for change, and I truly think he needed to change.

That's all I'm saying. I didn't mean he didn't have to do it himself, because that's where real change takes place, but I think he had some serious growing to do and that others had a hand in it. I don't think it's laughable.

[bloodyrose82.livejournal.com]

LOL no no...I wasn't trying to get at you...I was frustrated with MYSELF, for my inability to find the words I need to try and express myself over this. I ended up writing my own essay post instead, to try and systematically hash it out in my own head.

I think growing up is a different concept from redemption. As is having a few misguided opinions that you seriously need to rethink (which, btw, I don't think Dumbledore or Hermione made him see. He saw it because of the sheer struggle with himself during the course of HBP. I don't consider a last-minute offer of protection as Dumbledore's 'big intervention'). Redemption is a huge concept, and one which I think is just...disgusting when applied to a child in this way.

If anyone needed redeeming then it's Lucius Malfoy, not his son.