Slytherin Defense Club

Why We Love Draco

(Got it from Pottermore )

Draco Malfoy spends most of the series as one of those characters we just love to hate. He treats most students like they’re beneath him, is quick to insult, and often resorts to dirty tactics… but we think maybe there’s hope for him yet.

‘Malfoy Manor’

In Deathly Hallows, there’s a moment where it feels like all is lost. After months of unsuccessful searches for Voldemort’s Horcruxes, Harry, Ron and Hermione are taken by Snatchers, and transported straight into the belly of the beast, Malfoy Manor.

Harry, who’s disguised with a swollen, puffy face thanks to Hermione’s Stinging Jinx, must be identified before he’s given to Lord Voldemort, with the Malfoys, Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback hungry to present him to the Dark Lord. One word from Draco will seal his fate.

Draco’s parents are alive with ecstasy, with Lucius Malfoy convinced that catching Harry Potter will put him back in favour with Lord Voldemort. But Draco, for the first time in his life, is almost speechless.

’Well, Draco?’ said Lucius Malfoy. He sounded avid. ‘Is it? Is it Harry Potter?’ ‘I can’t – I can’t be sure,’ said Draco.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Why it matters

Why does Draco hesitate? He could have got rid of his rival once and for all and restored the Malfoys to their former glory.

But the events of Half Blood Prince took their toll on Draco. Though he entered sixth year with the usual sneer and swagger, he appeared nervous and dishevelled as time passed. Secretly he’d been initiated into the Death Eaters and told to kill Professor Dumbledore. Draco quickly realised that he was in over his head and began to crack under the pressure.

‘The only people who can see Thestrals… are people who have seen death.’ 
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Seeing death permanently changes the way a person sees the world. Draco witnesses as his kindly old headmaster is struck down in front of him and and the Muggle Studies teacher Charity Burbage is tortured and killed in his own home.

We forget that Draco is still only a boy and seeing innocent people tortured and killed is not something he’s prepared for. Until recently, Draco seems to have lived a charmed and sheltered life; he’s never been poor like Ron, accused of having ‘dirty blood’ like Hermione or suffered the loss of a loved one like Harry.

It could be said that his childish slurs against Muggle-borns and ‘blood traitors’ came not from a place of hatred so much as one of ignorance. Perhaps if he’d understood the weight of his words Draco would have been more careful about how he wielded them.

Harry saw Draco’s face up close, now, right beside his father’s. They were extraordinarily alike, except that while his father looked beside himself with excitement, Draco’s expression was full of reluctance, even fear. ‘I don’t know,’ he said, and he walked away towards the fireplace where his mother stood watching. 
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Then the moment finally arrives when Draco has the chance to redeem himself. So many thoughts must be racing through his mind. Maybe he feels remorse over helping the Death Eaters, who’ve already claimed many innocent lives. He knows all too well what will happen to Harry and his friends if they are handed over, yet his parents would be proud and grateful beyond measure.

Draco is torn between loyalty to his family, fear of Voldemort and worry for his former classmates. But Draco cannot just flit from one position to another in one fell swoop – and instead of denying it’s Harry completely, settles for a passive, ‘I don’t know.’

A disinclined Death Eater

We wonder if Draco’s hesitancy in this moment suggests that he has cast aside the boyish fantasy of being a powerful Death Eater; that he finally understands the horrifying reality of serving Voldemort.

It’s tragic that he’s had to grow up so fast but we can respect how much he’s changed. By refusing, he finally takes a stand and stops another innocent person being brutalised.

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Actions have consequences – Draco learns that the hard way. Harry will later risk his own life to save Draco from the Fiendfyre. Narcissa Malfoy will then lie to Voldemort – an extremely dangerous person to lie to – and spare Harry to hear that her son is alive. Thanks to all of this, Voldemort will be defeated and peace will return to the wizarding world. Much of this can be traced back to that one pivotal decision in Malfoy Manor.

Draco proves himself to be a stronger, braver and more sympathetic character than most of us gave him credit for, and how terrifying the pressure of his Death Eater father has had on his entire life. It makes us rethink the path he’s led and the person he becomes. Most importantly, it shows us the power of redemption and how we can all learn from our mistakes.