A Plea in The Case of Draco Malfoy
/To Redeem or Not To Redeem
If the choice came down to a willing and participating Death Eater or a tormented teenager who was forced to take the Dark Mark, who would you choose for a redemption arc?
While the decision seems obvious, J.K. Rowling believed that Severus Snape, an adult who made Harry’s life a living hell solely because of something that happened decades ago, was more deserving of being redeemed than Draco Malfoy, a teenager who was forced to: live with the Wizarding world’s equivalent of Hitler, take the Dark Mark and betray his school and friends to protect his family.
Draco Malfoy was pushed into so many corners throughout the Harry Potter series you would think he was trapped in a small box.
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The Harry Potter fandom often blames Draco’s parents for not having the courage to separate themselves from the Death Eaters, but what were they supposed to do? Voldemort had returned, and they had no means of protection unless they displayed loyalty to their Lord. They were scared like many people would be when faced with that kind of situation.
Not only were the Malfoys scared for themselves, they were terrified for their only son. Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf whose loyalties lie with Voldemort, had a bad habit of attacking and turning children into werewolves. So had the Malfoys betrayed the Dark Lord, they could guess what Greyback could do to their son. As I stated in my last article, lycanthropy, confirmed by Rowling herself, is a metaphor for AIDS. By being a threat to Draco’s parents by possibly turning their son into a werewolf, Greyback could be insinuating something sinister.
So while they are cowardly and lack self-sacrifice throughout the series, it’s within their right. While it might not be beneficial to Draco having a normal childhood, which of the Hogwarts students in Harry Potter can honestly say they had a normal childhood?
However, it is my humble opinion that Draco is by far the most tormented side-character. It was stated in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that Draco could not produce a Patronus. This high-level spell can only be cast by thinking of your happiest memory. He is, however, well-versed in Occlumency, the ability to protect your mind and thoughts against external magic penetration. Draco, not having a happy enough memory to summon a Patronus but being scared and defensive enough to learn Occlumency, the magical art of mind protection, says a lot.
Not only is he personally tortured by Voldemort for something he didn’t even do, he was forced to torture others. This, in itself, can be a factor in Draco’s apparent depression.
With Draco’s depression brought to light, the one time he attempts to express his emotions, he is almost killed. Throughout his sixth-year, Draco was assigned to repair the Vanishing Cabinet so that Death Eaters could infiltrate Hogwarts. Had he not agreed to do this, he or his parents could have died, so while Draco felt guilty, he pushed through.
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His sketchy and elusive actions caused Harry to be suspicious of him. When he finally breaks down in the sixth-floor boys’ bathroom, where Harry should have no access, he is cursed with Sectumsempra, a fatal spell. Harry had no idea what the effects were. The only information provided for this new spell was ‘for enemies,’ and Draco nearly died because of Harry’s rash decisions. Once again, suppressing Draco from venting out his perfectly normal emotions.
Despite Harry doing this, Draco risks his own life and well-being by not confirming Harry’s identity.
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After the Golden Trio were captured by the Snatchers and Greyback in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, they were brought back to Malfoy Manor, Voldemort’s headquarters. Before they were caught, Hermione used the Stinging Jinx on Harry’s face to conceal his identity. Knowing if the Death Eaters could instantly confirm it was Harry, he would be killed on sight.
They needed to verify his identity before presenting him to their Lord. So with Draco going to school with Harry, he was the only one that could correctly identify him. Of course, he knew it was, in fact, Harry. Still, he denied the other boys’ identity in hopes of Voldemort’s defeat. So that the wizarding world had a chance.
This was a big step for Draco, especially growing up with parents that didn’t have the courage to be self-sacrificing for their own child, while he was for a boy who wouldn’t even be his friend. Simply because he knew that Harry was the Wizarding world’s only chance.
He was self-sacrificing even when he was in his most scared state, which really speaks to his character. If Draco was given a choice to have a secure and safe role on Harry’s side of the battle, I, without a doubt, think he would’ve taken it.
With all this said, I believe that Draco Malfoy was worthy of a redemption arc. Because not only did he have a shite childhood, but by the end of the series, he showed more courage than most of the adults in Harry Potter ever did.
Dez
Bienvenidos! My name is Desirea, aka Dez. I am a 20-year-old Professional Writing student who has the heart and likes of a 10-year-old. As a Disney and Pixar fanatic, along with any kids movie that's not mediocre, my childish heart often fixates on animated characters. I frequently latch onto relationships that have not and never will be confirmed canon due to homophobic production studios and TERF writers. But alas, I let myself suffer anyways; this is precisely why I will be dragging said production studios and TERF writers in my articles.
