Draco's Motivations In The Book 7 Room Of Requirement Confrontation

Draco's Motivations in the Book 7 Room of Requirement Confrontation

I just reread the Fiendfyre sequence and based on a close reading Draco's motivations and actions are a lot more complex and sympathetic than I remembered. Not to mention, once again, here there be drarry.

First, the context:

After the incident at Malfoy Manor, we know from Harry's psychic connection to Voldemort and from the Carrows' overheard discussion that Voldemort's wrath was exceptionally terrible. The Malfoy family became virtual prisoners in their own homes for months and were subjected to especially brutal (even by Voldemort's standards) torture that was also likely quite protracted. Lucius has visible marks on him months later - which, given what we know about magic in that world, really speaks to the level of what has been going on. While he probably got the worst of it, it's certain that none of his family members escaped unscathed. After their other failings they have at this point probably permanently fallen out of favor and have nothing but a (likely short) life of misery to look forward to.

Draco bears a lot of responsibility for this state of affairs since it was he who chose not to identify Harry. This likely adds to his sense of conflict as his conscience tells him one thing and everything he has ever been taught tells him something else. He presumably feels responsible for the suffering his family (we know from book 6 that he does genuinely care about them) has to endure.

Not to mention that he himself is suffering along with them. It would be unsurprising therefore if he felt tempted to "rectify" his earlier moment of what he probably perceived as weakness and made a last ditch attempt to save his parents' (and his own) lives and prestige. While Harry has been taught that love and mercy are noble and valuable impulses, Draco has not. In his world love and mercy are called weakness.

Quite possibly as he suffered and faced death alongside his family, part of him must have felt ashamed of the impulses that led to his choices when Harry was a prisoner at the Manor. Everything he has been taught tells him that Voldemort's victory is inevitable and that his moment of shameful weakness has accomplished nothing except to fail his own family and condemn them (and himself) to a likely short life filled with suffering.

At most what we see in the Room of Requirement is a replay of what we saw on the Astronomy Tower - where Draco is deeply conflicted and when confronted with the reality of violence in support of Voldemort cannot go through with it even under tremendous pressure and even though his failure to carry out these acts of violence will inflict danger and suffering on himself and his loved ones.

But, is that even what actually happens? In my opinion, the answer is "no."

The scene in question:

If we actually look at the text it's not even clear that's what's going on at all. Draco's motives are ambiguous at best here. The scene starts when Harry is stretching out his hand to take the diadem. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle come up behind him and he is completely unaware of them. Draco then announces their presence, alerting Harry that he is being watched. He could've very easy simply stunned Harry or attempted to put the Imperius Curse on him (or killed him) while his back was turned. But he didn't do any of those things. Instead he talks, thereby ruining the element of surprise.

And that's not typical of Draco at all when he actually wants to attack Harry. He's never beaten Harry in a face-to-face confrontation. (In fact, the last time he tried - in 6th year - he almost ended up dead.) The two times he has managed to incapacitate Harry - when he petrified him on the train in 6th year and when he hid and caught Harry for Umbridge with a tripping jinx in 5th year - he did so by using the element of surprise to his advantage.

Given that Draco knows that Harry is a very formidable opponent (AND that Harry's friends are nearby) if he truly simply wanted to capture or kill him, announcing his presence is the last thing he would ever do. Then he says "That's my wand you're holding." He still doesn't cast any spells - not even to try to disarm Harry. He also doesn't say he wants to hand him over to Voldemort. He doesn't even tell Harry to drop his own wand, attempt to take him prisoner, or even threaten him.

It is Crabbe, not Draco who says "We're gonna be rewarded...We decided to bring you to 'im." Draco doesn't say anything about his own intentions other than that he wants his wand back - and we certainly know that even in 6th year he didn't trust Crabbe and Goyle, much less now, and thus is unlikely to speak openly in front of them.

At this point Ron comes to investigate and Crabbe tries to use magic to cause a mountain of debris to fall on Ron and crush him. Harry counters the spell and Draco then grabs Crabbe's arm when he tries to repeat the spell. He gives as his justification the need to avoid the diadem being crushed but since we know he doesn't trust Crabbe it's likely this isn't truthful. Especially since Voldemort has not said anything about wanting the diadem (and even if it wasn't a Horcrux it likely wouldn't be damaged in any case).

Crabbe points out this very thing and Draco argues with him at which point Crabbe says "Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your dad are finished." So arguably he was not even including Draco in the "We" he imagined would be rewarded. Crabbe then tries to use Crucio on Harry.

Draco then again intervenes and tries to stop him.

"STOP" Malfoy shouted at Crabbe, his voice echoing through the enormous room. "The Dark Lord wants him alive--"

He doesn't even just say it. He shouts. We rarely see Draco shout. He is someone who generally keeps his deeper emotions hidden - it's why he's so naturally gifted at Occlumency to the point that he is powerful enough at a young age to lie to both Snape and Voldemort.

What he says here doesn't really even make sense because Goyle isn't even trying to kill Harry; he's just trying to hurt him. However Draco is so distressed by this that he actually starts yelling, something we NEVER see him do at ANY other point in the book. "The Dark Lord wants him alive" is also exactly what Snape says to Bellatrix as they flee in book 6, and we know that Snape's real intent was to protect Harry with a believable excuse. It's the only thing Draco could reasonably say in that moment as a justification.

Crabbe (rather sensibly) points out that 1) he didn't even try to kill Harry and 2) Voldemort ultimately wants Harry dead so it probably doesn't matter that much. This makes perfect sense. And yet Draco is inordinately concerned with preventing harm to Harry & Co rather than with taking any action to capture or even disarm any of them.

Clearly he did not expect to lose control of Crabbe and Goyle like this and as a result is now losing control of the situation (and himself). (Unlike Harry, Draco is more of a planner and is not as good at reacting in the moment.) Also the possibility that Harry could be killed seems to drive him nearly to the point of hysteria - rather like how Ron reacted to Hermione being in mortal peril at the Manor. This is not just a general aversion to killing. This is something more. He finds the idea of Harry dying truly unbearable. (I don't need my ships to be canon; this one just happens to be.)

At this point they start fighting and Draco loses Narcissa's wand. Wandless, he STILL tries to intervene. Crabbe and Goyle are both aiming their wands at Harry and Draco once again starts yelling - "Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" and is obviously in significant distress and is not at all happy with what is going on.

After that the Fiendfyre gets loose and the rest of the scene goes down without much dialogue.

At NO POINT does Draco 1) actually say he wants to hand Harry to Voldemort OR 2) attempt to attack Harry or Ron or Hermione at all OR 3) use his Dark Mark to call Voldemort OR 4) tell anyone he's seen Harry after they get out of the Room of Requirement - even in a later scene when he's been cornered by a Death Eater who is considering killing him he doesn't reveal this information even though that probably would've proven his loyalty or at the very least distracted the Death Eater.

Conclusions about Draco's motivations:

So, where does that leave us? What went down there and what was Draco trying to do?

We really have 3 options.

Option 1: Draco tried to hand Harry over to Voldemort in order to save himself and his family, got cold feet and couldn't really go through with it, and then lost control of the situation due to Crabbe and Goyle's changing loyalties.

Verdict: Possible but unlikely given the remarkably bad job he does of it and how inconsistent his approach is with his usual MO. Even if we assume his heart wasn't in it you'd think he'd at least have got as far as disarming Harry before announcing his presence. Especially since Harry almost killed him last time they fought (and Draco probably doesn't know Harry didn't know what the Sectum Sempra curse would do.)

And if his heart WAS in it then then this makes even less sense since he not only didn't attack Harry while his back was turned but also didn't call Voldemort or even inform anyone that he'd seen Harry.

Option 2: Draco wanted to get himself captured in a way that looked convincing so that he could take the chance Dumbledore offered in 6th year, only it went quite badly wrong.

Verdict: This would be an interesting possibility but I think it's also unlikely as it's simply too risky. He doesn't know Harry was there on the astronomy tower or that Harry would make the same offer. His family would also likely be murdered if Voldemort realized this had happened.

Option 3: Draco wanted to cut a deal in order to improve his family's situation without actually handing Harry over - perhaps he hoped for some kind of exchange where he could get his wand back and bring Voldemort the diadem as some kind of consolation prize - but overestimated his control over his cronies and lost control of the situation.

Verdict: I actually think this works best given his behavior during the scene. He initiates a conversation because he wants information about what and where the diadem is (and what value it would have to Voldemort) and because he wants to make some offer along the lines of 'give me my wand and the diadem and we'll let you go.' This could get him what he wants and help his family without actually harming anyone.

Also it hedges his bets a bit because if Harry wins he will owe Draco. The problem of course is that Crabbe and Goyle aren't happy to just take orders anymore and have their own goals. At that point, instead of caving and going along with what Crabbe and Goyle want to do instead, Draco actually tries to intervene, albeit in a way that doesn't actually expose him as questioning Voldemort.

Draco made his choice at the Manor. If he wanted to hand Harry over he would have. But he couldn't. He cares about him too much. But he also feels tremendous guilt and fear over the price he and his family are still paying for that decision. This is his attempt to try to fix things - to try to find a middle ground between the conflicting imperatives that are tearing him apart. The reality though, as he shortly discovers, is that there is no middle ground. And when he sees that, once again he chooses Harry.

Mapping the Drarry storyline: a deep analysis of Draco and Harry's relationship in the Harry Potter series

Yes, I did it. I made it into a fucking essay.

Well, my pals, let me begin by explaining that I should be paid for this, because holy shit, this is a Herculean task. But it’s fine, I’m doing it because I love these books too much and it’s my duty! *standing up with the union flag in the background*

How is it going to work?

This very post will be my masterlist, where I’ll slowly be adding links to all the text posts as I write them. So like it, save it, reblog the shit out of it. Thank you.

Each post will discuss a specific moment in the books (as well as getting references from the movies and discussing what they left out), so it could be just one interaction or a whole point in their relationship, it will depend on my methods at the time.

Will you talk from a shipper perspective? Isn’t that biased?

Well, I’m glad you asked. I will, indeed, talk about how their interactions are further proof that DRARRY IS FUCKING CANON, but I promise to be rational. Furthermore, this is not the only aspect of their characters that I love, so I’ll include a lot of discussion about character development, redemption, coming-of-age and all that.

When will you be posting each post?

I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep a steady rhythm going, but I’m already writing the first one, about the moment they met at Madam Malkin’s. Please, don’t push me about it, because I do have a real job and all that rot.

So yeah, it’s on!

Philosopher’s Stone Chapter 1 - First Impressions

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krishnarjunforlife

1 month ago

Ok, so here we go.

Today I lost someone from my family and I also started shit in here without meaning to. Since I can’t bring people back from the dead, I can at least clear the air with the person I offended (and I already did it). So anons, please stop sending me messages of support or calling me a bitch. It literally makes no difference to me.

What I would like to do then is share my views on the topic because I do think we need to discuss it. It’s extremely relevant right now.

And I do this because it’s what I should have done from the beginning: express my POV without lowkey saying “you’re wrong”. It’s a lovely process to be part of this fandom and we can disagree (as we usually do in everything) but respect each other’s POVs.

So here’s my personal experience with “Draco Malfoy is an analogy for Nazi youth” and I hope you can share yours and we can grow together.

It is common knowledge that the Death Eaters are an analogy to Nazis. I mean, it’s freaking obvious. So yes, sometimes I find it bizarre when people romanticise them and tattoo dark marks and shit. At the same time, though, I understand that fiction is not real life, so that doesn’t really mean they are Nazi sympathisers. Actually, most HP readers are just the opposite.

Now talking about Draco specifically: for a looooong time I felt like SHIT for liking this ship. It’s nothing new if you follow my personal posts. I used to literally ask God to cure me from this disorder. So yeah, highkey self-loathing.

The thing that made me make peace with this pairing was Deathly Hallows. I don’t think I would still be a shipper without it. Both because it developed their relationship and because it gave me a glimpse of hope for Draco’s redemption.

I love Draco. He’s one of my favourite characters in the whole of Literature. I am literally obsessed with him. And at the same time I am a crazy activist who wants to punch Nazis in the face. So how can I be both?

First of all, because I have so clear to me the difference between fiction and real life. And that’s something that I can only vouch for myself. Young girls don’t always have that. Even 40-something women don’t sometimes (50 Shades of Fake-BDSM, anyone?).

So yeah, I get why it’s a problem.

JKR said that several times and, although the way she said it was not cool at all (and she blocked a bunch of real HP fans for asking her about Draco and complaining about the way she was saying things) I can still see why she’s concerned.

But to be honest, I think Draco is not the best example of Nazi or alt-right in HP that people love and admire. Snape, for instance, never had real redemption. He was just in love with this ONE PERSON. Also, he was a 30-something yo man, not a 16 yo boy. And still JKR herself loves him.

So I don’t see how she really understands the problem. Her issue is with Drarry in particular - and she apparently changed her mind before Cursed Child, so really, it’s in the past.

Back to the issue: Draco is indeed a born and raised Nazi in that analogy. I do think we have to be careful when discussing fiction, even when problematic, because it’s really not the same as real life. But I can see where this point comes from. And I respect it, because I saw it like that for a long time.

How did I forgive him?

I am 25 yo right now and let me tell you, I was a child when I was 16. I didn’t know ANYTHING. In fact, my bullies/enemies didn’t know anything as well. I actually am friends with one nowadays and he’s a completely different person (a much better person). So yes, 16 is early to have a completely formed character.

From HBP you can see his redemption being slowly added into the main plotline and it’s a beautiful thing to see. Loving Drarry is about loving redemption and coming-of-age and to me that’s one of the most beautiful and addictive aspects of this pairing. It wouldn’t be the same at all without it.

But to be honest, in my head any fanfic I read has this same POV, so even if they don’t address it throughout the fanfic, to me it happened at some point. Because I do believe people need to address the things that happen to them before they can move on.

And come on, pretty dark shit happened between them. Harry tried to kill Draco, Draco tried to kill Ron AND Dumbledore. It’s something very dark and in MY personal experience, I would have to deal with it to be able to look the other person in the eye.

So yeah, I agree that to me, right now, these kinds of fanfics are the most relatable and I almost don’t consider anything else plausible TO ME. But also, if you feel forgetting is better, hey, be my guest. Liking fluffy Draco doesn’t mean you love Nazis. I think that should be obvious to you guys.

That was my point the whole time and I think she never said anything different from that: liking Draco DOES NOT make you a Nazi supporter. But thinking about it and trying to explore real redemption can be the best way to make peace with the actual political climate and our favourite characters.

And also, PLEASE try not to start shit with each other in here. Just because we disagree about something, it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. It’s not like any of you are actual Nazi supporters, right? (In that case, please fuck off forever).

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krishnarjunforlife

11 months ago

So, I know how much everybody loves pretend-dating/pretend-marriage fics, but have you considered ‘pretend NOT to be dating/married’ AUs?

For example:

My friend is so determined to fix me up with somebody better than my string of casual coffee date/hookup partners that I didn’t have the heart to tell her, after she set us up for a blind date, that I actually met you six months ago

We’re both professors in the same department and it enhances your reputation with the students as a mysterious enigma and my reputation as a stone-cold terror if we pretend to hate each other, plus when we back each other up in departmental meetings everybody’s so surprised they give in right away

My parents thought I was working for an insurance company in New York when really I was joining the CIA so I just sort of never mentioned when I met you on an assassination-gone-wrong and now we’ve been married for five years and they still don’t know you exist, this has gotten wildly out of hand and you won’t stop laughing about it

All your coworkers know you’re married to a cop but now I’m undercover investigating a string of bank heists and it turns out that your only friend at your shitty new job is dating the head bank robber.

We’ve been communicating entirely by email/phone/carrier pigeon/paid messenger for the past year as we work to bring some peace and order to this troubled land, so when I walked into the negotiation room to sit down with the fearsome and terrible politician/businessperson/famed warrior that all my people are so afraid of, I didn’t really expect it to be you.

I didn’t think my parents could accept me dating somebody of your gender/race/religion/species, so we’ve been keeping it quiet, but now my mom can’t stop talking about her friend’s next-door neighbor and how perfect they’d be for me and you’ve got some nosy neighbor trying to set you up with their coworker’s kid and how do we tell them we’re engaged without making them think it’s because of their completely uninvited meddling?

You’ve got to pretend-date your best friend for a couple of weeks because reasons, and somehow that means we’re passing ourselves off as siblings to explain why we live together but we’ve started giving each other really filthy pre-sex looks behind everyone’s back like a game of chicken and pretty soon somebody is going to start to have serious concerns about our siblinghood.

Pretending-not-to-be-dating AUs: add yours today!

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krishnarjunforlife

4 months ago

This is the comic I am referring to

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krishnarjunforlife

2 months ago

When Harry witnesses Draco being forced to torture Rowle, he is extremely upset. Much more so than he typically is about these visions. There are a lot of very drarry implications. Let's break it down.

"Malfoy’s gaunt, petrified face seemed branded on the inside of his eyes. Harry felt sickened by what he had seen, by the use to which Draco was now being put by Voldemort.”

Notable points from this passage:

1) Harry understands Draco so well that he immediately takes for granted that he doesn't want to be using the Cruciatus curse. It never even crosses his mind to take this as evidence that Draco is now a willing torturer who enjoys cruelty or that he deserves to be in this situation for having chosen the wrong side and for his role in Dumbledore's death.

Nor does Harry think Draco is just scared and upset because he's afraid Voldemort might lash out at him too - which is what Harry would think if he saw any other Death Eater acting afraid around Voldemort. He clearly sees that Draco is horrified by the acts he is being forced to commit. And he also completely accepts that it is Voldemort forcing Draco to commit these acts, thus absolving Draco of responsibility.

2) Harry is DEEPLY upset by seeing Draco in this position. More upset than he ever is about seeing any other Death Eater being terrorized or hurt by Voldemort (Harry doesn't even spare one thought for Rowle for example!) Not only that. He's also more upset than he is about seeing Ollivander tortured. Or about seeing Voldemort murder a woman and her children later on while searching for information about Gregorovitch. He finds those visions alarming but he shakes them off pretty quickly.

The only comparable strong reactions are how he responds to his visions of Arthur Weasley and Sirius in book 5 - i.e. visions of people he knows and cares about in danger and suffering. And it's not even the scene as a whole that upsets him. It's specifically Draco - whose frightened face seems "branded" on the inside of Harry's eyes. Harry can't get the vision out of his head, feels sickened, and fights to keep his voice casual afterward. Even though Draco wasn't even actively being hurt.

So canonically Draco matters to Harry in a way that almost all other people don't. It's not generic nobility that gives Harry sympathy even for an enemy - because he doesn't feel this way about other Death Eaters. And it's not general pity that Harry would feel for any innocent hurt by Voldemort - because he doesn't feel that way about victims like Ollivander or the children Voldemort killed. It's the type of reaction Harry ONLY has to people he deeply cares about suffering or being in danger. Harry may not think of it that way on an intellectual level. But his heart knows it even if his brain doesn't. He cares about Draco Malfoy. A lot. He cares about him more than he cares about almost anyone else.

3) Also notable. Harry starts out referring to him as Malfoy but then switches to thinking of him as Draco as he starts worrying about him. (Yes. The drarry trope of Harry switching from "Malfoy" to "Draco" literally happens. IN CANON.) And he keeps thinking of him as Draco after that point. The next time Draco is referred to is during the whole sequence where the Golden Trio are prisoners at the Manor. Harry refers to Lucius by his full name multiple times, but consistently refers to Draco as "Draco" rather than "Malfoy" in his internal narration.

4) (Also the fact that Draco's face is described as "gaunt" hits me right in the feels. It seems that he's in worse shape even than he was when Harry last saw him at the end of 6th year. Sad but not surprising given the guilt that is probably eating at him over his role in Dumbledore's death, what he is now being forced to do as a Death Eater, and the very tangible dangers and suffering that come with being out of favor with Voldemort while having him in your house.)

Tldr: I don't need my ships to be canon but drarry is. jkr who? ;)

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krishnarjunforlife

4 months ago

Miraculous Fun Facts 6 - New York Superhero team

So, as Thomas Austruc just gave us a spoiler about Sparrow's apperance in the New York Special, I think It's time to introduce you to him and the rest of his team, that might apoear in the episode too!

------

Sparrow, "Birdy"

Miraculous Fun Facts 6 - New York Superhero Team

Already described in my Quantic Kids post - you should check him out in there, but if you're too lazy, let me tell you. Of you love Chat Noir, you're gonna adore this guy too!

Knight Owl

You think it's batman who inspired Mr. Damocles in making his superhero perosna? Wrong! Knight Owl is a brain of the operation in the New York Superhero team. She's a good guy, but treats both Sparrow and Chat as sidekicks, which... Kinda saddens me to be honest. Still a good and positove character though!

Inspired by Batman (duh)

Majestia

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing" - These words of Majestia Alya quoted in the first part of the Origins Episode! Postitive, friendly and still powerfull star of the team, Majestia is blessed with the ability of flying and apparently is one of the most idolized superheroes in the whole Quantic Universe. According to Bunnyx she also has an evil sister, Ignoblia.

Isnpired by Wonder Woman

Victory/Camilla Hombee

One of the most controversial superheroes I gues.

Victory is the current President of America - and apparently she revealed her secret identity just to win that position! She seea no good in villains - she has no seocnd though about their motives or origins and will detroy them without thinking if It's for the greater good.

Inspired by Capitan America

Doorman

Apparently a nice guy who, just like pegasus, has the power to create portals

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krishnarjunforlife

2 months ago

We've reached it! The taking of the Hawthorne wand. One of the best moments in the book. And also one of the darryest.

Harry doesn't disarm Draco with magic. He physically takes the wands from him. But Draco never even tries to shoot a spell at Harry which he could easily have done since he's literally holding the wands while Harry is trying to pull them out of his grip. I think in that moment Draco doesn't lose; he surrenders.

At first he puts up a fight because it's his instinct and he because he knows that it's what he's supposed to do and because Voldemort's punishment for letting Harry escape will be so awful and Draco's so, so scared of what will happen to him and to his family. So he tries to fight back but he just can't. He can't hurt Harry. He can't be the one to stop him from escaping.

Because he loves him. Yes Draco wants Voldemort to fail. But I think that alone isn't enough to motivate him to risk so much and to offer so completely his loyalty and his power. It's love that makes him do it.

And so he gives in. He lets Harry take everything - lets him go, lets him escape, lets him take Draco's own wand. And that's why the wand feels so friendly. Not just because Harry won it. Not just because since Draco and Harry are so compatible, Draco's wand is compatible with Harry. (Though there's some hella drarry implications there already). But ALSO because Draco WANTED Harry to have the wand and felt loyalty for him and cared for him. And so the wand reflected that.

Also I'd like to note that at no point does Draco try to grab the wands back while Harry is distracted attacking Greyback. And in turn Harry never attacks Draco once he's got the wand.

And maybe Draco regrets what he did as he suffers Voldemort's wrath and thinks he and his whole family are going to die in agony and curses his own weakness. But it's done. And somewhere inside he's probably glad of that - glad that he can't go back on his decision now.

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