Extra Credit: Draco Malfoy

Throughout the series, all of the characters changed and developed as the story progressed. One of my favorites, even though he started off as a little prick, is Draco Malfoy. Draco starts off as a high-minded spoiled boy. He remains high-minded throughout the story, even  a bit to the end, but I do believe he becomes less spoiled. That’s easy to believe, seeing as Voldemort takes up in his home and his family is in disfavor!

Draco begins as being wildly proud of his pure blood status. He has a rich, powerful, father and he uses this to bully and get his way. He does things like buying the Slytherin Quidditch team, trying to get Buckbeak executed etc. He runs high on his father power. That is, until his father is discovered as a death eater at the ministry. Suddenly, Draco’s power base disappears from under him. People stop caring what he has to say. They know he is from a family of known death eaters, and death eaters are no good. Yes, other Slytherins still listen (probably because of his Dark Mark) but in general his power has gone. It gets even more apparent he’s lost his power when even Crabbe and Goyle stop listening to him in the 7^th book, when he tries to stop them from killing Harry.

He’d protected Harry another time as well. When he failed to clarify if it was Harry, he did a huge thing. If he had said it was Harry, his power would be reinstated, because his family would have helped deliver Harry to the Dark Lord. Instead, Draco dithers and won’t say for certain who it is. He wants the hell Voldemort has brought to his family to stop. I think he feels bad and in his own way, he’s trying to apologize to Harry. This gesture is huge, and the high minded spoiled little boy from the beginning of the book would not have done something like this. Draco now understands death. His wand had dipped in his duel with Dumbledore. He wanted to be good, but he didn't see many avenues to do so.

Yes, he did try to appeal to other Death Eaters after Harry saved him from the Fiendfire in the final battle, but I think he was just sick of fighting. He was trying to save his own skin, which I think is perfectly acceptable.