Blog Post #2

Draco Malfoy is an extremely interesting character throughout the Harry Potter series. He is a highly complex character, although in the beginning of the series, he is portrayed mostly as just a bully. In the Sorceror’s Stone, he haughtily holds out his hand, declaring to Harry that some wizarding families are better than others and that he should choose wisely whom he befriends. Then, in the Chamber of Secrets, Malfoy acts glad that the chamber is open and openly wishes that it rids the school of all its “filthy” inhabitants. In the Prisoner of Azkaban, Malfoy purposefully tries to get Hagrid sacked by acting as though Buckbeak seriously injured him (which is rubbish since Madame Pomfrey can heal virtually anything). In the Goblet of Fire, Malfoy gleefully wears an anti-Harry badge. Then, in Order of the Phoenix, Malfoy is a prefect and abuses his power. By this point to the series, Malfoy has been portrayed mostly as a git and the reader has little empathy for him.

J.K. Rowling adds a lot more dimension to Malfoy’s character in The Half-Blood Prince, however. Voldemort gives Malfoy the task of killing Dumbledore although he is almost certain Malfoy will not succeed. This is to get revenge on Lucius Malfoy for failing at the Department of Mysteries last year. Also, Malfoy is dealing with the fact that his father is now imprisoned in Azkaban, after his father was once held in such high esteem among the Ministry of Magic. Malfoy is put in a very precarious position after choosing his allegiance to Voldemort. If he tries to back out from the Death Eaters, he will be killed, and if he does not succeed in his task, Voldemort’s wrath would be tremendous. Luckily for Malfoy, Snape must fulfill the duty because of the Unbreakable Vow, although he does not actually know this.

The scene where Harry catches Malfoy crying to Mourning Myrtle is very illuminating. Malfoy is clearly showing how vulnerable he feels, which he often covers up by bullying others. Malfoy catches Harry eavesdropping and so he tries to hex him because he does not want to be seen in such a weak moment.

The scene at the top of the astronomy tower is also a very important moment for Malfoy. Although Malfoy has Dumbledore’s wand and he has the chance to kill Dumbledore, Dumbledore engages Malfoy in conversation. Malfoy willing converses with Dumbledore because he is unable to perform the killing curse and is stalling. Dumbledore tells Malfoy that if he joins the Order of the Phoenix, they have means of protecting him. Malfoy lowers his wand and seems as though he is considering this proposition, but at that moment, Death Eaters charge onto the tower so Malfoy's opportunity is squandered.

Malfoy is such an intriguing character in the series because he is initially portrayed as a pompous bully. But over the years, we start to see his insecurities and some reasons why he may take out his anger and self-doubt on others. In the sixth book especially, we realize how multi-dimensional Malfoy is. We are able to emphasize with Malfoy, which had been much more difficult when he was portrayed as merely a bully. At first, Malfoy was proud to be a Death Eater and follow in his father’s footsteps. However, he learns that maybe this is not the path that he wants, and Malfoy grows a lot in the Half-Blood Prince and the following book. Malfoy represents in the series that characters can change, and they should not be judged too harshly for their past. Rather, it is important to try to emphasize with characters to understand why they act the way that they do. Characters cannot be taken at face value; they may end up surprising you.