Draco Malfoy is one of the main antagonists in the Harry Potter series. He is the son of Lucius Malfoy, a Deatheater and one of Voldemort’s most trusted servants. Draco Malfoy is known for his unrelenting bullying of main protagonists as he often picks apart their vulnerabilities. He bullied Hermoine the most for being a muggle-born wizard, however he also bullies Neville, Harry, and Ron. Since he is the son of a Death Eater, he was taught to believe that Pure-blood wizards are superior and that Muggle-born wizards should be inexistant.
Despite all of this, fans gush over him and his rugged personality. So why do fans love him so much?
Fans love Draco not only for his good-looks, but because he is a complicated character. As the series progresses, Draco begins to have a lot of inner struggle as he battles between newfound empathy and the principle taught by his parents. This can be seen after Voldemort gives him the task to kill Albus Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince and restore his family’s relationship with Voldemort. At first Draco is excited with the prospects of such a big task, however later finds out the naivety of such excitement. The fate of his family under Lord Voldemort weighs heavy on him as he realizes that he has to choose between taking a life and getting killed.
This inner battle explodes in the Astronomy Tower as he disarms Dumbledore and prepares for the kill. Dumbledore tries to convince him not to kill and Draco begins to hesitate. In that moment you can see the fear and despair on his face as he points his shaky wand at Dumbledore. He cries out, “I don’t want your help! Don’t you understand? I have to do this. I have to kill you. Or he is gonna kill me!”. Death Eaters then enter the room and pressure Draco to strike, however he can’t. Just as Dumbledore said, he is not a killer.
Fans love Draco so much because they understand his story. Readers can relate to the inner struggle between what you were taught to do and what you feel is right individually. Fans can sympathize with Draco by how he grew up way too young. The possibility of his family’s death loomed over him from the age of sixteen. Though the way he treated others cannot be excused, it is understandable how he turned out so bad. Many fans see that deep down he could be a good person and is more scared than anything.
One response to “Fans Love Draco Malfoy, But Why?”
You nicely touched up on this, and I feel as though he is controlled by fear and reputation in general. A combination of both really. He is the character that we all can sympathize and relate to, because it is something that all humans go through. Being placed in a situation where. Out of fear of his and family’s reputation, he acts as a superior one, to show his family that he has what it takes to be a Malfoy. However deep inside, he doesn’t want to continue the path of taking a life nor helping the dark lord by heart as he starts to mature. I think that is something you could touch up on along with your argument. Great post!