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Bring it on! I'm Draco Malfoy's defense attorney. I will rebutt any and all arguments against him. My case is that Malfoy will turn good by the end of the series and will NOT go to Azkaban. All who oppose: make your arguements below.

Malfoy is too strongly attached to his beliefs that all non-pure-blood wizards are unworthy, he knows nothing else considering that is how he was raised, therefore reform is out of the quesiton. Add this to the countless personal grudges he holds against the trio, I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel for dear old Draco.

Draco Malfoy is sixteen years old. His beliefs are nowhere near strongly attached. His opinions still has a chance to change. Malfoy was raised by birth to despise mudbloods and muggles. His father conditioned him to heed his every word and follow the Malfoy family conduct. A person surrounded by Death Eaters from birth would of course display anti-muggle behavior. But people change. Lord Voldemort is half-blood. Malfoy surely knows this. What best describes Malfoy? Arrogant, self-confident, independent? Do these qualities equate to kneeling and kissing the robe hems of Lord Voldemort? Malfoy does not bow to anyone. Not Dumbledore and certainly not Voldemort. You say that reform is out of the question but what about Professor Snape? He was raised in the Dark Arts. He came from a family of Voldemort supporters. And yet he's a spy for Dumbledore. Snape is a foreshadowing of Draco.

A personal grudge against the Golden Trio does not equate to mass murder and terrorism. Death Eaters kill, maim, and pillage. Are you telling me that a mere personal grudge would instigate such behavior? Just because Granger gets slightly better grades, Malfoy is going to put on a mask and torture people with Crucio. It doesn't make sense. That's not motivation.

Draco will reform. His views may or may not stay the same but I doubt he will wholeheartedly join the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters are treated like dogs by Lord Voldemort. Malfoy would never acquiesce to such behavior. Just because Malfoy is a Slytherlin and he makes fun of the trio, he's obviously going to become a murderer? It's nonsensical.

Draco Malfoy is very similar to his father in terms of attitude - Lucius is arrogant, confident and independent, he looks on Arthur weasley as Draco does on Hermione, and he still bows down and worships Voldemort. Secondly, it is because Draco is 16 that he doesn't go out to kill and pillage, he isn't mature enough for that, but he is defintely on the right path - with information being fed to him from the 'wrong side of the track' all the time, summers in the company of Death Eaters and no realistic 'good' influences on him, for he has been conditioned to believe Dumbledore to be a senile old Muggle-lover, there is very little if no hope that he will turn out eventually good. The only way of him completely turning his views around is by some single, magnificent example showing him the error of his ways. However, I doubt that will happen anytime soon, if ever. Over to the defense.

Well i think that deep down hes a happy boy who wants to frolick with the muggles in the buttfly covered medows touched


until then ... hes a loser

The books never clarified that Draco Malfoy bowed down or even worshipped Lord Voldemort. He simply agrees with Voldemort's perspective on muggles. He's a Slytherin. A Slytherin is about self-perservation. Malfoy clearly said to Potter " You chose the losing side". Malfoy thinks he is on the winning side. With good reason: The Ministry still denies Voldemort's existence, Dumbledore's Order has little to no support from credible organizations, Dumbledore's Army is made up of children, the Aurors have no idea what they are doing, The wizarding population still denies Voldemort's return, Voldemort is back and more powerful than ever, and the sole hope of the Light rest on the shoulders of 16-year old boy with soda-bottle glasses. The odds don't look good for the Light. The Dark side has Lord Voldemort and the support of some of the richest and most influential wizards in the world. The Light side has a slightly insane Dumbledore and a teenager with scar. A casual observer would clearly identify the Dark side as the most likely to win.

Draco Malfoy is at first glance a splitting image of his father. His mannerisms, appearance and personality all appear to be carbon copy. From an author's point of view, is this a bit unorthodox. Is the son of the father exactly like his father? Is this the right message to send? Will J.K. Rowling basically say to her audience " You are your parents and there's nothing you can do to change that." ? It's very unfeasible. Thematically it simply wouldn't do. The books are about change. Harry Potter was supposed to be a Slytherin. His past, his anguish, his tragedy all point in the direction of greatness. The Sorting Hat recognized this. And yet Harry denied this. He denied the darkness within him and strove for a new identity. Harry Potter and Tom Riddle are nearly identical. Loss of parents. Poor childhood and neglectful family. They're the same. Yet Tom Riddle went the way of the Dark Arts and Harry Potter went to the Light. This theme represents change and self-personalization. Nature vs. Nurture. Harry Potter's strife could have led him to the Dark Arts. But instead he chose the way of the Light.

Draco Malfoy is no exception. His past and his upbringing clearly conditions him to the Dark side. But is Draco Malfoy incapable of "denying thy father?" Is his name all he is? Do Ron's stereotypical judgements paint a clear picture of what Draco Malfoy really is? Like father, like son and nothing more? The readers were deceived before. Servus Snape was at first perceived to be a nasty git in league of the Death Eaters. All evidence pointed in that direction. But we were proven wrong. Despite his mean personality and appearance, Snape was on the side of the Light. There is more under the surface than what first appeared. Draco Malfoy is the same. He's mean, spiteful, and insecure. But his animosity to the Golden Trio is not because he sees them as inferior. Quite the opposite. He's jealous of them.

Harry Potter shattered his world. Draco Malfoy obviously came to Hogwarts thinking that he would be the most popular and loved student in his class. But this was not so. Harry Potter took that spotlight. And Draco Malfoy was driven to the role of his nemesis. Harry Potter always wins. And Draco hates him for it. Harry gets away with breaking the rules and obviously has the favor of all the teachers and even Dumbledore. And Draco hates him for it. Draco Malfoy has it all : money, good looks and prestige. And yet the people bow down to a scraggly half-blood who's only famous because he survived Lord Voldemort as a babe. And Draco hates him for it. He is always second best.

Hermoine is smarter than him. Draco Malfoy was raised to believe that all mudbloods are inferior in magic potential. And yet Hermoine has shattered that notion. She is at the top of her class and she is a better wizard than most. Draco's entire upbringing has been proven wrong simply do to one person. And he hates her for it. How can a mudblood possibly be better at magic than a pureblood like him? He's in denial. Everything he has been taught is continually challenged everytime he lays eyes on Granger.

Believe it or not, Malfoy is jealous of Ron. Sure Ron is dirt poor and doesn't hold a Knut to his name but he has one thing Malfoy doesn't : a loving family. Can you imagine what it must be like have Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy as parents. I find it inconceivable of Lucius or his wife showing Draco any type of affection. I doubt he has ever been hugged or kissed. A Malfoy is raised to be cold and unemotional. Yet Ron's family is completely the opposite to Draco's family. One rich, one poor. One loving, one unloving. One dark, one light. A classical archetype of parallelism. Draco is jealous of Ron. Ron has committed friends and unconditionally loving parents and sibilings. Draco has a pair of dull lackeys and judgemental parents who has likely never to show their son any sign that they love him. Draco, like all people, longs for love and acceptance. He hates Ron for having the things he wants most and the irony of himself having the things Ron wants.

Sirius Black is an adult Draco Malfoy. His parents were avid supporters of the Dark Lord. But eventually he questioned his values and his parents. He was raised to believe that all muggles were inferior and that the Dark Lord would bring salvation for the Wizarding World. And yet despite all this he dissented to Dumbledore's side. Black had seemingly no hope at all of changing and yet he did. Is Draco Malfoy so impossible now?

Draco Malfoy is a very insecure young man. He was raised by a cruel, unloving man to be everything a Malfoy is: arrogant, haughty, and superior to most wizards. And yet he sees things that might make him question his conditioned values. A mudblood at the top of her class. A half-blood who represents everything Draco wishes he could be. And a disgraced pureblood that has so little and yet so, so much more. Draco Malfoy can change. The readers perceive him as a bully, and he is. But they see the Hogwarts world through flawed eyes. A Gryffindor's eyes. Prejudiced and biased eyes. Eyes that have been wrong before.

A central core theme is the House System. Gryffindors are brave and reckless, Ravenclaws are smart and quiet, Hugglepuffs are loyal and amiable, and Slytherins are sneaky and ambitious. Yet are the people in these houses purely contained to these traits? Hermoine is a Gryffindor and yet she displays the behavior of a Ravenclaw. Ron is a Gryffindor and yet he displays the behavior of Hugglepuff. Harry is a Gryfindor and yet he displays the behavior of a Slytherin. Snape is a Slytherin and yet he has the bravery to spy thus displaying the behavior of a Gryffindor Does anyone else see a trend? These aforementioned people display traits of other houses. The Sorting Hat clearly said that the only hope for Hogwarts was house unity. Draco Malfoy is the leader of his house. The other Slytherins follow him. The only way to house unity is through Draco Malfoy.

J.K. Rowling has displayed two main characters to be more than they appear: Snape and Black. Why would Rowling deviate from this theme with Malfoy? Did she really typecast Malfoy as the stereotypical bully who will get what he deserves despite prior characters' redemption? Is Malfoy doomed to being a carbon copy of his father and joining Lord Voldemort? Or will Malfoy follow the path of Snape and Black. Deny his name and refuse the Dark Lord. All prior evidence points in the direction fo the latter. It would be nonsensical and beneath Rowling to condemn Malfoy to the Dark Side. Malfoy will join the Light. With regret but he will nonetheless. Mark my word, the words that will come out of his mouth in the next two books will be: " I am not my father!". Over to prosecution.

wow...nice vocabulary...

I didn't think Draco was totally evil. He doesn't have enough backbone to do what others have done before him.

....Very stubborn aren't we?

PrinceofBlades, I agree for the most part with your post, except that it's circumstantial evidence, not sercomstantial lol. And he doesn't have to find concordance with god, as god has no say in this whatsoever, because if he exists he's a cruel thing, but anyway he needs to make his own decisions and not allow any other outside influence, not his father, nor the so-called 'god', affect his decision, but just look inside himself. I don't think he will do this however, because he's too arogant to admit he is wrong. Simple as.

Surely you underestimate the power of GOD. And i caps it this time. To find concordance with him, is very crucial. Allow me to explain. God is not cruel, he is just. If Malfoy learns that maybe there is a place in this world for half bloods, than he opens himself to a greater good. A Plan for everyone. Anf finds out why the founders of Hogwarts believed in teaching all wizardy decendants. GOD is everything in this novel, you just have to know where to find him. But you miss my point with Malfoy. If you look just over the horizon, you might just see the sun.

Now don't get me wrong on God or Malfoy. GOd, because i'm no catholic fanatic. But i will stand for what is known to be ture. Malfoy, well, LOOK AT YOUR RESULTS. PEOPLE DON'T KNOW MORE THAN THEY DO. It all relies in choice LEAVE IT AT THAT. Opinion is like a nose, everybody has one. And everybody is entitled to it. But in the end J.K. Rowling decides what malfoy will become. And in real life it's those who are denied of love and attension, "money, the looks and prestige" that become the next Hitler. Just remember that.

How the hell did the subject of God get in this argument. Anyway. Good points Princess Blades but they're just opinions based on bias. I've provided a psychological analysis, literary analysis and a contemporial analysis. The "Malfoy has no spine" comment is just a component of opinions based on bias. I have empirical evidence based on observation, psychology, and past instances in the book.

Oh and Snape was HUGE coward. Coward does not equal Murderer.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people. But cowards hurt people, and hurting escalates to killing. As for your psychological analysis, literary analysis and a contemporary analysis you have once again proved that your evidence is not TEXTUAL!!! Where in the book does it show that he has a spine. Where in the book does it show him being "bold" without his thugs. WHERE IN THE BOOK DOES IT SHOW MOLFOY SEEKING TO REDEEM HIMSELF FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE WRONG. DON'T PITY THOSE WHO ARE DOOMED TO FALL. Sorry. It's just that if he is so wronged why doesn't God just strike him now? The only thing I'm saying is in the fight between good and evil, there is always God. In the LOTR it was the release from death. And figuring out that it's either freedom or bust. In The Matrix it was the looking for a hope, and consistency toward and impossible enemy, but in the end proved possible. I Harry Potter it's that in the end, good always prevails, but at a terrible cost. Just like in Star Wars. "Pride cometh before the fall". Maybe Malfoy will die doing something good. In the end it all depends on J.K.Rowling. Just leave it at that.

Like I said before, how the hell did God come into this? Leave religion out of this. The argument above is meaningless. No evidence. No context. Just the typical "holier than thou" religious sprout coming from your mouth. Either you come up with something other than "GOD will punish Malfoy for his sins" dialogue or you quit while you're ahead.

Anyone else? Someone credible this time?

Look, think of it this way. Everybody has a purpose. Everybody was put on this earth for SOMETHING!!!! God's in this conversation is because it's easier to identify who wants it that way. I never said anything about Malfoy being punished for his sins. All I'm saying is Malfoy is chained a shackled by the beliefs of his father. HE IS NOT FREE!!!! But in order to be FREE, he must figure out why!!!!! Why should I follow Lord Voldemort. Why is Harry getting so much attention? What am I suppose to do. If Harry kills his dad he could swear vengeance. I really don't know, however this thing that "Malfoy's totally innocent. He has been hurt Physiologically and Malfoy's really a nice guy, is crap!!!! If he is so hurt, why is he hated so much. And a part from the fact that harry gets away with things, what about the bad stuff that he gets away with uh??? The things he calls others, the stealing???? The greatest things in fights, I you CHOOSE a side, apparently, Malfoy's chosen, his. And since everything in life is about the choices you make, Malfoy's gonna get whats coming. And there's nothing your pathetic lawyer acts are gonna do to stop that. THERE YOU HAPPY, NO GOD. BUT I STILL PROVED THE SAME. MALFOY IS NEITHER GOOD NOR BAD, GUILTY NOR INNOCENT, HE IS PATHETIC. and like the rats and the snakes in an ecosystem, he gonna do anything to survive, and look out for the numero uno : himself. Why cause he's human, and as such he's going to act like one. So deal with it, and by the way, all of your response are unsubstantial and have no textual evidence. You assume he has gotten no love, but could be quite the opposite. He could just be a spoiled brat, did you ever think of that??

I know it's drifting from the subject on hand, but as Rowling was influenced strongly by Tolkien's work and follow on the idea that the stem of the Lord of the Rings history was from the Silmarillion, then there must be some form of god in Harry Potter.

For the term of the book, I don't think we will see Draco in a full transformation as specified as he's the not designated to be the main focus. At the very least, I can see him switch sides in a crucial battle, but not in the context specified. Perhaps he will betray the side of his father on a conflicting belief of his, such as a muggle saving him and finding the act sincere on the other's part. True malevolence doesn't seem to be in accordance with his laid out personality at the moment, where he's shown otherwise little backbone. But also, I can't see him as a totally good character in the end either, which isn't entirely bad.

A very interesting debate did developed here, but I'm rather conservative when the future role of D MAlfoy is in question, I can say that he is a scam but I won't, kidding. Seriously speaking JK will need a character like that to continue the antagonism, because if D becomes nice then the whole reputation of Slytherin changes. If this happens then the books will lose the charm, cause all, or almost all the master piece of the literature are based on antagonism and specially series with same platform as HP which in the essence are Good & Evil.

Shortly Draco will stay as he is; proud, selfish, evil, jalousie and reluctant to spot his own mistakes, because we need him like that, JK especially if she wants her books to continue rocking the top lists.

viola sometimes I speak a lot

In the end, Draco was neither right nor wrong, guilty nor innocent, just Pathetic. Just Pathetic

i always thought malfoy was cute.

i dont think malfoy will become good because he has grown up to desipze muggle wizards his family esp his father prefers power to love so he will mirror his fathers actions ...

hmm, touchy people, I don't WANT Draco to be good, he'll lose ALL appeal to me then!!!!!! :P Draco is good how he is. & besides everyone needs a nemisis, there may be Voldermort, but that's in the macro world, Draco is the counter for Harry in the micro world. To me, this is like asking will Harry become bad, it is entirely possible, but it wouldn't be the story.

me to i think hell come across abit puffy (sorry) if he was to turn good

It's a very interesting topic. I'd have to say that I think he will neither be good or bad. He won't necessarily be totally evil and join the Death Eaters, but he won't exactly be all good and join the Order. He'll most likely become neutral. Or, there's also the possibility that he gets the Dark Mark but joins the Order as a spy for the light. Or that he does get the Dark Mark and becomes all Death Eater like. Those are all pretty much fine with me. Either way, no matter what happens, he'll always be my favorite character. I wouldn't want him to be good, really. That would take out all the fun of him being Draco Malfoy. But it would be a possibility that he becomes neutral and still continues being himself, torturing Harry at school and all. I think that if he becomes a Death Eater and turns fully to Voldemort, it will change the whole aspect of things the same way him turning good would. Changing his personality to good or absolutely evil instead of the pompous, whining, lying, bully he is would be outrageous because it would ruin the whole context of what Joanne Rowling has written previously. But, making a change not so drastic, that may well have a huge impact none the less, could be the right thing to do. So, you cannot really say whether he will become evil or good and whatnot. It all depends on your definition. Will he keep his same attitude? Will he join his father in the ranks of Voldemort? What if he changes his attitude and joins the Death Eaters? Nothing can really be said about this unless every aspect is fully understood. Yes it is a simple question of your opinion on the matter, but your opinion needs to be based on certain things. Can he really become totally evil? Is it really in him? I don't think it is because he isn't one to follow people around. there are certain things that could change his path. Sure, he does worship his Father, but it all could be a facade. Much of everything could be a facade. So nothing can be certain.

Here's my opinion on this subject. It's most probably true that Draco will never be a friend of Harry Potter or completely accept muggle born wizards/witches as equal. But I believe that Draco may not neccesarily be on the dark side eventually. As we have seen from the sixth book, Draco didn't have the guts OR the hatred in him to kill Dumbledore, and he hesitated when Dumbledore offered to help him. Unlike those who find Draco a heartless child, he himself states that he was forced to accept the mission to kill Dumbledore because he was afraid he and his family would be killed otherwise. He fears Voldemort, instead of respecting him, and he follows him because he has no choice. If given the chance, Draco may very well join up with "Harry's side".

It doesn't seem possible he could continue tormenting Harry because Hogwarts will most likely close in the seventh book. But yes, I don't think he'll turn really "good". That would be a bit scary....But who said he had to like Harry to be on the Order's side?

Why did you bump this thread up. And no double posting. The edit button is there for a reason.

Well, I think Draco would finally end up 'good', mainly for the following reasons:
His father is in Azkaban, so he can't hide behind him anymore.
He's got no backbone to mirror his fathers actions.
Its never said that he bows down to the Dark Lord, all we really know about him is that he says he hates mudbloods.

But, I dont think Draco will ever be good. I think he will either be a bit like Snape, as in noone knows where he really stands (not that he has a backbone to spy or anything) or he fights 'at Harry's side' and everyone knows he's good and he hates it.

And AOR, as much as I hate to say it, since I really adore Draco, you are right. He is pathetic.