Draco has similarities with the most unlikely person-Dumbledore
I changed topics! The topic I was going to write about got trumped by this amazing epiphany I had one night when I was, by chance, I glancing through Deathly Hallows. Click to read what, as J.K.R. would say, “simply fell into my head”.
I was going to write my next “Worth of Draco” article on the types of racism not used by purebloods in Harry Potter, but something much more pertinent and less preachy came to mind (and besides, I believe everyone who has read the stories and watched the movies are smart enough to realize that racism based on color and gender is, for the most part, ignored in the books and movies, except for one comment Pansy said about Angelina Johnson’s braided hair.)
What I will write about is something I came across when I was trying to remember Grindelwald’s first name (which is Gellert). I started re-reading the chapter where Harry finds out about Dumbledore’s friendship with Grindelwald and the sordid ideas he had due to his friendship, and it hit me that Dumbledore’s story arc has a lot in common with Draco’s. Who knew?
In chapter eighteen, “The Life and Times of Albus Dumbledore”, we finally learn the full extent of Dumbledore’s mysterious early life. Due to his friendship with Grindelwald, he starts believing in the idea that people born with magical abilities are better than non-magical people and have the right to rule over them “FOR THE MUGGLES’ OWN GOOD”* (pg. 357). Of course, we know Dumbledore changed his thinking, but for a moment, we, like Harry, were confused and shocked Dumbledore had held such views. Dumbledore’s later actions allow us to forgive him for his transgressions, so if that’s that case, would readers be able to forgive someone like Draco Malfoy, if he were given the chance to be developed into a more complex character?
If we follow Dumbledore’s story arc, we could see the similarities in his and Draco’s lives:
-Both were lured to think uncouthly about others; Dumbledore through Grindelwald, Draco through his parents and aunt.
-Both came to a rude awakening about their ideals; Dumbledore through the death of his sister Ariana, Draco through the task Voldemort charged him with.
-Both learned from their mistakes. It might not be as obvious to see that Draco has, but his behavior at the train station with Scorpius shows that he had been thinking a lot in between the nineteen years since the war. And as we all know, Dumbledore became the voice for muggle-born equality throughout Britain.
The biggest difference between the two people is that Dumbledore became one of the greatest wizards ever, not just in talent, but in spirit and good works. Draco seems to be on the right track to becoming more of a complete person; if he can become a mere fraction of what Dumbledore became, then he would have come a long way.
In the next installment, I’ll write about the wizard rock group Draco and the Malfoys and their obsession with the platinum-blonde greaseball.
Reference/useful links
“The Life and Times of Albus Dumbledore”, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Albus Dumbledore-Harry Potter wikia
*The quote is in all caps because that’s how it was in the book. I just wanted to clarify so people wouldn’t think I was screaming at them.
Editor’s note-I’ve gotten a bit of criticism for using the word “anti-hero” to describe Draco, but in my defense, I think this word applies because he has the makings to become an anti-hero. I’m not saying he’s a noble anti-hero yet (if that makes sense), but an “anti-hero”, as stated in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, is :
[a] protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities
And he’s definitely lacking heroic qualities. The audience does start to root for him in Half-Blood Prince, and to be unheroic and to still have people root for him is also part of being an anti-hero. I think if he had more of a platform, Draco’s anti-heroism would be more pronounced (hopefully, this isn’t wishful thinking on my part). If I originally didn’t state my opinion in a comprehendible way, then that’s my fault.
