How redeemable is canon Draco Malfoy?
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:date: 2019-12-08T22:24:29
:category: literature
:tags: review, harryPotter, blogComment, fromReddit

(originally posted_ on Reddit)

Yes, everybody is redeemable. I believe redemption stories of
some former SSmen (and SSwomen_), guards in the Nazi
concentration camps, etc. Redemption (or let’s use the
old-fashioned term “conversion” or “penance”) however doesn’t
mean to somehow excuse previous deeds. It requires true
acknowledgement that these deeds happened, to own them, and to
admit that they were evil. It requires honest asking for
forgiveness. I don’t want to get any political, but it requires
at least on the personal level, something like what Germany did
after the Second World War (see for example recent visit of
`Angela Merkel in Auschwitz`_).

What do we see in most so-called redemption stories of Draco
Malfoy (or Severus Snape, or Petunia Dursley)? Excuses that those
deeds were not so bad, excuses that they were crippled by their
past, excuses by some good deeds they have done as well (“Your
honour, why we are still talking about those twenty minutes when
I was stealing from the bank, and not about my whole life when
I was a good law-abiding citizen?”). Yes, there could be an
interesting story how the path to hell is paved with good
intentions, and how somebody can persuade herself, that being
a Death Eater is The Right Thing to do, but that’s a different
kind of literature and I think it would do better for everybody
involved if they were kept separate. What I would be more
interested, and what I mostly still wait for is the story how the
main heroes stand in the wreckage of their lives, they are
disgusted in themselves, and they try to build up their lives
back.

Perhaps the closest I got to it was `Exile by bennybear`_, but
even that was more story of a pureblood trying to find his way in
the strange world of muggles then true redemption story of
dealing with guilt. Nevertheless, it is still a very good story.

Or perhaps `Dudley’s Memories`_ and `Snape’s Memories`_ by 
paganaidd for the Dudley character, not so much for Snape who is 
more in the excuses territory. The same author wrote `Digging for 
the Bones`_, which is one of the best attempts to do the
redemption for Snape/Severitus, but still, I think it mixes too
much of the path-to-hell-pavement with the redemption and it
sometimes balances quite close to making excuses for his
behaviour (BTW, I **love** Molly Weasley in this story).

**{update 2023-12-03}***

As a comment on thread “`Malfoy redemption`_” by `/u/Kaennal/`_:

The word “redemption” is rather complicated, let’s distinguish
two versions of it:

1. Draco returns among normal decent people, says “I am sorry”,
   turns the right way, and that’s it, no heavy punishment
   required, and anything he did could be waived away with “if
   you don’t regret your decisions when you were sixteen, then
   you are no more than seventeen”.

2. He did things which just require punishment, and then
   redemption must include it. As G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown
   reminded us, it is does not contradict each other, “Save your
   soul and admit to murder” (which then always included capital
   punishment). Perhaps that punishment could be lessened given
   his age and other circumstances, but some punishment must be
   included nevertheless.

I think the link between these two situations lies somewhere
around Christmas of their sixth year. When two attempted murders
are committed, there is just no other way for a decent human
being than to work against the plan (i.e., in this situation,
start to talk with the Headmaster). Let’s hope that they will be
able to develop some clandestine way how to protect both Malfoys
(or at least Draco and Narcissa, Lucius is in my opinion gone too
far) and students of Hogwarts.

And actually nothing changes much if those attempted murders
were committed by Draco or not (one strange characteristic
of both attempts is that they could be committed from the
outside of Hogwarts, so there is an explanation that it was
actually desperate Narcissa who in her fear for her son cursed
Madam Rosmerta). When you see that all your schoolmates are in
danger, you just have to do something effective to protect them,
otherwise you are an accomplice.

.. _`Angela Merkel in Auschwitz`:
    https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-50690669/auschwitz-visit-responsibility-for-nazi-crimes-part-of-german-identity-says-merkel

.. _`Exile by bennybear`:
   https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6432055

.. _`Dudley’s Memories`:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6142629/1/Dudley-s-Memories

.. _`Snape’s Memories`:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6329597/1/Snape-s-Memories

.. _`Digging for the Bones`:
    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6782408/1/Digging-for-the-Bones

.. _posted:
    https://www.reddit.com/r/HPfanfiction/comments/e7hp1z/how_redeemable_is_canon_draco_malfoy/fa3isp1/

.. _SSwomen:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_guards_in_Nazi_concentration_camps

.. _`Malfoy redemption`:
   https://www.reddit.com/r/HPfanfiction/comments/189ck92/malfoy_redemption/

.. _`/u/Kaennal/`:
   https://www.reddit.com/user/Kaennal/