Why Draco Malfoy Deserved Better

It absolutely infuriates me when people hate on Draco Malfoy because there are so many reasons and examples on why he's not only a great character, but also someone who doesn't deserve all the hate he gets. Especially all the hate he gets from his creator, J.K. Rowling. (Spoilers... obviously.)

1. He's just a boy.

Like his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, said to Snape, "He's just a boy." He grew up in a house with all these prejudices and superiority complexes, so all of those lessons were ingrained in him. Even when he went to Hogwarts, all his friends treated him like royalty the first few years. Snape always played favorites and he later became a prefect. This all fed into his narcissism, so of course he was a bit of a bully.

Now, I'm not saying being a bully is justifiable if you grew up like that, nor are his actions okay. Though towards the end of Half-Blood Prince, you can really see him unravel into a state of overwhelming fear from this task he's been given. It rips him apart. And in Deathly Hallows we see him grow as well.

Besides, it didn't help that he was a spoiled brat who never heard the word "no" until Harry rejected him.

2. Living Up to Standards

I couldn't have been easy being the heir to the Malfoy fortune. There were so many pressures put upon his by his family and by society. Draco has to present himself in a certain way. Be that, having perfect grades, believing in blood purity, right down to having a crisp, clean, physical appearance. He tries so hard to fit into this mold that his father cut out for him, but maybe he's breaking himself in the process. It's enough to make anyone bitter.

3. His Efforts in the War

So, I'm going to be talking about two things in this section: Half-Blood Prince! Draco and Deathly Hallows! Draco.

Half-Blood Prince—This is the book where you can really see how the way he acts is just that: an act. All of the haughtiness and smirks are just a cover. When it gets down to the nitty gritty, and when Draco really thinks about what he has to do, it destroys him. The prospect of killing Dumbledore leaves him with two horrible choices. One, commit murder or two, get him and his family killed for not murdering someone else.

The Sectumsempra scene really shows his true colors. Draco has gotten so withdrawn and scared that he actually strikes up a friendship with Moaning Myrtle. It's the first time Harry sees him as truly human. When he stares at Draco in the mirror until the other boy realizes he's there. It symbolizes how they're reflections of each other. The same boy on different sides of the war. And when Harry actually hits him with the sectumsempra, he bleeds like any other human would.

Deathly Hallows—Firstly, there's that scene where Harry gets one of his Voldemort Visions™ and he sees Draco there, distraught, while ol' Voldy makes him use the torture curse on someone. Which might not say much because it's war of course he's scared, but I think it's telling that it's physically painful for him to hurt someone else.

The other, most outright example, is Draco not identifying Harry at Malfoy Manor. There could be many reasons why he didn't identify Harry. Does he just not want anymore people to get hurt? Is he secretly in love with Harry? (Yes.) Or many many more. Though, I think the most obvious reason is because he knows Harry can win the war and put a stop to all the hate and violence.

People change and learn from their mistakes. Draco is no different. He started off a spoiled brat who thought he deserved the world, to becoming a young man who just wanted peace in his world. And, in the words of Albus Dumbledore, "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."