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thesoftrainbows · 2 years

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Hi again!

I have to say that I throughly enjoyed your take on Draco Malfoy and his family. There are things that I hadn’t thought of, and agreed. Others, not so much.

Firstly, if you want to publish your own version of the rewrite, go ahead! It’s a difficult task, for sure, but it can also be so much fun. Also, you said you weren’t sure of where to publish it, I recommend you do it on AO3 since it’s a platform made specifically for fan fiction and they don’t get any kind of profit so it protects you as a fanfiction writer and them. Hope this helps!

Now, on to your view on Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

For the longest time, I believed the same thing as you did. But it wasn’t until very recently that I changed my mind a bit. I think that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were the products of generational trauma—this is not to excuse their failings as parents and people, don’t misunderstand—, just like everyone else in the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They are people who grew up in an environment where they are forced to give up all control over their lives (they cannot even choose who they marry), they’re taught so many vile things throughout their childhoods—actually, they don’t even get to be kids. There’s just so many things wrong with these people.

But I do agree that Lucius might’ve been emotionally and mentally abusive, and it really would explain Draco’s desperate need to make him proud. However, I don’t think that means that Lucius didn’t love his son. I simply think that Lucius was stuck in a cycle he couldn’t or didn’t know how to break. This parenting style that Lucius uses is likely the same one his parents used when raising him, which would be the same his grandparents used on his parents and so on. It’s an endless loop of children learning that you have to hate a group of people for no reason and marry your cousin to keep the family line “pure” and gain as much power as possible because only then will you be deemed respectable. And Lucius clearly wants Draco to become respectable a young man in the wixen world, to have such an easy life such as his own.

Narcissa, on the other hand, I believe to be much more gentle and nurturing towards her son. She’s also stuck in a cycle, but she’s also seen firsthand what happens when you break it and what happens when you don’t. Narcissa had two sisters, Andromeda and Bellatrix. Andromeda disappointed her family to the point of being disowned—which, I should remind you, is the worst that could happen to you when you’re from a family like theirs—when she married a muggleborn and renounced her place as a Black. Now her family doesn’t acknowledge her existence unless it’s probably to discuss how much of a disappointment she is/was. Then you have Bellatrix, who followed the steps so many had carved before her, but it probably cost her her sanity with the way she behaves. But Bellatrix is the gem of the family, and she’s doing so well, she’s so respectable; she married a cousin who’s rich and very convenient and follows the Dark Lord and became a part of his inner circle. And this is without bringing her cousins, Sirius and Regulus, into this mess. Who would you follow?

As for whether Lucius and Narcissa married out of love or not: I think it started out as the typical arranged marriage, but they slowly fell in love as their relationship continued to grow. I like to think they’re the perfect example of a couple growing in love rather than falling. And I believe that this love and mutual respect that they share in this marriage would explain why Lucius listens to Narcissa and often does as she asks. You’re right about Narcissa using tradition to convince her husband to allow Draco to attend Hogwarts, but Durmstrang is also a very well-respected school of magic—especially amongst dark wixes like themselves. But Lucius knew that Narcissa wasn’t ready to have her only child live so far, and gave in.

With all of that said, I like to think that Draco knows what love should look like. He knows how to treat his lovers (regardless of gender), and he knows that communication, respect and love are the keys to a successful relationship. I would even dare to say that he was a romantic at heart, even if he didn’t show it. Draco might’ve been a bit soft, as he was a child growing and trying to make a name for himself while the world changed around him constantly. His views were sick and twisted due to the environment he grew up in, but this can all be changed over time.

Draco probably had a very complicated relationship with his parents, because they weren’t the best but I don’t think their mistakes were from lack of love—more from lack of acceptance. Draco is allowed to be angry and distant, he’s allowed to leave his parents to rot in Azkaban for all the hardships he’d had to endure because of them. But as someone who grew up in a toxic environment, it’s difficult to keep that mindset when you know the love was there and that your parents were working with what they knew and thought to be right, even if their views were misguided.

Also, I’d never thought of Draco being into goth until you brought it up and honestly, I’m really digging it. So thank you for that!

Finally, I have a love-hate relationship with Drarry mostly because I love my personal headcanons on Hinny and Drastoria. Not to mention that a part of me prefers Albus and Scorpius to be together rather than Draco and Harry.

Anyways! Thank you! 💞

Hi, what are your thougths about Draco Malfoy? I really like your rewrite, but I always feel like Draco could be like, the catarsis of a familiar chain. The one who survived his family toxicity and became a better person. I'm just saying he had potential.

Hey Anon! I apologize for taking a bit to respond, I haven’t been on Tumblr very much. But this is an excellent question, so thank you for the opportunity to discuss it!

Draco Malfoy is a complex character. He comes from a rich family that are proud members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, who followed the Dark Lord until they couldn’t anymore. From afar, many would think that they’re the perfect example of evil people. However, as we look closer, all we see is fear.

We see Lucius trying to protect his son whenever Voldemort put him on the spot. We see Narcissa going behind the Lord’s back to protect her child. We see Draco being forced to do a lot of things out of fear and out of wanting to keep his family safe.

I believe that Draco really was as obnoxious as we meet him as in the first book/film. But, like all children, he grew up. As the war intensified, his actions became less about getting a reaction out of Hari and more about keeping himself and those around him alive—which is something that Hari fails to see at first.

I like the idea of Draco getting a redemption arc, but I don’t think it would be easy for him. I mean, sometimes I imagine him attempting to disappear into the muggle world for a few years where he learns a lot more about the world and himself. Who knows what he might have done during that time? Worked at a bakery shop? Maybe.

In my visions, though, Draco always comes back to the wixen world and becomes a Healer. He apologizes for his wrongdoings and is actively looking to make things better.

Do Hari and Draco become friends or more? I’m not sure yet, but it certainly doesn’t happen until a couple of years after the war’s over.

On a somewhat different note, this is one of the things I love about the rewrite. I get to explore so many different family dynamics and how the kids respond to it. Some people change for the better, others for the worst, and others don’t change at all. It’s interesting to see how I slowly watch them unfold and bloom.

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