Draco Malfoy

[th_poet14]

I can see him doing both things.

In the first scenario, he could try to go home, looking for comfort and support. His mother might give him a little comfort, but I can't see his family allowing him to stay there, and therefore would give him money, and tell him not to contact them again unless it's an emergency.

In the second scenario, he would be so ashamed that he would just send an owl to his parents, informing them of what happened, and possibly asking for some money, and then disappear.

Something that you'll need to remember when writing this is that the pure-bloods place a lot of stock in reputation and magical ability. If word got out among the rest of the pure-bloods that Draco had lost his magic, then they might shun the Malfoys. Draco, knowing this, might be selfless enough to spare his parents this indignity, or he might ignore it and then his parents cast him out. I think you could make either scenario work, although I think that the first is more likely.

Kate of The Gauntlet Pair!

[Black_Dust]

I find myself stuck on the scenerio taking place after Draco takes the potion. I have two options in mind. Do you think after chosing this option he would actually try to go home, or would it be more in-character for him to know going into this, he might as well never go back to Malfoy Manor and simpley send his parents an owl letting them know what happened and that he isn't dead?

I think Draco would believe his parents would never accept him as a muggle so he probably wouldn't even try to go back to Malfoy Manor.

We know how passionate the Black side of his family is about the pureness of blood and their low opinions of muggles. It’s probably fair to assume his Malfoy side is also quite similar. Having a son that is a muggle would be so embarrassing in the world of Purebloods—even more so than having a son in Azkaban where there is apparently some honour (at least according to Bella.)

And like most sons and daughters, Draco is always trying to help and impress his parents. There are some points like in Borgin and Burkes in the second book and then later on too, where I get the feeling Draco doesn't feel like he is ever good enough for his parents. I don’t think he would want to be some embarssing-muggle burden to his parents. Also, Draco is also an independent person; he would probably want to prove to him and everyone else that he can take care of himself.

However, going back to Malfoy Manor at the end of your story though could be some sort of lesson for him when he learns his parents love him no matter what (awwwww! ) because as we learned in the 6th and 7th books, the Malfoys are a tight crew and I think both his parents would want him back.

Another variation of the going back to Malfoy Manor plot would be that Draco’s parents (or just his father) were/was sent to Azkaban. He would then have to live with the constant reminder of everything that went wrong and what he no longer has as a wizard. I think he would feel like an outcast and a prisoner in his own home (like how Sirius felt.) He may then choose to run away from home and his problems and choose to live life as a muggle on his own.

Just my two cents

~~Kasey


EDIT: Sorry, I clicked post after Kate so I repeated some of the same things

[Jade Potter]

I agree with both Kasey and Kate, however I believe that Draco would be prepared for the worst, should that be that his father casts him out of his pureblood house, maybe disowning him to save some shred of whatever dignity he has even after the last three books. I think that Draco would have a back up on money, just incase his parents cut him off or in Lucius stops Narcissia from sending their son any money. He would also go and find himself a place to stay, both for if he can't stay at the Manor or if he feels so ashamed that he brought this upon his family and he can't stay in the Manor.

Draco does want to please his parents, his father in particular, but he loves his mother deeply and she him, one must see what Lucius and Narcissia would do in reaction, Draco isn't the only person in this equation to consider.

I really hope I helped!

[Ravenclaw_Soprano]

I think it is more likely that Draco would not go back to Malfoy Manor, but would owl asking for monetary assistance. He would know that his father was disappointed and ashamed of his deeds, especially as a pureblood family.

His mother would want to know that he was alive, and wouldn't necessarily care about her son's lack of magic, but Draco might want to deal with his own affairs as he saw fit. We saw this in HBP when he managed to shake off Narcissa in Knockturn Alley, so that he could take care of his own affairs without her butting in.

I would guess that Narcissa would write to Draco frequently, begging him to return. Lucius would seem indifferent, and Draco would remain independent.

~Lauren of The Gauntlet Pair!

[Rhi for HP]

Hi, I have a new question about Draco.

Currently I'm writing a Draco-centric story but am totally unsure where to go on the plot and can see two alternate paths branching ahead of me. The thing is, they involve two different Dracos, and both Dracos seem plausible to me. So right now in my uncertainty I'm sort of writing both at the same time, but it does not work at all. Ack!

My question: Draco has challenged Zabini to a wizard duel. Is he excited for the duel, do you think? Like, 'I'm going to prove myself!' and 'Right of passage!' and 'I'll teach him a lesson!'? Or do you think he would be nervous, well aware that if he loses he'll be the laughing stock of the school for quite a while? If he was nervous, do you think he would go so far as to call the duel off? Personally, I don't think he would, but I'd like your opinions! Right now I'm sort of writing that he's eager, yet very nervous....

Thanks!

~Rhiannon

[th_poet14]

My question: Draco has challenged Zabini to a wizard duel. Is he excited for the duel, do you think? Like, 'I'm going to prove myself!' and 'Right of passage!' and 'I'll teach him a lesson!'? Or do you think he would be nervous, well aware that if he loses he'll be the laughing stock of the school for quite a while? If he was nervous, do you think he would go so far as to call the duel off? Personally, I don't think he would, but I'd like your opinions! Right now I'm sort of writing that he's eager, yet very nervous....

I think that it will depend on how old he is, but I think that the first scenario would be more likely. Draco has a big ego, and he wouldn't doubt that he would win. Remember in the second book, when they had the dueling club? Draco was confident he would win against Harry.

If he was nervous, he wouldn't call the duel off, but would find some other way of getting it postponed, like getting Zabini detention, or arranging for Filch to come by. He's a Slytherin, and they would use cunning to avoid losing their reputation. Calling it off would get him called a coward just as much as losing would.

Kate of The Gauntlet Pair!

[Ravenclaw_Soprano]

I agree that Draco would be very confident in his abilities. I do not think that he would be nervous enough to cancel or postpone, but if he was really nervous, he would give an excuse for the duel to be delayed.

If for some reason he lost the duel, he would attempt to explain it away with excuses (my arm hurts, I have a headache, etc.), suggesting that he could do better in better circumstances. This would allow him to save some of his dignity, though not all.

Depending on the perspective of your story, you may or may not need to include the nervousness. If it focuses mainly on Draco, you might show a little bit of nervousness when he's only around a couple other people. He certainly would not show that he was nervous in the presence of Zabini and people who weren't in his 'inner circle'.

~Lauren, part 2 of The Gauntlet Pair!

[Gemma Hawk]

I agree that it depends on his age, but also the circumstances and Zabini's skills.

I would suspect the first one, no matter how good Zabini is. I mean, I seriously doubt that Draco would challenge anyone for a duel unless he's absolutely certain that he'll win. He's just a bit cowardly like that

The only instance in which Draco would challenge someone to a duel that he wasn't certain that he would win would be in the case of his family name/ family members /friends/whatever being in danger. Otherwise, I think that Draco would always stay on the safe side.

So, yeah, if Draco made the challenge, then I think that he'll be feeling pretty confident right now

[harry4lif]

I agree with those above. If we were to take a really close look at Draco you would realize something about who he challenges.

He challenges Harry because he believes that he is a better wizard then him. Though towards the end of the series when he realises Harry really is the better wizard he runs away.

There are also some other examples of when Draco duels if he doesn't think he will win he runs away. I don't think that theres any chance that he would challenge someone even if they had a chance of winning. He seems like a coward because of this to me.

~Alyssa of hermione4lif

[Jade Potter]

I agree with Alyssa. Draco is very particular about who he chooses to duel, if he has muscle (ex: Crabbe and Goyle)to back him up then he might take on someone who had a chance at beating him such as Harry or Zabini. However should he be alone without his backup then he will stick to an opponent that he thinks is weak, like Neville. But if this fic is after the Deathly Hallows and is true to the book, Draco would've seen that Neville himself is stronger than he expected.

Plus, like someone said earlier, should Draco duel Zabini and lose his pride and reputation would be threatened and harmed. He would also just boost his ego more so if he did win depending on how good Zabini is with a wand. Or if Draco has any blackmail on Zabini he'd probably use that to make Zabini throw the duel and let Draco win.