It’s a small, easy to forget but incredibly important detail that Draco befriended Moaning Myrtle.
Think about it. Draco Malfoy - Slytherin pureblood raised to be a blood supremacist Death Eater who threw the “Mudblood” slur around left and right as a child - grew so close with the ghost of a Muggle-born witch who was killed by his master that they exchanged all their secrets and she was his only true confidant in sixth year. He let her see a side of him that nobody else saw; he let her see that he is sensitive, and people bully him too, and he allowed himself to cry in front of her multiple times.
All of this is canon.
That unlikely friendship alone almost certainly contributed to his change in loyalties and loss of faith in Voldemort’s cause. Her being a ghost forced him to look past her blood status and - quite literally - see her soul. She helped open his eyes to how little a person’s blood status actually matters.
It’s absolutely ridiculous that JKR introduced this crucial, in many ways groundbreaking detail … and then totally brushed it off. A huge basis for a full redemption for Draco in Deathly Hallows was already established by this unlikely friendship, but of course, it went nowhere, because she just wouldn’t dwell on any positive plot point or character development for Draco that she herself came up with and put into canon.
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Read "Draco Malfoy and the Blade of Kronos" now! (Currently a w.i.p)
With everything having gone completely off the rails (explosively, irreversibly, and quite literally), the Order of the Phoenix are busy picking up the pieces and fighting the war the Ministry still insists isn't actually a war.
Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy has his own far more pressing concerns:
* Where are the remaining Horcruxes hiding?
* Who’s auditioning to replace him as Riddle's unwilling accomplice?
* When, exactly, can he see Harry (his boyfriend, thanks for asking!!!) again without it being a high-stakes ordeal?
* Why is he being harassed by a kooky old time wizard?
And the dreams about flying? The ludicrously odd things that keep happening? Well, that's completely normal for magical puberty...
Probably.
ALSO!!!
There is a JoDT discord server! Please dm me to get a link. (Keep in mind that it's 16+)
can someone hit me with an actual psychological analysis of tom riddle because! he DOES feel things!! he loves hogwarts, he likes (??) nagini, he gets embarrassed, angry, afraid, he hates things, etc., but dumbledore spends all of hbp droning about how he's an unfeeling monster Since Childhood and you should not, in fact, feel sorry for him as an abandoned baby (which is uhhhh a weird thing to say). i mean of course he's a terrible awful person but there's more to his personality than Evil McBadman with no feelings ever
You and Draco become friends sometime around your third or fourth year, when his usual mask of arrogance starts to slip, and you see that he isn’t as unshakable as he pretends to be.
He’s prickly and defensive with everyone else, but you’re the one person he lets see him when he’s scared, frustrated, or doubting himself.
He makes sarcastic remarks and plays it cool around you, but when you defend him from others or show him genuine kindness, his mask cracks.
He likes to linger with you in quieter parts of the castle (empty classrooms, tucked-away courtyards, the library), where he doesn’t have to keep up appearances.
Over time, his feelings deepen into something more romantic, but he hides it, worried about what his parents or peers would think.
By your sixth year, you and Draco are very close. You notice him withdrawing into himself and carrying tension he won’t share with anyone else.
He confides in you about his family’s expectations, the pressure of Voldemort’s task, and his fear of failure. You’re the only one who hears his vulnerability.
Even as a Death Eater in training, he feels conflicted; his protective instincts toward you clash with his new role. He becomes paranoid about keeping you safe, snapping at you to stay away from danger while secretly cherishing your presence.
He sometimes pushes you away, insisting that being close to him is dangerous, but can’t resist pulling you back in when he breaks down emotionally.
The night he breaks down in the bathroom (before Harry corners him), you’re the only one he really wanted to see; someone who wouldn’t judge, only listen.
You’re the one who holds his shaking hands when he admits he doesn’t want to kill Dumbledore, that he feels trapped. You ground him when he’s falling apart.
Your bond shifts from friends to lovers during this time. It’s not a dramatic confession, but a moment of quiet desperation, when he finally kisses you because words aren’t enough.
When Voldemort takes control of Hogwarts, Draco is caught in the middle; fearful, torn, and desperate to keep you safe.
He becomes fiercely protective of you, almost obsessively so, because you’re the one thing keeping him from crumbling completely.
He feels conflicted constantly; he doesn’t want to aid Voldemort, but disobeying would endanger his family and you. He starts doing small acts of resistance in secret; covering for you, lying to Death Eaters, and helping you slip away unseen.
During the Battle of Hogwarts, he can’t stop glancing over his shoulder, searching for you even when the castle is falling apart. He’s less concerned with picking sides and more with finding and protecting you.
The war, and his role in it, leaves him hollowed out. He grapples with guilt, shame, and the weight of knowing what he almost became.
You stay by him even when others shun him, and that loyalty is what keeps him from spiraling completely.
Slowly, he sheds the prejudices instilled in him by his family. Having nearly lost everything, he learns to see people beyond blood status, realizing the world is bigger than what he was taught.
He clings to you more than ever, though it’s not out of fear now. It’s gratitude, love, and the knowledge that you’re the reason he survived with his humanity intact.
He apologizes in quiet moments, promising that he’ll spend the rest of his life making things right, with you and with the world.
Though haunted by the past, Draco builds a new life with you, one where he’s not defined by his mistakes but by the choice to be better.
so i’ve been reading half-blood prince but my dumbass keeps forgetting there’s no romance between draco and harry like GIRL this is NOT a 6th year drarry fanfic😭😭🤦♀️