I saw a post about Drarry and how it’s an abusive pairing, so naturally I’ve come to give my opinion:
Okay so, yes. Going by canon, Draco/Harry makes ZERO sense, and yeah it’s toxic as fuck taking place within the book timeline. BUT if you ask most drarry shippers, they’ll tell you they’re not in it because of the canon.
For example; I love Draco/Harry for its potential. Not for what’s been written by JKR but what could potentially happen beyond it.
In book one, we meet Draco as this arrogant little brat, and it would’ve been so easy to just let him be the bad guy, like JKR intended. But I see Draco Malfoy, a privileged kid brought up to believe in bigotry and racism. I see a boy growing up, desperately trying to gain his father’s approval. He’s a child, misinformed and ignorant, yes but still just a child.
As the series progresses, we see more of Draco’s home life, his past, his struggle to be the type of man his father wants him to be. After Voldemort’s reincarnation, we see Lucius finally showing pride in his son, and Draco eats up that pride desperately. He wants to prove himself, to show that he can be useful.
In book six, we begin to see the toll it takes on him. He gets thinner, his hair isn’t as finely groomed as normal, there are bags under his eyes and his shoulders are always drawn tight. You see him trying desperately to succeed in his task, knowing that his family’s lives (his family’s, not his own; Voldemort threatened to kill Draco’s parents if he failed) all rested on the outcome of his task.
You’ll notice how often the term ‘desperate’ comes up in relation to Draco, and I honestly think he is just a desperate kid. His parents were in with the wrong crowd and brought Draco up to believe that they were right. Draco was a brilliant kid; he only ever came second to Hermione in all their exams. He was at the top of his classes.
He was also a bully. His upbringing has a hand in this, as he would’ve learned that power comes from intimidation. But he was a cruel boy. That’s why Draco/Harry wouldn’t work in the canon timeline; Draco was a prejudiced little bully and his hatred was often directed at Harry and his friends.
Draco needed time, outside of his parents’ control, to learn and change and grow. But I see that potential in him, the potential for change, for redemption. I can see Draco moving to the Continent, traveling and learning. About new cultures, different types of people, both magical and Muggle. I can see him coming home in a decade, and restoring Malfoy Manor into something bright and beautiful, like he remembers from his early childhood, before Voldemort and his Death Eaters filled it with Dark energy. I can see him working hard, finally content with himself and his life as he finally comes to terms with the fact that, yeah maybe he won’t have his father’s approval, but he has his mother’s love, and the love of his friends, and shouldn’t that be enough?
I can see him looking for Harry Potter one day, deciding what needs to be done. I can see him apologising and offering another handshake, so similar to 20 years ago when they were only small boys in a robe shop. I can see him, still tense, waiting for rejection, letting out a breath of relief when Harry’s hand meets his.
I can see them together, trying to build a friendship out of a childhood enmity. I can see Draco taking the time to personally apologise to Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville in private. I can see him eventually discussing international magical culture with Hermione, or telling Ginny about the time he accidentally caught the Snitch at the Quidditch World Cup (“I heard it humming by my ear so I grabbed it and everyone went mad.”) completely ruining a seven hour match.
I can see him laughing with Ron over a long forgotten prank. I can see him falling into Harry’s overstuffed armchair after dinner, telling Harry how he hates waking up so early for work but how his job is so rewarding that he doesn’t really mind.
I can see them growing together and sure, they’re nearly forty, but somehow they’ve both grown enough alone to fit together perfectly.
When I think about Draco and Harry, the antagonistic bickering in their school years is funny, but it’s not what I love about them. I love their potential, the room for change. I love to think that there’s more for them than just rivalry and bullying. This ship? I’m ride or die for it.
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