Draco- Latin: Draco; "snake" or "dragon".
Malfoy- French: Mal foi; "bad faith".

The characterization of Draco Malfoy is perhaps one of the most divisive issues within the Harry Potter fanfiction community. In canon, we are presented with a character who acts in a shallow, petty way. But do those actions reflect his true character? This question plagues fans, and is the subject of countless fanfics. To decide, a careful look at the evidence in canon is required.
To start off this month's issue, I have been given the opinions of several fanfiction authors about the different characterization of Draco and the reasons behind them.
Please do not flame E. J., Amethyst, or myself for expressing our opinions.
These mini-essays are here to show the reasoning behind different interpretations of Draco's character. You may agree or disagree. That is your opinion. We have ours. Please respect that.

1. Written by E. J. Malfoy.
Draco Malfoy has plagued the Harry Potter books every since Book 1. He has stopped at nothing to try and make trouble with him. And his family has had a history of hating the Potters themselves. But what do we really know about Draco Malfoy? What secrets do we really not think of when we read?
We can of course see that Draco was brought up in a home of evil and luxury. With his father being a Death Eater and one of the highest people in the Ministry of Magic, it's not hard to see that. We perceive that Draco was brought up to hate, and shows his hate on the outside, but doesn't really want to. That's what we perceive because we know almost nothing about his past except for that he lived and still lives in a rich family that hates other people that are lower to them. There is a big difference between perceiving and knowing, and when perceiving takes place, it is up to the fan to figure out what happens and why it happens.
Draco seems to have been raised to be just like his father. One thing that puzzles me is if Draco has a hint of good in him. We can't tell if Draco is just being mean to be mean or if he is envying everyone, especially Harry Potter. That is all I can say about Draco's past because everything else is out of reach. His past is very wide open, seeing as J. K. Rowling has not looked into it yet.
Ever since Draco had started Hogwarts, he had been on the back of Harry Potter and everything he would do. Starting in his first year, he picked at Harry Potter, like he was obviously taught to do. He tried to blame him every time he could. Although Harry overcame most of his taunting, Draco still got to him. It was only Draco's right to become Slytherin's Seeker, seeing that Harry was the seeker for Gryffindor. He constantly wanted to be equal competition to Harry. This shows as his year at Hogwarts went on.
For his second year brought the same kind of treatment. Although the same treatment was given, the way that Gilderoy Lockhart pushed Harry to bring out his fame urged him to put it on harder. Also, Colin Creevey urged him, as he pushed Harry to give him autographs and pictures. All of the resorting to focus on his fame pushed Draco to keep going at Harry. At the Duelling Club, Harry talking to the serpent that Draco maliciously set on him made people think that he was Slytherin's Heir. All of these events provoked Draco, which was the main cause of his antics and made him more vulnerable to pick at Harry.
The third year was the year he most picked on Harry, I would say. With all of the problems in that year, Draco just had to. The first thing was with the Dementors. Draco mentions these throughout the book. Also, Harry's friendship with Remus Lupin became an issue or, as Peeves stated "Loony Loopy Lupin." Sirius Black also became a topic of Draco's teasing, but not much. The Dementors were the most teased about, but Draco didn't play that big a role in this book.
As for the fourth book, Draco played a semi large part. Draco did excel in his hatred of Harry as he was picked for the Triwizard Tournament. I could only think that he rooted for Cedric Diggory for two reasons ­ he was from Hogwarts and he wasn't the one who supposedly cheated his way into the Tournament just for the fame of it. This started the way that he made the Slytherins think badly of him and wear those buttons. He obviously led the way to this act of teasing. This, none the less, failed as Harry fought the urge to beat him to a crisp and won the tournament. As the year ended, it was no wonder that Draco left yet again with a frown on his face.
That's all I can say since I only have the 4th book with me. Well, this is EJ Malfoy coming to you. Over and out.

2. Points provided by Amethyst Luna. Written by JK.
Draco's main problem seems to be that he is unhappy, which makes him want to bring down those who are happy, out of envy, and to make himself feel better. Harry provides the perfect opportunity for this. He's famous, he's popular, and he has very cool friends. Therefore, Draco teases him.
Whether Draco grows up to be evil or good will depend on the circumstances that surround him. He could be sent either way by various events. Falling in love with a Gryffindor could send him to the side of good. His family, or his hatred and animosity towards Harry could push him towards being evil. It all depends on the events.

3. Points and writing by JK.
Draco seems at the moment to be your stereotypical bad guy, with few or no glimmers of hope for the side of good. Of course, a sufficiently serious event, such as betrayal by Dark wizards, could send him to the side of good, but from what we have seen, that would take a large amount of courage, which Draco seems to be lacking. There is no canonical evidence for him being gorgeous, and very little to suggest him turning good.
His family's opinions seem to be too deeply ingrained in him to be reversed. We shall see.

Above we see the conflicting opinions of three fanfiction authors. The first opinion expressed was that Draco is unhappy with his actions, and is only acting on what he has been taught. The second was that he is uncertain, and could go either to the side of good or evil, depending on what happens to him. The third was that he truly believes what he says, and will most likely remain evil.
However, as was said in the first essay "That's what we perceive ... There is a big difference between perceiving and knowing, and when perceiving takes place, it is up to the fan to figure out what happens and why it happens."
What will happen with Draco in canon is uncertain. We can speculate as much as we like, but we do not know. Any of the three opinions expressed above could be correct. What we, as fans and fanfiction writers must do, is decide what to make of the little information we do have from canon, and then justify it in our writing to make it seem believable.
However, before we can analyze anything in canon, we must first know what is in canon. What does Draco do, exactly?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First Year)
Draco is first introduced to us in Diagon Alley. We see a boy whose attitudes are shaped very much by pure-blood pride. He seems a little snooty perhaps, and Harry's first impression is not favorable, but it is really the rest of the book that sets the scene for Draco and Harry to become archenemies.
The next time we see Draco, it is on the train, and he offers Harry his friendship in place of Ron's, claiming that he can help Harry decide which friends to make. Draco once again exhibits pureblood pride, joined this time by threats, snobbery, and fright.
Throughout the rest of the book, the reader begins to see a pattern developing, one of snobbery, pride, deceit, gloating, and jealousy. Draco hexes Neville (pg 160, Australian edition) and attempts to get Harry into trouble (over Norbert and the duel).
Everything is now firmly set for Draco and Harry's animosity throughout the series.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Second Year)
In this book, Draco is introduced first in Knockturn Alley with his father. He complains about Harry and Hermione, and his father's irritable reaction shows that this is not an uncommon occurrence. We learn that he has been beaten in every exam by Hermione, and that he is not pleased by this fact.
Throughout this book, the patterns that appeared in Philosopher's Stone continue. This time, pure-blood pride begins to take an even more important role in his actions, as the legend of the Chamber of Secrets emerges. We first hear the term "Mudblood" emerge, used by Draco against Hermione. Draco sends a serpent towards Harry in Duelling Club, and a new way for their hatred to show appears when Draco joins the Slytherin Quidditch team.
Draco also taunts Ginny Weasley and Colin Creevey, although to a lesser extent, and we get to see him in his common room interacting with his fellow Slytherins. He introuduces Azkaban to the reader, and seeks enjoyment in Arthur Weasley's plight.
Then, of course, there is the revelation at the end of the book that it was Draco's father who caused the Chamber of Secrets to be opened once more. We have seen the first glimpses of the Malfoy family's Dark arts actions and reputation.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Third Year)
Draco's first appearance in this book is on the train, where he taunts Ron, then hurries away when he sees Professor Lupin in the compartment with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He then taunts Harry about the Dementors as Harry alights from his carriage.
Throughout this book, what we see of Draco is in two main areas, his reaction to Harry, the Dementors, and Sirius, and his reaction to Professors Lupin and Hagrid. Draco torments Harry about the Dementors, and goes so far as to attempt to sabotage him in a Quidditch match by dressing up as one.
Then there is the Buckbeak incident. Draco did his best to have Hagrid sacked and Buckbeak executed, by dragging out the effects of Buckbeak's scratch on his arm. This proves that he can, at times, be very vengeful.
Also, throughout the book he drops hints at Harry about Sirius, in what Ron and Hermione consider to be an attempt to make Harry do something incredibly stupid.This shows that he must have knowledge most wizards do not have. It was said in The Marauder's Map that not many people knew about Sirius' supposed betrayal of James and Lily, yet from what Draco said to Harry, he did know.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Fourth Year)
We first see Draco at the Quidditch match. He does little until we see him in the woods afterward, where he taunts Harry, Ron, and Hermione, yet tells Harry and Ron to keep Hermione away from the Death Eaters, whether as an act of spite or genuine warning, we cannot tell..
During this book, most of Draco's taunting is aimed at Harry as a Triwizard Champion. Draco seems to be a ringleader in the Slytherins' teasing of Harry and campaign to support Cedric in the Tournament.
Then, of course, there is the way in which Draco and his fellow Slytherins encouraged Rita Skeeter by granting her interviews. This gave her quotes for her articles, which Draco used to further torment Harry.
We see a lot more of his family's Dark arts connections, particularly when it comes to Voldemort's resurrection, for Lucius was the only Death Eater we saw Voldemort address by his first name.
And, of, course, there is the ferret incident, in which Draco was turned into a ferret for attempting to hex Harry behind his back. Draco also accidentally cursed Hermione, when aiming for Harry.
The final scene on the train is one that does not leave Draco in good stead with Harry. Draco appears, and begins to gloat to Harry about having the correct friends, which leads to him, Crabbe, and Goyle being hexed from five different directions. Our final view in the series so far of Draco Malfoy is of him lying on the floor of the Hogwarts express, covered in hex marks.

Now we know what Draco is like in canon, we can use that information to feed our own characterisations of him.
There are three main classes of characterisation in regards to Draco. Each has sub-classes, but there are clear groups. They are not necessarily expressed in the opinions above, but as these conflicted, so do the characterizations.

1. He will become good, redeeming himself for his earlier actions. This tends to be the characterization that provides romances between Draco and a Gryffindor, and him working as a spy. Draco renounces the ways of his family and decides to live a life of good.
2. He could turn good or bad, but does not really want either. This characterization can also lead to him working as a spy or having a romance with a Gryffindor, although not quite as often. Draco is troubled and insecure, and while he does not want to grow up like his father, he also either cannot or will not totally renounce his upbringing as a high class pure-blood citizen, or he has trouble with totally embracing the side of good.
3. He will stay evil. This characterization normally leaves Draco as he acts in the books, or matures him into a younger version of his father. It doesn't always happen that way, but the point is that he does not renounce evil.

It is easy to talk about the three characterization classes, but deciding which you believe in is the tricky part. Each of them has their own strong and weak points. Will you pick one of them, or develop your own, perhaps combining elements or simply looking at him in a new way?

In order to make a decision on the boy whose characterization has become such a divisive issue, it is necessary to analyse what we know about him from canon, and therefore, what decisions we can make.
So, what do we know about him?

At School
At school, we see Draco through the eyes of his archenemy, Harry Potter. This makes getting a balanced view of his character incredibly difficult, as it is always tainted by Harry's perspective. Form the very first time the two of them meet, Harry begins to dislike him.
Throughout the books, Draco shows a pattern of behavior that is consistent and repetitive. He displays large amounts of pure blood pride and snobbery. He constantly throws about his father's name and influence. This could simply be the way he was taught to behave, he could be acting to impress, or he could truly believe it. Why does he choose to act this way?
This unpleasant personality is continued in his gloating, cruelty, jealousy, and deceit. These could, once more, be the way he was taught to behave. He may know no other way of acting, or he may be behaving in these ways so he does not lose face in front of his fellow Slytherins. However, if you choose to believe this, look carefully at the way he behaves when he is alone with Harry, for example, when he takes Neville's Remembrall and taunts Harry in flight.
He also seems to believe in bending rules when it benefits him, but not others. Or so it appears, when he says he wants to smuggle a broomstick into Hogwarts (book one, page 60). Once again, his motivations are unclear.
This scene in Diagon Alley, as well as the on in Knockturn Alley at the start of book two (At Flourish and Blotts), and the scene in the Slytherin common room in book two, could easily be the most important scenes to consider when characterizing Draco. In Diagon Alley, we see how he behaves in front of someone he doesn't know. Harry is not his arch-enemy yet, in fact, Draco doesn't even know who Harry is.
Conversely, in the scene in Knockturn Alley, we see how Draco acts in front of his father when he believes there is no-one else around, which provides an insight into his character which is just as important as the one in Diagon Alley.
Draco works hard to try and get Harry and several others (e. g. Hagrid in the third book) into trouble. For example, when he sets Harry up to be caught by Filch in the chapter of the first book called The Midnight Duel. In the fourth book, he leads those of the school who support Cedric in the tournament against Harry, creating slogans and buttons. This could, however, just be because he despises Harry.
It's not only Harry Draco behaves in this manner towards. He hexes and taunts Neville (page 160 of book one), and constantly teases Ron and Hermione. He shows little respect for either Hagrid or Lupin, and in fact seems to do his best to discredit them. In the third book, ignoring Hagrid's directions got him injured, and his actions led to the almost execution of Buckbeak, and a large amount of dismay to Hagrid. In the fourth book, Draco and his Slytherin associates gave information to Rita Skeeter, helping to discredit Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid.
Even amongst his housemates, he still criticizes and makes fun of the Gryffindors. The glimpse we have of him in the chapter of the second book called The Polyjuice Potion provides a valuable insight into how Draco behaves when he is in the company of other Slytherins. Does he behave this way to make himself appear good, or because he truly believes in what he is doing?
We see all this evidence in canon, and things do not look very good for Draco. He seems to be merely a stereotypical bad guy, who delights in the pain of those of lesser rank or impure blood. However, there is one scene in book four that, in the minds of some, throws doubt upon this.
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are fleeing from the advancing crowd of Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup, they run into Draco. He makes several of his usual comments, then tells Ron and Harry to get Hermione away from the Death Eaters, because she is Muggle-born. He says it in a cruel way, but he says it nonetheless. Is he simply teasing Hermione for being what she is, or is he truly warning her? Is this a sign of some good lurking beneath the nasty exterior?
Another important thing to remember is this - the main quality of Slytherin house is ambition, although the house has developed a reputation (which could be considered by some to be rather unsavory). Therefore, when characterizing Draco, it is not necessarily whether or not he is evil or his family that has made him be sorted into Slytherin, although they could have been the reason, or at least important factors.What is Draco's ambition? How does it manifest itself?
Other questions to consider: We see Draco only as he is now. As he grows older, will he begin to question his family's ideals? Could this make him turn good? How does the power balance within Slytherin house lie? Is Draco powerful within his own house? How does he interact with other Slytherins? What about Hufflepuffs? Ravenclaws? How does he interact with those in his house? Does he have any friends we don't know about? Does Draco ever take time to himself to think about his future? What he wants to be in life? His interactions with others? Or just to think?

His Background
We know very little about Draco's background and family, except that they have been in Slytherin for countless years, and consider themselves an old and respect worthy family. Lucius is powerful within the wizarding community, as is shown by the way he can manipulate the Ministry, for example, in the matter of Buckbeak, even when he no longer has power over the school.
Draco comes from a rich, powerful family. He receives gifts at school, and his father purchased brooms for the entire Quidditch team. He has an owl, and never seems to be lacking in anything he could want or need, except when he complains about not having the latest racing broom.
The public image of how Lucius and Narcissa treat Draco is quite good. But in the only scene we have of Draco in private with one of his parents, in Borgin and Burkes, Lucius is quite sharp and irritable with his son. Which raises the question - what is Draco's relationship with his parents like? He seems to think very highly of his father, by the way he brags about him, but that could be all show.
As with any character, it is important to give Draco a background. There must be many things we can't see through Harry's eyes. If you do give him a background, it will make your fic seem better planned. Create a family history for him. Maybe try and explain the Malfoy family's interests in the Dark Arts.
Develop his personality a little more. We all have things we like and things we despise. So should each character, including Draco. Give him a bad habit or two. Some things that really annoy him, and a couple of things he really likes would also add depth. If it helps, write out a background, or go through the processes you use to create an original character (if you want to look at it, the first issue of this column dealt with original characters), modifying them slightly. Make him interesting, but please, stay true to canon.
Other questions to consider: What relatives does he have? Siblings? What about pets? Where is Malfoy Manor? What's it like? What about his past as a young child? Did he have any particular friends then? What was he like? What does he think of Lucius' Death Eater cronies? What are his views on the Death Eaters? What is his relationship with Narcissa?
Draco can be a very boring or very intriguing character to write. Don't automatically conform to cliches. Instead, think carefully about Draco and his motivations. There's nothing in canon to describe him as attractive, or as anything much apart from small and pale, with silver hair and gray eyes. Approaching characterization in the right way can make it fun for you, and help improve the fic from the reader's point of view. And we all want that, don't we?


Study Notes
Think very carefully about the motivation behind his actions. What hints are there in what we have in canon, and how will you interpret them? Will you pick one of the three common characterizations, or one of your own? Analyze the evidence, then decide. In most canon, Draco behaves like a spoilt, snobbish brat. He warned Hermione. Was this an act of spite, or kindness? Give him a background, and think carefully about his family. For now, as long as it sticks with canon, nothing is right or wrong. Use the canon to the best of your abilities, then have some fun. Please, don't just conform to the established characterizations or to clichés. think carefully, and analyse the canon. Whatever you do, stick to canon. That doesn't have to limit you to a clichéd characterization, but should, instead, make your fic more enjoyable and realistic within the Harry Potter universe.

Scraps of Parchment

Dux Dolosus: This fic is based around a Slytherin, Draco's cousin, who is the Head Boy in Harry and Draco's fifth year. Draco does not play a part in the fic yet, but will in later chapters, and I'm working hard on his characterization.

Magical Quills
This month, I have managed to find several excellent fics, but this one absolutely astounded me with the quality of its characterization.

Lacrimosa by Incitata. While not all of us will agree with a few things said in this fic, its driving force is the emotions and reactions of Draco, who is characterized brilliantly. We see how he deals with loss clearly, while he remains within the characterization chosen by Incitata. His reactions remain true to canon. Try it.

Trip to the Library
I've reviewed two of these fics before, and will no doubt do so again. Recommendations of fics for next month are now open. The link can be found below.

Blood and Ink by Jedi Boadicea (archived on Sugar Quill). An interesting look at the workings of Slytherin house and the Malfoy mind, seen through Draco's writings to an enchanted diary. This fic is filled with gentle (and not so gentle) humor and sarcasm on the part of the diary, and Draco's interaction with it is well done.

The Casting Stone and Veritas by Thing1. Thing1's writing is an excellent example of a Draco who is a confused and troubled person, not wanting to conform to his father's ideals, nor become a "nice guy". His interactions with Harry, Sirius, and Remus are particularly interesting.

Freezing Point by Khirsah (recommended by Badtz). Rated PG-13. A very dark, very angst ridden fic showing Draco's thoughts. This is from a different characterisation to the others, one in which he is a mistreated child. While it's not a characterization I believe in, this fic is a very well-drawn example of that characterization. Warning: Contains slashy overtones and a mention of abuse.

If Satan Were Beautiful by Badtz (recommended by Badtz). A short, dark, and angst-ridden fic about the way a certain characterisation of Draco chooses to treat other people - from the viewpoint of none other than Pansy. Pansy's thoughts reflect Draco's coldness rather well.

The More is My Unrest by Arabella and Jedi Boadicea (archived on Sugar Quill). This is a very interesting view of Draco's psyche, wonderfully written and with excellent characterisation. Draco remains in character while slowly becoming mesmerized with Ginny.

The Wolfshead by Wyvern. This fic has a very interesting concept behind it, throwing Draco into a situation I haven't seen anywhere else, that raises some interesting concepts, not least of all what would happen if Lord Voldemort won the war?

A Hogsmeade Weekend
This month, I had no website to review. Then I was sent to look at some fanart, and found a wonderful one.

+DC's Harry Potter Illustrations+
(Previously the Illustrated World of Harry Potter, but server problems necessitated a move>
This website is run by Dark Cyradis. It contains a lot of good information from the books, as well as some speculation. The Name Game is a wonderful exploration of nominative determinism, and there is an archive of anime fanart. There is also a shrine to Remus and Sirius, and a "You know you love Harry Potter too much when ..." section. there's a few typos throughout the site, but many sections are good for many laughs, and the fanart archive displays some incredible talents. The introduction is (in my opinion) well worth the time it takes to load all the little pictures, although the text in itself is quite funny enough.