Draco Malfoy Character Analysis

Harry’s longtime nemesis, now a Death Eater charged with murdering Dumbledore. Although he’s outwardly cruel, prejudiced, and completely committed to Voldemort’s service, inwardly Draco is confused and reluctant to take on this new and villainous role. Over the course of the novel he seems increasingly sick, paranoid, and vulnerable – Harry even catches him crying to Moaning Myrtle about his fear of Voldemort. It’s clear that he’s only working for Voldemort in order to ensure his family’s standing and safety. Like Harry, Draco has been thrust into adulthood long before he is ready for it. Although Harry feels suspicious of and vengeful towards Draco for much of the novel, this parallel eventually causes him to reevaluate his enemy and understand his actions in terms of their context, rather than in a stark paradigm of good and evil.