Draco Malfoy: Bully or Misunderstood?

 Arrogant, condescending and plain mean: my first opinion of the Malfoy heir were the same as Harry's. But then one can hardly blame us.

Upturned noses and pale faces that sneer at the guardian angel who'd just whisked you away from your abusive family don't leave much room for an alternate interpretation. When that face then turns up in your compartment and insults the first friend you ever had, that ought to cement your opinion of it.

My thirteen year old self loved to hate the elitest. I'd seethe at his insults and obsess over his alleged evil plots alongside our Boy Who lived. However, towards the end of the series, we see his snobbery give way to immense insecurity in the face of familial pressure. We see him hesitate to follow his family on the path of hatred and murder and even go against them, refusing to identify the heroes to Lucius. This is huge since we know how much he looked up to his father and wanted to please him.

Had he simply followed his family to Nazism, I would not have batted an eye, but as such his character arc feels incomplete. It seems as if Rowling built this character and started to take him him down the path of redemption but then abandoned it altogether. Draco Malfoy is a half baked soufle and Rowling turned the oven off just as he was starting to rise. 

His past actions are in no way excusable, but he can still make amends and chose a better life for himself.

A child that grows up in a hateful environment will almost always absorb and reflect that hate. But that hate will not be his own until he grows up and is capable of self reflection.

After a point in time it is the child's responsibility to unlearn toxic behaviours and we see Draco Malfoy doing just that.

In conclusion, was Malfoy a bully and a elitist? Undoubtedly. Should those offences be overlooked? Absolutely not. But neither is he as unredeemable as some people like to believe.