Narcissa Malfoy's Revelation

[Keazlegirl]

I liked this moment. It showed that a trust had developed between Harry and Narcissa. By having the conversation at all, they put their lives in each other's hands at the moment.

Harry had grown to trust her true concern for her family by what he had witnessed through Voldemort. She had learned to trust Harry by watching him through the years, and probably from seeing him risk his own safety to save Dobby and Griphook when he left the mansion.

Originally Posted by MaWeasley

Does Harry owe Narcissa a life debt?

I would say no, because Draco's life had been saved, and remember, since Harry had willingly given his life for basically everyone, in some sense, she owed him a life debt.

[Fleur du mal]

I very much like that thought, Keazlegirl.

I can only imagine how much Narcissa must have disliked Harry, simply because her son and he didn't get along one bit. I know this sort of feeling, quite passionately loathing someone who never did anything to me but someone I care for. Still, she has kind of observed all he's done over the years AND what happened in Malfoy Manor. That boy who had done all this would not let her child die.

And the same is true for Harry. Over the years, he's noticed the packages from home that Draco received, he's heard of Narcissa asking Snape to make the Unbreakable Vow, and he's seen rather much of her via the Horcrux channel. He, too, can safely assume that this woman will play along with his game, since she and her family are so clearly uncomfortable with Voldemort and his regime.

I really like the idea that these two, who were scowling at each other in HBP still, have perceived enough of the other one to make that unspoken deal and know the other one will stick to it.

[Mitchamus]

to all of you who say she only cared about her son answer this:

Why did she lie?

IF she didn't and someone else killed Harry (another Death eater for example) She still would have got to see Draco inside the castle...

In short.. id would have made no difference what so ever if she lied or if she told the truth...

She lied not for her son, but to help fight LV.

Harry telling her that her son was alive did not help her rescue him....

If Draco was dead, would she still have lied??
YES for revenge...

so her only motive for lying is that she knows LV could not kill Harry, and she knows everything about Harry is true

[moon781]

If it wasn't for her son, she wouldn't have asked first, she would have only said Harry is dead.

She lied because she wanted to get back to the castle to her son. We see this in HBP, when she goes to Snape and begs him to help Draco. Her son was her priority, not Voldemort. I think it makes her more human, and more saveable.

The Malfoys cared most about each other. Not quite the best people in the world, but that caring gave them a bit more than say Bellatrix and probably kept them alive.

Personally, I would have like to see Lucius get it, but you can't have everything in life.

[SinLooWho]

I think there is the possiblity that she came to some new conclusions about her families loyalties in this book. I think that she realized what everyone had said about Harry being the chosen one became somewhat clear to her in that moment, as like many have noted, she witnessed Harry survive the AK from the DL a second time. I think in that moment she realized that all of Voldemort's talk of Harry's survival being fed by lies was indeed wrong; that somehow he did possess something that the DL did not understand. That is not to say that in that moment she understood it herself, but I think she realized that the DL was blowing a lot of smoke and had no real answers about Harry and why he lived, or if he really did possess magic unknown to the DL.

I also think that when Harry told her yes, that her son was alive in the castle, she felt that she owed him something for the news. It was just such a joy for her to know that her son was not among the dead and Harry was the one that had given her that reassurence and hope. I think a part of her too felt she owed him for giving her hope.

[Hysteria]

I loved this bit in the story. Didnt understand what she had done the first time but after reading it again it became clearer. I think it shows that at least 2/3 of the Malfoy family arent as evil as they were pumped up to be. Even Dumbledore knew that Draco couldnt kill him.
It was a perfect way to express realisation and show that LV would not be able to kill Harry, by having one of his 'most loyal' followers betray him (in a way).

[LottaFagina]

Still on page 2 of this thread, but Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley both surprised us at the lengths they went to for the safety of their children. Good can be bad and bad can be good.

So will Harry, Molly and the whole gang be shipped off to Azkaban for their Unforgivables??? Nah, thought not...

[PrezLeefun]

There is only one thing I like about Narscissa Malfoy.... she is a mother FIRST. Nothing else ever mattered to her except keeping her son safe. Thats all.

[ashabear68]

So how come Lucius who was so evil for the whole series wasn't killed? Or at least punished? He just gets to chill in the great hall?? What the heck? I can understand Narcissa and Draco, but I don't understand why Lucius wasn't even captured or anything seeing as how he was a known evil death eater throught the series.

[RiverIsis]

I agree with that Narcissa's first thought was for Draco - the panic of not knowing where her son is because he is not in the clearing and if he is alive.

Once she has confirmed this, she has to relay her message such that Lord Voldemort does not know she is lying --- I personally think that she didn't have to worry about Legilimens/Occlumency because she gave LV the answer he was expecting, and he thought her (& her family) a loyal supporter. It would not occur to him in his arrogance and his moment of triumph that a family member of his most loyal supporters would not tell him the truth.

[Kaonashi]

I also noticed that Voldermort tortured the Malfoys ALL year, and when Harry and everyone else escaped the basement in the Manor, he confined all of them to the house for weeks and tortured them to boot, because the book makes a point of mentioning just how haggard and bruised both Malfoy parents looked, and it was probably only a matter of time before he killed one of them anyway.

Narcissa saw a chance to get rid of Voldemort for good and took it, and she did it in typical Slytherin fashion. Slytherins can be brave, yes, but they can be very sly in the way they make things happen, and by saying Harry was dead she can accomplish two things: 1) look for her son and b) ensure that her family would be done with Voldemort for good.

Another kinda related thing that struck me as interesting was the exchange between Draco and Harry in the ROR. Malfoy made a point of telling Crabb to stop pushing books down because he didn't want the diadem lost, and it was purely because Harry was looking for it.

[fireangel265]

Originally Posted by Hysteria

I loved this bit in the story. Didnt understand what she had done the first time but after reading it again it became clearer. I think it shows that at least 2/3 of the Malfoy family arent as evil as they were pumped up to be.

But if you go back and read that final battle, you find out that even Lucius is not fighting in the battle either. Both of Draco's parents are just looking for him.
Narcissa has always been a mother first, but I think this is the first time that we've seen Lucius's fatherly side.

[Radley]

Repeatedly, JKR shows us the love of parents for their children. Harry's parents sacrificed their lives for Harry. Dudley's parents try to protect him from the various wizards that enter their house (whether it is needed or not). The Malfoys main concern is whether Draco is alive and how can they get to him. Molly steps in front of Ginny to battle Bellatrix. When Lupin shows up and wants to help the trio - Harry tells him that parents should be with their children. The message/theme is repeated over and over. Of course we see the opposite with Merope and her father -- and her son becomes the most evil wizard of all time.

[Fleur du mal]

Lucius and Narcissa both have no wands when they go into the final battle. (And they could have picked up one from the dead or injured on the ground) They don't WANT to fight anymore.


As for Narcissa's situation - we should keep in mind that not long before this scene, Lucius has basically been told that his son is as good as dead for not following the call. We can safely assume that he communicated this to his wife in some way or other. Narcissa at this point knows that her son will be killed if Voldemort gets the chance. Harry, no matter how, is the only one who can now help her (and Draco) still.


As for Draco in the RoR - I don't believe he is there because he's looking for Harry. He might have told that Crabbe and Goyle, who are after all not the brightest crayons in the box. But sitting in the RoR looking for Harry?! Beg your pardon? Draco hasn't got a clue about Horcrux hunting, and WHY ON EARTH should Harry show up here of all places, with the battle around? He is a Gryffindor and never shrinked away from fighting, Draco knows so much about him for sure. We learn via Lucius/Voldemort's dialogue that Draco didn't show up when called. But no way I believe that he didn't do that because he was looking for Harry - he didn't come because he didn't want to get into that inevitable battle.

So - Draco is hiding there. He doesn't want to join the battle, doesn't want to be killed, and doesn't want to kill others either, we've seen that he's absolutely incapable to deal with murder (and once again, I want to point out how he falls off his chair when Burbage is murdered). So what can he do? Hide, wait till it's all over, look who's won and somehow try and talk his way out of it then.

[Bert]

My opinion of Narcissa is she's never been a fan of the Dark Lord but rather afraid of him. She always has looked out for Draco (Book 6 Beginning, Book 7 End) And doesn't really change cuz she was never TRULY evil to begin with.
Merely compiled by fear/

[TheyCallMeHermy]

I believe that she behaved the way she did in order to save Draco. IMO, if Harry had told her Draco was dead, she would have let some one kill Harry, because in her opinion, all was already lost.
Her family, and especially Draco, have not lived a pleasant life under Voldemort's new regime. I am sure that she does not want to see her son grow up under threats to his life. She wants him to have a good life. I think that she is definitely still prejudiced against all those who aren't pure blood, but having to deal with the sacrifices her family has had to make for Voldemort's new dictatorship are clearly not providing a better life for them than they had in the beginning of the series. Though the wizarding world was not being run the way they would have liked, her family had it's freedom, and I think she's realized that compromise in government and society is better than blind prejudice. In reality, the Draco family has no more freedom than any of the muggleborns that were thrown into Azkaban.

[Fleur du mal]

I think Mitchamus is right. If Harry had said that Draco was dead, Narcissa would have had exactly one thing on her mind - revenge. And Harry being alive would have been the only way to have the tiniest spark of hope for revenge on Voldemort, so she would have lied about him being dead regardless of his answer.

[flickerandfade]

Originally Posted by Keazlegirl

I liked this moment. It showed that a trust had developed between Harry and Narcissa. By having the conversation at all, they put their lives in each other's hands at the moment.

I agree with this, but I think that there would have been an element of understanding there, too. Not that I, for one second, would think that Narcissa and Harry had been having covert meetings to discuss their woes, but (and I will make the assumption on the part of Narcissa) both of them are in this war not necessarily through choice (and with Harry, I mean that he didn't make the conscious decision all of those years ago to reduce Voldemort to nothing), but because the actions of others have led them to those points; they both stood to lose people they loved because of circumstances that they may have actively chosen to be a part of, had they been free of the constraints of family, friends and legacy itself.

[Weazleby]

Dumbledore said that the tyrant always fears the ones he opresses, because sooner of later, one will rise in victory. He also stated that Voldemort showed no mercy, even to his most devoted followers. When you treat your servants badly, they tend to turn on you. Narcissa did just that, in the name of the force that her former master loathed so much. But I don't believe Harry owes her a life debt. She felt she owed him a life debt for rescuing her son. Twice. And telling her he was alive. She owed him.

[Mia_Potter]

I think in that one moment Narcissa proved she was a better person because her love for her son out weighed the risk she was putting her own life in jeopardy. At that moment she proved to be every bit as much of a mother who loved her child as Lily had been all those years before.