I think that the rationale for making Draco abused worked like this:
"I like Draco, because I think that that a) Tom Felton is hot, b) that bad boys are hot, c) rich boys are hot or d) all of the above.
"However, Draco is clearly a bigot who wants to destroy people who don't have any magic. How do I deal with this and still continue to like him?
"Well, his father is very strict toward him in the second book, and Narcissa clearly is more indulgent toward Draco than Lucius is. Based on this, I will decide that Lucius is emotionally abusive.
"But that is not dire enough. I must show that Draco's situation is far worse. Therefore, Lucius is physically abusive as well.
Now we have a justification for everything that Draco does. If he expresses hatred for Muggleborns and contempt for Muggles, he is clearly only doing this so that his father will not hear from the other kids in Slytherin that Draco Malfoy is a Muggle-loving bastard. Because if Lucius hears that, he will kill Draco.
So Draco gets to be his canonical self AND a nice guy at the same time.
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Date: 2010-08-19 05:55 am (UTC)"I like Draco, because I think that that a) Tom Felton is hot, b) that bad boys are hot, c) rich boys are hot or d) all of the above.
"However, Draco is clearly a bigot who wants to destroy people who don't have any magic. How do I deal with this and still continue to like him?
"Well, his father is very strict toward him in the second book, and Narcissa clearly is more indulgent toward Draco than Lucius is. Based on this, I will decide that Lucius is emotionally abusive.
"But that is not dire enough. I must show that Draco's situation is far worse. Therefore, Lucius is physically abusive as well.
Now we have a justification for everything that Draco does. If he expresses hatred for Muggleborns and contempt for Muggles, he is clearly only doing this so that his father will not hear from the other kids in Slytherin that Draco Malfoy is a Muggle-loving bastard. Because if Lucius hears that, he will kill Draco.
So Draco gets to be his canonical self AND a nice guy at the same time.