The Harry Potter franchise has focused heavily on finding the good in everyone. As a result, only a handful of characters could even be considered completely bad. That’s why certain characters like Voldemort were so easy to pinpoint as evil, while the initial introduction of Sirius Black was much more ambiguous. However, even those who made poor choices could still come back from them.

One of the best examples of redemption was through the character of Draco Malfoy. Draco was Harry Potter’s enemy and rival for years, and the two were even at opposite ends of the board when Voldemort amassed his army. But closer inspection revealed that Draco was more of a tortured and reluctant villain that needed a chance to prove himself. This moment eventually came, as evidenced by his and Harry’s not unfriendly meeting at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Unfortunately, even though they gained respect for one another, that moment was never shown. But one deleted scene from the film gave fans Draco’s one moment of heroism.

How Did One Scene Redeem Draco Malfoy?

Following Harry’s apparent death at the hands of Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard paraded his victory to those that stood against him. Of course, Harry wasn’t dead after all, as Voldemort’s killing curse merely destroyed the piece of his soul living in Harry. But even though Harry had seemingly died, he still inspired his friends to keep fighting, especially Neville. Meanwhile, Malfoy was coerced into joining Voldemort to be with his family. In the theatrical cut of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Draco hesitantly walks to his family, following an awkward hug from Lord Voldemort. His regret alone was enough for him to be forgiven. But the deleted scene made his heroic turn more obvious.

In the extended version of the scene, after Neville’s speech, Harry jumps out of Hagrid’s arms, and for a brief moment, Draco is shown running and tossing Harry’s wand to him, shouting, “Potter!” It’s a short scene that culminates seven years of their strenuous relationship. It also showed that for the first time in his life, Draco made a choice for himself, and it was the right one. Had it stayed, the impact could’ve been even greater.

Draco’s Turn Could’ve Greatly Affected Deathly Hallows Part 2

Before Harry Potter‘s Battle of Hogwarts, Draco was manipulated into performing acts he never wanted to do. Perhaps the most heartbreaking was seeing him forced to kill Dumbledore. While Snape saved him from having to carry out this unforgivable act, it never stopped Draco from being the target of manipulation. He didn’t enjoy being a Death Eater but was desperate for his father’s respect, Lucius Malfoy, who made his own mistakes. In the end, he grew to resent everything his family expected of him and married a woman who challenged his Pure Blood sensibilities.

It was implied that a moment shared between Harry and Draco sometime later showed the two put their past aside and were ready to move on. However, had this deleted scene remained, it would’ve shown that Draco was, in fact, his own person who wanted to make the right choices. It also would’ve shown that manipulation and threats could only go so far, while Harry, being kind and forgiving, showed that the same attitude toward others could do so much more. In the end, rivals have always been just that, and in Harry and Draco’s case, this scene would’ve maintained that relationship rather than being enemies and showed Draco as someone who finally completed his arc to become a hero.