Fanmix: Draco Malfoy - Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

[rogueslayer452]

It figures since the revival of my HP love since HBP came out that I would automatically do a fanmix, particularly centering around Draco. I had nearly forgotten the reason why I loved his character so much, and the new film reminded me exactly why. So, why wouldn't I make a mix for him? Honestly. This is a darker, more ominous mix than I've done before, at least the concept behind it is.


Notes: Draco Malfoy is one of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter series. There’s no denying he’s one of those characters that you kind of love to hate, with his blatant schoolyard bullying and antagonistic behavior towards Harry and his friends. However all that shifted in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince when we see his growth and character development, showing us something we’ve never seen before with him. Draco transformed from a one-dimensional to three-dimensional character as he undergoes an extraordinarily complicated mission and is caught between a rock and a hard place because of it. His humanity is fleshed out well in this book, I thought, and it was done brilliantly. Through this mix I wanted to illustrate this impossible mission from the Dark Lord was for Draco, the hardship he must endure while going at it alone, dealing with his inner turmoil, the loneliness, the anguish, the frustration and determination, as well as the overbearing guilt of what he must accomplish.

Song/Mix Meta: The first track, "O Death", is the modified rendition that's been produced and used in the Supernatural S5 promos, and is a hauntingly ominous and chilling song which I felt was perfect for the introduction, showing that Draco is forcefully recruited by the Death Eaters and given his mission from the Dark Lord, also giving the atmosphere of the state of the Wizarding World, how danger lurks around every corner. "Somewhere Else To Be" follows suit, giving the sense that Draco is torn, and the songs "Everytime I Die" and "What If" demonstrates his sixth year at Hogwarts, going day by day with the weight of everything on his shoulders and having nobody to talk to about it, however refuses help when it is offered. "At The Gates of Retribution" is Draco's deteriorating state of mind, his morality takes hold as he tries to reason with his own conscience of his last task of killing Dumbledore; he is tired, exhausted, he can't fathom completing this mission and he is crumbling. He is lost, scared, alone, and unable to complete the task even though he’s come all this way by the means of protecting his family. "Where Butterflies Never Die" is the overlook of Draco through Half Blood Prince, from beginning to the end, as he travels through like a ghost, haunted by what he has to do. And, of course, "Malfoy's Mission" which completes the mix; it's a haunting track from the actual score from the movie, and is perhaps my favorite track of the entire soundtrack, the piano and the flute are so gentle, yet so chilling, giving us the sound of Draco's journey this entire time.

And the Biblical verses given before and after the mix were deliberately chosen; the first (which is the inspiration for the mix title) giving us a sense of his family pride despite the huge responsibility, however the last verse given is that pride vanishing, the weight was too much for him to bear as he struggles with what he has to do, and finds his entire world collapsing underneath his feet.

through the valley of the shadow of death

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
~ Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

TRACKLISTING

01. "O Death" by Jen Titus

But what is this that I can’t see
With ice cold hands taking hold of me
When God is gone and the Devil takes hold
Who’ll have mercy on your soul?

02. "Somewhere Else To Be" by VAST

Is there somewhere else to be?
Take me in
I want out
That’s all I need

03. "Everytime I Die" by Beseech

Through nightmare
Shades and dreamy Hughes
Still hunted by the things I’ve made
My shadow still lingers all around
Will it never end?

04. "What If" by Era For A Moment

I’ve been right here
When all of it crumbled down around me
Now I don’t know if I should stay away from here
Right now I wanna run away
‘Cause I could never save the day

05. "At The Gates Of Retribution" by Krypteria

The game is over; I’ve come to the end of this road
I lost my soul on the way up, if only I had known
The game is over; I’m facing the ruins of my life
But I won’t go down in ashes without one last cry

06. "Where Butterflies Never Die" by Broken Iris

Utilize surrendering, when silence falls, to you it sings
Sterilize your mentality, compromise your reality
Restful mind and peaceful eyes
When sound is gone then you will find
It's all the same for the dreamers

07. "Malfoy's Mission" composed by Nicholas Hooper

Instrumental

What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.
I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.
~ Job 3:25-26 (NIV)

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Comments

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I was also happy that JKR also gave Draco this development in HBP, it really gave us a chance to see him having those vulnerabilities and growing and having sympathy for him as Harry was. I only wished we could have seen more of those redeeming qualities in the last book. I still somehow wish there could be a Malfoy side to the story and not just from Harry's POV, but that's all up to us fans I guess.

Thank you, and enjoy the mix! :D

[restlessme.livejournal.com]

You have no idea how long I've thought the same (different POVs). It would be highly interesting to see many of the Slytherins from a Slytherin's perspective in my opinion. I also wish we could have seen the better qualities of him, after he's rescued and whatnot.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Definitely, and it always bothered me that we never saw any real good Slytherins. They were always categorized as "bad" or "dark wizards", which really shouldn't have been the case at all. I do wonder what the series would have been like if Harry had been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, but still maintained friendships with Hermione and Ron and other students from other Houses. It definitely would have broken the mold and given a new meaning to inter-House unity.

[restlessme.livejournal.com]

Especially how most of the Slytherins were characterized. This may just be me, Pansy was my favorite character, but I couldn't see her as being pug-nosed. Harry would most likely see all Slytherins in a bad light, looks included.

And Harry in Slytherin would have added a completely new side to the story, really interesting.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Harry would most likely see all Slytherins in a bad light, looks included.

Yeah, and it's very unfortunate because if there's one thing I wanted to see throughout the whole series is the Slytherins up close and personal, like with how JKR dealt with Draco's ordeal in the sixth book. To show us that their bad reputation isn't all there is to the Slytherins, and there is truly more than meets the eye if given the chance to really see them as individuals and not clump them all in one group, y'know? It kind of makes me sad it was never resolved in the way I wanted it in the end. Even though we do get a sense that Draco, as an adult, has gotten over his grudges and animosity towards Harry we really should have had a least something more to it than that.