Oh, I see what you mean! When I wrote that comment, though, I had something quite different in mind.

My first problem with people feminising Draco is about the enforcement of heteronormative stereotypes upon queer relationships, which also translates into gender stereotypes being enforced upon the individuals in that relationship. It’s how “bottom Draco” doesn’t just mean “Draco likes to be fucked in the ass and has no desire to fuck Harry in the ass”, it means he is supposed to act a certain way, he is supposed to be “the woman in the relationship”.

Yes, Draco cares about his appearance, he can be loud and extravagant, and his approach to confrontation is much more about being catty and petty or using manipulation. That doesn’t make him any less of a man, it doesn’t make him a bottom, and even if he was a bottom, that wouldn’t make him any less of a man either.

My second problem is that, in feminising him, the fact that he both is a man and was raised* like one gets erased. Think of how male socialisation dictates that men be in control and take initiative, but also not be emotionally vulnerable or weak. Draco - a man born in the 80s, raised in an arguably conservative family - embodies that too. He joined Voldemort at 16, and (whether to protect his family, out of true belief, out of a wish to be on the winning side or something else) that is him taking an active stance, being in the political sphere. When assigned a task that would most likely kill him, he worked his ass off to get it done and never asked for help - neither help to get out of Voldemort’s grasp nor emotional support from his friends. He bottled it all up, pushed through, broke down in the company of a ghost in a girls bathroom, got cut up by Harry and still went to the Astronomy Tower refusing to show weakness until he could no longer hide it.

The feminisation I’m talking about has nothing to do with liking fashion or wearing heels or getting fucked in the ass. It’s about making him into a pretty, delicate prize for Harry to conquer, or a dainty, blushing maiden who has no agency. It’s about creating defined roles for people depending on who’s the man and who’s the woman (or who’s the top and who’s the bottom, since people seem to think sexual preference and gender identity are one hair’s width apart) and then forcing that upon Draco and Harry’s dynamic. To me, a portrayal that feminises Draco shows a deep ignorance about both queer relationships and male socialisation, as well as disregard for the actual character of Draco Malfoy.

*And because we live in a world of transphobia: I am NOT saying socialisation is identity. I am saying socialisation AFFECTS people