"Professor Giles?" A blonde head peeked through the doorway.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" Giles had taken a number of research books to his classroom, and was slowly wading through them after classes.
"Might I … I wanted to ask you some questions." Draco needed to discuss his position with someone, but his options were limited. Dumbledore frightened him. Snape very likely had returned to the Death Eater fold, so talking with him would only get Draco killed. Spike had left for parts unknown. The Dark Arts professor was the only other person with any useful perspective on Draco's problem. He knew Giles held very little affection for him, but figured that the former Watcher would listen if he didn't know the personal nature of the problem.
"Come in, then, and please shut the door." Malfoy took a seat across the desk. Giles saw in front of him very little of the arrogant bastard Malfoy had been for the first several months of the year. He seemed nervous and fidgety now; despite his initial distaste for the boy, Malfoy's assistance during the two attacks motivated Giles to give him another chance. "What can I do for you, young man?"
"I'd like to ask you some questions about some of the things we have discussed in class, if that's alright. I … understand most of the homework and assignments well, but there are some minor points that could use clarification." "Of course. What would you like to know?" Giles could tell the request took enormous effort on Malfoy's part, though it seemed simple enough. Malfoy withdrew a list of questions from his satchel. He had spent an hour devising a set that would inconspicuously draw out the necessary answers.
"The other day, when you explained to us about the Angel/Angelus phenomenon, I understood that they were two different people. When Angelus became Angel, he ceased to be evil." Malfoy looked up from his notes. Giles agreed, motioning for him to continue. "What if Angelus had remained? Was it possible for him to stop being evil?" Giles removed his classes and cleaned them before responding. The tentative question came out laced with fear, and the Watcher had a flash of insight. Malfoy wanted to know more about himself than about Angel.
"In my experience, practically anything is possible. I have seen the foulest of creatures willing to sacrifice their lives for the noblest of causes," he said, thinking of Spike battling Glory. "I have also seen good people twisted into such evil beings that they destroy everything around them." An image of Faith flashed into his mind. "Often, it is a matter of motivation. No one's role in life is cast in stone. Not even vampires, and especially not humans," he added, answering the unasked question.
Malfoy pondered that. His stomach tingled with anxiety.
"You're talking about Spike as well, aren't you? He's good now, because he broke with Angelus and he's here, fighting evil."
"Not exactly, Draco. Spike has always been a bit … unusual for a vampire. He is more human than most in any number of ways. I will agree with you about the second part; he can now be counted a good guy, as the Americans say, but when he broke with Angelus, he was still quite evil."
"I don't understand."
"Opposing evil does not make one a hero. Vampires and demons routinely war on each other and their own kind, and they are indeed quite villainous. Spike, on the other hand, willingly works to preserve life, often at great risk to his own. That is the essence of goodness, if you will."
"So whether you are good or evil is judged independently of who your enemies are," Draco concluded.
"That is correct."
"Why did Spike switch?" The question on Draco's sheet actually read Why do people choose to be good? He knew when he wrote it that would be too obvious and decided to approach it more obliquely.
Giles leaned back in his chair, realizing that this question was at the heart of Malfoy's appearance. His answer had to touch the crux of the problem in order to be of any use to the boy.
"That, Draco, is an extremely complex question. We have not discussed it in class because I did not feel it was appropriate to describe the personal affairs of a member of the staff." Even Spike, Giles thought distastefully. "If I explain this to you, I would ask that you keep it in the strictest confidence."
"Of course, Professor. Actually, I'd rather…" He trailed off.
"Yes?"
"I'd rather we kept this conversation in confidence. I don't want anyone to know that I needed additional assistance," Malfoy lied hurriedly, understanding the dire consequences of this trickling down to Snape's ears. The Death Eater and Giles loathed each other, but Malfoy did not want to risk his life on that hatred alone.
"Certainly. I would not do otherwise," Giles assured him. "Anything you say to me outside of class is between the two of us and no one else." Malfoy thanked him, then waited for Giles to continue. "Spike's transformation required several unrelated steps. The first was that, as I said before, he is more human than most vampires, particularly in his ability to love. According to him, most vampires can care for other vampires emotionally. Spike, however, is capable of astonishing depths of emotion, even for a human. Do you recall Drusilla, the vampiress who visited us this fall?"
"Yes."
"She and Spike were … together for more than a century. He risked himself for her time and again. That in itself is severely unusual in the demon world. Then, after they had gone their separate ways, Spike returned to Sunnydale and was captured." Giles described the Initiative and the chip to Malfoy, whose mouth hung open in shock as the meaning of Spike's earlier allusion was revealed in full. Then Giles explained about Spike and Buffy, and about Dawn and Glory.
"You must understand, Draco," Giles told the stunned boy, "Spike's case is highly unique because he is highly unique. If, for example, one of the Death Eaters wished to switch sides," Giles said, trying to direct his words at Malfoy specifically, "it would be far easier, since their nature would not hinder them as Spike's did."
"I see," Malfoy said carefully. "He withstood a god. A being of so much power, and a vampire defeated it."
"Yes, well, there can be great power in resistance. One of the intriguing things about my work as a Watcher was seeing Buffy…" Giles stopped, organizing the thought floating around in his head. "Glory and Angelus were very much evil incarnate, though in different forms. Neither one succeeded in defeating us. While the events were complex, I would have to say that our victory came about because those of us who opposed them utterly refused to surrender. No matter what torture they devised, we continued to fight them, Spike included. I suppose that is one of the innate advantages of being good. It can be quite powerful."
The last sentence resonated in Malfoy's mind, and Draco thought of his father. Why was he evil? He craved power, and evil gave him that. Draco wanted power as well; he loved it and always had, even as a small child. Tormenting others, which he greatly enjoyed, provided that in abundance. Of course, in the end, there were always people that he, like Angelus and Glory, had been unable to gain power over. Granger, Potter and Weasley, of course. Even Longbottom had resisted his tortures, daring to go so far as to physically strike him. Their behavior gave them power over him; no matter what he had done, he had always been forced to seek another means to bring them low. Just as the Slayer had done with Angelus and Glory.
"I can see that," he responded softly. Good people, it seemed, had great power of their own. It was something to consider.