OMG-Draco as Hamlet, I love it! But I totally agree that it doesn't have to lead him to action. In fact, for Draco inaction is almost a bigger change. Because he always acts in canon, coming up with a plan and doing things to other people somehow. But a Draco who's shocked into thinking for once could be something much more important. That was sort of what I liked in Cassie's story, that Draco is really agreeing *not* to ask. He just says to Harry, "If you tell them not to give my father the kiss, you can do what you want to me." It's like stepping off a cliff.

The thing with Hamlet, it seems, is that he starts out from a more mature place, because part of the reason he's out for revenge is that he feels like it's a duty, whereas with Draco you've potentially got something he really does care enough to think about dying for. As little of Draco that we got in OotP, making his love of his father canon is certainly something!

Frankly, I think Draco being inspired to *think* here rather than just act is more potentially surprising as well. Because it's hard to imagine an action of his that couldn't be easily anticipated by Harry without it.