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As an autistic person I very much emphasise with the whole draco-crying-in-the-bathroom scene - With that, and my autistic draco headcanon, I definitely interpret it as draco having a meltdown:
For example, the fact he's in the bathroom could be viewed as him seeking a predictable sensory experience because of how quiet the room is - in the books we actually find out that draco often visits myrtle in that bathroom to cry, so this isn't an isolated experience. +
I loathe to use examples from the movie when I strongly dislike how they captured the whole scene, but: The way he loosens his tie can be interpreted as trying to lessen the unpleasant sensory experience of his uniform +
School uniforms are often a sensory hell for autistic people, and when one is already upset, they can feel incredibly restricting and uncomfortable, the feeling of the fabric on your skin can feel almost painful - We see this further here as he takes off his vest.
When one is having a meltdown, they're terrifying and isolating, and you can feel totally out of control - the way he splashes water on his face can be seen as seeking sensory input, something he can control, something to try to ground himself.
I know that everyone cries, but I do want to say I can definitely draw similarities with this scene and my own personal experience, and I think the way he is sobbing, the sheer hopelessness + loneliness definitely makes me think its a meltdown, in the context of this hc
When someone is having a meltdown it can be extremely hard to process.. anything. I think we can definitely see this here, the way he stares at Harry for a few moments, sort of trying to process it, to make sense of what is happening, because he's already so overwhelmed.
Speaking from experience, Its definitely embarrassing to be witnessed when you're having a meltdown, to be perceived at your lowest - even when you know that the person loves you. So obviously its going to be extremely upsetting for Draco to have Harry, his rival, witness this.
And so once he's sort of processed the fact that Harry is there, he would be feeling extremely humiliated and hurt and angry. he's also still actively having a meltdown, he hasn't had time to calm down.
Fighting and hexes are the context in which harry makes sense - its what they do, those are the rules - So of course Draco hexes him - he's incredibly upset, and in his head it makes sense.
he's already very upset, and the duel would be a massive sensory overload for him, all the noise and flashes of light, etc - he wouldn't really have time to think about what he's doing, (so ofc he's not going to pause in the middle of it and think "hey! I shouldnt hex him!")
He doesnt want to back down, he's already embarrassed and angry about what Harry witnessed, and so I imagine he'd kind of just be..frantically throwing spells, yk?
(Btw, it is not at all my intention to infantilise him here - I am autistic myself, and this is just my interpretation. when I talk about him being unable to process things, that is specifically in the context of a meltdown - I don't mean to imply we can never process things x)
Anyway this thread was incredibly self indulgent, but if u actually read it, thank u!! This is all from personal experience, everyone experiences meltdown differently ofc I just think its interesting to look at that scene in this context
