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“ | My father will hear about this! | „ |
~ Draco's catchphrase. |
“ | No one asked for your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood! | „ |
~ Draco's xenophobic rhetoric to Hermione. |
“ | I don't want your help! Don't you understand? I have to do this! I have to kill you... or he's going to kill me! | „ |
~ Malfoy in tears to Dumbledore. |
Draco Lucius Malfoy is a major antagonist in the Harry Potter series. He is a spoiled and self-centered bully, Harry's former arch-rival, and a Death Eater serving Lord Voldemort. He is the son of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy, the nephew of Bellatrix Lestrange and Andromeda Tonks, the cousin of Nymphadora Tonks and Delphini, the first cousin once removed of Teddy Lupin and Sirius and Regulus Black and the father of Scorpius. He then reconciled with his enemies and joined Harry Potter.
He was portrayed by Tom Felton, who also played Dodge Landon in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Doctor Alchemy in The Flash.
Personality
Draco Malfoy is the typical spoiled child and bully; he is narcissistic, arrogant, and cowardly. Draco obviously believed himself above everyone else and his parents continuously spoiling their child did not help him. Despite this, Draco is seen as one of the more troubled and redeemable of the Harry Potter villains, after his father, Lucius Malfoy, failed Lord Voldemort, he responded by tasking Draco the task of murdering Albus Dumbledore and if he failed, he and his parents will be killed, which shows how Draco cares about his family more than anything else. Eventually, the pressure of the task began to get to him, the stress eventually began to crush him and when finally Dumbledore was at his mercy, he could not do it and came close to the brink of tears.
During his first few years at Hogwarts, Draco also had quite the belligerent side always trying to pick a fight with his rival Harry Potter and his friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, frequently using biting and opprobrious remarks, and reminding the two of Ron's family being poor and Hermione's blood heritage. Draco's arrogance also fanned out by his lack of respect towards the teachers, he took no effort hiding his contempt towards Dumbledore, claiming that he "was the worst thing that had ever happened to Hogwarts" and describes the Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid as "a stupid oaf", however, despite Draco's bullying and egomania, he at least appeared to be on good terms with Crabbe and Goyle, two other students of Slytherin house.
Given his sixth year, Draco had begun to despise Hogwarts itself and actually took entertainment in the idea of being a Death Eater, that is until the months passed and the stress mounted on him altogether. He revealed his more intellectual and cleverer side during his sixth year, for instance he was able to notice Harry Potter when he had used the Invisibility Cloak to sneak into the Slytherin carriage, him taunting over Harry's dead mother and later breaking his nose showed signs of a mild sadist. He was also able to sneak Death Eaters into Hogwarts after plotting it all year. Draco was a social bigot just like his father, using highly derogatory terms such as Mudbloods to describe Muggle-borns such as Hermione Granger and actually takes away points from Gryffindor house simply because one was half-blood. He also describes the Weasley family as blood-traitors for the siding with Muggles.
However, something began to change in Draco's psyche in his sixth year at Hogwarts, truly showing his lighter and more tragic side as he shows fear and misery that he has been tasked with murdering Albus Dumbledore and feeling the pressure of being killed if he fails to kill Albus Dumbledore. It is heavily implied that Draco's parents or specifically his father was careless and neglectful towards him and as such responded by once again spoiling Malfoy. Draco's overall resentment towards Harry Potter was mostly jealousy as Harry being described as "the Chosen One" outshined him.
Despite his bigoted ways, 19 years later Draco is a happily married man with a child and his wife, Astoria Greengrass, who did not believe that pure-bloods were better than normal Muggle-born and ordinary witches or wizards which imaginably caused tension between her and Lucius and Narcissa; however Draco may actually believe his wife's word, showing that he has matured greatly since his youth. He was also seen pleasantly nodding to Harry Potter when he was sending his son to Hogwarts which shows he was capable of smoothing over a frictional relationship. The creator of Draco, J.K. Rowling herself commented that he has shut down all compassion, which was why he was able to improve but despite this, she felt sorry for Draco instead of despising him.
Appearance
Draco Malfoy is a tall and slender boy with sleek platinum blond hair, pale skin, cold gray eyes, and sharp features.
Biography
Early Life
Draco was born on 5 June 1980 as the only child of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy who both believed in pureblood purity. His father, Lucius, had formerly been one of Lord Voldemort's greatest henchmen but was not as loyal to the Dark Lord as Voldemort believed. Lucius did nothing to search for Voldemort following the First Wizarding War, believing his master dead. However, Voldemort was alive, (albeit in a weakened state) knew of Lucius' lack of loyalty, and was furious. Meanwhile, Lucius was able to worm his way out of prison by saying he was influenced by the Imperius curse and was redeemed in the Minister's eyes. He used his wealth to influence the Ministry and make laws he thought suited his pureblood views better. Lucius believed Harry Potter to be an upcoming Dark wizard, like Voldemort, believing this to be the reason Harry defeated Voldemort. For this reason, Lucius told Draco to befriend Harry Potter as soon as they arrived at Hogwarts. Lucius thought a young Dark wizard (which he believed Harry to be) was one thing they should surely have on their side (as former Death Eaters). Lucius had also raised Draco to mourn Harry Potter's victory over Voldemort but not to show this publicly, otherwise, he would ruin Lucius' image. The day of celebration marking the Potter's triumph over He Who Must Not Be Named was seen as a tragic day for the Malfoys, rather than a holiday. Lucius was presumably furious when Draco revealed he had met Harry in Madam Malkin's robe shop. He asked Harry several questions about who he was and asked him about The Wizarding world but started mocking him after he realized Harry didn't know anything about the Wizarding World. He presumably saw this and was upset at Draco for having missed an opportunity, and ordered him to act further at charming Harry on his first day at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
On 1 September 1991, Draco Malfoy attended his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He becomes the enemy of Harry Potter and befriends Crabbe and Goyle. At Hogwarts, he is sorted into Slytherin house. The same house in which Voldemort was sorted into decades ago. He also indirectly lead Harry Potter to become Gryffindor's seeker, after he stole Neville Longbottom's Trinket, which caused Harry to catch it right in front of Professor McGonagall. Malfoy then smiles wickedly with Crabbe and Goyle at Harry, when she calls him, thinking he will be expelled. But unknown to them, Professor McGonagall instead brings him to Oliver Wood, the captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team.
He grows suspicious of what Hagrid the gamekeeper is up to and he spies on his house. On one occasion, Draco finds Hagrid hatching an illegal Dragon (Norwegian Ridgeback). Draco eagerly reports this to Professor McGonagall, taunting a sick Ronald Weasley in the hospital wing about the latter's upcoming expulsion. Draco however, is ignored by McGonagall, who derides his claims as fantasy and sentences him, Harry, Hermione and Neville to detention in the Forbidden Forest. There, Draco briefly mocks Harry and Neville before, along with Harry, coming face to face with Lord Voldemort. Draco cowardly flees.
He is later resentful of Dumbledore switching the House Winner to Gryffindor.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In his second year at Hogwarts, Draco becomes seeker of the Slytherin Quidditch Team (via buying the team 7 new Nimbus 2001s). On the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, Harry Potter plays the same position. In the same year Harry also discovers that Draco Malfoy and his family have a House elf named Dobby who was responsible for preventing Harry and Ron Weasley entering the train by sealing the barrier to it, which indirectly leads Ron to use his father Arthur Weasley's enchanted car to Hogwarts and are nearly expelled by Severus Snape and as well made one of the Bludgers to injure Harry's left arm during the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Dobby is freed by Harry at the end of the year.
In Draco's second year, many students are attacked by the basilisk which is freed by Ginny Weasley, who is possessed by Voldemort's diary. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger think that Draco Malfoy is the Heir of Slytherin. They use Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Crabbe and Goyle, only to find out that Draco isn't the culprit. However, Draco Malfoy says some nasty snide remarks about the Weasley family, blames & calls Harry Potter a "Saint" after Dumbledore silenced The Daily Prophet members, then explains that it has been 50 years since the last time the chamber was opened and makes horrible predictions about the next basilisk's victim, stating in front of them that he hopes it will be Hermione Granger.
Draco also battles Harry Potter at the Dueling Club and casts a spell which made a snake appear. During this event it is revealed that Harry Potter could speak Parseltongue just like Voldemort.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
During his third year at Hogwarts, Draco provoked Hagrid's pet hippogriff named Buckbeak. As a result, the animal mauled Draco and Draco's father Lucius went to the Ministry of Magic and told them about this incident. The Ministry decided to kill Buckbeak, leading Hermione to punch him. But thanks to a Time-Turner, Buckbeak was saved from death by Harry and Hermione.
Before his Fourth Year
In the summer vacation of 1994, Draco went to the Quidditch World Cup with his parents. Later, Death Eaters began to terrorize the campside and they attacked Muggles. It was not clear if Lucius was joining the Death Eaters or not.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
During Draco's fourth Year at Hogwarts, The Triwizard Tournament was held and students of different schools came to Hogwarts. Harry was a champion despite being too young. During the same year, Draco was turned into a ferret by Mad-Eye Moody who was Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise when attempting to curse Harry when he turned his back. Mad-Eye Moody's impostor bounced Draco around the room as punishment. Although, Professor McGonagall changed Draco back to normal.
Later in the same year, Draco went to the Yule Ball with fellow Slytherin Student Pansy Parkinson.
He and Lucius also had a bet on how long Harry would last in the Triwizard Tournament. Whereas Draco didn't think that he would last ten minutes Lucius thought he wouldn't last five. But Harry survived, so in the end they both lost.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
During his fifth year at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy became a prefect together with Pansy Parkinson. He wrote the song "Weasley is our King", which mocked Ron's abilities as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Due to this song, Harry Potter and Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, were banned from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team by Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge,(due to Harry and George attacking Malfoy, while the Gryffindor chasers all held Fred back).
Later that year, Draco joined the Inquisitorial Squad which was started by Umbridge. He caught Harry during at D.A. meeting an was rewarded by Umbridge with House Points for Slytherin. Later, he captured Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom when Harry was trying to use Floo Powder to talk to his godfather Sirius Black, who was killed by his cousin/Draco's aunt Bellatrix Lestrange at the end of the year.
Draco's father was sent to Azkaban at the end of the year, which made Draco unfairly blame and despise Harry even more.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
“ | That's for my father. Enjoy your ride back to London! | „ |
~ Malfoy breaking Harry's nose, in revenge for his father's imprisonment. |
When Draco, now on the brink of Death Eater transformation, starts at his Sixth Year at Hogwarts, he is chosen by Voldemort to complete a mission that he gave to him. That mission is to kill Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, since he is the biggest threat to the Dark Lord (as the most-powerful wizard in the wizarding world).
Draco's mother Narcissa Malfoy thinks that Draco can't do it alone and together with her sister Bellatrix, she visits Severus Snape, head of Slytherin. Snape makes the Unbreakable Vow, by which he promises to kill Dumbledore if Draco doesn't succeed. While on the Hogwarts Express he immobilizes Harry Potter and breaks his nose as revenge for imprisoning his father causing Harry to hate Draco even more, increasing Hermione's and Ron's hatred on Draco and Slughorn to deduce his Slytherin House 50 points and he is then rescued by Luna Lovegood (Tonks in the novel), who also reported what Draco has done to Harry to Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Prof. Slughorn. Draco attempted to kill Dumbledore by giving a cursed necklace(cursed Katie Bell), and poisoned whiskey (nearly killed Ron Weasley), in which both of them failed. As the months went by, Draco started to feel the effects of being a Death Eater. When Harry Potter told Draco that he knew that he was the one who tried to give Dumbledore the Cursed Necklace, Draco attacks Potter. Potter responded with a Sectumsempra, which cuts open Draco, as if being slashed by a sword, nearly killing him. Snape manages to reach Draco and heals most of his wounds. At the end of the year, Snape has to kill Dumbledore because Draco couldn't do it. But Draco had disarmed Dumbledore, which unintentionally made Draco the new master of The Elder Wand.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Draco gets disarmed by Harry Potter during the skirmish at Malfoy Manor, losing his wand in the process. Despite being a full fledged Death Eater, Malfoy despises the lifestyle and is greatly demoralized. At the end of his seventh year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts during their Horcrux search. Draco attacks them in the Room of Requirement. During this battle, Crabbe puts a fire spell and the room burns down.
Draco and Goyle end up getting rescued by Harry, Ron and Hermione, but Crabbe dies in the fire.
Later Draco is seen pleading to a Death Eater saying that he's on Voldemort's side. Harry Potter stuns the Death Eater, but as Draco turns around to see who's his savior, Ron punches him in the face and calls him a "two-faced bastard".
Draco is present with the crowd, when Harry Potter is declared dead by Voldemort, who then asks any student of Hogwarts to join him, which will result in their lives being spared. After Voldemort's death, Draco and his parents sit in the Great Hall, looking uncertain whether or not they should stay there.
In the movie adaptation version, when Harry Potter is declared dead by Voldemort, he then asks any student of Hogwarts to join him, which will result in their lives being spared. Draco is the only one who decides to walk back to Voldemort's side. However, when Harry awakens from his "death", Draco and his entire family retreat from the Battle of Hogwarts, whilst Aunt Bellatrix calls for them, especially Lucius, to return.
Epilogue (19 Years Later)
Around 19 years later, Draco, along with the rest of his family, managed to avoid Azkaban since Lucius Malfoy's crimes were forgiven. It was revealed that Draco married Astoria Greengrass and had a son named Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. In 2017, while Malfoy was sending his son to Hogwarts, he greets Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. It's unknown how Harry and Draco's relationship changed. It's implied that their relationship has gotten better over time, but they still don't consider themselves as good friends and only act civil and polite with each other.
His viewpoint also became more open-minded since he had learned to accept Muggle-born wizards and taught his son not to become like his grandfather. However, this often leads to frequent argument between Lucius and Draco about Scorpius's liberal mindset.
Quotes
“ | So, it's true what they say on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. | „ |
~ Malfoy begins his rivalry with Harry Potter. |
“ | Red hair and hand me down robes? You must be a Weasley. | „ |
~ Malfoy's first words to Ron. |
“ | Oh, look, Potter, you got yourself a girlfriend! | „ |
~ Malfoy mocking Ginny defending Harry, ironically foreshadowing Ginny and Harry's future marriage. |
“ | You'd never know the Weasleys were Pure-Bloods the way they behave. They're an embarrassment to the wizarding world. All of them. | „ |
~ Malfoy mocking the Weasley family. |
“ | Father always said that Dumbledore was the worst thing that ever happened to this place. | „ |
~ Malfoy expressing his father's views on Dumbledore. |
“ | Good one Goyle, You're absolutely right! SAINT POTTER!! | „ |
~ Malfoy blaming Harry Potter. |
“ | But my father did say this: "It's been 50 years since the Chamber was opened". He wouldn't tell me who opened it. Only that they were expelled. The last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So it's only a matter of time before one of them is killed this time. As for me... I hope it's Granger. | „ |
~ Malfoy explaining his hate for "Mudbloods", especially Hermione. |
“ | Hey Potter, is true that you fainted? You actually fainted? | „ |
~ Malfoy taunting Harry. |
“ | Dementor, Dementor!oooooooh, ooooooooooh | „ |
~ Malfoy making fun of Harry's fear of Dementors. |
“ | Ah! Come and see the show? | „ |
~ Malfoy taunting Harry, Ron, and Hermione over Buckbeak's trial. |
“ | Draco: Why so tense, Potter? My father and I have a bet, you see. I don't think you're going to last ten minutes in this tournament. He disagrees. He thinks you won't last five! Harry: I don't give a damn what your father thinks, Malfoy! He's vile and cruel, and you're just pathetic! Draco: Pathetic?! Mad-Eye Moody: OH NO, YOU DON'T, SONNY! |
„ |
~ Malfoy taunting Harry before being Transfigured into a ferret by Mad-Eye Moody in Goblet of Fire film adaptation. |
“ | Wait until my father hears about this! | „ |
~ Draco Malfoy's rage. |
“ | Didn't mummy ever tell you it was rude to eavesdrop, Potter? PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!! Oh, yeah... She was dead before you could wipe the drool off your chin! | „ |
~ Malfoy's vengeful anger to Harry following Lucius's arrest. |
“ | He trusts me! I was chosen! | „ |
~ Malfoy revealing to Dumbledore of being a Death Eater. |
“ | Draco: Well, well... What brings you here, Potter? Harry: I would ask you the same. Draco: You have something of mine. I'd like it back. Harry: What's wrong with the one you have? Draco: It's my mother's. It's powerful, but it's not the same. Doesn't quite... understand me. You know what I mean? Harry: Why didn't you tell her? Bellatrix. You knew it was me. You didn't say anything. |
„ |
~ Draco confronting Harry with the latter curious about Draco. |
Trivia
- Draco Malfoy appears as the final boss in the GBA adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban. Most players did not like this choice, stating it offered little to no challenge.
- A deleted scene for the second part of the film version of Deathly Hallows, shows Draco aiding a recovered Harry by throwing his wand to him as he leaves the Death Eaters party and rejoins the Hogwarts party. Despite the scene being cut, it is retained in the video game adoption, albeit that he hands the wand properly here.
- Although there's no denying Draco had likeable and sympathetic traits more than he let on (which more apparent in the films thanks to Tom Felton's portrayal and that the books are written through Harry's perspective), this unfortunately led to many who grew to like him or at least found him relatable greatly underestimated/dismissive to his darker and awful traits, inspiring the namesake TV Tropes.org article revolving fictional antagonists who received similar treatments from biased fans ("Draco in Leather Pants").
- Although Draco is pure blonde, his actor Tom Felton, is brownish blonde.
- The blonde appearance of Draco and his father Lucius are allusions to Adolf Hitler's master race/Aryan supremacy ideology, with Hitler proclaiming "tall, blonde-haired, blue eyed" Germans to be supreme and purest.
- Draco is the latin word for dragon.
External Links
- Draco Malfoy on the Harry Potter Wiki
- Draco Malfoy on the Heroes Wiki
- Draco Malfoy — Wikipedia