- "I really don’t think they should let the other sort in, do you? They’re just not the same, they’ve never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families."
- — Draco to Harry Potter before their first year at Hogwarts[src]
Draco Malfoy (born June 5, 1980) is a pure-blood wizard who was a student in Harry Potter's year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was sorted into Slytherin House and was Harry's archenemy at Hogwarts. The son of Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, Draco was raised to believe strongly in the importance of blood purity. He was made a Prefect for his house and was a member of the Inquisitorial Squad during his fifth year, at the end of which his father was imprisoned in Azkaban following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Lord Voldemort charged Draco with making up for Lucius's failure, and he became a Death Eater at age sixteen, but was quickly disillusioned with the lifestyle. Draco was unable to complete his task — assassinating Albus Dumbledore, which was taken over by Severus Snape — and only performed his other duties fearfully and reluctantly. He and his family defected before the end of the Second Wizarding War, and thus avoided imprisonment in Azkaban following Voldemort's defeat. Draco eventually married Astoria Greengrass and had at least one child, Scorpius Malfoy.
Quick Answers
What is the significance of Draco Malfoy's blood purity belief?
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Who are Draco Malfoy's parents and what is their significance in the Harry Potter series?
Biography
Early Childhood
Draco on the Black family tree.
Draco is the only child of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), who were both born into old, wealthy pure-blood families. Through his mother, Draco is a descendant of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and the great-great-great grandson of Phineas Nigellus Black.[1] Both the Malfoys and the Blacks have traditionally been in Slytherin House for centuries, and strongly disapproved of any relatives who did not follow this tradition.[2]
The Malfoys are very proud of their pure-blood and social status; until 1996, they were able to maintain a respectable public image while being allied with Lord Voldemort. Lucius was a Death Eater who avoided imprisonment in Azkaban following the First Wizarding War by claiming that he had been under the Imperius Curse, while Narcissa merely agreed with the ideology of pure-blood supremacy. The Malfoys spoiled their son, giving him the best of everything as far as material possessions go. The only hand-me-down thing Draco has ever received would be the old family prejudice against Muggles, Muggle-borns, half-bloods, and half-breeds; in short, prejudice against anyone who is not a pure-blood witch or wizard.
Hogwarts
- "You’ll soon find out that some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
- — Draco while speaking to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley[src]
Draco serving detention in the Forbidden Forest.
When Draco went to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies in 1991, he met Harry Potter in Madam Malkin's, without knowing who he was. He made a rather intolerant speech about Muggle-borns and Rubeus Hagrid, but otherwise acted in a friendly way towards Harry. Afterward, on the Hogwarts Express, he offered his friendship to Harry. However, Harry did not like the attitude Draco expressed towards Ron Weasley, with whom Harry had already made friends, and also found that Draco reminded him of his bully of a cousin with his disdainful attitude. Thus, he turned him down, creating animosity that lasted through the rest of their schooling.
- "You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team. It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money – you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."
- — Draco mocking Gryffindor students
Once at Hogwarts, Draco was sorted into Slytherin house, like many other members of his family. He gained lackey-like friends in fellow Slytherins Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, while remaining hostile toward Harry to the point of challenging him to a duel. This was, in fact, an attempt to get Harry into trouble for being out after curfew. He resented the attention Harry received because of his fame and his prodigious flying ability, which led to Harry being permitted to join his house's Quidditch team at a younger age than most.
Later in the year, Draco discovered Harry's plan to smuggle Hagrid's pet dragon Norbert out of the castle and informed Professor McGonagall of it, but was put in detention as well for being out past curfew. For his detention, Draco had to assist Hagrid, Harry, and Hermione, who had been caught shortly after smuggling Norbert out, as well as Neville Longbottom, who had tried to warn them about Draco, in finding a wounded unicorn. This was a task he greatly resented because he found this "servant work".[3]
Second Year
Draco and his father confront Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys in Flourish and Blotts.
In his second year at Hogwarts, Draco attained the position of Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team. His father bought the entire team new Nimbus 2001s and because of this, though Hermione Granger openly speculated that this was in fact what got Draco on the team at all. Draco responded angrily to this accusation, and called Hermione a "filthy little Mudblood", causing the Gryffindor team to lash out at him; Ron tried to hex him to vomit slugs, but the curse backfired because his wand was broken.
Draco prepares to duel Harry in the Dueling Club.
During a meeting of the short-lived Dueling Club that year, Draco dueled Harry Potter. He conjured a snake, and was disappointed when Harry thwarted the attack by speaking to the serpent in Parseltongue. This led many students to suspect that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin, who had opened the Chamber of Secrets and released a "monster".
Harry, Ron, and Hermione however suspected that Draco might be the heir, given his bigoted views on Muggle-borns and family's tradition of being sorted into Slytherin house. Hermione brewed Polyjuice Potion in the girl's third floor bathroom so that Harry and Ron were able to disguise themselves as Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe, respectively, and enter the Slytherin Common Room. There, Draco unwittingly revealed through conversation that he was not the heir, nor did he know who it was. He did tell them that the Chamber had been opened fifty years ago, and that he wished he could help the true heir.
It was, in fact, Draco's own father who had schemed to get the Chamber of Secrets opened by planting an old diary of Tom Riddle's on first-year student Ginny Weasley, though his true target in this plot was her father Arthur. It does not appear that Draco was aware of this, as Lucius's instructions to his son that year were to "keep his head down".[2]
Third Year
Draco in his third year.
- Draco: "I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer. Father's not very happy about my injury...he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this...who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"
- Harry: "So that's why you're putting it on. To try and get Hagrid sacked."
- Draco: "Well, partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too."
- — Draco, Harry and Ron in a Potions class after his injury[src]
Draco started off his third year by mocking Harry's reaction to the Dementors that were near Hogwarts that year searching for escaped Azkaban prisoner Sirius Black, despite being terrified of them himself. He also hinted at Black's crimes regarding Harry and his late parents, which Harry was unaware of for some time, and told him that if someone had betrayed and gotten his parents killed — as it was believed Black had done to the Potters — he would seek revenge.
Draco with friends Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Pansy Parkinson.
In a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Draco provoked the hippogriff Buckbeak, and was injured, though he exaggerated how badly he was hurt for attention and in an attempt to use the incident against Rubeus Hagrid. When Draco mocked him for how upset he became over the case, Hermione slapped Draco in anger. Lucius tried to get the creature executed, and although he was successful in obtaining this sentence, Buckbeak was saved through the efforts of Harry and Hermione.[4]
Fourth Year
- Draco: "Granger, they’re after Muggles. D’you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around…they’re moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."
- Harry: "Hermione’s a witch."
- Draco: "Have it your way, Potter. If you think they can’t spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."
- — Draco speaking to Harry, Hermione and Ron about the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup[src]
In 1994, Draco attended the Quidditch with his parents from Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge's luxury box. He taunted Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger when a group of Death Eaters began terrorizing the campers, mocking the Muggles they were tormenting and implying that they would do the same to Hermione because of her Muggle-born status.
During his fourth year, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament, and, much to Draco's dismay, Harry was chosen as a champion despite being too young. Draco supported Cedric Diggory, passing out badges that could be made to read Potter Stinks and taunting Harry regularly, such as commenting that he was betting Harry wouldn't last more than a few minutes with the dragons. He was also the informer and impetus behind Rita Skeeter writing slanderous, sensationalist articles about Harry, Hagrid and Hermione for the Daily Prophet; this assault on Harry's credibility would set the stage for widespread disbelief of Harry's announcement that Lord Voldemort had returned at the end of the school year.
Draco transfigured into a ferret.
When Draco tried to hex Harry early in the year, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Alastor Moody (actually Barty Crouch Jr in disguise) transfigured Draco into a ferret and bounced him around the room as punishment. Although Professor McGonagall stopped it, Draco was very embarrassed and other students were highly amused; Ron dubbed him "the Amazing Bouncing Ferret". Throughout the year, students would tease Draco by telling him that Professor Moody was behind him, causing him to flinch or shudder. At Christmas, Draco attended the Yule Ball with Pansy Parkinson, wearing black dress robes that Harry thought made him look like a vicar.
At the end of the year, Draco mocked Harry about his choice to side against Voldemort and also made light of Cedric Diggory's death. Before he could finish, however, he was hit by several curses from Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Fred and George Weasley.[5]
Fifth Year
- "The Inquisitorial Squad... A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, handpicked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points... So, Granger, I’ll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress...Macmillan, five for contradicting me... Five because I don’t like you, Potter... Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I’ll have another five for that... Oh yeah, I forgot, you’re a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that..."
- — Draco as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad[src]
In 1995, Draco became a Slytherin prefect along with Pansy Parkinson. He was sure to mock Harry Potter for not receiving the same honour, as Gryffindor's prefects were Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. He also wrote the lyrics to the demeaning song Weasley is Our King, which mocked Ron's abilities as Gryffindor Keeper. It was the invention of this song, as well as insulting Molly Weasley and Arthur Weasley and the late Lily Potter to Harry's face, that prompted Harry and the Weasley twins to get into a brawl with Draco that resulted in them being banned from Quidditch.
The Inquisitorial Squad holds several D.A. members for Umbridge.
Later that year, he joined Dolores Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, and clearly enjoyed the power this gave him over other students. Draco caught Harry running out of the last meeting of Dumbledore's Army, receiving fifty points.
Later, he was among the Inquisitorial Squad members who caught Harry and his friends in their attempt to discover the whereabouts of Sirius Black, whom Harry had seen being tortured in a vision. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood were all brought to Umbridge's office, guarded by the Inquisitorial Squad. Before Umbridge could carry through on her threat to use the Cruciatus Curse to make Harry talk, Hermione told Umbridge that they were trying to contact Dumbledore about a "weapon" that he planned to use against the Ministry of Magic. Draco had an expression of "eagerness and greed" at this news that convinced Umbridge not to allow him or any other Squad member to accompany her as she took Harry and Hermione into the Forbidden Forest in search of the alleged weapon.
After Umbridge left, the remaining D.A. members used a litany of stunning spells and disarming charms to escape the office; Draco was hit by Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex. It was soon revealed that Hermione had been lying about a weapon; Umbridge was carried off by Centaurs and the six D.A. members flew to the Ministry, where the Battle of the Department of Mysteries ensued.
- Draco: "You’re dead, Potter."
- Harry: "Funny, you’d think I’d have stopped walking around."
- Draco: "You’re going to pay. I’m going to make you pay for what you’ve done to my father… You can’t land my father in prison."
- — Draco and Harry after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries[src]
Draco's father was seen participating in the battle as a Death Eater and was imprisoned in Azkaban for his crimes. Draco was very upset by this, and mainly blamed Harry, swearing vengeance and attempting to attack him at the end of the school year with the help of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. However, other D.A. members came to Harry's defense.[6]
Sixth Year
Draco in his sixth year.
- Harry: "Wow...look at that...he’s not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!"
- Draco: "Don’t you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!"
- Narcissa: "It’s all right, Draco. I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius."
- — Draco and his mother confront Harry in Madam Malkin's[src]
By late 1996, Draco was presumed to have joined the Death Eaters, having replaced his incarcerated father. He bragged about having given a mission to his fellow Slytherin students on his way to school on the Hogwarts Express. However, as the year dragged on, Draco became increasingly afraid that he would fail in his seemingly impossible task — to kill Albus Dumbledore and get Death Eaters into Hogwarts. It is implied that Draco was expected to fail and that Voldemort assigned him the task with the intention of punishing Lucius Malfoy for his failure at the Department of Mysteries. The safety of his family rested on Draco's success with his mission.
Draco planned to repair a Vanishing Cabinet that Peeves had destroyed four years ago. In his last year at Hogwarts, a fellow Slytherin, Montague, had been forced into it, and later managed to Apparate out. He told Draco that during his time in the cabinet, he could hear things going on in the school, and in Borgin and Burkes, where another vanishing cabinet was located. Draco realised from this that if the broken one was repaired, the cabinets could act as a passageway into the school. During the summer break between his fifth and sixth year, Draco questioned Borgin, the owner of Borgin and Burkes, on repairing the cabinet and ordering him to keep the other one safe.
Draco begins to feel the strain of life as a Death Eater.
Twice during the school year, he feared he would be unable to repair the cabinet, and resorted to desperate assassination attempts, such as trying to smuggle in a cursed necklace and trying to send Dumbledore poisoned mead. Both these attempts failed, and resulted in innocent people getting injured. The stress began to affect Draco adversely, and he confessed his fears to Moaning Myrtle, one of the school's ghosts. On one such occasion, Harry Potter stumbled on him. Draco reacted by starting to cast the Cruciatus Curse, but Harry hit him with Sectumsempra before he could complete the incantation. Professor Snape assisted Draco with his injuries.
- "...he’s sensitive, people bully him, too, and he feels lonely and hasn’t got anybody to talk to, and he’s not afraid to show his feelings and cry!"
- — Moaning Myrtle about Draco[src]
Draco faces Albus Dumbledore
Eventually, Draco managed to repair the Vanishing Cabinet and used it to let Death Eaters into the school; to his horror, the vicious werewolf Fenrir Greyback was among them. He also managed to corner Dumbledore on top of the Astronomy Tower. However, when he was finally given the opportunity to kill Dumbledore, Draco was unable to do it, instead lowering his wand. Snape, who had made an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa to step in if Draco failed in his task, used the Killing Curse on the headmaster. He promptly led Draco out of the school grounds, presumably to safety. When Draco disarmed Dumbledore, he gained the allegiance of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows, unbeknown to him.
In this year, Draco proved capable of blocking jinxes nonverbally[7]. He also became accomplished at Occlumency through the training of his aunt Bellatrix Lestrange, and was able to perform the very difficult Protean Charm, though he could not yet produce a corporeal Patronus[8].
Seventh Year
- "Who cares what you think? I don’t take your orders no more, Draco. You an’ your dad are finished."
- — Vincent Crabbe to Draco in the Room of Requirement[src]
Through his link to Voldemort, Harry saw Draco reluctantly participating in Death Eater activities before the beginning of the 1997-1998 school year. Draco witnessed the murder of Charity Burbage and tortured Thorfinn Rowle on Voldemort's orders. Judging by Voldemort's mocking of the Malfoys' relation to werewolf Remus Lupin through Nymphadora Tonks and later remarks made by Vincent Crabbe, it seems that the Malfoys had lost much of their influence in Death Eater circles. Still, Draco was one of the elite students in his seventh year at Hogwarts, as a pure-blood with connections to the Death Eaters.
Draco in his 7th year
During the Easter holidays, Draco returned home to Malfoy Manor. He was called upon by his parents and aunt Bellatrix Lestrange to confirm the identities of Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were caught by a group of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback, and showed great reluctance in doing so, avoiding looking at them. When Hermione lied to Bellatrix under torture about Godric Gryffindor's Sword, it was Draco that was sent to fetch the goblin, Griphook, from the dungeons to get confirmation of the story. Dobby assisted the prisoners in escaping, and Draco had his face cut by the fallen chandelier and his wand was taken by Harry, along with the wands of Bellatrix and Peter Pettigrew.
Battle of Hogwarts
- Draco: "STOP! The Dark Lord wants him alive –"
- Crabbe: "So? I’m not killing him, am I? But if I can, I will, the Dark Lord wants him dead anyway, what’s the diff – ? It’s that Mudblood! Avada Kedavra!"
- Draco: "Don’t kill him! DON’T KILL HIM!"
- — Draco screaming at Vincent Crabbe while he tries to curse Harry Potter and Hermione Granger[src]
Later that same year, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco, along with Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, chose to remain in the school as their fellow Slytherins evacuated in order to bring Harry Potter to Voldemort. Given Lucius Malfoy's previous remarks alluding to "forgiveness", it is likely that Draco was doing this in an attempt to redeem his family in Voldemort's eyes. However, he no longer exercised the same degree of control over his friends that he once had, particularly Crabbe. Despite Draco yelling at him not to kill them, Crabbe shot dangerous curses at the trio, including the Killing Curse and Fiendfyre. Crabbe was unable to control the latter curse, and the Room of Requirement quickly filled with fire. Draco went out of his way to try to save Crabbe and Goyle. He managed to get Goyle, who had been stunned by Hermione during the previous fight, onto Ron and Hermione's broom before he let Harry fly them out. Crabbe, however, was killed in the fire, leaving Draco very upset.
Harry, Hermione and Ron later spotted Draco while under the Invisibility Cloak, pleading with a Death Eater that he was on his side. Harry stunned the Death Eater and Ron punched Draco for being a "two-faced bastard", as this was the second time they saved his life that night.
After Voldemort's defeat, Draco and his parents sat in the Great Hall, looking uncertain of their place during the victory celebrations.[9]
Adulthood
Draco and his family avoided imprisonment in Azkaban due to their last-minute switch in allegiance. Draco eventually married Astoria Greengrass, the younger sister of fellow Slytherin classmate Daphne Greengrass.[10] The two had a son together, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.
On September 1, 2017, while sending his son off for his first year at Hogwarts, Draco greeted Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny at King's Cross Station with a curt nod. The relationship between Harry and Draco is better than it had been when they were students together, but they are still not considered to be friends.
Physical Appearance
Draco is tall and slender, with sleek, silverish blond hair and cold grey eyes. He has a pale complexion and rather sharp, pointed features. As an older man, his hairline was receding, making his features look even more pointed. Draco is noted to strongly resemble his father.[9]
Personality and Traits
Draco in his Quidditch uniform.
- "You’ve picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riff-raff like this! Too late now, Potter! They’ll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord’s back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well — second — Diggory was the first–"
- — Draco taunting Harry Potter after Voldemort’s return and the murder of Cedric Diggory[src]
Draco was, in general, an arrogant, snide, elitist bully. He believed himself superior to most people because of his family’s pure-blood lineage as well as great wealth and social standing. He often derisively mocked Muggle-borns, so-called blood traitors, Gryffindor students, and anyone who was a supporter of Harry Potter or Albus Dumbledore[2]. He frequently called Hermione Granger a “Mudblood”, disrespected the memories of the late Lily Potter and Cedric Diggory, and invented the demeaning song Weasley is Our King to humiliate Ron Weasley.[6] For much of his youth, Draco took his father, aristocratic snob and Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, as a role model, and frequently boasted about his family's influence and wealth.
However, Draco began to show changes in his sixth year at Hogwarts. He was uncertain of his ability to fulfill the task Voldemort assigned to him and was terrified that his family would pay the price for his failure. Despite all his bravado, in the end, Draco was unable to kill Dumbledore, lowering his wand and tempted to take Dumbledore’s offer of protection for his parents.[7]
For the rest of the Second Wizarding War, Draco reluctantly participated in Death Eater activities, clearly both terrified and miserable, being forced to mature into a Death Eater.[9]
- "Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."
- — Draco to Neville Longbottom[src]
Draco is also a talented, clever wizard; he was skilled at Potions, Occlumency, and nonverbal spells. He is possessed of a sarcastic, often cruel wit. He cares very deeply for his family, becoming extremely angry when anyone insults them, and was protective of them when they earned Lord Voldemort’s wrath.[7] There are signs that, as an adult, Draco regretted joining the Death Eaters and lost some of his bigotry, as he has a civil, if not friendly, relationship with old school rivals and evidently raised his son to be a better person than he was.[11]
Magical Abilities and Skills
Draco's hawthorn wand.
Occlumens: In his sixth year, his aunt Bellatrix taught Occlumency to him. He became very skilled in this art, even preventing Severus Snape, a highly skilled Legilimens from penetrating his mind.
Potions: He became very good with potions at an young age. This might be because Snape favored Draco in his potions class, which let Draco get more attention when Snape was teaching potions.
Nonverbal Spells: Draco mastered nonverbal spells before his sixth year with his aunt Bellatrix, which included blocking jinxes nonverbally.
Expert Quidditch Player: He was very good in Quidditch. He made the team as a seeker in his second year, which is very difficult to do. However, his entrance into the team is mostly due to his father bribing the team with the new Nimbus 2001 broomsticks.
Spell Mastery: Draco seemed to learn spells quickly. He was able to perform the extremely difficult Protean Charm, conjure a snake at a very young age, he was capable of casting the all 3 of the Unforgivable Curses, learned to cast spells nonverbally, and learned Occlumency.
Dueling: Draco became a very competent duelist at a young age. He was able to perform Tarantallegra and Everte Statum on Harry in their second year. In his sixth year, he showed a talent in plenty of nonverbal jinxes, and disarmed the extremely powerful wizard (albeit weakened and caught off-guard) Albus Dumbledore.
Transfiguration: Though it did not seem like it, Draco was very advanced in transfiguration. He was able to produce a snake in his second year, which is conjuration, a very difficult form of transfiguration, learned in the sixth year and above. He also could cast the very difficult Protean Charm.
Unforgivable Curses: Draco learned at least two of the Unforgivable Curses in his sixth year: the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse. His aunt Bellatrix might have taught him those while she was teaching him Occlumency and nonverbal spells. It is possible he has the capability (but not the willingness) to perform Killing Curse as well, as he was assigned to kill Albus Dumbledore.
Relationships
Family
Lucius and Draco in 1992.
Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy both spoiled their only child. In 1992, Lucius bought broomsticks for the entire Slytherin Quidditch team when Draco was made Seeker, and Narcissa often sent care packages to her son. She also refused to send Draco further away from home by having him attend Durmstrang Institute, as Lucius originally wanted. His father was more demanding, criticizing his son's school marks for being lower than those of Hermione Granger. Draco greatly admired his father, often boasting about his influence and striving to be like him.[2]
Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother, in 1996.
- "I haven’t got any options! I’ve got to do it! He’ll kill me! He’ll kill my whole family!"
- — Draco to Albus Dumbledore on Voldemort’s threat to his family[src]
It became clear during the Second Wizarding War that the Malfoys care about one another more than they cared for following Lord Voldemort. Draco carried out the task he was assigned by Voldemort in his sixth year because his parents' lives were threatened, and appeared to be close to accepting Dumbledore’s offer to keep them safe before Severus Snape interceded to kill the Headmaster.[7] During the Battle of Hogwarts, Lucius and Narcissa did not even attempt to fight, instead frantically searching for their son. Indeed, Narcissa lied directly to Voldemort about Harry Potter being dead in order to search for Draco.[9]
Of his rather large extended family, Draco was familiar with his maternal aunt Bellatrix Lestrange, who taught him Occlumency in 1996 to assist in his mission to kill Dumbledore. Bellatrix approved of Draco becoming a Death Eater at a young age, but disapproved of her sister's protectiveness towards her son.[7] He was not close to his aunt Andromeda Tonks, disowned for marrying Muggle-born Ted Tonks, or their daughter, his cousin Nymphadora Tonks. Like much of the rest of his family, Draco likely held these relatives in contempt; Andromeda was considered a blood traitor and Tonks was a half-blood. Neither so much as mentioned their relation to one another. Similarly, Draco was indifferent to his first cousin once removed, Sirius Black[6].
Sometime after the end of the war, Draco married Astoria Greengrass, the younger sister of Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin in his year at Hogwarts. They eventually had a son, Scorpius Malfoy.
Friends
Crabbe and Goyle as Harry pranks them.
- Draco: "Why are you wearing glasses?"
- Harry (as Goyle): "Er...reading."
- Draco: "Reading? I didn't know you could read."
- — Draco to Harry Potter, disguised as Gregory Goyle[src]
Draco’s two constant companions in his Hogwarts years were Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. However, Draco often made it clear that he considered both of them rather stupid – a legitimate claim – and treated them more like lackeys than friends.[4] Crabbe and Goyle were often involved in Draco’s confrontations with Harry Potter and his friends. By the final confrontation, in the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco no longer exerted much control over his friends; Crabbe, in particular. He tried desperately to save them from the cursed fire Crabbe unleashed, pulling Goyle onto Ron and Hermione’s broom himself before letting Harry fly the two of them out, and was very upset by Crabbe’s death.[9]
Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl in Draco’s year, appears to have been his girlfriend for some of his years at Hogwarts, often fawning over him. She showed great concern when Draco was injured by Buckbeak in their third year[4] and accompanied him to the Yule Ball in 1994[5]. Draco and Pansy were both members of the Inquisitorial Squad and Prefects in their fifth year[6], which is indicative of their leadership roles in Slytherin House. They are noted as being particularly cozy in their sixth year at Hogwarts[7]. Sometime after this period, however, Pansy and Draco must have parted ways, as Draco eventually married Astoria Greengrass.
Draco was also friends with Theodore Nott, one of the few people whom he considered an equal, given that Theodore is just as pure-blooded and somewhat cleverer than him. However, Theodore was a solitary person who did not feel compelled to join any gang, including Draco's.[12]
Hogwarts Teachers
Draco's favorite teacher Severus Snape.
Draco always tries to kiss up to certain teachers, earning their likings through his heritage. Such attempts have various results, depending on which teacher he tries to please. His attempt to use his grandfather's good name to get close to Horace Slughorn failed. However, Dolores Umbridge gave Draco certain positive remarks such as the membership into the Inquisitorial Squad and compliments for catching Harry Potter during the discovery of the illegal Dumbledore's Army club.
The teacher who Draco respected the most was Severus Snape, the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin. Snape, in turn, took Draco as his favourite student, and allowed him luxury within the class and out. Draco even claimed once that Snape should apply for the Headmaster, after Dumbledore was suspended. This positive relationship is due to the good friendship between Snape and Lucius Malfoy, which extended to Draco. However, after Lucius's imprisonment in Azkaban, along with Snape's rise in popularity among the Death Eaters, Draco began to resent the professor, going as far as claiming Snape has usurped Lucius' position, and trying to steal glory from his mission in assassinating Dumbledore. As such, Draco avoided Snape most of the year, refused any assistance, and even verbally assaulted him.
Draco showed contempt towards some teachers who doesn't strike his fancy, such as Remus Lupin, for being poor-looking, Rubeus Hagrid, for being a half-giant, and Alastor Moody, for humiliating him. Incidentally, during the Ministry's smear campaign in refusal to believe Voldemort's return, these three teachers are who the Daily Prophet (of which Draco's father took part in the interview) claimed to be "eccentric decisions" made by Dumbledore over the years as Headmaster.
Draco especially showed dislike for the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who was in favor of Muggle-borns, a contradiction to the Malfoys' beliefs. As such, Draco often ridiculed Dumbledore's ideals and choices. However, when Dumbledore offered to save Draco from the Death Eaters, Draco seemed somewhat inclined towards the offer.
Harry Potter
Draco's rival Harry Potter.
- Draco: "Manners, Potter, or I’ll have to give you a detention. You see, I, unlike you, have been made prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."
- Harry: "Yeah, but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."
- — Draco and Harry in their fifth year[src]
Draco became Harry Potter’s rival almost immediately after they met, just before their first year at Hogwarts. Although Draco initially sought to be Harry’s friend, his arrogant manner and insulting of Rubeus Hagrid put off Harry. Then, on the Hogwarts Express, Draco insulted Ron Weasley and offered Harry his friendship, which Harry turned down in favour of Ron’s, thus cementing their enmity.[3]
Harry and Draco would have many confrontations over the years, sometimes resulting in hexes being thrown. This reached its pinnacle after Lucius Malfoy was sent to Azkaban following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, which Draco blamed Harry for.[6] After finding out what Draco had gone through during their sixth year, Harry began to sympathize with him, a feeling intensified by witnessing Voldemort forcing Draco to do horrible things by threatening his parents. When Harry, Ron and Hermione were brought to Malfoy Manor by Snatchers, Draco showed great reluctance in identifying them, and in another confrontation in the Room of Requirement, he screamed at Crabbe not to kill them. Harry also saved Draco twice that day.[9]
As adults, Draco and Harry made their peace, but are still not friends.[9]
The Weasley Family
Ron Weasley.
- "Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
- — Draco to Ron Weasley when they first meet[src]
The Malfoys generally looked down upon the Weasleys for their lack of wealth and “blood traitor” status, a sentiment Draco made clear immediately upon meeting Ron Weasley on the train to Hogwarts for their first year.[3] He and Ron had a hostility that mirrored that of their fathers, often insulting one another and prone even to physical fights at times. Draco also wrote the lyrics to the demeaning song Weasley is Our King, which was meant to undermine Ron's abilities as a Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.[6]
When Crabbe set the Room of Requirement on fire, Ron assisted Harry in pulling Draco and Goyle away along with Hermione, but with more reluctance. When he and his friends saved Draco again later that day from a Death Eater he was pleading with, Ron punched him in the face and called him a “two-faced bastard”. Although this enmity seems to have faded with age, Ron discouraged his daughter Rose from becoming friends with Draco's son, Scorpius.[9]
Ginny stands up to Draco for Harry in Flourish and Blotts.
- Ron: "Look who it is. So that’s little Scorpius. Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother’s brains."
- Hermione: "Ron, for heaven’s sake. Don’t try to turn them against each other before they’ve even started school!"
- Ron: "You’re right, sorry. Don’t get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."
- — the Malfoy-Weasley rivalry in 2017[src]
Draco had less interaction with other members of the Weasley family. Fred and George made sure to hex Draco, along with other members of the Inquisitorial Squad, when they left Hogwarts. Ginny also had a few hostile encounters with Draco, most notably hitting him with a Bat-Bogey Hex when the Inquisitorial Squad tried to hold her, Ron, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood in 1996.[6]
Hermione Granger
Hermione draws her wand on Draco in their third year.
- Draco: "Good, aren’t they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep 5’s, I expect a museum would bid for them."
- Hermione: "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."
- Draco: "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."
- — after Draco becomes Slytherin Seeker and taunts the Gryffindor team[src]
Draco’s relationship with Hermione Granger was coloured before the two even met. Draco was raised to believe in the inferiority of Muggle-borns, and by his second year, his father had told him he should be ashamed that Hermione beat him in school marks. Thus, Draco often taunted Hermione, calling her the derogatory epithet “Mudblood”, but she refused to be bullied.[2] Although Hermione generally ignored Draco's taunts rather than getting into fights with him like Harry and Ron, occasionally the two would exchange sharp words and, in their third year, Hermione even slapped him for insulting Hagrid.[4] Despite his dislike for and prejudice towards Hermione, Draco still demonstrated reluctance to identify her to his aunt Bellatrix, avoiding even looking at her.
In 2017, when Ron encouraged their daughter not to associate with Draco’s son, Hermione expressed a more conciliatory attitude.[9]
Etymology
Draco's name, like those of many members of his maternal family, the House of Black, is derived from that of a constellation. Draco is also known as the Dragon; Draco translates into "dragon" in Latin and "serpent" in Greek. The constellation is connected to multiple legends in Greek mythology, most notably as symbolizing the hundred-headed dragon Hercules had to get past during his Twelve Labours, or the dragon killed by Cadmus before he founded the city of Thebes. In Roman legend, Draco the dragon was killed by the goddess of wisdom, Minerva, and tossed into the sky. Another connection with him being a Death Eater, is the fact that Lucifer/Satan is refferenced as a Dragon in Christian Theology.
In addition, Draco was the name of an Ancient Greek legislator whose laws were notoriously harsh. The word draconian, meaning "unusually severe or cruel"[13], is derived from his name.
Author's Comments
Draco in his sixth year.
J.K. Rowling has commented that Draco is very capable of compartmentalizing his life, which makes him skilled at Occlumency and at bullying others:
- "He's shut down compassion - how else would you become a Death Eater? So he suppresses virtually all of the good side of himself. But then he's playing with the big boys, as the phrase has it, and suddenly, having talked the talk he's asked to walk it for the first time and it is absolutely terrifying. And I think that that is an accurate depiction of how some people fall into that kind of way of life and they realize what they're in for. I felt sorry for Draco. Well, I've always known this was coming for Draco, obviously, however nasty he was."[14]
She also compared Draco to his first cousin once removed, Regulus Black, in that they were both initially attracted to the Death Eater organisation, but "the reality of what it meant was way too much to handle"[14]. Rowling also compared Draco to Dudley Dursley; in addition to both being bullies, Draco was also "raised as a pampered only son, indoctrinated with his parents' beliefs". She has stated that there is "a real moral cowardice to Draco", but that he is not "wholly bad".[15]
Behind the scenes
- The character is portrayed by Tom Felton in the Harry Potter films.
- Draco would have attended Durmstrang Institute, a school that only admits pure-bloods and teaches the Dark Arts, but his mother didn't want him staying so far away from home.
- Ironically enough, it was Draco's wand that killed Tom Riddle once and for all, having been used by Harry in the final duel.
- In J.K. Rowling's early drafts of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Draco's surname was "Spungen" or "Spinks"[16].
- Rowling has expressed some worry over fans of Draco: "People have been waxing lyrical [in letters] about Draco Malfoy, and I think that's the only time when it stopped amusing me and started almost worrying me. I'm trying to clearly distinguish between Tom Felton, who is a good-looking young boy, and Draco, who, whatever he looks like, is not a nice man. It's a romantic, but unhealthy..."[14]
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)
- Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
Notes and references
- ↑ Black family tree
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- ↑ "JKRowling.com Section: F.A.Q." from MuggleNet
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- ↑ TIME magazine - JK Rowling answers 10 questions about Harry
- ↑ Bloomsbury Live Chat with J.K. Rowling]
- ↑ "Malfoy & Nott" at Extra Stuff at J.K. Rowling's Official Site
- ↑ Dictionary.com: Draconian
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 16 July 2005 Edinburgh Interview: Part 2
- ↑ 19 October 2007 MTV article on J.K. Rowling's appearance at Carnegie Hall
- ↑ Harry Potter Lexicon: Draco Malfoy