Draco Malfoy

"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

Draco Malfoy (born June 5, 1980) is a student at Hogwarts in Harry Potter's year. He was sorted into Slytherin House and is Harry's archenemy at Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy is tall and slender, with pale skin and a sharp featured face. He has sleek, silverish blond hair and cold, grey eyes.

Early Childhood
Draco was born to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), who were both pure-bloods. He is also a descendant of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and the great-great-great grandson of Phineas Nigellus Black. They are quite proud of having pure blood and, at least until 1996, their continued allegiance to Lord Voldemort while maintaining a respectable public image.

Both the Malfoy family and the Black families have traditionally been in the Slytherin House for centuries; indeed, the Blacks usually disowned anyone who was not (for example, Sirius Black). This tendency, as well as prejudice against Muggle-borns caused Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in the 1992-1993 school year to suspect Draco of being the Heir of Slytherin.

The Malfoys are wealthy and 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 (or "Mudbloods"), and half-bloods; in short, prejudice against anyone who is not a pure-blood witch or wizard.

Hogwarts
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 is. He made a rather intolerant speech about Muggle-borns, but otherwise acted in a friendly way towards Harry. Later, on the Hogwarts Express, he offered his friendship to Harry. Harry, however, did not like the attitude he had towards Ron Weasley, with whom Harry had already made friends, and so turned him down, creating animosity that lasted through the rest of their schooling.

"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

Draco seems to be a talented wizard. In his very first Potions lesson, his potion-making was held up to the class by Professor Snape as a very good example (Though Snape did favour Slytherins, which could suggest he was just rubbing it in to the Gryffindors).

Fourth Year
In 1994, Draco attended the Quidditch World Cup with his parents from Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge's luxury box. He taunted Harry, Ron, and Hermione when a group of Death Eaters began terrorizing the campers.

Later that year, Harry realised that Malfoy was the informer and impetus behind Rita Skeeter's continuing assault on Harry's credibility, which set the stage for widespread disbelief of Harry's announcement that Voldemort had returned. During the competition for the Triwizard Cup he supported Cedric Diggory, and regularly taunted Harry making comments such as how he's betting that he won't last more than a few minutes with the dragons. Also, he attended the Yule Ball with Pansy Parkinson. At the end of the year, he mocked Harry about his choice to side against Voldemort and also made light of Diggory's death. Before he could finish, however, he was hit by several curses from Harry and his friends.

Fifth Year
In 1996, Draco joined Dolores Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, and played an important part in the discovery of Dumbledore's Army, which was founded and headed by Harry. Draco caught Harry running out of the last meeting of Dumbledore's Army, recieving fifty points. Later that year, Draco was one of the Inquisitorial Squad members, along with Millicent Bulstrode, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, Warrington, and several other members of Slytherin house who caught Harry in his attempt to find out about the wherabouts of Sirius Black. However, after being informed of the existence of a "weapon" that Dumbledore intended to use upon the Ministry of Magic, he attempted to weedle himself into going with Umbridge to take Harry and Hermione in to the Forbidden Forest, which was quickly rebuked. After Umbridge had left, he recieved a litany of Stunning Spells and Disarming Charms from Ron, Neville, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley, all of which was capped off by a Bat-Bogey Hex offered by Ginny, allowing the group to escape. After the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he lost his father to Azkaban, as he was imprisoned for participating in the break-in.

Sixth year
In 1996, Draco was presumed to have joined the Death Eaters, having replaced his father, who was locked up in Azkaban after the "fiasco" at the Ministry of Magic that summer. He bragged about the mission he had been given to his fellow Slytherin friends on the Hogwarts Express. However, later on in the school year, when his mission was going badly, he was seen crying in a bathroom in fear and despair because he could not repair the Vanishing Cabinet that was so crucial to his mission of killing Albus Dumbledore, which he had been assigned to do.

"…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

He finally managed to fix the cabinet, thereby letting several Death Eaters into Hogwarts, but when he was finally given the opportunity to kill Dumbledore, he was unable to do it, instead lowering his wand. Snape, who had made an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Narcissa, stepped in at that point and finished the task for him, and promptly leads him out of the school grounds, presumably to safety. When Draco took Dumbledore's wand from him, he gained the allegiance of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows.

Draco is also able to block jinxes nonverbally[HP6]. He is also accomplished at Occlumency, and can perform the very difficult Protean Charm, though he can not yet produce a corporeal patronus.

Seventh Year and Later
"Who cares what you think? I don’t take you orders no more, Draco. You an’ your dad are finished."

- Vincent Crabbe to Draco in the Room of Requirement

Through his link to Voldemort, Harry sees Draco reluctantly participating in Death Eater activities before the beginning of the new school year. He witnesses the murder of Charity Burbage and tortures 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 have 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.

During the Easter holidays, Draco was called upon by his parents and aunt Bellatrix 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. He was later called upon to bring up Griphook from the Malfoy Manor dungeon to have him confirm the identity of the Sword of Gryffindor. During the escape attempt led by Ron and Harry, he had his face cut by a fallen chandelier and his wand was stolen by Harry, along with the wands of Bellatrix and Peter Pettigrew.

Later that same year, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle choose to remain behind their Slytherin counterparts who were evacuating the school in order to bring Harry Potter to Voldemort in a showing of allegience. However, Draco appeared to no longer exhibit the control he once held over his two counterparts, particularly that of Crabbe, who was skeptical of the abilities of the Malfoy family in general. Harry saved Draco's life when the Room of Requirement's hidden chamber was burnt down as a direct result of a Fiendfyre curse cast by Crabbe. During the fire Draco went out of his way to try and save Crabbe and Goyle. He managed to get unconscious Goyle upon the broom with Ron and Hermione, but Crabbe was left behind, and was killed.

Harry, Hermione and Ron later spotted him 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". After Voldemort's defeat, he and his parents sat in the Great Hall, looking uncertain of their place during the victory celebrations.

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 class mate Daphne Greengrass. The two had a son together, Scorpius Malfoy.

On September 1st, 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.

Family
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.

"I haven’t got any options! I’ve got to do it! He’ll kill me! He’ll kill my whole family!"

- Draco to Dumbledore on Voldemort’s threat to his family

However, it became clear in the later books that the Malfoys care about one another even 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 were threatened, and appeared to be close to accepting Dumbledore’s offer to keep them safe before Severus Snape interceded to kill the Headmaster. 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 in order to search for Draco.

Sometime after the end of the Second 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
"Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backwards."

- Draco to Gregory Goyle

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. 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 just before the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco no longer exerted much control over his friends; Crabbe, in particular. He tried desperately to save them from the Fiendfyre 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.

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 and accompanied him to the Yule Ball in 1994. Draco and Pansy were both members of the Inquisitorial Squad and Prefects in their fifth year, which is indicative of their leadership roles in Slytherin House. They are noted as being particularly cozy in their sixth year at Hogwarts. Sometime after this period, however, Pansy and Draco must have parted ways, as Draco eventually marries Astoria Greengrass.

Harry Potter
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.

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. After finding out what Draco had gone through during their sixth year, Harry began to sympathize with Draco, 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.

J.K. Rowling has confirmed that, as adults, Draco and Harry made their peace, but are still not friends.

The Weasley Family
"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

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. He and Ron had a hostility that mirrored that of their fathers, often insulting one another and prone even to physical fights at times.

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.

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.

Hermione Granger
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. Although Hermione generally ignored Draco 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 Draco for insulting Hagrid. 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.

Behind The Scenes

 * The character is played by Tom Felton.
 * His name, like many members of the Black family, is after a constellation. Draco is also a Latin word that translates as "dragon", and an ancient Greek word for "serpent".
 * He would have attended Durmstrang Institute but his mother didn't want him straying so far from home.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (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 (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows