Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy is a Pure-blood wizard and a student in Slytherin House in the same year as Harry Potter. As the son of a prominent Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy, Draco was raised with a strong belief in Pure-blood supremacy and serves as Harry Potter's primary rival and antagonist throughout their years at Hogwarts. Initially presented as an arrogant bully, his character arc reveals a more complex individual struggling under the immense pressure and fear of serving Lord Voldemort, ultimately showing a lack of conviction for true evil.

Draco was born as the only child of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), growing up in the opulent Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, England. He was raised to be proud of his Pure-blood heritage and to disdain Muggle-borns, Muggles, and so-called “Blood traitor” wizards. Before attending Hogwarts, he associated with the children of his father's Death Eater associates, such as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

• First Year: Draco first meets Harry Potter at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where he makes prejudiced remarks about Rubeus Hagrid and expresses his hope to be sorted into Slytherin House. On the Hogwarts Express, he offers Harry his friendship, advising him to avoid the “wrong sort” like the Weasley family, but is rebuffed. Throughout the year, he acts as a constant tormentor to Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. He challenges Harry to a Wizard's Duel and later reports them for raising the dragon Norbert, leading to all of them serving detention in the Forbidden Forest.
• Second Year: Draco becomes the new Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team after his father donates a set of top-of-the-line Nimbus 2001 brooms. He publicly calls Hermione the deeply offensive slur “Mudblood,” revealing the depths of his prejudice. The trio suspects him of being the Heir of Slytherin and opening the Chamber of Secrets, but discover via Polyjuice Potion that he is not responsible.
• Third Year: Draco provokes the Hippogriff Buckbeak, who injures him. He exaggerates the injury and uses his father's influence at the Ministry of Magic to have Buckbeak sentenced to death. He, Crabbe, and Goyle later attempt to sabotage a Quidditch match by dressing as Dementors to frighten Harry.
• Fourth Year: He creates and distributes enchanted “Potter Stinks” badges to mock Harry for being a Hogwarts champion in the Triwizard Tournament. He attends the Yule Ball with Pansy Parkinson.
• Fifth Year: Draco is made a Slytherin prefect alongside Pansy Parkinson. He enthusiastically joins Dolores Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, enjoying the power it gives him to punish other students, particularly members of Dumbledore's Army. He is part of the group that captures Harry and his friends in Umbridge's office.
• Sixth Year: After his father's failure and imprisonment in Azkaban, Lord Voldemort punishes the Malfoy family by giving Draco the seemingly impossible task of killing Albus Dumbledore. Now a Death Eater, Draco spends the year in a state of terror and desperation. He uses the Room of Requirement to repair a Vanishing Cabinet to create a secret passage into Hogwarts for the Death Eaters. His attempts to assassinate Dumbledore through a cursed necklace and poisoned mead fail, accidentally harming Katie Bell and Ron Weasley instead. Overwhelmed by stress, he confides in Moaning Myrtle. He is nearly killed by Harry in a duel after using the Sectumsempra curse. He ultimately succeeds in disarming a weakened Dumbledore atop the Astronomy Tower but finds himself unable to deliver the killing blow. Severus Snape arrives and kills Dumbledore in his place.
• Seventh Year: Draco is a reluctant participant in Death Eater activities at Malfoy Manor. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are captured and brought to the manor, Draco hesitates to definitively identify them. During the Battle of Hogwarts, he is primarily concerned with his own survival. He, Crabbe, and Goyle confront Harry in the Room of Requirement to retrieve a diadem for Voldemort, but Crabbe unleashes uncontrollable Fiendfyre. Harry and Ron save Draco's life. At the end of the battle, he and his parents are seen huddled together, having defected from Voldemort's side.

Draco is described as having a pale, pointed face, sleek white-blond hair, and cold, grey eyes. He typically wears a sneer and carries himself with an air of aristocratic superiority. His personality is defined by arrogance, prejudice, and a sense of entitlement instilled by his upbringing. He is a bully who uses his family's name and wealth to intimidate others. However, he is also shown to be cowardly and deeply insecure, constantly seeking the approval of his father. During the Second Wizarding War, his character reveals significant vulnerability and fear. While capable of cruelty, he lacks the conviction of a true killer, demonstrated by his inability to murder Dumbledore and his visible terror as a Death Eater.

• Occlumency: He was taught Occlumency by his aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, and became skilled enough to prevent Severus Snape from reading his mind during his sixth year.
• Dark Arts: Draco shows some knowledge of the Dark Arts, attempting an Unforgivable Curse (Cruciatus Curse) on Harry and successfully using the Imperius Curse on Madam Rosmerta.
• Potions: He is skilled in Potions, often receiving praise from Professor Snape.
• Quidditch: He was a competent Seeker for the Slytherin team for five years.
• Dueling: Draco is a capable duelist, though often outmatched by Harry Potter. By disarming Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower, he unknowingly became the master of the Elder Wand until Harry later disarmed him at Malfoy Manor.

• Wand: Ten inches, hawthorn wood and unicorn hair core, described as “reasonably pliant.” Its allegiance shifted to Harry Potter after he forcibly took it from Draco at Malfoy Manor.
• Nimbus 2001: A state-of-the-art racing broom that his father bought for the entire Slytherin Quidditch team to secure Draco's position as Seeker.
• Hand of Glory: A shriveled human hand that provides light only to the holder, which Draco bought from Borgin and Burkes.
• Vanishing Cabinet: The magical cabinet located in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, which he repaired to allow Death Eaters to bypass the school's defenses.

• Harry Potter: His arch-rival at school. Draco's enmity is rooted in jealousy of Harry's fame and resentment of his rejection of the Malfoy worldview. Their rivalry evolves into something more complex, with Harry ultimately saving Draco's life and feeling pity for him.
• Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy: Draco idolizes his father for most of his life, adopting his mannerisms and prejudices. His relationship with his mother, Narcissa, is one of deep affection; her actions, including making an Unbreakable Vow and lying to Voldemort, are driven entirely by her love and desire to protect her son.
• Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle: His constant companions and bodyguards at Hogwarts. The relationship appears to be based more on hierarchy and intimidation than genuine friendship.
• Severus Snape: As his Head of House and a friend of the Malfoy family, Snape consistently shows favoritism towards Draco. He made an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa to protect Draco and carry out his mission if he failed.
• Albus Dumbledore: Despite being Draco's target, Dumbledore showed him compassion, understanding the immense pressure he was under and offering him and his mother protection.

• Draco: The Latin word for “dragon” or “serpent,” a creature heavily associated with Slytherin House. It is also the name of a constellation. Draco was a 7th-century BC lawmaker in Athens whose laws were notoriously harsh, giving rise to the term “draconian.”
• Malfoy: Likely derived from the Old French phrase mal foi, meaning “bad faith” or “unfaithful,” reflecting the family's treacherous and dishonorable nature.

• In the film adaptations, Draco Malfoy is portrayed by actor Tom Felton. A deleted scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 shows Draco throwing his wand to Harry during the final confrontation with Voldemort, an act of redemption not present in the novel (film).
• J.K. Rowling has stated that she was unsettled by the number of fans who romanticized Draco, emphasizing that despite his complexity, he was not a concealed hero (J.K. Rowling interview).
• According to post-series information from J.K. Rowling and the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Draco eventually married Astoria Greengrass, a fellow Slytherin who held more tolerant views on Muggle-borns. They had one son, Scorpius Malfoy. The Greengrass family's refusal to instill Pure-blood prejudice in their children led to a tense relationship between Astoria and her in-laws, Lucius and Narcissa (Pottermore).