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, I imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families."

- Draco to Harry Potter before their first year at Hogwarts

Draco Lucius Malfoy (b. 5 June, 1980) was a pure-blood wizard and the only son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy (née Black). The son of a Death Eater, Draco was raised to believe strongly in the importance of blood purity. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1991 to 1998 and was sorted into Slytherin house. During his years at Hogwarts, he became friends with Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, and other fellow Slytherins, while he quickly developed a rivalry with Harry Potter.

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 — murdering Albus Dumbledore, which was taken over by Severus Snape — and only performed his other duties fearfully and reluctantly. He and his family defected hours before the end of the Second Wizarding War in order to avoid imprisonment in Azkaban following Voldemort's defeat.

Draco eventually married Astoria Greengrass and had at least one child, Scorpius Malfoy.

Early life
Draco was the only child of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), who were both born into old, wealthy pure-blood families. Through his mother, Draco was a descendant of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and the great-great-great grandson of Phineas Nigellus Black. Both the Malfoys and the Blacks had traditionally been in Slytherin House for centuries and strongly disapproved of any relatives who did not follow this tradition.

Draco was raised in an atmosphere of regret that the Dark Lord had not succeeded in taking command of the wizarding community, although he was prudently reminded that such sentiments ought not to be expressed outside the small circle of the family and their close friends ‘or Daddy might get into trouble’. The Malfoys were 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 ever received was the old family prejudice against Muggles, Muggle-borns, half-breeds, and blood traitors; in short, prejudice against anyone who was not a pure-blood witch or wizard, or anyone who supports these types of people. In childhood, Draco associated mainly with the pure-blood children of his father’s ex-Death Eater cronies, and therefore arrived at Hogwarts with a small gang of friends already made, including Theodore Nott and Vincent Crabbe.

When the time came for Draco to attend school in 1991, his father wanted him to attend Durmstrang Institute, a school in Northern Europe that taught the Dark Arts and did not admit Muggle-borns, however his mother did not like the idea of Draco going to school far away, thus they sent him to Hogwarts.

First year
"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

When Draco went to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies in 1991, he met Harry Potter in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, without knowing who he was. He made a rather intolerant speech about Muggle-borns and Rubeus Hagrid, but otherwise acted in quite a friendly manner towards Harry Potter. Afterwards, on the Hogwarts Express, he offered his friendship to Harry as his father believed that Harry was a Dark wizard, and Draco wished to impress him and relay some interesting news home. However, Harry didn't like the attitude Draco expressed towards Ron Weasley, with whom Harry had already made friends, and also found that Draco reminded him of his cousin Dudley with his disdainful attitude. Thus, he turned him down, creating animosity that lasted through the rest of their schooling.

Once at Hogwarts, Draco was Sorted into the Slytherin house, like many other members of his family. He rapidly formed friendships with fellow Slytherins, 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 it to be "servants' work".

Second year
"Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend... He's another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped-up Granger Mudblood. And people think he's Slytherin's heir!"

- Draco on speculation that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin

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 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 Quidditch team to lash out at him; Ron tried to hex him to vomit slugs, but the spell backfired due to his broken wand.

Ironically, Draco was the reason why Slytherin lost to Gryffindor that year in Quidditch, because he was unaware that the Golden Snitch was hovering inches above his own left ear--too busy insulting Harry Potter to notice. Harry took advantage of the lapse in concentration, allowing Gryffindor to win the match and Draco to be reprimanded by the team captain Marcus Flint for his stupidity. This was witnessed by George Weasley.

During a meeting of the short-lived Duelling Club that year, Draco duelled 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 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 girls' third floor bathroom so that Harry and Ron were able to disguise themselves as Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe 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." The diary was a Horcrux, containing a piece of Voldemort's soul, and when Harry stabbed it with a basilisk fang, it was destroyed.

Third year
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. During the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint attempted to undermine Harry's performance by posing as Dementors — Draco standing on Goyle's shoulders — but they were all knocked over by Harry's first successful automatic Patronus Charm, clearly unaware that it was the effect the dementors had on Harry that he had a problem with rather than the dementors themselves.

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 to get him fired. 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.

Fourth year
"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 that you won't last five."

- Draco, mocking Harry before the first task of the Triwizard Tournament

In 1994, Draco attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup 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 due to him knowing that she is an animagus; 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.

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 time, Draco attended the Yule Ball with Pansy Parkinson.

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.

Fifth year
"The Inquisitorial Squad... A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. 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

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 and Arthur Weasley and the late Lily Potter to Harry, Fred and George's faces, that prompted Harry and George Weasley to get into a fight with Draco and to violently assault him that resulted in the pair (as well as George's twin brother Fred) being banned from Quidditch, although their bans were later lifted after Dolores Umbridge's sacking from Hogwarts.

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 house 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'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 defence resulting in Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle ending up looking like ugly slug-like things after being hit by a number of hexes.

Sixth year
By late 1996, Draco joined the Death Eaters, having replaced his incarcerated father. He bragged about having been 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. 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. When Harry overhead some parts of Draco's conversation with his fellow Slytherins regarding about the mission, Draco used a Full Body-Bind Curse to paralyse Harry, and stomped hard on his face, crushing his nose, in revenge for imprisoning Lucius, causing Harry to hate Draco more than ever, while disregarding what Harry heard as unimportant enough to condemn him.

Draco planned to repair a Vanishing Cabinet that Peeves had destroyed four years previously, in order to smuggle Death Eaters into Hogwarts to assist him in killing Dumbledore. In his previous year at Hogwarts, a fellow Slytherin, Graham Montague, had been forced into it, and later managed to Apparate out as a last resort to free himself from the limbo-like space he had Vanished into. Montague told Draco that during his time trapped in limbo, he could hear the sounds entering the Cabinet from the school as well as the sounds entering the Cabinet's twin in Borgin and Burkes. 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. As a proof of his allegiance to Voldemort, Draco showed Borgin the Dark Mark now branded on his arm whilst threatening to set Fenrir Greyback to attack the shop-owner, should he disobey his commands. This meeting was also overheard by Harry and his friends, but while Harry started to suspect Draco of Death Eaters activities, Ron and Hermione dismissed such possibilities, and would believe Draco is merely bluffing, a choice that they would much later regret.

In preparation for such a dangerous mission, Draco trained and improved his own skills, and became capable of blocking jinxes non-verbally. 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.

In focus for his mission of fixing the Vanishing Cabinet, Draco experienced many visible changes in his life. He seemed to have lost interest in Quidditch, and allowed (and possibly paid) Harper to take over instead. He was also becoming more neglectful in his school-work, as he missed two Transfiguration homework assignments and received detention, as well as not attending to his prefect duties, which he would usually happily abuse as he did in the previous year. Another change was that he no longer trusted Snape, and was willing to speak ill towards him point-blank. Socially, Draco forced Crabbe and Goyle to assume the forms of other people to help him keep watch outside the Room of Requirement, while refusing to tell them anything, and seemingly to distance himself from them. Draco also spent less time mocking Harry and his friends, despite the many opportunities. Even his physical appearance shows the stress, with greying skin, weight loss and bags under his eyes. Most of this frustrated Harry, who was unable to discover exactly what Draco was up to despite his best efforts.

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, though since they both survived, Dumbledore was not forced to apprehend Draco. 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 sliced his skin open with his wand right before he could complete the incantation. Draco was hospitalised, and Harry was given detention by Snape for every Saturday until the end of term.

Eventually, Draco managed to repair the Vanishing Cabinet and used it to let his aunt Bellatrix and other Death Eaters into the school; to his great horror, the vicious werewolf Fenrir Greyback was among them. Proceeding to the top of the Astronomy Tower, Draco was able to corner a significantly weaker Dumbledore, disarming the latter the same instant he had, not known to Draco, bound Harry Potter with a Freezing Charm. However, when Draco was finally given the opportunity to kill Dumbledore, who had just expressed his willingness to protect Draco and his family were they to "come over to the right side," he could not bring himself to commit murder; considering that they spent the few minutes of alone time to discuss how Draco smuggled his accomplices into the castle, Dumbledore concluded that Draco will find committing murder impossible. As predicted, Draco ultimately 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, and to a safe distance to disapparate. When Draco disarmed Dumbledore, he unknowingly gained the allegiance of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows.

After the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Draco could no longer return to Hogwarts, as he was an accomplice, however reluctantly, in the revered Albus Dumbledore's murder, mainly by being the one who let Death Eaters penetrate the castle's walls. With an official criminal status placed on him, alongside his fear of the Dark Lord's wrath, led him to seek refuge, along with his family, with Voldemort, in the hopes of satisfying his orders to prevent anymore negative highlights.

His abrupt departure from the school left Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle surprisingly lonely, despite the two being hulking boys, as Harry described during Dumbledore's funeral.

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

Draco reluctantly participated 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 later remarks made by Vincent Crabbe, it seems that the Malfoys had lost much of their influence in the Death Eater circles.

It is unknown whether or not Draco attended Hogwarts that year. It is possible that his last year was skipped in lieu of his duties to the Dark Lord, though since attendance became mandatory, it is also possible that he did attend as usual. During the Easter holidays, Draco was seen at home in 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, but Draco showed great hesitation in doing so. When Hermione lied to Bellatrix under torture about Godric Gryffindor's Sword, Draco that was sent to fetch the goblin, Griphook, from the dungeons to get confirmation of the story. Later in the evening, the prisoners managed to escape, and Draco's wand was taken by Harry. Afterwards, Draco and his family were detained to the Manor by Lord Voldemort.

Battle of Hogwarts
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. He along with Crabbe and Goyle followed the Trio into the Room of Requirement where he would attempt to capture Harry and retrieve the item Harry was trying to locate. However, he no longer exercised the same degree of control over his friends, particularly Crabbe, he once had.

Despite Draco telling his friends that Harry was to be brought back alive, Crabbe attempted to kill him by conjuring Fiendfyre. Since Crabbe was unable to control the latter curse, the Room of Requirement quickly filled with fire. Draco went out of his way to try to save both of his friends, but he only 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 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 and called him a "two-faced bastard", even 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.

Later life
The events of Draco's teenage years forever changed his life. He had had the beliefs in which he had grown up challenged in the most frightening way, had experienced terror and despair, witnessed his parents suffering for their allegiance, and had witnessed the crumbling of all that his family had believed in. Draco and his family avoided imprisonment in Azkaban due to their last-minute switch in allegiance. Lucius found his son as affectionate as ever, but refusing to follow the old pure-blood line.

Draco eventually married Astoria Greengrass, the younger sister of fellow Slytherin classmate Daphne Greengrass, who had gone through a similar (though less violent and frightening) conversion from pure-blood ideals to a more accepting and tolerant way of life. This was something of a disappointment for Lucius and Narcissa, who had higher hopes of someone whose family featured on the "Sacred Twenty-Eight".

The two had a son together, named Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, who was raised by his mother not to believe that Muggles were scum; as such, family gatherings were fraught with tension. . Draco raised Scorpius to be a much kinder and more accepting Malfoy than he was in his youth.

On 1 September, 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 was much better than it had been when they were students together, but they were still not considered to be anything at all near friends.

Independently wealthy without any need to work, Draco inhabited Malfoy Manor with his wife and son. His hobbies — which included keeping the family's old collection of Dark artefacts (which he did not use and kept in glass cases), and studying alchemical manuscripts — are indications of his dual nature, and hint at a desire for something more than wealth.

Physical appearance
Draco was a slender boy with sleek white-blond hair, cold grey eyes, a pale complexion and rather sharp, pointed features. He was described to have haughty good looks. As an older man, his hairline was receding, making his features look even more pointed. In his first and second years he had blonde hair slicked tightly back. Draco is noted to strongly resemble his father. When Draco joined the Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort had the Dark Mark burned into his left forearm.

During the first five years of school Draco maintained a relatively healthy look. However, in his sixth year onward, when the stress of his mission was getting more intense, Draco's smug countenance was lost, and he became quite thin, with dark shadows under his eyes and a greyish tinge to his skin.

Personality and traits
"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

Draco was, in general, an arrogant, spiteful bully. Like Dudley Dursley, his narcissistic nature most likely stemmed from his being spoiled by his parents throughout his childhood. He believed himself superior to most people because of his family’s pure-blood lineage as well as great wealth and social standing. He frequently behaved cruelly to Muggle-borns, so-called blood traitors, Gryffindor students, and anyone who was a supporter of Harry Potter or Albus Dumbledore. For much of his youth, Draco took after his bigoted father, Lucius Malfoy, as a role model, and frequently boasted about his family's influence and wealth.

However, something began to change in Draco's psyche in his sixth year at Hogwarts. After Lord Voldemort made him a Death Eater, he set him with the task of assassinating Albus Dumbledore by the end of the year, something that Draco was very eager to do at first. After a number of feeble attempts, Draco began to crack under the enormous pressure that Voldemort was putting on him. He was uncertain of his ability to fulfill the mission and was terrified that he and his family would pay the price for his failure; the stress led him to be reckless as his two feeble attempts were noted to be foolish by Snape, and he attempted a Cruciatus Curse on Harry, despite the consequences would be a life sentence in Azkaban. Over the course of the year, the mission also led Draco to neglect other aspects of his school life that he would previously abuse or enjoy: he rejected his Prefect duties that he once would happily abuse; he feigned illness and paid another student to take over his stead in order to avoid playing Quidditch himself, as opposed to three years ago he would ensure the entire match was postponed by exaggerating a minor injury in order to suit the team's interest; he missed two Transfiguration homework; he would distance himself from his friends Crabbe and Goyle and order them to be on lookout without telling them anything; and he would also spend less time mocking Harry and his friends despite the many opportunities. Ultimately, Draco was unable to kill Dumbledore, lowering his wand and tempted to take Dumbledore’s offer of protection for his parents. Also, during the Battle of Hogwarts, he showed genuine concern for Crabbe and Goyle, something he rarely did.

Draco was quite intelligent and quick-witted, capable of deducing things and coming up with clever plans based on a small amount of information; his father had expected him to obtain top marks in school after his first year, and showed disappointment that Hermione beat him. He figured out through Montague's experience that the Vanishing Cabinets in Hogwarts and Borgin and Burkes were linked and that he could use that passage to his advantage. Draco was also adept at compartmentalizing his emotions, as is evidenced in his success with Occlumency.

For the rest of the Second Wizarding War, Draco became disillusioned by the Death Eater lifestyle. He reluctantly participated in Death Eater activities and by the end of the war, remained on the fence. When Harry Potter was captured in his home, Draco showed great hesitation in identifying him before the Death Eaters. It is implied 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.

Magical abilities and skills
Draco was a talented wizard from a young age and possessed several impressive magical abilities. His wand was made of hawthorn, which one should only ever consider placing in the hands of a witch or wizard of proven talent.
 * Occlumency: In his sixth year, his Aunt Bellatrix taught him Occlumency to prepare him for his mission. As Draco had already shut down his compassion to become the bully he was, it was much easier for him to close his mind and disassociate from his emotions.
 * Potions: He became very good with Potions at a fairly young age. This could be because Snape favoured Draco and might have given him extra help in his class. In any case, he was able to pass his O.W.L. examination in the subject with a mark of at least Exceeds Expectations and most likely Outstanding, since he was apparently not lacking a book or ingredients in Professor Slughorn's first class. When Professor Slughorn was teaching the subject, however, Draco seemed to have lost his edge as the best student, being as much as covered in "something like cat sick" during a mixed antidote composition, and producing a "merely passable" Hiccoughing Solution. Of course, this may be attributed to Draco's stress and disinterest in anything else that year.
 * Defence Against the Dark Arts: Draco advanced to the N.E.W.T.-level class, so he achieved a high score on his O.W.L. exam.
 * Non-verbal magic: Draco mastered non-verbal spells before his sixth year which included blocking jinxes non-verbally, which takes a lot of skill and concentration to do and only a few in his year have done it.
 * Quidditch: He was quite a fine Quidditch player. He started flying at a younger age showing his skills in his first year. He made the team as a seeker in his second year, which was a very difficult position to acquire. Although his entrance into the team is enhanced due to his father bribing the team with the new Nimbus 2001 broomsticks, he also had sufficient talent, although Harry still surpassed him in pure skill despite Draco's alleged experience and superior broomstick in their first game against each other. When Draco refused to play during his sixth year, his team suffered greatly due to his replacement did a poorer job, suggesting that no Slytherin during his time was more skillful than him.
 * Duelling: Draco had been a very competent duellist for quite a while, a skill probably inherited from his parents. He was able to cast the Leg-Locker Curse in his first year, something Rubeus Hagrid said no first year would be able to do. The very next year, he could cast such a powerful hex that it threw his opponent across the room. By his sixth year, Draco could perform multiple jinxes nonverbally, something most sixth years could not do whatsoever, whilst duelling Harry Potter (the latter of whom had the aid of a few curses from a Death Eater's textbook).
 * Transfiguration: Draco attended N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration, meaning he achieved a high mark on his O.W.L. exam. In his second year with some simple advice from Snape, he was able to conjure a snake, which an advanced form of transfiguration learned in the sixth year and above (though in all fairness, this conjuration was rather simpler than most others).
 * Charms: Draco talented in charms, as he could cast Dancing Feet Spell in his second year and the Tooth-Growing Spell in his second and fourth years, respectively, and used both in terms of attacking Harry. By his sixth year, he was able to cast the very difficult Protean Charm, something that the only known student of the same age capable of was Hermione (albeit, he was known to have mastered it one year later than she could).
 * Unforgivable Curses: Draco learned how to cast at least two of the Unforgivable Curses in his sixth year (he was shown the effects of all three by Barty Crouch Jr. in his fourth year Defence Against the Dark Arts): the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse. Both of these were extremely difficult Dark spells that not even many adult wizards can perform; his skilled Aunt Bellatrix might have taught him those while she was teaching him Occlumency and non-verbal spells. His Imperius Curse was strong enough to hold down Madam Rosmerta for almost an entire year, while he used the Cruciatus Curse to punish Thorfinn Rowle. It is possible he has the capability (but not the willingness) to perform the Killing Curse as well, as he was assigned to kill Albus Dumbledore.
 * Magical repair: Draco managed to repair the Vanishing Cabinet in his sixth year with some assistance from Borgin, though it did take him the majority of the year. The cabinet was smashed by Peeves in his second year and Draco repaired it despite the fact that the magical link between the two cabinets might have been damaged.
 * Alchemy:After graduating from Hogwarts, Draco began studying Alchemy as a hobby.

Parents
"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

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 abroad to Durmstrang Institute, as Lucius originally wanted, insisting he stay closer to home by attending Hogwarts, despite Lucius's desire to keep Draco away from the influence of Muggle-borns in Hogwarts. Lucius was colder and more demanding than his wife, criticising his son for getting lower school marks than Hermione Granger who was Muggle-born. Despite this, Draco greatly admired his father, often boasting about his influence and striving to be like him. Also, as Draco attempted to use his grandfather's name, Abraxas, to charm Horace Slughorn, Draco may have had a similar level of respect for his grandfather as for his parents.

It became clear during the Second Wizarding War that the Malfoys cared 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. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Lucius and Narcissa did not even attempt to fight, instead frantically searching for their son. Narcissa went so far as to lie directly to Voldemort about Harry Potter being dead, in order to be allowed to return to Hogwarts and search for Draco.

Like his parents, Draco possesses the formidable skill of Duelling, Occlumency and the Imperius Curse.

Wife and son
Sometime after the end of the war, Draco married Astoria Greengrass, whose sister was in the same year as him at Hogwarts. They eventually had a son named Scorpius.

Draco and his wife, evidently love and care for their son, raising him to be a better person than himself, and give him more concern and care than he himself had received in his childhood.

Bellatrix Lestrange
"Ah... Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see."

- Severus Snape

Bellatrix Lestrange was the aunt of Draco, sister of Narcissa and a Death Eater. When Draco was younger, he didn't have much contact with his aunt because she was imprisoned in Azkaban, for torturing the Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom into insanity. However, Draco did not feel any shame at his aunt's crimes against the wizarding world law that many would label as disgraceful. After Bellatrix escaped, in Draco's fifth year at Hogwarts, she fought in a battle against Harry Potter and his friends, and was the only Death Eater who wasn't captured; Draco's father, who had also fought, was imprisoned. After Draco was set a mission, Bellatrix helped him and taught him Occlumency. She also thought that Narcissa should be proud that her son became a Death Eater.

Bellatrix also participated at the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, along with Draco (in the film). When Draco was going to kill Albus Dumbledore, the latter told him not to be a murderer, for his own good, and that the members of the Order of the Phoenix would hide him and his mother from Voldemort. Bellatrix and her fellow Death Eaters arrived at the time Draco was about to accept the offer. She ordered Draco to kill Dumbledore, but was stopped by Severus Snape, who killed Dumbledore himself (on the latter's orders). Draco was horrified at what he had witnessed, but was forced to remain with the Death Eaters flanking him. Together (with the exception of Gibbon who had died in battle), Draco followed Snape and the other followers beyond the outer-wall of the Hogwarts Grounds where he was able to disapparate. In 1997, Bellatrix lived for some months at Malfoy Manor, to be closer with Voldemort, who was also staying there. Bellatrix and Draco both participated in the Battle of Malfoy Manor; Draco reluctantly watched Bellatrix's torturing of Hermione Granger. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Bellatrix was killed by Molly Weasley. It is unknown how Draco reacted to her death, but it is likely he may have felt sadness as Bellatrix seemed to have some affection with Draco.

Other family members
Draco was not close to his aunt Andromeda Tonks, who had been disowned for marrying Muggle-born Ted Tonks, or their daughter, his cousin Nymphadora. 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.

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle
Draco’s two constant companions throughout his Hogwarts years were Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Crabbe and Goyle were often involved in Draco’s confrontations with Harry Potter and his friends. Though Draco often made it clear that he considered both of them rather stupid — a legitimate claim — and treated them more like lackeys than friends, he showed genuine concern for them and the rest of his gang on a few occasions;when Goyle was bitten by Scabbers the Rat, Draco waited for Goyle before leaving, and he also showed concern for Goyle when he was hit by Harry's Curse, when Dumbledore expressed his disgust with Draco for allowing Fenrir Greyback "into the school where his friends live," Draco denied knowing he would be there, clearly disturbed by the sadistic werewolf's unexpected presence. Draco's abrupt departure from his criminal activities left Crabbe and Goyle look oddly lonely to Harry, as Harry was used to seeing Draco in between the two hulking boys, bossing them around.

By the final confrontation between Draco and Harry in the Room of Requirement, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco no longer exerted much control over his friends; Crabbe, in particular, responded harshly to Draco's attempts to prevent them from killing Harry. Draco tried desperately to save both of his friends from the cursed fire Crabbe unleashed, helping pull Goyle onto Ron and Hermione’s broom before letting Harry fly the two of them out, and was very upset by Crabbe’s death. Although it was Ron and Hermione who saved Goyle from falling into the fire, if it wasn't for Draco who dragged Goyle to Safety, Ron and Hermione would never had saved Goyle, so it can be considered that Draco saved Goyle's life.

Pansy Parkinson
Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl in Draco’s year, appears to have been his girlfriend for some of his years at Hogwarts. She often fawned over him, laughing loudly at his snide jokes, 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 cosy in their sixth year at Hogwarts, seen in the Hogwarts Express with Draco's head in Pansy's lap, Pansy stroking Draco's hair, and wasted no time in vilifying Harry for (unintentionally) slashing Draco with a deadly curse. Sometime after this period, however, Pansy and Draco must have parted ways, as Draco eventually married Astoria Greengrass.

Other friendships
Draco was also friends with Theodore Nott, one of the few people whom he considered an equal, given that Theodore was 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.

He was also friends with Blaise Zabini during their sixth year, as they sat together at Hogwarts Express, where they discussed Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, and Ginny Weasley, who had all become members of the Slug Club. Blaise was also one of the few people Draco had told about his mission.

Severus Snape
"Sir, why don't you apply for the Headmaster job?... I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir..."

- Draco's opinion on Severus Snape.

The teacher Draco initially respected the most was Severus Snape, Potions master and Head of Slytherin House. Snape, in turn, took Draco as his favourite student and showed him undeserved lenience on several occasions, which likely had something to do with Snape's long-time comradeship with Draco's father, or on the pretext of it, given that Snape defected from the Death Eaters. Draco even stated that Snape should apply for the position of Headmaster, after Dumbledore was suspended.

However, after Lucius's imprisonment in Azkaban, Draco came to resent Snape, believing him to have usurped his father's place in the ranks of the Death Eaters, and that he is trying to take Draco's chance of glory as well. As such, Draco avoided Snape most of the year, refused any assistance, and even verbally assaulted him. However Snape continued to protect him, as when Draco was caught lurking outside of Professor Slughorn's Christmas party, and did not punish Draco when the boy refused to answer his summons to the office, something other students would not get off so easily and which Draco took advantage of. Snape continued to protect Draco even after they fled from the Battle of the Astronomy Tower together: when questioned by Voldemort about Draco's actions during his attempted murder of Dumbledore, Snape lied and told the Dark Lord that Malfoy hadn't lowered his wand and emphasized the young student's ability to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts as well as cornering Dumbledore which allowed Snape to kill him. Snape's defense of Malfoy saved the boy's life.

It is unknown how Draco reacted when he learned about Snape's death by Lord Voldemort in 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, or of his true loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix due to his love for the Muggle-born mother of Harry Potter, Lily Evans.

Harry Potter
Draco became Harry Potter's archrival almost immediately after they met, just before their first year at Hogwarts. Draco was at first interested in Harry because he was so famous, but Harry was unimpressed by his arrogant manner. For the rest of their time at school, Harry and Draco loathed each other and tried to get one up on each other whenever possible, although Harry compared to Ron was less prone to incorporating violence on Draco. This reached its pinnacle after Lucius Malfoy was sent to Azkaban following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

After finding out what Draco had gone through during their sixth year, Harry began to feel somewhat sorry for him, a feeling intensified by witnessing the use to which Lord Voldemort was putting him. During that year, Harry nearly killed Draco with one of the Half-Blood Prince's curses (which he used by accident, unaware of what the effects of the spell were); Harry himself felt utterly horrified and guilty at what he did. However, despite their enmity towards each other, it should be noted that Draco showed great reluctance in identifying Harry and his friends when they were imprisoned in his home. In turn, Harry saved his life twice during the Battle of Hogwarts. It should be noted that the main reason behind Draco's enmity towards Harry was actually due to his jealousy of the latter. As adults, Draco and Harry made their peace, but still were not friends.

Draco and Harry are possibly second cousins, once removed, but both of them do not know about this relationship throught the Black family.

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 Malfoy family generally looked down upon the Weasley family 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. 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.

When Crabbe set the Room of Requirement on fire, Ron assisted Harry and Hermione in pulling Draco and Goyle away, but with some reluctance. When he and his friends saved Draco again later that day from a Death Eater Draco 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.

Draco had less interaction with other members of the Weasley family. Fred and George Weasley attempted twice to physically assault Draco; The first time was when he called Hermione Granger a "filthy little Mudblood" and the second time after Draco insulted their mother and father, as well as Harry Potter's mother, Lily Evans (earning both twins, as well as Harry, a "lifetime Quidditch ban" from Dolores Umbridge) and 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, although they never actually interacted until their second year. 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 all of his school marks. Thus, Draco often taunted Hermione, calling her the derogatory epithet “Mudblood”, but she refused to ever be bullied. During the period when Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets was attacking Muggle-born students, Malfoy told his friends Crabbe and Goyle (really Harry and Ron using Polyjuice Potion) in the Slytherin common room that he hoped Granger would be the next victim. 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. When he encountered the trio in Madam Malkin's before the start of their sixth year, he asked who had given Hermione a black eye (the result of a boxing telescope) so that he could "send them flowers". Despite his dislike for and prejudice towards Hermione, Draco still advised Ron and Harry to get her to safety during the Death Eater riot at the Quidditch World Cup (albeit in a taunting manner) and 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. Draco and Hermione became third cousins, once removed in law when Hermione married Ron Weasley.

Neville Longbottom
"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

- Malfoy on Neville Longbottom

The initially shy and clumsy Neville regularly found himself on the receiving end of insults from Draco and his gang, and was often the butt of their jokes and pranks-- a fact which served only to make Neville clumsier and less confident. Encouraged by Hermione, Ron, and Harry to stand up for himself, Neville grew to be someone who was much more difficult to bully by his later years at Hogwarts, resisting against not only the Slytherin students, but also Alecto and Amycus Carrow and Severus Snape. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville proved to have made an impressive and complete turn around from his earlier years of crumbling under Draco's bullying, when he openly defied Lord Voldemort and beheaded Nagini, effectively destroying Voldemort's final Horcrux.

Draco and Neville are fourth cousins, but both of them do not know about this relationship.

Hogwarts staff
Draco showed particular dislike for the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who was in favour of complete acceptance of Muggle-borns, a contradictory view to that of the Malfoys'. As such, Draco often ridiculed Dumbledore's ideals and choices. He was excited at first when given the mission to kill Dumbledore, with the desire to redeem his family name and avenge his father, even dared use the derogatory term "Mudblood" in front of the Headmaster, the latter of which displeased Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore pitied Draco when he became a Death Eater, as he knew that Voldemort had forced Draco to his bidding by threatening Draco's parents. Furthermore, when Dumbledore offered to save Draco from the Death Eaters, Draco seemed inclined to accept the offer before the exchange was interrupted by the arrival of his fellow Death Eaters. When Draco witnessed Snape killing Dumbledore, he appeared horrified, which likely compounded his regret of ever becoming a Death Eater.

Also before his fourth year, Draco referred to Dumbledore as a Mudblood-lover.

Accustomed to the preferential treatment he received from Severus Snape, and reaping the benefits of his family's connections and status, Draco tried to use his grandfather's good name to get close to Horace Slughorn, though Slughorn did little more than ignore him. However, Dolores Umbridge, who was familiar with Draco's father, made Draco and his friends members of the Inquisitorial Squad, and was quick to allow the Slytherin Quidditch team to re-form after she disbanded every other "Student Organisation, Society, Team, Group, or Club" with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four.

Draco showed contempt for the teachers who lacked status or didn't fit his or his family's standards of blood purity, such as Remus Lupin, who was a Werewolf and consequently tended to look ragged and poor; Rubeus Hagrid, an unkempt half-giant; and Alastor Moody, who was an Auror known for the extensive list of Death Eaters he had captured, as well as his intense paranoia. Incidentally, during the Ministry's smear campaign against Dumbledore, the same three teachers were cited as "eccentric decisions" made by Dumbledore, and evidence of his diminishing competence in the position Headmaster. Draco often found himself at odds with Head of Gryffindor House Professor McGonagall, who never played favourites with any student, least of all Malfoy, though he showed her some level of grudging respect, while she did not accept Harry's accusations of Draco's crimes without sufficient evidence. Draco also disliked the caretaker Argus Filch because he was a Squib, although they did work together in the Inquisitorial Squad.

Moaning Myrtle
"... tell me what's wrong... I can help you..."

- Moaning Myrtle's comfort to Draco.

During Draco's second year, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened a second time, Draco jeered to Harry and Ron that the first time the Chamber was opened, a Mudblood died — that "Mudblood" being Myrtle.

During Draco's sixth year, when he was assigned by Lord Voldemort to kill Albus Dumbledore, he became stressed out from the difficulty of the mission and the consequences of failure. Surprisingly, despite Draco's prejudice against Muggle-borns, Draco apparently visited Myrtle regularly in a bathroom, where he confided in and even openly cried in front of her. In turn, she was under the impression that Draco was a sensitive boy who was being bullied (which was true, though Myrtle would not have known Lord Voldemort was the one bullying him). This may be one of the rare moments that Draco showed something other than disgust for Muggle-borns, though it is unknown whether he was aware of Myrtle's blood status.

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

- Draco on Lord Voldemort

Although Draco originally admired and respected Lord Voldemort, he came to fear him after having his family's safety threatened.

Draco joined the Death Eaters at age sixteen, when Lord Voldemort threatened to kill his parents if he failed in his mission to assassinate Albus Dumbledore. In fact, Voldemort wanted to punish Lucius Malfoy for not retrieving a Prophecy from the Department of Mysteries in his assumption that Draco would fail and have to be punished accordingly. Draco fought in several battles for Voldemort, including the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor. After Voldemort's final defeat, Draco was not imprisoned, as he and his family had deserted the Death Eaters prior to Voldemort's defeat.

Slytherin Quidditch Team
Draco Malfoy was the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch Team starting his second year at Hogwarts. Malfoy appeared to be very popular with the team, one reason is most likely because during his second year his father bought the team new and faster brooms. Also, the rest of the team appeared to have the same views as he did because they smirked when Malfoy called Hermione Granger a "Mudblood" and laughed when a curse backfired on Ronald Weasley after the disagreement with Hermione Granger.

Draco also appeared to be somehow related to one of the team members &mdash; Marcus Flint &mdash; through his maternal 2nd great-grandfather, who married the pure-blooded Ursula of the Flint family.

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 referenced 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," is derived from his name. However, this Ancient Greek legislator simply wrote down laws that were already in existence. These harsh laws were already in existence in an oral tradition. He did not actively try to change these laws as they were written down for the benefit of the common people. This mirrors Draco's role as he introduces us to Pure-blood mania, which is a philosophy he inherited from his family.
 * The name Lucius may come from the Roman dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who extra judiciously executed his rivals. His name could also be a reference to the Roman Emperor Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also known as Nero. Lucius is a name that derives from Latin meaning "bright" or "intelligent" and is related to the name Lucifer, the first name of Satan, which may reference Lucius Malfoy being bright but evil, or just evil.
 * His surname, Malfoy, in French (mal foi) means "bad faith."

Author's comments
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 realise 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."

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". 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".

Behind the scenes

 * Draco is portrayed by British actor Tom Felton in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2 and so is one of the 14 characters to appear in all 8 film adaptations.
 * Draco would have attended Durmstrang Institute, a school that does not admit Muggle-borns and teaches the Dark Arts, but his mother didn't want him staying so far away from home.
 * In J. K. Rowling's early drafts of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Draco's surname was "Spungen", "Spinks", or "Smart".
 * Draco's wand is notable in that his wand is one of the few that have the same look throughout all eight films, though the prop in the last two films is all black instead of brown with a black handle.
 * Ironically enough, it was Draco's wand that Harry used in his final duel with Voldemort, though it had changed it's allegiance to Harry by that point. However, as it was the rebounding spell of the Elder Wand that killed Voldemort, Draco's wand did not vanquish Riddle.
 * 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..."
 * The first time Draco saw Voldemort was in the Forbidden Forest, when the latter was sharing a body with Professor Quirrell. Draco fled from him in horror, despite the fact that his father served Voldemort in the First Wizarding War. It is presumed Voldemort did not know who Draco was at the time, or if he remembered him when he became part of the Death Eaters.
 * In the Chamber of Secrets film, Draco does notice the Golden Snitch just after Harry does and chases after him for it only to get knocked off his broom and injured unlike the book where he never noticed it because he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Also for the film, Draco's injuries cause him to be sent to the Hospital Wing.
 * In the Prisoner of Azkaban film, Draco's arm injury does not last as long as it does in the book.
 * Draco is not as antagonistic towards Hagrid in the films as in the books.
 * In the films, Draco seems to have a fondness for green apples, since he is seen eating one in Prisoner of Azkaban and putting one in the vanishing cabinet in Half-Blood Prince.
 * Tom provided the voice of Draco Malfoy in the video-game adaptations of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 * In the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Draco receives a hug from Voldemort and is the only known follower of his to receive this "honour."
 * In the final climatic battle in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he and his family depart from the battle and were not seen in the Great Hall during the recovery from the battle.
 * In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Draco appears to give his wand back to Harry to duel with Lord Voldemort. This was also filmed for the film, but it was cut.
 * Technically Draco is a part French seeing his ancestor Armand Malfoy was from France.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * 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 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: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * Quidditch Through the Ages
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
 * The Tales of Beedle the Bard (real)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * LEGO Creator: Harry Potter
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets
 * Pottermore
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game