Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing none other than Draco Malfoy- bully, Slytherin, and heartthrob. Draco Malfoy
was a british pure-blood wizard born in the year 1980, the son of Narcissa Malfoy and
death eater Lucius Malfoy. Draco started at Hogwarts in the same year as Harry, Ron, and
Hermione, and many of the other characters that we’re all so familiar with. Right off
the bat, we sort of get a sense of the type of character that Draco Malfoy is going to
be- a certain type of person that I’d imagine all of us have witnessed at some point or
another.
JK Rowling discusses this further:
“Everybody recognises Draco because everybody has known somebody like him. Such people’s
belief in their own superiority can be infuriating, laughable or intimidating, depending on the
circumstances in which one meets them. Draco succeeds in provoking all of these feelings
in Harry, Ron and Hermione at one point in time or another.”
After the sorting ceremony, Draco is placed in to Slytherin house, and Harry is placed
in to Gryffindor house. This is basically the beginning of the proper rivalry between
Draco and Harry Potter. Throughout the books and films, Draco is a constant nuisance towards
the trio, and as he grows older his behaviour turns from annoying, but still child-like
and playful, to rather sinister. However, one thing I’d like to mention is that- unsurprisingly-
the films left out certain actions and aspects of Draco’s character. But you can’t blame
the film-makers for this- books are rich with information, and a film is trying to condense
all of that information in to a reasonable time frame. I mean, I’d watch an 8 hour
Harry Potter film- but I’m not sure it would have been too inviting to newcomers. With
all of that said, the films still gave us a LOT of Draco’s character- but certainly
not everything, and in today’s video I want to discuss 10 things that ONLY book readers
will know about Harry’s nemesis. Without further ado, let’s get started.
10. He helps Rita Skeeter slander Harry
As far as journalists go- Rita Skeeter is about as conniving as it comes. Born in 1951-
she was a British Witch and journalist that would write defamation pieces full of misinformation
for the Daily Prophet. Her reputation was awful, and noone was safe from her poison
pieces- even Albus Dumbledore who once remarked that Skeeter was ‘enchantingly nasty’.
So- as you can imagine, ‘The Boy Who Lived’ was the ultimate target for Skeeter, and safe
from her he was not. In The Goblet of Fire- Skeeter makes Harry’s life rather difficult,
but this isn’t actually that clear in the films- her role is less substantial. Furthermore,
in the books it’s revealed that Draco actually acts as Rita’s informant- giving Rita information
on Harry in order to discredit him. Draco was very much aware of the immense pressure
Harry was under re: the triwizard tournament- and he wanted to make his life even more difficult.
9. He gets Harry Banned from Quidditch
Draco wasn’t the best quidditch player- at least not at the beginning. Sure- he made
it on to the Slytherin team, but that’s likely largely due to his fathers generous
contributions. However, being Harry’s rival- he had to get on the team, and he had to represent
HIS HOUSE while he beat Harry at quidditch. However, Draco didn’t end up getting a one
up on Harry very often.
In the order of the phoenix, Draco mocks Harry after Gryffindor beats Slytherin- bringing
up the death of his parents once more. Fred and George respond rather aggressively- and
for this they are given Quidditch bans. However, when Umbridge hears of what happens- she decides
to ban Harry as well- despite the fact that Draco had provoked them.
8. He threatens Borgin with Fenrir Greyback
As we know, the Death Eaters are in alliance with the werewolves- particularly ONE werewolf-
Fenrir Greyback. We also know that the Malfoys- who are Death Eaters- are reasonably close
with Greyback- at least close enough to drop his name in order to incite fear in another
witch or wizard. Whether it was all talk or not is up to you to decide, but that doesn’t
refute the fact that at one stage, Draco threatens Borgin from Borgin & Burkes with the terrifying
werewolf.
“You know Fenrir Greyback? He’s a family friend. He’ll be dropping in from time to
time to make sure you’re giving the problem your full attention”
The reason Draco threatens him relates to his use of the vanishing cabinets- which one
being located in Borgins shop.
7. He Actually Meets Harry BEFORE Hogwarts
Remember the handshake scene from the film? The one at Hogwarts where Draco slanders Ron
and then puts out his hand to Harry? In the films this is the first time Harry meets Draco.
“‘You’ll soon find out 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.”
This scene still happens in the books, just on the Hogwarts Express instead of Hogwarts
itself. However, with that said- this is NOT the first time that they meet. In the book,
the first time that they meet is at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions in Diagon
Alley.
6. He Never Left Hogwarts During the Final Showdown with Voldemort
This is a bit of a big one that was changed- and I’m not exactly sure WHY it was changed
as it really didn’t need it. In the Deathly Hallows pt 2- before Voldemort met his demise-
the Malfoys- Narcissa, Lucius and Draco- end up leaving the Hogwarts grounds. Curiously-
they leave on foot, making a dramatic exit- most likely in order to make a statement that
they were no longer on Voldemort’s side. HOWEVER- in the books this is quite different,
as instead of leaving the Hogwarts grounds- they remain there- awkwardly waiting around
in the Great Hall after Voldemort is killed.
5. He gets Beaten up by Harry, Ron and Hermione
Being a constant bully and nuisance to the trio over the course of the books/films certainly
didn’t come without its consequences- PARTICULARLY on one occasion where all parties are aboard
the Hogwarts express. On the train back from Hogwarts- Draco attempts to Bully a particularly
sensitive Harry (who had just witnessed Cedric’s death)- but this time, Harry had had enough-
and he ends up jumping Draco along with Ron, Hermione, Fred and George.
4. He gets beaten up again- but just by Ron
Now- in the books, Draco gets hit a couple of times- with one very noteworthy occasion
being the time that Hermione slapped him across the face.
“Look at him blubber!”
“Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?” said Malfoy. “And he’s supposed to be
our teacher!”
Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first—SMACK!
She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster.
But as it turns out- Hermione wasn’t the only one to hit Draco- in fact, in the Deathly
Hallows, Ron Weasley himself ends up punching Draco after saving his life inside the Room
of Requirement.
"And that's the second time we've saved your life tonight, you two faced bastard."
3. He makes Crabbe and Goyle take Polyjuice Potion
Polyjuice potion is an unusual one- a potion that “enables the consumer to assume the
physical appearance of another person”. In essence, Polyjuice lets you impersonate
people REALLY REALLY well. The potion is notably used by Barty Crouch jr in order to impersonate
Moody, but it’s actually used a few more times in the story. The other fairly notable
time that it’s used is when Draco convinces his henchmen or lackeys to take the potion.
Hoping to use the room of requirement undetected, he gets Crabbe and Goyle to drink the potion
and keep an eye on it.
2. He taunts the trio during a Death Eater Attack
If you remember the Goblet of Fire- then you’ll remember that chaos erupts at the Quidditch
World Cup when Death Eaters attack. This was a major attack on the good-guys, and the reappearance
of the dark mark- a harsh reminder that Voldemort’s regime was still very much alive. In the books,
during the Death Eater attack, the trio wander in to the woods where they find Draco. In
typical Draco fashion, it’s here that he taunts them- particularly Hermione:
"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."
1. He has a Tantrum when Buckbeak Escapes
At one stage in the Harry Potter books and films we’re introduced to Buckbeak- a hippogriff
that Hagrid introduces to students in his Care for Magical Creatures class. However-
Buckbeak didn’t exactly have the same relationship with all of the students. Harry- for example,
was able to ride Buckbeak- but Draco didn’t have the same experience. Draco ends up taunting
buckbeak,to which he receives an injury. Completely furious- Draco ends up trying to get Buckbeak
killed- with the hippogriff eventually being sentenced to death by the Ministry of Magic.
FORTUNATELY, Buckbeak is eventually saved by Harry, Hermione, and the Time-Turner. What
the film doesn’t include here, however, is just how angry Draco and his father were
after Buckbeak’s escape.
And that’s it for this video! Did you know all of these? Did I miss some? If you enjoy
the content please LIKE the video, SUBSCRIBE to the channel, and leave a COMMENT down below.
Until next time
MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!