Draco Malfoy has a pretty large fan base due to Tom Felton’s masterful portrayal in the Harry Potter movies. The actor did a good job in steering sympathy for the character in later movies when Draco Malfoy became a reluctant Death Eater, but Draco was actually a recurring villain for Harry throughout the series.
Malfoy’s actions are best depicted by looking further into his quotes, which reveal the mean streak in him. These uncover Malfoy’s bigoted mentality, his pleasure at hurting others, and the overall callous attitude with which he carried himself. They also show the Wizarding World can have villains who antagonize people through verbal means.
Using A Slur Against Hermione (Chamber Of Secrets)
"No One Asked Your Opinion, You Filthy Little Mudblood."
Malfoy was the character who introduced the bigotry that came with pure-bloods, although it wasn’t until the second movie that he truly crossed the line. When Hermione called him out on buying his way into the Quidditch team (after he’d insulted the Weasleys’ lack of money), Malfoy hit back with this quote.
It reduced Hermione to tears because the slur was the lowest form of insult anyone could throw at a Muggle-Born, essentially claiming they had dirty blood. Moreover, Malfoy had a twisted sense of glee over the reaction Hermione had, as he felt satisfied he’d antagonized on such a personal level.
Looking Down On Ron's Lack Of Wealth (Prisoner Of Azkaban)
"Bit Grand For You, Isn't It, Weasel-Bee? Don't Your Family All Sleep In One Room?"
While he was largely a brave person, one of Ron’s biggest fears in the Harry Potter series was the fact that his family was poor. Malfoy was aware of this and flaunted his own wealth in Ron’s face because he wanted to hurt Ron where his insecurities lay.
He and his goons came across Ron and Hermione near the Shrieking Shack, where Malfoy uttered this quote to claim that even the haunted Shrieking Shack was out of Ron’s price range. There’s also the fact that Ron and Hermione were minding their own business when Malfoy decided to bully Ron over nothing.
Mocking The Death Of Harry's Mother (Half-Blood Prince)
"Didn't Mummy Ever Tell You It Was Rude To Eavesdrop, Potter? Oh, Yeah. She Was Dead Before You Could Wipe The Drool Off Your Chin."
Some fans argue that Malfoy had the moral high ground over Harry when the latter tried to spy on him on the train. However, Malfoy showed his lack of sympathy for Harry’s orphan status when he attacked him after making this quote as a way to mock him.
Malfoy flashed an evil grin before he hit Harry with his curse, indicating he had a sadistic pleasure with the insult he’d thrown out. It also confirmed how Malfoy saw Harry in his own mind, having considered being an orphan something he could use to make fun of his rival.
Insulting Ron's Family (Sorcerer's Stone)
"Some Wizarding Families Are Better Than Others. You Don't Want To Go Making Friends With The Wrong Sort."
Malfoy’s villainy was established in his first scene itself, as Harry realized there were bigoted wizards out there. Malfoy, who wanted the fame that Harry instantly brought, attempted to befriend him but exposed his nasty ways in the process when he made this quote against Ron.
Harry particularly didn’t appreciate the “wrong sort” jab at Ron, as he knew what it was like to be termed as something a person isn’t. Malfoy considered himself to be superior to others simply because he was born into a rich family, showing how misplaced his priorities were.
Hoping For Hermione's Demise (Chamber Of Secrets)
"It's Only A Matter Of Time Until A Mudblood Dies. As For Me, I Hope It's Granger."
Even though some of the fandom likes to ship Malfoy and Hermione, it’s clear that he never liked her. After the basilisk attacked a number of Muggle-borns, Malfoy liked to think that it would go after Hermione because he despised her in particular.
While his general antagonism of her was purely verbal, Malfoy actually wanted her to die in a very violent way simply because she didn’t come from a wizarding family. Both Harry and Ron were appalled with the intrinsic villainy with which Malfoy carried himself.
Insulting Harry's Mental Health (Order Of The Phoenix)
"I Expect There's A Cell In Azkaban With Your Name On It. Complete Nutter."
The stress of the Ministry’s smear campaign and mental connection with Voldemort made Harry act like a villain during the fifth movie out of angry bursts. Malfoy made things worse when he instantly started taking shots at Harry when they arrived at Hogwarts by calling him a “nutter.”
He was fully aware that Voldemort was indeed back because his own father was a Death Eater, yet Malfoy encouraged the notion that Harry was addled out of spite. This instance established that he intended to make Harry’s life difficult right as the school year was about to begin.
Mocking Neville's Injury (Sorcerer's Stone)
"Maybe If The Fat Lump Had Given This A Squeeze, He'd Have Remembered To Fall On His Fat Ass."
Neville had a terrible accident during the first flying lesson and was left with a broken arm. Malfoy found it all hilarious, choosing to claim Neville’s Remembrall to throw it away. He made fun of Neville’s weight for good measure, much to the hilarity of his fellow bullies.
Malfoy had no reason to toss Neville’s Remembrall away but only did so to annoy Harry because he was Neville’s friend. Had Harry not confronted Malfoy, the latter would have gone on to mock Neville even further for his mishap.
Hoping For Dumbledore's Sacking (Chamber Of Secrets)
"Father Always Said That Dumbledore Was The Worst Thing That Ever Happened To This Place."
Dumbledore was the reason Hogwarts functioned as long as it did during Voldemort’s threat, which Malfoy completely disregarded. He voiced out the same thing Lucius said of Dumbledore being the worst thing about Hogwarts even though his father was responsible for the Chamber of Secrets’ opening.
The quote confirmed that Malfoy enjoyed the attacks against Muggle-borns since he considered Dumbledore’s efforts against stopping the basilisk to be bad. When the Muggle-borns were cured and the school saved, Malfoy held contempt for Dumbledore for announcing it as happy news.
Hoping For Harry's Demise (Goblet Of Fire)
"I Don't Think You're Going To Last 10 Minutes In This Tournament. Father Disagrees. He Thinks You Won't Last Five."
The most ardent fans of Malfoy claim he’s a misunderstood Harry Potter character, which is true to an extent in the later movies but not during the fourth. Malfoy was delighted when the school turned on Harry when his name came out of the goblet and looked to lather on more misery on his rival.
He perched himself up a tree to get the drop on Harry, claiming he had a bet with his father over how long it would take before Harry would be killed in the Triwizard Tournament. The danger of the competition was very real, but Malfoy would have only been happier if Harry had indeed been slain.
Having Gruesome Plans For Buckbeak (Prisoner Of Azkaban)
"I Can Keep The Hippogriff's Head. I'll Donate It To The Gryffindors' Room."
Malfoy pretended to be injured from Buckbeak’s attack that he instigated to ensure the Hippogriff got executed. He then went so far as to attend the execution with the intention of claiming Buckbeak’s head from Macnair and using it to prank the Gryffindors.
It showed just how much lack of empathy there was in Malfoy for not only causing the demise of an innocent animal but to plan of violating its body. In addition, he was amused when Harry and his friends showed up because he wanted to flaunt Buckbeak’s death in their faces.