The Harry Potter series basically has every character out to be a fan favorite, with the likes of the titular protagonist and Ron and Hermione remaining popular. Even Harry’s hated rival has a large fanbase, with many considering Draco Malfoy to be misunderstood rather than someone inherently rotten.
On some occasions, it was Harry who was at fault for either casting judgment on Malfoy or planning to harm him in some way. Then again, Draco failed at upholding moral values himself more than a few times, with these being even worse than what Harry did to him. All in all, it’s worth knowing where Harry was at fault and the times where even the most ardent Malfoy fans can’t defend his lack of integrity toward his rival.
High Ground: Harry Assaulted Malfoy's Friends To Spy On Him
One of the few times where Malfoy was tolerable in Harry Potter was when he didn’t know Harry was around him. Harry and Ron knocked out Crabbe and Goyle in order to get Malfoy to confess he was the Heir of Slytherin, only to learn that wasn’t the case.
In this instance, Harry assaulted his classmates and intended to spy on Malfoy, with the latter at least never stooping to the level of attacking Ron or Hermione. While Ron and Harry justified that they did it to save Hogwarts, they did still invade Malfoy’s privacy and targeted his friends.
Worst: Attacking Harry For Landing His Death Eater Father In Prison
Malfoy dropped the funny act for once after his father was apprehended at the Ministry of Magic, following which attempted to ambush Harry along with Crabbe and Goyle. His reasoning was that Harry would pay for sending his father to prison, ignoring the fact that Lucius had tried to kill Harry and was a Death Eater.
Draco had no business acting as if he’d been done wrong, especially since his father was outed as the supporter of the darkest wizard and Harry had defended his life. On this occasion, Malfoy certainly threw all morals out the window and only sought revenge.
High Ground: Harry Made Judgments About Him First
Although he was bigoted against Muggle-Borns, "half-breeds", and "blood traitors", Malfoy technically didn’t do anything to Harry personally until the latter openly rejected him. This was when he offered his friendship to Harry on the train, ending in failure.
Malfoy attempted to persuade Harry that purebloods were right, but this didn’t appeal to Harry in the slightest and he called Malfoy out to be “the wrong sort.” While Ron would’ve been justified insulting Malfoy since he’d been mocked earlier, Draco didn’t actually judge Harry, meaning it was Harry who started this rivalry.
Worst: His Attempt To Use The Cruciatius Curse On Harry
The two may be rivals in canon, but fandom shippers love to think that Harry and Malfoy were flirty at times. However, there was just hate here, as Harry found Malfoy weeping in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom over his failed attempt to kill Dumbledore.
Harry didn’t goad Malfoy in any way, yet the latter began hitting him with curses simply because Harry was there. He even went so far as to attempt to use the Cruciatus curse on Harry but was beaten when he was struck by Harry’s spell instead. It was Harry who got into trouble for this, even though Malfoy was in the wrong for not only attacking him first but hoping to torture him as well.
High Ground: Harry Continued To Hold Him In Contempt After Malfoy Had Reformed
Malfoy wasn’t one of the good guys throughout the main timeline of the series, but he had turned over a new leaf by the time the characters had become adults. However, Harry continued to see Malfoy as the rotten person he was back in the day despite knowing he hadn’t done anything wrong since.
It was Malfoy who was courteous enough to acknowledge Harry and his friends at the train platform, proving he wanted to move on. And yet, Harry and his friends were still not amicable towards Malfoy and even made fun of his son who was about to join Hogwarts with their children.
Worst: His Mockery Of Harry Over Causing Buckbeak's Execution
After seeing that Buckbeak had taken a liking to Harry, Malfoy egged the creature on until he was attacked. He then used his father’s influence at the Ministry to get Buckbeak sentenced for execution despite Malfoy causing the attack to happen to himself.
Morally speaking, he had no arguments in his favor, as he took to mocking Harry and his friends over their worry for Hagrid due to Buckbeak being his pet. Malfoy derived so much pleasure from antagonizing Harry that he intended to watch Buckbeak’s execution and laugh in Harry’s face. It was only after he was slapped by Hermione that Malfoy fled.
High Ground: Harry's Win Ruined Malfoy's Celebration Of The House Cup
Dumbledore tampered with the points system at the end of Sorcerer’s Stone by providing Harry and his friends with bonus points to make Gryffindor win the House Cup. Harry saw this as the best night of his life, with one of the factors being that he one-upped Malfoy by pipping Slytherin on points.
However, Malfoy and his house didn’t deserve to be humiliated this way, especially since they’d gotten their points fairly. Moreover, Harry taking pleasure in beating his rival was unwarranted since it was clearly Dumbledore showing favoritism, meaning he basically flaunted the special treatment he received at Malfoy, who was thoroughly embarrassed by the whole situation.
Worst: His Attempt To Capture Harry To Please Voldemort
Malfoy had had enough experience around Voldemort by the Battle of Hogwarts to know that the Dark Lord was inherently evil. This didn’t stop him from going after Harry in hopes of capturing him for Voldemort, though, as Malfoy became a thorn in the hero’s side at the worst possible moment in the Room of Requirement.
This was doubly wrong in terms of integrity considering Harry didn’t kill Draco when he had the chance back at Malfoy Manor when he won his wand. Rather than appreciate Harry letting him go, Malfoy was ungrateful enough to ruin Harry’s bid for the Horcrux.
High Ground: Harry Was Attacked Because He Snooping In On Malfoy's Business In The Train
Convinced that Draco had been recruited as a Death Eater, Harry sneaked into Malfoy’s compartment in the Hogwarts Express hoping to hear the latter say this out loud. The tables turned on Harry, however, as Malfoy realized his presence and attacked him.
While the book made it out to be an evil act on Malfoy’s part, the truth is that it was Harry who was snooping on his rival’s business. After all, he was only acting on a hunch and could just as easily have been violating Malfoy’s privacy since he was speaking in confidence amongst friends.
Worst: Causing Harry To Get Into Trouble After Mocking His Mother's Death
Although featured prominently Malfoy was underused in the Harry Potter series as the movies didn’t adapt the worst sides of him. Perhaps his biggest moral failing happened when he viciously mocked the Weasleys’ mother and Lily Potter as well.
This was after he’d lost in Quidditch to Harry, following which he made fun of Mrs. Weasley’s weight and then turned to taunt Harry over the death of his mother. Malfoy planned this out knowing Dolore Umbridge was watching, with Umbridge then banning Harry from playing Quidditch despite Malfoy being the one to provoke Harry into attacking him.