It's been over a decade since the final Harry Potter novel hit bookstores worldwide, but fans are still in love with J.K. Rowling's fantasy series, and the characters found within her fascinating wizarding world. Most of the people who read the Potter books or watched the films gravitate towards the Golden Trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but some fans name equally heroic characters like Dobby, Neville Longbottom, Professor McGonagall, and Hagrid as their absolute favorites. Then there are the Potterheads who obsess over Harry's rival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Draco Malfoy.
On Rowling's Pottermore website, the author admitted that she has been "unnerved" by the number of girls who have seemingly fallen for Draco over the years. She explained that while she doesn't discount the appeal of Tom Felton, the actor who portrayed Draco in the films, she can't understand why people have taken such a liking to one of her series' whiniest and most entitled characters.
"Draco was not concealing a heart of gold under all that sneering and prejudice," Rowling wrote on Pottermore, after explaining that girls are "very apt to romanticise" the "dark glamour of the anti-hero." Some fans seem to believe that Draco changed over the course of the series and give his parents credit for somewhat defying the Dark Lord during Voldemort's last stand. However, those fans may be forgetting about some of the incredibly questionable things the Malfoys did over the years.
Here are 20 Things Fans Choose To Ignore About The Malfoys.
DRACO DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO BE HARRY'S FRIEND
Some fans try to give credit to Draco Malfoy for attempting to befriend The Boy Who Lived in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but Draco's kindness towards Harry wasn't actually genuine. Rowling revealed on Pottermore that Lucius Malfoy was among the individuals who thought Harry might be the next great Dark wizard the Death Eaters could rally behind, so Draco tried befriending Harry in an attempt to impress his father and see if the theories about Harry were true.
By getting close to Harry in their very first year, Draco could potentially help give the Malfoy family a second chance at world domination on the back of another pure-blood champion. Even if Harry accepted Draco's offer of supposed friendship, their bond was never going to be as strong as the one Harry shared with Ron.
THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING AWAY WITH CRIMES FOR DECADES
Some Potterheads blame Draco's negative personality traits on his father Lucius, and blame Lucius' character flaws on his bond with Lord Voldemort. In reality, cruelty is just in the Malfoy blood, and they've been getting away with some seriously disturbing crimes for centuries. In the fourteenth century, Nicholas Malfoy ended several Muggle lives and made his crimes look like they were actually caused by the plague.
Doing this allowed Nicholas to escape censure by the Wizards' Council. As Lucius repeatedly managed to talk his way out of being punished for serving the Dark Lord, it seems that he followed in ancestor's footsteps. It is no wonder that the Malfoy family is often very proud of their ancestry.
THEY ARE HYPOCRITES
The Malfoy family brags about their pure-blood status and criticizes anyone with Muggle blood, or those who choose to associate with Muggles. This is incredibly hypocritical, because before the Ministry of Magic released the Statute of Secrecy, which safeguarded the wizarding community from Muggles and hid its existence from the world at large, the Malfoys actually worked with and befriended Muggles themselves.
Over the centuries, the Malfoy family dabbled in Muggle currency, assets, and collected Muggle treasures and art. They opposed the imposition of the Statute of Secrecy in 1692 because it required them to withdraw from their connections with high-born Muggles. However, once the Statute was passed, the Malfoys immediately acted like they were never close to non-magical people. By being cruel to the Weasleys for liking Muggles and calling Hermione a "Mudblood," Draco and Lucius were denying their own family history.
LUCIUS HAS NO SENSE OF LOYALTY
Lucius Malfoy was one of Voldemort's most loyal followers during his initial rise to power, but he somehow talked his way out of being sent to Azkaban when the Dark Lord first perished. While most Death Eaters proudly admitted their connection to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in wizard court, Lucius said that he never chose to work for his master and claimed that all of his crimes were committed while under the Imperius Curse.
The second time Voldemort fell, Lucius managed to escape prosecution yet again by helping the Ministry of Magic ensure the capture of Death Eaters who fled into hiding following the Battle of Hogwarts. He clearly has no sense of loyalty, and had no problem denying or betraying the people he once worked with.
THEY MANIPULATE THE MINISTRY
Even after he was accused of being a Death Eater, Lucius managed to build close connections with several individuals within the Ministry of Magic, including the Minister himself, Cornelius Fudge. His silver tongue and ability to manipulate people in power was impressive, but not actually unique, as the Malfoy family has been secretly pulling strings in the Ministry for years.
In the late eighteenth century, Septimus Malfoy was incredibly influential at the Ministry and many claimed that Minister for Magic, Unctuous Osbert, was just his puppet. In 1968, Abraxas Malfoy was widely believed to be part of the plot that saw Nobby Leach, the first Muggle-born Minister, leave his post prematurely. A family with that much history of behind-the-scenes governmental manipulation probably shouldn't be so beloved by Harry Potter fans.
LUCIUS WAS A BAD FATHER
It became apparent in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that Lucius Malfoy does care about his son, but he treated Draco horribly throughout the entire series. Draco constantly felt like he had to impress his father.
Draco was popular within Slytherin House, he earned a spot on the Quidditch tea, he became a prefect, and a skilled wizard, but none of that seemed to be enough. If Lucius made it more clear that he was proud of his son and put his family's needs before his own thirst for power, the Malfoy family may have been able to escape Voldemort's clutches before they got in too deep. He's very lucky his family survived everything his mistakes and actions put them through.
DRACO'S FAMILY WAS CRUEL TOWARDS DOBBY
It was hard not to feel bad for the Malfoys when Voldemort took over Malfoy Manor and treated Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco terribly in their own home. However, The Dark Lord's treatment of the Malfoy family after Lucius failed to acquire the prophecy in the Department of Mysteries wasn't much worse than the Malfoys' treatment of Dobby.
When Dobby worked for the Malfoy family, Lucius repeatedly abused the beloved house-elf. Many wizards sadly treat their house-elves like slaves, but the Malfoys took their cruelty a step further by physically hurting Dobby and constantly throwing insults at him. Thankfully, Dobby ended up getting a better life once he was freed from the Malfoys, and was happy to work on the Hogwarts staff.
NARCISSA HAS A SERIOUS DARK SIDE
J.K. Rowling herself has stated that Narcissa Malfoy "fell in with a bad crowd" and that she "wasn't all bad," but fans definitely shouldn't necessarily forgive Narcissa. When Draco and his mom bumped into Harry while shopping at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Narcissa was quick to be cruel to Harry. "I see that being Dumbledore's favourite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you," she stated.
When Harry proceeded to dare her to fight him, Narcissa hit the Boy Who Lived where it hurt by telling Draco, "I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius." It takes a truly wicked woman to threaten a teenager's life and mock the passing of his godfather.
NARCISSA FORCED SNAPE TO ELIMINATE DUMBLEDORE
Narcissa Malfoy welcomed Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters into her home, but her allegiance was always to her family, not the Dark Lord. She does deserve some credit for that, but that doesn't excuse all of the awful things she did while trying to secure the safety of Draco and Lucius.
When Voldemort tasked Draco with eliminating Dumbledore for him, Narcissa knew just how dangerous this mission would be and figured out that Voldemort chose Draco as punishment for Lucius' failures. To ensure Dumbledore would perish, she and her sister Bellatrix forced Severus Snape to take an Unbreakable Vow that he'd complete the deed should Draco fail. Luckily, Dumbledore wanted Snape to make that deal since he was going to perish anyway.
THE MALFOYS ARE SLYTHERINS, THROUGH AND THROUGH
Some students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry enter the school unsure of which House they will be Sorted into, but when it comes to the Malfoy family, there's never been any question. Slytherin House is known to be the home to several of the wizarding community's most wicked and cruel students.
The Malfoys are proud Slytherins, and even pay tribute to the House's founder Salazar Slytherin in their family crest. It bears his colors of black, green and silver and includes images of several serpentine creatures. Inscribed on a banner within the crest are the words "Sanctimonia Vincet Semper," which means "purity will always conquer."
NARCISSA DIDN'T TRY TO DEFY VOLDEMORT
When Voldemort cast the Avada Kedavra curse on Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest during the Battle of Hogwarts, he called upon Narcissa to check whether or not Harry had really passed. After asking Harry if Draco was alive and still in the castle, she lied to the Dark Lord and proclaimed that he had vanquished his rival.
Fans often view this as an act of defiance against the man who kept mistreating her family, but Narcissa's lie was more about getting to her son than protecting Harry or standing against Voldemort. She knew that if Voldemort believed Harry was deceased, her family could finally reunite as part of his conquering army. The Malfoys escaped imprisonment thanks to her decision to deceive Voldemort, but they shouldn't escape the judgment of Potter fans.
DRACO COULD HAVE SWITCHED SIDES
When Voldemort gave him the mission to end Dumbledore's life, Draco knew that he was on the wrong side of the Second Wizarding War. He frequently boasted about his pure-blood status and was cruel to his Muggle-born peers, but Draco wasn't as similar to his father as he pretended to be.
Throughout Half-Blood Prince, Draco struggled with his task from the Dark Lord, not only because it was difficult to eliminate one of the world's greatest wizards, but because he felt bad about committing such an unforgivable act as well. By switching sides he may have been able to help Dumbledore and the Ministry take down the villain who threatened his family. He knew he was doing the wrong thing, but Draco simply wasn't brave enough to defy Voldemort.
DRACO MISUSES HIS INTELLIGENCE
Hermione Granger gets all the credit for being the smartest student in her year at Hogwarts, but Draco was incredibly intelligent as well. Some fans think Draco excelled in Potions because he was one of Snape's favorites, but he was made a Slytherin prefect; an honor that only goes to students who receive high marks in all of their classes. Draco is also skilled at Occlumency and can close off his mind to keep Legilimens from being able to access his thoughts.
Not even Harry was able to master that skill, and he received private lessons. The only time Draco really used his intelligence was when he figured out how to sneak several Death Eaters into his school during his plot to eliminate Dumbledore. He should have been using his smarts to figure out how to get his family out of Voldemort's clutches.
MALFOY MANOR'S BASEMENT WAS FILLED WITH DARK ARTIFACTS
Lord Voldemort enjoyed collecting rare and valuable wizarding items to turn them into Horcruxes. However, it seems that he wasn't the only wizard fascinated with Dark artifacts. Before Harry and his friends were kept as prisoners in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Lucius Malfoy filled the basement of Malfoy Manor with a wide variety of dangerous items. It comes to no surprise, then, that he would be in possession of Lord Voldemort's diary from school, considering he already enjoyed owning items that had to do with Dark wizards.
Rowling didn't write much about the devastating power of certain Dark artifacts, but since the Malfoys were one of the wealthiest families in England, fans can assume Lucius assembled only the best and most dangerous items to include in his collection.
DRACO MADE FRIENDS THROUGH HIS REPUTATION, NOT KINDNESS
During Draco's first few years at Hogwarts, he often had a group of people by his side wherever he went. He seemed as popular in school as he is with Potter fans, but Draco didn't make friends by actually being kind to his peers, and he never actually gained anyone's loyalty or affection. He simply used his family's reputation to convince fellow Slytherin students to treat him like their leader.
Nearly everyone in Slytherin House knew Draco's name before they even met him, due to his father's notoriety and role as one of Voldemort's top Death Eaters. Draco used this to his advantage to secure Crabbe and Goyle as his lackeys. He constantly boasted about his family's wealth, connections, and blood purity to convince others to join him.
LUCIUS NEVER REALLY CHANGED
The Malfoy family apologized for their wrongdoings after Voldemort's fall in the Battle of Hogwarts, and the wizarding world seemingly believed that they were actually remorseful. Narcissa was given credit for lying about Harry's passing in the Forbidden Forest, and Lucius was forgiven of his countless crimes after he helped the Ministry of Magic capture several of his fellow Death Eaters.
Unfortunately, Lucius never really changed or grew as a person after his former master was vanquished. He continued collecting Dark artifacts, one of which was the Time Turner that nearly brought Lord Voldemort back to life in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. His mindset toward Muggles and Muggle-borns never changed, and his feeling of superiority never wavered.
DRACO WAS SKILLED AT CASTING UNFORGIVABLE CURSES
Fans who question whether or not Draco Malfoy was a Dark wizard simply have to look at how skilled he was at casting Unforgivable Curses. Part of Draco's plan to eliminate Dumbledore included putting Madam Rosmerta under the Imperius Curse for weeks, something only a powerful Dark wizard would think of.
Then, when Rowle and Dolohov failed to capture Harry at Tottenham Court Road, Lord Voldemort ordered Draco to use the Cruciatus Curse on them. When Draco and Harry faced off in Half-Blood Prince, Draco tried to cast that same curse on his childhood rival. Some Draco-lovers will defend him by saying that he was pressured to cast those curses, but Draco was incredibly intelligent, and if he wanted to, he could have figured out a way to get things done without using such dangerous magic.
LUCIUS AND NARCISSA RESENTED THEIR SON'S WIFE
There might be some Malfoy supporters who believe that Lucius and Narcissa learned the error of their ways after the Second Wizarding War. In that case, perhaps they should read Rowling's notes on how they treated Draco's wife, Astoria. Even though she came from a pure-blood family, Astoria Greengrass raised Draco's son Scorpius to view Muggles as equals, and abandon the Malfoy mindset of pure-blood superiority.
This upset Lucius and Narcissa, and caused family gatherings to be "fraught with tension" up until Astoria's tragic passing. Narcissa's love for her son should have encouraged her to be more accepting of his wife, but she put her selfish beliefs above her son's happiness.
DRACO WAS ENVIOUS OF THE GOLDEN TRIO
Some fans seem to think that Draco's cruelty towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione stemmed from Harry's initial rejection of him, Ron's lower class family name, and Hermione's Muggle-born lineage. Those factors probably all played a role in the way he treated the Golden Trio, but in The Cursed Child, Draco revealed that his actions were primarily the result of jealousy. “You — the three of you — you shone, you know? You liked each other. You had fun. I envied you those friendships more than anything else.” Draco admitted to his former rival.
Draco seemed to be close with Crabbe and Goyle, but they were always more like bodyguards than friends. Whenever Draco saw the Golden Trio together, he tried to make their time at Hogwarts a nightmare. His time would have been better spent trying to create close friendships of his own instead.
DRACO TRIED TO STOP HARRY FROM DESTROYING A HORCRUX
By the time the Battle of Hogwarts began in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it was entirely clear to Draco Malfoy that he and his family were on the wrong side of the conflict. Yet, for some reason, Draco tried to stop Harry from reaching a Horcrux he needed to destroy to vanquish the Dark Lord.
When Harry figured out that a Horcrux was hidden within the Room of Requirement, Draco and his Slytherin cohorts were blocking his way in. Draco knew his rival was trying to stop Lord Voldemort, yet he tried to keep Harry from completing his mission. He told his allies not to end Harry's life, but his attempt to keep Harry away from the Horcrux is inexcusable.
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