Draco Malfoy
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Draco Malfoy (born June 5, 1980) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. His parents are Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and the Malfoy family is described as old, aristocratic and clannish, very affluent, and proud of being pure-blooded sorcerers with a dislike for muggle born witches and wizards. It seems to be a matter of family tradition for them to attend Hogwarts as members of the House of Slytherin. Draco himself is described as a pale-faced boy with white-blond hair and cold grey eyes. The only child of the family, he shows signs of being spoiled.
The Harry Potter movies star Tom Felton as Draco.
Draco enrolled in Hogwarts in Harry's year and soon became his nemesis. Draco originally offered his friendship to Harry but was enraged upon being turned down in favour of Ron Weasley, whom he views as inferior. Conditioned by his father, Draco is obsessed with the "right sort of people" (meaning pure-blooded wizards and witches of the wealthier classes) and hates Muggles and "blood traitors" like the Weasleys. He is constantly accompanied by two fellow Slytherins who seem to view him as their leader: Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. He holds the position of Seeker in the Slytherin Quidditch team, a fact related to his father's generous donation of seven high-quality Nimbus 2001 brooms. He is Severus Snape's favourite student.
Malfoy and Harry tangle repeatedly throughout the series, with an annual confrontation in the Hogwarts Express where Harry always gets the best of him. So far, he has never become a primary antagonist, largely due to the looming threat of Lord Voldemort; as of yet, he has posed very little actual danger to Harry. As Malfoy and the grudge age, the situation may escalate. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Malfoy joined the Inquisitorial Squad.
Draco's father was a Death Eater and supporter of Lord Voldemort during Voldemort's earlier reign of terror that ended with the death of Harry's parents. When Voldemort returns and summons his Death Eaters, Lucius is among those that respond to join him again. Near the end of the fifth book Lucius is caught and sent to Azkaban for the use of Unforgivable Curses, an event for which Draco blames Harry. The rivalry of the two may well turn uglier and perhaps more violent in the future. A recurring rumour among fans states that Draco may become the apprentice of Lord Voldemort .
The name Malfoy is derived from the French mal foie or mal foy, meaning bad faith or unfaithful which is fitting for the son of a Death Eater. Draco's first name may be a reference to Draco, the first lawgiver of Athens who created a harsh legal code. Draco also means "dragon" in Latin.
Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter fandom
Draco Malfoy has developed a cult following amongst some Harry Potter fans, especially for his cunning, ambition, arrogant streak, and the "Malfoy smirk". He's a popular figure in fan fiction, where he is often portrayed as a kind of tragic hero. One such example is Cassandra Claire's "Draco Trilogy" and her "black leather pants" version of the character.
J. K. Rowling has attributed the Draco's popularity to Tom Felton and the "bad boy" persona he has on celluloid. Rowling has expressed many times that she thinks fans like the character too much.
Links:
- A detailed profile of the character (http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/draco.html)
- A description of Draco's family (http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/malfoy.html)fr:Drago Malefoy
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