Discussion of the Week - Draco Malfoy

Posted: 17 years ago

Ok then.....since Rashmi, by the looks of things, has gone AWOL......I have decided that I could no longer go on having Luna as the DotW for another day. So I took the initiative to now make Draco Malfoy the new DotW.

This is for more so for you, Alia.....so get typing away, my friend

Personally, I have this nagging suspicion that Malfoy could turn out good in the last book, considering the fact that he was given a task to do by the Dark Lord and could not fulfil it, showing us that he indeed under that dark and menacing facade, he does show some good qualities and more so that he is like any other 16 year old. I sure hope he turns out for the better.

Here is some info regarding the cute Mr Malfoy - courteousy of Wikipedia.

 

Draco Malfoy (born 5 June 19801) is an antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and Harry Potter's principal rival at school. The rivalry between the two is such that Harry has at times perceived Draco to be his archnemesis. Draco is described as a pale-faced boy with white-blond hair, pointed features, and cold grey eyes. Harry describes him as a spoiled, arrogant, and selfish person.

Malfoy's intense rivalry with Harry started mainly as a product of envy, given the latter's fame and phenomenal successes at Hogwarts. Once Malfoy complained bitterly to his father about Harry's popularity and his talent as a Quidditch player, and having a superb broom. As the boys grow older, however, their mutual hostility develops far beyond petty jealousies, and expands into a much bigger wizard war.

Additionally, Malfoy taunts Ron Weasley's family for their poor financial situation and treats Hermione Granger with utter disdain for being Muggle-born, calling her by the derogatory term Mudblood.

Draco Malfoy is played by Tom Felton in the first four Harry Potter films.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Draco first appears in Madam Malkin's robe shop, where his attitude strongly reminds Harry of Dudley Dursley, Harry's cousin. Their dislike for each other is sealed when Harry refused Draco's offer of friendship. They have been bitter enemies ever since.

Draco is a bully who is constantly accompanied by two obtuse Slytherins, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who follow his every order. He is also constantly fawned over by Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl in his year.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Draco gains the position of Seeker in the Slytherin Quidditch team, mainly because of his father's generous donation of seven high-quality Nimbus 2001 brooms — enough to equip the entire team. However, he is also apparently proficient enough in this role that Slytherin's team is typically competing with Gryffindor for top ranking in the Hogwarts league. He is highly favoured by Severus Snape, the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House. Because of this, Draco often gets away with behaviour that would land Harry, or any other student, in detention.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Malfoy tries his best to get the gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid fired.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Malfoy appears to be instrumental in the creation of "Support Cedric Diggory" badges for the Triwizard Tournament, as he is the first one to show them to Harry out of spite. These badges switch phrases when touched to say "Potter Stinks". He also gave malicious misinformation to Rita Skeeter about Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Malfoy joins the Inquisitorial Squad and plays an important part in the exposure of the secret Dumbledore's Army, which Harry leads.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Draco plays a crucial role in Half-Blood Prince, when Lord Voldemort orders him to murder the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. Like Regulus Black, Draco is infatuated by the Dark Arts and eagerly takes on the task as a chance for glory, of which he seems to get very little. In an effort to prove himself, Draco works alone without the help of his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, or his favourite professor, Severus Snape. Under his aunt Bellatrix Lestrange's instruction, Draco has become quite proficient in Occlumency, a skill that Harry has never mastered.

Draco's plan is to mend the broken Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts, to allow Voldemort's Death Eaters to invade and assist with Dumbledore's murder. As the school year progresses, Draco slowly comes to believe that he is unable to fix the cabinet, and in desperation he attempts to curse, then poison, the headmaster.

Harry is increasingly suspicious of Draco, and may be the only person who believes that Draco could do major harm: Narcissa, Snape, and perhaps even Voldemort believe he will fail.

Though Harry always thinks of Draco as an arrogant, selfish person, he encounters another side of him, actually crying in a lavatory with none other than Moaning Myrtle. For Draco, the stakes are impossibly high: he must either carry out Voldemort's orders or risk the murder of his family in retribution.

Against all odds, Draco succeeds in mending the cabinet and allowing the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Unfortunately for him, Harry instructs his friends to watch Draco and Snape, and they are able to alert the Order of the Phoenix to the Death Eaters' presence. Despite this, Draco manages to reach the North Tower to confront Dumbledore, with Harry as a helpless and invisible witness. Though Draco is initially exhilarated at his apparent achievements, he ultimately proves unable to complete his task; instead, Snape steps in and kills Dumbledore for him. Draco's ultimate inability to commit murder is evidence that he still retains some innocence, leading some fans to believe that he may be redeemed in the future.

Background

Draco is the only child of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy (ne Black).

The Malfoy family3 symbolises prejudice; Rowling once compared them to the Nazis. The family is old, aristocratic, formal, clannish, very affluent, and extremely proud of their pure bloodlines. Most, if not all, of them were in the Slytherin House. They harbor a very intense distaste against Muggle-born witches and wizards and Muggles in general.

The family manor is in Wiltshire in southwest England and was once staffed by the family house-elf Dobby, whom Harry Potter frees from enslavement in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It can be assumed that the Malfoys have lived in the manor for generations, as they seem to have secret chambers (not unlike Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts) in the house where they hide Dark objects and heirlooms that could damage the family name.

By making the Malfoy family rather small, Rowling re-enforces the idea that prejudice dies out. The Malfoys have a very limited selection of people to marry, since they refuse to marry anyone who is not a pure-blood.

Though he is very proud of his family, as he was taught to be, Draco's relationship with his father, Lucius Malfoy, is somewhat unclear; while Draco is very loyal and boasts about his father's power, he is often stung by Lucius's strict rebukes and critical remarks.

Lucius Malfoy's capture at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a turning point for the family. Draco replaces his father as a Death Eater, and Narcissa convinces Severus Snape to make the Unbreakable Vow to protect her only son.

His name

"Draco Malfoy" is an invented name by J. K. Rowling.

Draco can be derived from the Latin word meaning "dragon" (or serpent/snake). In parallel, the Hogwarts motto is "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus", which is roughly translated to "Never tickle a sleeping dragon". Draco is also the name of a snakelike constellation, keeping with the traditions of the Black family that name their descendants after stars/constellations. Notably, "Draco" is the first lawgiver of Athens, who enforced a harsh legal code. The English adjective, draconian, meaning 'cruel', is inherited from that lawgiver. Variations on the name "Draco" are also translated to "devil" in some biblical and other ancient texts. Since Rowling's knowledge of Latin is basically self-taught 2, some of her translations may not come out precisely as intended.

Malfoy is derived from Old French Mal Foi or Mal Foy, which means "Bad Faith".

While many adult wizards and witches in the series have invented names (Dumbledore, Nymphadora, Voldemort etc.), Draco Malfoy is one of two Hogwarts students who has such a name (the other is Luna Lovegood); even his followers have conventional names such as Vincent, Gregory, and Pansy. Both of the students' names are from Latin. Rowling enjoys the feeling that wizards would continue to use this dead language in their everyday life.

In a very early draft of Philosopher's Stone (around 1994), Draco's last name was "Spungen".

J.K. Rowling on Draco

Below are the author's quotes about her character from the Connection Interview (October 1999, transcribed by Catwoman at SQ) and the Leaky Cauldron/Mugglenet Interview 2005.

"He is the bully of the most refined type in that unlike Dudley, Harry's cousin who is a physical bully, but really not bright enough to access all of your weak points. Draco is, um, he's a snob. He's a bigot and he's a bully, and as I say, in the most refined sense, he knows exactly what will hurt people."

"I think Draco would be very gifted in Occlumency, unlike Harry. I thought of Draco as someone who is very capable of compartmentalizing his life and his emotions, and always has done. So he's shut down his pity, enabling him to bully effectively. He's shut down compassion — how else would you become a Death Eater? So he suppresses virtually all of the good side of himself.

But then he's playing with the big boys, as the phrase has it, and suddenly, having talked the talk he's asked to walk it for the first time and it is absolutely terrifying. And I think that that is an accurate depiction of how some people fall into that kind of way of life and they realize what they're in for. I felt sorry for Draco. Well, I've always known this was coming for Draco, obviously, however nasty he was.

Harry is correct in believing that Draco would not have killed Dumbledore, which I think is clear when he starts to lower his wand, when the matter is taken out of his hands."

Harry Potter fandom

Draco Malfoy has developed a large following among many Harry Potter fans as a popular figure in fan fiction, where he is often portrayed as the anti-hero in a romantic relationship with Hermione4, Ginny, Harry, or even Luna.

Actor Thomas Felton escalated the character's claim to fame among fans by giving them a visual portrayal of Harry's nemesis. Felton received more fanmail than the other actors (including the protagonist's actor) yet ironically had never read any Harry Potter books until after the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Author J. K. Rowling also has attributed Draco's popularity to the "bad boy" persona he has on film. To Rowling's despair, many female Harry Potter fans became obsessed with Draco. They deeply admired Malfoy's cunning, ambition, and arrogant streak. "The trouble is, of course, that girls fancy Tom Felton, but Draco is NOT Tom Felton!" Rowling said in an interview5.

Others agree with Rowling and feel that those fans were merely projecting appealing traits onto him that were hitherto nonexistant. This cynical view inspired the mocking, derisive term "Leather-Pants Draco6". On the other hand, Malfoy gained even greater fandom sympathy than before due to the events in Half-Blood Prince that showed that he was not completely evil.

However, there are many fans who took a liking to Draco Malfoy even before the films' creation and Felton's cast. Many of these fans tend to be older and prolific in fanfiction writing and character analysis essays. Some of them rather resent the misconception that all fans of Draco Malfoy are thought as all fans of Tom Felton. These fans realize Malfoy's potential as a dynamic character (since he was developed so little until the sixth book), and they would like to believe that he is not a cardboard black-and-white character. Some prefered Malfoy due to their dislike for the principle protagnists.

Trivia

    After Harry nearly swallows the Snitch in Philosopher's Stone, Malfoy taunts that a wide-mouthed tree frog will be replacing Harry as a Seeker. In Order of the Phoenix, Professor Umbridge bans Harry from the team, replacing him with Ginny Weasley. Draco never knew about his father's involvement in Tom Riddle's diary, otherwise he wouldn't have mistaken it for Harry's. In Chamber of Secrets, Draco knew about Ginny Weasley's crush on Harry Potter. He teased Harry about having a girlfriend when she defended him and he knew she sent Harry the embarrassing Valentine. Like Harry, Malfoy has a tendency to meddle in things that are not his business. Draco rarely talks to anybody he considers a real equal, but he is forced to consider Theodore Nott as one because he is just as pure-blooded and somewhat cleverer.
  • Draco Malfoy's name in the Dutch translation of the books was altered like those of many other characters. He's known as Draco Malfidus to Dutch readers.

 

Please do post your views on him.

 

Edited by Nishani - 17 years ago
Posted: 17 years ago
ok.. tht is too much info tht i didn't know

thanks nishani
Posted: 17 years ago
Originally posted by Nishani


 

Personally, I have this nagging suspicion that Malfoy could turn out good in the last book, considering the fact that he was given a task to do by the Dark Lord and could not fulfil it, showing us that he indeed under that dark and menacing facade, he does show some good qualities and more so that he is like any other 16 year old. I sure hope he turns out for the better.

 

i remember reading one of JKR's interview and she said that draco will never join the good side... i don't know why he couldn't kill Dumbledore tho...

Posted: 17 years ago
i am a big draco malfoy fan


i ship a lot of draco malfoy fan fics
Posted: 17 years ago
Draco, Draco...what do I say about him?

Arrogant, cowardly, intelligent, and shows glimmerings of a conscience now and then. Pretends to know everything, but is really not versed with life's darkness and its reality.

We definitely see that in the HBP, where he initially boasts about becoming a Death Eater. When pressure mounts on him, he cries with Myrtle.

Future prospects: I think he may die in Book 7 fighting for the Death Eaters. Not sure if he'll ever come to the good side. Perhaps he'll want to, but IMO he'll always bow down to other pressures. Edited by T. - 17 years ago
Posted: 17 years ago
Originally posted by SpoILed BraT


i remember reading one of JKR's interview and she said that draco will never join the good side... i don't know why he couldn't kill Dumbledore tho...



 well u never know...

 maye Jo wants to keep it to her self.. maybe... u never know wat is in tht head of hers 😃
Posted: 17 years ago
thanx nishani 😃 der were few things i didnt know
Posted: 17 years ago
wow so much great info i didn't know about draco malfoy and tom felton

thanx
Nikita
Posted: 17 years ago
Draco as a charecter definately is grey... he's a bit more like snape (we're not going to discuss him here though)

he's more like the typical slytherin who sides with and gives into those in a position of power. he's one of those who like to enjoy power and the perks that come with it... but in that he too shady... not being entirely bad or entirely good.. but with shades of grey....

Prediction for book 7

Book 7 n draco.... hmmmm what will be his fate...
we'll whatever it may be there is one thing that is clear and that is that he is now (post HBP) too important in the plot line to just play a side charecter role... he as a charecter has largely been undeveloped in the plot line till the pen-ultimate book.. so we can definately see further meaningfull development in his charecter profile than just running around Voldy (like Peter 😊 ) we'll see more role play for him in book 7....

as we have seen in book 6 (the last chapter if you please) we see a dramatic change of viewpoint of harry's towards draco (he's literally worried about him and narcissa )

we'll thatz about all..

tejas
Posted: 17 years ago
Originally posted by nikita_88


wow so much great info i didn't know about draco malfoy and tom felton

thanx
Nikita


 is there stuff bout tom felton.. gosh!! i don't remember 😕

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