Summary
The HBOHarry PotterTV show is coming to screens soon, giving the franchise the chance to reimagine its best characters, andit is time to assess which Draco Malfoy moments must be included in the TV show. TheHarry Potterbooks shaped the millennial cultural landscape so deeply that even those who didn’t read them were impacted, experiencing a puberty’s worth of Harry Potter references that helped define their youth. The ensuing movies are a staple of millennial existence, including their manifestation of the bigotedDraco Malfoy and his family.
Far from having to fix problems with what exists,the TV show can breathe new life into what is wonderful about Dracoand other characters. Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy should be referenced and celebrated in theHarry PotterTV show, allowing for a respectful addition to the franchise. This new Malfoy has the opportunity to crystallize the cruelty of the character in the first half of the book series, and subsequently, the incredible and painful 180 that Draco went through to emerge deeply changed by the end of the books.
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10Draco And Harry’s First Meeting
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (1997)
When Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter first met in J.K. Rowling’s unparalleled book series, it was in Madam Malkin’s robe store in the first book in the series, 1997’sHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This chapter inthe books demonstrated Draco’s bigotrywhen he asked Harry if he was “our kind,” referring to purebloods. This was skipped in the movies but provided good setup for the antipathy to come.
Draco’s bigotry was always laid bare in theHarry Pottermovies, but viciousDraco Malfoy quotesfrom book one, like “you’ll go the same way as your parents,” will be key to establishing Draco as Harry’s foil in the coming TV show. Draco’s growth was masterfully tackled in the books, imparting important messages, so the show would be right to focus in on this. However,the show must reveal Draco to be a cruel, bigoted bullyinitially, and audiences have to hate him for it.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Cast
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the US - follows the titular Harry Potter as he discovers he has magical powers. Living with his cruel aunt and uncle, the orphaned Harry lives a challenging life that is changed when he meets a gentle giant named Hagrid, who spirits him away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
9Buckbeak Putting Draco In His Place
Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
InHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Rowling’s 1999 book three of theHarry Potterseries, and in the movie of the same name,Draco’s Buckbeak encounter was hilariousand a great counterpoint to Harry’s. Draco’s maltreatment of Buckbeak showed off his arrogance and disrespect for any form of life other than pureblood wizards. His comeuppance in the form of a Buckbeak injury was satisfying and has its place in the show.
Draco’s injury was, of course, a catalyst for the whole plot ofPrisoner of Azkaban, so the show must include this pivotal moment. Without much doubt that it will be included, all that is left to say is thatthe show should make this moment funny, but could also make it heavy. The camera could push in on Buckbeak’s face after he injures Draco, with the soundtrack dropping off, foreshadowing Buckbeak’s fate and making it clear how vulnerable Draco renders innocent life.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: In Harry’s third year at Hogwarts, he faces more complex magical challenges and encounters fear-inducing Dementors. The escape of the notorious wizard Sirius Black from Azkaban casts a shadow over the school year, presenting new threats and mysteries for Harry and his friends to unravel.
8Foreshadowing The Draco Hermione Moment From Cursed Child
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child (2016)
One Draco-Hermione moment fromHarry Potter and the Cursed Childbeats everyDraco-Hermione fanfictionin existence, and the TV show would be right to foreshadow it. Years after the originalHarry Potterstory, it finally seemed right for J.K. Rowling to allow Draco and Hermione a moment of connection that powerfully cemented Draco’s character development.Draco went from a racist young bully to, in his adulthood, “being bossed around by Hermione Granger… and… mildly enjoying it.” This was funny but also a hugely cathartic moment for a character whose redemption had been ambiguous for so long.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Childprovided a spike in interest and profit for theHarry Potterfranchise, but its story wasn’t to everyone’s taste. The play premiered in London’s West End in July 2016 and is still showing around the world.
Here, finally, Draco was admitting respect, albeit of a somewhat carnal nature, for Hermione and everything she represented. He did this without any macho posturing or self-preserving, but with humor and flirtation. Draco Malfoy had finally mellowed, landing in the morally upright place he was heading to and finding peace, after nearly 20 years of uncertainty.It wouldn’t be untoward for the TV show to build to this moment and dramatize Draco’s conflictby dropping hints of a crush on Hermione, despite bullying her.
7Harry Using The Sectumsempra Curse
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2005)
A hugely important moment in both the books and movies that theHarry PotterTV show must include is Harry’s use ofthe Sectumsempra curseon Draco. For starters, because this moment is part of a great duel, andgreat duels should feature heavily in the show. Secondly, because the show really needs to offer more closure on Snape’s tragic death, showing moments of his backstory, like his knowledge and creation of this curse.
Mostly, the show should feature this unforgettable Harry-Draco showdown because it is probably one ofHarry Potter’smost epic moments. The Sectumsempra curse showed the story’s capacity for adult darkness and a YA audience in what had begun as a children’s story.The show will inevitably lean into the show’s YA and adult audience, given the prevalence of this age group in the fandom.
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6Draco’s Friendship With Moaning Myrtle
Draco Malfoy’s unlikely friendship with the ghost Moaning Myrtlewas alluded to in the books and not explored in the movies. This is one part of the franchise where the TV show could set itself apart and faithfully depict the source material, but creatively. It could show, in detail, and from Draco or Myrtle’s perspective, what the book’s dialogue only referred to. Shirley Henderson’sMyrtle was a resident of the girls' bathroom on the second floor, where Draco found himself going to cry in privateduringHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This led the two to talk and develop a friendship in the book:
“But I thought he liked me,” she said plaintively. “Maybe if you two left, he’d come back again. … We had lots in common. … I’m sure he felt it. …”
And she looked hopefully toward the door.
“When you say you had lots in common,” said Ron, sounding rather amused now, “d’you mean he lives in an S-bend too?”
“No,” said Myrtle defiantly, her voice echoing loudly around the old tiled bathroom. “I mean he’s sensitive, people bully him too, and he feels lonely and hasn’t got anybody to talk to, and he’s not afraid to show his feelings and cry!”
Moaning Myrtle was Voldemort’s first victim - unless you count the animals he tortured as a child. Considering that Draco was a Death Eater employed by Voldemort as an assassin, their improbable friendship was a huge indicator of where Draco’s heart really lay at the time - miles away from Voldemort. More than just foreshadowing Draco’s redemptive acts,Draco’s vulnerability in any relationship at this point was redemptivein and of itself, considering his bravado. This moment offers the show pathos and could easily constitute a peak point in an episode.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released in 2009, continues the saga of Harry Potter as he faces growing threats from Lord Voldemort. While navigating the complexities of teenage romance, Harry and Dumbledore seek crucial information to thwart Voldemort’s plans, leading to pivotal encounters that alter the dynamics of Hogwarts.
5Malfoy Demonstrating His Character Growth
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (2007)
TheHarry Pottermovies portrayed Draco’s growth beautifully but had to condense a lot of subject matter, and the TV show could add in facets of Draco’s character development that the movies couldn’t. There is adeleted scene forHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2that shows Draco throwing Harry his wand to assist in his fight against Voldemort. This heroic act wasn’t in the books, which may have been why it was cut in the end, but it shows howthe movies were tussling with how to fit in Draco’s character development.
Although this scene wasn’t canonical, there were numerous points in the books where Draco proved his complexity. TheHarry PotterTV show can adapt these points. For instance, “are you sure you may handle that broom” is excellent banter from Draco directed at Harry, exemplifying that the Slytherin was capable of light-hearted jibes, as well as darkly problematic ones.Draco grew into someone motivated by fear instead of arrogance, and the cold reality of growing up started to humble him, and this is what the TV show should depict.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 follows Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they embark on a perilous quest to locate and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. Set against the backdrop of a world threatened by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the trio faces numerous challenges without the guidance of their late mentor, Dumbledore.
4Dumbledore Proving Draco’s Good Side
Instructed by Voldemort to kill Albus Dumbledore, which was secretly to punish Draco’s father,Draco made an attempt on Dumbledore’s life, only to be proven incapable. While Draco Malfoy’s inability to kill Albus was out of cowardice, it was also out of a newfound respect for human life. Draco hadn’t realized the value of life until his own and his family’s were to be taken if he did not take Dumbledore’s.
When Draco was confronted with taking Dumbledore’s life, the penny of his hypocrisy dropped, and he faltered, evidently reluctant to harm Dumbledore. This moment proved the inherent dysfunctionality of the Dark Lord’s system.Dumbledore was right when he said that Draco wasn’t an assassin, even though Draco didn’t explicitly defy Voldemort like Harry and his friends.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 concludes the epic saga with Harry, Ron, and Hermione embarking on a perilous mission to defeat Voldemort. As their journey grows increasingly dire, Harry encounters three magical items that provide him powers to confront the dark wizard’s formidable strength.
3Detention In The Forbidden Forest
Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy’s shared detention in the Forbidden Forest was a critical pointinThe Sorcerer’s Stoneand the TV show will have to go there. This was one of the funniest Draco-Harry moments, highlighting Harry’s Gryffindor bravery compared to Draco’s cowardice. It also made the fantasy series spooky, leaning into the horror potential of a series about witches and setting the tone for the rich, varied, and spellbinding story to come. Draco’s banter with Harry in this scene typified what was amazing in the series about the relationship between the two.
Draco Malfoy provided a villainous presence, and the hostility between him and Harry provided much of the books and movies' best drama.The TV show has the chance to demonstrate what was actually saidbetween these two on their mission through the forest, which lasted a while, according to the books. When forced to spend time alone together in danger, it’s very possible that Draco and Harry’s rivalry would have given way to more nuanced conversation. The show could create hilarious bickering to match the books and show what the two scared boys' truce may have looked like.
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2The Show Can Provide An Origin Story For Scorpius' Name
Draco Malfoy’s son with Astoria Greengrass was called Scorpius, and theHarry PotterTV show could explore why. Scorpius was a character that the books and movies showed boarding the train to Hogwarts at the very end.The Malfoys all had clever, symbolic namesthat linked them to mythical evil or spoke volumes about their character, and Scorpius was no exception, recalling the deadly sting of a scorpion. This reflected Draco’s aggression, but attempting murder was traumatic for Draco, so the show could invent a namesake for Scorpius that explains this name choice further.
Astoria Greengrass was a pure-blood but didn’t hold pure-blood supremacy beliefs, and she and Draco raised Scorpius to believe that pure-bloods and Muggles were equal, to the dismay of Draco’s family.
The show will also have to communicate Draco’s growth, which the movies wrestled with. Near the show’s end,giving Scorpius a sympathetic namesake could hammer home Draco’s newly complex worldview. This fleeting scene of seconds or minutes could heroize Draco in a heartbeat, offering a teaser of the redemption that didn’t come full circle untilHarry Potter and the Cursed Child. This is valid, as Draco eventually made some incredibly brave choices. But, of course, the show must balance this to ensure that Draco comes across as a horrible bigot first and a damaged victim second.
1Draco Saving Harry’s Life
Possibly Draco’s best moment was refusing to turn Harry in to the Death Eaters, despite being one of them.Draco was the definitive bully of a generation inHarry Potter, and this must remain the joy of his character, and his identifying feature in theHarry PotterTV show. And yet, by the story’s end, Draco was left with perhaps one other primary defining moment, and that was saving Harry’s life.
Draco obviously knew that Harry stood in front of him, but when asked to identify him so that Voldemort could kill him, Draco insisted, “I can’t be sure.” This simple act saved Harry’s life and showed thatDraco had internally switched sides. Having seen what Voldemort was capable of, he no longer wanted anything to do with him or his regime and wanted Harry to stop him. HBO can bring all this drama to bear on its newHarry Pottershow.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is HBO’s remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling’s popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did.
