Why Do People Like Draco Malfoy? An Analysis by Emma Tong

 SPOILERS AHEAD - DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL THE BOOKS/WATCHED THE MOVIES

In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Harry’s perhaps second-largest antagonist throughout the series, Draco Malfoy, has one main goal – or perhaps two. Besides the strong desire to impress his heartless father, he tries tirelessly to outshine the Boy Who Lived. And while in the magical world, he has not succeeded, in the non-maj (Fantastic Beasts reference) world, he has garnered plenty of affection from fans. In fact, he has become the favorite character of many Harry Potter fans. The pompous pureblood Slytherin has become one of the franchise’s most beloved characters, much to Rowling’s chagrin. Rowling had once exclaimed in an interview that she was unnerved by the sheer number of girls who fell for Tom Felton’s character. 

The morally gray character has received much attention, but Draco is not the only malevolent character to receive this level of adoration. Other antagonistic characters such as Tom Riddle (played by Christian Coulson), Severus Snape (played by Alan Rickman) (although it can be argued that Snape is actually a good character), and Bellatrix Lestrange (played by Helena Bonham Carter) have been the subject of hundreds of headcanon stories. 

Writers take pity on these characters, giving them tragic backstories, that make up for the terrible things they’ve done, and give them a playful and enjoyable (and often times romantic) personality. But why is that? Is it due to the fact that the attractiveness of the actors and actresses playing these characters often surpasses that of the protagonists? Or does it align with the rising trend of a morally gray romantic interest or second lead in literature? Today, I will be discussing the reasons behind the infatuation many harbor for Draco Malfoy. 

At first glance, the first theory is the most feasible, the simplest. Tom Felton is conventionally attractive, which naturally garners much attention. Yet in the books, he is painted in a negative light. 

Draco Malfoy is described in the first book as a “boy with a pale pointed face.” He has sleek platinum blonde hair, often gelled back, and has a passion for bullying. Raised within one of the 28 pureblood families under Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black, he has a trained antipathy for muggleborns such as Hermoine Granger, whom he often calls a mudblood. 

He also harbors a similar animosity towards families he calls “blood-traitors”, like the Weasley family. While part of the Sacred 28 families, their amiable behavior towards muggles marks them as blood-traitors in the eyes of purebloods. The slender boy often has a sinister plot ongoing, whether that be to assassinate Albus Dumbledore or orchestrate the execution of a Hippogriff. 

So why is it that many gravitate towards Draco when Rowling offers the reader a plethora of other appealing characters? The first thing to note is that this isn’t a new trend. For hundreds of other books and movies, people have found themselves irresistibly drawn to the antagonist. In particular, the archetype of the "bad guy with a traumatic past that somehow justifies everything they’ve done wrong" draws people in more so than any other character type. 

Draco Malfoy fits perfectly into this trope. His mother and father are devoted Death Eaters, committing most of their life’s work towards helping the Dark Lord’s plot. His father, in particular, Lucius Malfoy (also the subject of many headcanons), has pushed his family aside, spending more time with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named than his own family. While Draco has suffered from this immensely, never having had a father figure in his life, his mother, Narcissa slowly starts to distance herself from her husband’s side. As the series nears its end, we see her maternal loyalty overpower her commitment to the Dark Lord. 

However, this sudden onslaught of motherly affection for Draco does little to repent his childhood, free of any parental love or guidance. He has grown up under the shadow of an invisible older sibling, the accumulation of the unrealistic expectations the elder Malfoy sets for him. He copes by creating a reputation for himself at Hogwarts, the one place where his father’s presence does not dominate his own. In order to outshine every other student in his grade, he picks on the resident celebrity, Harry Potter. And while he seems like a bully on the outside, he is just a broken boy on the inside yearning for his father’s love. At least, this is the story many headcanon writers craft. 

And while a lot of this may hold merit, it does not ignore the fact that Draco Malfoy was a bully. His prejudice against muggles and countless stacks of gold at Gringotts molds him into a spoiled child who can not bear the presence of anyone with a trace of non-magical blood in their lineage. It doesn’t help that he is a Death Eater, nor the fact that he’s left many Hogwarts students injured in his wake. Of course, the boy has his redeeming qualities. He lied to his father about the identity of Harry Potter, and could not kill Dumbledore (but we all know he was killed anyway), but that doesn’t excuse his venomous behavior in the past. 

This still begs the question, why do people like Draco Malfoy? In fact, why do people like characters like Tom Riddle and Severus Snape, when they were so obviously bad? (Yes Severus was a double agent, but he was only doing it out of his love for Lily. He had no regard for James the night they were killed, and he was a ridiculously mean teacher. He bullied Neville, Hermione, and Ron for no reason.) The reason for this holds true for all other romance books with a similar “mafia grumpy x sunshine” archetype. 

In “Grumpy x Sunshine” tropes, there is often a semblance of “the love interest is mean to everyone except the main character.” That makes sense for most of these characters, as most all of them were bullies, some more vicious than others. A lot of people gravitate towards these kinds of books because they want to be the special person in someone’s life. They want to be the volta, the turning point in someone’s life. They want to be the reason someone heals. They want to be someone’s soft spot, where they’re so special that the other person completely changes around them. 

Snape, a notoriously gruff and mean professor, becomes more endearing when displaying kindness towards a single individual, the reader. A similar concept applies to Draco Malfoy and Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort, also holds an obscene amount of power. This is very attractive for a large abundance of readers.

And as to why there isn’t a lot of headcanon about more blatantly evil characters like the Dursleys, and Dolores Umbridge is because they can’t seem to find a sliver of good in them. Malfoy, Riddle, and Snape are all characters with a traumatic past, and as a reader, we just don’t get any history about the Dursleys or Umbridge. These characters are what readers often classify as morally black. Personas like Harry Potter and Hermione are morally white, while fans often call Malfoy and Snape morally grey. Another thing is that at least to the general population, they aren’t visually that appealing as compared to people like Cedric Diggory or Harry Potter (at least that’s the consensus I get from online forums.)

In conclusion, I believe that Draco Malfoy’s, among many other characters’, popularity in headcanon and normal discussion is largely in part due to the psychological need to be special to someone. It is a little unconventional but makes sense when you think about it. I don’t have anything against this, as I personally like (book) Draco Malfoy quite a bit, but I thought it would be interesting to delve into the reasons for this. Thank you for reading!!