The Real Reason Draco Malfoy Tried to Befriend Harry Potter According to JK Rowling
By Hannah Wigandt
Ever wonder how the Harry Potter series would have went if Harry became best friends with Draco Malfoy instead of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger? Undoubtedly he would’ve accepted the Slytherin house with open arms, and Harry and Draco would have terrorized the school together. We’d like to believe that Harry’s character would withstand the evil temptations of Draco even without Ron guiding him to the brave Gryffindor, however.
It’s something to think about though, especially with all the things author J.K. Rowling is now revealing to her audience about the hit series. According to Entertainment Weekly, among the many non-canon facts she’s shared, one has to do with Harry and Draco’s almost-friendship. According to Rowling herself, Draco was raised to believe that Harry was a great dark wizard, which is why he tried befriend him in the first book.
With the creation of Rowling’s website Pottermore, fans can now jump further into the Wizarding World with extensive bios of characters, places, and history. A large amount of the information on the site is not canon, including part of Draco’s bio. This is where it reveals Draco’s father, Lucius Malfoy, believed Harry would follow in Voldemort’s footsteps and become just as great a dark wizard as him. The site reads, “It was comforting to think that he, Lucius, might be in for a second chance of world domination, should this Potter boy prove to be another, and greater, pure-blood champion.”
No matter the reason for Draco wanting to befriend Harry, we’re just glad he didn't.