Does Draco Malfoy even need an introduction? Over the course of seven Harry Potter books and eight films, where he was played by Tom Felton, the arrogant Slytherin made enough of a name for himself. A bad name, anyway. Draco was the archetypal school bully. Rich, snobby, and prone to insulting anyone and everyone around him. Even though none of us had ever gone to a wizarding school, we all recognized this guy. However, while the idea of Draco Malfoy became one of a smug, ineffective jerk, largely thanks to the movie's portrayal, he was responsible, directly or indirectly, for more bad things in the Harry Potter series than most people realize.

Part of that is because Draco sort of got redemption in the end. Or at least, he realized the error of his ways. From the moment where he couldn't end Dumbledore, the kid had some sympathy going for him. However, that's kind of covered up some of his dirtier deeds. Going back through the books and films, Draco was more than just a nuisance to Harry and company. He was outright malicious.

Some of this stuff isn't Draco's fault. He was caught up in a pretty bad situation near the end. However, some of it he really did mean and a lot of fans overlook it. No matter how things turned out, at the start of it all, he was not a good person.

Here are 20 Things Wrong With Draco Malfoy We All Choose To Ignore.

He Got Off Scot-Free

Let's not avoid the subject. The worst thing about Draco Malfoy is that he got away with working for Voldemort. He and his family willingly worked for the Dark Lord, and were among his most loyal ers, but because they redeemed themselves right near the end it's all okay. They suffered no consequences at all. No time in Azkaban. No house arrest. Not even some community service.

Now we don't doubt that Draco and his family were genuine in their defection. Draco especially saw how bad Voldemort really was. However, they all still did terrible things while working for him. According to the Harry Potter wiki, Draco's dad Lucius copped a plea deal for his family to avoid jail time but come on. There still should have been some consequences.

Draco In Leather Pants

There's a phenomenon online that TV Tropes refers to as "Draco in Leather Pants." This is when a male villainous character inexplicably draws a huge female fanbase. A fanbase really willing to forgive them for their crimes. It is named, of course, after Draco Malfoy. What exactly is so attractive about Draco is unclear.

Most people chalk it up to him being a "bad boy" and fans wanting to "fix him." Even J.K. Rowling has weighed in on this. She doesn't get it either. In an interview, she said, "that's the only time it stopped amusing me and almost started worrying me. I'm trying to clearly distinguish between Tom Felton, who is a good-looking young boy, and Draco, who, whatever he looks like, is not a nice man. It's romantic, but unhealthy." Beauty must be in the eyes of the beholder.

He's a Hogwarts Grad (And Harry is Not)

Here's one thing Draco will always have over on Harry. He actually finished his magical education. Yes, while Harry and company spent their seventh year hunting Horcruxes, Draco was still at Hogwarts and working toward graduating. And he would have to, if a giant battle hadn't broken out at the end of Deathly Hallows.

Still, Draco did technically finish his education. Even after Voldemort was defeated, Harry didn't return to Hogwarts to finish out his schooling. Hermione did, naturally, but both Harry and Ron abstained. We don't know if Hogwarts hands out diplomas, but if they do, Draco could wave that around to try and make Harry jealous of him for once. Not that it would probably work.

Related to Sirius Black

Most of the Pureblood wizarding families in Harry Potter seem to take after the royal families of Europe. Because they're both wicked complicated and hopelessly twisted up. For example, Draco Malfoy is actually related to Sirius Black. Sort of. By marriage. See, we said it was complicated. Okay, here's how this works.

Draco's mom Narcissa is sisters with Bellatrix Lestrange. She's Draco's maternal aunt. Bellatrix is also Sirius Black's cousin on his father's side. So Sirius would be Draco's first cousin, once removed on his mother's side. This is what happens when you get so obsessed with blood purity. Your family tree ends up more tangled than a string of Christmas lights. It is just another weird connection Draco and Harry have.

Green With Envy

The reason Draco hates Harry so much is more complicated than it seems. Most readers would just assume it's because Draco is a rich, snobby jerk. He looks down on Harry for having dead parents and hanging out with the poor kid. But the real reason Draco zones in on Harry so much goes deeper. Draco is jealous of Harry.

He didn't show it much because he was good at hiding his feelings, but it was confirmed on Pottermore that much of Draco's enmity stems from his envy of Harry. Draco was raised to believe he was special, so seeing Harry becoming more popular and well-liked at school broke that illusion. He was especially angry that Harry was a better broom-rider than him, because it was one of the few skills Draco had an actual talent for.

Friends With Harry

It's easy to forget but Draco actually tried to befriend Harry the first time they met. In the book of Sorcerer's Stone, not the movie. It's true. While getting his school robes in Diagon Alley, Harry ran into Draco doing the same and the Malfoy boy was nothing but cordial. Granted, he didn't know who Harry was yet and immediately launched into some casual disparaging of Hagrid and Muggle-borns. Not the best first impression, but still, he offered Harry his friendship again on the Hogwarts Express.

This was less than genuine as Draco thought Harry was a powerful Dark Wizard and wanted to impress his father by the association. However, Harry thought Draco was too much like his Muggle cousin Dudley and turned him down. Thus, their rivalry was born.

Insulting Hermione

Back when Chamber of Secrets came out, few readers probably would have guessed how important some of that book's events would become. Tom Riddle's diary being a Horcrux is probably the biggest, but another would come straight from the mouth of Draco Malfoy. He was the first person to use "Mudblood" as an insult.

In fact, that was where the whole notion of wizard blood purity in the series came from. At the time, calling Hermione a "Mudblood" was just another way of showing Draco as the elitist person that he was. However, as we know, as the series continued and we learned more about what Voldemort's actual agenda was, that slur took on greater weight. Even with a throwaway line, Draco sets terrible things in motion.

Trying To Get Hagrid Fired

Draco didn't seem to have respect for any of his Professors at Hogwarts, but he really didn't like Hagrid for some reason. Heck, he was dissing Hagrid way back in the first book before he even got to Hogwarts. But his weird antipathy toward the Hogwarts gamekeeper peaked during Prisoner of Azkaban, when he tried getting Hagrid fired.

If you'll it was during Hagrid's first class as the Care of Magical Creatures professor. Draco, in his infinite wisdom, antagonized Buckbeak the hippogriff and got his arm scratched for his trouble. Though it wasn't a deep wound, Draco exaggerated the pain and tried using it as an excuse to get Hagrid fired. Thankfully, this didn't happen but Buckbeak did have to escape into the wild with Sirius Black.

working with rita

Why did nobody believe that Voldemort had returned in Goblet of Fire? This was a big plot point on Order of the Phoenix, so why was it? Like many things, it was Draco Malfoy's fault. During the Triwizard Tournament in Goblet of Fire, Draco was an informant for tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter.

He was the one who gave her the idea to write sensational, embellished, and likely libelous stories about Harry and company. If you don't this, it was a bigger part of the book than the movie. However, because of Skeeter's articles, Harry's credibility has been destroyed. So when he was the one saying Voldemort had returned, nobody thought he was worth believing. Yet another petty act of Draco's with wider consequences.

Working for Umbridge

Speaking of Order of the Phoenix, here's your reminder that Draco chose to work with Prof. Umbridge during her tyrannical reign at Hogwarts. He was a key member of her Inquisitorial Squad, students who willingly enacted her draconian rules. They were all Slytherins too.

He probably relished the chance to have his bullying protected and encouraged by those in authority. That would be bad enough, but Draco took it one step further by being the person who ratted out Dumbledore's Army to Umbridge. He caught Harry coming out of their practice room one night and tattled on him. In the movie, it's worse. Draco and his goons caught Cho Chang and forced her to give Dumbledore's Army up. It says something about a guy when Voldemort isn't the worst person he's worked for.