Summary
Draco made an unlikely friend in theHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Princebook that absolutely must be in HBO’s upcoming remake. The relationship was cut from theHarry Pottermovies, and this has led even book fans often overlook it. There wasn’t much time dedicated to the connection, and there is never a mention of what became of it. However, the fact that Draco wound up in this friendship, to begin with, emphasizes how much he had changed over the years, especially since the events ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princewas a tough yearfor Draco Malfoy. He initially believed this was when he would finally prove himself, tasked with finding a way to get Voldemort’s Death Eaters into Hogwarts and murdering Albus Dumbledore. Of course, he had been set up to fail. Draco didn’t realize that Voldemort was using him to punish Lucius Malfoy, and the stress and failure took a significant toll. What’s more, the youngMalfoy quickly realized that he didn’t want to kill, despite his previous belief that Muggle-borns deserved death. This was when Draco made the most unlikely friend.
HBO’s Harry Potter TV Show: Cast, Updates & Everything We Know
Harry Potter is being remade as a television show for HBO and every detail about the next adaptation featuring the Boy Wizard can be found here.
Draco Developed A Surprising Friendship With Moaning Myrtle In Half-Blood Prince
Moaning Myrtle Was A Muggle-Born Murdered By Tom Riddle
Draco spent a lot of time crying in the bathroom in his fifth year, which happened to be the favorite pasttime of Moaning Myrtle. This ultimately led to the pair meeting and, surprisingly, developing a connection. Though it wasn’t until the bathroom duel scene intheHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Princebookthat Harry realized who Myrtle had become friends with, he knew there was a boy in the school that the ghost had taken a liking to. She told him as much, dropping the first few hints about just how dire Draco’s situation had become:
“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!”
“There’s been a boy in here crying?” said Harry curiously. “A young boy?”
Myrtle refused to say who she was talking about, noting that the “boy” had confided in her secrets that she would never repeat. Of course, it’s later clear that Draco had told her about the pressure he was under and the terrible fate he and his family would suffer if he failed.Draco confiding in Myrtle shows how desperate he had become and how few people he had to turn toas he slowly realized that being a Death Eater wasn’t all it had been cracked up to be. However, it also demonstrates just how much he had changed sinceHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Moaning Myrtle Was Used To Create Contrast Within Draco’s Personal Arc
Moaning Myrtle was first introduced inChamber of Secretswhen it was ultimately revealed that she had been the victim ofTom Riddle’s Basilisk. In truth, she was Voldemort’s first victim—a Muggle-born the Dark Lord purged from the school. When Harry discovered this,Draco had been cheering on whoever had opened the Chamber of Secrets, publicly stating that he himself would love to see the Muggle-borns of Hogwarts dead. Of course, he was only a boy with no idea what he was talking about. ByHalf-Blood Prince, he realized that murder wasn’t so light a thing.
The fact that Draco became friends with Voldemort’s first victim while trying to carry out the Dark Lord’s orders is deeply ironic.
The fact that Draco became friends with Voldemort’s first victim while trying to carry out the Dark Lord’s orders is deeply ironic. As a Muggle-born,Myrtle represented everything the Death Eaters stood against, but she ended up being the only person Draco could talk tothrough this horrible, tumultuous time. This friendship emphasized that despite finally achieving his dream of becoming a Death Eater, Draco no longer felt the same way he had as a child in theChamber of Secrets. Moaning Myrtle reflected Draco’s immense vulnerability and juxtaposed his supposed hatred for her kind.
Other Ways Draco Malfoy’s Half-Blood Prince Story Parallels Chamber Of Secrets
These Are The Two Most Important Books In Draco’s Story
Though they are set years apart from one another,Chamber of SecretsandHalf-Blood Princeare perhaps the most closely related books of theHarry Potterseries. There are dozens of ways in which the former set up the latter—in both books, Harry suspected Draco of attempted murder, stepped into memories of Lord Voldemort’s past, and interacted with Horcruxes. Additionally,theChamber of Secretsfirst introduced the Vanishing Cabinet(Harry hid inside it at Borgin and Burkes), which Draco used to sneak Death Eaters into Hogwarts inHalf-Blood Prince.
Then, of course, there is Moaning Myrtle. Though she appeared in otherHarry Potterbooks, these were the two in which she played the most prominent roles within the central mystery. She and the other common characteristics ofChamber of SecretsandHalf-Blood Princeall serve to create contrast between the person Draco was at the beginning of the series compared to who he was at the end—a naive pure-blood boy who despised Muggle-borns and craved power and a young man who realized that the hateful ideology he had been raised with was wrong and dangerous.
Though Draco continued to revere the Dark Arts, he no longer aligned with pure-blood ideology as an adult (according toWizarding World).
HBO’s Remake Can Lean Into The Irony Of Draco’s Connection To Moaning Myrtle
Moaning Myrtle’s Friendship Can’t Be Cut From The Remake Like In The Movies
Draco and Myrtle’s friendship wasn’t alltheHarry Pottermovies cut, and this is precisely why HBO’s TV remake of the series is so exciting. As a book-faithful adaptation, the show should restore everything, big and small, that Warner Bros' films simply didn’t have time for. Ultimately, this will mean a much stronger story than had been brought to the screen previously since all the parallels and bits of symbolism would be back where they belong. Of course, with episodes upon episodes to work with,HBO’s remake could feasibly lean into Draco’s story even more than theHarry Potterbooksdid.
Despite being an antagonist for most ofHarry Potter, Draco has always been a fan-favorite character. He’s despicable, but as the story begins to explore what his home life would have been like, it’s much easier to understand why Draco turned out the way he did. HBO’s remake can take this even further by adding scenes demonstrating the indoctrination Draco was raised in at Malfoy Manor. Then, some additional scenes of Draco connecting with Moaning Myrtle and learning that the Muggle-born ghost isn’t so bad after all could go a long way, too.
Harry Potter
Cast
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.
