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About Draco (Books 1-3)

Draco Malfoy makes his first appearance in the series when he and Harry meet while being fitted for
school robes at Madam Malkin's, a clothing shop in Diagon Alley. Not realising that the boy in the store
is Harry Potter—a child whose parents were murdered when he was one year old by the powerful dark wizard
Lord Voldemort—Draco engages him in (for him) polite conversation. Harry, however, is alienated by the
arrogance of Draco, who asks whether the orphan's parents are "our kind" (pure-blood wizards). Draco
then proclaims that "the other sort" (Muggle-borns) should not be allowed at Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, because "they've never been brought up to know our ways". The two boys part
without introductions, but meet again on the Hogwarts Express.
After Draco ridicules Ron Weasley's
family, Harry rejects his offer of friendship and their mutual antagonism is born. According to Rowling,
Malfoy originally makes an effort to be Harry's friend because "it will be cool to turn up at the school
being Harry Potter's friend, because Harry is so famous."However, Harry did not want Malfoy as a friend
because he "has been so rude about Rubeus Hagrid and about Ron, who Harry likes so much". Barely
touching Draco's head, the Sorting Hat places him into Slytherin, where he becomes an instant favourite
of Potions teacher and Slytherin Head of House, Severus Snape. Draco attempts to get Harry expelled by
tricking him into participating in a midnight wizard's duel after secretly informing Argus Filch in
advance, but the plan fails when Harry evades Filch and safely makes it back to his dormitory.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Draco becomes the new Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team after his father,
Lucius Malfoy, donates new, high-quality Nimbus 2001 broomsticks. When Hermione Granger comments that the
Gryffindor players made the team through talent and not bribery, Draco responds by calling her a Mudblood.
This provokes an immediate, violent response from all the Gryffindors present, except Hermione and Harry, who, having been raised by Muggles, do not know what the epithet means. Because of Draco's contempt for Muggle-borns, Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect that Draco is the Heir of Slytherin, who has recently reopened the Chamber of Secrets.
Harry and Ron disguise themselves as Crabbe and Goyle with Polyjuice Potion and infiltrate the Slytherin common
room in an attempt to collect additional information, whereupon they realise that their initial suspicion about Draco
is incorrect.

During Hagrid's debut as Care of Magical Creatures instructor in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the hippogriff,
Buckbeak, attacks Draco after he fails to observe proper protocol while approaching it and insults it.
He exaggerates the extent of his injury, giving Slytherin a chance to postpone their Quidditch match against
Gryffindor until later in the year, and as an attempt to have Hagrid fired. Hermione slaps Draco when he mocks Hagrid for crying over Buckbeak's sentence. Draco, who implies that he is aware of how Sirius Black was supposedly involved in the deaths of Harry's parents, also taunts Harry about the impending threat of Black: "If it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."