JK Rowling Explains Why Draco Malfoy Is So Bad

Harry Potter creator JK Rowling is continually expanding the franchise that made her a household name. For Christmas, Rowling has been publishing a new Harry Potter short story every day from December 12-23, and is apparently focusing a story on consistent antagonist Draco Malfoy (played by Tom Felton in the films). A part of the fandom has latched on to Malfoy as a romantic figure, and Rowling has decided to comment on it.

“Draco has all the dark glamour of the anti-hero; girls are very apt to romanticise such people,” she said. “All of this left me in the unenviable position of pouring cold common sense on ardent readers’ daydreams, as I told them, rather severely, that Draco was not concealing a heart of gold under all that sneering and prejudice and that no, he and Harry were not destined to end up best friends.”

Malfoy is also the subject of one of Rowling’s upcoming stories on Pottermore wherein she’ll be exploring Malfoy’s back story and why he is so villainous. In short, Rowling said he “was raised in an atmosphere of regret that the Dark Lord has not succeeded in taking command of the wizarding community,” wrote Rowling, noting that he and the rest of the Malfoys thought Harry could be be “another, and better, Voldemort.”