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Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy’s notorious rivalry is one of the most iconic parts of the franchise. InHarry Potterand the Philosopher’s Stone, the pair instantly start off on the wrong foot when Harry turns down Draco’s offer of friendship. From then on, Harry is consistently provoked and mocked by Draco, resulting in him receivinga well-earned punchfrom Hermione inHarry Potterand the Prisoner of Azkaban. However, as the series progresses, Harry and Draco eventually put their differences aside and become acquaintances.
Ultimately, Harry and Draco have a layered and complex relationship with one another, but eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that the pair actually have more in common than meets the eye.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixintroduced audiences to the remarkable tapestry of the Black family tree. The Blacks are a notorious pure-blooded wizarding family with an eerie connection to the Dark Arts. Due to the scale and significance of the family, the Black family tree connects variousHarry Pottercharacters, but fans may be surprised to learn that Harry and Draco are actually related.
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How Are Draco and Harry Related?
InHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius Black shows Harry the Black family tree, which is displayed on the wall in Grimmauld Place. The tree is incredibly detailed and reveals the family history of centralHarry Pottercharacters, including Bellatrix Lestrange andRegulus Black. However, eagle-eyed fans have spotted a surprising link between Harry and Draco on the Black family tree.
The tapestry reveals that Harry and Draco share an ancestor, Dorea Black. Dorea was a pure-blooded witch who married Charlus Potter – a direct relation toHarry’s grandfather, Fleamont. This means that Charlus is Harry’s great-uncle and Dorea is his great-aunt.
Interestingly, the family tree reveals that Dorea is also the great-aunt of Sirius, Regulus, Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa Black. As someHarry Potterfans may know, Narcissawent on to marry Lucius Malfoyand the pair later had a child together, Draco. This means that Dorea is Draco’s great-great-aunt. Dorea Black is the connecting force between Harry and Draco, making the rivals distinct cousins.
Harry’s Great-Aunt
Draco’s Great-Great Aunt
Due to thetragic deaths of Harry’s parentsand grandparents, the Black family tree shows that Draco is one of Harry’s closest living relatives. Whilst the pair share a notorious rivalry, it seems that Draco and Harry have more in common than they may realize. This family connection may come as a surprise for someHarry Potterfans, but Draco and Harry aren’t the only characters who are surprisingly related.
Which Other Harry Potter Characters Are Related?
The Black family tree reveals that quite a few significantHarry Pottercharacters are related to each other. For example, the Black family tree also surprisingly connects Draco and Ron Weasley. InHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Draco believed that his family were of a higher social status than the Weasleys, as seen viahis infamous declarationto Ron: “Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley”. After this cruel remark, Draco turns back to Harry and tells him:
You’ll soon learn that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.
Draco’s malicious remark about the Weasleys is incredibly ironic considering that he and Ron are actually related. The Black family tree reveals that one of Draco’s relatives, Cedrella Black, married a member of the Weasley family, Septimus. Cedrella and Septimus went on to have three children together, one of whom wasArthur Weasley– Ron’s father. This means that Draco and Ron are distantly related, making Draco’s bigoted pure-blooded ideology even more ironic.
Many fans may know that Sirius and Bellatrix Lestrange are cousins, but others may not realize that Sirius and Narcissa, Draco’s mother, are also cousins. This means that Draco and Sirius are related as second cousins. This is surprising considering that Draco’s family aredevoted Death Eaterswhilst Sirius directly rebelled against this prejudiced pure-blooded ideology.
However, arguably the most shocking relation in the franchise is Harry and Voldemort’s familial connection. The enemies share some infamous relatives - the Peverell brothers. This name may sound familiar to someHarry Potterfans, notably because the brothers inspiredthe tale of the Deathly Hallows. In this infamous tale, each brother possessed one part of the Deathly Hallows, which was formed of The Elder Wand, The Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. Harry’s relation to the Peverell brothers explains how his father came to acquire the Cloak of Invisibility, but Voldemort’s link to the brothers is more obscured. Ultimately, Harry and Voldemort’s relation to the Peverell brothers means that they are distant cousins, which feeds into the theory that the enemies are actually two halves of the same coin.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsexplained that Harry is Voldemort’s final Horcrux, meaning that there is a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul within the ‘Chosen One’. Because of this, Harry and Voldemort are ultimately parallels of one another. For example, they are both half-bloods and both possessthe rare ability to understand Parseltongue. Harry and Voldemort’s familial connection serves as another parallel between the pair. Ultimately, the Harry Potter universe is full of surprising connections, and the Black family tree serves as a reminder that the Wizarding World is smaller than it seems.
Harry Potter
When Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard, he enters a world beyond belief. Aside from continuing his studies at Hogwarts with best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry must also face Voldemort and his dark wizarding forces. The Harry Potter franchise is a worldwide phenomenon, spanning seven books, eight movies, three spinoff movies, a stage play, and numerous video games.
