Here are a few titbits about our favourite – but also least favourite – Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. Some you might have missed, and some you might just not know! Or maybe you're a Draco expert and know them all? Find out.

Draco was a Gemini

Forgive us for going a bit Professor Trelawney on this point, but if Draco is a Gemini then that would mean he and Harry should have been friends. Draco’s birthday was 5 June, making him a Gemini in the zodiac. Geminis are supposed to get on quite well with Leos, which Harry happened to be. On top of that, Gemini are distinctly opposed to Virgo and Pisces. Who has those star signs? That’s right, Hermione and Ron! Well, let's not forget that Malfoy did attempt to befriend Harry on their first meeting.

He was more jealous of Harry than he let on

Specifically, Draco was jealous of Harry. It was easy to miss because Draco didn’t often show his emotions, modelling himself on his cold, confident, calculating father, but J.K. Rowling has confirmed that a lot of his enmity towards Harry stemmed from envy. Draco was brought up to believe he was very special, so it jarred with him that Harry was more admired at school than he was. He was, apparently, also very upset that Harry was a better flier than him, flying being one of the only things Draco could rightfully believe he was actually good at.

He was a gifted Occlumens

When we recall the details of Draco’s plan to sneak Death Eaters into Hogwarts, we often forget how he managed to keep it a secret. Draco was, while still only a teenager, a very gifted Occlumens, and could keep other wizards out of his head. This was quite unlike Harry, who could never really master Occlumency because he kept his heart on his sleeve, as it were. J.K. Rowling has explained the reason for this difference:

‘I thought of Draco as someone who is very capable of compartmentalising his life and his emotions, and always has done. So he’s shut down his pity, enabling him to bully effectively. He’s shut down compassion – how else would you become a Death Eater?’
The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview, 16 July 2005

J.K. Rowling doesn't recommend going out with him

Although Draco was loving towards his parents, J.K. Rowling has said numerous times that she doesn’t get why so many fans fall for him, even describing herself as ‘unnerved’ by it. Despite having a moral core that meets the absolute minimum standards for decency, Draco was not in any way a nice person. She does not ‘discount the appeal of Tom Felton, who plays Draco brilliantly in the films’, but even he has said he thinks Ron Weasley would be a much better boyfriend.

I'm not too sure Draco would be a good boyfriend. Ron however? https://t.co/L8E9fueN7M

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 21, 2015

On Draco’s thirty-fifth birthday, J.K. Rowling also commented that Draco was holding a grudge about this, tweeting: ‘I’m not invited to the party, mainly because I keep telling girls they’re misguided to fancy him.’

Draco turns 35 today. I'm not invited to the party, mainly because I keep telling girls they’re misguided to fancy him. https://t.co/L8E9fueN7M

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 5, 2015

His name is rather telling

Draco’s first name comes from the Latin for dragon, and is also the name of a constellation in the northern sky. Malfoy is of French extraction, mal foi, and means ‘bad faith’, or ‘unfaithful’, and Draco did manage to live up to this name by being generally sneaky most of the time.

But his name was almost something completely different

Malfoy could, in earlier drafts, have ended up with Smart, Spinks or Spungen as a last name, which are not as impressive. He wasn't the only one who went through a name change - you can see a few more here.

The actor who portrays him is actually a Gryffindor

Despite Draco being a staunch Slytherin, Tom Felton's house is a little bit different, as he discovered on this very website. And he wasn't best pleased with the result...

Today was the day. I finally did it. I joined Pottermore and was sorted into........Gryffindor. Heart broken x #slytherinforlife

— Tom Felton (@TomFelton) January 21, 2015

Tom also discovered a rather surprising Patronus for himself, which you can find out here...

The Malfoys have connections to royalty

The Malfoy ancestral manor was in Wiltshire, and was given to them by King William I. Whether they meant to or not, the Malfoys lived very much like rich Muggles, who traditionally cultivated large lawns and grounds around their houses, and kept peacocks to show off that they didn’t need to farm any food or livestock for themselves, which is exactly what the Malfoys did.

In fact, the Malfoys expanded their lands over time by annexing more that belonged to their Muggle neighbours, and were active in Muggle high society for years until the Statute of Secrecy. They were even rumoured to dabble in Muggle finances to increase their wealth. How would Draco react if it was pointed out how many half-blood wizards made up the leaves of his family tree, do you think? It would seem that the Malfoys have been hypocrites for centuries.

You can learn more about the Malfoy family tree here.

His fashion sense never changes

When Draco attended the Yule Ball he wore black velvet dress robes with a high collar, ‘which in Harry’s opinion made him look like a vicar’. More than 20 years later, when he was dropping his son off for the Hogwarts Express, Draco was in ‘a dark coat buttoned up to his throat’. Well, if you know what works for you, you know what works. Either that or you’re very stubborn. Surely not, Draco?

You can learn more about Draco here with our handy infographic.