Draco Malfoy.
He's our resident bad-boy antagonist throughout most of the beloved Harry Potter franchise (well, other than He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named). A lot of people don't like him and others love him.
I fall into the latter category.
And why you may ask, do I like a character so arrogant, crude and self-centered? I will tell you why.
For one, Draco Malfoy is actually the biggest crybaby. Underneath all of that tough exterior of being downright rude is just a boy with a lot of insecurities and extremely emotional. I can't imagine upholding the prestigious Malfoy name is exactly "easy". Especially with a father like Lucius.
While the tears can sometimes be annoying, I couldn't help but relate to Draco on a spiritual level. I mean, he was just a young thing trapped between a war on the school he had been going to for years and his family siding with dark forces. I'd be a little over-whelmed as well, and it isn't exactly like Draco is the strongest tool in the shed. Sure he's good with some spells and stuff but without a backbone you won't get very far.
Another detail, some of us just can't help falling for those problematic characters. Let's face it, we all like characters that make us want to punch them in the face but also cradle them like they're some small child. Draco Malfoy is a perfect example of that. While we hate him for consistently making rude remarks to Hermione we also pity him for the fact that he was raised in an environment that didn't know any better. You can't really blame him when his father has drilled these long standing attitudes and beliefs about other members of the wizarding society into his head his whole life.
Nonetheless, sometimes I wish I was in the Potter universe so I could give Draco a couple slaps upside the head and hand him a couple textbooks to change that behavior of his. After all, acceptance comes with knowledge!
Continuing on with why I like such a prude character also comes down to his actual physical persona. I'm not going to lie, I find Draco attractive. While some of you out there are cringing at the mere thought of finding him pleasurable to the eye, I know there are those out there nodding their heads in agreement. Especially in his fourth/fifth year he really grows into the platinum blonde hair and fills out the black suit nicely.
We tend to like characters we find physically appealing. I don't need to go into any deep philosophical talk there, that's just a fact. No explanation needed.
Simply put, I like Draco Malfoy. We all have characters from shows, movies, books etc. whom we love that can be just a tad problematic. I think it adds for discussion and keeps things interesting. After all, what fun would it be if we all like the same characters from different fandoms?
