Mysterious, complex, and dangerous, Draco Malfoy has always been one of Potterheads’ favorite characters to discuss and explore. We can’t really blame them: the combination of his angelic looks and a particular taste for evil and darkness gives him a straight out of romance novel bad boy energy.
However, said energy isn’t explored much in the books. J.K. Rowling chooses to focus mostly on the heart matters of the three main characters.
She does portray Draco as multi-dimensional, but at first glance, it seems she keeps his love life a secret. One thing we know for sure, though: there is a person in Hogwarts who has always had a crush on him.
It’s Pansy Parkinson, the pug-faced Slytherin. Throughout the series, we get to witness the two in situations that suggest they could have been more than friends. Were they in a relationship, though?
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Did Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy date?
On paper, Draco and Pansy are a perfect couple. They are both dominant and confident. They share the same beliefs and background (it is quite possible their families knew each other and the two had met before they went to Hogwarts), they were school prefects and – let’s be honest – they’re both first-class bullies.
Since Draco and Pansy were in the same house and the same year, they had a chance to spend a lot of time together in the Slytherin Common Room, possibly plotting against Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But can you really build a relationship by hating the same people?
Did Pansy Parkinson love Draco Malfoy?
Despite her overall cruel image, Pansy shows a lot of affection and admiration for Draco. She rushed to the hospital wing to visit him whenever he was injured.
Pansy was also Draco’s Yule Ball date. She was very impressed by his Dark Mark, listened to him attentively whenever he spoke, and looked proud when he rested his head on her lap on Hogwarts Express.
She was clearly infatuated and invested. There is no doubt Pansy was at least hoping for a romantic relationship with Draco, but it doesn’t always go both ways.
Did Draco Malfoy have a crush on Pansy Parkinson?
Was Draco interested in a relationship with Pansy as well, or was he too enamored with the darkness to notice and appreciate her feelings? Pansy’s admiration and attention must have been convenient for him.
Behind his confident and self-assured facade, Draco was insecure and was often looking for external approval and appreciation (having a demanding, cold father must have had something to do with it), so having Pansy around was good for his ego.
Draco didn’t seem too invested in the relationship, though: there are no mentions of Draco being caring or affectionate or even attentive towards Pansy.
The truth is, before the task given him by Voldemort, Draco’s passionate love affair was his Death Eater career. He was too focused on gaining his father’s approval and too invested in his own mission to notice Pansy and find time and energy for a romantic relationship.
It looks like Draco just allowed her to stick around whenever he found her useful. She was a good enough ball partner and a faithful cheerleader, but that’s probably it. He didn’t trust her enough to share his struggles with her either.
The fact Pansy had never been the sharpest knife in the drawer (Hermione called her “thicker than a concussed troll” once, and we all know she can be trusted) could have been a factor here, too. We can dislike Draco all we want, but we certainly can’t say he was dumb or lacking talent.
Finally, most Hogwarts students ended up marrying their school sweethearts, but it was not the case for Draco and Pansy. There are no mentions of what happened to Pansy after the Battle of Hogwarts, and Draco seems to have moved on and never looked back.
Final thoughts
Overall, something was definitely going on between the two Slytherin prefects, but if you were to ask them about it yourself, each one would probably describe the situation differently.
To Pansy, Draco was the impressive, mysterious, and promising Death Eater that she was hoping to marry one day. To Draco, Pansy was a convenient and supportive girl to keep around.
It looks like there was a sad and quite dramatic love story happening in the Slytherin Dungeon while we were looking elsewhere.