Draco Malfoy: "That's my wand you're holding, Potter."
Harry Potter: "Not anymore. Winners, keepers Malfoy. Who's lent you theirs?"
Draco Malfoy: "My mother."
— Draco requesting Harry Potter give him back his wand[src]

Draco Malfoy's wand was 10" long, made of hawthorn wood, and had a unicorn hair core. The wand was manufactured by Garrick Ollivander and was described by him as being "reasonably springy".[1]



Draco readying his wand before a duel in 1992

Draco presumably received his wand from Mr Ollivander in 1991, just prior to his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In 1997, Draco cornered Albus Dumbledore atop the Astronomy Tower, disarming the Headmaster. He was under orders from Lord Voldemort to kill Dumbledore, and had made multiple attempts over the course of the year to do so, terrified for his family's safety.[2] Draco had no idea that by disarming Dumbledore, he became the master of his wand — the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows[3]. He was unable and unwilling to go through with the murder, and Severus Snape stepped in to kill Dumbledore in accordance with their secret plan[2].

In spring of the following year, Draco was home for the Easter holidays when a group of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback caught Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, and brought the three of them and their other prisoners to the Malfoy Manor. In the skirmish that ensued, Draco was disarmed by Harry, who won the wand from him. Draco's mother gave him her wand to use.

Carried by Harry Potter

—Harry Potter using the wand[src]
Tumblr mqmdbxW40G1qag66no6 250

Harry disarms Draco and wins his wand

In the aftermath of the Escape from Malfoy Manor, Harry had the wand examined by Garrick Ollivander, who concluded that the wand's allegiance had changed to him. The wand was carried by Harry for the remainder of the Second Wizarding War; seeing action in the Break-in at Gringotts as well as during the final climactic Battle of Hogwarts.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort found that the Elder Wand, otherwise known as the Deathstick or Wand of Destiny, which he had taken from Dumbledore's tomb, was not working as impressively as he had hoped. Believing that this was because Snape had its allegiance after killing Dumbledore, Voldemort had Nagini kill Snape. When he and Harry faced off shortly afterwards, Harry corrected him: since Draco had disarmed Dumbledore, he was the true master of the Elder Wand, not Snape. When Harry disarmed Draco in Malfoy Manor, the Elder Wand's allegiance shifted to him. Thus, when Voldemort tried to use the Killing Curse on Harry, the Elder Wand refused to attack him. The curse backfired, defeating the Dark Lord once and for all.[3]

It is unknown if Draco ever got his original wand back. If so, it is unknown if the returned wand would continue to function for him as it had before Harry won it, as it is never stated how a wand that has been won behaves towards its original master afterwards.

Behind the scenes


Draco Malfoy with his wand

  • In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Draco comments that his mother was "up the street looking at wands", when talking to Harry Potter in Madam Malkin's. This suggests the possibility that his wand was purchased for Draco by his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, and that it therefore never "chose him". However, it is much more likely Narcissa was simply comparing the wandmakers' craftsmanship and that Draco joined her afterwards and was chosen by his wand, when she had decided from which wand shop they would make their purchase.
  • Draco's wand wood matches his date of birth in the Celtic tree calendar. However, it is unlikely that this was intentional on J. K. Rowling's part, as she once commented: "I have only used the Celtic assignations for Harry, Ron and Hermione... I liked having a hidden connection between Harry, Ron and Hermione’s wands that only I knew about".[4]
  • Draco's wand (aside from having his mother's wand) is one of the few wands in the film adaptations to have the same design throughout all eight films. But, the prop in the last two films is all-black rather than brown with black handle.
  • In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Harry snaps the Elder Wand rather than repairing his original wand. It is unknown if he kept this wand in its place.
  • In Part 2 of the final film, rather than saying "reasonably springy", Garrick Ollivander describes it as "reasonably pliant".
  • Hawthorn wands are said to be "most at home" with a wizard passing through a period of turmoil. During the last couple of years of owning this wand, Draco Malfoy was under enormous pressure to murder Albus Dumbledore, and immediately afterwards suffered through Voldemort occupying his family's home. Harry Potter claimed mastery of this wand at a time of great turmoil as well, undergoing a robbery of Gringotts Bank and the Battle of Hogwarts within a short time of gaining this wand.
  • Wands with unicorn hair as its core are the hardest to turn to Dark Arts. Although this would seem ironic at first, as Draco's inclination to Dark Arts during his early to middle years (and his success at casting the very dark Imperius Curse) his last years at school led to a change of his lifestyle that made him realise he gone further than he expected, and henceforth turn away from the Dark Arts.
  • According to J. K. Rowling's tweet about the wand designs for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Malfoy's wand nineteen years after the events of Deathly Hallows is made of hawthorn. It is unclear whether this is the same wand, or a newly acquired wand which happened to be made of the same material.


Notes and references
