The One Thing Draco Malfoy Did To Help Harry Potter
Almost any "Harry Potter" fan might tell you that for all Draco Malfoy's (Tom Felton) bullying of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), there are still aspects of the character that they can sympathize with. Throughout the first few "Harry Potter" books and films up until "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Draco is almost completely unlikeable in the way he treats other members of his House and the golden trio. In the movies, we are even truly able to see the hatred that Draco is able to create in the otherwise curious and understanding Harry.
This has a lot to do not always with what Draco does to Harry but with how he has humiliated both Ron and Hermione — which Harry will not stand for. In "Half-Blood Prince," we finally see Harry's hatred bubble over in his and Draco's brief duel in the bathroom when Harry uses Sectumsempra, a curse invented by Professor Snape (Alan Rickman). Fortunately, Snape is able to reach Draco in time to save him from bleeding out, although a stunned Harry is left to come to terms with what he accidentally did — and where his bitterness toward Draco was leading him.
For many fans (via Reddit), Draco's near-death experience following his internal struggle seemed to change things for the character, leading him to do one thing to help Harry. Here's what we know.
Draco didn't reveal Harry's identity in Deathly Hallows - Part 1
During the events of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1," the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione are captured by Snatchers in the woods and taken to Malfoy Manor. In a last-ditch attempt to hide Harry before their capture, Hermione casts a spell that heavily disfigures his face to confuse their captors. This works surprisingly well, ultimately leading the Death Eaters to bring in Draco for confirmation of whether it's Harry or not. To the trio's surprise, he is unable to — although it should seem fairly obvious to Draco given the amount of time he has spent around Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
There are plenty of fan theories on Reddit as to why Draco does this. Some, like u/dalexallen, believe that Draco's decision didn't come from a newfound care for Harry, but merely the fear and cowardice that Draco has always shown. They explained that he's terrified of his father and of Voldemort, so he did not want to take the chance of being wrong if it really wasn't Harry. They also noted that both Harry and Draco avoided eye contact with each other, likely due to fear of being identified for Harry and self-preservation for Draco.
Either way, whether out of mere fear or an earned care and respect for Harry, Draco not revealing Harry's identity to Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) in "Deathly Hallows – Part 1" surely saved the trio's lives, ultimately helping them defeat Voldemort.