Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy unexpectedly becomes Lunar New Year mascot

Who predicted that in 2026, Tom Felton and Draco Malfoy would be making such a comeback?

Now, it's undeniable that the Harry Potter franchise is a beloved one worldwide, and so too are many of its actors, as eagle-eyed fans spotted one in the new Bridgerton episodes – but it seems one in particular is all the rage in a certain country, due to its meaning in another language.

It seems that, as one of the villains that everybody loves to hate, Draco Malfoy has become something of an unexpected mascot in China.

Tom Felton, the actor who played the character in the original film, recently made a comeback to reprise the role of Draco in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but that's not why his face is being plastered across banners and various memorabilia.

Tom Felton recently reprised the role of Draco on Broadway (Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage)

It turns out that in Mandarin, the name Draco Malfoy is transliterates to 'Mǎ’ěrfú'. According to The Guardian, the first character means 'horse', while 'fú', means 'fortune' or 'blessing'. The latter is regarded as a very potent and powerful symbol which commonly appears on lunar new year celebrations.

Combined, the name loosely translates to 'horse fortune', a combination which suggests auspicious good luck to those celebrating the year of the horse for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Images of a happy young Draco have been plastered on posters and banners, as people wish to share the fortune. Picture of the character have also been edited onto horses, or being made to ride horses.

One of the banners reads: “Magical awakening that attracts abundant wealth."

Felton himself has seemingly been delighted by the news that his character has become the face of the Lunar New Year, as he reposted in an Instagram story a photo of his face on a red banner that appears to be in a shopping mall in China.

Fans underneath the original post were surprised but delighted for the British actor.

The actor doesn't seem to mind his newfound status as a mascot (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)

One wrote: "I'm confused, but I like it!"

"But doesn't his name mean dragon?" queried one, with a Chinese fan responding: "In English yes, but when we translate Draco to Chinese characters based on pronunciation , it consists of “horse” and “fortunate”'

"His father will hear about this," joked another.

"This was not on my bingo card, honestly," added one fan, while one summarised it: "This is the funniest thing I've ever seen, how wholesome."

According to CGTN, more than 200 million copies of the Harry Potter books have been sold in China. It was also previously revealed that Warner Brothers Discovery is set to build a Harry Potter studio tour in Shanghai. Not only that, but it will be significantly larger than the existing studio tours in London and Tokyo.

There isn't an exact opening date for your diary just yet, but it is predicted to open some time in 2027. It will be the 'first tour of its kind in China', and will cover 53,000 square metres.