From Page to Screen to Reboot: the Timeline of Harry Potter's Most Infamous Confrontation
By Sarah Jenkins
Q1: In which book and chapter does Draco call Hermione a Mudblood for the first time?
A1: Draco Malfoy uses the slur for the first time in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 7, titled "Mudbloods and Murmurs."
Q2: What curse does Ron cast at Draco, and why does it hit Ron instead?
A2: Ron casts the Slug-vomiting charm (referred to as the Eat Slugs curse). The spell backfires because Ron’s wand snapped earlier in the term after crashing the flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow, causing the curse to fire out through the fractured wood straight into Ron's stomach.
Q3: Did Hermione know what "Mudblood" meant when Draco said it?
A3: In the book, no. Hermione was raised by Muggle parents and had never encountered wizarding slurs, requiring Ron and Hagrid to explain it. In the 2002 film adaptation, she understands it immediately and explains the definition herself while fighting back tears.
Q4: Does Draco Malfoy ever use the slur again later in the series?
A4: Yes. Draco uses the slur repeatedly across subsequent books, notably in The Chamber of Secrets when the message on the wall is discovered ("You'll be next, Mudbloods!"), during Quidditch matches in The Prisoner of Azkaban, and outside the Hogwarts Express in The Goblet of Fire.
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
