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As the Year of the Horse approaches, netizens have jokingly crowned Draco Malfoy as a Chinese New Year icon, thanks to a linguistic coincidence in his Chinese name, Ma-er-fu, which contains the characters for "horse" (ma) and "fortune" (fu).

What began as wordplay quickly evolved into a global trend. Chinese e-commerce sites were soon flooded with Malfoy-themed merchandise: couplets, stickers, fridge magnets and posters, as netizens proudly shared photos of Malfoy-inspired decorations adorning their homes and offices.

The meme's popularity surged when Tom Felton, the actor who portrayed Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, reposted several fan creations on social media. The phenomenon – where Harry Potter meets the Chinese zodiac – proves that humor, carried by memes, merchandise and shared festive joy, can transcend language and culture.

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Tom Felton reacts to Malfoy becoming Chinese New Year icon