Unraveling the History of a Harry Potter Character
Lucius Malfoy started the Harry Potter series at his pinnacle of power, but the Dark Lord’s return began his family’s devastating descent. The character was among the more evil of the fantasy series, made even more despicable by his tendency to throw money at a problem rather than get his hands dirty himself. This worked for him for a while, and Lucius’s ties to dark magic and the power and generational wealth of the Malfoy family made the patriarch feel safe in the wizarding world. Water. His entire upbringing had made him feel untouchable, but the events of Harry Potter would prove that this was never the case. Lucius Malfoy was first introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and the man’s nastiness perfectly explained how Draco had gotten to be such a pain. The father of Harry’s rival was different from the other Death Eaters seen throughout Harry Potter in that he was regal, polished, and believed himself to be better than Muggles and the rest of the wizarding world. His wealth and power allowed him to pull strings at Hogwarts, within the Ministry, and in the Death Eaters’ circle—which made Lucius’ loss of influence all the more bitter for him to swallow.
Lucius Malfoy’s Family Wealth Came From Muggle Royalty
To better understand Lucius Malfoy, it is essential to understand his origins. The Malfoy family is extremely wealthy, their fortune acquired centuries before Draco or Lucius were born. Although modern family members would never admit it, Harry Potter’s Malfoy family didn’t always hate Muggles. In fact, ownership of Malfoy Manor was given to the family by William the Conqueror in 1066 in gratitude for Armand Malfoy’s support during the Norman Conquest. After assisting King William in his occupation of England, the Malfoy family continued to use their dark magic to support the royal family. They confront political opponents, turn the tide of war in Britain’s favor, and make good members of the Muggle court fall in love with each other. With each favor, the Malfoy family’s fortune increased. Lucius’s ancestors always believed themselves superior to Muggles, but found that their close ties to the royal family guaranteed their power in England. That all changed with the International Statute of Secrecy, making these transactions illegal. Muggles then become useless to the Malfoy family.
Lucius Was A Hogwarts Prefect & Member Of The Slug Club
By the time Lucius Malfoy arrived, his family had long established themselves as a powerful force in the wizarding world. So it was no surprise when Lucius arrived at Hogwarts and impressed his teachers with his talent. Little is known about this period of this man’s life.However, in Snape’s Pensieve memories in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it’s revealed that Lucius was already a prefect by the time young Severus started school. This means he was about five years ahead of the Marauder generation of Harry Potter. It is also revealed in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that Lucius was a member of Professor Slughorn’s exclusive group, the Slug Club. As a prefect, this was fairly typical. However, when Draco started at Hogwarts, Lucius’ status as a Death Eater had already become public knowledge in the wizarding world. So, despite Slughorn’s preference for children of his past star students, Draco wasn’t invited to become a member.
Lucius Became A Death Eater After Leaving Hogwarts (& Was Given A Special Job)
When Lucius left Hogwarts, there was no reason for him to work. It’s often assumed (thanks to the Harry Potter movies) that he worked at the Ministry of Magic, but this was not the case. Lucius spent a lot of time at the Ministry because he contributed great sums of money to the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and any other official over whom he wanted some influence or control. His family had held the “job” of the general benefactor for generations, and Lucius wasted no time taking over the business. In addition to sinking his golden claws into the Ministry of Magic, Lucius joined up with Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. His wealth and ancient pure-blood ties made him just as valuable to Voldemort as to the various Ministers for Magic of the time. The Malfoys believed that Voldemort’s mission was what they had been waiting years for. It’s unclear exactly when, but at some point, after Lucius Malfoy joined the Death Eaters, Voldemort gave him a special mission to complete. Malfoy Manor is filled with dark artifacts, making it the perfect place to hide the Dark Lord’s Horcrux diary. Lucius never knew the truth about Tom Riddle’s diary – all he knew was that it was the key to the Chamber of Secrets.
Lucius Malfoy Avoided Azkaban After both Wizarding Wars
After Voldemort’s curse rebounded and the First Wizarding War ended abruptly, Lucius Malfoy got lucky. While Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange proudly went to Azkaban after the Dark Lord’s fall, Lucius claimed to have suffered the Imperius Curse. This, combined with several galleons sent to the right people, allowed him to continue life as usual after the war ended. Of course, Voldemort wasn’t too happy about this when he returned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Lucius’s quick abandonment of his allegiance meant that he fell several rungs down the Death Eater ladder after Voldemort’s return. Then, when the Dark Lord learned that his disciple had disobeyed orders and placed the Horcrux Diary at Hogwarts without permission, things got even worse. Lucius was severely punished, but Voldemort gave him a chance to make things right. He orders Lucius to meet Harry Potter at the Department of Mysteries and retrieve the prophecy from him. When the prophecy was broken, any power Lucius still possessed was lost.
Lucius Malfoy Continued To Believe In Wizard Superiority After Harry Potter
Lucius Malfoy’s life did not turn out as he planned. The dark wizard believes that Lord Voldemort will lead his family to rule the Muggle and wizarding worlds. Instead, Lucius and his family spent months suffering among the Death Eaters, constantly fearing that Voldemort would kill them and those they loved. These events caused Draco Malfoy to have a different view of the world. According to the Wizarding World website, Lucius’s son continued to have a passion for dark artifacts but no longer believed in the sanctity of pure blood, a change of heart that the Malfoy patriarch himself did not believe in. share. When Draco married Astoria Greengrass, a Slytherin who also deviated from the pureblood ideal, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were disappointed. Despite all they had endured in their mission to rule Muggles, Lucius still believed that his family deserved that position, and this caused considerable tension when Draco and Astoria decided to teach their son tolerance and acceptance. Ultimately, it shows that Harry Potter’s Lucius Malfoy never learned the lesson of dedicating his life to the idea of blood purity – but at least his son did.