Harry Potter · Character

Lucius Malfoy

Also known as Mr. Malfoy

Supporting
First seen · Book 2 · Ch. 3

Lucius Malfoy is exposed by Dumbledore in Harry Potter (Book 2).

Gender: male
Age: adult
First appears: Book 2 · Ch. 3
Books: 2

Lucius Malfoy is a haughty, pale-faced pure-blood aristocrat and Hogwarts school governor who hides his allegiance to Lord Voldemort behind wealth and social respectability. In Chamber of Secrets he secretly plants Tom Riddle's diary on Ginny Weasley, engineers Dumbledore's suspension, and loses his house-elf Dobby when Harry tricks him into freeing the elf. By Goblet of Fire he is a polished figure in the Minister's Top Box, sneering at the Weasleys and Hermione. When Voldemort returns, his unmasking as a Death Eater is confirmed, and his master rebukes him for failing to seek him out during his years of exile.

Description

A pale man with a sharply pointed face, long flaring nostrils, and cold gray eyes that glitter with malice or narrow into slits of fury. His sleek hair frames his aristocratic features, and he wears a long black traveling cloak, striding with cold satisfaction. Tall and slender in build, he presents a haughty pureblood wizard of middle age whose lip curls in disdain and whose face can turn livid with rage or suddenly mask-like under pressure. A pale, pointed-faced man with white-blond hair and cold gray eyes, often wearing a curled, sneering lip. His height, build, and clothing are not described. The text provides no details of Mr. Malfoy’s appearance. His height, build, skin tone, hair, eyes, facial features, clothing, and manner are unspecified.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Draco Malfoyfather
Lucius is Draco's father and shapes his outlook. He buys his way onto the Slytherin team for him in Book 2, and by Book 4 Draco openly repeats his father's prejudices about Dumbledore, Muggle-borns, and Durmstrang.
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Narcissa Malfoyhusband
Lucius's wife, whom he introduces at the Quidditch World Cup, where they appear together as a pure-blood family.
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Dobbyformer servant
Dobby is mistreated in the Malfoy household and secretly works against Lucius's schemes to protect Harry. Harry's sock trick frees him in Book 2. By Book 4 Dobby calls the Malfoys bad Dark wizards, though speaking ill of them still frightens him.
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Lord Voldemortmaster
Lucius is a secret Death Eater who maintains a respectable public face. When Voldemort returns in Book 4, he rebukes Lucius for his disloyal inaction and for fleeing the Dark Mark.
Albus Dumbledoreschool governor-headmaster
As a school governor, Lucius maneuvers to have Dumbledore suspended in Book 2, and he is thwarted when the diary plot is exposed. His hostility toward Dumbledore carries forward through Draco's views.
Harry Potteradversary
Harry costs Lucius both his diary scheme and his house-elf in Book 2. In Book 4 Lucius remains a suspected adversary and stands among the Death Eaters at Voldemort's rebirth.
Hermione Grangerblood-status bigot
Lucius treats Hermione with open blood-status contempt because she is Muggle-born, most visibly at the World Cup.
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Arthur Weasleysocial and political rival
Their feud turns physical at Flourish and Blotts in Book 2. In Book 4 it simmers on as Lucius mocks Arthur's finances and status at the World Cup.

Story so far

BOOK 2Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Clashes with Arthur Weasley at Flourish and Blotts and slips Tom Riddle's diary into Ginny Weasley's cauldron
- Buys new Nimbus 2001 brooms for the Slytherin Quidditch team, securing Draco a place as Seeker
- Uses his position as school governor to push through Dumbledore's suspension during the Chamber attacks
- Is exposed by Dumbledore and Harry as the source of the diary, then loses Dobby when Harry tricks him into giving the elf a sock
BOOK 4Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Attends the Quidditch World Cup in the Top Box with his wife Narcissa and son Draco, insulting Arthur Weasley and sneering at Hermione
- Is suspected by Sirius of involvement in the theft of Harry's wand and in the Death Eater riot at the World Cup
- Is described by the freed Dobby as a bad Dark wizard
- Answers Voldemort's summons in the Little Hangleton graveyard and is reprimanded for fleeing the Dark Mark and failing to search for his master