Malfoy Family Analysis

[ignisia]

OMG WHY DIDN'T I NOTICE THIS THREAD BEFORE!!! *flails*

1) What were Lucius's motivations for becoming a Death Eater? Did he really believe in all of their ideals, or was it just for convenience?

I think he believed in it. I think his family had instilled in him the fear that he was part of a superior, but dying, race, and has to "protect" it from these "intruders," and he followed through on this belief, thinking it just.

2) Did Narcissa fully support her husband? Did she believe in Voldemort?

Since the Blacks were definitely into blood supremacy ideas, I'd say she agreed that Muggles and Muggleborns were inferior and possibly dangerous. I can't say whether or not she believed in Voldemort or his "policies," since we don't seem to get much on that topic.

3) Draco seems very proud of his family's Death Eater status in the beggining of HBP. Did this change in the rest of HBP and DH?

...Well, of course. I think once he started feeling the pressure, he realized that this was no longer a game, and that wearing the Dark Mark wasn't entirely something to be proud of. Did he still think blood was important? Probably, but once the danger to his family became clear, I don't think he wholeheartedly adored Voldemort anymore.

4) At the end of DH, the Malfoys seem to be swaying back and forth on what side they are on. What is their motivation for this?

Keeping themselves and each other alive. I think in all the confusion, they're trying to figure out what course of action will bring them all out of war safe. The battle was never entirely decided until Voldemort was dead, hence the vacillation.

5) Do you think Draco followed in his father's footsteps as an adult?

In what way? He didn't continue DE activities of torture and murder, and something tells me he'd be wary if someone brought up that choice again after what he's been through.

In terms of politics, I don't think Draco did much. It wouldn't be very prudent to spout much anti-Muggle stuff after a war over the issue, plus I doubt Harry would give him a nod at the train station if Draco had continued to fight against what Harry's friends had died for. Draco probably decided to keep his head down.

6) It seems as though the Malfoys caused most of their own problems - were they capable of getting out of them, and if so, why didn't they?

Err, tricky question. I think a lot of the Pureblood families had been spreading the idea that they were Superior for ages, all the way back to Salazar (and possibly even earlier-- his beliefs had to come from somewhere). I think a lot of these people were taught since childhood to believe in blood, which, IMO, strongly reduces the likelihood that they'd change their ways independently.

7) What would they have done if Voldemort had won the war?

...Probably continued to live under threat until they made another mistake.

[merrymarge]

I think Lucius joined the DE because of the power it represented. I believe he didn't care for muggles and muggleborns. Narcissa believed in Lucius. She might have agreed with some of Voldemorts ideas, but she started rethinking her position when Draco was told to kill Dumbledore.
Draco was proud to be a DE at first. To him it was like a badge of honor. Only when he realised how much pressure he was under to kill Dumbledore did he realise it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
I think the Malfoys wanted out. they didn't want to support Voldemort any more, but the good side wouldn't trust them. Had Dumbledore not died, he might have convinced the Malfoys to turn away from evil. I think this was what he was telling Draco ontop of the Astronomy tower.
Did Draco follow in his father's footsteps? well, he could have still been a rich snob.
If Voldemort won the war, the Malfoys would probably go into hiding.

[FurryDice]

Originally Posted by Goddess_Clio

Why should they deny the fact that they dabble in muggle currency and assets? It seems to me that the Malfoys and any other pure-blood family who does this would take the attitude that if the muggles are dumb enough to allow them (wizards) to invest in muggle assets than they deserve to lose their money to wizards. All they (the pure-bloods) would be doing here is taking advantage of a group of people whom they discriminate against in order to gain a financial advantage from or over them. There are real-life examples of this all over the place.

I think they would deny it utterly because to admit that they have business dealings with Muggles would tarnish their fanatic pureblood image. Among their fellow extremists, Muggles are despised and considered useless. It wouldn't do for someone with those beliefs to be seen showing the contradicting belief that they believe Muggles have some abilities. And investing in Muggle businesses or shares shows that they are willing to risk their money on the ability of people they claim are worthless. It completely contradicts the position of extremists like the Malfoys to buy Muggle shares. It shows their beliefs up to be hypocrisy and nonsense, (if they bothered to have a single rational thought on the matter) and would lead to them losing face among their fellow fanatics.

[wolfbrother]

Originally Posted by FurryDice

It shows their beliefs up to be hypocrisy and nonsense, (if they bothered to have a single rational thought on the matter) and would lead to them losing face among their fellow fanatics.

Unless the Malfoys were not the only purebloods secretly dabbling in muggle currency.

[FurryDice]

Originally Posted by wolfbrother

Unless the Malfoys were not the only purebloods secretly dabbling in muggle currency.

Maybe they weren't. But I'm not including all purebloods in the same category as the Malfoys. Not all purebloods were hypocritical bigots. Not all purebloods joined a terrorist group which murdered Muggles. Not all purebloods went torturing Muggles at the Quidditch World Cup. I seem to recall many purebloods trying to stop that group of thugs. I don't think all the fanatics were wealthy enough to invest in Muggle businesses, either. But, if they were, I don't think any of them would do so openly. It would tarnish their image, in their view, and show up the ridiculousness of their bigotry. It seems as if image was everything to the bigots, and they lacked substance.

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by FurryDice

investing in Muggle businesses or shares shows that they are willing to risk their money on the ability of people they claim are worthless.

I don't think they saw investing in Muggle currency or assests as a risk, I think they would have seen it as practically a garauntee to double or triple their investment because they could, you know, magically influence the situation. Again, there are real-world examples but if I used them they'd either be edited out by mods or get me a ban so...

[FurryDice]

Originally Posted by Goddess_Clio

I don't think they saw investing in Muggle currency or assests as a risk, I think they would have seen it as practically a garauntee to double or triple their investment because they could, you know, magically influence the situation. Again, there are real-world examples but if I used them they'd either be edited out by mods or get me a ban so...

Any business investment is a risk. There are no guarantees with business. And I very much doubt they could magically influence a business situation - that would require Imperiusing thousands upon thousands of consumers and maybe even several stock dealers to ensure a business success - I don't think even the Malfoys would risk that.

But to risk their money investing with people they didn't even consider people, people they claimed were stupid and useless and worthless, people they despised and discriminated rabidly against would damage the Malfoy's credibility among their fellow bigots.

[Sablestar]

1) What were Lucius's motivations for becoming a Death Eater? Did he really believe in all of their ideas, or was it just for convenience? I think that, while he might have believed some of there ideas, he was really just in it for the power. He always struck me as a very ambitious character.

2) Did Narcissa fully support her husband? Did she believe in Voldemort? She definitely supported Lucius, and Draco. While she probably looked down on non-purebloods, however, I don't think she really supported Voldemort.

3) Draco seems very proud of his family's Death Eater status in the beggining of HBP. Did this change in the rest of HBP and DH? Draco always seemed like a wimp to me. More likely than not, he was terrified of Voldemort, and only bragged about the Death Eaters to impress people.

4) At the end of DH, the Malfoys seem to be swaying back and forth on what side they are on. What is their motivation for this? I think that the Malfoys really cared about each other. They were probably like that because they didn't know what to do. I really do think that they just wanted to do the right thing in the end.

5) Do you think Draco followed in his father's footsteps as an adult? I think he probably would have, simply because of how he was raised. He's a very arrogant character.

6) It seems as though the Malfoys caused most of their own problems - were they capable of getting out of them, and if so, why didn't they? They were capable of getting out of their problems at first; however, things started getting so out of hand that they were afraid of what Voldy would do to them.

7) What would they have done if Voldemort had won the war? I guess they would have just wound up supporting him

[FurryDice]

Originally Posted by Sablestar

4) At the end of DH, the Malfoys seem to be swaying back and forth on what side they are on. What is their motivation for this? I think that the Malfoys really cared about each other. They were probably like that because they didn't know what to do. I really do think that they just wanted to do the right thing in the end.

IMO, the Malfoy's view of "the right thing" was "whatever was best for them", rather than any concept of moral right and wrong. If they believed they would have been safe and powerful on Voldemort's side, they would have been firmly there at the end of the war. Until Voldemort was defeated and they wanted to avoid the law, that is.

7) What would they have done if Voldemort had won the war? I guess they would have just wound up supporting him

I doubt it. I think Voldemort would have killed them if he'd won. That was why they stopped supporting him. They knew their lives were nothing to him. They knew he was angry with them, and saw them as incompetent and useless. If he won after learning about Draco being briefly master of the Elder Wand, he would definitely have killed him.

[asdfasdf17]

I think both Lucius and Narcissa believed in the pureblood ideology which is why Lucius became a Death Eater and Narcissa seems to have supported him fully. I think Lucius was also attracted to the power he would have for being a Voldemort follower. He was loyal to Voldemort as long as it benefited him and his family but he didn't really care for Voldemort, especially in DH. I think Narcissa would have the same view but I also think she was more invested in her family. She really seemed to adore and care for Draco, sending him sweets when he was at Hogwarts and going to Snape for help in HBP. As for Draco, I think he was raised to believe in blood supremacy and possibly held those beliefs for the rest of his life. He really looked up to his father but might have been frustrated because Lucius seems to have held very high expectations for him. I think he also respected and cared for his mom, especially since she seemed to spoil him a lot but as he got older, he may have become frustrated by her treating him as a child rather than an adult. I think he was attracted to the Death Eaters and Voldemort but didn't really understand what it was about until he got in and realized he wasn't up to it. I'm sure that the treatment he suffered during the second war had an affect on him for the rest of his life. He may have grown up to be a better father than Lucius was to him because he would have learned from his dad's mistakes. I think as a father, Draco would be very caring and loving towards his son, the way his parents were to him. If both him and his wife still believed in blood supremacy, they may have instilled those beliefs in Scorpius. This is just speculation.

[FurryDice]

Originally Posted by asdfasdf17

I think both Lucius and Narcissa believed in the pureblood ideology which is why Lucius became a Death Eater and Narcissa seems to have supported him fully. I think Lucius was also attracted to the power he would have for being a Voldemort follower. He was loyal to Voldemort as long as it benefited him and his family but he didn't really care for Voldemort, especially in DH. I think Narcissa would have the same view but I also think she was more invested in her family.

I agree. I think Narcissa shared the fanatic bigotry, but did not want to get her hands, or those of her husband dirty. By the time Draco joined, she was more concerned about his safety than getting hands dirty. I think Narcissa would have been happier if Lucius had contented himself with being an armchair bigot, and bent the Minister's ear (and enhanced his Gringotts account) on pureblood supremacist matters.

I think he was attracted to the Death Eaters and Voldemort but didn't really understand what it was about until he got in and realized he wasn't up to it.

I think that's the problem with someone like Draco. A lack of empathy prevented him from understanding the horror and depravity of what he wanted to do, until he himself was on the receiving end of the cruelty he wanted to dish out.

I'm sure that the treatment he suffered during the second war had an affect on him for the rest of his life.

I'm sure the second war had an affect on a lot of people for the rest of their lives, such as the students at Hogwarts. I'd like to think that Draco grew up a bit after his experiences. However, I think that the best that can be hoped for is that Draco learned to keep his head down, and not get involved with the next murdering extremist group that popped up. I believe he did learn how easily such groups can turn on their own members.

If both him and his wife still believed in blood supremacy, they may have instilled those beliefs in Scorpius. This is just speculation.

If they instilled those beliefs in Scorpius, they would have been cautious about it. Especially in a time when their world looked with suspicion on blood bigots, and when the Malfoys were known DEs and thugs. Even Lucius warned Draco not to show overt animosity towards Harry. It's possible Lucius also warned Draco against calling others "Mudblood" in public. Draco would be even more cautious, with Scorpius growing up in a far different atmosphere and with the Malfoy name having fallen due to their crimes.


We know next to nothing about Asteria Greengrass so she may or may not have been a bigot. Her family were not mentioned among the DEs, though, so if they were bigots, they were armchair bigots, not active extremists. We don't know what her attitude towards Scorpius' upbringing would have been. (However, I think it's highly unlikely that she was from a blood traitor family or a family that fought against the DEs, as someone who fought against the DEs would be unlikely to cosy up to one.) The memories of war and what the DEs had done would not fade that quickly for those actively involved in the war.

[asdfasdf17]

Originally Posted by FurryDice

We know next to nothing about Asteria Greengrass so she may or may not have been a bigot. Her family were not mentioned among the DEs, though, so if they were bigots, they were armchair bigots, not active extremists. We don't know what her attitude towards Scorpius' upbringing would have been. (However, I think it's highly unlikely that she was from a blood traitor family or a family that fought against the DEs, as someone who fought against the DEs would be unlikely to cosy up to one.) The memories of war and what the DEs had done would not fade that quickly for those actively involved in the war.

Agreed. I think everyone who was involved in the war would have a harder time getting over it. So I doubt Draco would marry someone on the opposite side and vice versa. We know she was pureblood and I think her sister was in Slytherin so she may have had the blood prejudice. But I would guess that after the war, most people, if they were still prejudice, wouldn't be open about it.

[FurryDice]

Originally Posted by asdfasdf17

Agreed. I think everyone who was involved in the war would have a harder time getting over it. So I doubt Draco would marry someone on the opposite side and vice versa. We know she was pureblood and I think her sister was in Slytherin so she may have had the blood prejudice.

We know so little about Asteria, but there is a little we can speculate going by canon and realistic character behaviour, IMO. And as she would have had an impact on Scorpius, I think it's interesting to speculate on what she might views and attitudes she might have brought to the Malfoy family.

We never hear of a Greengrass DE, so there may not have been any. If Asteria's family were bigots, it's more likely that they were armchair bigots.

I also agree that it's highly unlikely someone from the other side of the war would have got involved with the Malfoys. I think it's also highly unlikely that someone who was against the DEs, but not actively involved in fighting them (i.e. most of the wizarding world) would want to be involved with a known DE. I think most people who were against the DEs, (whether actively or those who kept their heads down out of fear) would find it very hard to trust such a person, or be comfortable with the evils they had been involved in. I think it would be very difficult for a non-bigot to trust a person who had been a part of the fear and the suffering inflicted. Or she may have been naive and trusting and considered Draco "misunderstood" and believed the lies peddled by the Malfoys to avoid prison again. We just don't know.

But I would guess that after the war, most people, if they were still prejudice, wouldn't be open about it.

I think that many of the prejudiced people like the Malfoys remained prejudiced. I agree that they simply managed not to be as open about it. They knew that society would, as a whole, come down on such attitudes like a ton of bricks after the war. Nobody would want a repeat performance of prejudiced thugs, so I think that they would keep their prejudices under wraps. Even moreso than they did in Draco's youth. I think Draco would be more careful than Lucius about the attitudes he passed on to his son. I think that while Lucius clearly threw around words like "mudblood", (Draco must have heard them somewhere, either from Lucius or Narcissa) Draco would be a bit more cautious. He might warn Scorpius about not associating with "certain types of people", but he would surely be more cautious in how he worded it than Lucius.