I endeavored to write this to clear up some misconceptions about Lucius Malfoy in canon. There is some deeper editorializing, but it should be mostly marked as speculation - most of this is simply elaboration on canon dynamics and much is just fact-checking. The page numbers will vary by edition (I have the American hardbacks), but hopefully they will be helpful should you choose to follow along. For the purposes of this meta, anything but the canon books are apocryphal and Cursed Child and the movies are non-canon - YMMV, but I will not be citing Cursed Child and will be citing other sources with some caveats.
The Diary
The amount of information that Lucius was given makes it clear that he was given the diary by Voldemort himself, and also that a great deal was explained to him when it was done. He clearly knows what the diary is meant to do and to some degree how it worked, even if he wasn’t aware of the Horcrux. Dobby wouldn’t have been able to warn Harry about what was going on if there wasn’t information exchanged.
“I knew it wouldn’t be safe to open the chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn’t going to waste those long years I spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin’s noble work.” - The Heir of Slytherin , CoS, 312
Tom in the Chamber of Secrets was clearly on board with the whole scheme, and was in fact created for the purpose of opening the Chamber once again. Lucius relates some information to Draco.
“And Father won’t tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it’ll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing - last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died .” - The Polyjuice Potion , CoS, 223
Lucius not only knows about what happened, he knows that someone died, and he knows when it happened. He might even know who Tom Riddle is, though we’re never told for sure that he does (Lucius tells Draco that whoever opened the Chamber was expelled, however, it's unlikely that he didn't know Voldemort could talk to snakes and coule likely make a good guess). Either way, he has been given a lot of information about what he’s doing, almost certainly by Voldemort.
“So–have you stopped the attacks yet?” he sneered. “Have you caught the culprit?”
“We have,” said Dumbledore, with a smile.
“ Well ?” said Mr. Malfoy sharply. “Who is it?” - Dobby’s Reward , CoS, 335
One of the first things Lucius asks is the culprit; he clearly understands how the diary works and how it takes people over. He’s not ignorant of what he did, in fact, he very pointedly planned it out.
Dumbledore is not, in my opinion, always an accurate source on matters of Voldemort - as he indulges in a great deal of speculation - but he is almost certainly correct when he lays it all out here, as much of it is factual information he’s gathered from his sources.
”What intrigued and alarmed me most was that the diary had been intended as a weapon as much as a safeguard [...] there could be no doubt that Riddle really wanted that diary read, wanted the piece of his soul to inhabit or possess somebody else, so that Slytherin’s monster would be unleashed again. [...] The careless way in which Voldemort regarded this Horcrux seemed most ominous to me.” - Horcruxes , HBP, 500-501
Dumbledore explains that this was a plan hatched between the two of them:
“But I thought he meant Lucius Malfoy to smuggle it into Hogwarts?”
“Yes, he did, years ago, when he was sure he would be able to create more Horcruxes, but still Lucius was supposed to wait for Voldemort’s say-so, and he never received it, for Voldemort vanished shortly after giving him the diary. [...] Of course, Lucius did not know what the diary really was. I understand that Voldemort had told him the diary would cause the Chamber of Secrets to reopen because it was cleverly enchanted. Had Lucius known he held a portion of his master’s soul in his hands, he would undoubtedly have treated it with more reverence.” - Horcruxes, HBP, 508-509
I think Dumbledore is correct here because he is, as we know, getting his information from Severus. Some of this Lucius likely related to Severus, and some Voldemort related to Severus, but we can assume that it is accurate. This explains why Lucius was allowed to keep his role as a lieutenant (though certainly with some ahem punishment) after the diary was destroyed - he is guilty of some level of disloyalty, but not carelessness; the level of carelessness was initiated by Voldemort and not Lucius.
In Pottermore’s segment on Draco Malfoy, JKR writes:
…Draco’s father, wily Lucius Malfoy, was one of those who subscribed most eagerly to the theory. It was comforting to think that he, Lucius, might be in for a second chance of world domination, should this Potter boy prove to be another, and greater, pure-blood champion.
Admittedly apocryphal, however, more canon I think than something like The Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts the movie. Lucius mourned the loss of Voldemort, even if it was for power, and would have jumped at the idea of him returning (though I do not think he would have willingly given up a hand for him, more on that later).
These excerpts also make it explicit that it was Lucius who was personally given the diary, very purposefully, by Voldemort, who intended it to be used as a weapon and explained it to him. There is not another consistent and sensical reading of the text.
The Malfoy Family
Lucius and Draco
Most of the information we get on Draco and Lucius comes from Draco. Thankfully, since Draco never shuts up about his dad, we learn a great deal about how he feels, first at Madam Malkin’s in PS.
“My father’s next door buying my books and Mother’s up the street looking at wands,” said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. “Then I’m going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don’t see why first years can’t have their own. I think I’ll bully Father into getting me one and I’ll smuggle it in somehow.”
Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.
[....]”Father says it’s a crime if I’m not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree.” - Diagon Alley , PS, 77
From here we learn one very important thing about Lucius, which is that he is the sort of man who can be bullied into doing things by his son. He seems to manage to evade that fate this time, but it does not last. It’s very notable that Draco is drawn in parallel to Dudley, someone who also has parents who spoil him, but who undoubtedly love him deeply. His self-esteem is only boosted by his father, who believes in his Quidditch skills!
The man who followed could only be Draco’s father. He had the same pale, pointed face and identical gray eyes. Mr. Malfoy crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, “Touch nothing, Draco.”
Malfoy, who had reached for the glass eye, said, “I thought you were going to buy me a present.”
“I said I would buy you a racing broom,” said his father, drumming his fingers on the counter.
“What’s the good of that if I’m not on the House team?” said Draco, looking sulky and bad-tempered. “Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He’s not even that good, it’s just because he’s famous . . . famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead . . .”
Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls.
“. . . everyone thinks he’s so smart , wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick –”
“You have told me this at least a dozen times already,” said Mr. Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son. - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 50
We rarely see Lucius and Draco interacting, and much has been made of the scene in CoS. This is Draco bullying his father not only into buying him a broomstick, but an entire spot on the Slytherin team. Draco not only feels comfortable sharing his complaints and thoughts with his father (repeatedly), but also demanding things from him - things that he often gets.
“Can I have that ?” interrupted Draco, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion. - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 51
And he interrupts him.
“I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin,” said Mr. Malfoy coldly [...] “Though if his grades don’t pick up [...] that may indeed be all he is fit for–”
“It’s not my fault,” retorted Draco. “The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger–”
“I would have thought you’d be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam,” snapped Mr. Malfoy. - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 52
Notably, Draco is never shown to be afraid of his father in any sense of the word. However critical Lucius is, Draco repeatedly argues with him, tries to bully him into things, talks back constantly, and disobeys him openly (Draco turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of him. He walked forward–he stretched out his hand for the handle– - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 53). I would actually suggest that it’s Draco’s complaints about Hermione–doubtless ones that Lucius has heard many times–that in part inspire Lucius to be sure the Chamber is opened again.
This is not to say that there was no friction in their relationship–Lucius obviously demands things from his son–but to complain about your child’s grades is not particularly surprising for an overbearing parent, nor is it unusual for other parents in the story (like the Weasleys). People often interpret this as Lucius criticizing Draco’s already high grades, but it is in fact Draco who brings up Hermione completely unprompted. It’s more likely that Draco’s grades were just low in general, as Draco being particularly academically gifted and competing with Hermione has no support anywhere else in the books. The idea that he is salutatorian when his father criticizes him is unsupported and unlikely–and paints Lucius in an unfair light, whatever his canon parenting faults.
Lucius obviously has difficulty denying Draco anything he wants and generally thinks that his son deserves the best of everything. However much Lucius complained about Draco’s whining about Harry and Quidditch, he did buy his way onto the team by paying for broomsticks.
Lucius and Draco appear to regularly correspond. They have a friendly relationship in CoS.
“Wait here,” said Malfoy [...] “I’ll go and get it–my father’s just sent it to me–” - The Polyjuice Potion , CoS, 221
Lucius sends him rude newspaper clippings about Arthur Weasley and seems to share his successes with his son. He also gives him information on the Chamber of Secrets.
“And Father won’t tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it’ll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing - last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died .” - The Polyjuice Potion , CoS, 223
Lucius tells Draco that he recognized Sirius at the station; Draco mocks Harry about it. He’s clearly telling him things in Order of the Phoenix ; I suspect that Lucius taught Draco the Imperius Curse, but this can’t be verified.
“I seem to have touched a nerve,” said Malfoy, smirking. “Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I’ll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line.” - Luna Lovegood , OotP, 194
Lucius is also extremely protective of Draco - so much so that even Hagrid knows it.
“‘Spect Lucius Malfoy would’ve come marchin’ up ter school if yeh’d cursed his son.” - Mudbloods and Murmurs , CoS, 106
He certainly shows no interest in toughening up Draco or making him fight his own battles. Instead, he shows up as soon as there’s even a whiff of Draco being hurt to take care of it and harass anyone he sees as a culprit. In the next book, Draco complains to his father about getting hurt.
“Father’s not very happy about my injury [...] he’s complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father’s got a lot of influence, you know.” - The Boggart in the Wardrobe , PoA, 125
Granted, Lucius already has reason to hate Hagrid. But I believe that he wouldn’t have gone this far if it wasn’t Draco being hurt, as his other actions seem to clearly indicate that he cares enough about his son to repeatedly butt his head into school affairs. He’s also not going after Hagrid here - he just shows up at Buckbeak’s hearing to get him killed.
“An’ then Lucius Malfoy stood up an’ said his bit, and the Committee jus’ did exac’ly what he told ‘em. . . .” - The Quidditch Final , PoA, 125
Apocryphally, he’s also been known to send rude letters to Dumbledore about the sort of books available to his son.
Mr. Malfoy submitted his demand for a ban on the story in writing:
Any work of fiction or nonfiction that depicts interbreeding between wizards and Muggles should be banned from the bookshelves of Hogwarts. I do not wish my son to be influenced into sullying the purity of his bloodline by reading stories that promote wizard-Muggle marriage.
- Albus Dumbledore on “The Fountain of Fair Fortune”, ToBtB, 40
In conclusion, Lucius Malfoy is a male Karen PTA mom. He’s possibly the final boss of all Karens. Managers tremble in fear.
The latter books also make it extremely clear how Lucius feels about Draco and how much he cares.
Scowling, Snape said, “The Dark Lord does not expect Draco to succeed. This is merely punishment for Lucius’s recent failures. Slow torture for Draco’s parents, while they watch him fail and pay the price.” - The Prince’s Tale , DH, 682
Voldemort would not do this if Lucius did not care about Draco, and Snape would not consider it torture if Lucius did not care. Lucius loves his son. He shows it in Deathly Hallows , too.
“My Lord,” said a voice, desperate and cracked. He turned: There was Lucius Malfoy sitting in the darkest corner, ragged and still bearing the marks of the punishment he had received after the boy’s last escape. One of his eyes remained closed and puffy. “My Lord . . . please . . . my son . . .”
[...]
“Aren’t–aren’t you afraid, my Lord, that Potter might die at another hand but yours?” asked Malfoy, his voice shaking. “Wouldn’t it be . . . forgive me . . . more prudent to call off this battle, enter the castle, and seek him y-yourself?”
“Do not pretend, Lucius. You wish the battle to cease so that you can discover what has happened to your son.” - The Elder Wand , DH, 642
Even after devastating torture and humiliation, his voice shaking in fear, Lucius risks Voldemort’s rage and begs to go see his son. That’s the most important thing on his mind during the battle. Lucius is clearly desperate to make sure that Draco is safe. It’s also clear that Lucius took the brunt of the abuse after the Malfoy Manor incident, as neither Draco nor Narcissa still have marks.
He saw [...] Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son. - The Flaw in the Plan , DH, 735
Both Lucius and Narcissa are wandless at this point, in the middle of a heated battle, looking for Draco.
I think it’s fair to say that their relationship is less of the typical authoritative parenting style that is often projected onto him and much more of the parents who act like friends to their children and harass the people who upset them. He shares many things with his son and obviously has a close relationship with him even as he gets older - and generally a desire to be close with him. Draco is certainly not neglected by his father in any sense of the word.
It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with a hand on Draco’s shoulder, sneering in just the same way. - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 62
DontSpeakToMeOrMySonEverAgain.PNG is their canon dynamic, my friends.
Canon Draco
I think it’s just as important to acknowledge Draco’s side of the relationship as it is Lucius’s. Draco and Lucius love each other very obviously and openly. Even after disillusionment, the Malfoys still clump together.
Along the aisle between the tables he walked, and he spotted the three Malfoys, huddled together as though unsure whether or not they were supposed to be there, but nobody was paying them any attention. - The Flaw in the Plan , DH, 745-746
It’s just as important, to me, to highlight that the relationship between Draco and Lucius is reciprocal. Draco doesn’t only go to Lucius to get things, he loves him because he’s his father.
Lucius had been Draco’s role model and hero since birth. - Draco Malfoy , Pottermore
While he talks about him a great deal in the first few books, it becomes most obvious after things start to go badly.
Malfoy looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him. [...]
“You’re going to pay,” said Malfoy in a voice barely louder than a whisper. ” I’m going to make you pay for what you’ve done to my father . . .” [...]
“The Dementors have left Azkaban,” said Malfoy quietly. “Dad and the others’ll be out in no time . . .”
“Yeah, I expect they will,” said Harry. “Still, at least everybody knows what scumbags they are now-”
Malfoy’s hand flew toward his wand. - The Second War Begins , OotP, 851
Malfoy is “angrier than Harry had ever seen him” about his father being in prison. He calls him Dad , he’s clearly extremely upset about what happened. He tries to ambush Harry again later.
Firstly, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet. - The Second War Begins , OotP, 864
Draco finally gets his revenge in Half-Blood Prince .
And he stamped, hard, on Harry’s face. Harry felt his nose break; blood spurted everywhere.
“That’s from my father.”- The Slug Club, HBP, 154
He definitely doesn’t seem like someone glad his father is in prison or happy that he’s gone. Interestingly, Draco pulls the same trick his father did in Order of the Phoenix - he notices someone is under an invisibility cloak and then curses them. (More on that later).
There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, “You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father’s capture and imprisonment has upset you, but -” - The Unbreakable Vow , HBP, 324
Even Snape points out how upset Draco is over it.
Personally, I suspect that Draco staying at Hogwarts in order to retrieve Harry and the diadem–an undoubtedly desperate move–was prompted by his father’s fall from grace and fear for his parents and himself. Draco is not brave, and I do not think he would be pushed to such lengths without similar pressure put on him in Half-Blood Prince and genuine love for his family. In addition, the torture at Malfoy Manor can be blamed on Draco because of his refusal to name Harry.
Draco also rarely shows moral qualms about what his father does. He thinks Muggle-torture is very funny; the idea that Lucius’s behavior horrifies him is unlikely, at least up until the severe torture and murder that comes to the front in Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows .
“Granger, they’re after Muggles ,” said Malfoy. “D’you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around . . . they’re moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh.” - The Dark Mark , GoF, 122
He likely knows that his father is leading the mob:
“Where’re your parents?” said Harry, his temper rising. “Out there wearing masks, are they?”
Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling.
“Well . . . if they were, I wouldn’t be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?” - The Dark Mark , GoF, 122
He doesn’t care and even finds his father’s behavior amusing.
After the war, too, we are told that Draco still loves his father as much as always.
After the events of the second wizarding war, Lucius found his son as affectionate as ever, but refusing to follow the same old pure-blood line. - Draco Malfoy , Pottermore
Narcissa Subheading (She’s Not Less Important, We Just See Less)a
We do not see very much of Narcissa, and we see even less of her interacting with Lucius. Even the little we see makes it clear how much she cares not just for Draco, but her husband as well. She defends him multiple times in Half-Blood Prince.
“--if Lucius hadn’t–”
“Don’t you dare–don’t you dare blame my husband!” said Narcissa, in a low and deadly voice, looking up at her sister. - Spinner’s End , HBP, 29
First to Bellatrix, and then she gets snarky with Harry.
“They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!”
Malfoy made an angry movement toward Harry, but stumbled over his overlong robe.
[...]
“It’s all right, Draco,” said Narcissa, restraining him with her thin white fingers on his shoulder. “I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius.” - Draco’s Detour, HBP, 113-114
Cold as ice! Both mother and son are defensive of Lucius. There’s the infamous Deathly Hallows scene where she lends Lucius support.
Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand, and passed it along to Voldemort. - The Dark Lord Ascending , DH, 8
JKR also weighs in:
However, the Malfoys do have a saving grace: they love each other. Draco is motivated quite as much by fear of something happening to his parents as to himself. - Draco Malfoy , Pottermore
Actual Meta Section
The Malfoys are most easily compared to the Weasleys in the book. While the Malfoys continue to parallel the Dursleys, this is compared to the Weasleys’ parenting style. Dumbledore gives us his opinion on giving Harry to the Dursleys.
Exactly,” said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. “It would be enough to turn any boy’s head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he doesn’t even remember! Can’t you see how much better off he’ll be, growing up away from all that until he’s ready to take it?” - The Boy Who Lived , PS, 13
We get a certain reiteration of this later when Dumbledore speaks to the Dursleys about Dudley.
“The best that can be said is that he has at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting between you.” - Will and Won’t , HBP, 55
Both of these scenes, taken with the parallels between Dudley and Draco and their behavior, go a long way to elucidating JKR’s opinions on abuse. Spoiling your children will make them bad people, discipline and work will make them good (like Harry, I guess). We see how the Weasleys discipline their children.
“Only time I’ve ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since.” - A Very Frosty Christmas , HBP, 326
So, there is a reference in the books to parents who physically discipline their children. And it’s by the parents held up as directly opposite to the Malfoys, the parents who are doing it right , so to speak. This helps make the dichotomy clear, and also gives us insight into what the Malfoys are not doing to Draco: spanking him, or otherwise physically disciplining him.
All of this is to say that, in the text’s estimation, the crimes of the Malfoys against their son are not abuse by being too demanding, but abuse by being too permissive, and not disciplinarian enough - and this is why Draco is the way he is. This implies a great deal about the relationship the Malfoys have with Draco behind the scenes - one that continues to mirror the relationship the Dursleys have with Dudley. The Dursleys barely argue with Dudley, almost always give him what he wants, and are directly compared to Draco. This subtext tells a great deal about how Draco’s relationship to his parents is set up.
I would also encourage people to be a little more skeptical when the text tells us this is “bad parenting” and blames Lucius’s lack of authoritarian parenting, rather than the fact that he sets a very bad example, for Draco’s terrible behavior. This is Harry Potter , people, we’re supposed to be critical of the messages that the text is pushing on us!
The Death Eaters
Lucius and Voldemort
Albus Dumbledore writes:
This exchange marked the beginning of Mr. Malfoy’s long campaign to have me removed from my post as headmaster of Hogwarts, and of mine to have him removed from his position as Lord Voldemort’s Favorite Death Eater. - Albus Dumbledore on “The Fountain of Fair Fortune”, ToBtB, 42
This is, admittedly, apocrypha. However, such a detail is extremely important in both Severus’s rise to a trusted position in Voldemort’s ranks, Dumbledore’s plans, and Lucius’s arc. It seems extremely strange to think that this would not demonstrate the reality of the books (at least so far as trusting someone with important matters). JKR reiterates it on Pottermore:
[Draco] cheered himself up by imagining Voldemort’s triumph, seeing his family honoured under a new regime, and he himself feted at Hogwarts as the important and impressive son of Voldemort’s second-in-command. - Draco Malfoy , Pottermore
Even Arthur knows, it’s the first thing we hear about Lucius.
“And when You-Know-Who disappeared,” said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, “Lucius Malfoy came back saying he’d never meant any of it. Load of dung–Dad reckons he was right in You-Know-Who’s inner circle.” - The Burrow , CoS, 29
The most obvious interaction is in the graveyard. The way Lucius and Voldemort interact is markedly different from the way that Voldemort interacts with other Death Eaters. Voldemort goes to him first when he addresses the Death Eaters.
“Lucius, my slippery friend,” he whispered, halting before him. - The Death Eaters , GoF, 650
Voldemort calls Lucius by his first name, something he does with no other Death Eater in the chapter. He also calls him a friend, something he also doesn’t do to any Death Eaters in the chapter.
“You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair. [...] We have Crabbe . . . you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you, Goyle? [...] The same goes for you, Nott.” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 651
In fact, this is a habit we only ever see when it comes to Severus and Bellatrix - people who have notably high standing with Voldemort.
“Be quiet, Bella,” said Voldemort dangerously. “I shall deal with you in a moment.” - The Only One He Ever Feared , OotP, 812
“But it is of you that I wished to speak, Severus, not Harry Potter. You have been very valuable to me. Very valuable.” - The Elder Wand , DH, 654
In the graveyard, Lucius is the first to address Voldemort out of turn that Voldemort allows.
There was a silence. Then the Death Eater to the right of Wormtail stepped forward, and Lucius Malfoy’s voice spoke from under the mask.
“Master, we crave to know . . . we beg you to tell us . . . how you have achieved this . . . this miracle . . . how you managed to return to us . . .”
“Ah, what a story it is, Lucius,” said Voldemort. - The Death Eaters , GoF, 652
He also calls him Master, similarly to Bellatrix.
We don’t see a great deal of their interaction, but we do see them talk about it, and other people talk about their relationship. Obviously, one of the most compelling points is that Voldemort entrusted him with half his soul.
“Yes, he did, years ago, when he was sure he would be able to create more Horcruxes, but still Lucius was supposed to wait for Voldemort’s say-so, and he never received it, for Voldemort vanished shortly after giving him the diary.” - Horcruxes , HBP, 508-509
It was Lucius and Bellatrix that he went to - I suspect the Prophecy spooked him, so he entrusted pieces of his soul to his most trusted followers - when he wanted to protect himself. Lucius was his right-hand man, or else Voldemort wouldn’t have given him the diary. Even after the diary is destroyed (there is no specific timeline we’re given, but it would have had to happen between Goblet of Fire and the end of Order of the Phoenix , because Dumbledore references it in Half-Blood Prince .)
“. . . but he was not aware, for instance, that the diary had been destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius Malfoy [...] I am told his anger was terrible to behold.” - Horcruxes , HBP, 508
Even after this, he was put in charge. I discuss the Department of Mysteries more later, but it’s clear that he was given command.
“Lucius was supposed to be in charge.” - Spinner’s End , HBP, 34
So, even though Lucius had on some level betrayed him, and even though Bellatrix was already out of prison, Voldemort chose Lucius to be in charge of the Department of Mysteries mission - not simply the infiltration and cursing, but command of his comrades. Lucius is repeatedly shown taking on the role of the ‘leader’ among the Death Eaters, even without Voldemort present or even exerting authority. Voldemort calls Lucius out specifically for the incident.
“You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe?” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 650
Lucius gives orders in the Department of Mysteries to his comrades and they obey after Voldemort puts him in charge.
Harry put his ear close to the door to listen and heard Lucius Malfoy roar: “Leave Nott, leave him, I say , the Dark Lord will not care for Nott’s injuries as much as losing that prophecy - Jugson, come back here, we need to organize! We’ll split into pairs and search, and don’t forget, be gentle with Potter until we’ve got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary - Bellatrix, Rodolphus, you take the left - Crabbe, Rabastan, go right - Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead - Macnair and Avery, through here - Rookwood, over there - Mulciber, come with me!” - Beyond the Veil , OotP, 788
The only one who doesn’t is Bellatrix, likely for a multitude of reasons. The only person who disobeys him is someone also very high in Voldemort’s favor. More on this later.
“Offer him help and guidance, he ought to accept. He likes you–”
“--much less since his father has lost favor. Draco blames me, he thinks I have usurped Lucius’s position.” - The Prince’s Tale , DH, 682
It’s interesting to me that Draco believes that Severus has usurped his father’s position. This makes much more sense with the understanding that Lucius was Voldemort’s prized right-hand man before Severus takes over the role as his favorite. As does, to be frank, the entire series and canon. It’s nonsensical that Voldemort would give the important prophecy mission to someone other than the man he trusted the most or give the diary to someone who wasn’t highest in his favor.
The Fall From Grace
The part I would like to highlight most is that Lucius’s arc from the end of the Order of the Phoenix through Deathly Hallows is a fall. It is not his regular position, nor is it demonstrative of the things that came before it in linear time. This is the product of an evolution in his relationships with others, particularly Voldemort. Some of this is speculation and some I think is pretty well-supported.
I would, in fact, hazard that it starts even in Goblet of Fire, where Voldemort takes specific offense at Lucius’s denial of him.
“Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay . . . but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?”
“My Lord, I was constantly on the alert,” came Lucius Malfoy’s voice swiftly from beneath the hood. “Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me–”
“And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?” said Voldemort lazily, and Mr. Malfoy stopped talking abruptly. “Yes, I know all about that, Lucius . . . You have disappointed me. . . . I expect more faithful service in the future.” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 650
Lucius is rather audacious for being so openly deceptive to someone who can read minds. It’s something he tries again by refusing to volunteer and in fact holding back information on the diary. It implies that Lucius is willing to and to some small degree able to lie to Voldemort - personally, I suspect that Voldemort bought his honeyed words more than he should.
“. . . but he was not aware, for instance, that the diary had been destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius Malfoy [...] I am told his anger was terrible to behold.” - Horcruxes , HBP, 508
Lucius is likely punished brutally for the diary incident. Dumbledore points out that this was likely action taken due to Lucius’s disloyalty, further driving a wedge between them.
“No doubt he thought that Lucius would not dare do anything with the Horcrux other than guard it carefully, but he was counting too much on Lucius’s fear of a master who had been gone for years and whom Lucius believed dead.” - Horcruxes , HBP, 508
I would argue that this is just as pivotal to their relationship as the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort considers the Death Eaters his “family”.
“But look, Harry! My true family returns. . . .” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 646
He specifically calls Lucius his “friend.” He also clearly takes their betrayals seriously.
“One, too cowardly to return . . . he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever . . . he will be killed, of course . . .” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 651
And appreciates those who went to prison for him.
“The Lestranges should stand here,” said Voldemort quietly. “But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me . . . When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams.” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 651
Lucius, of course, renounced Voldemort a great deal and squirmed neatly out of prison. Voldemort continues to grief his (free) Death Eaters for not going to look for him.
“I smell guilt,” he said. “There is a stench of guilt upon the air.”
[...]
“I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact–such prompt appearances!--and I ask myself . . . such did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?”
[...]
“And I answer myself,” whispered Voldemort, “they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment . . .
And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I could not rise again?” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 647-648
Notably, Lucius slipped out of prison by claiming he was Imperiused (as Fred and Arthur know). His longest personal exchange is with Lucius, where he interrogates him about the World Cup incident.
Even though Voldemort may have punished Lucius for the incident with the diary, I do not think that he forgives him–we see much more emphasis placed on Lucius’s disloyalty than his getting the diary destroyed, something which is only ever mentioned by Dumbledore. Bellatrix is also blamed for the Department of Mysteries, but she is not punished so much for it, nor is she punished so brutally as Lucius for the Malfoy Manor incident. I think this is even more obvious when we take a look at the parallels between Peter–another traitor that Voldemort ruthlessly abuses–and Lucius.
This exchange in the graveyard after Peter’s hand is cut off is illuminating:
“Thirteen long years . . . I want thirteen years’ repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 649
Voldemort wants repayment for his Death Eaters’ disloyalty. He takes it from Peter, when he takes his hand.
And now Wormtail was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver dagger from inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs.
“ Flesh–of the servant–w-willingly given–you will–revive–your master.” - Flesh, Blood, and Bone , GoF
Peter seems driven to do this out of necessity rather than real loyalty, so “willing” is sort of dubious. Dubcon amputation and human sacrifice, if you will.
Later, in the Deathly Hallows prologue, Voldemort takes Lucius’s wand. An explicit parallel is drawn between a wand and an arm:
“I understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter.”
The faces around him displayed nothing but shock; he might have announced that he was going to borrow one of their arms. - The Dark Lord Ascending , DH, 7
As Lucius hands Voldemort his wand, his wife’s hand closes around his wrist, where one might lose a hand–where Peter lost his.
Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand, and passed it along to Voldemort. - The Dark Lord Ascending , DH, 8
This is a metaphorical ‘amputation’, and it becomes more obvious as the story goes on. When Peter is killed and Harry escapes, Lucius replaces him. He does the same sort of tasks that Peter was relegated to.
“Wormtail,” said Voldemort [...] “have I not spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?”
“Yes, m-my Lord,” gasped a small man halfway down the table, who had been sitting so low in his chair that it appeared, at first glance, to be unoccupied. Now he scrambled from his seat and scurried from the room, leaving nothing behind him but a curious gleam of silver. - The Dark Lord Ascending , DH, 7
And then we see Lucius at the end of the book:
“Go and fetch Snape.”
“Snape, m-my Lord?”
“Snape. Now. I need him. There is a—service—I require from him. Go.”
Frightened, stumbling a little through the gloom, Lucius left the room. - The Elder Wand , DH, 642
He stutters in the same way Peter does.
Like Peter, Lucius becomes the traitor that Voldemort keeps around because he finds it amusing to torment him. I think that Lucius was close to Voldemort, and Voldemort took his betrayal rather personally. None of the other Death Eaters are tormented like this after their own failures, certainly.
The Competence Problem
Lucius’s General Competence
Lucius’s general competence is made much clearer when it’s pointed out that before the war - possibly through most of his twenties - Lucius was Voldemort’s top lieutenant. I cannot stress enough that he would not have survived in this position, even at the time, without competence . Period.
Dumbledore holds Lucius in poor estimation as a wizard:
“So your wand recognized [Voldemort] when he pursued you, recognized a man who was both kin and mortal enemy, and it regurgitated some of his own magic against him, magic much more powerful than anything Lucius’s wand had ever performed. Your wand now contained the power of your enormous courage and of Voldemort’s own deadly skill: What chance did that poor stick of Lucius Malfoy’s stand?” - King’s Cross , DH, 711
While this is Dumbledore, and he dislikes Lucius a great deal to boot, I think he’s probably right that Lucius is not as brilliant a wizard as many other people we see in the series (Voldemort as mentioned here, Bellatrix, Snape). Instead, I’m going to argue that his talents lie in other areas - rather ironic for someone who hates Muggles with a passion and values his identity as a wizard above all.
We see several instances of this in the books. Lucius is numerous times mentioned as having connections and relationships and is shown at being extremely effective at bending the Ministry to his whims.
In the early books, there are multiple references to people being petrified or terrified of him in the Ministry.
“Malfoy’s dad frightened the committee into it,” said Hermione. - The Quidditch Final , PoA, 292
Even Borgin knows he’s bad news:
“Good day yourself, Mister Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven’t sold me half of what’s hidden in your manor . . .” - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 53
He gets the committee members to sentence Buckbeak to death:
“An’ then Lucius Malfoy stood up an’ said his bit, and the Committee jus’ did exac’ly what he told ‘em. . . .” - The Quidditch Final , PoA, 125
And the board hates him for blackmailing and threatening them, of course.
“Well, you see, Lucius,” Dumbledore said, smiling serenely, “the other eleven governors contacted me today. [...] Very strange tales they told me too. . . . Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn’t agree to suspend me in the first place.” - Dobby’s Reward , CoS, 335
One can only imagine the sort of terror a man willing to go after families for political gain without Voldemort might have sown during the war. (He does not seem to have been as good at hiding his rather nasty nature and he tends to threaten families). One has to commend him for threatening eleven other people into doing his bidding, of course.
However, he is well-connected enough and competent enough to stay out of prison despite the fact that rather a lot of people seem to think him a Death Eater. I hold that political maneuvering is a skill worth respecting as competence . While it’s true that money goes a long way - Lucius is not pulling himself up by his bootstraps or by anything else - he achieves notoriety that even other rich, influential Death Eaters don’t and certainly a higher position in the Death Eaters.
Lucius’s more general competence is also displayed. In Flourish and Blotts, I would theorize that his desire to create a scene is both very intentional and quite manipulative. We don’t see a general tendency to fight people in public from him, but a distraction is precisely what he needed to pull off a fairly impressive sleight of hand trick. Lucius baits Arthur while setting himself up to pass Ginny the diary.
He reached into Ginny’s cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration .
“Obviously not,” Mr. Malfoy said. “Dear me, what’s the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don’t even pay you well for it?” - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 62
And then, when Arthur refuses to rise to the bait, Lucius insults the Grangers.
“Clearly,” said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. “The company you keep, Weasley . . . and I thought your family could sink no lower–”
There was a thud of metal as Ginny’s cauldron went flying, Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy. - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 62
This is a much more understandable reaction given the fact that Lucius infamously kills Muggles for fun .
He was still holding Ginny’s old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice. - At Flourish and Blotts , CoS, 63
If anything, I appreciate Lucius’s sleight of hand and manipulation skills in this scene. Once again I want to point out that this entire thing was planned, and that the Chamber of Secrets plot was not an accident, but a full-on scheme meant to take out Dumbledore, Arthur, and the Muggle-borns at Hogwarts. If it wasn’t, Dobby would have had nothing to warn Harry about.
He’s also shown as being particularly perceptive. Lucius clocks Sirius at the train station in OotP, something Snape mentions to Sirius.
“Speaking of dogs,” said Snape softly, “did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you last time you risked a little jaunt outside?” - Occlumency , OotP, 520
He correctly identifies the jinx that Hermione used on Harry to conceal his identity and notes his scar.
“What did you do to him?” Lucius asked Greyback. “How did he get into this state?”
“That wasn’t us.”
“Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me,” said Lucius.
His gray eyes raked Harry’s forehead.
“There’s something here,” he whispered, “it could be the scar, stretched tight . . .” - Malfoy Manor , DH, 458-459
Lucius hears them making noise in the cellar:
“What was that?” shouted Lucius Malfoy from over their heads. “Did you hear that? What was that noise from the cellar?” - Malfoy Manor , DH, 469
Lucius also has a penchant for the Imperius Curse one Hermione sums up.
“Sturgis Podmore,” said Hermione, breathlessly. “Arrested for trying to get through a door. Lucius Malfoy got him too. I bet he did it the day you saw him there, Harry. Sturgis had Moody’s Invisibility Cloak, right? So what if he was standing guard by the door, invisible, and Malfoy heard him move, or guessed he was there, or just did the Imperius Curse on the off chance that a guard was there?”- Seen and Unforeseen , OotP, 588
Lucius is competent enough to cast the Imperius Curse, and to do it repeatedly in a place full of people. I suspect he can cast it nonverbally, as that would be quite useful (and quite impressive) we never see him do it, though. The “him” that Lucius Malfoy also got was Broderick Bode, discussed pages before.
“Bode would have known he could not . . . Undoubtedly that is why he fought so hard against Malfoy’s Imperius Curse . . . .” - Seen and Unforeseen, OotP, 585
I think it’s likely that Lucius heard Sturgis moving (and then maybe went home to tell Draco about it), as Draco pulls off the exact same trick on Harry and his Invisibility Cloak after his father goes to prison.
“ Petrificus Totalus! ”
Without warning, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry, who was instantly paralyzed. As though in slow motion, he toppled out of the luggage rack and fell, with an agonizing, floor-shaking crash, at Malfoy’s feet, the Invisibility Cloak trapped beneath him. [...]
“I thought so,” [Malfoy] said jubilantly. “I heard Goyle’s trunk hit you. And I thought I saw something white flash through the air after Zabini came back. . . .” - The Slug Club , HBP, 153
He also mentions Lucius when he breaks Harry’s nose.
And he stamped, hard, on Harry’s face. Harry felt his nose break; blood spurted everywhere.
“That’s from my father.”- The Slug Club, HBP, 154
We don’t see enough of Lucius or his machinations to find out how good he actually is. But in competence is not something I would accuse him of. That brings us to the next point:
Who Was To Blame For the Department of Mysteries?
This section is not to assign blame per se but to point out that the Department of Mysteries is not a fiasco somehow built solely on Lucius’s incompetence. This is the narrative presented by Voldemort, but I would caution us about accepting his vindictive narrative on anything without due consideration.
“He shares everything with me!” said Bellatrix, firing up at once. “He calls me his most loyal, his most faithful–”
“Does he?” said Snape, his voice delicately inflected to suggest his disbelief. “Does he still , after the fiasco at the Ministry?”- Spinner’s End , HBP, 29
Even Severus points out that Bellatrix is not free from blame and rage. Voldemort is furious with her afterwards, and she knows it. Bellatrix causes problems in the Department of Mysteries, fighting with Lucius–but she eventually comes around. The elephant in the room is . . . Snape. I would draw the reader’s attention to this exchange in Order of the Phoenix .
Snape gave [Umbridge] an ironic bow and turned to leave. Harry knew his last chance of letting the Order know what was going on was walking out of the door.
“He’s got Padfoot!” he shouted. “He’s got Padfoot at the place where it’s hidden!”
Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge’s door handle. - Out of the Fire , OotP, 745
Dumbledore later credits Snape:
“You see, when you gave Professor Snape that cryptic warning, he realized that you had had a vision of Sirius trapped in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries. [...] Professor Snape found that Sirius was alive and safe in Grimmauld Place.
“When, however, you did not return from your trip into the forest with Dolores Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried that you still believed Sirius to be a captive of Lord Voldemort’s. He alerted certain Order members at once.” - The Lost Prophecy , OotP, 830
As we see, the Order arrives just as Lucius is getting the prophecy.
[Bellatrix] turned and gazed up at Harry. “Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!”
Harry did not have to think; there was no choice. The prophecy was hot with the heat from his clutching hand as he held it out. Malfoy jumped forward to take it.
Then, high above them, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley. - Beyond the Veil , OotP, 801
Lucius was stabbed in the back, ruthlessly, by Snape. Otherwise, the breaking-in and the operation–which Lucius seems to have been heavily involved in and likely had some real authority in–would have been entirely successful. It’s surprising to me how many people miss this; I consider it extremely important.
Editorializing
I believe that ultimately Lucius falls to the same fate as Voldemort - he trusts Severus Snape and he underestimates Harry. To claim that these failures are unique to him is to fail to look at the larger picture. Lucius is neither as clever nor as powerful as Voldemort, but he is also not so foolish as to be put in charge of the Department of Mysteries for, as so many people seem to think, no reason at all. In a more Doylist way, Lucius falls to the same fate as any villain in a children’s book - he is bested by children. Voldemort is as well. Lucius is, unfortunately for him, doomed by the narrative.
The other elephant in the room is, of course, the torture and humiliation Voldemort puts Lucius through. I once saw someone say that Lucius should have not allowed Voldemort into his house, or said no to him - I cannot stress enough that had this been done Lucius and his entire family would be dead. The terror that Lucius displays in the beginning of Deathly Hallows is the very understandable fear that he and his entire family will be killed. I think it is strange to hold this up as weakness, particularly as this is not a standard anyone else in the story is held to when trying to protect their loved ones - not Ron or Xenophilius Lovegood, certainly. Is it weakness to be abused and to have the lives of your loved ones held over you?
It’s also telling to me that the characterization of Lucius changes very much from “book-era fandom” - from the early 2000s to the late ‘10s - to the more common interpretations now. Lucius is at least portrayed as a threatening villain early on, more fitting to his intimidating behavior in books like Goblet of Fire and Chamber of Secrets . Now, there’s a strain of conviction as to his inherent weakness and pathetic nature, likely coming from a combination of the movies, his fall from grace in the latter books, and the strange game of telephone that seems to happen in a fandom that is often very removed from canon. More on this later.
Lucius and Severus
The friendship starts in the prince’s tale:
And Severus Snape moved off to the other side of the Hall, away from Lily, to where the Slytherins were cheering him, to where Lucius Malfoy, a prefect badge gleaming upon his chest, patted Snape on the back as he sat down beside him . . .
Overall it’s not much, but this is the beginning of what we suspect is a friendship. In Goblet of Fire, Severus reacts to Lucius’s name.
“Look, I saw Voldemort come back!” Harry shouted. He tried to get out of bed again, but Mrs. Weasley forced him back. “I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy—”
Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape’s eyes flew back to Fudge. - The Parting of the Ways , GoF, 706
In OotP, Sirius makes fun of Snape for hanging out with Lucius.
“Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he’s delighted his lapdog’s working at Hogwarts, isn’t he?” - Occlumency , OotP, 520
At this point Snape has started spying on Lucius for the Order. He’s likely sticking close to him because he’s getting information from him, as Lucius is integral to the plans at the Department of Mysteries. However, Lucius seems to like Severus generally, as he speaks well of him to Umbridge:
“You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!” - Out of the Fire , OotP, 745
We don’t get much more information than this. (I bet Lucius and Dolores get along like a house on fire).
If there’s anything that inspires more disdain from Lucius than Muggles, it’s poverty - and Severus is poor and without status. On the other hand, Lucius tolerates half-bloods better than, say, Bellatrix. (Lucius generally seems fine with, say, Rita Skeeter or Dolores Umbridge or Severus Snape; his tolerance for half-bloods seems mostly predicated on how useful they are to him. Pragmatism rules here.)
From the imposition of the Statute of Secrecy onwards, no Malfoy has married a Muggle or Muggle-born. The family has, however, eschewed the somewhat dangerous practice of inter-marrying within such a small pool of pure-bloods that they become enfeebled or unstable, unlike a small minority of fanatic families such as the Gaunts and Lestranges, and many a half-blood appears on the Malfoy family tree. - The Malfoy Family , Pottermore
Here’s JKR’s take on the Malfoy family in general, which I suspect Malfoy would toe the line of.
I find it very unlikely that Severus, because of his poverty and half-blood status, would become Draco’s godfather. (It’s rather baffling to me that some people make Narcissa more tolerant of half-bloods than Lucius; she is a Black, notably less tolerant than even other pure-blood supremacist families.)
This is a little bit of editorializing again, as I think that the causes and timeline in the relationship between Lucius and Severus get a bit mixed up. Much like the Potters, Severus betrays them to the opposition, putting all of them in danger. Then, whether inadvertently or not, he saves their son—the sons of both Lily and Narcissa.
Lucius’s fall from grace is so traumatizing, humiliating, and dangerous for him that I do not think he would ever forgive Snape for his betrayal. This is the final wedge in whatever their relationship was before Snape became a spy. I think this gets erased when discussing their relationship. However they felt about each other, they would have killed each other if they had to, and therein lies the tragedy. And of course—in the end—it’s Lucius who fetches Severus to his death.
“Go and fetch Snape.”
“Snape, m-my Lord?”
“Snape. Now. I need him. There is a—service—I require from him. Go.”
Frightened, stumbling a little through the gloom, Lucius left the room. - The Elder Wand , DH, 642
Fanon Misconceptions
“Abusive Lucius”
Abuse is a complicated topic. I am not going to argue that there is not material here to support it; Lucius put huge amounts of pressure on Draco, inducted him into a culture of extremist violence and taught him about horrible things, and demanded a great deal of him. It’s not unreasonable to interpret some of this as some kind of abuse, or to assume that there are certain scenarios that might escalate into abuse of some kind or another. I’m not here to argue over definitions.
However, I think it’s obvious that the fanon conception of Lucius as abusive exists not as an interpretation of his character, but as a mechanism to create wanted beats in other characters. His relationship with his family is inconvenient to people writing Draco/Hermione or Draco/Harry, it is inconvenient to people who want to uncomplicatedly redeem Draco and inconvenient to the desire to paint Narcissa as a character with no agency in her life who doesn’t “truly believe” in the pure-blood nonsense. Making his family hate him (an idea even more out of character than Lucius sadistically cursing them) means getting him out of the way and putting their sins on him. I’m going to be clear: this is just character bashing . This is not an exploration of the complex dynamics of upper-class families, this is not a discussion of parents who are overbearing and overcontrolling, and this is not a meditation on parents who love their kids but fuck them up anyways. Canon Draco’s and Canon Narcissa’s canonical love of Lucius is just . . . inconvenient to Fanon Draco and Fanon Narcissa, and people want a cut-and-dry excuse to exorcize it from the narrative.
Even if you don’t like Lucius and prefer to make him OOC, I implore you: tag your bashing . Please.
Death Eater Abraxas
We are given no indication that Abraxas was at Hogwarts with Tom Riddle. In fact, given the information in the text, it’s unlikely that he was a Knight in Tom’s inner circle, as we are actually given their names and Abraxas is not among them.
“Then if I were to go to the Hog’s Head tonight, I would not find a group of them–Nott, Rosier, Mulciber, Dolohov–awaiting your return?” - Lord Voldemort’s Request , HBP, 444
Also, as we’ve covered, the diary was explicitly given to Lucius and not to Abraxas.
Good Lucius
I don’t even know why I have to add this section. At least this gets tagged, though.
Lucius tries to kill children multiple times. First, by opening the Chamber of Secrets–he shows clear relish at the idea of killing Muggle-born children, some as young as eleven.
“How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn’t it? At this rate, there’ll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school.” - Cornelius Fudge , CoS, 262
And then again in the Department of Mysteries:
“We’ll split into pairs and search, and don’t forget, be gentle with Potter until we’ve got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary.” - Beyond the Veil , OotP, 788
Even among the Death Eaters , Lucius is singled out by Voldemort for his penchant for torture and murder–this time for fun.
“You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe?” - The Death Eaters , GoF, 650
Arthur informs us of how Death Eaters treat Muggles later:
“Harry, that’s their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn’t resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large.” - The Dark Mark , GoF, 143
I wonder how many Muggles Lucius has killed for laughs? I’d argue the man is probably just as much a habitual sadist as Bellatrix. He certainly shows an unstoppable penchant for cruelty whenever he appears, even mocking Neville for the fate of his parents and showing a willingness to just . . . kill him.
“It’s Longbottom, isn’t it?” sneered Lucius Malfoy. “Well your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause. . . . Your death will not come as a great shock. . . .” - Beyond the Veil , OotP, 800
He and Bellatrix are in on this together.
“You are not in a position to bargain, Potter,” said Lucius Malfoy, his pale face flushed with pleasure. “You see, there are ten of us and only one of you. . . . or hasn’t Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?” - Beyond the Veil , OotP, 800
He certainly enjoys taunting Harry. Pleasurably.
He had last seen those cool gray eyes through slits in a Death Eater’s hood, and last heard that man’s voice jeering in a dark graveyard while Lord Voldemort tortured him. - The Woes of Mrs. Weasley , OotP, 154
He gleefully enjoys Harry’s torture.
One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee. - The Dark Mark , GoF, 120
There’s also this incident, which has been described as sexual assault; personally I wouldn’t put straight up rape past him (he certainly doesn’t seem to draw any moral boundaries anywhere).
After The War
We’re actually told by JKR on Pottermore what happens to Lucius and Draco after the war. This is apocryphal–and let’s face it, doing terrible things to Draco and Lucius is fun–but it’s often overlooked.
Following the battle, his father evaded prison by providing evidence against fellow Death Eaters, helping to ensure the capture of many of Lord Voldemort’s followers who had fled into hiding. - Draco Malfoy , Pottermore