In a series with hundreds of named characters like Harry Potter, it’s only natural to assume that some characters come out a bit better defined than others. This is a concept that can be seen rather easily in the main cast. No one in the series quite compares to Harry, Ron, and Hermione in terms of sheer depth. Snape, Dumbledore, and Voldemort come close, but they’re also the most important characters outside the main three. The supporting cast ends up with a rather minimal amount of focus. Credit where credit is due, however, JK Rowling is capable of developing her minor characters with even the most minimal of page time.

Just look at the entire Malfoy family if you need proof. Quite frankly, Draco, despite being Harry’s rival and foil, barely appears in the books. At the same time, he’s one of the most popular characters in the entire franchise since he’s characterized so well. This actually extends to his parents as well. Despite barely appearing in the books or movies, their presences are utterly massive and JK Rowling does not waste a single moment characterizing them. They are two of the most defined characters in the series, but you wouldn’t know that unless you paid a keen amount of attention to every little detail.

24 Lucius And Narcissa Were Pardoned

For as downright vile as the Malfoys can be, both Lucius and Narcissa get away with quite a lot over the course of the series. During Voldemort’s first stint, both of them came out as open supporters of the Death Eater, with Lucius himself playing a rather sizable role, but both defected at the last minute, earning themselves a pardon.

All deeds go unpunished. 

As fate would have it, the Malfoys go through this same song and dance again during Voldemort’s return. At the very last minute, Lucius and Narcissa defect to protect Draco, earning them yet another pardon and saving Lucius from a lifetime in Azkaban. The Malfoys sure know how to game the system.

23 Lucius Was His Class’ Prefect

On paper, Lucius is the definition of success. One of the richest wizards in the world from one of the wizarding world’s most powerful families, it’s no wonder Draco acts out the way he does against Harry and other non-Slytherins. Doubly so considering his father was also class Prefect, a title that holds quite a bit of weight at Hogwarts.

As Prefect, Lucius was more or less top dog when it came to Slytherin’s House during his tenure. Interestingly, it seems as though Narcissa was not Prefect during their time at Hogwarts. Given that Lucius is all about status, it’s quite interesting he would marry someone so “beneath” him, but maybe he really is just capable genuine love.

22 Narcissa Was Never A Death Eater

Given the Malfoys’ role in the series, it’s natural to assume that all three are Death Eaters. After all, Lucius is blatantly introduced as a former Death Eater in Chamber of Secrets, immediately creating a sense of distrust between him and the reader. When Narcissa enters the picture, it’s simply safe to assume she’s more of the same.

Bad enough to marry a Death Eater, but not to be one. 

With that in mind, however, at no point in the books or the movies is it specified that Narcissa is an actual Death Eater. In fact, multiple times, it’s stated that she merely supports the cause vigorously. She’s rarely out in the open doing Death Eater duties, but she stands by her husband and his beliefs.

21 Book Narcissa Is More Emotional Than Movie Narcissa

Changes are bound to happen in any adaptation and Harry Potter is no exception. There are only so many details any given movie in the series can bring to screen without further elongating the already massive run times. Sometimes, however, changes aren’t made for padding reasons. They just simply happen.

One such change revolves around Narcissa’s characterization. In the books, Narcissa is incredibly emotional up until the end, imploring Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco. In the movies, this is cut in favor of Bellatrix having Snape commit said vow with Narcissa not nearly emotional enough to look out for Draco.

20 Lucius Is Touchier In The Movies

On the subject of book to movie changes, Lucius gets a rather strange one in Chamber of Secrets. When Lucius first meets Harry in the second book, they merely have a brief, but rather tense, conversation. Lucius is properly characterized as an enormous jerk who is clearly stifling Draco and we, as readers, move on.

Don't go touching kids' hair. 

The movies… get weird with this interaction. Rather than having the two simply talk, Lucius brushes Harry’s hair away so that he can look at his scar. It’s conceptually sound enough with Lucius simply wanting to see the scar for himself, but the added closeness adds an uncomfortable layer to his dynamic with Harry.

19 “Malfoy” Means In “Bad Faith”

Names always tend to mean something in literature and it’s quite fitting the Malfoys are named such. Malfoy, in French, would more or less translate to “bad faith.” “Mal” meaning bad, and “foi” meaning faith. Of course, JK Rowling swapped the “i” for a “y,” but you never want to be too on the nose with these sorts of things.

It really cannot be stated just how well thought out the Malfoy surname is, especially in the context of the series. They aren’t in bad faith because they betray the heroes, they’re in bad faith because they betray Voldemort. Time and time again, they are only Death Eaters in “bad faith.”

18 Lucius Breaks The Movie Prophecy, Not Neville

When it comes down to it, every single book in the series is important, but Order of the Phoenix is definitely one of the biggest game changers in Harry Potter in large part due to the prophecy. Near the climax of the book, Harry comes in contact with a prophecy dictating his fate at the hands of Voldemort.

Who's the biggest klutz now? 

Naturally, Neville ends up breaking it, putting Harry in a bit of a limbo in regards to what the future foretells for him. For whatever reason, however, the movie adaptation changes this detail so that Lucius breaks the prophecy instead of Neville. The end result is the same, but the prophecy’s end is on the villains instead of heroes.

17 Narcissa Is Still Prejudiced After The End Of The Series

Out of nowhere, Narcissa shows up in the last book to claim one impressive redemption arc, saving Harry’s life to save Draco’s. The books began with Harry saved by a mother’s love and they end the exact same way. It’s natural to assume this scene marks a changed Narcissa, but things aren’t so simple.

In The Cursed Child, because why wouldn’t The Cursed Child ruin anyone and everyone in its path, it’s stated that Narcissa never really grew out of her hatred of blood mixing. This actually causes a direct conflict between her and Draco’s eventual wife. After everything, Narcissa never really changed her stance on wizarding blood.

16 Lucius Saves Harry’s Life In Goblet Of Fire

Goblet of Fire’s climax is truly insane. Cedric perishes almost immediately, Harry is ambushed by Death Eaters, Voldemort is revived, Harry barely survives dueling Voldemort, is then found by Mad-Eye Moody only for Mad-Eye to utterly betray his trust in every capacity, and then Harry is saved at the last minute.

This still doesn't make Lucius a good man. 

It’s easy to forget details in such a packed climax. One such detail you may have forgotten was Lucius actually saving Harry. Rather than allowing Voldemort to take out Harry right then and there, Lucius goads Voldemort into expositing his backstory to the Death Eaters, keeping Harry alive long enough to make it out unscathed.

15 Movie Lucius Tries To Use Avada Kedavra On Harry

Lucius actually tries to use a forbidden spell against Harry in Chamber of Secrets. The movie version at least. In a rage, Lucius prepares to cast Avada Kedavra on Harry, but is ultimately cut off after he says “Avada.” Worth noting, this exchange does not happen in the books as the spell had not been introduced yet.

Here’s the thing, though: Chamber of Secret’s movie came out after Goblet of Fire’s book which introduced Avada Kedavra. It is entirely possible, in reading the fourth book, Chris Columbus directed the scene so to foreshadow the spell’s existence. It’s certainly extreme and ruins Lucius’ character in the movie continuity, but it is there.

14 Narcissa Isn’t Fond Of Bellatrix

Siblings aren’t exactly guaranteed to like each other which is more or less the case between Narcissa and Bellatrix. Although the two work together rather frequently in the later books, there is a clear animosity between them, especially on Narcissa’s end. Narcissa simply does not have the patience for her sister’s antics and demeanor, keeping a deliberate divide between each other.

Every scene they have together has a strange air of tension as if they are putting on airs just to tolerate each other. This is to say nothing of the fact that Narcissa actively reprimands Bellatrix. Interestingly, it seems as though Bellatrix does love her sister quite a bit, allowing Narcissa to talk back to her with no real reproach.

13 Lucius Is The 12th Richest Fictional Character In The World

In Forbes’ Fictional Fifteen, a column that took a look at media to analyze the richest fictional characters of all time, Lucius Malfoy came out at number twelve. Considering just how much money the Malfoys supposedly have in the series, this should not come as a surprise to anyone. The Malfoys are dirty rich.

Money makes every world go round. 

What is surprising is the fact that Lucius made the list, however. Obviously, Lucius isn’t holding onto real-world currency, but context from the books and movies does allow the audience to piece together just how vast Lucius’ personal wealth actually is. It really recontextualizes the Malfoy estate, doesn’t it?

12 Movie Lucius Nearly Executed Buckbeak Himself

Some movie changes never come to be. Whether it be due to a revised script, producer interference, or simply the lack of an actor, changes that were meant to be in the films end up being taken out. One such change involves Lucius personally executing Buckbeak during Prisoner of Azkaban himself.

Unfortunately for the crew, and probably fortunately for fans of the book, Lucius’ actor was unavailable for the scene and filming had to proceed without him. As Prisoner of Azkaban does not have a traditional antagonist who looms over the entire plot, this was likely an attempt to have Lucius fill that role, even if only temporarily.

11 Draco Lives In His Father’s Shadow

Although he may appear as one at the start of the series, Draco is far from your superficial bully. Every instance of him antagonizing Harry stems directly from a desire to please his father. Note just how unpleasantly Draco acts when he isn’t around Lucius. His mockeries lobbed at Harry even get toned down after Lucius berates him for acting beneath his status as a Malfoy.

At the same time, living in Lucius’ shadow is exactly what forces Draco to want to become a Death Eater. Voldemort even uses this to his advantage by using Draco as the key piece in his plan to slay Dumbledore. Draco, like his father, allows himself to spiral for no real reason so long as it maintains his “status.”

10 Narcissa Is Lily’s Antithesis

Given Draco’s role as Harry’s literary foil, it’s only natural there be a similar relationship between their mothers. While Lily and Narcissa never interact in the series proper, especially considering how the former isn’t even alive, they play important literary roles. They are antitheses to one another, representing similar concepts from different sides.

Never doubt a mother's love. 

Specifically, both Lily and Narcissa embody the series’ overarching theme of maternal love. This is a story born out of a mother saving her son, and it ends with another mother saving her son. Everything came full circle thematically through Narcissa. She is driven by a love for her son and that is ultimately what saves Harry.

9 Lucius’ Life Is An Actual Nightmare

Although Lucius begins the series at the top of the totem pole, so to speak, later books only serve to break him down. By the final book in the series, Lucius’ life has turned into a literal nightmare that he cannot wake up from. His son is being held hostage, Voldemort is using his home as a base of operations, and he’s been stripped of his wand.

Lucius is unquestionably a villain over the course of the series, but he suffers for it far more than most antagonists. The last few books outright torture Lucius to the point of no return. When he betrays Voldemort, it does make sense to some extent: he can’t take it anymore. In that sense, his betrayal is almost forgivable. Almost.

8 Lucius Does Not Have Long Hair In The Books

If you were asked to describe Lucius in the books right now, you’d probably list these three features: tall, blond, and long hair. Although this matches the actor’s physique for the movies, it does not necessarily reflect Lucius from the books. Not a single detail in any of the books states that Lucius has long hair.

Just imagine an older Draco. 

This misconception stems entirely from Jason Isaacs’ appearance in the films. Of note, Isaacs does not have long hair himself, but grew it out for the movies as he felt it would better suit Lucius. Perhaps he was on to something considering just how many fans seemingly misremember Lucius with long hair.

7 Draco Loves His Mother More Than His Father

They say you love your parents equally, but this isn’t a state of mind that applies to everyone, let alone fictional characters in a series full of parental abuse. It perhaps goes without saying, but Draco clearly loves his mother more than he does his father. While he does respect the latter, there isn’t the same warmth as there is with Narcissa.

Can you blame him? 

Lucius simply isn’t kind enough to Draco, constantly forcing him to life how he would live. Narcissa, on the other hand, clearly understands who Draco is and breeds that persona out of him. Where Lucius suppresses his son from being himself, Narcissa allows him to flourish, allowing them to form a tighter bond.

6 Draco’s Relationship With His Parents Strained After The Last Book

Draco’s life is seriously kind of awful, even after the end of the series. While the last book implies that Draco has gone on to lead a better life, his parents have not, creating a bit of a rift between him and his once beloved father and mother. Specifically, their relationship becomes strained due to Draco’s wife.

Despite being pureblood herself, Astoria Greengrass goes on to reject pureblood notions, believing that wizards shouldn’t live by such archaic philosophies. Draco, in turn, also adopts this belief, but it divides him from his parents with them unable to shake their convictions. Interestingly, the rift seems to be on Draco’s side mostly as his parents do not remove him from their estate.

5 Lucius Is Only A Death Eater When It’s Convenient For Him

Lucius Malfoy is not a man you want on your side by any means. If for whatever reason you find yourself associating with Lucius Malfoy, strongly consider where you cause is heading, because he’s going to jump ship the moment things head south. For someone who prides himself as a competent Death Eater, Lucius does not play fair.

A prime opportunist. 

Every single time Voldemort’s cause has turned sour, Lucius has betrayed his once beloved master and organization. He is only a Death Eater when it absolutely suits him. Lucius is not a man who believed in anything. He will betray all his convictions if it means he keeps his hide. It’s only a matter of time before he betrays the wizarding world for a third time.