Lucius, backstories, redemption, old=new again

[gwendolyngrace]

No: HPFGUIDX 35416

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "cindysphynx" <cindysphynx at h...> wrote:

> Yes, now that you mention it, Lucius is going to be very important
> and is in desperate need of a serious backstory too, doesn't
> he?  ::ignores collective groan and eye-roll from list members::
>

Happy to oblige, Cindy. Now, you do realize that all the bouncing back
and forth you, Elkins, Eileen, and Tabouli have been indulging in
lately is fanfic, right?

So I think it's time to trot out my Lucius backstory, every bit as
canon-based as your latest theories on Avery, the Lestranges, and
Bertha, as well as older gems such as FLIRTIAC, Neville, and LOLLIPOPS.

Cindy:
> Lucius is almost as mysterious as Snape, isn't he?  He seems to have
> money, influence and a proper trophy wife in the legitimate wizarding
> world, but for some reason, that isn't enough.  No, Lucius has to
> take up with Voldemort -- Mr. All-Knowing, Mr. All-Powerful,
> Mr. "Phoenix Tears, I Forgot".
>

Okay, based on Draco's remarks in CoS (before his father's time, etc.)
and the rivalry between Lucius and Arthur, many on the list believe
Lucius and Arthur to have been contemporaries at Hogwarts. Based on
the ages of the Weasley children, and the upper limit of 50 years ago
on Lucius, he cannot be older than about 59 (if he started at Hogwarts
the year after Riddle opened the chamber)--I suspect he's actually
younger--say 45 in CoS.

The disconnect is *why* Lucius follows Voldemort, and we must also
reconcile that hidden chamber and all the school stuff, as well as how
he kept himself out of Azkaban.

My theory is that his *father* was a schoolboy friend and confidante
of Riddle's. Together they went to Europe and pursued the dark
arts--but Tom was a little more committed to them than Malfoy Sr. I
also time this conveniently just before the fall of Grindlewald in
1945. They joined Grindlewald's followers, but several realized that
Grindy was becoming a little unbalanced. Riddle and Malfoy were among
a small group who tried to assassinate their erstwhile lord. But
before they could do the job, Dumbledore and his merry band arrived on
the scene and stopped him for them. Riddle fled to safety, but Malfoy
was cursed by one of Grindlewald's loyal followers--a wizard who was
killed by an overeager wizard on Dumbldore's side. Malfoy, true to the
family fashion, told his story to the good guys, that he was trying to
"escape" and "help" them defeat Grindlewald, and came home also a hero.

Now we have the Malfoy name and wealth, but also the thanks of a
grateful nation to consider when judging Lucius.

But that's not all! Because the curse, being a dark curse and
belonging to a dead dark wizard, worked its magic over Malfoy Sr. for
the rest of his life. He used dark magic of his own to prolong his
health and partially counteract the curse's effects, but gradually, it
won. By the time Lucius was 8, for example, his father was confined to
a wheelchair forever.

Now, no Malfoy would take that sort of thing lying down, right? So Dad
enlisted young Lucius's assistance, helping him research and
increasingly relying on him to run things when the old man could not.
So from an early age, Lucius had responsibility thrust upon him, and
also was instilled with a deep hatred/fear of death, and a lot of
background in the Dark Arts. The anti-Muggle prejudice I believe is a
longstanding Malfoy attitude (not specific to this generation) and one
that goes back much further and was enforced by Lucius's parents. But
the obsession with his own mortality...that ate at him from a young
age, as he watched his father decay before him and not a mediwizard in
the world could do a thing.

Lucius's father died when Lucius was in his final year at Hogwarts. A
mere stripling, he suddenly found himself in complete control of the
family's interests. He's also very vulnerable. Bring Voldemort into
this equation, add a dash of mystery and the promise of a link to "the
father he never knew," and we begin to forge a twisted relationship
between the two. Voldemort says he has always been able to charm those
he needed--Lucius is no exception. He charms him with tales of a
father in the prime of life, with assurances that they will conquer
death together, with a common belief that the influence of Muggles and
Muggle-born wizards must be eradicated from society, and most
importantly, that Lucius's own son will never have to grow up without
a father. Lucius buys Voldemort's offer of friendship hook, line, and
sinker.

The flaw in Lucius's logic, as I see it, is that he assumes that his
physical existence, as a healthy, intelligent, wealthy, powerful man
provides enough of a role model for Draco. He doesn't have as tight a
handle on his self-control as he thinks he does, but even beyond that
lapse in character, I think he genuinely doesn't know what to do with
his child. I believe, from their brief interaction in Borgin and
Burkes, that he is severely disappointed in Draco, but he hasn't the
first idea how to reach him, save the granting or denial of material
gratification. I think Lucius, because of his father's affliction,
never realized how much *parenting* his father really did, so he's
unable to pass it on to Draco. He was always (in his mind) dutiful and
responsible, so Draco's constant excuses grate. Also, Lucius is at
heart a selfish bastard who can't really see beyond his own desires,
no matter how much he believes it's for his loved ones, or even civic
duty.

For what it's worth, I *do* think he loves his wife and son. I *do*
think he thinks he's doing what he must (Tom's diary, DE, etc.). I
don't think he shows good judgment going about it, and I do think that
he's been corrupted from years of exposure to Dark Arts and using them
or whatever means is at hand to get what he wants.

Oh--the business with the Ministry. Well, I think they *wanted* to
believe that someone as prominent as Lucius Malfoy, son of such a
revered family, wasn't a willing participant in Voldemort's plans. And
I think he put together such a convincing story--using "real" facts
such as how Voldemort preyed on his grief over his father and the
pressure of inheriting an empire at 17--to gloss over his obvious
collusion along the way.

More Cindy:
> And when Voldemort falls, Lucius never seems to contemplate just
> picking right up where Voldemort left off.  After all, Lucius now
> knows not to attack Harry directly, and that he will need a basilisk
> or something really fancy to get the job done.  With a little quiet
> contemplation, Lucius might be able to figure a way out of the Harry
> problem without killing Harry at all.  Yet Lucius doesn't do
> anything.  He just whines about being under the Imperius Curse and
> goes back to his hum-drum little suburban life, picking on house
> elves for sport, where he apparently doesn't even have a job or
> anything.
>

I think that Lucius, being cunning and intelligent, was using
Voldemort for his own purposes as much as V was using him. For ex., I
mentioned that they have the same goals--well, in name, anyway. I
think they both seek immortality, definitely, and I think both have a
deep rooted hatred of the Muggle influence on wizard society. But when
push comes to shove, does anyone think Lucius would actually believe
that Voldemort would allow any of his henchmen to join him in ultimate
victory over death? Or once he has achieved it, do they become
superfluous?

I believe that Lucius was along for the ride, but hoped to position
himself to double-cross Voldemort somewhere, or at least be valued
enough that he would remain indispensable.

After Voldemort disappears, the motives change. Lucius probably never
cared particularly about Harry (unless of course something about Harry
holds the key to immortality, which is not as yet supported by the
canon). He probably knew that there was no way, without the support of
the DE's, and without the fear of Voldemort, to win an all-fronts war
for wizarding domination, so why bother?

Far better to fade back, assume a properly penitent and shame-faced
manner, and seek less brutal methods of achieving his goals. Oh, yes,
in my version, he went to the Ministry within 48 hours to "confess"
his involvement (under Imperius, of course).

After all, it's *still* important that Draco have a father, not one
who is dead, or a ghost, or soulless, or imprisoned in Azkaban.

Cindy:
> Is this because the Death Eaters really don't stand for much, so
> Lucius sees no reason to continue their goals, whatever they are?  Is
> it because so many Death Eaters died and Lucius doesn't think he can
> persuade anyone else to join up with him?  Is Lucius on an extended
> paternity leave caring for Draco so that he misses all of the action
> in Fall 1981?  There *must* be a reason.
>

Yes, they all have their own agendae, which are subordinate to the
Biggies of Immortality and Wizard preservation.

No, Lucius as I just laid it out *does* continue his search for those
goals, just without the widespread support. He works now through his
power and influence, not his might with the wand.

Yes, I think that in the wake of the tumultuous and shocking events of
31 October 1981, many of the DE's scattered. I think that might have
been part of a plan--in case anything should happen. I have a feeling
many of the DE's "covered their tracks" on 1-2 November and set their
stories straight before they could accidentally incriminate one
another. The reports of chaos in the period immediately following
Voldemort's defeat could easily support meetings of the cells, all
putting their alibis together (as well as several trying to run). They
also had the convenient "smokescreen" of Peter and Sirius's little
drama to provide distraction. (Not that they knew
Peter=Wormtail=Secret Keeper necessarily, but that they knew Sirius
would be blamed and at least be first in line as Public Enemy #1.)

No, I don't believe Lucius has a traditional job. Others have made him
a mogul in publishing or some other industry, but I believe it is
family money, gained over the years through multiple business
interests. The Malfoys would not stoop to owning and personally
running a family business, IMO, even if it is a fantastically
lucrative one. Rather, I see him owning controlling interest, or
stock, or the wizarding equivalent, in many companies, and his time
being taken up as a member of any number of governing or directorial
boards, some charitable, others entrepreneurial. We know he served on
the Board of Governors for Hogwarts for at least one year. It's
debatable whether CoS was his only year on the Board: on the one hand,
it's contrary to his own advice to Draco to start stirring up trouble
when he's just arrived at the party; on the other, it's unlike Draco
not to brag about it prior to CoS if his father were already on the
Board. We also know Malfoy made a large donation to St. Mungo's,
though I prefer to think it's his mother (and/or Narcissa) who serves
there on a volunteer basis (this I also attribute to the family's
gratitude for St. M's help with his father for so many years).

So I think he meets with the family broker, with boards, with people
wanting a Malfoy Family Foundation grant, with Ministry Committees
where he has been asked to serve--all "volunteer" work, but work that
advances the Malfoy reputation, wealth, and agenda.

Interestingly, the trading cards list him as "underminister," or
something like it, according to report, but I don't see him being a
civil servant, even if wizard politics is more like American, with
campaigning and general elections to top jobs (and of course [corrupt]
businessmen going into politics). No, while I think the current
administration seems to defer to him, I don't think he's Fudge's
subordinate/deputy. He certainly doesn't act like he *works* for the
Ministry, at any rate.


And in the interest of once again regurgitating topics, on the theme
"everything old is new again," something (brief, I hope) on Draco's
redemption.

Well...this ties in to everything I've just told you about Lucius. He
doesn't connect to his son. He threatens him, he bullies him
(verbally, *never* physically, IMO--that's part of Draco's problem),
he rewards him with material goods (inconsistently, btw) and
apparently indulges Narcissa's tendency to spoil him (sweets, choosing
Hogwarts over Durmstrang despite his reservations about Dumbledore).
But...he doesn't show his love in any meaningful way.

I've said before I think Draco is supposed to evoke comparison to
Snape in readers' minds. I think their family backgrounds are just
about diametrically opposed (that's another post), but I think that
Snape is the "grown-up" version of a redeemed Draco. Perhaps this is
reinforced by some parallels in my mind between each one's
relationship with his father (again, a post for another day). But I
think Snape is there to provide a surrogate parent role for the Slyth
kids--especially those at risk of becoming DE's. A recent post noted
that Snape was "playing" Draco, setting him up to believe that Snape
liked him, the implication being that in the future, he will betray
the boy. I don't think so.

I do think Draco needs to be betrayed somehow if he is going to
change. But as I've said before, I don't think that needs to be pushed
into center stage for the audience to become aware of it. I think that
Snape is trying to gain the kids' trust, a difficult task among
Slytherins at the best of times, but even more challenging in the
current climate. For the record, I don't think that Draco, as he is at
the end of book 4, would go to ANY teacher--even Snape--if he felt a
crisis of faith, trying to reconcile Dad's actions/beliefs with any
pangs of conscience he might experience. But I don't think Snape's
going to get any closer to Draco by alienating himself from the rest
of the DE's. He has a really tight rope to walk--be too harsh on the
anti-Muggle attitudes and he gives himself away as a traitor, and
loses them; be too lenient on the attitudes and he allows them to
fall, and loses them.

The best he can hope for is maybe to catch them on the way down.

Gwen (who refuses point-blank to participate in the list's ongoing
cyber-action role playing game, but you kids have fun.)