Is Lucius Malfoy Abusive?

[onnanokata]

No: HPFGUIDX 112281

Kate wrote:
>> "Hmm. Lucius beat and kicked Dobby,"
 
DuffyPoo:
>House-Elves are slaves and are treated as such.  However, I only see two 
instances of Dobby being abused: beaten because he burned the Malfoy's 
dinner, and kicked through a doorway.  Any other pain infliction was done at 
Dobby's own hands.

Dharma replies:
Beating and kicking sentient beings as punishment, particularly for something 
as minor as burning food, is being abusive.  House Elves may very well have 
their free will suppressed, but that does not justify wizards physically 
assaulting them.  Lucius is being abusive to another being in this context.
 
Kate wrote:
>> "got in a brawl with Arthur,"

> DuffyPoo:
<snip>  Arthur Weasley was a thorn in LM's side.  Champion of Muggles and 
we all know LM's opinion of anyone who isn't pure-blood.

Dharma replies:
It was Lucius who approached Arthur's children and insulted them.  It was 
Lucius who implied that the Grangers were less than socially acceptable.  It 
was Lucius who insulted Arthur's work.  An adult belittling children in public, 
because the children's parents refuse to hold the same prejudice, is not 
particularly justifiable in my opinion.  It is, however, cruel.  
 
Kate wrote:
>> "humiliated Draco for never beating Harry in Quidditch,"
 
DuffyPoo: 
>I don't know when this happened.  Draco didn't play in PS, they played 
against each other in CoS but the tournament was cancelled before the end 
so HP only beat DM once, Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup in PoA, there 
was no Quidditch in GoF and HP was off the team after the first game in OotP 
so any beating after the first game would have been done by Ginny Weasley.  
The final that year was against Ravenclaw. 

Dharma replies;
I don't know think Lucius has ever had public words with Draco about 
Quidditch, but he did have a problem with Hermione out-performing Draco 
academically.  He did publicly discuss his displeasure with Draco's 
performance very curtly with Mr. Borgin, who does not seem to be a friend or 
close companion of any member of the Malfoy family.    
 
Kate:
>> "sneers at, threatens and goes out of his way to impede Dumbledore"
DuffyPoo:
>Because Dumbledore is a friend of Muggles and "Mudbloods" and Malfoy 
thinks someone else should be in charge of the school.   As above, we know 
LM's opinion of anyone who is not pure-blood, and even of those who are but 
have 'no wizard pride'. 

Dharma replies:
This does not justify threatening to curse the school governors' families to get 
Dumbledore.  In fact it reinforces the idea that Lucius will abuse is power to 
further his ends.  There is also the issue of him giving an eleven-year-old a 
dangerous object in order to cause mayhem, fear and potential deaths.

Kate wrote:
>> "and is a known death eater."

DuffyPoo:
> So does this infer that all DEs are abusive to their children?  

Dharma replies:
We have no evidence one way or the other to determine if the Death Eaters 
abuse their children.  It's not an unreasonable implication.  Why would people 
who have little problem killing other have a problem abusing others?
 
>> "Yup. I think it would be safe to say he's abusive." <snip>
 
DuffyPoo:
>Unfortunately, I cannot agree.  I see absolutely no evidence that Draco is 
abused by his father or his mother.  He's a loved, pampered little spoiled brat 
of a prince.  LM gets sick of his whining from time to time but so do all parents.  
LM bought Draco a racing broom when he wasn't on the house team - in spite 
of DM's whining - and bought brooms for the rest of the team to get baby-
Draco on the school team.  LM used his influence to arrange the for the 
execution of Buckbeak for a mere scratch on his son's arm. <snip>

Dharma replies:
There is ample evidence that *Lucius is an abusive person*.  Just because 
Lucius has the economic power to lavish gifts on Draco or to manipulate 
circumstance to favor Draco, it does not follow that Lucius is not abusive to his 
son.  The extent to which Draco is the subject of his abusive behavior is 
questionable, as we only know what Harry knows.