Lucius Malfoy was a Pure-blood wizard, the patriarch of the wealthy and influential Malfoy family, and a prominent Death Eater. He served Lord Voldemort during both the First and Second Wizarding Wars. Known for his arrogance, prejudice against Muggles and Muggle-borns, and his use of wealth to exert political influence at the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lucius's primary motivation eventually shifted from serving the Dark Lord to ensuring the survival of his wife, Narcissa Malfoy, and their son, Draco Malfoy.
Lucius was born into an ancient and wealthy pure-blood family, instilling in him a strong belief in blood purity and a disdain for those he considered inferior. He attended Hogwarts, where he was sorted into Slytherin house and was made a Prefect. During the First Wizarding War, Lucius served as a Death Eater. After Lord Voldemort's first downfall, he successfully avoided imprisonment in Azkaban by claiming he had acted under the influence of the Imperius Curse, a lie that allowed him to maintain his position in high society. In the years following, Lucius used his influence and donations to maintain strong ties with the Ministry of Magic, particularly with the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. As a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, he was instrumental in the temporary suspension of Albus Dumbledore in 1993. During this time, in an attempt to discredit Arthur Weasley and purge Hogwarts of Muggle-born students, he secretly planted Tom Riddle's Diary on Ginny Weasley. This act inadvertently led to the destruction of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes and the loss of his family's House-elf, Dobby, who was freed by Harry Potter. With Voldemort's return in 1995, Lucius resumed his role as a Death Eater, present at the Dark Lord's rebirth in the Little Hangleton graveyard. In 1996, he led a group of Death Eaters in an attempt to retrieve a Prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort from the Department of Mysteries. The mission was a failure; Lucius and his comrades were defeated by members of the Order of the Phoenix and subsequently imprisoned in Azkaban. Lucius was broken out of prison a year later by Voldemort, but his failure had cost him his high standing. He and his family were treated with contempt by the Dark Lord, who used their home, Malfoy Manor, as a headquarters and even took Lucius's wand. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Lucius and Narcissa showed no loyalty to the Death Eater cause, instead searching frantically for their son, Draco. Because Narcissa Malfoy lied to Voldemort about Harry's death, the Malfoys were able to avoid imprisonment after the war's end.
Lucius Malfoy is described as a tall man with a pale, pointed face, cold grey eyes, and long, white-blond hair. He typically dressed in expensive, dark robes and carried a distinctive snake-headed walking cane that concealed his wand. His personality was marked by arrogance, cunning, and a deep-seated prejudice. He believed fervently in Pure-blood superiority and viewed wealth and ancestry as the ultimate measures of worth. Lucius was a manipulative individual, skilled at using bribery and intimidation to achieve his goals. However, beneath his haughty exterior lay a cowardly nature, especially when faced with a power greater than his own, such as that of a furious Lord Voldemort. His most significant redeeming quality was his genuine love for his family, which ultimately superseded his loyalty to the Death Eater cause.