Lucius Malfoy is a broken man by the end of the series; taunted and ruined by the Dark Lord, yet still desperate to regain standing and prove his worth to his former leader.
This is a far cry from the Lucius we see in the earlier books. Lucius was a political animal who flaunted his wealth, and revelled in the power it brought. He bought influence, courted the powerful and cemented his position in the wizarding world.
He was a terrifying enemy because underneath the airs and graces that he displayed, the wizarding world knew what he was. He wasn’t afraid of threatening people to get the result he wanted because he was a man who saw himself as above the law, and therefore, didn’t fear consequences.
And why should he? He easily evaded prosecution following the fall of the Dark Lord, despite being one of Voldemort’s inner circle.
Oh yes, Lucius Malfoy was a dangerous man.
He flourished in a world without Voldemort. Rich, confident and arrogant, Lucius is a smoother, highly polished, much more astute character than his rather raw son, Draco – who was a walking, talking book of bigotry. Lucius hid his hatred behind his cold smile, knowing when to hold his feelings close to his chest.
Voldemort’s return was a nightmare for most – but surprisingly, perhaps none more so than Lucius. He had no alternative but to return to the fold; to bow and scrape with the others. Over the course of a few terrible months, he found himself demoted from his position of power and influence to lackey, and ultimately, imprisoned and relegated to peon.
So Lucius emerges in Deathly Hallows as a broken man; emasculated and wandless, he’s a shadow of his former self.
After all, Azkaban hadn’t been the trial that it once had been – the Dementors had fled. Indeed, following Voldemort’s public fury over the diary debacle, it’s clear that Lucius allowed himself to be captured, as opposed to facing Voldemort’s wrath.
I think Severus is the answer.
For me, one of the most fascinating aspects to The Prince’s Tale is prefect Lucius making space for Severus at his sorting. Severus Snape – the greasy, dirty, neglected 11 year old who was so reviled on the train by two other purebloods, and yet, Lucius offered him the hand of friendship. Years later, Sirius referred to Severus as being Lucius’ lapdog, such was their relationship.
We know that they stayed in contact, because Lucius reports to Severus about the sighting of Sirius at the station. Furthermore, Umbridge is a great example of Lucius making connections with odious people because they may be useful – and we see that he highly commended Severus to her.
I think Lucius viewed Severus though the prism of his own experiences – as such, I think Lucius may have suspected that perhaps Severus had his own agenda. I think Lucius half expected that Severus would be pulling the wool over someone’s eyes – after all, if Lucius were in a position to swap to the winning team half way through the war, he’d have taken it.
So I think Lucius was keen to keep on Severus’ good side – after all, nobody else had a foot in each camp. In lieu of being able to defect himself, perhaps Severus could vouch for him and his family if necessary.
And I think that’s exactly what happens.
I think Lucius instructed Narcissa to look to Severus for assistance if she found herself without him. And his instinct had been right: Severus harboured enough of a loyalty to the Malfoys that he willingly took on a frightful task, thus saving the lives of both Draco and Narcissa.
So why does Lucius decline so rapidly in Deathly Hallows?
Well, in saving Draco and Narcissa by murdering Dumbledore, Severus seemingly showed his hand.
Lucius had always believed that Severus was loyal to Severus.
He wasn’t even loyal to Dumbledore.
He murdered the leader of the Light and pledged his soul to the Dark Lord.
And that was Lucius’ worst nightmare. Lucius had long since fallen out of favour with the Dark Lord. He’d perhaps even fallen out of wanting the world the Dark Lord was creating, because he knew the family Malfoy wouldn’t be welcome at the table.
Severus was his back-up plan, but he turned out to the most loyal of all the Dark Lord’s servants – and that left Lucius with nowhere to go.