Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of the characters in this world belong to JK Rowling. Nothing belongs to me.
Why Lucius Malfoy hated Arthur Weasley
"Lucius," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime?"
He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, and very battered copy of Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not," said Mr. Malfoy. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
"No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford."
— Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
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Lucius Malfoy loathed the Weasleys. He hated every single one of them, from their balding, gangly patriarch, to the littlest one of all: a tot of a girl with the fiery, flaming hair that seemed to be the hallmark of all the Weasleys (even the mother Weasley, who had actually been a Prewett!).
But of all of them, he hated Arthur Weasley, the head of the Weasley clan, the most. Lucius hated the tall redhead whose fondness for Muggles had landed him a job in the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, which everyone knew was a dead-end job. In fact, it had been Lucius' father who had been instrumental in getting Weasley that position, one which almost guaranteed that red-haired wizard would always be looked down upon. Blood traitors, Abraxas Malfoy always sneered to Lucius, deserved to grovel in the mud with the filth.
Lucius hadn't always felt that way. True, Lucius had never had much time for Weasleys growing up. He had always wondered why his father had been so obsessed with that family, putting it down to his father's growing age. After all, Abraxas had already been old by the time Lucius came along, so old age was probably getting to his father.
His father had always propounded on the Weasleys' unfitness for pureblooded society. It was rumored that, at one time, he had courted Cedrella Black who had instead chosen Septimus Weasley and gone on to marry him. That act had won her the enmity of her family, who had been so incensed that they had disowned the young woman. She had not cared, however; from all reports, she had lived happily with her family, giving birth to three sons, one of them the young Arthur Weasley. Another had been a squib and the Weasleys had provided him with the opportunity to have a life outside the wizarding world. Lucius supposed that Abraxas was still smarting over Cedrella Black's snub, although Abraxas had loudly proclaimed that he was happy that such a blood traitor had not polluted the sanctity of his family. Still, Lucius thought charitably, his father had to say something to prevent him looking like a fool. There wasn't much warmth or love in his family, but as Abraxas always said, such things were beneath Malfoys.
It would have been nice to have had some siblings but Lucius understood early on that it was not to be. His mother was a fragile woman who worshipped Abraxas, but who had been told by the healers that having another child might kill her. His father had taken it well. After all, as Abraxas said that it was unnecessary for a pureblooded witch to have a passel of children when they already had an heir. It was a sentiment that Lucius would pass on, too, though he didn't realize it then.
It wasn't until much later that Lucius Malfoy understood just why the Weasleys were to be loathed like the cockroaches that they were.
Lucius Malfoy prided himself on being a true wizard. He was a proud descendant of House Malfoy with many generations of pure-blooded ancestry behind him. His school-work in Hogwarts was always exemplary, and if not at the top of his class, he was near enough that even his father had given an approving nod. After all, it wasn't as though one of those uppity Muggleborns from the world outside had beaten him. That would have been a true cause for shame. And when possible, he ignored Arthur Weasley (who was a seventh year anyway) as much as possible. It was too bad Arthur Weasley had already passed his N.E.W.T.s and gone on to marry plump little Molly Prewett and had landed himself in the aforementioned job at the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts.
Lucius just shrugged and went on to garnering his own power. His ambitions and reputation had already gained him very useful contacts in all aspects of wizarding society, including the Ministry of Magic where he could further his political ambitions. He had gained the praise of his head of house, Horace Slughorn, been appointed prefect, and become a part of Slughorn's exclusive club, where he spent many a productive hour. When he finally graduated with his N.E.W.T.s (with high scores), he settled into his life as the heir of the Malfoy family and married Narcissa Black, as arranged by his father (apparently determined to marry in to the Blacks somehow) a year later. His new wife was everything he had wanted: beautiful, proud, dignified and a pureblood. By that time, Arthur Weasley and his wife had had two children, both boys by the names of Bill and Charlie (Lucius had sneered privately at the massacre of such distinguished names as William and Charles to Narcissa), and Lucius himself had become involved with the pureblood movement of Lord Voldemort.
Lucius was quite flattered with his reception by the powerful Dark Lord who was making his presence felt across Britain and waking up the purebloods to the dangers that the upstart muggleborns represented to wizarding society. He and Narcissa immediately became involved with the Death Eaters, supporting them surreptitiously, trying to influence the political climate. Time somehow moved on and the next thing he knew it was 1974 and his father was berating him for not thinking of the Malfoy name and providing an heir. Lucius had never consciously thought about it, but upon reflection, realized that he was involved in quite dangerous activities and that getting an heir was prudent.
He had never thought how difficult it would be to have a child. He and Narcissa had started off quite lightheartedly, confident that they would be parents immediately. After all, how difficult could it be … hadn't Weasley gotten his wife pregnant within a year of their marriage? He, Lucius Malfoy, could do no less. True, they hadn't done anything to prevent the conception of a child earlier, but there was no reason to fret. Everything was fine. The healers had assured him that both he and Narcissa were in excellent health.
It took a bit longer than they thought, but when Narcissa finally told him she was pregnant in late 1975, they were overjoyed. The baby would be born in July of the next year. Lucius immediately went out and announced it to all his friends. Lord Voldemort was very pleased, and some of Lucius' contemporaries were looking at him in envy. Apparently, very few of them had been so fortunate. Of course, Lucius wasn't going to tell them how worried he had been - he'd never doubted that he would be a father for even a minute. The very idea was ludicrous. What a Malfoy wanted, a Malfoy got.
But a few weeks later, Narcissa woke up with pains and despite all the healers' efforts, they had lost the baby. Lucius comforted his distraught wife with soothing words, promising her that of course they would have a child. He stayed there all night till Narcissa fell asleep, feeling the loss of his child as though he had lost a limb. When he came home, he went into his study, and buried his head in his hands and stared in to the fire for a long time. In July, he and Narcissa went away for two months to remember the child who would have been born then.
When he came back at the end of August, he went in to the Ministry of Magic to make contact with one Cornelius Fudge, a lowly clerk that looked like a promising candidate to influence. He heard roars and cheers coming from one of the offices and curled his lip. How undignified, he thought, and started to move on when he caught the words: "Another son, Arthur! That's the way, old man!" Lucius turned around slowly, facing the door of the office in which the raucous cheers were taking place. There, in the center, was a thin man, his shock of red hair making him instantly recognizable to Lucius, blushing all over his cheerful, freckled face. People were blowing confetti and drinking champagne in what looked like cheap glasses.
He felt winded, almost as though someone had kicked him in the stomach.
He, Lucius Malfoy, had lost a child, and instead Arthur Weasley had received one at almost the same time. It was almost as if the new child had stolen the life of his own. How long Lucius stood there, face pale, hands shaking, he did not know. But a few hours later, when he was talking to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, he disinterestedly mentioned how fortunate it was that the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts had so much time and money on their hands that they could do whatever they wanted during the day. The clerk attending Barty Crouch, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, looked slightly uncomfortable when his boss immediately questioned him and confessed to the party going on. Crouch looked grim and promised to look in to the matter. Lucius smiled politely, and changed the subject.
Arthur Weasley was reprimanded for unlawful use of time at work (the Ministry of Magic had no stipulated lunch hour for minor employees) and had to spend the next few weeks putting in extra time, away from his wife and newborn child. His department was fined and their budget reduced substantially. He was out of favor with his boss, Perkins, who had also been reprimanded by Crouch. Lucius Malfoy smiled grimly when he heard, and went to see Weasley slaving away at his desk, commenting a little maliciously on the other man's misfortune. Arthur Weasley, who had no idea about Lucius' involvement in his recent turn of fortune, smiled openly, thinking the other man was commiserating. When Lucius moved closer, he saw a photograph of Arthur's family: Arthur, his wife, holding the newborn baby, and two little boys, all smiling happily, with their red hair waving in the breeze. Without another word, he swung around and left.
He may have made a few comments about blood-traitors to certain important personnel; he did, after all, have a duty to the pureblooded movement to take care of blood traitors. If in the process, Arthur Weasley's pitiful salary was reduced even more, well, Lucius felt he had done well for the Dark Lord's cause.
He and Narcissa continued trying over the next few months, with little luck. They finally decided they might need to seek the help of healers to determine why they were having trouble. The healers appeared mystified but unsurprised. Apparently, many couples including the Notts and the Parkinsons had been in for similar issues. Lucius hexed the healers and returned home with his wife who had tears streaming down her face.
In the next three years Narcissa became pregnant once more, and lost the baby again. Lucius looked out on the gardens that surrounded his manor and felt his dreams of playing with his children slipping away like sand held in a tightly clenched fist. In that same time, Arthur Weasley and his wife had had twins, Fred and George, and Arthur had been heard to say they were quite the handful. With five children on his tiny salary, his wardrobe had begun to look a bit threadbare and careworn. Lucius made sure that Arthur's requests for a raise were always met with a negative answer or extremely tiny incremental increases.
Narcissa was a bit disapproving of Lucius' growing obsession with the Weasleys. She felt it was beneath them, and she reminded Lucius that he too had once thought so. The Weasleys were, after all, pure-blooded, unlike her sister Andromeda, who had married one of the upstart muggleborns by the common name of Tonks (Narcissa shuddered) and proceeded to pollute the Black name. Unlike Narcissa, Andromeda had not only given birth, but her daughter was apparently a metamorphagus, a rare talent that sometimes cropped up in the Black family. Narcissa had been even more upset about this. If anyone should have a baby with a rare talent, she felt it should have been her. Still, Narcissa pretended her sister didn't exist as did the rest of her family. The only person still in contact with Andromeda was Narcissa's cousin, Sirius, who had been sorted into Gryffindor, of all houses and been disowned from the Black family two years ago. So altogether, she didn't quite understand Lucius' obsession with ruining the Weasleys. But Lucius knew that Abraxas Malfoy supported him. When Lucius had returned from the Ministry, he had gone in to his study to find his father standing there in front of the fire.
"I hear you've taken an interest in the Weasleys, Lucius," Abraxas had said, not looking at Lucius.
"Not at all." Lucius raised his eyebrows, his tone supercilious. "Why would anyone be interested in those blood traitors? Them and their whole family of little red-haired rats. They seem to be well-matched, don't they, a father rat, a mother rat and a whole den of rats sequestered in that little hovel they call The Burrow. Quite appropriate. What have I to do with them?"
"Precisely, Lucius." As Lucius strode toward the fire, his father turned and met his eyes.
And Lucius knew that his father understood. Nothing more needed to be said.
In the following years, the Malfoys tried fertility charms, and many other things in the hope of conceiving that all too precious child. In October 1979, Narcissa ran into Molly Weasley in Madam Malkins. The matriarch of the Weasley family looked tired and wan, and Narcissa remembered what Lucius had told her days before: Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Molly Weasley's brothers, had been killed a few days before by the Dark Lord himself. She eyed the Weasley woman covertly and was about to stroll forward and demand Madam Malkins' attention when five little boys came running in and clustered around the red-haired woman excitedly. The eldest red-head showed his mother something, and she smiled and hugged them all. In that moment, watching the woman with all those children, Narcissa understood Lucius completely. She raised her eyes and met those of Ileana Greengrass and the two women nodded.
Molly Weasley and her children were thrown out of the store minutes later for the noise they were making.
In November, Narcissa discovered that she was pregnant again, and this time she did not tell anyone outside of their family.
In March of the following year, another red-haired Weasley came in to the world. In June, little Draco Lucius Malfoy made his appearance.
Clearly, thought his parents fondly, he was better than those awful Weasleys: noisy, red-haired, freckled and poor.
What would those children ever amount to compared with their own golden-haired, grey-eyed cherub?
After that, Narcissa discovered she could never have any more children. Draco was to be their only child. The Weasleys went on to have another child: their long-sought-after daughter, born just two months before the Dark Lord fell. They had seven children now, a magically powerful number.
Lucius Malfoy hated Arthur Weasley - for his poverty, his evident happiness in a low-paying job, his siblings but most of all - for his children.
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Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row.
"Good lord, Arthur," he said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author's Note: I love the Weasley family, and I've often wondered why Lucius Malfoy seemed so venomous particularly to the Weasley family. Although they're the family most prominently against the pro-pureblood faction of society, there's no reason why the Malfoys should be so against them. This story explores just why Lucius hated the Weasleys. More like a character exercise. And it rather shows the difference between the Weasleys and the Malfoys. While the Weasleys are good and try to help others, Lucius takes out his pain on them in the only way he knows how. His actions are cruel and why I think that Arthur Weasley comes to loathe Lucius Malfoy in return. The happy picture presented by the Weasleys to the Malfoys is unbearable in Lucius' eyes, especially as he wonders why it's happening.
It also explains why both the senior Malfoys are so devoted to Draco. Despite Lucius' pompous attitude towards his son, it is very apparently, particularly in the final two books in the Harry Potter series that the Malfoys adore their son. Children in general, I believe, are prized in the wizarding world, with the obvious exception of mad people like Bellatrix Lestrange.
This piece was inspired by Draco's first meeting with Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.I was originally going to do a oneshot in which Draco asks his mother why he can't have siblings like the Weasleys whom he sees in Diagon Alley. I felt the piece would be more potent from Lucius and Narcissa's point of view, though.
If the enmity between the Weasleys and the Malfoys goes back, I think it has to do mainly with the idea that in the higher echelons of pureblood wizarding society, having children is quite hard. The idea is briefly explored in the idea that Lucius himself is born quite late in life to Abraxas Malfoy. Perhaps this was why he was so keen to marry into the Black family? They did after all have a history of multiple children unlike other families. Cedrella Black marrying Septimus Weasley in that case would have been like a deliberate snub and having more than one child, even worse for someone like Abraxas Malfoy. Hence, the start of the feud between the Malfoys and Weasleys.