He was loved.
No matter what anyone else said, Draco Lucius Malfoy knew his parents cared.
It didn't matter that people looked at him with plain disgust on their faces, at the end of the day, even after the war, he still had his mother and he still had his father. For sure, Lucius was in Azkaban, it could have still been worse.
Pureblood families were cold only to unknowing eyes, but had you been one of those who belonged in the elite circle, you would have instantly known. Oh believe it, you would. Warmth was a foreign concept to their children, but only because they grew up knowing a different type of love.
It was an icy version of a mother's kiss, a frosted touch to a father's hug. It was still there though, and it was open for everyone to see. Really, it was just up to the viewer to interpret it as he or she wished.
Narcissa Malfoy took great delight in her son's achievments. She was proud of Draco, and he knew that without needing too many words as assurance. It was enough that his mother took care to make sure his potions ingredients stock never ran out.
Of course, a Malfoy never appears to lack anything of a material fashion because they have the galleons to plurge on such so called necessities. Narcissa was a woman who respected the fact that keeping up social fronts was an all time thing for her and her family. That didn't mean she was merely thinking about the facades because in the long run, she was thinking of Draco.
She thought constantly of her son, and he appreciated that.
Lucius Malfoy had been harder to read. Perhaps he truly had no clue as to how he possibly could show his love for his son, having been one of many only-child Malfoy's, but he had taken pointers from his wife. Cissa knew what she was doing. She hadn't grown up entirely frosted- she had been the youngest sister after all.
Lucius knew he could leave the masked coddling to his wife, and it would most probably benefit his young dragon. Draco needed a stern figure in his life, and Lucius wouldn't be capable of anything else but to tame the obnoxious quality that Draco would no doubt have once grown up. In most eyes, it would undoubtedly be his fault that Draco grew to be so... sheltered.
It would only be fair since both he and Narcissa grew to knowing the luxury of a life with no drawbacks and having practically everything you would want within the reach of your fingertips. Maybe that was what he did wrong and Draco grew to having to rely on him as well as his mother.
"Wait till my father hears about this!" Any other self-respecting pure blood would reprimand his child upon hearing the constant whines, but Lucius didn't care. The fact that his Draco was willing to wail for his father was of a slight confirmation.
His son knew that he cared.
People may have thought that it was cowardly of them to have switched sides at the pinnacle of the war, but that didn't matter. Family came before anything else to Malfoy's, who might have had a bad habit of switching sides of loyalty, knew undoubtedly that they were more than loyal to the family.
How he grew up after he interacted with the Dark Lord changed Draco wholly, and a Malfoy learned from changes and mistakes.
That's also why Scorpious Malfoy carried himself with an air of humility as well as an edge of masked cunning. His grandfather behaved differently towards his father. His grandmother more so. It wasn't the cold air of indifference he had seen them use on other people.
His own mother was a source of warmth and comfort that was only more obvious when in public. She did her best to stand for the title of Lady Malfoy. Acts of affection was not lost on her with or without the eye of the people. War changed you, or so she told him. Astoria had only been a fifth year at the time of the last war.
His father wasn't as keen to hug him in public, but behind closed doors was a relationship between father and son that no one could mistake. He was loved, he was taken cared for. Draco was more than willing and capable of hexing someone for him.
And his parents were capable of showing love. It wasn't by splurging him with trinkets or offering him stuff to buy his love.
The fact that they were standing with him, offering their blessing as he married the son of their worst enemy spoke volumes of love and loyalty.
Pureblood families were cold only to unknowing eyes, but had you been one of those who belonged in the elite circle, you would have instantly known. Oh believe it, you would. Warmth was a foreign concept to their children, but only because they grew up knowing a different type of love.
AN: I'd read a fic where Draco grew up to be the obnoxious git he is and I just couldn't help but think that that wasn't possible. I got this from Harry Potter Wiki! on the Malfoy Family; "Malfoy is derived from the French "mal foi," meaning "badly (or in this case, bad) faith" or "unfaithful". This would be relevant to the general cruel natures displayed by Lucius and Draco as well as , this most likely refers to the Malfoys' tendency to switch their loyalties to avoid danger or punishment, rather than steadfastly supporting their presented views."
But as we all know they turned on Voldemort and the Darkness because though they have a bad concept on loyalty they are definitely devoted to family. Narcissa made an Unbreakable vow and lied to Voldemort and Lucius fled with his family and youngest heir instead of fighting. It's more than obvious that they love one another. On platform 9 3/4 Astoria was shown hugging Scorpious (which I know wasn't specified in the book) but it's something right?
This is my opinion on it, and I just wanted to... write it out I guess. That's what I believe some pureblood families go through. The expectations have to be lived up to, but they're mostly Slytherins and so they'll most probably find a loophole and manage to show their children love and affection in their own little ways.