The Malfoy family was one of the first wizarding families to repent following Lord Voldemort's first defeat, claiming they had been bewitched, in 1981. They allied themselves with him again during the Second Wizarding War, believing strongly in the notion of blood purity.
Lucius joined Voldemort and the Death Eaters, using his wealth and influence to support their cause. He was given the task of hiding the Horcrux diary in Malfoy Manor, but ultimately lost favor with Voldemort due to his failure to follow orders.
In The Deathly Hallows novel, the Malfoys defect from Voldemort's army, betraying the other Death Eaters. They are seen by Harry after it's all over, silently sitting with other survivors, and it's implied all three of them are on their way to self-improvement rather than just hiding out with the winning side.
Ultimately, his need to survive and protect his family would lead Lucius to betray Voldemort. With the Dark Lord defeated, he and his wife Narcissa turned in every Death Eater they could to avoid being imprisoned in Azkaban.
Lucius cared deeply about his family, especially Narcissa and Draco. In the end his love for his family drove him to abandon Voldemort to search for Draco. His abandonment of Voldemort led to him avoiding another sentence in Azkaban along with his family.
What Happened to the Malfoys AFTER the Deathly Hallows? - Harry Potter Explained
Why was Draco's sister disowned?
Narcissa was taught the philosophy of blood purity from a young age and grew up prejudiced in favour of pure-bloods. Thus, like her sister Bellatrix, she cut off contact with her sister Andromeda after she was disowned and burned off the Black family tree for marrying Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks.
In fact, Lucius' own support to Voldemort is revealed to come only under some form of duress, which is likely Narcissa's Veela Allure. When Lucius turns on Voldemort due to the reveal of his Horcruxes, Narcissa divorces him, taking 75% of Malfoy's wealth with her.
Something that people get wrong about Narcissa Malfoy is that she was a Death Eater, when in fact she was never part of Voldemort's inner circle of believers. She certainly affiliated with the Dark Lord's side, but her maternal side won over her evil one when she had to check if Harry was still alive in the Forest.
Rowling commented that "The moment Draco got what he thought he wanted, to become a Death Eater, and given a mission by Lord Voldemort, as he did in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, reality finally hit him" because his dream was "so very different".
The Potters' generational wealth is traced back to their ancestor, Linfred of Stinchcombe, who amassed a great fortune through his medicinal services and inventions of healing potions.
He's, like, a side character that you wouldn't expect to be attractive, which makes him even more attractive. He just gives off a different vibe than other characters who are supposed to be evidently good looking. Also, the fact that he was broken and tried to be a good person also makes him even more attractive.
In the end, he renounces Voldemort's cause by putting Draco's safety first, running away from Hogwarts with his family. Because he betrays Voldemort, his crimes are forgiven, and, again, he is not sent to Azkaban.
In the battle that ensued, the prophecy was destroyed, and Lucius and his comrades were imprisoned in Azkaban in 1996. Although Voldemort broke them out of prison in 1997, he was displeased with Lucius for his failures and treated the Malfoys with much disdain and abuse.
Harry rejected Draco's offer of friendship, preferring to choose his friends for their personality rather than their pure-blood status. Draco was usually accompanied by his cronies, fellow Slytherins, Crabbe and Goyle, and enjoyed having power over other students.
After seeing how cruelly Draco spoke to his friend, Harry firmly rejects the boy's offer, telling him that he's perfectly capable of telling the wrong sort for himself. In this case, Draco's arrogance reveals that he himself is in fact the 'wrong sort'.
During this year, Narcissa became pregnant and miscarried. She was distraught and uncertain of what to tell Lucius, as she had not told him of her pregnancy. Shortly thereafter, he brought her out to the Leaky Cauldron to visit with his friends Vettlingar Yaxley and Thorfinn Rowle.
She married Rodolphus Lestrange after leaving Hogwarts "because it was expected of her" to marry a pure-blood. However, Rowling stated in an interview that Bellatrix truly loved Voldemort.
For the second time in Voldemort's life, the unforgivable curse rebounded on him, as the Elder Wand wouldn't kill its master. Since Harry and his friends had already destroyed all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, this finally ended Lord Voldemort's life, with Harry finally defeating the Dark Lord.
None of the Malfoys were subsequently imprisoned in Azkaban because of this defection. Draco then married Astoria Greengrass sometime between 1998-2005, and had a son called Scorpius circa 2006. In 2017, Draco and Astoria were at King's Cross station to see Scorpius off to Hogwarts when Harry Potter saw him again.
It is also probable that, since Narcissa's lie to Voldemort saved Harry's life, the family is pardoned for their crimes. They keep a relatively low profile after that, while continuing to live a leisurely life in the Malfoy Manor.
Narcissa, the youngest of all three, made a respectable marriage after graduating Hogwarts, and into another pure-blood family. It was Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater, who brought Narcissa into the darker side of the wizarding world – but tellingly, Narcissa never became a Death Eater herself.
In some parts of the saga, Draco even seems obsessed with Hermione. Even though he considers Muggle-borns to be inferior, he hasn't ever picked on one other than Hermione.
Malfoy spots Harry and casts a Cruciatus curse; Harry, defending himself, using the Half-Blood Prince's Sectumsempra spell without knowing its effects. To his horror, it gashes Draco's face and chest, spilling his blood everywhere. Moaning Myrtle flies off, screaming.
In Book 7, he chose to not rat out Harry and his friends' true identities at Malfoy Manor. He didn't want to be a Death Eater, once he realized what being a Death Eater truly meant. He didn't want to be on Voldemort's side, once he came to truly understand what Voldemort stood for.
