Narcissa Malfoy is Draco Malfoy's mother, and a supporting character in the final three Harry Potter films.
Background[]
Early life[]
Narcissa Black was the youngest daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black (née Rosier), born in 1955 in the aristocratic House of Black. She had two older sisters, Bellatrix and Andromeda. 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.
Narcissa was educated at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from c. 1966-1973. Sorted into Slytherin House, she met her future husband, Lucius Malfoy, whilst at Hogwarts. It is possible that Narcissa met Severus Snape and other future Death Eaters at Hogwarts, thanks in no small part to Lucius, who has been friends with them ever since.
It is also likely that she was aware of the wanderings of the Marauders, the same group to which her first cousin, Sirius Black, belonged, although due to her lack of esteem for him, in part because she considered him a "blood traitor" in her family, it is almost certain that she interacted little or not at all with him, just like her older sister.
First Wizarding War[]
Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy, who was just as wealthy and pure-blood inclined as the Black family Narcissa descended from, between 1972 and September 1979. Together, they lived a life of privilege and luxury at Malfoy Manor, located in the southern English county of Wiltshire. Her husband introduced Narcissa to the lifestyle of the Death Eaters, though she never became a Death Eater herself. The couple had one son, named Draco Lucius. In naming Draco, Narcissa continued her family tradition of naming children after stars and constellations, like her sisters (Andromeda and Bellatrix).
Narcissa's cousin Regulus Black was killed in the First Wizarding War, while her other cousin Sirius and sister Bellatrix were both sentenced to Azkaban after Voldemort's fall in 1981. Lucius was able to avoid a similar fate by falsely claiming that he had been under the effects of the Imperius Curse, and the Malfoys remained members of the social elite, enjoying close relationships with Ministry of Magic officials such as Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic Dolores Umbridge. In privacy, however, they regretted the downfall of Voldemort as they saw the purification of the wizarding race to have failed completely, regrets that they told their son not to reveal, lest it would bring their family trouble.
Between the wars[]
When the time came for Draco Malfoy to begin school in 1991, Lucius Malfoy wanted him to attend Durmstrang Institute, which only admitted pure-blood and half-blood students and taught the Dark Arts, which closely mirrored the Malfoy family beliefs. Narcissa, however, insisted that Draco attend Hogwarts instead so he would be closer to home, as Durmstrang was located in northern Europe and Hogwarts was in Britain, where they lived. She was very devoted to Draco, sending him sweets and cakes by owl every day during his first year at Hogwarts.
Narcissa attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup in August 1994 with her husband and son, watching the game from Fudge's luxury box. It is possible that Narcissa, along with her husband and his fellow Death Eaters, participated in the torture of the Muggle Roberts family at the Quidditch World Cup Campsite during the Death Eater riot which occurred after the match had ended.
Second Wizarding War[]
In 1996, her sister and brother-in-law escaped Azkaban. That same year, Lucius participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in an attempt to acquire a prophecy for Lord Voldemort, who had returned to power the previous year. Narcissa provided Voldemort with the information he needed to get Harry there after she gained it from Kreacher the House Elf, who gave it to her both because she was a Black by birth and because she treated the attention starved house elf more kindly than her cousin Sirius Black, the elf's current master, did.
The effort was thwarted by six D.A. members and members of the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort was furious with Lucius, who had led the effort, both for failing to obtain the prophecy and for the consequences of that night, which included the Dark Lord's return being formally recognised by the Ministry of Magic and many of his Death Eaters being sent to Azkaban, including Lucius himself.
Though her sister Bellatrix managed to escape imprisonment, Narcissa was distraught over her husband's incarceration, as well as Voldemort's subsequent treatment of her family. That summer, she ventured to Severus Snape's home at Spinner's End, accompanied by Bellatrix, to discuss Voldemort's orders for Draco to murder Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
Narcissa was hysterical and theorised that Draco was being sent on a suicide mission to punish Lucius for his numerous failures. Despite the pleading of her sister to the contrary, Narcissa brushed off Bellatrix scoffing when Narcissa claimed that "the Dark Lord [was] mistaken," and begged Severus to make an Unbreakable Vow, which ensured that he would watch over Draco during his efforts. She also made him vow to execute the plan himself, should Draco fail to do so.
Later that month, Narcissa went shopping for school supplies with Draco at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where she had a heated confrontation with Harry Potter and his friends. He taunted her about Lucius's imprisonment, and she responded by coldly alluding to the recent death of his godfather, after which she haughtily departed with her son to Twilfitt and Tattings, as she did not wish to shop at Madam Malkin's anymore.
Throughout the school year, Draco enacted a series of unsuccessful attempts to kill Dumbledore, which eventually resulted in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and Snape's fulfilment of his vow to Narcissa.
Home as headquarters[]
By 1997, Malfoy Manor was being used as a headquarters for Voldemort. A meeting of Lord Voldemort's inner circle was held there, and the murder of Charity Burbage took place in the drawing room. The Malfoys were extremely uncomfortable with the arrangements, despite their claims that nothing would please them more than to host the Dark Lord. After Lord Voldemort asked for a borrowed wand, Narcissa coaxed her husband into agreeing to give his wand to Voldemort; it was soon broken in the Battle of the Seven Potters.
Voldemort was still displeased with the Malfoys for Lucius's earlier failures and delighted in humiliating them by taunting their relation to werewolf Remus Lupin through Narcissa's niece, Nymphadora Tonks.
Skirmish at Malfoy Manor[]
When Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were caught by a group of Snatchers led by Greyback, they were brought to Malfoy Manor. Narcissa acted coldly and disdainfully towards Scabior but let them in, where she called on her son to identify the prisoners and recognised Hermione from their encounter a year earlier in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
Narcissa clashed with her sister over who had authority in her home, and therefore over the prisoners held in her cellar: Harry, Ron, Dean Thomas, Griphook, Garrick Ollivander, and Luna Lovegood, the latter two of which had been held there for some time. All the prisoners escaped: Dean, Luna and Ollivander Disapparating with Dobby, while Harry and Ron went to save Hermione from Narcissa's sister, Bellatrix, who had used the Cruciatus Curse to brutally torture her with. Later, in the brief duel that followed, Narcissa was shocked to see her family's former house-elf, Dobby, openly defying them. He was eventually murdered by Bellatrix as the group escaped the manor.
After Harry and his friends escaped to Shell Cottage, Lord Voldemort severely punished the Malfoy family, but did not act as harsh on Bellatrix. By the time of the Battle of Hogwarts, Narcissa had given her son, Draco, her wand to use in lieu of his own stolen wand, leaving both herself and her husband without their original wands, although the two later obtained second wands by the time of the battle. She was also present when Lord Voldemort interrogated and murdered goblins in a fit of anger after learning of Harry Potter's Gringotts break-in and theft of one of his Horcruxes.
Battle of Hogwarts[]
Towards the beginning of the battle, Draco lost his mother's wand in the Room of Requirement, leaving it to be incinerated by Vincent Crabbe's Fiendfyre.
During the final phase of the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort attempted to kill Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest using the Killing Curse. Voldemort demanded that someone check to see if Harry was, in fact, dead, a deed no one wanted to perform. Perhaps seeing an opportunity to discover her son's current condition, Narcissa volunteered. Seeing that Harry was still alive, she used the opportunity to covertly ask Harry if he knew of Draco's well-being. In a whisper, she asked if Draco was alive. When Harry replied quietly that he was, Narcissa betrayed the Dark Lord and asserted that Harry was dead. She knew the only way her family would be reunited was as part of Voldemort's conquering army, thus proving she loved her family more than she supported Voldemort.
When the battle recommenced, Narcissa and Lucius abandoned the Death Eaters and searched frantically for Draco. The family was present for Bellatrix's death at the hands of Molly Weasley and for Harry Potter's final defeat of Lord Voldemort, thus ending the Second Wizarding War. After the battle, the family was reunited in the Great Hall, where they seemed uncomfortable with their predicament, but did not leave.
Later life[]
However, as Narcissa betrayed Voldemort and left him, the entire Malfoy family was granted a reprieve and avoided incarceration in Azkaban. Narcissa would eventually become a grandmother to Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco and his wife Astoria Greengrass.
Appearances[]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince[]
TBA
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1[]
TBA
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2[]
TBA
Relationships[]
TBA
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Unlike their sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa and her sister Andromeda married for love. Narcissa married a Pure Blood while Andromeda broke their traditions and married a Muggle.
- Along with her husband, and Severus Snape, Narcissa is one of Voldemort's minions to turn against him.
- Narcissa appears in the book The Goblet of Fire but was omitted from the film adaptation.
