| “ | There is nothing I wouldn't do any more! | „ |
| ~ Narcissa to her sister Bellatrix after her son is put in danger. |
| “ | That's because he is sixteen and has no idea what lies in store! Why, Severus? Why my son? It is too dangerous! This is vengeance for Lucius's mistake, I know it! | „ |
| ~ Narcissa to Severus Snape about Lord Voldemort's plan to punish Lucius through Draco. |
| “ | Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle? | „ |
| ~ Narcissa secretly talking to Harry who was faking his death in front of Lord Voldemort; to ensure that her son is still alive and she can enter the Hogwarts castle to find him. |
Narcissa Malfoy (née Narcissa Black, also know as Cissy) is a major character in the Harry Potter series. Although never officially a Death Eater herself, Narcissa believed in the importance of blood purity and supported her her husband in following Lord Voldemort during the First and Second Wizarding Wars. This changed, however, when her husband was incarcerated in Azkaban and her son's life was put in jeopardy by Voldemort.
She is the youngest daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black, the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and Andromeda Tonks, the wife of Lucius Malfoy, the mother of Draco Malfoy, the mother-in-law of Astoria Malfoy and the grandmother of Scorpius Malfoy. She is the former rival of the good-natured Molly Weasley (the matriarch of the poor Weasley family). However, Bellatrix and Molly hated each-other since a long time and Molly killed Bellatrix in the Battle of Hogwarts.
She was portrayed by the late Helen McCrory.
Description[]
Narcissa was described as a tall, slim, and very pretty woman, speaking in a cold voice. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes. Although Harry finds her to physically resemble his sisters, Narcissa is blonde, unlike the rest of her family. However, her beauty is marred by her expression when she is with people she considers inferior : that of a person sniffing dung.
She makes her first appearance during the Goblet of Fire novel and was already created before, like most Harry Potter characters (she was already mentioned by Draco to Harry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone), she is a Pure-Blood Witch who was the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and Andromeda Tonks (who was disowned for marrying a Muggle-Born Wizard), the wife of Lucius Malfoy, the cousin of Sirius and Regulus Black, the mother of Draco Malfoy, the aunt of Delphini and Nymphadora Tonks and a follower of the Death Eaters, but only because her husband, son, and older sister Bellatrix was following Lord Voldemort.
In the films, much like in the books, Narcissa serves as a minor character in both The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix and main character of The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1 and 2 and a mentioned character in the play The Cursed Child. She is a main character of the series overall due to her being Draco's mother and Lucius' husband, being a proponent of wizarding ancestry over Muggles in order to come out of hiding, though not officially adhering to the Death Eaters. She is also the one who saves Harry during the Battle of Hogwarts in order to save her son, but her final goal also leads to the defeat of Lord Voldemort. She doesn't seem to like her sister's relationships or her terrorist methods, although she loves her anyway. Even though she disowned her sister Andromeda, Narcissa was said to be closer to Andromeda than Bellatrix was.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Narcissa Malfoy was born to Cygnus and Druella Black in 1955 and was raised to be a proud Pure-Blood supremacist, along with the rest of the aristocratic Pure-Blood Black family. She has two older sisters: Bellatrix, born in 1951 and Andromeda, born between 1951 and 1955. In her youth, Narcissa attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted to Slytherin House. After graduating from Hogwarts, her sister Bellatrix married Rodolphus Lestrange and became one of dark wizard Voldemort's most loyal and certainly sadistic supporters, joining his circle of followers known as the Death Eaters. Her sister Andromeda chooses to marry a wizard of Muggle descent, Ted Tonks and runs away with him: she is therefore denied from the Black family tree.
Narcissa marries Lucius Malfoy, a vain pureblood wealthy man and also a supporter of Voldemort. Narcissa only follows them in their rise to power because she approves of most of Voldemort's ideals, such as the fact that wizards are forced to live in captivity because of the Muggles, but refused to bear the Dark Mark and did not fully involve herself in the Death Eaters' schemes. In 1980, the couple gave birth to a son, and, following the family tradition of naming children after stars and constellations, they named him Draco.
Between the First and the Second Wizarding War[]
Her sister Bellatrix and her cousin Sirius are sent to Azkaban, her other cousin, Regulus, die, at the end of the First Wizarding War. The Malfoys escape suspicion by saying they have been put under the Imperium Curse. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Narcissa attends the Quidditch World Cup in the official box of the Minister for Magic Fudge. She is with her husband Lucius and her son Draco. The following night, the Death Eaters attack the camp and torture several people in Voldemort's name. Lucius probably participated, but maybe not Narcissa. When Lord Voldemort returns, Lucius shows up at the cemetery, without his wife.
Second Wizarding War[]
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, her sister Bellatrix was broken out of Azkaban by Voldemort and some of his Death Eaters, along with Antonin Dolohov and eight other Death Eaters. Bellatrix and her brother-in-law Lucius Malfoy (without Narcissa) later led the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic to take the Prophecy from Harry when Voldemort tricked him into retrieving it. In battle with the enlisting Order of the Phoenix, Bellatrix assassinates Sirius Black, their maternal cousin. A duel ensues between Harry Potter and her in the atrium of the ministry where Harry hesitates between killing her with Avada Kedavra or torturing her with the Cruciatus spell. Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort arrive and duel. At the end of the duel, Ministry officials arrive and Voldemort escapes with Bellatrix while Lucius is captured and sent to Azkaban.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Narcissa and her sister Bellatrix Estrange had Severus Snape make the Unbreakable Vow to protect Narcissa's son Draco and kill Dumbledore should Draco fail to do so. In the book, she also crosses paths with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in Madame Malkin's shop. Draco tries on a wizard's robe there and, noticing the reflection of the Golden Trio in the mirror, he insults Hermione, causing Harry and Ron to pull out their wands. Narcissa arrives and orders Harry and Ron to put their wands away, assuring them that if they go after her son, it will be the last thing they will do of their lives. An altercation ensues between her and Harry, the latter taunting her by asking if she will not call her Death Eater friends in order to help her ; this scene does not occur in the film adaptation and is original to the book.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eaters captured in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries are brought out of Azkaban by Voldemort. This one therefore considers that the Malfoys have a hatred towards him and Narcissa has no choice but to make her mansion available to Voldemort who temporarily makes it his headquarters.
When Snatchers, led by Scabior (in the book, they were led by Fenrir Greyback), took Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger to Malfoy Manor, Narcissa opens the door for them and, when they tell her that they have captured Harry, Narcissa bends down to examine Harry's face (which Hermione has disfigured with a stinging curse to make him unrecognizable), Narcissa escorts them to the living room, stating that Draco is at the mansion for the Easter break and if this is really Harry Potter, he will recognize him. Lucius is also present and they examine Harry, deciding that it is indeed him. Dobby, their former house-elf, then arrives to rescue the trio as well as Garrick Ollivander, Luna Lovegood, and the goblin Griphook, who were imprisoned in the mansion's basement. Dobby manages to disarm Narcissa and they flee.
Narcissa Malfoy later participated in the Battle of Hogwarts alongside the other Death Eaters and Voldemort's army, but Lucius and Narcissa's precise role in the battle is unknown. During this battle, Bellatrix kills their niece, Nymphadora Tonks, while Dolohov assassinates Remus Lupin, Nymphadora's husband. Lucius later begs Voldemort to find their son, but the Dark Lord laughs at him. After Harry surrenders to Voldemort, he hits his enemy with a Killing Curse and they both fall unconscious. When they wake up, Harry fakes death and Voldemort casts a stinging curse on Narcissa before ordering her to check if Harry is really dead. Narcissa examines Harry and feels his pulse racing. Desperate, she whispers to Harry if Draco is still alive. Narcissa's hair hiding Harry's face, he whispers to her that yes, Draco is alive and well. Because Narcissa knows the only way to find her son is to enter the castle in the ranks of a victorious army, having completely left Voldemort's camp since her husband's imprisonment and Voldemort's plan to kill her son, she changed her loyalty and confirms Harry’s “death”.
In the ensuing battle in the Great Hall, Lucius and Narcissa abandon Voldemort and Bellatrix and desperately search for their son, whom they find. They witness the assassination of Bellatrix by Molly Weasley and the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort, which leads to the death of the latter. The survivors of the battle celebrate and the Malfoys are allowed to stay, Narcissa having saved Harry in order to find her son, thus leading to the defeat of the most dangerous dark mage the world of magic has ever seen.
Personality[]
In the eyes of people, Narcissa Malfoy appears as a cold and sarcastic woman. She is not kind to the categories of people she disapproves of such as Muggles-borns or hybrids, such as Fenrir Greyback, whom she also finds disgusting and dangerous.
She is a woman proud of her heritage and what was left to her with it. She is dedicated to her family and is very keen to protect them. It is therefore reluctantly that she joins her husband and son when they join the Death Eaters. However, she refuses to wear the famous brand and to be involved in most of Voldemort's activities, only approving her ideals towards the Muggles, whom she considers the culprits for the forced clandestinity of sorcerers and does not recognize the power of the born-moldus, not knowing where they get their magical powers from.
We can say that Narcissa is a loving woman towards the persons she likes and not as supremacist as her sister, husband or son, but having been raised in hatred of Muggles, she inherited this philosophy.
A stern advocate of Pure-Blood supremacy, Narcissa prided herself with her family's blood status and was highly condescending towards Muggle-Borns, Half-Bloods, and Blood Traitors, but in less of an open and derisive way like her husband, son, even her older-sister Bellatrix. Lucius and Narcissa's bigoted nature clearly affected their son Draco as well, as he would come to be an arrogant, spiteful, and racist bully at school himself. Despite their superficial good nature, many people, including the Weasleys and Harry Potter were able to see the Malfoys for how scheming they really was.
At the first fall of Voldemort, Narcissa and her family claimed to have been under the influence of the Empire spell and they were exonerated. Narcissa was never really faithful to Voldemort and therefore never tried to find him, like her husband.
For her unpleasant personality, one of Narcissa’s redeeming qualities was that she genuinely loved her family and wanted to keep them safe from the master of her husband. After being forced to use Malfoy Manor as a hideout for the Death Eaters and, more importantly, when Draco was tasked with the impossible mission of killing Dumbledore, Narcissa’s priorities slowly pivoted from serving Lord Voldemort to protecting her family however she could. She also made an Unbreakable Vow with Severus Snape for he swears to protect Draco until he’s done his task. However, Narcissa never believed that Draco could accomplish this mission and worried about her son to the point of crying.
While raised with bigoted ideologies and superficially believing in them, upon facing the cruel reality of enforcing such beliefs, as well as realizing that Voldemort's motivations are entirely self-interested, she finally understood the folly of such hatred. She didn't openly rebel due to fear for the safety of her son, but neither was she a loyal follower anymore.
Narcissa also lied to Voldemort when he asked for confirmation of Harry's death in the duel prior to the Battle of Hogwarts, thus becoming an ally for Harry upon confirmation by Harry that her son was still alive. Ultimately, although seemingly approving the ideals of the Death Eaters, Narcissa was only following her husband, but never caring whether Voldemort wins or not. As such, she didn't participate in the final Battle of Hogwarts, prioritizing Draco's safety; it is heavily implied that she holds significant disdain towards Lucius for dragging her and their son into such a hateful, dangerous world.
Quotes[]
| “ | Don't you dare - don't you dare blame my husband! | „ |
| ~ Narcissa threatens Bellatrix. |
| “ | Narcissa: Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle? Harry: Yes. Narcissa: He is dead! |
„ |
| ~ Narcissa lying to Lord Voldemort about Harry Potter's real condition and save him to find her son. |
Trivia[]
- Although endorsing the ideals of the Death Eaters, Narcissa has never officially been a part of it and does not bear the Dark Mark, J. K. Rowling stated that her love and attachment to her family is surely the reason.
- This is confirmed in The Half-Blood Prince, which marks her first real appearance on the series. Narcissa indeed begins to break away from Voldemort and his circle of followers after the arrest of her husband during the battle of the Department of Mysteries and the plan of revenge of Voldemort on Lucius to punish him for his recent failures, by charging Draco to kill Albus Dumbledore, certain that Draco will fail.
- This also explains that in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Narcissa is not consider as a dark wizard.
- At first, it was the English actress Naomi Watts who should portray Narcissa in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, this was refuted by Watts' representatives. Before her death in 2009, Natasha Richardson was considered for the role, as well as Jennifer Saunders and Irish actress Alison Doody. Finally, in November 2007, it was announced that the late Helen McCrory, who was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was cast as Narcissa.
- Helen McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix in the films, but was forced to withdraw due to pregnancy, resulting in Helena Bonham Carter replacing her. Finally, Narcissa's role was given to Helen.
- Helen McCrory said that Narcissa finds most of Bellatrix's behaviour pretty appalling and chaotic and it is only through loyalty to her as well as Lucius and Draco, that she allows her to continue behaving in the way she does.
- At the time of their escape from Malfoy Manor, in the film, Dobby disarms Narcissa with a snap of his fingers. However, he dropped it away before disapparates from the mansion, allowing Narcissa to recover it anyway.
- In a deleted (and non-released scene) from the Deathly Hallows Part 1, as Snape arrives at Malfoy Manor, Voldemort informs him that Narcissa has been 'most hospitable'. Narcissa replies 'my Lord is always welcome here'. This is the only known full line that Narcissa has in the script of this scene.
Gallery[]
