The Malfoys From 'Harry Potter' Didn't Always Hate Muggles

It's hard to imagine a world where the Malfoys aren't bullying Harry Potter and his friends. But as we saw in Deathly Hallows Part 2, the evil family seemed to be in a fight they didn't want to fight anymore, as we saw Narcissa Malfoy help Harry fake his death, and then when they reunited, the Malfoy family fled during the epic final battle. Were they just scared, or did they want some kind of redemption?

It turns out, courtesy of Pottermore, the pureblood family wasn't always the nasty group we saw in the books and movies. Apparently at one point, they were quite fond of Muggles they thought were worthy.

“In spite of their espousal of pure-blood values and their undoubtedly genuine belief in wizards' superiority over Muggles, the Malfoys have never been above ingratiating themselves with the non-magical community when it suits them,” Rowling wrote on Pottermore.

"When it suits them" would probably mean that they dabbled in Muggle trading, buying land and procuring Muggle art, and while accomplishing all of this, they probably socialized with some of the wealthiest Muggles.

“Historically, the Malfoys drew a sharp distinction between poor Muggles and those with wealth and authority,” wrote Rowling. “Until the imposition of the Statute of Secrecy in 1692, the Malfoy family was active within high-born Muggle circles, and it is said that their fervent opposition to the imposition of the Statute was due, in part, to the fact that they would have to withdraw from this enjoyable sphere of social life.”

Then when the Ministry of Magic was founded, the family, “performed an abrupt volte-face, and became as vocally supportive of the Statute as any of those who had championed it from the beginning, hastening to deny that they had ever been on speaking (or marrying) terms with Muggles.”

It turns out the Malfoys weren't always Muggle-phobic, shockingly.