The world can be a strange place sometimes. Some things seem light as a feather until you put them on the scale, and suddenly they weigh a thousand pounds.
As the poster child for the "pure-blood supremacy" faction, Lucius Malfoy is, ironically, the wizarding world's biggest Muggle enthusiast. No one comes close. But don't get it twisted—his affection is reserved strictly for true Muggles, the high-society kind, not those Muggle-born wizards.
You see, the wizarding world doesn't have nobility. The Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families? Not nobles. They just hold resources and power, but that doesn't make them aristocracy. The Malfoys, though? They're the real deal—the only wizarding family with a proper noble title, sealed by the Muggle king, William the Conqueror himself. They even got a chunk of land, where they built the Malfoy Manor, their ancestral home. According to William's policies back then, their title would likely be that of an earl or baron.
Back in the sixteenth century, Lucius Malfoy's ancestor (let's call him Lucius the First) even tried to woo Queen Elizabeth I. No talk of "dirty Muggle blood" or "preserving wizarding purity" back then, oh no. The Malfoys were all about mingling with Muggle royalty.
Early in their history, the Malfoys held serious sway in the Order of Merlin. After all, they were the only wizards with a legitimate Muggle knighthood—a true "sir." They've always been a family with… let's say, flexible principles.
To modern eyes, the Malfoys are the face of anti-Muggle sentiment. But if you asked Salazar Slytherin—one of Hogwarts' founders, who fled Muggle persecution to build the school as a safe haven—he might not agree. Right now, between Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets and Voldemort's purge of traitors, the Malfoys aren't just scared. They're terrified, like dogs who've lost their way home.
The three old mates—Lucius, Goyle, and Crabbe—tumbled through a twisting, shimmering tunnel, catching fleeting glimpses of Hogwarts' sewers outside the glowing walls. Even Lucius, who prides himself on keeping it together, couldn't help but let out a startled yelp.
They'd all heard the legends of Slytherin's Chamber. They even knew a few whispered secrets. They knew exactly what they were dealing with.
Thud!
The trio finally spilled out of the tunnel, landing in a filthy heap on a floor littered with animal bones and slimy mud. Before them loomed an ancient door, carved with two intertwined serpents.
Slytherin's Chamber!
"Look!" Goyle's voice cracked with panic, trembling as he pointed at the wall beside the door.
By the dim, ghostly light—Merlin knows from where—they could clearly see blood-red words scrawled across the stone:
The Chamber has been opened.
Beware, enemies of the Heir.
All who betray me, who stand against me, will face punishment!
Crabbe clutched Lucius's arm so tightly it hurt, too terrified to speak. Lucius tried to muster some bravery, but his mouth felt like it was rattling with a motor, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Then, a bone-chilling grinding sound echoed through the cavernous passage.
The stone door began to shift, dust falling from above as a cold, foul stench wafted through the widening crack, carried on an eerie breeze.
The three instinctively huddled together, staring in horror.
The door's gap widened, and from within came the heavy, rasping breath of some massive beast.
"Run!" Goyle roared suddenly, yanking out his wand and stepping forward, his chubby face set with grim determination.
Crabbe snapped into action, grabbing a frozen Lucius and shoving him toward the tunnel behind them. He braced himself against Lucius, trembling but resolute, wand gripped tightly to keep his friend from turning back.
"Go!" Crabbe's voice was raw, desperate. "Look after our kids! Go!"
The beast inside seemed roused by their shouts, its heavy footsteps thundering closer.
Boom!
It slammed into the door, the impact forcing it shut again. But it didn't stop—it kept ramming the stone, relentless.
Boom!
Boom!
Each hit shook the entire underground chamber, as if the whole place might collapse. Lucius and his mates felt the ground quaking beneath them.
That door wasn't going to hold much longer.
Lucius grabbed Crabbe, shouting to Goyle, who was still braced to face the monster. "Now's our chance! We all run—together! Don't waste it!"
Crabbe and Goyle, always a bit slow on the uptake and used to following Malfoy's lead, scrambled into the tunnel after him, sprinting as fast as they could.
Soon, a deafening crash echoed behind them—the monster had shattered the door. Its furious roar reverberated through the pipes.
"Aaah!" Goyle screamed, his voice shrill with terror.
"Shut it!" Lucius snapped. "Creatures in the dark don't always see well. Keep quiet, and it might not find us!"
But Goyle's panicked cries had already given them away. The monster's heavy steps grew louder, closing in fast.
Lucius gestured for silence, leading them frantically to a fork in the tunnels. He pointed to the right, where a pipe was just high enough to climb into. They scrambled up, Crabbe pulling Lucius in after him. Lucius whipped out his wand and cast a charm to hide their tracks, followed by spells to mask their scent and sound. Then they ran deeper into the tunnel.
The pipe soon narrowed, forcing them to stoop, then crawl on hands and knees. It was humiliating. But it was also a blessing—the smaller pipe might keep the massive creature out.
The tight space branched into countless paths. They picked one at random, carefully covering their tracks as they went.
They didn't know how long they ran. Exhaustion set in, their breaths heavy, the distant roars of the monster haunting them from unknown directions. It could burst out from any fork at any moment.
Panic gripped them.
Then, from a nearby pipe, came the sickening scrape of scales against stone. A wave of dread washed over them, freezing them like frightened rabbits. They could only listen as the monster's roars grew closer, accompanied by the drip of blood from wounds it must have gotten squeezing through the tight tunnels.
No! I don't want to die!
Lucius saw the despair in Crabbe's eyes. But something shifted inside him. Gritting his teeth, wand in hand, he felt his fear begin to fade.
Staring into the darkness at the approaching shadow, he raised his wand and bellowed, "*Repello!*"
Boom!
The spell hit its mark. The monster was blasted back, crashing into the tunnel's depths with a piercing wail.
"Move!" Lucius roared, grabbing each of his mates and bolting toward a slightly wider pipe, running for their lives.
But this was only the start of their nightmare. No matter where they fled, even when they used magic to climb into higher tunnels, the creature pursued them. Several times—too many times—they barely escaped death.
The worst came when the monster lunged from an overhead pipe, jaws snapping. Lucius couldn't see its form, but he felt its teeth sink into his shoulder, shattering bone. If Goyle hadn't shoved him aside, it would've been his head.
The attacks kept coming. All three were battered, their once-fine robes soaked in blood. Despair crept back in.
Because they'd run blindly into a dead end.
The tunnel had collapsed. Strange, gnarled vines—ancient and thick—bound the stones tightly, immovable.
"Back the way we came!" Lucius barked, turning to lead them out. But the monster's roar echoed again from the tunnel behind them.
No way out.
The color drained from their faces.
Lucius raised his wand toward the dark tunnel, his expression bitter. He looked at his old friends. "Goyle, Crabbe… do you blame me for dragging you into following the Dark Lord all those years ago?"
Goyle shook his head. "Goyle and Crabbe share wealth and danger with Malfoy. We swore an oath. No regrets, no matter what."
Crabbe kicked aside a loose stone, his face hardening as he stared into the tunnel's depths. "Let's use Fiendfyre," he growled. "Burn it to ash."
Goyle blinked. "That'll burn us too!"
Crabbe grinned, his usually dim face lit with a strange glee. "Then we go down together."
"Together?" Goyle muttered.
"Alright!" Lucius ran a hand through his slick hair, trying to look dignified even now. He laughed, looking at his mates. "Together! Are you scared?"
Crabbe licked his lips. "Not scared. Draco's a good kid. He'll look after my boy. I'm not afraid to die."
Goyle's jowls quivered. "I'm terrified. I hate the idea of dying…"
But he raised his hand, starting the wand motion for the spell. "We cast Fiendfyre together?"
"Together!" Lucius gritted his teeth against the pain in his shoulder, raising his wand.
The three wands pointed as one toward the growing thunder of the monster's approach.
Then, from behind, a strange sound came from the collapsed tunnel.
They spun around to see the vines lifting massive stones, parting to reveal a glowing passage.
And there, striding forward with his wand raised, was Gilderoy Lockhart, his perfect smile dazzling. "Thank Merlin, you're here!" he said brightly. "I've been looking everywhere!"
In that moment, to Lucius, Crabbe, and Goyle, it was like seeing the light itself.