Malfoy. The moment you hear the name your stomach turns due to their horrid reputation. This wizarding family is about as awful as they come. Many can't think of another family with such a bad reputation. They're certainly not a fan favorite. As awful as they are, they're still rather fascinating. They have some serious skeletons in their closets, therefore, they hold fans' imaginations. For that reason, we've put together these 10 facts about the wizarding world's most noteworthy Slytherins. They exist in bold contrast to the lovely Weasleys or the principled Potters. Take a look at their checkered past. You may end up hating them even more.

RELATED: 20 Things Wrong With Draco Malfoy We All Choose To Ignore

The Dark Meaning Behind The Name

From the moment we first set eyes on Draco Malfoy readers all knew he was bad news. It wasn’t hard to spot his bratty, entitled attitude the first time he spoke. He’s a bully to his core. The first time we meet his father it becomes clear, the whole family has a dark cloud over them. Could the poetic meaning of their last name have anything to do with these terrible personalities? Malfoy translates to ‘bad faith”. Draco's first name implies a cruel personality as well. Maybe names aren’t everything but it can’t help. Everyone in the wizarding world speaks Latin. Anyone who hears the name Malfoy in that sphere will immediately know what it means.

A Clean Slate

The Malfoy family has a dark and checkered past. They had committed some pretty serious offenses which earned them the reputation they carry to this day. What you may not know is that the family had their crimes forgiven after the Second Wizarding War. A clean slate like that could have gone a long way to repairing their tarnished reputation. That moment was the perfect opportunity to turn things around for one of the most hated families in wizardry. Unfortunately, old habits are hard to break. The Malfoys didn't maintain that clean slate for very long. Here's hoping Scorpius can turn the family name around.

God Save The Queen

Lucius Malfoy

The first Lucious Malfoy was apparently a bit of an overachiever. When he set his sights on a bride he chose no small target. He attempted to marry Queen Elizabeth The First. That would have been an incredible story to add to the lore of the Harry Potter universe. It would have tainted the pureblood dynasty but it may have been worth it to have a Malfoy ruling over England. The consequences would last for generations. For example, we may have ended up with a ginger Draco. He wouldn't be so quick to pick on the Weaselies then. Unfortunately, their love wasn't meant to be but the legend lives on.

Draco Malfoy

Far back in the wizarding past, a surprising name could be found among the Sacred 28. Before they were removed for their ties with muggles, the Potter family were a proud, pureblood line. Many pureblood families are related to each other. They exist in a covert caste system. Pureblood families often think of themselves as better than their "mudblood" counterparts. Before the Potters were disgraced by their open-mindedness, they enjoyed the same pureblood privilege as the Malfoys. The two families are probably related. That fact makes the bad blood between Harry and Draco when they were first years a little more interesting.

Draco Married Another Pureblood Witch

Draco looking in mirror

We're sure his family approves of his choice in spouse. The Malfoys are obsessed with not tarnishing their perfect record more than any other pureblood family. They have no tolerance for mixing with muggles. They seem to feel that even friendships with half-bloods or muggle-borns are enough to sully their name. Given the over-the-top superiority complex that runs in their family, not too many of either group are disappointed to miss out on being besties with a Malfoy. After all, do you want to be friends with someone while they look down on you, your family and everyone like you? Probably not.

Secrets In The Cellar

Malfoy Manor has quite a few secrets in its many closets. Its cellar holds a few, too. While we held our breath waiting for the return of "He Who Shall Not Be Named" a few shady wizards began to get their affairs in order. Lucius Malfoy knew that he had items he could not be caught with. He had a reputation to protect and he couldn't bear to be publically embarrassed. In an attempt to save face he digs out a few dusty treasures from the cellar. Selling these forbidden items seems like his only way out. While this is not news to any Harry Potter fan, this helps us make a highly likely speculation. He must have a huge collection of forbidden goodies hidden in his basement. He only offloaded the worst of the worst.

Sacred 28

The Sacred 28 is a controversial piece of Harry Potter history. In the 1940's someone finally put together a list of all the pureblood wizarding families. It seems someone was as obsessed with purity as Salazar Slytherin. The Malfoy family adore Slytherin and share his obsession with purity. It's even the basis of their family motto. The list is so controversial because it legitimized the social stigma against Muggle-borns and mixed wizarding families. If there's anything we've learned from the Harry Potter series it's that heroes come from unexpected places. Every wizard has the potential to save the world. The Sacred 28 is just a list, it doesn't make one family better than another. Someone should tell that to the Malfoys.

Slytherin Crest

 

 

 

You can learn a lot about a family from their crest or coat of arms. These symbols tell stories about the history, values, and origins of the people who share their names. In the Malfoy's case, you learn just how much they adore Salazar Slytherin. The crest certainly is an homage to the infamous wizard in many ways. The most obvious is the choice of colors. The colors green and black and silver are obvious nods. Many family crests include symbols and motos. The Malfoy crest features several serpentine creatures and a motto in Latin that translates to "Purity will always conquer".

RELATED: Harry Potter: 20 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About The Malfoys

Malfoy And Potter Besties

There have been a lot of surprises over the course of the Harry Potter series.  We've watched invaluable characters die one after another, and bad guys turn good. We stared in awe while Nevil Longbottom became a hero.  One of the biggest surprises in the Potterverse is probably the extremely close bond between Harry's son Albus and Draco's son Scorpius. When their father's first met the there was an instant tension. Nothing could be further from the truth for these little boys. Their friendship is too cute for words. For fans who've been there since the beginning, it's an unexpected treat.

Pureblood Relations

The Malfoy Family Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The pureblood families of the wizarding world share quite a lot. They worked side by side for much of history. Pureblood families remain pure by marrying each other. We know that Draco's mother Narcissa is sister to Bellatrix Lestrange and Andromeda Tonks. All of whom are cousins of Serious Black. The obvious connections are interesting. There's more there if you look below the surface. We can just imagine the Malfoys being closely related to the Weasely's. They have always displayed a serious level of disdain for the humble gingers. The second the Malfoys admit they share blood with the Weasleys they have to admit that they aren't any better.

RELATED: 20 Crazy Details About Lucius Malfoy