Septimus Malfoy II

## Septimus Malfoy, 18th Duke of Wiltshire

**Septimus Malfoy II**, O.M. (First Class) (28 July, 1886 - 19 January, 1949) was a pure-blood English wizard who attended Hogwarts from 1 September 1897 to June 1904. He was a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy, an English wizarding family that has been around for several hundreds of years. He was born in Marseilles, Cher, Centre, France, to Septimus Malfoy I and his wife Geneviève Malfoy (née Pétau), a pure-blood French witch. He had three older sisters, Lavinia, Òceane, and Cécile, who died as a teenager. He was the father of Abraxas Malfoy, the grandfather of Lucius Malfoy and the great-grandfather to Draco Malfoy.

## Biography

#### Early life (1880s)

Septimus was the Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy, and in the muggle world he held the courtesy title of Earl of Marlborough until the death of his father, and he became the 18th Duke of Wiltshire. The Malfoys have held those titles since about 1450 A.D.

His father was Septimus Malfoy I, who was greatly influential at the Ministry in the late eighteenth century. Many claimed that the Minister for Magic at the time, Unctuous Osbert, was deep in his pockets and was little more than his father's puppet.

His mother was Geneviève Malfoy (née Pétau), a pure-blood French witch. Every summer she would spend her time back in her home country in Marseilles, where Septimus and his sisters were born.

Septimus's second oldest sister was Òceane Malfoy, born 12 November 1881. She was four years older than him.

#### Hogwarts years (1900s)

Septimus received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1897. He visited Diagon Alley sometime before beginning school and while there, purchased a wand made of hawthorn and dragon heartstring. He boarded the Hogwarts Express on 1 September 1897 and was sorted into Slytherin House that night.

Septimus's mother died when he was eleven years old during his first year of Hogwarts after suffering a lingering illness, over the Easter Holidays on 18 May 1898. He was devastated, but he had to return to school to complete his exams.

His oldest sister was Lavinia Malfoy, born 16 July 1874. She was twelve years his senior, and married a man called Phineas Abbott in August 1898, when Septimus was twelve. She had three children with him, a son called Bertram (b. 1899), a daughter called Guinevere (b. 1900), and another son called Maurice (b. 1902).

His third oldest sister was Cécile, born 14 January 1883. She died young, at seventeen, in June 1900, when Septimus was thirteen years old. She was three years older than him and it was suspected to be suicide. The tragedy badly shook the family and though Cécile had battled mental illness for some time, her parents and siblings were devastated. Septimus greatly matured because of the event and came back to school for his fourth year a changed individual.

#### Engagement and marriage (1910s)

Septimus was arranged to court Clotilda Avery, an English pure-blood witch of the Noble and Ancient House of Avery. She was four years his junior. They married on 2 October, 1914, after finding each other to be suitable companions.

Their only son, Abraxas, was born on 1 July, 1918, in Malfoy Manor, which Septimus had inherited, along with the muggle title of Duke of Wiltshire in 1915 upon the passing of his father, Septimus I.

#### Unexpected humanitarian work (1940s)

After Arcturus Black III was awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, for "Services to the Ministry" in 1945 for donating a large sum of money in order to rebuild magical Britain, which had been crumbling due to the result of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald terrorising the country, Septimus was encouraged to donate as well.

Septimus himself was awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class, for the amount of money he put up. However, he was not originally convinced that it would be a smart move, as he was an unofficial supporter of Grindelwald and understandably bitter about the dark wizard's downfall.

At the time, Arcturus Black, too, was scrutinised by the greater wizarding community for putting up such funds, and some pure-bloods saw this as a condemnation of Grindelwald and everything he stood for. This caused a major political scandal for the House of Black, which required a statement from the Head, Sirius Black II (1877-1952), to settle the debacle. His words were printed in the Daily Prophet on the second page, writing that *"my son's charitable donation was not meant to be seen as representative of the Family's views or political standings. It was but a choice of his own to help the needy in the Wizarding World, after a conflict which has no doubt desecrated many. I urge the greater Wizarding community to view the contribution without boundaries, as the British Wizarding World rebuilds itself after such devastation and loss of life."*

It is unknown whether Arcturus's and Septimus's donations were motivated by political advancement or because they may have witnessed the devastations Wizarding Britain experienced because of the Dark Lord Grindelwald. Septimus Malfoy was known to be a notoriously slippery individual, like most Malfoys, and may have only donated the money for the prestige.

#### Death (1949)

Septimus passed away on 19 January, 1949, after suffering a lingering illness, likely dragon pox or similar. After his death, his only child, Abraxas, inherited everything.

## Appearance

Septimus had a pale, pointed face, with pale blond hair and cold grey eyes. He often carried a walking stick with a snake head that contained his wand, which was a possession originally owned by his father, Septimus Malfoy I. He passed it down to his son, Abraxas, who passed it down to his son, Lucius.

## Personality and Traits

Due to being the embodiment of wealth and influence in the wizarding world, Septimus Malfoy took great pride in his aristocratic stature by viewing himself as being biologically superior to Muggles and Muggle-borns, although his views on half-bloods were likely more tempered as many a half-blood appears on the Malfoy family tree. He was also an very shrewd, opportunistic social climber who was good at controlling others, but behind his veneer of respectability, he treated people cruelly.

Septimus could be intelligent and manipulative when he needed to be. He often gained respect and the good will of high-ranking individuals through his fortune and family name. He even had influence with Minister for Magic Leonard Spencer-Moon. Septimus's constant donations to important establishments were little more than bribing Fudge for classified information, delaying laws, and receiving undeserved rewards and recognitions.

While putting much effort into maintaining an appearance of respectability, Septimus's slick demeanour did little to hide his self-serving nature. He had no qualms about appealing to whichever side would be more beneficial to his social advancement. He was never unconditionally loyal because he didn't want to be put in a negative light with people on either end. He was a closeted supporter of the dark wizard Grindelwald, and privately funded his exploits. Septimus blamed the Statute of Secrecy for the Malfoys' downfall in the muggle world, as when the Statute went into effect, his ancestor, Lucius Malfoy II, was forced to withdraw from court life in the world of the House of Stuarts. They were also not allowed to influence the muggle world in any way, but Septimus often ignored this as he was a Duke, a title which the family had obtained legally, if not easily, which some saw as suspicious. However, as it happened hundreds of years ago, there was no evidence to prove whether the Malfoys coerced Henry VI of England into awarding them the Dukedom.

However, in spite of his ruthless and prejudiced nature, one of Septimus's more redeeming traits was that he was very loving and devoted towards his family, especially caring greatly for his wife and son. He and Clotilda were indulgent and protective of their only child, Abraxas.

## Possessions

* **Wand:** Septimus owned a wand which he kept in his walking stick which was made of hawthorn and dragon heartstring. It was buried with him, as customary in wizarding traditions (representative of wizards retaining their magic in the afterlife).
* **Enchanted Cane**: Septimus owned a walking stick that was enchanted with the shield charm to protect him from spells. His wand was hidden within the stick for sneak attack, so he could block and cast spells at the same time. The cane was also ornamented with a snake head at the top. It had been acquired by his father, Septimus Malfoy I, and was passed to his son Abraxas upon his death. Later, it was passed down to his grandson, Lucius.
* **Order of Merlin, First Class**: Septimus owned a medal which was representative of his Order of Merlin, First Class, which he earned for his incredibly sizeable donation to the Ministry of Magic after the downfall of Grindelwald. The medal was passed down through the family upon his death, although the title was non-transferrable.

## Titles

Septimus held the muggle courtesy title of "Earl of Marlborough" from birth until 1915, upon the death of his father. He then held the muggle title of "Duke of Wiltshire". He was addressed as "The Honourable Septimus Malfoy" in writing. He was the 18th Duke of Wiltshire. The courtesy title of Earl of Marlborough was passed to his son, Abraxas, upon his birth in 1918. His title of Duke of Wiltshire was passed to his son Abraxas in 1949 upon his passing.

In the Wizarding World, he was also known as "The Honourable Septimus Malfoy" from 1945, when he was awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class, for 'special services to the Ministry'. This title was non-transferrable.

## Etymology

*Septimus* is a Latin word for "seventh." This naming may be an attempt to draw reference to the powerful magical properties of the number seven.