Brutus Malfoy

Brutus Malfoy was a British wizard who was openly vocal about his hatred for Muggles, Muggle-borns, and anyone who would support them. His tenure as the editor of the wizarding periodical Warlock at War illustrated how much he hated Muggles, as he regularly wrote and published about them in the periodical. Since sentiments against witchcraft and magic were at an all-time high among Muggles, his radicalized opinions gained traction and were received quite well by the wizarding public.

Background Information On Brutus Malfoy

Brutus Malfoy was likely born in Great Britain in the 17th century. He was born into the Pure-blood Malfoy family and was known for his radical views. His fondness for Pure-blood supremacy was only rivaled by his interest in destroying the society of Muggles. His ancestors’ beliefs and opinions may have helped his cause as almost all the Malfoys were known to carry prejudice against Muggles, Muggle-borns, and Half-bloods. The only possible exceptions to this may be Scorpius Malfoy and his mother, Astoria Malfoy, who appear in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Brutus may have studied magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and been sorted into the Slytherin house.

Etymology

Brutus was a common Roman cognomen (a third name given to a person, usually in Ancient Rome), and several historical Romans have had Brutus as their cognomen. The name itself translated to “heavy” in Latin and may have meant that the person bearing this name is of substance and weight in personality. 

The founder of the Roman Republic, Lucius Junius Brutus, had “Brutus” as his cognomen, as did Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the statesmen in the Senate who stabbed Julius Caesar. The phrase “et tu, Brute,” translated in English to “you too, Brutus,” comes from Shakespeare’s play about this stabbing, where Brute is Marcus Junius Brutus.

Family And Social Status

Brutus’s family, the Malfoys, were known for their beliefs of Pure-blood supremacy and extremely rich and powerful reputation in wizarding society. The Malfoy family was started by Armand Malfoy, a French wizard who came to Great Britain during the Norman Invasion. He performed several magical favors to the King of England, William the Conqueror, which earned him many gifts in the form of land and riches. He built his Manor in Wiltshire, which later became the Malfoy Manor.

The Malfoys of later generations encroached on the lands surrounding theirs, which belonged to the Muggles of their area. Therefore, the Malfoy family became one of the most feared and powerful magical families in the United Kingdom.

Some of Brutus Malfoy’s other ancestors and descendants include Nicholas Malfoy, Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and Scorpius Malfoy. Draco Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy are the most familiar of Brutus’s descendants to the Harry Potter fans. Narcissa Malfoy, previously Narcissa Black, is another popular member of the Malfoy Family.

Career As Editor Of “Warlock At War”

Brutus Malfoy worked as the Chief Editor of the British periodical Warlock at War. Most issues of the periodical were specifically known for their anti-Muggle sentiments, which were rampant at that time. Brutus Malfoy’s lifetime was especially when witch burnings and Muggle’s hatred against magic was very high. Therefore, these circumstances and Brutus’s writings against Muggles radicalized the wizarding community against them. 

Brutus Malfoy also considered anyone who kept non-magical company beneath Pure-bloods. He called the intention to mingle or befriend a Muggle or anyone non-magical a sign of weakness and a “surer sign of weak magic” than anything else. He considered wizards and witches who mingled with Muggles to be of low intelligence. 

His opinions made people question the magical talent and magical ability of some very popular wizards and witches just because they considered themselves allies to the Muggles and wanted to end all prejudice against them. 

Beliefs And Views On Muggles

Brutus Malfoy was a blood purist of the highest degree and, therefore, loathed Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards with a passion. He deemed a whole lot of Muggles, Muggle-borns, Half-bloods, and Muggle supporters as being beneath him. He believed that all of Muggle-kind was conspiring the persecution of wizards, which had some truth at that time due to frequent witch burnings. However, he took an extremist view on the same and considered all Muggles and Muggle-borns as beneath him.

Brutus Malfoy’s views were very similar to the views of dark wizards like Lord Voldemort and Gellert Grindelwald. Later, members of the Malfoy family would continue this tradition of blood superiority.

Propaganda – The Ultimate Weapon

Brutus Malfoy was a Propagandist. He used his bloated-up opinions about Muggles and anti-Muggle sentiments to radicalize an entire population. Usually, a lot can be done at times of war to prevent it altogether. It is not easy, but it can be done. However, one of the most dangerous causes of war is Propaganda. Radicalizing an entire population to hate a particular group of people has been one of history’s most potent causes of war.

While patriotism has its place and sometimes war seems essential, a lot of wars are caused by radical Propaganda that forces an entire population to believe that war is essential and that they must attack their opponents.

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