harry potter - What did Lucius do to fall from grace?

In Order of the Phoenix, Lucius Malfoy “falls from grace” and ends up on Voldemort's bad side.

What exactly did he do to anger Voldemort?

Answer

Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy attack in order to capture the sphere, which is a recording of a prophecy concerning Harry and Lord Voldemort, which is revealed to be the object Voldemort has been trying to obtain for the whole year, the Dark Lord believing that there was something he missed when he first heard the prophecy. [...] Voldemort escapes just as Cornelius Fudge appears, finally faced with first-hand evidence that Voldemort has truly returned.
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Lucius lead the mission for the prophecy at the end of Order of the Phoenix. When that mission failed, Voldemort's return was exposed to the magical world. Voldemort had wanted his return to remain secret, so as to have less opposition. The Dark Lord blamed Lucius for the mission's failure. Lucius was imprisoned in Azkaban and, even after he is free, was treated as a disgrace and a failure by Voldemort and the other Death Eaters.

In summary, Lucius is on Voldemort's bad side because:

• he failed to obtain the prophecy for Voldemort


• he exposed the secret of Voldemort's return



• he got himself (and other Death Eaters) captured

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Bonus: Another thing that probably angered Voldemort was that Lucius got rid of Tom Riddle's Diary, something Voldemort had entrusted to him to keep safe, in Chamber of Secrets.

Lucius plants Tom Riddle's diary in Ginny Weasley's potions cauldron while she is shopping for school supplies at Flourish & Blotts, in a plot to use her to reopen the Chamber of Secrets, which would lead to attacks on Muggle-born students. Lucius knows the diary is cleverly enchanted, but is not aware that it is a horcrux containing a part of Voldemort's soul. Lucius intends to use the opening of the Chamber of Secrets by Ginny to discredit her father, Arthur Weasley, and Dumbledore.
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