(Author Notes updated 10th August, 2012)

Disclaimer: I am not J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter. If anyone's making any money out of this piece of fanfiction, it certainly isn't me.

Note: The following one-shot is set in an alternate universe which diverged from canon in September 1971. This is an experimental piece. The date where it takes place is at some point in November, 1981, shortly after the fall of Voldemort (which resulted from him going after the 'child of prophecy' particular to this universe).

Narcissa Lestrange, born and raised Narcissa Black, had fallen into the error of believing the old dogma that the purity of a witch or wizard's blood mattered more than anything else. And she had committed the cardinal sin for a pupil who had been a Slytherin at Hogwarts of failing to hide her contempt for the less pure, whilst managing to spectacularly pick the losing side.

Narcissa's zealousness had amused the Dark Lord, though he had on occasion cautioned her that 'the true Slytherin keeps his or her options open'. The Dark Lord had seemed peculiarly fascinated by Lucius Malfoy, a moderate Death Eater, on the fringes of the organization, who had married a mudblood. The Dark Lord had regarded Lucius Malfoy for whatever reason as a consummate Slytherin, and had been frustrated by Lucius' reluctance to commit himself in greater depth to the organization. He had derided Lucius Malfoy's 'scarcely respectable abominations of children', whilst keeping constant track of their numbers and progress.

Narcissa had no idea how Lucius had done it – being a Death Eater whilst being married to a mudblood who reputedly had Dumbledore's ear – but he had, somehow, and this was Narcissa's last chance.

"Please." she begged the woman the other side of the desk.

"Let me see if I have this right?" Lady Lily Malfoy, of the Noble House of Malfoy, said. "You, Narcissa-Imperius-Curser-of-Muggles-Black-Lestrange, sister of Bellatrix-Cruciatus-Curser-of-Just-About-Anyone-Black-Lestrange, who all but begged your master to torture my husband into insanity on at least one occasion, want me to keep you and your sister out of Azkaban? Despite the fact that after your master failed to treat my husband in the manner which you hoped for, you and your crazy sister took it upon yourselves to make sure you went after old school-friends of mine? You and your sister killed one of my half-blood friends, three 'blood-traitor' friends, and ironically managed to completely screw up your attacks on several muggle-born ones. Then again, the muggle-borns were expecting trouble from your lot."

Narcissa had rather hoped that Lily hadn't noticed that particular pattern, and just written it off as the randomness of war. Apparently she had, though, and had been keeping score.

"Please. My little dragon needs his mother." Narcissa implored. She'd brought her dark-haired son, Draco Lestrange, with her, in the hope that the sight might actually move Lily.

"I'm unconvinced that he needs a woman who's managed to get herself in the position where she's having to beg someone she's never bother to hide she despises for favours." Lily said. "The only reason I haven't sent for the aurors yet is because unlike you I'm at least prepared to review all my options, and I'm still waiting on the off-chance you might have something to say which will benefit the Malfoys. That's something seeming less likely with every passing second though."

In other words Lily was refusing to be moved by any emotional pleas coming from Narcissa, and the only thing she was interested in was anything that could benefit her family.

Narcissa considered her options. Gold was out. The Malfoys were sufficiently well-off and favoured with Gringotts that they could ignore any cash bribe the Lestrange vaults might supply. Narcissa's pride barred her from demeaning the dignity of House Lestrange by offering any kind of oath of fealty or service to House Malfoy. That didn't exactly leave her much to put up, though, given the Lestranges were wanted for questioning by the aurors, following the Dark Lord's fall and the capture/defection of a number of Death Eaters, whilst nobody was interested in going after the Malfoys. It had been practically public knowledge that Lucius had been a Death Eater. It had also been practically public knowledge that he didn't do anything except bail suspects out of jail, and pay compensation to businesses destroyed in fights or to the relatives of victims caught in the crossfire of battles. He had spoken out occasionally urging moderate political reform, and was about as close to being a 'good guy' in the public mind that it was possible to get whilst being someone who had happened to associate on an occasional basis with the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord's fascination with Lucius Malfoy was starting to make a belated sense to Narcissa. If only Lucius had been willing to accept a more active political role, than perhaps…

But he had not, and Narcissa was here, with time running out rapidly and an implacable Lily Malfoy sitting looking at her.

Maybe Lily was right. Maybe the last thing that Draco needed was a mother like Narcissa. Even if she stayed out of Azkaban she would be a social pariah…

Author Notes: (updated)

And that's just about where the idea ran out.

Originally the idea came about insomuch as there didn't seem to be many pieces around where Lily Evans ended up marrying Lucius Malfoy (although to some extent the canon age difference poses some problems to this).

Anyway, a quick bit of background: Lucius Malfoy spotted Lily Evans as a piece of promising young talent back in 1971, and for whatever reason decided he had to have her (or the witch she would grow up to become) for himself. He waited five years, and once she'd had the final bust-up with Severus Snape (which just about happened as in canon) in 1976, he started to assiduously court her (she was 16 by then). She was unable to resist the Malfoy charm (especially given he'd been preparing for this for five years, including making sure his Death Eater membership was strictly peripheral) and succumbed, becoming Mrs. Lily Malfoy in 1978. (Meanwhile Narcissa had followed in Bellatrix's matrimonial footsteps and married the other Lestrange brother.)

As regards motivations, etc, basically Lucius had concluded back in 1971 that Voldemort looked unlikely to win the war in the long-run, given the style of campaign that he was waging, and that Lily would be good for the Malfoy family. He miscalculated to some extent what the Death Eater reaction would be to his marrying Lily, and was only spared in a rather hair-raising encounter in 1979 with Voldemort by evidence of a piece of accidental magic Lucinda Foxglove Malfoy (his and Lily's firstborn) had done, which convinced Voldemort that Lucius had married Lily purely as breeding stock and which the initial results (Lucinda) partially justified. And it wasn't as if Lucius was a member of his inner circle who might be expected to stick to a rigid 'party line'.

From Lily's point of view, she was a teenage girl swept off her feet by a charming, handsome, wealthy, older man, and by the time some of the ugly realities of the war started to bite home, it was obvious to the new Mrs. Malfoy that Lucius wasn't engaged in any of the violent or extreme Death Eater activities. Dumbledore to some extent had covertly encouraged the relationship too, figuring it might be useful to him to have a Gryffindor he trusted so close to a Death Eater (albeit one on the edges of the organization) having a notion that he might be able to use Lily to 'turn' Lucius as a spy, or even into a saboteur. It's something of a relief to Lily that the war's finally over, but she's made it quite clear to Lucius that if the Death Eaters do ever come back, he can't join up with them again. Lily is quite politically ambitious these days, interested in gaining power to benefit her family and to make sure that at least on her watch any future idiots like Voldemort are going to find things as difficult as possible.

For now, this is a one-shot. Reviews (especially from other fanfiction members who can be PM'ed in response to questions/comments) are currently welcome, however.