Bellatrix Lestrange stood over the kneeling forms of Narcissa Malfoy and Severus Snape.  They were older now.  Her wand was pointed at the linked hands of the blonde witch and the wizard.  Narcissa's voice shook as she spoke.  "Will you, Severus, watch over my son, Draco, as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?"

Severus responded, "I will."  A thin wire-like strand wound around their hands from Bellatrix's wand. 

Narcissa continued to speak, quieter this time, "And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?" 

Severus still met her eyes.  "I will."  Another cord sprang from Bellatrix's wand and snaked its way around the joined hands. 

Narcissa's voice then changed.  It almost sounded a mix between relieved and grateful.  "And should it prove necessary...if it seems Draco will fail..."  Severus's hand twitched in her grip, but he did not pull away.   "...will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?" 

Severus stared at their linked hands for a moment, hesitating, before responding, "I will."  Narcissa smiled at Severus, tears in her eyes, as the third rope coiled around their hands...

...Narcissa stood in front of her husband, Lucius Malfoy, in a private library.  She had tears running down her face.  Lucius walked towards her as though he were approaching a terrified and trapped rabbit.  "Cissa," he whispered, "I swear to you, I will never force Draco to enter the Death Eaters.  Do you understand?" 

She looked at him, her tears still coursing over her cheeks.  "You cannot promise that.  You cannot control the Dark Lord."

Lucius had almost reached his wife.  "I have been given a task."

He had reached his trembling wife, who had turned her back on him.  He took a gentle hold on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing circles through her clothing.  He drew her against his chest and wound his arms around her body.  She allowed the embrace, and lightly set her hands on his arms where they held her.  "My love, everything I have done has been for our family's - for Draco's - security and safety."

There was a long silence.

"What is this...task?" 

Lucius sighed behind her.  "Years ago, Severus revealed a prophecy to the Dark Lord, but only some of it.  It is being kept in the Department of Mysteries.  I have been charged to retrieve it from Potter once he has it.  The only other thing I can tell you is that our safety depends on success."

Narcissa lowered her head, a new trail of tears streaking her face.  Lucius felt the drops splash his hands.  She inhaled shakily before whispering, "Then, don't you dare fail."

~ 4 November 1981 ~

With a desperate gasp for breath, Narcissa Malfoy awoke.  She'd had another vision.  What did it mean this time?  Both mentioned the Dark Lord.  But...He was dead!  And both at least mentioned Severus Snape.  Why?  Narcissa sat up in bed, and hunched forward a little, holding her head in her hands, combing her fingers along her scalp.  She clenched her eyes shut as she thought of her dream vision, puzzling through its meaning. 

Her head snapped up as she latched onto the other key factor, her eyes opening suddenly.  She gasped.  She threw the bedding from her body and ran to her vanity chair to snatch up her silk dressing gown.  She struggled into it as her breathing quickened, and her eyes began to moisten.  Her heart hammered in her chest as her trembling hands just managed to tie her gown shut.  Without bothering to slide her pale feet into her slippers, she threw open the door to her bedroom and ran out. 

She ran through the corridor to the newly furnished room two doors down.  She flung open the door, causing it to bang against the wall loudly.  The room was monstrous and would serve as a very comfortable bedroom in the future, but not just yet.  She saw the outline of a beautiful cradle in the darkened room.  She ran to it, not seeing the shape of a tiny body that would make the blanket look like a hilltop rather than a plain.  Her pale hands gripped the top of the rails as she stopped at it, her long blonde hair flowing forward like curtains blown in a breeze.  She saw nothing, no shape within the cradle. 

"Oh, Merlin!" she whispered to herself.  She ran from the room, not bothering to shut the door.  She ran again down the hallway, only this time, she managed to find her voice. "Lucius!  Lucius!"  She ran screaming her husband's name as loudly as she could.  After every shout that she heard no response, she grew more terrified and her tears began to fall 

When she made the turn into their very large dining room, her shoulders were grabbed in a tight hold that she was not expecting.  She bucked and screamed in surprise and began to struggle from the grip on her arms.  "Narcissa!" she heard distantly in her mind, but could not overcome her panic.  She continued to buck frantically, her long hair streaming.  "Cissa!" The arms holding her shoulders suddenly drew her forward and clasped her body to the chest of a familiar person.  She began sobbing loudly, as the embrace in which she was trapped stilled her, and the heartbeat her ear was pressed against soothed her mind with its rhythm. 

"Calm down," the blonde man whispered softly to her.  She tried to lessen her sobbing in order to speak. 

"Lucius..." she moaned, only able to say that much, her husband's name. 

She felt him loosen his hold on her enough to run his hands comfortingly up and down her spine.  Narcissa loved Lucius's hands.  They were well cared for, soft, and graceful in every motion he made with them, even if it were to run his finger over the words in a book.  It was what she fell in love with first about Lucius Malfoy, his hands.  She liked to watch them, even if they were still.  She watched, but she never touched.  They were forbidden fruit to her, but once he would touch her with his hands, she was under his spell.  She never could resist the touch of his hands, and she never wanted to.  She did not know what she would do without the comfort of his touch.  She hoped she would never have to learn. 

"What's wrong, Narcissa?" he asked quietly.  He reached under her chin and tipped her face up to look at him.  She continued to cry and it pained Lucius to see it.  He stroked her cheeks with his thumb, wiping the tears away.  "What's wrong?" 

"Draco's in danger." 

A smile formed on Lucius's lips, as though he were holding back a laugh.  "What?  That's not possible.  He's just in the dining room making a mess of breakfast as usual."

Narcissa shook her head.  "No.  It's-It's not now.  He will be."  She began to hyperventilate again, her breath coming in short panicky gasps. 

Lucius grew alarmed again at his young wife's fear.  "Narcissa, look at me."  When she did not do so, he urged her again.  She still refused to look at him, and he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.  He descended upon her like a bird of prey and claimed her lips, swallowing her sobs.  The effect was instantaneous.  She softened in his arms and held her breath.  When he released her, he ran his hand through her long hair, but what she said took him by surprise.

"Severus Snape."

Lucius drew back a little from Narcissa.  "What of him?" 

"He can help us."

Lucius looked at his wife with a strange gaze.  She recognized the look as one of suspicion.  "Lucius?"  He set his lips into a firm line, refusing to speak. 

He released her from his embrace and properly offered her his arm, as though his completely improper kiss had not just happened.  Confused, she accepted it and wound her arm through her young husband's as he gracefully led her into the dining room.  The only person in the room was their young son, Draco, who sat in a high chair taking great delight in using his food as a chalkboard, with his finger acting as the pencil.  Even though Draco was the only other person in the room, Lucius had made it clear to Narcissa that their son should never be exposed to anything improper right from the beginning.  He would only witness his parents using proper manners and behaviors.  Lucius was determined to instill his aristocratic methods into their son.  And if it meant that he would escort his wife into the dining room for every meal the proper way, then he would.  Draco Malfoy would not go around without a dignified poise, or a developed sense of who he was and what he was when he was older.  He would know his place in the wizarding society and how to conduct himself accordingly.  Lucius was determined to succeed in this mission if it took him the rest of his life.  He would not have a wild son go and spoil the family name.  It would simply be unacceptable. 

Lucius helped Narcissa into her chair, before he turned to the side and shouted, "Dobby!"  With a snap, a small creature materialized.  It was their family servant, a house elf.  He looked up at Lucius with a grimace and large watery eyes, afraid that he had done something wrong.  "Get breakfast for my wife."

"Of course, Master Malfoy, Dobby is-"

"Now, Dobby!"  The house elf disappeared with a snap.  Even before Lucius had settled back in his chair in front of his own food, Narcissa found herself looking at a full breakfast. 

"Lucius..."

"Not now, my dear," he said, in a kind voice.  He glanced at Draco, who was still fully occupied with drawing pictures in his food rather than eating it.  "Would you feed Draco, Narcissa?" 

Narcissa nodded at her husband and picked up the tiny spoon on the tray of her son's high chair.  She patiently began to feed her son.  He smirked at his mother, his eyes glowing with a playfulness that she found irresistible.  A soft smile grew in her expression as she carefully guided the spoon to Draco's mouth.  Obediently, he opened his mouth and let his mother guide the spoon into his mouth.  He closed his lips around the spoon and she removed it.  He moved his jaws to chew even though his food did not require chewing.  He just knew that his parents chewed when they ate, so why shouldn't he?  When he swallowed, he smirked again at his mother, who smiled gently back at him. 

Lucius watched his wife feed their son with a tender expression.  He would never tell her out loud, and especially with Draco around, that he found her most beautiful when she interacted with their child.  Her own youthfulness surfaced and she glowed.  She was always beautiful, but her beauty grew since they discovered that she was pregnant with Draco.  He was so consumed with watching her that he did not even notice that Dobby had placed that morning's Daily Prophet at his elbow on the table. 

Narcissa looked at Lucius and saw him watching her.  She smiled and felt embarrassed when she realized that she was blushing.  She was about to look down when her eyes caught the headline of the paper at Lucius's elbow. 

DEATH EATER, SEVERUS SNAPE, IN AZKABAN

She gasped, suddenly remembering what had frightened her so terribly.  "Lucius!  Look at the newspaper!"

Lucius looked down and saw the headline.  He remembered that she had whispered the other man's name just outside of this room only minutes ago.  Why?  He quickly scanned the article.  "It seems Snape has been arrested for being a Death Eater." 

Narcissa's eyes went blank as she remembered the visions of her dream.  "And should it prove necessary...if it seems Draco will fail...will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?"  Her eyes focused again.  She knew what it meant.  They needed Severus Snape.  "Lucius.  You need to help him." 

Lucius looked at Narcissa as though she'd just sprouted horns.  "I beg your pardon?" 

"The Dark Lord will give Draco a task one day." 

"Cissa, the Dark Lord is-"

"Dead, I know.  But he'll find a way to come back.  I don't know how, but he will.  And when he does, he will give our son something to do.  But we need Severus to watch over him, and protect him, because I..."  She took a deep breath.  "I don't think you will be able to do it."  As she interpreted her vision without thinking of a gentler way to say it, she realized how it might sound to her husband. 

"Do you mean I will be...dead?" he asked, looking a little sick.

"I don't know," she answered.  "All I know is that we need Severus.  We cannot ensure Draco's protection without Severus." 

Lucius looked hard at Narcissa.  "You had another vision in your dreams."  She nodded at him.    "I must say I am surprised that you did not beg me to petition for your sister's freedom."  She chose to ignore the comment about her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, who now was snug in an Azkaban cell.  He looked down at the newspaper, at the picture of Severus Snape being forced from what looked to be Hogwarts.  He looked back at his wife, who gazed at him with pleading eyes.  Lucius let out a frustrated sigh.  He looked at his happily grinning son, whom his wife claimed would one day be in danger, and that the only person who could protect him is Severus Snape.  He looked through the article again. 

...The trial for Mr. Snape will

take place at 9:00 am today in...

He looked up again at his young son.  He made a decision.  Nothing was more precious to him than his family.  He got up quickly from the table and strode into their parlor.  Narcissa followed him, the hem of her dressing gown fluttering behind her in her flight.  Lucius was standing in front of their lit fireplace looking at the clock that rested next to their container of floo powder on the mantle.  It was 8:30am.  "Lucius, can you make it?"

"It will be close."  He turned from the mantle.  "Dobby!"  In an instant, the house elf appeared.  "Bring me my cloak!  Now!"  Dobby vanished.  Lucius had enough time to look at Narcissa, before Dobby appeared again with a large, black velvet cloak neatly folded in his bony arms.  Lucius lifted it and draped it on his shoulders.  He was about to grab some floo powder when Narcissa stepped forward and adjusted his cloak.  He grabbed her hand and stopped her.  "Don't fuss over it.  I'll have to straighten it again when I come through the floo anyway." 

"I'm sorry," she whispered. 

"I'll return soon."  He pressed his lips to her hand before he took a pinch of floo powder, and threw it into the flames.  "Ministry of Magic!"  He looked at Narcissa as he began to step into the green flames. 

"I love you," Narcissa breathed. 

Lucius did not say anything, but he smiled at his wife.  Then, he disappeared into the fire.  When the noise of the floo died down, Narcissa suddenly became aware of a familiar little voice shouting, "Mama!  Mama!"  Narcissa headed back into the dining room so that she and her son could finish breakfast.  

 The multiple fireplaces in the Ministry of Magic lobby were almost constantly flaring green as witches and wizards and all sorts of magical beings able to use the floo network arrived.  Out of one of the flaring green fireplaces came the young but dignified Lucius Malfoy.  He emerged, dusted off his black clothing, and adjusted his velvet cloak.  He was glad that he was in the habit of dressing for the day almost as soon as he got out of bed, otherwise arriving even close to on time to do his wife's wish would have been an impossibility.  His sharp grey eyes darted all throughout the lobby as he searched for an official of the Ministry. 

He caught sight of a young Ministry aid trying in vain to shove her way through the throng of people bustling all through the Atrium.  Lucius pushed his way through the crowds, muttering an occasional apology to those who looked important enough to deserve it.  He finally reached the girl and threw his hand out to latch onto her shoulder.  She spun around quickly, and her large blue eyes looked at him.  "Where is the trial for Severus Snape being held?" 

She looked at him like he was an idiot.  "Level 10, like always!" she spat.  "All of the courts are there."

Lucius's grip tightened on her shoulder.  He normally would have thrown a curse at the girl for talking to him like that, but he restrained himself, settling to grip her shoulder tightly.  "Which court?"

"Uh...I don't know." 

Lucius let her go, muttering as he passed her in the crowd as he headed towards the lifts.  "Stupid girl."  As he was battling his way through to the lifts his grey eyes were caught by a person wearing the uniform of the Wizengamot.  When the man turned to look behind him briefly, Lucius recognized the wizard's face.  "Crouch!" he said to himself, as he pushed through the crowd with renewed vigor in an attempt to reach the Ministry official.  Hopefully he could get into the same lift on the way to the court. 

"Come on, boy!" Mr. Bartemius Crouch shouted behind him to the aid that carried an armful of parchment, stooping quickly to pick up one that fell from the top of the pile.  He followed Crouch towards the lifts as fast as his burdened body could go. 

Lucius somehow managed to get right next to Mr. Crouch's aid.  He then passed off the little man and marched right to the Ministry official.  "Mr. Crouch?"

Mr. Crouch turned his head just enough to get Lucius in his peripheral vision.  "Mr. Malfoy," he returned the greeting. 

Without anything else, Lucius continued.  "Are you presiding over Severus Snape's trial?"

"Yes, but I am almost late, and he is just coming in from Azkaban now.  The boy will arrive before I do, it seems." 

Lucius's mind refused to listen after the word ‘Azkaban.'  They shipped him to Azkaban?  Lucius was thankful he'd claimed that he'd been subjected to the Imperius Curse and was thus forced to work for Voldemort.  It saved him from the horrors of Azkaban.  Strange that he hadn't been forced to testify under Veritaserum.  But they held Snape in Azkaban only for the accusation?  That seemed cruel of the Ministry.  But that was not the issue in question for Lucius. 

"I would like to testify for him."

Mr. Crouch turned to face Lucius then, stopping his forceful and wide striding to the lifts.  The aid slid to a stop behind Lucius, the abrupt stop causing half of his armful of parchments to fall to the ground.  He scrambled to pick them up.  "Mr. Malfoy, we just released you from the same crime.  And now, you wish to testify for Mr. Snape?  How could you do that?"

Lucius leaned forward to Crouch.  "Even though one is put under the Imperius Curse, sir, they can still remember their surroundings very clearly." 

"I'm sorry.  If you had wished to testify for Mr. Snape, you should have notified us last night."  Mr. Crouch spun and continued walking.  His aid slid around Lucius, who stood there a moment, dumbfounded.  Crouch and his aid entered one of the open lifts.

Lucius's eyes bulged for a moment before he darted into the lift with them.  "I only found out about this trial twenty minutes ago!"

"That is not my problem, Mr. Malfoy." 

"Would you like me to make it your problem?" Lucius mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Mr. Crouch asked. 

"How can we solve the problem?"

Mr. Crouch looked at Lucius with a cold, suspicious expression.  "If you are so worried that Mr. Snape has no one to defend him, would you be more at ease if I told you that Albus Dumbledore is testifying for him?"

Lucius was surprised, but he managed to school his face into a relaxed expression.  "Albus Dumbledore?"

Mr. Crouch nodded.  "Do you think your influence would be greater than his?"

Lucius did think his influence would be greater, but he was not stupid enough to come right out and say that.  He held his tongue, but the effort made him clench his lips to make them into the thin pale line.  "I would still like to attend if you do not mind."

Mr. Crouch shook his head.  "It is a public hearing after all." 

Lucius waited until the lift opened again, with a pleasant voice chiming that it had arrived at "Level 10 - Wizengamot Courtrooms."  Mr. Crouch and his aid walked ahead to the scheduled courtroom.  Lucius followed them with a silent, prowling stride.  Mr. Crouch walked directly to the doors of the courtroom and opened them.  Lucius took in the status of the courtroom in one sweeping glance.  He saw the other assembled members of the Wizengamot, members of the press, members of the public, and a handful of Aurors.  One he recognized right away was Alastor Moody.  He knew that if anyone arbitrarily took over the proceedings it would be that particularly enthusiastic Auror.  Moody had wanted to question Lucius during his trial using Veritaserum, but his request was refused.  Was it because the wizard on trial was a high member of their society?  Lucius still did not know, but for whatever the reason he was grateful that the potion was avoided.  He knew it was dangerous with Moody here.  What if he saw him? 

Lucius walked quickly to Mr. Crouch's side again.  "Please, let me testify for Mr. Snape." 

Crouch seemed to ignore him, and shouted out a command.  "Admit the accused!"  A tall, barbaric cage-looking object with spikes was erected in the center of the courtroom.  From an entrance in the middle of this cage rose the trembling figure of Severus Snape, still wearing the striped uniform of a prisoner of Azkaban. 

Lucius looked at Severus and for a moment thought that he looked nothing at all like the proud young Slytherin he knew.  He looked nothing at all like the confident Potions Master.  He looked like a terrified young man.  Lucius was brought back several years to when he was a new prefect and he had patted the back of the eleven year old Severus Snape as he sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall for the first time.  Even then, as a young child, Severus looked more secure, more confident than he did at this moment almost ten years later.    

He tore his eyes from his housemate's figure and entreated once more to be allowed to testify.  He had leaned forward right next to Bartemius Crouch's ear in order to not be heard by the other Wizengamot members.  In his peripheral vision, he noticed that the doors of the courtroom opened once more and that Albus Dumbledore had strode in.  Then, Crouch, without looking at Lucius refused to allow his testimony again. 

Lucius saw Dumbledore walk to sit next to Alastor Moody.  In that moment, Lucius made a decision.  It was risky, but he was left with little other choice.  He discreetly drew his wand and with it under his cloak aimed it at Mr. Crouch.  "Imperio!" he whispered.  He felt resistance for a moment from the other man, but Lucius increased his own willpower and made the curse stronger.  The resistance crumbled.  Lucius, with his wand still trained on Crouch, leaned into the other man's ear again and whispered, "Severus Snape is innocent of his charges.  You will release him no matter the evidence against him."  His grey eyes searched the courtroom again to be sure that no one could tell what had just happened.  He noticed that everyone's eyes were focused on Severus Snape in the cage.

With a hidden but wide flourish of his wand, Lucius whispered another spell.  "Totus alieno tentatio praeter Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore et Lucius Malfoy."  He did not know if the spell worked at that moment but he had faith that it would in time.  Perhaps once the trial was concluded.  He snuck a glance at Mr. Crouch's face again and saw that he was still under his very strong Imperius Curse, and with a neutral expression concealing his satisfaction, he made his way to the public seating of the courtroom.  He went all the way to the back of the crowd and sat down in the corner.  He had a nice vantage point of the proceedings, and was able to see Mr. Crouch very well just in case he needed to reinforce his spell.  The last thing Lucius did was put himself under a Disillusionment Charm, so that he could watch the trial unnoticed and observe if his charms worked. 

Narcissa was propped up on the parlor sofa by throw cushions jammed in the corner of it.  Draco was snuggled against her side, attentively focused on his afternoon story.  She was just reading about how the little dragon learned to breathe fire to protect its brother when the fireplace flared green.  Draco was frightened and pointed to the green flames shouting, "Dragon!  Dragon!"  Narcissa tried to hush her son's frantic shouts, when Lucius stepped through the flames, calmly dusting himself off. 

"See, it's your father, Draco, not a dragon," she said. 

"Oh," Draco grumbled, slightly disappointed before he plastered a smile on his face with which to greet his father. 

Lucius was too tired to even remove his cloak.  Those spells were a little taxing for him, especially to stay under Disillusionment for that long.  He walked directly to his wife and son.  "He is free." 

Narcissa smiled and let out a relieved breath.  Her lips curled into a gentle smile.  "Thank you, Lucius."

A small voice piped up from Narcissa's side.  "Who free?"

Lucius reached out and softly stroked his son's hair.  He bent down to press a kiss to Draco's forehead.  He shared a smile with his little son.  "Your protector." 

Lucius slid his eyes to his wife's gaze.  "I think you may continue your storytelling."  She brought the book up again, got her son's attention, and resumed telling the story.  Lucius went to the huge armchair near the fireplace and lowered himself down into it.  He relaxed his spine and watched his family.  Seeing the relief on his wife's face, and the innocent smile of his son, he knew that if there was one thing he wanted people to say about himself when he died, it would be that he would stop at nothing to protect his family, no matter the cost. 

He never imagined that the Wizarding World would consider him much differently in only a few years.