Well, the title says it. What about our hero? Is the idea of Lucius/Lily really so odd that it wouldn't fit in Harry Potter? My answer is 'no', but it has very little to do with writing freedom. It has everything to do with one Lily Evans and her portrayal in the series.
Some Potter fans around the world say they don't like Lily because she's a 'Sue'. Unlike the spoiled James Potter who was a bully during his Hogwarts years, Lily apparently has no flaws. She even likes Snape. Such portrayal of Lily is the strongest weapon in the hands of a Lucius/Lily writer.
Parents, like everybody else, have flaws. Harry had to find out James wasn't as perfect as he imagined him to be. It would be logical if he found out Lily wasn't that perfect either. James' friends didn't tell Harry what James was like, they wouldn't tell him anything negative about Lily either. A relationship with Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be out of character for Lily, it could be used to flesh her out. Can a relationship be used to show Lily has some negative points? Definitely, but writers have to careful. Good people make mistakes. They can be naive and trust too much. If Lily fell in love with Lucius, figured out it would never work, they broke up and she fell in love with James, then a relationship with Lucius doesn't add much to her character. It doesn't change anything.
But, a writer can take a different route when it comes to their hypothetical break-up. What if she broke up because she got scared? Because Sirius told her about Lucius' involvement with the Death Eaters? Or maybe she found out he was a Death Eater and it hurt her ego? What if she found out he was a Death Eater and she started thinking he was making fun of her behind his back and decided to break up before he could humilliate her any further without telling him why or letting him explain. What if she was embarrassed of her background and told him she was a halfblood? What if she left him before he even did any harm as a Death Eater? Her ego could very well be as big as Lucius'. Pride is a trait that can ruin lives. Sometimes you want to be forgiven, but you have to much pride to ask for forgivness. It goes really well with our courageous Gryffindors, doesn't it? A girl who was the best at everything could have a big ego, right?
Now we have to deal with some facts such as her marriage with James. The aim is to stay canon compliant as much as possible. The easiest way would be to write how Lily found love in James. While that is true to canon it doesn't leave a Lily/Lucius shipper satisfied. There's still something that could be done. Harry could've been an 'accident'. Yes, you read it well. James was in love with Lily after all, wasn't he? One drunken night (maybe when Lily found out dear Narcissa was pregnant, fanfiction writers are very creative) could change everything. Our Lily doesn't have to be a 'Sue' at all and yet she can stay as good as ever and marry James because she was pregnant. Yet, no perfect love story in the background, no perfect marriage. Taking this route changes everything and nothing. It's still canon compliant. Only Lily has flaws and a relationship with Lucius was used to show them.
All in all, I disagree when people say Lucius/Lily would change things dramatically and that a proper Lily Evans is neccessary in Harry Potter. Perfect people don't exist and that's why it wouldn't be out of character to write Lily with flaws. In fact, precisely because Lily was portrayed the way she was, we have even more writing freedom. Harry's existence doesn't impose a barrier for a good Lucius/Lily fic. In this article I showed how a Lucius/Lily relationship can be used to flesh Lily out, show James in a better light and yet not change much in Harry's life.
Some Potter fans around the world say they don't like Lily because she's a 'Sue'. Unlike the spoiled James Potter who was a bully during his Hogwarts years, Lily apparently has no flaws. She even likes Snape. Such portrayal of Lily is the strongest weapon in the hands of a Lucius/Lily writer.
Parents, like everybody else, have flaws. Harry had to find out James wasn't as perfect as he imagined him to be. It would be logical if he found out Lily wasn't that perfect either. James' friends didn't tell Harry what James was like, they wouldn't tell him anything negative about Lily either. A relationship with Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be out of character for Lily, it could be used to flesh her out. Can a relationship be used to show Lily has some negative points? Definitely, but writers have to careful. Good people make mistakes. They can be naive and trust too much. If Lily fell in love with Lucius, figured out it would never work, they broke up and she fell in love with James, then a relationship with Lucius doesn't add much to her character. It doesn't change anything.
But, a writer can take a different route when it comes to their hypothetical break-up. What if she broke up because she got scared? Because Sirius told her about Lucius' involvement with the Death Eaters? Or maybe she found out he was a Death Eater and it hurt her ego? What if she found out he was a Death Eater and she started thinking he was making fun of her behind his back and decided to break up before he could humilliate her any further without telling him why or letting him explain. What if she was embarrassed of her background and told him she was a halfblood? What if she left him before he even did any harm as a Death Eater? Her ego could very well be as big as Lucius'. Pride is a trait that can ruin lives. Sometimes you want to be forgiven, but you have to much pride to ask for forgivness. It goes really well with our courageous Gryffindors, doesn't it? A girl who was the best at everything could have a big ego, right?
Now we have to deal with some facts such as her marriage with James. The aim is to stay canon compliant as much as possible. The easiest way would be to write how Lily found love in James. While that is true to canon it doesn't leave a Lily/Lucius shipper satisfied. There's still something that could be done. Harry could've been an 'accident'. Yes, you read it well. James was in love with Lily after all, wasn't he? One drunken night (maybe when Lily found out dear Narcissa was pregnant, fanfiction writers are very creative) could change everything. Our Lily doesn't have to be a 'Sue' at all and yet she can stay as good as ever and marry James because she was pregnant. Yet, no perfect love story in the background, no perfect marriage. Taking this route changes everything and nothing. It's still canon compliant. Only Lily has flaws and a relationship with Lucius was used to show them.
All in all, I disagree when people say Lucius/Lily would change things dramatically and that a proper Lily Evans is neccessary in Harry Potter. Perfect people don't exist and that's why it wouldn't be out of character to write Lily with flaws. In fact, precisely because Lily was portrayed the way she was, we have even more writing freedom. Harry's existence doesn't impose a barrier for a good Lucius/Lily fic. In this article I showed how a Lucius/Lily relationship can be used to flesh Lily out, show James in a better light and yet not change much in Harry's life.