A/N: I would like to thank Lady Eleanor Boleyn, PatronusIsAMockingjay3, and Raven for their kind reviews. They encouraged me tremendously, assured me that I'm doing this right, and validated my whole reason for writing this. (Not to mention inspired me to type faster. *wink* )

Unwritten Slytherin Rules

Lily,
I'm sorry I upset you. I was just embarrassed, and I wasn't thinking. I'll tell off my mates for saying those mean things, I promise.
James
P.S. I'm giving you my last bag, so you'd better not cry anymore.

Lily rolled her eyes at James' apology, smiling to herself. He never was good with admitting he was wrong. Of course he wouldn't actually come tell her… Looking down at the package that Snowy had dropped in front of her a few moments ago, she wondered what it was he'd given her. Ripping off the plain brown paper – snickering to herself at the horrible wrapping job – she uncovered a medium sized bag of Bertie Blott's Every Flavor Beans.

Picking them up, Lily felt her smile melt away.

The last time I had some of these was on the train…

Glancing through her eyelashes around the breakfast table, she easily spotted the familiar head of white-blond hair at the end. Scorpius sat much like she did – eyes down, concentrating on his food, avoiding eye contact with those around him. Though, to his credit, he managed to look very nonchalant while doing it. Lily was fairly certain that if her nerves were to wind any tighter, they would all explode at once, sending her shooting into the air like one of her Uncle George's firecrackers.

Eating her own food, Lily continued to surreptitiously watch her… friend? Acquaintance? She wasn't sure, and that's what bothered her the most. Why had he been so friendly when they first met, if he was so determined to be alone the rest of the time? And why in the world didn't he have any friends? Their housemates seemed to go out of their way to avoid him at times, despite the fact that she'd never seen any evidence of his being a troublemaker in any way.

This sounds an awful lot like one of those Muggle mystery books Aunt Mione gave me to read…

When she realized that, Lily grinned mischievously.

It is a mystery! And I shall crack it… just like the magnificent Sherlock Holmes.

Feeling decidedly cheerful, Lily joined the crowd as it headed for the doors and a day full of classes and studying. Spotting Scorpius ahead of her in the throng, she resisted the urge to rub her hands together gleefully.

Let the sleuthing begin.

-0-

Despite her eagerness, her first real clue didn't come until a bright Friday afternoon a few days later, as she made her way from Transfiguration to Care of Magical Creatures. She was bouncing down the steps, excited to see what amazing beast Hadgrid would have for them this time, when she caught the sound of familiar voices. Turning, she spotted three forms in Slytherin robes, one topped with a shock of white-blond hair, moving quickly to gather around the corner of the castle.

Feeling delightfully sneaky, Lily crept over and pressed herself against the stone a few feet away, staying out of eyesight and hunkering down so as not to be seen. She covered the ear pointed away from them so she could hear what they were saying, and settled in to learn.

"I don't know why you keep trying, Malfoy," one was saying, and even though Lily couldn't see him she was fairly certain that he was a fourth year, named… She wasn't sure what his last name really was, at least not the one that was on the roll. Whatever it was, it wasn't what he went by in the commons. There he used his mother's maiden name, Parkinson. He claimed it was because his father was a horrid man and he couldn't stand bearing his name, though Lily had overheard a vicious rumor that suggested that his mother had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, and his father wasn't his father at all.

Shaking away the distracting thoughts, she tuned back into the conversation to hear the husky voice of Rayon Goyle pipe up with, "You know why he keeps trying, you twit. How else are we going to end this? Just give in?"

"No," Parkinson countered, "we do what every generation before us has. We deal with it until we graduate. Then it doesn't matter."

"It does matter, and you know it." Scorpius' quiet voice carried authority in the small space, and Lily instinctively knew that he was the leader here. "The criticism and distrust doesn't end when you leave school. Believe me."

It was silent for several moments, and Lily bit her lip. What was this all about? These boys seemed so… serious.

"I understand what you're trying to do, Scorpius," Parkinson said quietly. "Really, I do. It's just… I don't want to be a target. Well," he added, a bitter tone to his voice, "any more than I already am."

"So you're a coward?" Goyle began in a taunting voice.

"Rayon," Scorpius interrupted softly. When it was quiet, he addressed Parkinson. "I understand, Leonidas. I sincerely hope this isn't going to make things harder for you."

When she heard the scuffle of retreating feet, Lily rose silently, waiting for the right moment to sneak away.

"Has it been getting worse?" Goyle's voice was softer than she'd ever heard it, and he sounded concerned.

Scorpius laughed wryly. "Well, it certainly hasn't gotten any better."

Their voices were moving away, but Lily still heard the question that froze her where she stood.

"Why don't you take up with Potter? She seems eager enough, and it's not as if it could hurt anything…"

Yes, why don't you?

"Ray, that would be the worst thing I could possibly do," Scorpius answered, sounding downright fierce, and Lily felt like lead weights dropped into her stomach when she registered his words.

Well, she thought, determined not to cry, I guess that answers my question. He doesn't want to be friends…

But so many new questions had arisen in her mind, she knew she wouldn't be able to leave it alone until she'd figured out just what it was that Scorpius was trying to do, and why it meant so much to him.

As she ran down the hill to class, she pushed away the sadness, and focused on her new mission. I need answers… And I highly doubt I'll find them on my own. Now, who could help me with this? The answer brought a smile to her face, and she grinned. Rose, of course! I'll send Snowy with a note for her to meet me in the library during study period. That decided, she skipped down the path happily, already thinking of questions to pepper her clever cousin with.

-0-

Lily sat in a fairly comfortable library chair, fidgeting slightly, worrying her lip between her teeth as she waited for Rose to show up. Just when she had convinced herself that Snowy hadn't delivered the message after all, a familiar head of bushy red hair entered the room, and intelligent brown eyes landed on her.

"Considering the cryptic tone of the note you sent me, you should be grateful it peaked my interest enough for me to decide it was worth the risk," Rose informed her cousin as she sat in the chair next to her. "I was half convinced it was one of your brothers using Snowy to pull a prank of some sort." Folding her legs under her, she rested her chin on one hand and gave Lily her full attention. "Now, spill. What's the big mystery?"

Lily complied, filling Rose in on her initial observations of Scorpius: his friendly personality, lack of companions, and the way their housemates seemed to look down on him. Then she added the new details she had learned that day, including her suspicions that the boy was planning some grand scheme, and attempting to recruit helpers for his master plan.

Rose's brow furrowed as she thought. "I have no idea what he might be plotting. As for the reason he isn't liked…" Here she bit her lip slightly, and looked up through her bangs. "It isn't even his fault."

"Wait, you know?" Lily asked. "How?"

Rose's cheeks took on an interesting shade of pink, and she cleared her throat self-consciously. "It isn't as if you're the first person to ever notice his lack of popularity, you know. I did wonder… His family is plenty wealthy, and – as you noticed – he seems pleasant enough. So I did some…"

"Snooping?"

Rose sniffed, looking rather put out. "I was investigating – and it wasn't anywhere secret, either. Public records, and all that."

"Fine, fine, you weren't snooping," Lily amended, nearly bouncing in her seat. "What did you learn?"

Rose beckoned Lily closer. When the smaller girl leaned in, Rose confided in a low voice, "It seems that his family caused some trouble, back during the War. In fact…" Looking around carefully, she cupped her hand and whispered directly into her cousin's ear. "His grandparents have been under house arrest since the War ended… and will be for the remainder of their lives."

Lily sat back, stunned. The Great Wizarding War had ended more than twenty years ago. What could they have possibly done to earn such a severe punishment? Then her mind finally added up all the pieces to the puzzle. The resulting picture wasn't pretty.

"Wait a minute," she said, trying to wrap her mind around the truth she had just realized. "Scorpius is being shunned – for something his grandparents did?" At Rose's grim nod, Lily felt her jaw drop in astonishment. "But… but that just isn't fair!"

"Shh!" Rose hushed her, glancing around to make sure they hadn't been overheard. "I know it isn't. That's why I try to be nice to him whenever I can." She shrugged in a helpless manner. "Not that we cross paths that often, but still, it's better than nothing, right?"

"I suppose..." Lily murmured.

"Well, I have assignments to complete, so I'd better be heading back," Rose said, rising from her chair.

Feeling rather depressed, Lily halfheartedly thanked Rose before she left the library, her mind full of questions.

Daddy must know about the Malfoys… Is that why he doesn't want anything to do with me? Because my father is the Head of the Auror Division? Or is it that he's so used to being shunned, he doesn't want to bother with new friends…?

Or he just doesn't want anything to do with a Potter, a sinister voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Probably so.

She headed back to the Slytherin commons, barely noticing the students she passed in the hallway. She began to wonder if any of her classmates knew what she did, or if their excluding attitude was caused by something else entirely.

Later, as she prepared for bed, Lily glanced at her roommates out of the corner of her eye. Taking a few deep breaths to work up her nerve, she asked, "I wonder why Malfoy always stays by himself?"

The room grew silent, and her three roommates stared at her.

Looking up, Lily clarified, "I mean, he never sits with the older kids. He always seems to be alone."

The girls glanced at each other, before one asked, "Why do you care?" Her tone wasn't sneering, but rather genuinely questioning.

Lily finished folding her robes, attempting to appear nonchalant. "He spoke to me on the train. He seemed nice enough…" She shrugged. "I was just curious, I s'pose."

The girl cocked her head to one side, causing her short black hair to partially cover her round, olive-toned face. Her dark almond eyes were staring at Lily intently, seeming to appraise her. Finally, she answered. "I'm not really certain…" she said slowly. "All I know is my father told me to steer clear of him."

"My mother told me he comes from bad blood," another girl – a tiny thing with blond hair and blue eyes – piped up, stepping from foot-to-foot quickly.

"My older brother said that he heard the whole Malfoy family is in trouble with the law." That last bit came from a girl with light brown skin, dark brown hair, and golden brown eyes that were wide behind her trendy rectangle spectacles.

Lily blinked at the unexpected rush of information. "But – did any of them ever actually say why they're bad?"

The first girl shrugged. "It doesn't really matter, does it? Something's off about them, and that's all that counts." Stepping forward, she held out her hand. "I'm Keely, by the way."

Lily glanced at the proffered hand before giving it a firm shake. "Lily," she responded quietly.

Keely smiled and pointed behind her. "The bespectacled beast is Beatrice, and the tiny bouncing blond is Melrose." Both girls waved, and Lily couldn't help but wave back, smiling at this pleasant turn of events.

Apparently, you couldn't be a real Slytherin until you started asking suspicious questions about someone else.

Go figure.

"So, is your father really the Harry Potter?" Beatrice asked, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Or is that some rumor the older students are telling us to be clever?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by the Harry Potter… but he did fight in the War, against Voldemort." The shocked gasp that filled the room caused Lily to blink in confusion. "What?"

"You- you said his name…" Melrose whispered, her blue eyes enormous in her tiny face.

"Yes…?" Lily said, though it sounded more like a question.

Keely shook her head slowly. "Didn't your parents tell you about You-Know-Who?" she asked, obviously amazed at Lily's bravery.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Actually, yes, they did. And they called him Voldemort in every story." Looking at the shocked expressions, she added, "In fact, my father told me that the more power you give the name, the more power you give the person." Sitting on her bed, she shrugged one shoulder confidently. "Besides, why shouldn't we say his name? He's dead."

The three girls blinked at each other, obviously never having heard that argument before.

"What else does your father say?" Keely asked quietly, moving closer, and Lily smiled.

"I'll make you a deal," she offered, patting her comforters in invitation. "I'll tell you about my family, if you tell me about yours."

As her roommates moved to her bed, readily agreeing, Lily smiled happily.

So what if Scorpius didn't want anything to do with her? He could keep his secrets, as far as she was concerned. She had made three new friends. And that was better than any boy with a horrible, law-breaking family could ever hope to be.