Honour Among Death Eaters

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all Harry Potter characters are copyright of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros., and they were used without permission. Should their be any objection to their usage, this story will be immediately removed. This story is not written with any intention of making money.

Notes:

Story is set Post-Hogwarts/Before Voldemort's first fall

Pairings: Severus and Lily (primary); Narcissa and Lucius

Also includes friendships of Severus and Regulus; Severus and Lucius.

Prologue

Part A

She was like an angel.

He'd noticed her a week or so before when he'd been sitting up a tree down by the lake. She and another girl had been playing some muggle game, he presumed. He'd been content to just sit up the tree reading one of the books he'd taken from his grandfather's library on his last visit. The girls didn't notice him and he wasn't much concerned with them either. That was until he glanced down at the red-head just in time to see her kneel down by the lake and call to the other girl. The larger one hurried over to her.

"Look, Tuney," she giggled, placing her hand a few inches above the water.

After a few seconds the water slowly began to ripple.

"Look! I'm not touching it, see!"

"Lily, you shouldn't do that," the older girl said, disapprovingly, "Mum won't like it."

Severus had almost fallen from the tree in shock as he watched the incident pass between the two girls. Since that moment he'd been intrigued. He'd seen her only twice since then but it was enough to confirm his suspicions. She was a witch! She had to be! And, overcome with the excitement that he finally had someone his age to talk to about magic; he had frequently sought her out since.

But now he was nervous. She was alone this time, swinging back and forth on a swing in the playground.

"Pretty girl."

Severus almost jumped out of his skin as someone spoke behind him. He flipped around to look at his older brother; "Oh. Hey."

"Girls don't take too kindly to stalkers, Severus," Cadence smirked.

"I'm not stalking!" Severus straightened indignantly, though not entirely sure what his brother meant, "I was just watching. Look, she's a witch," he turned back at her. As she had been doing before, she jumped from the swing, remaining in the air for longer and travelling further than one would consider normal.

"Yeah," Cadence nodded, looking serious, before continuing, "Mudblood. I've noticed her. You'd best stay clear of her."

"Mudblood?" Severus looked at him with a frown, "What's that?"

"Someone who isn't worth our time."

"Oh," Severus responded, disappointed, before turning to look back at the girl on the swing. She'd gone.

Severus peered around the bedroom door and was relieved to see that, rather than curled up on the bed in tears (as was now a common occurrence), his mother was sitting at her vanity table putting on some muggle make-up. He watched her for a moment, not wanting to disturb her. She hummed quietly as she lifted brush after brush, gracefully applying the different powers to her face. Severus smiled slightly at the scene. His mother rarely looked so at peace anymore.

At that moment her eyes met his in the mirror and she smiled at him, lowering the brush she was holding down onto the table, "Hello, Sweetheart."

He walked into the room, "Hi mum." He settled down on the edge of her bed, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

Eileen gave a small laugh, "You need never fear about doing that, Severus."

He resisted the urge to remark on the irony of her statement, considering just the night before she had literally pushed him from the room when he had gone in to see her, having heard her sobs. Instead he gave a forced, awkward smile in response and swung his legs back and forth.

She kept her eyes on him for a moment before she turned back to the mirror and resumed applying her make-up. Severus shifted awkwardly on the bed before clearing his throat.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"What's a mudblood?"

Eileen's hand stopped; her make-up brush just mere centimetres from her cheek. She met his eyes again in the mirror, a small furrow in her brow. She slowly lowered her hand to the table, "Has Cadence been saying things to you? Did he call you that?"

Severus shook his head, perplexed, "No. He called this girl we saw it. She's a witch, I think. I've noticed her. But when Cadence saw her he said she was one."

"I see."

"So; what is it?"

Eileen shifted uncomfortably before turning in her seat to look at him, "A mudblood is someone who is born of non-magical heritage."

"Like, a muggle?"

"Yes," she nodded, "When a witch or wizard have muggle parents. But it isn't an appropriate term to use. Muggle-born is what they are known as."

"Is it bad? Being muggle-born?"

Eileen looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, some wizards believe it is best that only pureblood wizards practice magic. Muggle-borns are often seen as inferior."

"Why?"

"Because they are not of magical heritage."

"Dad's a muggle. Am I a mudblood?" Severus looked curious.

"No, Severus, you're not," Eileen said, with a firmness that suspended any further questioning, and with that she turned back to the mirror. "Have you spoken to this witch you saw?"

"No. Cadence said I shouldn't."

"Same age as you?"

"I think so."

There was a moment of quiet before she spoke again, "I think it would be a good thing for you to make friends with a witch your age."

Severus kept his eyes on his mother; but his mind wandered back to the pretty redhead he'd seen at the playground. He nodded slightly and hopped down from the bed, intending to return to where he'd often seen her, "I'm going out, Mum."