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IT took Athena only two hours to finish reading Magick Moste Evile, a book filled with the desire for power, the darkness in magic, and the most forbidden knowledge.

Athena's thirst for more grew as soon as she closed her book that night after reading the last page of information on yet another ancient, dark artifact.

She had been snapped out of her thoughts when her two friends were back from Hogsmeade– Lucinda complaining about how Druella had left her in the middle of the day to spend it with Cygnus, while she had to go to her brother so that she wasn't alone, to which Druella merely rolled her eyes at.

Athena raised her head, her thoughts changing from the night before to the present.

The crackle of the fireplace far from her still reached her ears, and the hushed whispers coming from the group of boys on the couches were what she tuned out.

Instead, the sound of her quill hitting the parchment was the only thing she focused on, its rhythm being her only friend.

A solitary candle cast its flickering glow upon her as she sat in the dim corner of the Slytherin common room, her seat being the wooden but comfortable chair underneath her, and her parchments scattered on the dining-like table in front of her– where the Slytherins liked to study on. The room itself, an alcove of shadowy elegance, was lit only by the wavering light of a few strategically placed candles and the faint, eerie green glow from the enchanted underwater windows.

Her eyes narrowed as Riddle stood up from the couches and left his friends, starting to head her way.

Abraxas, who had been sitting next to him, even seemed to notice as his eyes followed Riddle's movement.

Athena raised an eyebrow at the boy, who put his hands on the table in between them and was standing across from her, his voice a mere whisper as he said reluctantly, "When you are done with the book, I expect it back." His tone was commanding, and his eyes seemed to dart between the multiple parchments on the table, frowning when the book wasn't there to be seen.

She merely looked back at the parchment in front of her, dipped her quill in the pot of black ink, and continued writing. "Now, what kind of Slytherin would I be if I gave you something without getting anything in return?"

For a moment, Riddle almost seemed impressed, his brows raising up ever so slightly.

But Athena, busy with writing and not looking up, seemed to not notice.

He cleared his throat and licked his lips, almost as if what he was about to say next seemed hard for him– which it was. "What would you like in return, Malfoy?" He finally asked, clenching his jaw at the smirk that appeared on her face.

She was insufferable. Absolutely, irrevocably insufferable–

Athena finally glanced up, her hazel eyes meeting his black ones. It quietened down his thoughts for a fleeting moment. "I expect you to get me any book I want from the restricted section. You are–" she wrinkled her nose "–a prefect, afterall, and that has its advantages."

Riddle responded with a dismissive scoff, his disbelief evident in the expression he wore. "Malfoy, I could retrieve that book the moment you return it to the restricted section. I simply prefer not to spend the effort when I can acquire it with such ease." He pointed out with a scowl on his face, almost as if talking to her seemed to be beneath him.

Athena's smirk merely grew. She pointed the back of her quill at him and replied smoothly, "Who said I intend to return this book, Riddle?"

His lips curled into a sly grin, his eyes gleaming with cold intrigue. "A bold claim, Malfoy. But remember, if you're not careful, you might find that keeping it might come with consequences." His last sentence seemed to be a hidden threat, to which the girl merely scoffed at.

"And yet," Athena replied smoothly again, "I could easily persuade any Professor– or even Headmaster Dippet– to look into my memories and see you while I was taking this book from the restricted section. They will even see you, right now, asking for the book from me."

Riddle's jaw clenched immediately, looking at her with such evident disdain. She seemed to have outsmarted him yet again. "And if I claim that you're lying?" he countered, his voice edged with cold challenge.

She looked him up and down, then made eye contact with him again. "Veritaserum does exist," she reminded him, feeling nothing but pure satisfaction at his hidden-defeated expression. And yet one look at his eyes would show the defeat he felt.

Knowing there was no way out of it, Riddle dismissed her last comment with a curt tsk. He slid into the chair opposite her with deliberate nonchalance, his posture deliberately casual as he crossed his arms. Sitting across from Athena, with her jet-black hair and piercing hazel eyes, he fixed her with a cold stare.

"What book would you like, Malfoy?" he asked, his voice laced with irritation, betraying his effort to mask his underlying anger.

Athena gave him a small, satisfied smile as she pulled out the book from the bag on the chair next to her. The original cover was gone, replaced by an ancient leather that covered the forbidden.

She held it in her hand before saying, "Secrets of the Darkest Arts."

Riddle's eyes were fixed on her with a calculated look of intrigue. He had read that book already the year before, so he knew exactly what evils were in that book. But the book he needed at that moment was the one in her hand– the one that could contain information about what he had in mind–

"Alright," concluded Riddle with a cut nod, outstretching his hand. When he noticed her hesitant look, he said, "You have my word, Malfoy."

"A man's word is never lived up to."

"You would be surprised," he reprimanded with a tilt of his head, his hand still outstretched. As soon as his fingers made contact with the leather book, he snatched it out of her hand and stood up.

"You've got three days," said Athena just before he left with a nod, no other expression on his face as he walked up the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories. Her eyes stopped on her brother, who was looking at them the whole time with a confused frown on his face.

Her brother, who stood up and started walking over to her. Athena took a deep breath, trying not to sigh as Abraxas took the seat that Riddle had left a second ago.

With a look of a mixture of confusion and surprise, Abraxas had his eyes on his younger twin sister, who seemed to barely acknowledge his presence as she continued to write on the parchment in front of her with her quill.

He leaned in and asked, "What did Riddle want? He did not threaten you, did he?" in a voice of... concern?

She gave him a weird look, then went back to writing. The scratching of the quill making contact with the parchment seemed to be her only response– something which he scoffed at in annoyance.

He did not ever understand why his sister seemed to detest him, almost as if he was her rival. Almost as if he had taken something from her– taken everything from her.

"Athena, I am talking to you," he pointed out in annoyance, looking at her with a frown on his pale face.

From a distance, the twins seemed worlds apart.

Abraxas's striking blond hair and piercing blue eyes set him apart as he studied the girl across from him. On his finger gleamed the Malfoy heir ring—a stainless steel band etched with the letter 'M.' The ring symbolized the wealth, power, and pureblood legacy of the Malfoys, and with it, the promise of all that the Malfoy name entailed. It was his inheritance, the mark of Abraxas Octavius Malfoy.

In stark contrast, Athena's raven-black hair symbolized the path she was destined to follow in the upcoming years. Her hazel eyes held a raw power that seemed to overshadow even Abraxas's ring.

Where his ring represented inherited prestige, her gaze spoke of a formidable strength and potential all her own.

"Do not involve yourself in matters that do not concern you, Abraxas." She spat out his name almost as if it was filth, her tone holding nothing but hatred and coldness in it.

Abraxas almost flinched, feeling a pang in his chest for a moment at the way she spoke. But deep down, he knew he deserved it after betraying her by telling Riddle about what she went through at home. And yet, how dare his sister speak to him– heir of the Malfoys– that way?

He clenched his jaw in anger, his tone cold as he said, "Anything that involves you concerns me, Athena Ravena Malfoy. As your older brother–"

Her scoff cut him off. When she noticed his glare, she gave him a careless shrug and continued to write. "Abraxas, you are nothing. You are only a few minutes older. Besides, you do not have power over me, and whatever I do, your best option would be to stay out of it."

"That is where you're wrong," he whispered as he leaned in closer. She finally fully looked up, her hazel eyes bore into his and let him continue. "You are nothing, Athena."

Athena was not going to give him a reaction over what she heard most of all during her years in Malfoy manor. That sentence seemed to be the easiest thing that slipped out of her parents' mouth for years, and now, Abraxas'.

No, Athena was used to it. She would not give him a reaction other than a roll of her eyes and a careless shrug again.

But when her brother leaned in again before leaving and said, "Father and Mother sent me a letter this morning. You are to stay in Hogwarts for Yule, while I am told to be home during that time. Riddle is going to stay as well, and I advise you to stay far from him or else, Athena."

She ignored his last sentence and focused on the other, instead. A small smile spread across her face, earning a confused frown from her brother. "I get to be far away from Mother and Father during Yule? Oh, Abraxas, you sure know how to lift up my spirits."

He rolled his eyes, trying to not show the annoyance he felt at her attitude as he left her and went back to his friends, sitting down on the couch between Dorian Nott and Cygnus Black.

Athena tried not to show the pang she felt in her heart over not being wanted at all.

She felt happy over the fact that she wouldn't see her parents nor go to Malfoy manor that holiday, but she wished things were different.

She wished she did not feel happy over that, or even happy over the fact that she hadn't received even a single letter from either of her parents that whole school year.