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MALFOY Manor was, as usual, cold and dimly lit. The manor was situated in Wiltshire, England. It was the ancestral home of the Malfoy family, known for its opulence and dark history. The manor itself was a large, gothic-style mansion with a long, winding driveway leading up to it, surrounded by expansive grounds. The exterior had tall, spiked iron gates, high stone walls, and a foreboding, majestic appearance.

Inside, the manor was just as grand and extravagant. The rooms were spacious and adorned with luxurious furnishings and dark, rich décor.

The atmosphere was one of cold elegance, reflecting the wealth and aristocratic pride of the Malfoys. The house had a sense of grandeur, with high ceilings, ornate chandeliers, and walls lined with portraits and tapestries.

Athena's room was as dim and cold as every other bedroom in the manor. Her bedframe was black wood, and the couches by the fireplace on the opposite side of her room were made of rich, black leather. The bookshelves in her room were, like her bed frame, made of black wood. The only 'color' was her bedsheets, which were a dark green. Even the hardwood floor was a dark brown. The walls, however, were also dark green, with Slytherin banners that Athena hung up as soon as they apparated to the manor from the station.

She let out a sigh over the fact that she was back at the manor. Hogwarts seemed so far away, and she could not help but feel a pang in her chest.

It was the only home she ever knew.

Her head snapped to the clock on her bedside table. It was time for dinner. She knew if she were to miss it, her mother would either never let her forget it or not notice at all. It was either one or the other.

Not wanting to take any chances, Athena made herself look presentable before leaving her room and walking down the hallways of the cold manor. Even though it was summer, the manor still had an eerie feeling to it—something Athena never understood why.

She walked down the grand staircase and made her way to the dining room. Her family was already there, seated in their usual places.

All eyes went on her as soon as she stepped foot into the room, which made her clear her throat and look away while sitting down, across from Abraxas.

"You are late," said Celia Malfoy with a sneer and a cold voice, as usual directed toward her daughter. Celia's striking blonde hair was a symbol of her marriage to Septimus Malfoy. Despite her beauty, Athena prayed to Merlin that she would never resemble her.

Athena mumbled an apology, her eyes on the brown dining table.

She let out a small breath of relief when her mother looked away and continued talking to Abraxas, but with a softer tone, asking all about his fourth year.

Her father, Septimus Malfoy, had the Daily Prophet in his hands and a frown on his face as he read it.

There was a man on the cover Athena immediately recognized. He had a sharp, handsome face with intense, piercing blue eyes and wore his long, blonde hair tied back. His style of dress was elegant and imposing.

Gellert Grindelwald.

She looked away, thoughts on the man who was rising to power. Her attention was snapped back to reality when a house-elf popped in and, with a snap of its fingers, dinner was finally served.

With another pop, the house-elf was gone, as was expected of them. Dinner passed by with Athena being quiet, and her parents asking Abraxas all about his year and plans for next year. All she did was eat in silence, barely even having an appetite, but knowing her mother would cause a fit if she acted indifferent. So, she swallowed the piece of chicken on her fork and tried not to grimace.

When it was finally over, the house-elf popped back in and cleared everything away with another snap of its fingers, then left immediately.

Her father left the dining room, and she was about to as well but was stopped by her mother's voice. "Athena, stay for a moment." Her mother basically ordered, then gave her son a look. "Back to your room, Abraxas."

"Yes, mother," replied Abraxas immediately, not noticing the frightened look in his sister's eyes as he passed by her and left, closing the door behind him.

Athena almost cowered under her mother's scrutinizing glare, mostly focusing on her black hair.

She was close—so close—that Athena almost took a step back but stopped herself. Her mother took a piece of her hair in her hands and squinted her eyes at the dark color.

"We ought to change your hair back to blonde. You are a Malfoy, after all." Celia took out her wand from the pocket of her black dress, raising an eyebrow when her daughter opened her mouth.

"No."

Celia's expression darkened immediately, her eyes narrowing as the girl's words ignited a fierce anger within her. "What did you say?" Celia demanded, her voice cold and unyielding, even more frigid than her gaze.

"I said," Athena repeated steadily, lifting her chin defiantly and masking her fear, "No."

Celia's frown shifted into a cruel, mocking smile as she grabbed a handful of Athena's black hair, examining it with visible disdain. "In that case," she said with a venomous edge, "I suppose I'll have to cut it all off."

Athena's eyes teared up at the pull of her hair, but she pushed her mother away after those words.

Realizing what she had done, her eyes widened with fear, knowing what was to come. How could she not know? Of course, she would know, after years of living with her.

"Silencio. Crucio." Her mother's wand was pointed at her, making sure to silence her before putting the torture curse on her so that nobody could hear or help her—not that they would.

Athena collapsed to her knees, letting out an inaudible scream at the pain she was feeling—both physically and mentally.

She put her hands to her head, trying to stop the agony she was experiencing, feeling like she was being stabbed by a hundred knives and needles at the same time.

Again, she let out a silent scream, which was only her mouth being open but no sound escaping her. She heard her mother's mocking laugh, but she could do nothing except continue to scream and writhe in pain.

Pain. Pain. Pain—

It stopped.

Athena immediately collapsed to the floor, her eyes fluttering slowly as she shook on the ground. Her gaze found her mother's, who was standing over her and had her wand pointed at her.

Celia muttered a spell, then watched in triumph as her daughter's black hair turned blonde—the blonde that was the same color as her family's. She gave the girl on the ground one last sneer, then left the dining room, leaving the girl on the floor.

Athena, still on the floor, felt the tears falling down her cheeks as she touched her now-blonde hair.

The color that resembled her similarity to her mother.

The color that resembled her family.

She despised it already.

With great effort, she rose to her feet on unsteady legs and wiped away her tears. Slowly, she made her way out of the deserted dining room and began the journey to her bedroom upstairs. Each step up the stairs felt like a challenge, as if she might collapse with every movement. The pain from the curse seemed to have intensified, far worse than during the previous three instances she had endured. Athena blamed the distress over her hair, which had intensified her suffering.

Hair was nothing. But if it meant that she had no similarity to her mother and family, then it was everything.

With a deep breath, she finally pushed open her bedroom door and stepped inside. She paused, then gradually closed the door when she saw her brother already in the room, seated on the chair by her desk.

"What are you doing here?" asked Athena immediately, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. She felt another pang in her chest when Abraxas's mouth parted in shock over her hair.

He snapped out of it and stood up, awkwardly placing his hands in his pockets. "It suits you," he tried. "You're showing your Malfoy blood."

"By my hair?" scoffed Athena, glaring at him with hatred.

How dare he say that after what she had just gone through downstairs?

Yet, she could not blame him. Judging by the look in Abraxas's eyes, Athena knew he didn't know what her mother put her through. He never did.

Not the first time, when she had gone through the curse at the age of eleven when she wanted to go to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons.

Not the second time, when she wanted to stay in Beauxbatons during Yule instead of coming back to the manor like she was told to do.

Not the third time, when she had a huge argument with her mother at the age of thirteen over why she was never loved or wanted. Celia had made sure after that to show that Athena was, in fact, not wanted nor loved as she put her through the torture curse for the third time.

And the fourth time was now—in the dining room, over the color of her hair. Athena knew it wasn't because of the color. It was because she had said the word "no" to her mother. Because who was she to deny Celia Malfoy?

Abraxas looked confused. "Yes, Athena. Our hair color represents our Malfoy name," he pointed out, rolling his eyes as her glare continued. "Athena, you ought to stop acting like such a brat and accept that you're part of this family."

"I do accept that I'm part of this family! It's you and our parents who don't!"

He shook his head, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. "You know that is not right. Our parents worry for you," he continued, stepping forward and making his way to her. He seemed extremely confused by the tears in her eyes and the angry look on her face.

"Get. Out." was all Athena said, her voice filled with anger.

Abraxas opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he noticed her look. Reluctantly, he opened the door behind her and left, doing as she had asked.

Athena slammed the door shut behind him. She walked over to the mirror in her room, her mouth parting slowly in disbelief and hurt.

Her black hair really was gone, replaced by the signature blonde color of the Malfoys—exactly like her mother's, her father's, and her brother's.

She fell to the floor on her knees and let out a sob immediately, her hand on her chest as if to stop the hurt she was feeling in her heart—the hurt that would never leave her