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SANCTIMONIA VINCIT SEMPER. That was the motto of the Malfoy family in the Wizarding world. Purity always conquers.

The Malfoys took great pride in their pure bloodline and their place among the Sacred Twenty-Eight of the Wizarding world. They ensured their children shared this pride, safeguarding their blood status from any taint.

This unwavering devotion to blood purity shaped every aspect of their lives. The Malfoy children were raised with an unspoken pressure to uphold the family's reputation, knowing that any deviation from these ideals could bring disgrace. In their quest to preserve their legacy, the Malfoys created a world where loyalty to blood status took precedence over all else, setting the stage for both ambition and conflict within their ranks.

Abraxas Octavius Malfoy and Athena Ravena Malfoy were the Malfoy twins. While their parents were eager to have an heir to the Malfoy name, they neither anticipated nor desired a second child.

However, fate had different plans, leading to Athena's unexpected arrival.

While Abraxas was groomed for greatness within the walls of Hogwarts, Athena was relegated to the distant halls of Beauxbatons Academy, a place where she was expected to blend into the background and disappear from their ambitious plans. The luxury of Beauxbatons did little to mask the sting of her parents' neglect, as she grew accustomed to a life where her worth was measured not by her own achievements, but by her ability to remain unseen and unremarkable.

However, as soon as she went home the summer after her third year, she spent the whole three months practically begging her parents to be transferred to Hogwarts. She longed for the beauty of the castle, a place she knew she belonged in more than a pompous school in France.

For once, her parents actually listened. Even though Athena knew it was because they wanted her to quit whining and leave them alone.

"—and do not forget to keep an eye on your sister, Abraxas." Their father, Septimus, drawled out, glancing at a bored-looking Athena.

Athena finally opened her mouth for the first time that morning and said, "I won't taint the Malfoy name. I despise mudbloods as much as you do, if not even more."

All she got in return was a glare from her mother, who replied, "Do not speak unless spoken to, Athena."

Ah, typical for Athena.

She would even be scolded for agreeing with their beliefs.

Her father didn't even glance at them. Satisfied when his son nodded, Septimus Malfoy held his wife's hand and apparated them both away from the platform, leaving their children to get onto the Hogwarts Express on their own.

"I love the part where they gave us hugs and wished us well," Athena said, voice dripping in sarcasm as she walked onto the train with her twin brother, trunk in hand. She shot Abraxas a glare when he tried to get her trunk and hold it for her. "Take off your hand or I might just cut it off."

Abraxas scoffed with a roll of his eyes and let go, his own trunk in his hand as they walked through the many empty compartments. "Pardon me for being nice," he mumbled, earning an eye roll from his sister. "Follow me, Athena."

"I don't listen to men," replied Athena immediately, biting her tongue when he turned to glare at her. She couldn't help it. Answering the favorite child in the family, who never got answered, was something she delighted in. Besides, it made up for all the many times she was neglected because of him. In a way, Athena was taking it out by her witty replies to whatever he said.

"Would you prefer to get lost on this train that you know nothing of? If so, be my guest." Abraxas shot back, clenching his jaw at her sass and continuing to lead the way.

Athena reluctantly followed him.

Abraxas Malfoy, tall for his fourteen years, led the way with the confident air of someone who knew he belonged. His younger twin sister, Athena, followed at a slightly more leisurely pace, her eyes absorbing every detail of the train station with a mix of curiosity and awe.

"Athena, hurry up!" Abraxas snapped, glancing over his shoulder. He had always been impatient, especially when it came to his sister's often deliberate slowness.

Athena rolled her eyes, adjusting the trunk in her hand. "Merlin's beard, Abraxas, I'm coming. It's not like the train's going to leave without us."

Abraxas huffed but didn't respond, instead focusing on weaving through the crowd towards the Slytherin compartments. Athena kept up easily, her gaze darting from one group of students to another, sizing them up.

It was her first time on the train, and though she'd never admit it, she was excited. But excitement for a Malfoy was something to be concealed, or at least tempered with an air of superiority.

They finally reached the Slytherin compartments, the green and silver banners hanging proudly from the walls inside. Abraxas pushed the door open and strode in, his expression softening ever so slightly as he entered familiar territory.

"This is where we belong," he said with a smug smile, as if he had some sort of ownership over the place.

Athena had been sorted into Slytherin only a few weeks ago, being forced to sit in the Headmaster's office after being apparated there by her whiny mother, who claimed that it was only because she "didn't want Athena to taint the Malfoy name if she got into a house other than Slytherin".

Athena did not argue about the fact that even if she did get into a house other than Slytherin, everyone would've found out and the Malfoy name would be tainted anyway. Instead, she sat on the chair as Headmaster Dippet put the sorting hat on her.

When she did get sorted into Slytherin in less than a second, all she got was a 'hmph' from her mother. Athena avoided scolding that day.

Athena shrugged, not bothering to hide her smirk. "If you say so."

"You could at least pretend to be interested," Abraxas muttered, seemingly disappointed at her lack of interest.

Athena gave him a sidelong glance. "Interested in what?" She merely asked, rolling her eyes when he snatched the trunk out of her hands and put it on the storage shelf above them.

A flicker of irritation crossed Abraxas's face. "In what this could mean for your future and how we can uphold the Malfoy name," he finally gritted out.

Athena merely raised an eyebrow as she took a seat by the window, lounging with a grace that belied her young age. "Of course, dear brother," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure our ancestors are just dying to see how we uphold the Malfoy name."

Abraxas sighed in exasperation as he sat across from her. He was used to Athena's sharp tongue, but that didn't make it any less annoying. "You could at least try to take this seriously."

Athena shrugged, staring out the window as the last few students hurried to board the train. "Why? It's not like I'm going to need to remind anyone who I am. The name 'Malfoy' already does all the work for me."

Before Abraxas could respond, the compartment door slid open. Standing there were three boys, all dressed in their new Hogwarts robes, their faces lighting up as they spotted Abraxas.

"Malfoy!" one of them called out, stepping inside with the easy confidence of someone who knew his place in the world. It was Dorian Nott, a boy with dark hair and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Beside him were Cygnus, tall and aristocratic, and Antonin Dolohov, who was shorter but had a look of sharp cunning about him.

Abraxas stood up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Nott, Black, Dolohov," he greeted, nodding to each of them in turn. "I was wondering when you'd find us."

Nott's eyes darted to Athena, who was still gazing out the window with an air of detached boredom. "And who's this?" he asked, looking at her with complete confusion.

Abraxas opened his mouth to reply, but Athena cut in before he could speak. She turned to the boys with a cool, appraising look. "Athena Malfoy," she said, her voice calm and authoritative. "And you must be my brother's little entourage."

Nott raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by her bluntness. Cygnus, however, grinned. "I like her," he said, taking a seat beside Abraxas. "A sharp tongue runs in the family, I see."

Abraxas shot his sister a warning look. "Athena, they're not—"

But Athena waved him off dismissively. "Oh, relax, Abraxas. I'm just having some fun." She turned back to the boys, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"How are you two related? Your hair's black." Antonin Dolohov finally joined in, looking at her with clear suspicion on his face.

Athena rolled her eyes. She got that question a lot. With jet black hair, and hazel eyes, she did not seem like a Malfoy at all.

Meanwhile, her twin brother, Abraxas, had blond hair and blue eyes.

She pointed at her twin brother. "It happened when we were only two years old. His first sign of accidental magic was, of course, turning my hair black." She explained.

Nott let out a chuckle, clapping Abraxas on the back but his eyes were on Athena. "Why didn't they turn your hair back into blonde?"

Because they were too busy celebrating Abraxas's accidental magic to even care about my hair, thought Athena bitterly.

She did not reply, however. Instead, she ignored him and stood up, opening the compartment door.

"Where are you going?" Abraxas asked immediately, the first to notice her departure. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"The air in here is suffocating me," replied Athena, trying to stop herself from replying rudely infront of his friends. "Besides, Abraxas, I'm not going to sit around with your lackeys the whole train ride. "

"They're actually my lackeys," replied a cold, drawling voice right behind the girl.

Abraxas swallowed and sat back down, pursing his lips.

Athena scoffed and turned around, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at the boy in front of her.

He was tall with black hair, dark eyes that seemed to be black— or was it dark brown?— and had pale skin. His jawline was as sharp as a knife.

"And who are you?" questioned Athena, crossing her arms, not looking intimated at all.

"Tom Riddle," replied the boy, looking her up and down. "You, however, seem like someone I can't place a name on. Been invisible all this time?"

Athena let out a laugh of disbelief. "Trust me, Riddle, it's hard for me to be invisible."

Tom was about to reply, but was interrupted when Abraxas stood up again and said, "Riddle, ignore my little sister. She knows no manners."

Athena turned to glare at him. "We're twins, Abraxas." She pointed out immediately, then continued, "And I know more manners than you do. I just reserve them for people who deserve it."

"Do you, now?" Tom raised an eyebrow, clenching his jaw when all she did was give him a look of disdain and leaving without a reply. He turned to Abraxas, looking away at the girl who left. "That is not your sister, Abraxas. She has black hair."

Abraxas sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "It's a long story."

Athena made her way through the other compartments, still on the Slytherin side of the train. Every compartment she looked into was taken. Finally, after searching for a couple of minutes, she found an empty one and slid open the compartment door. She went inside and closed it behind her before sitting down by the window, feeling nothing but relief at the fact that the train was moving, leaving her life in Malfoy manor with her parents.

Athena was not a troubling child as a kid. In fact, she was actually the quiet one, while her twin brother was the troubling one. Yet, whenever Abraxas caused a problem, Athena would be blamed, for some reason Athena never knew.

It was obvious she was not the favorite. She was, after all, the spare, while her older twin brother was the heir. Their attention had to be on the heir, not the child they hadn't even wanted nor planned for.

Athena turned their not-so-quiet remarks about her into motivation. She would not let her family think she was nothing, while shaping Abraxas to be everything. No, Athena got sorted into Slytherin for a reason. And being a Malfoy was not the reason.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the compartment door slid open and a girl came in. Athena looked her up and down, trying to know who it was before they told her. The girl had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. If Athena was not a Malfoy herself, she would've thought the girl in front of her was.

"Druella–! Oh, who's this?" another girl came into view, right behind the girl named 'Druella'. This one had brown hair and green eyes.

Athena gave them a small, hesitant smile. "Malfoy," she replied, noticing the way their eyes seemed to be looking at her in shock and suspicion. "Athena Malfoy."

The girl with the brown hair finally replied, voice etched with uncertainty, "As in... Abraxas Malfoy's sister?"

"Twin sister, yes." Athena nodded, then let out a sigh at the other girl's look of suspicion. "I don't have blonde hair, because my brother's first sign of accidental magic was changing my blonde hair to black." She quickly explained, knowing exactly what they were thinking of.

"Makes sense," said the quiet girl with the blonde hair as she finally walked in fully and sat across from her, her friend doing the same thing. "I'm Druella Rosier. This is Lucinda Avery." She introduced herself and her friend with a motion of her hand.

"It's nice to meet you," replied Athena truthfully, her eyes never once looking away from them. She gave them the same look of calculation that they were giving her.

"You're new, right?" asked Lucinda, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. When Athena nodded, Lucinda continued to ask, "What school did you transfer from?"

"Beauxbatons Academy of Magic," replied Athena with a sigh. She liked the time she spent in that academy, but she wanted a change. She hated the fact that the only reason she attended Beauxbatons in the first place was because her parents forced her to, wanting her to be far away from them.

That wasn't even an exaggeration. Celia Malfoy, her mother, had told her exactly that when eleven-year-old Athena whined about being far from them. That was the moment Athena knew for certain that her place in the family was an afterthought.

Druella's eyebrows raised. "And you decided to transfer to Hogwarts?" She curled her lip in disgust at the mention of switching from such a luxury academy to a castle in the middle of nowhere. "Beauxbatons is a rather fine school."

Athena shrugged, not disagreeing, while Lucinda merely observed her quietly. "It is," admitted Athena with a nod, "but the Malfoys have gone to Hogwarts for generations. I did not want to be the odd one out."

Druella seemed to accept the explanation as she crossed her arms and nodded understandingly. She looked out the window, watching the greenery the train passed by.

Lucinda cleared her throat and leaned forward, catching Athena's attention. "Don't mind Druella. She always chooses high end luxury over mediocre," she joked with a grin, then side eyed her friend. "Except for men."

Druelle turned to glare at her half-heartedly. "As purebloods, we do not choose whom we marry, Lucinda." She reminded with a roll of her eyes and turned to the window again.

"You're married?" asked Athena in shock.

Druella gave her a look. "Of course, not. I am, however, getting betrothed this summer. I am set to marry right after I finish my education in Hogwarts," she explained, sighing when Lucinda gave her a look. "Cygnus is not that bad, Lucinda. He is a pureblood and that's all that matters."

"As in Cygnus Black?" asked Athena with a small frown, getting a confirming nod from Druella. "I met him and his friends in my brother's compartment before coming here. Who's that one tall boy with them? Riddle– or whatever his name was."

Lucinda and Druella shared a look. Then, Lucinda replied, "They follow Riddle around like a lost puppy, if I'm being honest. He's a top student and became a prefect this year. Nobody even has heard about his last name, so I assume he's not a pureblood. However, he can't be a mudblood because the sorting hat does not place mudbloods in Slytherin." with a curl of her lips.

Athena frowned in confusion, thinking to herself. How come Abraxas was friends with someone who wasn't even a pureblood? It didn't make sense.
Hours passed by while the three girls chattered, getting to know the other as they shared stories of the years before. Athena was glad to make friends so quickly during her Hogwarts journey.

She was even more glad when that night after dinner, she found out she was sharing a dorm with the two girls. It was only them, with no other roommates, something Lucinda and Druella seemed highly grateful for.

Athena's first impression of the Great Hall was nothing short of amazing.

Meanwhile, the Slytherin common room made her feel at home immediately. She never had felt that in Beauxbatons. Not even in Malfoy manor.