She couldn't believe it. Slytherin. She got put into Slytherin! She surely thought she would be placed into Ravenclaw or even Gryffindor but that stupid hat put her into Slytherin of all bloody houses. She looks over as the rest of the students are sorted. A greasy-haired looking boy comes over and sits next to her.

"Didn't get into the house you were thinking either?" he asks.

"Yea and I'm Christina Malfoy or just Christi."

"Severus Snape." He said introducing himself.

"Where were you hoping to get into?"

"Gryffindor with a friend. But I really wasn't all that surprised to be put here. My mum always says I'm Slytherin material. What about you?"

"Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. I usually act before I think but I love reading books and learning new things."

The two start an animated conversation becoming quick friends. Lucius looks down at his sister and smiles when he sees her in an animated conversation with a fellow first year. She's laughing and giggling the entire time with the boy and he's laughing as well.

As soon as they finish dinner they all get up and Lucius slips into his Prefect mode.

"First years follow me!" he calls out.

"I wonder where our common room and dorms are." Lucius hears Severus say.

"Down in the dungeons. My brother is seventh year here and he's told me all about it. He said Professor Slughorn is our Head of House and Potions Professor. He's interesting according to my brother."

"Who's your brother?"

"Lucius Malfoy. He's also the Prefect for our house." She says.

"That's your brother?"

"Yup." She says as they reach the dungeons.

"This is Slytherin House, your home away from home for the next seven years. If there are any problems you can just come to me or Prefect Jillian Matthews or the Head Boy Andrew McMullan or Head Girl Abigail Summers." Lucius said.

All the first years nod as Lucius continues explaining everything and all of the rules.

Once that was done they all go in search for their rooms but Lucius stops his sister.

"Who was that?"

"Severus Snape, he's a new friend I guess. We were both hoping to get into a different house but hey it's what it is can't change it now but I'm gonna go and head to bed. I'm sleepy. Night big brother."

"Night Shortstop." He smirks hugging her and kissing the top of her head then sending her off to bed.

XXX

The next morning comes and Christi gets up and dresses quickly. She heads out into the common room and finds Severus and her older brother sitting down there chit chatting.

"Good morning Luke. Good morning Severus."

"Good morning Shortstop." Lucius said.

"Jerk." She smirks.

Severus just smirks and shakes his head at the two's banter.

"Are you two always like this?" he asks.

"Yep." They say.

"Alright you two, head to breakfast to get your timetables and then head to class."

They roll their eyes and they head down to breakfast and they spot Lily there.

They go right over to her and sit next to her.

"Hey Lily, how are you?" Christi asks.

"Good, how are you two?"

"Good, nervous for the first day?"

"Petrified."

"Same here." Severus and Christi said in unison.

Lily laughs and shakes her head.

They all head off their first class of the day which was Transfiguration for Severus and Christi and History of Magic for Lily.

Arriving in class Christi and Severus go and sit next to each other and pull their books out along with their quills, ink and parchment.

McGonagall walks in and starts the lesson right away. By the end of class Christi was sound asleep over her book making it look like she was reading her book.

"Miss. Malfoy wake up this instant!" snaps McGonagall.

Christi snaps awake and hits her head on her desk.

"Ouch." She whimpers rubbing her forehead.

"I will be informing your brother of this Miss. Malfoy."

She nods goes back to concentrating on her work.

Lunch eventually rolls around and Christi, Severus and Lily are all sitting there laughing together.

"You're brother is coming this way." Severus tells her.

She groans and pulls the hood up on her robes hoping to hide from her brother.

"Too late Christina Lyra Malfoy."

She groans pushes it down.

"Hi big brother!" she smiles innocently.

"Outside. Now." He says.

She groans and sighs getting up and following her brother.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking falling asleep in class!" he growls.

"I was tired! I barely slept last night!"

"That doesn't give you any excuse! I won't tell Mother or Father this but next time I will and let Father come here and deal with you himself." Lucius threatens.

"LUCIUS!" she cries out.

"Get back to lunch." He grunts then turns on his heel and sweeping off down the hallway.

She sights and runs her fingers through her mousy blonde hair. She goes back into the Great Hall and she picks at her lunch.

"Everything okay?" Severus asks.

"Yea, my brother is keeping this to himself but the next time it happens or I get into trouble he's telling our parents and letting our Father deal with me." She said softly.

Severus notices and frowns making a mental note to talk to her about it later.

XXX

That evening Christi and Severus were doing their Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology homework.

"So…about your Father dealing with you. What does that mean?" Severus asks.

She just shakes her head.

"You can tell me. I won't utter a word."

"Bad things. Bad things happen." She said with a light shudder.

"He hits you?" Severus asks.

"Worse. He uses one of the three Unforgivable Curses if I don't have the highest passing grade in my schooling or if I upset him enough."

"That's horrible."

"It's what Luke and I grew up with it." Christi says just above a whisper.

Severus nods and drops the subject as he could see it was upsetting her. They work in silence for a while before she gathers her belongings and heads up to bed bidding him a good night.

Severus sat there thinking about which three of the Unforgivable Curses the elder Malfoy uses on his daughter. He knew it couldn't be the killing curse, so it either had to be the Imperious or Cruciatus curse. He frowns. Neither was something you wanted casted upon you. One caused extreme pain the other made you a complete and utter slave to the person who put you under the curse.

He snorts. Maybe the rumors he was hearing about the Malfoy's being a perfect family weren't true from how Christi had been acting ever since her brother finished chewing her out for falling asleep in class. He would make sure she wouldn't fall asleep or get into trouble. He didn't want her getting into trouble at home and have one of the curses used on her when she didn't deserve it. He would do anything to protect Lily and Christi as they were good friends and three of them could laugh and joke about anything and none of them would get upset over it.

XXX

Next morning Severus heads down to the common and he finds Christi sitting down there reading a tattered book on the couch looking sleep deprived.

"You okay?" Severus asks.

"I'm okay I guess. Just didn't sleep much." She says.

"Something you want to talk about?"

Christi shakes her head sighing.

"Alright but hey I'll make sure you don't fall asleep at all today in classes."

"Thank you Severus," she says hugging him.

"You're welcome." He said.

She goes and gets ready for the day then comes down just as Lucius is walking in from his Prefect duties.

Christi snubs him she and Severus head out and to the Great Hall for lunch when they see Lily just getting there as well.

"Well hello you two. Christi you look terrible!" Lily gasps.

"Yea I know. I barely slept. I know if either of my parents saw me like this I would be yelled at as I'm not looking up to the 'Malfoy Standard'." explains Christi putting quotes around Malfoy Standard.

"Well you don't have to live up to anyone's standards but your own." Severus says.

"Not in my family. I have to live up to certain standards. I always have to look my best or I'm disgracing the Malfoy family name." she sighs.

Severus shook his head and sighed. "Listen Christi you're not disgracing anything and if they can't see that then they are the ones disgracing your family name. Now lets get you something to eat."

Lily smiles and hugs her long time friend.

"That was very sweet Sev." She said as they all sat down at a table.

Half way through eating the trio looks up at the sound of a high pitched laughter that made them all cringe and look over and see Lucius and his girlfriend, Narcissa Black, coming in. She was a sixth year Slytherin.

"Shite!" Christi said pulling up her hood knowing that if Lucius saw that she just quickly ran a brush through her hair that morning he would surely rat her out.

"What's the matter?" Lily asks.

"If my brother just sees that I quickly ran a brush through my hair he's going to be piss-mad." She said then muttered a quick spell that would tame her slightly frizzy hair as it was extremely humid out as it was bound to rain that day.

Once she knew that her hair was tame she pushes the hood down and pulls the elastic hair tie off of her wrist and ties her hair back as they had Potions with Lily right after breakfast so she was just getting it out of her face now.

"Please kill me! I had to deal with that all summer! Next year after she graduates she becomes dear older sister-in-law! Merlin knows who I've been arranged to." She groans.

"What do you mean?" Lily asks.

"In the Wizarding World all pure-blood families arrange their child or children's marriages. My brother was arranged to Narcissa Black so for me I just might get stuck with Sirius Black. Annoying git he is."

"You can't marry for love?" Lily asks.

Christi scoffs.

"Not with pure-blood families, it's you either marry who you're told to or you get disowned."

Lily sits there shocked.

"Wow."

"Yup." She sighs as the bell rings.

"Come on we need to get potions."

The trio gets up and heads out then down to the dungeons for potions with each other.