For more context on Antonious, I have all posts from his tag here. Basically, he's a discount Malfoy with none of the charm, and absolute wimp of a man that loves to say the most out of pocket things thinking his wealth will protect him, and then wonder why people hate his ass.

Merula had been sentenced to life in Azkaban back at the end of Year 6 for committing murder using the Killing Curse. Nearly a shell of her former self, one thing she didn't lose was the resentment she had for her former classmates, especially Reina. There's another reason why her hatred for Reina persisted, but that'll be for another post. Just know that the Snydes lost favor with Voldemort due to a past incident that Merula incited.

The Rust-Thornes weren't held in high regard either, due to their ancestral history of acquiring wealth through deception. Although they were Purebloods, Antonious and his parents only joined for protection. Mrs. Snyde and the Rust-Thornes were so desperate for their bloodlines to continue that they reached an agreement for their respective children to do their part.

In the Snyde Twins AU, Mavis is never brought up due to being disowned years prior for being a Squib. Merula still brought her up as someone to deal with Antonious, but her mother immediately shut it down.

Antonious and Merula deeply hated each other. Merula saw him as incredibly pathetic, whiny, and cowardly. Antonious saw her as catty, ugly, and beneath him. The one thing they had in common was that neither of them had enough of a spine to say no to their respective parents. They were given a month to find a suitable Pureblood partner of their preference, but no one wanted to go near them. The two had no choice but to carry out their families' wishes.

Merula had no maternal connection or emotional attachment to her unborn child throughout her pregnancy. The only upside for her was that the Demons tormenting her left her alone, as she was carrying an innocent Soul, and that's a line they didn't cross.

At the height of Voldemort's return, both Ben and Ismelda went undercover as Death Eaters. Ben himself simply used a disguise through Glamour Magic. Merula and Ismelda found themselves being civil enough with each other that Merula trusted Ismelda to vent about her arranged union.

After a serious conversation, it was agreed that Ismelda would secretly take the child in once he was born. Ismelda had her twins in June of 1997, while Merula delivered her son that following September and immediately handed him over to the former. Her mother and Antonious' parents were killed on a mission some weeks prior, so she lied to Antonious, claiming to have suffered a miscarriage.

They both saw this as a blessing, as it meant they didn't have to deal with each other anymore. The two of them would meet their demise at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Since Ben and Ismelda planned to name their twins Artemis and Apollo, with the inclusion of their now-adopted third child, they named the baby Astraeus. His birthdate was changed to that of his new siblings to throw off any potential suspicion.

After the battle, Ben and Ismelda would move on and raise their three children. From a very young age, Astraeus never liked his eyes for reasons he didn't understand. Although Merula had always used Colovaria to change her eye color to the signature violet, Astraeus would inherit it as a natural color.

Once he was old enough, his folks told him about his true heritage. Understanding who his biological parents were, Astraeus saw the Coppers as his one true family, and they, in return, always loved him all the same.

He eventually gets over the dislike of his eyes once he reaches adulthood, growing to accept them as part of who he is, but not what defines him.

True. In their earlier years the two were much more alike, but their paths began to divert as they got older. Both were products of their respective environments, and with age they'd go on to make choices that would affect their futures.

Draco got hit with a harsh reality check before/during the events of Half-Blood Prince. For most of his life he was told all about the importance of Blood Purity and had a very idealized view of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. He thought he wanted to be a Death Eater himself until he saw what it truly entailed.

Seeing all the suffering and death firsthand is not something he wanted to be involved in, but he wasn't in a position to leave for a while. In the time skip at the end, the subtle nod exchanged between him and Harry imply that while they're not friends, there's no animosity either, which I interpreted as Draco no longer sharing the hateful views he once had.

Much of the Rust-Thorne family only formed whatever opinions would give them the best benefits. By Antonious' time, that meant aligning with Voldemort and the Death Eaters, openly embracing Blood Purity views and whatnot. Yes, his parents are to blame for how he turned out, but that only holds so much weight once you're an adult.

Antonious never learned from whatever reality checks he got. He only got worse as he got older, leading to him becoming insufferable as an adult. From Ricardo's perspective after being freed from the painting, all Antonious did was age physically. Slight spoilers, but Antonious joins the Death Eaters out of cowardice following Dumbledore's murder.