[Chapter Fifty-One]

Éponine wanted nothing more than to take back everything she had said in that very moment and spend the rest of the night apologising to Gian for ever hurting his feelings. As soon as Severus walked away with his satisfied smirk, Éponine reached for Gian, hoping to explain her actions, but as soon as he did, the little boy lashed out at her. He threw his hands up, smacking hers away from him. His face was strewn with tears that stained his cheeks as they travelled down. The ultimate look of betrayal as he didn't understand what he had did to her, in order for her to say such a thing.

"Gian, you don't understand," she barely managed to get out, "I'm trying to-"

"I thought you said it was an awful word to use, I thought you were different from the rest of them! But it's not true, is it? No, you are just like the rest of them. You don't think I belong here, you think I don't deserve to be here!"

"No, it's not what you think. I only said those things because-"

He didn't wait for her answer, he didn't care what she had to say. As soon as she had taken to using such a horrible insult against him, he didn't need to hear anymore. Gian left Éponine to stand alone in the corridor after he wiped his face and entered the Great Hall.

"I only said those things because I'm a coward."

Since the summer, all Éponine wanted to do was gain some control over her life. Yes, she knew what was required of her, but she had hoped to find her voice and put her foot down when things were getting to be too much for her. She had managed beautifully in the beginning, finally finding the voice that only ranted in her head for so long and allowing it to speak out loud.  For once in her life, she felt strong when she stood up for herself.

And then the likes of Bellatrix and Severus had managed to take it all from her in such a short amount of time. She knew that is was Severus that went calling to Bellatrix as soon as Éponine stepped to him, telling him to leave Regulus, Avery, and Mulciber alone. He knew the power that Bellatrix possessed within the family, her ranking among those that served the Dark Lord. He had every intention of getting Éponine in trouble without confronting her himself.

Severus was the true coward behind it all, but he had revealed that Éponine wasn't as strong as she believed herself to be.

Long after Gian had entered the Great Hall, Éponine continued to stand there, staring off into the distance as she thought about what she should have done rather than what she did. She should have thanked Gian a million times over for thinking about her enough to get her a gift. She should have apologised for not getting him one and when Severus came into view, she should have grabbed Gian's hand protectively, staring Severus down the entire time as she led Gian into the Great Hall.

But she didn't do any of that.

Bellatrix had managed to instil fear inside Éponine with just a simple threat. Before the start of the summer, Éponine didn't believe she had much to lose. She found herself rather miserable all the time. However, spending the summer with Regulus, suddenly having friends, and a real sense of what family should feel like, she suddenly had everything to lose. And to make matters worse, it made Éponine sick to her stomach that Bellatrix had threatened her with the likes of Ernest Nott.

Éponine was given a choice, return to her little obedient ways or risk finding herself in danger.

Unsure of what there was left to do, she gathered herself, wiping her own fallen tears from her face and straightened her robes to enter the Great Hall. She knew if she waited any longer, Regulus would probably come out to look for her and see if she was alright. However, Éponine also knew that she had to walk in with her head held high as if nothing had happened or else questions would arise. Ones that she wouldn't feel like answering.

When she felt composed enough, Éponine entered just as dinner was set to begin. She found her way to sit next to Regulus, who saved her a spot next to him on the bench. He was already engaged in a conversation with Avery and Mulciber, giving Éponine a moment to gather some dinner for herself. Not that she really felt like eating anything after the event out in the corridor.

Down the way, Gian sat among his friends, but he wasn't eating either. The clear look of anger remained on his face and further down, Severus sat with the same satisfied smirk. For a moment, Éponine's thoughts became violent, wanting nothing more than to attack Severus physically and wipe that horridly crooked smile off of his face. Maybe at some point in her life, she would have felt some pity for Severus but that was all gone. He was a bitter boy that wanted to bring others down to share in his misery.

"Hello, Épi?"

A hand waved in front of her face, bringing her attention back to Regulus that was watching her out of concern. Apparently, she hadn't heard the few times where he had called her name out before. She blinked several times before focusing her attention to what was being asked of her.

"Are you alright?" Regulus asked in a low voice. "You haven't eaten anything. You look upset. Did something happen while you were out in the corridor?"

She could hear the amount of concern lacing his voice, his eyebrows were brought together in worry, leaving her to offer a small smile.

"I'm fine, I'm just not as hungry as I thought I was. I think I'm still full from Christmas."

It didn't appear as though Regulus fully believed her, especially as he stole a glance in the direction of Gian down the way for a brief moment. However, he didn't push the topic any further, only giving a nod of his head and leaving Éponine to continue pushing food around on her plate.

Later on that evening, Éponine's mood had yet to change and Regulus hoped that her mood change had come from being tired. They returned to the Slytherin Common Room where Éponine wished Regulus a good night after kissing him on the cheek. It left him with a faint smile, but he couldn't help wonder if something was suddenly bothering his girlfriend. He knew the holidays had not ended on the best note with her father in St Mungo's and a frigid relationship left between her and her mother.

But she had seemed happy enough on the train. It was when Gian had approached her that her demeanour changed and Regulus couldn't help but question it. When he saw the first year enter the Slytherin Common Room after Éponine had gone to bed, Regulus took it upon himself to launch his own little investigation.

"Gian, isn't it?" he said, watching as the boy peered up at him, his body becoming rigid within seconds.

"What do you want? Come to tell me that I don't belong here too? Don't bother, your girlfriend got the message across perfectly!"

Regulus had to admit, he was slightly stunned by the harsh tone that Gian was taking with him. Especially, since he always seemed like the shy type when he approached Éponine. And it didn't sound anything like Éponine to tell people that Gian didn't belong somewhere.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Just leave me alone!" Gian barked at him before pushing his way passed Regulus. "I never did anything to the lot of you, just leave me alone!"

Left unable to say anything as Gian stormed off, Regulus stood still for a few moments, wishing he had Éponine there just so he could ask what the hell was going on? Éponine always had a soft approach when it came to any of the younger students that approached her for help, it seemed in the past that Gian had been more than comfortable confiding in her on more than one occasion. So where didn't Gian belong? Why had she suddenly told him such a thing?

The mood shift was making sense though, with Gian upset, it explained why Éponine was upset as well. But he was going to have to wait until the morning to question her about what exactly had gone down.

Meanwhile, up in the dorms, Éponine ignored the sounds that her empty stomach was making, begging her to eat something. She sat at the edge of her bed, having yet to remove her robes and her shoes, while the rest of her dormmates were preparing to get into their own beds. Across the way, Emmarentia had been stealing glances every so often. The two hadn't spoken to each other since Éponine made it very clear that Emmarentia had not been a good friend to her.

However, it was difficult for Emmarentia to sit there and watch as Éponine sulked without anyone else checking in on her.

She had been pulling out a pair of her pyjamas when she couldn't take it anymore. Walking over, she approached Éponine.

"Alright, Rosier, enough of this pouting from across the way, what's wrong?" she asked. "Trouble in lover's paradise, are you and Regulus out of the honeymoon phase already?"

Éponine peered up at her but after a moment shook her head. "No."

Well, at least she hadn't told Emmarentia to go away, it was a start that she was even answering the question. But it seemed like she wasn't going to just give in and tell Emmarentia what was wrong.

"Then what's wrong? Come on, you looked miserable all throughout dinner. I heard that your father was in St Mungo's over the holidays. Is that it?"

"No."

Emmarentia had never been known for her patience and she was trying to be patient with Éponine, but the one-worded answers were already driving her mad. Taking a deep breath, she was going to try one last time. Gently, she reached out a hand and placed it under Éponine's chin, forcing her to look up at her.

"Sitting over here and being sad about something isn't going to change anything. If you tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help you-"

Suddenly, the room grew silent with the exception of sounds that emitted from Éponine as she started to cry. Looking around the room quickly, Emmarentia noted the other girls watching in confusion at the sudden outburst.

"Alright, the lot of you, get out! Give us some privacy for a minute!" she demanded. Two of the girls made a face until Emmarentia took one step towards them, and hurried out of the dorms. Emmarentia closed the door behind them, pulled out her wand and made sure the room was secure before approaching Éponine again.

"It's safe now," she told her, " you can tell me what's wrong. I know I haven't been the best to you as a friend but just give me another chance. I promise that I'll be the best friend you need."

"You can't help me, no one can."

"Quit the dramatics and just tell me-"

"NO ONE CAN HELP ME!" Éponine yelled at her. "You don't understand! No one can help me because if I tell you the truth...if I tell anyone, no one is going to talk to me anymore. I'm going to get hurt. She'll make sure of it! She...she..."

Emmarentia watched as Éponine rubbed a spot on her hand that was becoming beyond red and irritated. The more frantic she became with her rambling, the harder she seemed to rub at the spot.

"Hey, Épi, stop...stop doing that! You're going to hurt yourself." She went to grab her hand but  Éponine snatched it away so she could keep at it. Emmarentia launched forward and ended up tripping, bringing her to knock the two of them to the ground. They hit the floor and once again Éponine started to cry again.

"She's going to get me if I don't comply. I had to do it. I had to save him."

"What are you talking about?!"

Her head fell to the floor as she covered her head with her arms. "Everyone is going to hate me but...but...I don't think like them anymore. I used to, I wanted to believe they were right but I just don't see it anymore."

"I still don't know what you're talking about-"

"There is a muggle-born in Slytherin and I've been keeping them safe!"