CHAPTER TWO
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐰𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

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EPONINE NEVER TRULY LOVED DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS CLASS, FOR SHE'D MUCH RATHER SPEND HER TIME IN CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES OR TRANSFIGURATION. The studying of dark magic and the spells that opposed it, although important, left an unsettling sensation on her skin. She prayed that she was never faced with a situation where she had to use such magic to protect her life or her loved ones, but she also knew that if one ever came along, she would do whatever it takes to protect them. And so, she took the class very seriously.

Her fingers pulled at the fraying strings of her textbook, an indication that it had been worn down by time. Inside the cover was Cedric's signature, for the book had belonged to him before it was passed onto the Renovas. Originally intended for Ophelia, the book had been sitting in a basement for years due to her untimely death. Eponine remembered having to go down and search for it, only to be reminded of her sister's memory from all the old trinkets and belongings of hers that had been stored.

"Alastor Moody," A gruff voice filled the air, followed by the scratching of chalk that signaled the beginning of class. She watched the strange, new professor write his name before turning to face the class. "Ministry malcontent. Former Auror. Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'm here because Professor Dumbledore asked me. End of story. Goodbye. When it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many unforgivable curses there are and why so they're named?"

"Three, sir," Hermione answers from the front row. "And because they're unforgivable. Use of any one of them will..."

"–Will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Now, the Ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do, but I say different! You need to know what you're up against. You need to be prepared," Eponine listened to Moody while watching Seamus stick a piece of chewing gum under his desk. And apparently, Moody saw this too. "You need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum other than the underside of your desk, Mr. Finnigan!"

Seamus made a comment about Moody being able to see out of the back of his head, earning a piece of chalk being thrown at him. Moody then chose Weasley as his next culprit, asking him to give him the name of one of the Unforgivable Curses.

"Well, my dad did tell me about one. The Imperious Curse." Ron's voice cracked, avoiding eye contact with the professor.

Moody nodded. "Ah, yes. Your father would know all about that one. Gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why," Moody walked over to a table filled with different materials, opening up a jar and letting a large spider crawl onto his hand. He held his wand above it, "Imperio!"

He began to control the spider, sending it around the room and allowing it to land on different students' desks. "Don't worry, completely harmless!" The class grew unsettled, yelping and shouting in fear of the spider being brought in front of them. "But if she bites, she's lethal!" The spider crawled across Ron's head, and Eponine heard Draco laughing at him. Moody shouted, "What are you laughing at?" before sending the spider his direction, and Draco's face quickly changed as he froze in fear, whimpering. Eponine placed her hand over her mouth, getting a kick out of it.

"Talented, isn't she? What shall I have her do next? Jump out the window? Drown herself?" The mood in the classroom quickly changed as he demonstrated the different ways the Imperious Curse could force someone to kill themselves. He returned the spider to his hand. "Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only did You-Know-Who's bidding under this influence of this curse. But how do we sort out the liars?"

He paused, his eyes falling upon Eponine. She shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze, and his eyes seemed to settle on her for too long before moving to Neville. "Longbottom, is it? Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for herbology."

Neville slowly stood, keep his head bowed. "There's, um, there's the Cruciatus Curse."

Eponine's stomach hollowed, knowing the weight that curse held on Neville's mind. She hoped Moody would leave him alone at that, but instead he ushered for Neville to join him at the front. "Correct, correct. Particularly nasty one. Also known as the torture curse," He held is wand above the spider. "Crucio."

The spider's screams were audible throughout the whole room, the creature writhing in horrible pain. As Neville watched, his face began to scrunch up, and Eponine reverted her eyes away, hating to witness this.

As she looked away, her eyes met Draco's. He looked from the spider to her, giving her a slightly worried look before she let her gaze fall to the ground.

"Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him?! Stop!" Hermione yelled, voicing exactly what Eponine was thinking.

Moody then looked at Neville, realizing how it was upsetting him and he halted the curse, allowing Neville to return to his seat. He sunk back in next to Eponine, and she placed her hand on his arm, rubbing it comfortingly. Both of them felt sick to their stomachs at the demonstration that had just taken place.

"Perhaps you could give us the last Unforgivable Curse, Ms. Granger?" He placed the spider on her desk, and she shook her head, refusing to answer. He took a deep breath. "Avada Kedavra."

The spider fell lifeless onto the desk.

"The Killing Curse," Moody solemnly stated. He looked at Harry. "Only one person is known to have survived this. And he's sitting in this room."

Neville was still and quiet the remainder of class, and once they were dismissed, he and Eponine were the first two out of the room, and she followed his heels down the stairs until he stopped in front of a window, tears brimming his eyes. Eponine remained on the stair above him, holding onto his arm and placing her chin on his shoulder.

She had heard all about the aftermath of what had happened to his parents due to the Cruciatus Curse. It was a nasty piece of trauma, a circumstance that no person should have to live through. Eponine prayed she never had to know the horrors of any of the Unforgivable Curses, and she tried her best to comfort Neville quietly.

"–and to perform them in a classroom?! I mean, did you see Neville's face?" Hermione's voice echoed down the stairwell, and Eponine looked over her shoulder, causing Hermione to stop beside them. "Neville?"

Moody appeared behind them, placing a hand on Neville's other shoulder. Eponine stepped aside. "Son, you alright?" There was no response. "Come with me, we'll have a cup of tea. I want to show you something."

Neville shared a look with Eponine, and she nodded, telling him that it would be okay. He left with Moody, the two climbing the stairs once more. Hermione, Ron and Harry were all looking at her, and she tried to reassure them. "He'll be okay." She hoped she was right.

Hermione nodded. "Do you want to sit for lunch together?"

Eponine smiled softly. "I'm probably going to find Luna and wait for Neville. Thank you, though. I'll see you guys this afternoon."

As they walked away, Eponine appreciated the small gesture. She liked behind able to make new friends. She took a deep breath, getting ready to head down to the Great Hall to find her blonde, Third Year friend. As she descended the stairs, she couldn't help but feel like someone's eyes were on her. Little did she know that Draco Malfoy was watching her, as he often found himself doing.

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In her time at Hogwarts, Eponine had always entrusted the school to protect her and her loved ones from harm's way. She always held blinding faith that the stone walls and century-old grounds would indefinitely offer a sanctuary to reside in. Despite the horrors she had experienced in her childhood home, the castle would never let such darkness inside. She felt safe, loving to have a place where her biggest worries were her Potions exams or which House would win the upcoming Quidditch match.

All it took was one fateful piece of scrap paper to change that sense of security.

Cedric was never the type to seek eternal glory. He was never the type to try and prove himself to others, nor to pursue adrenaline-inflicting situations. He was as careful and calculated as Eponine was, never attempting to do anything that was reckless or immature. The promises of grandeur and recognition that came with winning the Triwizard Tournament didn't appeal to him; instead, it was the tangible, cash prize that allured him, enough funds to help his parents pay for books, clothing and repairs to their house.

Pure selflessness was the one reason that Cedric placed his name into the Goblet of Fire.

And this act of pure selflessness was the one reason that the Goblet chose him. Cedric's innocent heart had doomed itself.

Eponine remembered the chills that ran across her skin when she heard his name announced. While her peers hollered and celebrated, her lips formed a frown, body growing still. Her eyes watched him proudly make his way towards the front, the epitome of a Hufflepuff finally being recognized as something great. As he walked down the length of the table, his eyes had fallen upon hers, and there was no doubt that his smile faltered at her worried face.

She was too much inside her head at that point to fully acknowledge the shocking revelation that came afterwards—Harry Potter's name being drawn. The two had become acquaintances since the World Cup, but Eponine had simply accepted the fact that strange things always happened to him. She'd observed it time and time again, knowing he always had some sort of bad luck, or perhaps a target on his back. On a normal day, she would be more surprised that he had allegedly hacked the system, but she was preoccupied with thinking about how much danger Cedric had put himself in.

Things had drastically changed following the next few days. Hogwarts being shared with the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang was the least of Eponine's attention. Instead, she had become more focused on the shift in the Hogwarts student body, people pitting Cedric and Harry against each other as if they were enemies. Taking 'sides' had become the new trend, causing turmoil that was evident in every hallway.

Eponine didn't take a side. She just prayed that Cedric—and Harry, her newfound friend—remained safe.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and Eponine found herself in the gardens sitting underneath an evergreen tree. It was her favorite place to come a focus, a notebook and quill resting in her lap as she studied the material she'd been over the past week. She liked being able to get away from the constant noise and bustle of the school, taking time to herself where she could be alone with her thoughts.

However, that quiet didn't last for long. She heard rustling footsteps approaching her, and then a boy's voice shouting, "Renova!"

Eponine lifted her eyes to see Draco Malfoy walking towards her, his entourage following closely behind him. Most students would be immediately intimidated by the group of Slytherins heading towards them, but Eponine simply sat up straight, waiting to see what it was that Draco wanted. He wore a slightly large black shirt tucked into black pants, a stark contrast to the beige sweater Eponine had thrown on over a pale blue dress. "Malfoy."

He held a newspaper in his hand. "Have you seen what your little buddy Cedric has said about you to Rita Skeeter?"

She shook her head, her cheery smile faltering. "No." Draco chuckled, sharing a pooo with his friends who all snickered with him as she handed her the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. She hesitantly took it from him, reading through the article.

Cedric Diggory even opened up about his personal life, addressing the rumors surrounding him and Fourth Year student Eponine Renova. "She means the world to me. I know that no matter what happens in this tournament, she'll always be behind me, cheering me on," He couldn't even hide the blush in his cheeks as she said this, whimsically thinking about the younger girl. "Plus, she agreed that if I win, she has to buy me whatever and however much I want at HoneyDuke's."

Eponine sighed, folding the paper and handing it back to him. He raised an eyebrow. "So, is it true?"

"Is what true?" She asked.

"That you're his little girlfriend?" Draco watched as she gathered her things, standing up from where she was seated. He could tell the question bothered her, and he played off of it, loving to see a rise in reaction.

She narrowed her eyes. "He didn't even say that."

"He didn't have to." Draco countered.

She tilted her head. "I guess it just goes to show how blatantly unfamiliar you are with terms of love and endearment. I'm not his girlfriend. The Daily Prophet twists everything, they aren't a reliable source." She looked him up and down. "Besides, why do you even care so much?"

Draco paused, sharply replying with, "I don't care," He shrugged. "It's just amusing. The thought of you dating anyone."

She froze, admitting to herself that the sudden choice of words hurt a little. She glared at him, standing her ground. She took a deep breath. "You're absolutely insufferable, Draco Malfoy. Your insecurities are louder than your pathetic insults," She pushed past him and through his little group, and then turned one last time.

"And I pity the woman who has to share a bed with you for the rest of your life. That is, if she even exists."

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note!

hello all! i hope you enjoyed this chapter! it's kind of a filler but necessary to get the ball rolling on things! what do y'all think of eponine, and eponine and draco's relationship? honestly, eponine is the most similar character to me that i've ever written and so writing her is so so so fun! i have the entire first part of this story planned out and can't wait to continue :)