Even the sharpest of swords could not cut through the tension that manifested within the one aisle of Flourish and Blott's bookshop. While anything was deemed possible, the last thing Regulus Black expected was running into Éponine Rosier that morning, and on top of that, running into his older brother as well. However, for a few stolen moments, his focus did not fall on Sirius, but solely on Éponine. Despite the fact that she had taken to hiding behind a piece of parchment paper, he had already seen her.

The past two summers had been good to Éponine, too good if he was being completely honest with himself. Her once pale skin had taken on the appearance of being sunkissed, dimming the appearance of her freckles, although they were still visible. She had cut her hair at one point and was currently wearing it up, revealing her elegant neckline. On top of that, it wasn't easy to ignore her new fashion choices.

The skirt she had chosen was a far cry from the dresses her mother had picked out for her, revealing the bare mid parts of her thighs before her skin was covered by her selection of knee-high boots. And it was clear that she was wearing makeup, the choice of red lipstick making her bottom lip stand out even more so than before.

To put it simply, she looked more beautiful than ever, making his heart skip a beat. But it was Sirius that appeared behind her, that stood as a firm reminder, that she was no longer his girlfriend. She was someone he couldn't admire because she had become a blood-traitor above everything else.

An awkward silence fell over the three and eventually, Éponine had no choice but to lower the piece of parchment from her face. She looked over at Regulus first, she didn't say a word to him, almost as if she was waiting on him to speak first.

What did she want him to say? That she was right? That he was there to become a blood-traitor like them?

When he said nothing, Regulus could clearly see the disappointment sweep across her face. Her eyes lowered to the floor, her lips curling down in a frown before she turned to Sirius.

"Come on, Sirius, we should go," she whispered to him, " I can get my books another day. Let's just go."

"Why should we leave?" Sirius countered, his voice taken on a rather harsh tone. " You have just as much right to be here as he does. You need to-"

Regulus rolled his eyes, noting that his brother had clearly missed the entire point of Éponine urging their departure. It wasn't that Regulus held anymore right of being there than them, it was the fact that Éponine was clearly uncomfortable being there and wanted to escape. But leave it to Sirius to want to stand firm and make a point.

"If he's so bothered by us being here, he can leave," Sirius told her. "We're not leaving until we get your books."

"Don't get yourself so worked up, Sirius, you might make a scene, " Regulus said cooly, " I was just leaving. I don't have time to waste on the two of you, I have more important things to do-"

"Like what? Find some muggles and muggle-borns to torture? The summer is coming to an end, can't waste any opportunities, can you?"

"Sirius!"

Éponine interrupted the two, her eyes widened with the slight look of horror when it came to the mentioning of muggles and muggle-borns being tortured. She had been well aware of the attacks, most of them reported in the Daily Prophet, but associating Regulus as being one of the attackers had yet to cross her mind it seemed. She didn't look at Regulus again, instead, taking it upon herself to grab Sirius by the wrist and start to pull him in the opposite direction so they could leave.

Regulus could only watch as the two left, Sirius looking over his shoulder, daring to send off a warning look before they disappeared around the corner. As he was left alone, Regulus was thankful that his parents had decided to do some shopping of their own, knowing how quickly the situation could have escalated if they had been present and witnessed Éponine and Sirius there together.

While they had nothing kind to say about Éponine since her departure, Regulus could still hear the strain in their voices whenever they did mention her by name. Sometimes it felt as though they took Éponine's loss harder than Sirius'. But it was more than likely due to how sudden Éponine's had turned. Sirius had always voiced his beliefs after being sorted into Gryffindor, it made it seem there was only a matter of time before he deflected from the family.

But Regulus, Orion, and Walburga could only remember sharing in a wonderful Christmas with Éponine when she suddenly returned to Hogwarts and decided to become a blood-traitor. It was Emmarentia and Bellatrix, who had revealed that  Éponine's thoughts had not developed overnight. Regulus became aware that Gian Norton was a muggle-born in Slytherin and already that had caused outrage among the Black family, especially when they learned that Éponine had been attempting to hide his identity.

Bellatrix mentioned that Éponine only befriended the boy in order to get back at her parents for their neglectful nature, but it appeared that wasn't the case at all when Emmarentia was questioned. Apparently, Éponine had known for some time before she became fed up with her parents, and she had started to question the traditions of Toujours Pur. And as more information was revealed, Regulus could only think back to the times where Éponine had questioned whether Sirius had been right all along?

And even though Éponine had fallen from grace, Regulus wasn't willing to give up on her just yet.

Despite not having a kind conversation in almost two years, he hoped he would be able to get Éponine back. He had attempted to ignore her, hoping the idea of isolation would bring her back, but clearly, that didn't work as she made a whole new set of friends, that included Sirius. And currently, Sirius was trying to fill her head with the idea that Regulus was going out and attacking muggles and muggle-borns.

But Regulus had another opportunity to talk to Éponine without Sirius or any of his friends interfering. Rumour had it that Éponine had become Head Girl, and it was just Regulus' luck that he had become Head Boy.

Upon leaving Flourish and Blotts, Éponine was not in the mood for ice cream, leaving Sirius to sacrifice the melted cones and toss them in the nearest bin. She claimed that she only wanted to head home and Sirius was only left with a feeling of guilt that the day had been ruined. A couple of years ago, Sirius would have done anything to get a hold of Regulus and try to talk some sense into him with every opportunity he could get. But since taking Éponine under his wing, Sirius realised he had to let his brother go until Regulus came to the conclusion on his own or decided his dark fate forever.

It was obvious that Éponine had a soft spot for Regulus, no matter how rudely he had treated her after she deflected. The way she tried to avoid conflict as much as possible unless she felt she was pushed into a tight corner with no other option but to fight. It was what Sirius feared the most about Éponine's well-being.

She had shown that she was excellent when it came to Defence Against the Dark Arts, top in Charms, with her abilities only strengthening over the course of time. But what good would it do Éponine if she couldn't put her skills to use when it would matter most? With Regulus already bearing a Dark Mark according to her, it was only a matter of time where they would probably have to fight one another. Sirius dreaded the day where he would find Regulus standing on the other side of a duel.

Which was why he had kept The Order a secret from Éponine for as long as he possibly could.

Éponine was far from stupid and knew he was up to something, but he didn't tell her yet because he didn't think she would be ready to commit herself. She had once been friends with people that were now considered Death Eaters, would she be able to attack them when the time came or would her heart get the best of her and get her killed?

"I'm sorry about earlier," Sirius finally said as they arrived outside of the flat. "You know I didn't mean to cause a scene or anything. But you can't let him intimidate you, Nin."

"It's not your fault, Sirius, don't apologise," she replied, " I was just caught off guard. Sometimes during the summer when I'm around you and the others, it's so easy to forget about the bad that's taking place in the real world. I should have stood my ground, I'll try harder next time, I promise."

He offered a small but sincere smile. "Don't beat yourself up over it. I know you could kick his arse if you needed to. I mean, after all, you're Head Girl now, remember?"

"Oh Merlin, not this again!" she laughed. "It's really not that big of a deal!"

"Oh, it isn't...so I should just tell everyone to go home?"

"Everyone to what-"

Before Éponine could say anything else, Sirius opened the door to the flat and a loud roar of  "SURPRISE!" echoed from inside. James, Remus, Peter, Lily, and even Gian were all present, looking awfully pleased to see her. And even though she had expected it, she was overwhelmed with such a wave of happiness that her lips parted as she entered the flat to greet them.

"What is all this?!"

"What does it look like, Nin?" James asked as he placed one arm around her shoulders and led her in. "It's a party! To celebrate becoming Head Girl, just like your old man."

Dramatically, James wiped a non-existent tear that fell behind the frame of his glasses. The others, including Lily, shook their head at him before pushing James out of the way so they could all hug Éponine and congratulate her.

When Gian made his way to her, Éponine could see that his face and the skin of his arms were incredibly red. She had known that over the summer that he and his family were planning to travel somewhere tropical for the holidays.

"Gian," she said grabbing the thirteen-year-old gently by the sides of his face, " you look like a tomato."

"Yeah, well, I got a wicked sunburn-"

Suddenly, Éponine rounded on the others in the room. "And none of you thought to heal him when you brought him here? Honestly!"

It was a small party for the most part, not that Éponine would complain about such a thing. Even Fleamont and Euphemia dropped by to congratulate her, bringing by a couple of gifts of their own. Only, she paid no mind to the gifts right away, just happy to see them as she wrapped both of them in hugs. She took to showing Fleamont her little windowsill garden that she had started up and he was there to offer as much advice as possible.

They didn't stay for long though, the two of them showing their age sometimes with not being able to stand for long periods of time or wanting to go home and relax. She wished them goodnight before leaving them to say their goodbyes to James and everyone else.

At one point, while everyone was in the kitchen, Éponine slipped away into the sitting room and sat on the sofa. Since leaving the bookshop, something had been on her mind and every time she wasn't talking to someone, her thoughts travelled right back to it.

The idea of Regulus attacking muggles and muggle-borns.

While she didn't want to believe it, she had seen the Dark Mark. Whenever she looked at Gian that afternoon and evening, all she could see was Regulus coming in and attacking him.

It made her skin crawl.

Gian didn't face much bullying or discrimination after being outed as a muggle-born back in his first year. Sure, he lost friends over it, but with Éponine in his corner, no one dared. Especially after she used the knee-reversal hex on Severus Snape after he attempted to call Gian a "mudblood" in the Common Room. He tried to attack her afterwards, but Éponine continued to knock him back or counter him each time.

Since then, Gian was pretty much guaranteed his safety with Éponine around, but she wasn't going to be at Hogwarts forever. Luckily, Severus had graduated from Hogwarts when Sirius and the others did, but that didn't mean there weren't others like him lurking in the shadows.

Suddenly, the weight of someone sitting next to her brought Éponine out of her thoughts, she looked over to see Sirius, looking awfully concerned.

"Is the party not to your liking?" he asked. "I know it's quieter than most-"

"Don't you start," she said, "this party is amazing, thank you. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Except maybe one of you healing Gian-"

"Hey, I was with you, so technically, that's on the others. I would have healed him on the spot!"

The panicky tone made her laugh before she grabbed his hand and placed it in her lap. She gave it a few small pats to reassure him that he was a good boy and wasn't in any trouble.

"I'm teasing, Sirius. Sort of. But I don't blame you. Promise."

He seemed content with her statement but after a few seconds, Sirius gave her hand a squeeze. "Is there something else on your mind?"

"No," she shook her head before looking at him, " I was-"

Éponine stopped as she met his gaze. It was difficult lying to him, especially to his face. And that moment was of no exception, especially since his eyes carried such a softness to them. He and Regulus had very similar eyes and she remembered what it was like to look into Regulus' eyes and see warmth. But whenever she saw him as of late, there was such a frigidness to everything about him. But when she looked at Sirius, she saw that warmth leaving her unable to lie to his face.

"I...I..."

"Éponine!"

James' voice startled the two of them as they hadn't even noticed him enter the room. They jumped as he came to stand before them, his excited look quickly turning into confusion.

"Er...sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No!" she quickly blurted out. "Sirius was just coming in to check on me. What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing is wrong," James scoffed, " I was coming in here to tell you that you have one more gift that you need to see."

Éponine realised she had yet to release her hold of Sirius' hand and quickly, pulled her hand back before standing up.

"Haven't you all already gotten me enough gifts? It's not like it's Christmas or my birthday!"

"Well, this one is special," Lily's voice rang out as she entered, " remember how I told you that Marmalade got out several weeks ago?"

"Yes, what does that-"

"She had a kitten!" Peter shouted out, leaving everyone to look at him for spoiling the surprise. "Oh, sorry!"

Sirius shot Peter a glare in his direction before Remus came over holding a small box that was open at the top. Éponine peered inside and saw a small orange ball of fluff curled up asleep on top of a bunched up blanket.

"You all...you all got me a cat?"

"Don't be shy," Lily told her, " you can pick him up. He's a total sweetie."

"I'm afraid I can't...." Éponine said, " I can't accept this kitten from you."

"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed at the same time. "Why not?!"

"Because I'm deathly allergic to cats."

The room fell silent as everyone exchanged looks with one another. They seemed to be trying to figure out who to put the blame on while Éponine watched. However, after about thirty seconds, she started laughing hysterically. To their surprise, she reached into the box and gently scooped up the kitten into her hands.

"Only joking!"

Sirius sighed in relief before he started laughing, but James did not like almost suffering a heart attack.

"Alright, the rest of you get in line, I'm kicking Nin's arse first!"

A/N: A special thanks to cendriia for another beautiful piece! Nin looks stunning!