[Chapter Fourteen]

The day outside, enjoying the fresh air and sunlight was a day well-needed in Éponine's opinion and she was glad that Orion had made the suggestion. After learning that she had made prefect, she didn't want to think about it nor did she want much to do with it. However, she learned shortly after she learned of her position that Walburga had taken the time to write a letter to her parents and inform the Rosiers of Éponine's accomplishment. For some reason, Éponine had found herself extremely irritated by the thought of her parents. All throughout the beginning of summer, she had found herself begging to go home, wanting to stay back at the manor and hide away in one of the barn stalls. Yet, as the summer was coming to the end, she wasn't upset that she had hardly seen them over the course of several weeks. 

They were well aware that she had attended the wedding but neither one of them had taken at least one minute to approach her and ask how she was doing. They didn't even bother with a "hello" or a simple hug as if she wasn't their daughter anymore. Perhaps that's what they were implying, soon enough, she would be married to Regulus and she would become his "responsibility", not theirs. Maybe in their own weird way, they were trying to prepare Éponine for that, but it didn't mean that she wasn't their daughter. She had done nothing wrong in order to have her parents ignore her, in fact, they should have greeted her with praise. From the time of her first arrangement with Sirius, she had done everything she had been told to do, even if it left her feeling uncomfortable. 

Perhaps irritated wasn't even the word to describe Éponine's attitude towards her parents, maybe a better word would have been bitter. Bitter at the fact that they had simply cast her from their home into another and made her someone else's problem. Every day, Éponine fought to build her self-esteem, it wasn't as simple as someone telling her to pull herself together and see herself in a better light. If it were that simple she would have acted upon it a long time ago, but instead, it was a cold war fought inside of her and more than often, she was losing battles. 

However, Éponine realised that she didn't have too much to complain about in the most recent of days. She and Regulus had come to somewhat of an understanding of each other, at least enough that they could carry on decent conversations. Thinking back to the boy that used to laugh, as his friends ridiculed her, it was hard for Éponine to believe that the same boy that told her she could very well be a goddess was actually the same person. She never expected Regulus to tolerate her being around him and she thought the summer was going to be nothing but painful torture. But it was pleasant, she could actually claim that it was pleasant being in his company.

The two suffered their rough patches, but they were getting along and Regulus wanted her to start seeing herself in a better light. He was looking out for her, even without being told to and that was beyond what Éponine expected when it came to any sort of progress being made between them. He held the promise that he was going to help her ease into the prefect position and that other students were going to learn how to respect her name.

With Emmarentia and Regulus both standing in her corner, perhaps it was a goal she could achieve. 

The weather was absolutely perfect, finding a nice tree to prop her back against, Éponine settled down to read. However, Regulus had different plans and they involved her, they just didn't involve her reading. She wasn't ignorant to the fact that the boy had brought his broomstick, but she had zero intentions of learning how to fly properly. Even if it was just in the company of Regulus and his parents, she did not want to make a fool of herself. Most witches and wizards, even if they were not starring Quidditch players, were fully capable of managing a broom. And for traditional wizarding families, it was a near-must. 

Flying by broomstick was one of the oldest if not the oldest form of transportation within the wizarding world. Many prided themselves that they had managed such an art and many wanted to keep it that way. Of course, there was the Floo Network, Apparition, and Portkeys, and there was even the Knight Bus, but Éponine wouldn't dare mention the Knight Bus among the families. It was almost considered a sin not to be skilled enough to ride a broomstick which was why her parents didn't bring it up very often. 

Regulus was fantastic on a broom though, she had witnessed it many times before when she would attend the Slytherin matches after he became Seeker. He made it look so easy, effortlessly flying through the air as if he had been born flying. It also helped that he always looked so happy to be in the air as well. There were rare times when he wasn't in the company of his friends that a smile would dawn his features and it usually was during the time where he was up in the air. He was a brilliant Seeker as she had mentioned to him before, even if she didn't care for him in the past, it was something Éponine couldn't deny.

He was fast, he was constantly on the lookout for the next opportunity in which he could snatch the snitch from the air, and he brought wins home for the Slytherin team that none of the others could accomplish. Éponine figured he would be perfect to go on and share in a Quidditch career, there would be so many professional teams that would be lucky to have him. But Regulus made it clear that it wasn't going to be something he pursued. Above everything else, including his own wants and needs in life, Regulus put his family first. He knew he had duties and he had to serve the traditions of his family as the numbers continued to dwindle among the purebloods.

It was very important to him to follow what his parents told him and if his mother didn't believe that Quidditch was an honourable career, only a hobby, then it would remain as such. Deep down, Éponine hated the thought of that because it was such a waste of beautiful talent. Why couldn't Regulus do both? He had long served his family the way he was supposed to, why couldn't he play Quidditch if it made him happy? She had informed him that as his "future wife" that she would support him if he chose to go down the path of the professional sport, but Regulus didn't respond with much. He had already made up his mind, but he did offer her a smile. 

Walburga and Orion were walking around, looking over the white cliffs to catch a glimpse of the beautiful water alone, while Éponine waited for Regulus to approach. When they first arrived, she could see the gears spinning in his mind with how he was going to approach her and try to convince her to let him teach her how to properly ride a broom. She honestly didn't want to take part in it, but as he walked over towards her a few minutes later, she knew there wasn't much of an option left.

It seemed like Éponine didn't have a lot of choices in life, whether it was her mother picking out the clothing she would wear or everyone telling her what she needed to do for the day, her life was always left in someone else's hands. Perhaps it was why she enjoyed reading so much, she was able to choose the adventure she would embark on with the characters. If she didn't like a book, she could simply put it down and carry on like it never happened. She was desperate for some aspect of control over her own life and reading was the only thing that really gave her that opportunity. She could read one book over and over as she pleased. She could start from the beginning of the book or if she was feeling really treacherous, she could open the book up and read the last page before all others. 

There were so many options for her to choose from as well, certainly not too many when it came to the library in the Black household, but all throughout the world, there were different books, just waiting on her to read them. That was another reason why she wanted to travel and experience the world, there were so many books to be read. But she would never have the time to follow such a dream. 

"Alright, my broom is ready to go," Regulus said as he walked over to her, clapping his hands together. He actually looked excited in that moment, pleased that he was able to give a lesson in something that he was good at. However, he could clearly see that Éponine did not share in the same enthusiasm as his. Her hand was tucked in between the pages of her book, holding the spot where she had been reading as she glanced up at him. 

"Have fun!" She told him, trying to weasel her way out of the first lesson, but Regulus came to a halt and gave her a look. 

"Come now, Éponine, it's not going to be hard at all, I promise. Flying really isn't difficult and the weather is perfect today to help you."

He followed her gaze to where she was looking off into the distance where his parents were standing near the edge of the cliffs looking over. His father made a playful gesture, pretending to push Walburga over the cliff, which only resulted in his arm getting a firm smack. Yet Orion didn't seem bothered by the reaction at all as he started laughing, begging for mercy in between chuckles. 

"You don't have to worry about them," Regulus informed her, " they are not going to judge you."

"I'm not worried about them judging me," she lied, " but I am worried about diving right over those cliffs!"

"You're not going to get anywhere near the clears, Épi, now come on," he urged her, holding out his hand to get the book from her.

He didn't understand that the first use of her new nickname had caused her heart to skip a beat and suddenly, she had forgotten what was being asked of her. For a moment, Éponine didn't even know where she was but she graciously handed her book over to him. Regulus gave her an odd look but not wanting her to lose her place, he glanced around for a makeshift bookmark to keep her page. It wasn't much as he settled for a leaf but he was sure she would appreciate the gesture later on. 

Helping Éponine up to her feet, Regulus didn't let go of her hand with the fear that she would take the last second as an opportunity to run off. Instead, he led her over to the broom and turned to face her so that they were standing on either side of the broomstick. 

"Are you ready?" he asked her, finally releasing her hand.

"No."

"Uh, well, let's get started then," Regulus said as he cleared his throat nervously. He had never given a lesson before on flying but he really wanted Éponine to learn so that she wouldn't be embarrassed if it ever came down to a situation where she had to fly on a broomstick.

 "Now, you're just going to let your hand hover over this part of the broomstick, you have to find the centre of the broom and-"

He looked up to see that Éponine's hands remained firmly planted by her sides, leaving him to let out a heavy sigh. "Épi..."

Once again, her hand almost immediately left her hand and was placed over the broom, her face turning a bright pink that matched the light jumper she was wearing that afternoon. She didn't look at him as she kept her hand near his and continued to stand there.

"Alright, can you feel the broom?" Regulus asked her. "It's very similar to a wand, you know, that feeling you get when the wand has chosen you. Only a broomstick really can't choose its rider, they aren't designed for that matter. So all you have to do is feel that energy and connect with it to form a...a bond."

Finally, she was looking up at him, however, the expression on her face made Regulus feel incredibly small as she looked at him as if he were spewing nonsense left and right. He hoped that it only meant that she was confused and not questioning his mental state. Leaving his opposite side of her, Regulus stepped over his broomstick to stand right next to Éponine. He stood behind her, using her shoulders to gently position her to stand parallel to the broomstick. 

Éponine found herself short of breath, despite the fact that she wasn't exactly exerting herself at the moment. Just having her back turned with Regulus standing behind her had left the girl rattled, but as he leaned forward to grab her wrist gently, she was sure that her legs had become nothing short of jelly. His fingers grazed her wrist, holding up her hand over the broom. She could feel her hand tingling, but she had no idea if it was due to the broomstick or the fact that Regulus was touching her. 

"Alright, now, tell the broom what you want it to do," Regulus whispered to her. 

She couldn't even think straight for a few moments as she stood there. It was bad enough that she had been caught completely off guard by the boy giving her a nickname. One that sounded pleasant as it passed through his lips. But now, he was really throwing her off as he stood in such a close proximity. Never had she been so close to a boy and already, her heart was racing frantically in her chest. 

"Épi, are-"

"UP!" She screeched as she was startled by him interrupting her thoughts. Suddenly, the broom jerked up into the air and came flying down in their direction, knocking the two of them in the head. Éponine rubbed the top of her head that ached from where the end of the broomstick had thwacked her and she expected to turn around and see Regulus annoyed by her attempt. But instead, before she could fully turn around, she was caught off guard once more.

Regulus was laughing, he was rubbing the top of his head that was in pain, but he was still laughing. 

"Are you alright?" He asked her, meeting her gaze and all Éponine could do in that moment was nod her head. 

"You're not angry?"

"No, of course not," he said with a bewildered look, " why would I be upset?"

"Because I did it wrong."

" You didn't do it wrong, you just gave it a first try and it was great. You had a lot of power in your voice and the broom was trying to compensate for that. It was fine, let's just try again. This time, keep that firmness in your voice but don't yell. Despite popular belief, louder doesn't mean it'll get the point across better. You're doing great, Éponine."

Once again, Éponine positioned her hand over the broom with little guidance from Regulus. She swallowed her nerves and made sure to keep her voice firm, remembering the time Emmarentia had her say that she didn't like when the girl grabbed her face in such a way.

"Up!"

A squeak escaped her as the broomstick smacked the palm of her hand as it surged up and remained hovering in place. It didn't fall back to the ground, roll over, fly off, or crack the two of them over their heads, it simply remained position under her hand, waiting to be mounted.

"I did it," she muttered under her breath, " I DID IT!"

It wasn't a major accomplishment for many but to Éponine it was a glorious moment that she would probably remember forever. She was so wrapped up in the small goal that she didn't see that Regulus was sharing in the happiness of the moment.

" Alright, are you going to get on it?" He questioned her. " It's been patiently waiting for you."

"Er...I don't-"

Regulus chuckled before shaking his head. " I'm only joking, I think that was a good start for today. We can continue with more lessons when we get back to school."

He saw her face pale as she began backing away. " No, I don't think that's a good idea. You don't want to be seen with me unless you have to and it's going to be embarrassing if people see that I'm still getting lessons. I was supposed to learn all this back in first year-"

He placed his hand up to stop her rambling, growing tired with how she viewed herself in such ways. Already she had the idea in her mind that Regulus wouldn't want to be seen with her when they returned to Hogwarts, despite all the progress made between them. She was so worried about how everyone viewed her because that's how she was raised. From the time she was small, Éponine's entire life had revolved around what people thought of her and her family. That was what all of them had gone through because the reputation of their families had been placed over their heads but it seemed to take a hefty toll on Éponine.

" I'm not going to be embarrassed to be seen with you, Éponine," he told her, " and if you're worried about people seeing you, then we can work on it at night. It doesn't matter when you were supposed to learn it, just as long as you keep making an effort to learn it. I know all the other years have not gone in the way you liked, but we can change that this year. You can change it to your liking. But you won't be able to change if you're so worried about how others will view you afterwards. "

He moved her away from the broom, turning her to face him as he wore a bittersweet smile.

"My brother, Sirius, told me one thing when we were younger that I think holds true for you at this moment."

"What's that?"

"Act now, ask for forgiveness later."