[Chapter Thirty-One]

Éponine truly had every intention of keeping her friendship with Emmarentia, despite the awkward tension between them. As much as she wished that she could be a person that functioned properly on their own, Éponine had the sort of personality that enjoyed being in the company of others. She wasn't exactly the most sociable, but she liked being around other people, sitting and listening to them. So if Emmarentia was willing to put her developing feelings aside and focus on having a friendship, it would work out quite well.

But Regulus wasn't exactly convinced.

He held some resentment towards Emmarentia, fully aware before the girl's confession to Éponine that she shared feelings for her. He knew very well that she had purposely tried to foil the date between the two and that left him feeling somewhat bitter. There he was trying his best to fix things between him and Éponine after years of being on unfriendly terms, but he felt like Emmarentia was a barrier that would keep getting in the way. Éponine reassured him that she had spoken with Emmarentia and that everything was sorted out. However, Regulus knew that Éponine held a very forgiving heart unlike many people, it seemed she always wanted to look at the better side of people if they gave her a chance to. 

Even that morning when they agreed to go to breakfast together, Regulus was trying to figure out what he was going to do about his brother and his friends, turning to her for any assistance. The fact that she had nearly been attacked twice and wasn't rushing to the Headmaster office to report it, spoke volumes about the girl's character in Regulus' mind.

As the two sat at the end of the Slytherin table, Éponine finally gave her opinion on the matter at hand, hoping once and for all to help Regulus make up his mind.

"He didn't ask to be a werewolf," she pointed out to Regulus, "I don't think anyone ever does. When it comes down to it, it's a horrible life, plagued by something completely out of your control. I can't imagine how frightening that must be, to lose control of your body in such a way. It's like a parasite has full control and you only wake up after to see what damage has caused.  It's almost like the Imperius Curse and the Cruciatus Curse working together. The process of becoming one is painful and then losing all control of your own actions..."

She turned her head only to see Regulus watching her intently causing her to go red in the face. She figured she had been rambling on at some point, but Regulus seemed fixed on listening to her.

"I-I-I also don't think your brother and his friends meant to bring anyone harm by letting him roam free in the forest. They weren't thinking of anyone but themselves at the time, but there aren't too many people stupid enough to venture into the Forbidden Forest as it is. I can't say much though since I ventured in there myself, but it was only because I thought you were hurt."

She didn't know where she was going with her conversation and decided to wrap things up before she made things worse.

"If they get expelled, that's practically ruining their lives, that follows them everywhere. I know your brother has hurt you and I know your family still hurts from his departure, but hurting him back won't solve anything. It might offer some quick satisfaction but it's only temporary and in the end, you might be just left with regret. But at the same time, it is your decision to make, I do not feel as you do because I haven't gone through what you and your family have because of Sirius and his friends. Whatever decision you make, I will support you. Not the decision, but you."

That was all it took for Regulus to spare his brother and his friends getting into trouble. Deep down, he knew that it would probably be impossible for him to go fully through with it. The thought had crossed his mind to report only James, Peter, and Remus, keeping Sirius' name out of it all. He thought that with the other three gone that there was a possible chance that Sirius would come crawling back to the family but it was a stupid thought.

Sirius was stubborn in his ways and if they were the boys he truly considered his brothers, he would turn himself in to go down with them. Some would call it loyalty and some would call it stubbornness, Regulus didn't care what they called it, he really wished that Sirius would have just seen him as his little brother enough to be there for him too.

There was Éponine, they didn't share a good past together, yet, she was willing to be there for him, even if she didn't agree with his decisions. Regulus shared a wonderful childhood with his brother and yet, Sirius couldn't bring himself to be there for Regulus unless Regulus changed his ways.

"Thank you," he spoke softly as he reached out his hand and placed it over hers. "I appreciate it. I still think what they're doing is reckless and stupid, but you're right, I wouldn't feel right later on if I turned them in. I guess this just means we'll have to really be mindful and watchful of any students potentially being out of bed. The last thing I would want is for someone to experience a run-in in like that. Because I don't think anyone could have handled it as brilliantly as you did."

"Well, I...what?"

The compliment had caught the girl off guard, enough that it brought a smile to Regulus' face as he didn't dare to repeat himself.

He just enjoyed watching her reaction.

"Wait, what did you say?" She asked with a shake of her head, but Regulus refused to tell her.  "Oh come on now, you have to tell me! I heard you say something! What did you say? Regulus!"

"I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did! I heard most of it, I just...I just don't know if I had that last part."

"You mean the part where I called you brilliant?"

"Yes, that's the part, I-"

Regulus watched in amusement as she froze once more, fully registering that she had heard him correctly when he complimented her. He thought it was cute but at the same time, he didn't know why it caught her off guard so much. She had to know that her performance that night had been beyond spectacular as she stared down a werewolf and pretty much saved the night from turning into something ugly. But she seemed so genuinely surprised but it eventually clicked in his mind.

Éponine wasn't used to getting compliments on anything and Regulus was going to have to change that.

"Yes, I said that you were brilliant," he told her again, " because that's exactly what you were and what you are. Do you want me to say it again?"

She stared at him for a moment, almost as if she was contemplating whether to make him repeat himself but eventually, she shook her head, a bright smile on her face as she looked down at the table. 

Even though neither one of them had gone to the Headmaster to make a report, Éponine had a feeling that the situation was not a hundred perfect behind them. She and Regulus were on better terms than ever before, with the boy asking to spend time with her, whether it was doing homework, sitting next to her in class, or just sitting in her company while the two of them read. It was incredibly sweet and it made Éponine feel special, however, there was no hiding the nerves she felt whenever she passed Sirius or one of the other boys in the corridors. They didn't make an effort to hide their frustration with her, the main culprits being James and Sirius.

She understood that they were probably afraid of either her or Regulus going to Dumbledore but as days went by since the incident, she figured that they would just figure that it wasn't going to happen. Whenever she walked by them or near them in passing, she felt like she was wearing a target on her face with how hard they stared her down. She didn't dare mention anything to Regulus though because she didn't want him confronting Sirius or James about it. All she wanted was for the drama to disappear.

But in order for that to happen, she was going to have to tackle it head-on.

Walking through the corridor, Éponine had taken to splitting her time between Emmarentia and Regulus, in order to be fair to both of them. She still wanted a friendship with Emmarentia and she was putting a great deal of effort into showing the girl that while they couldn't be romantically involved that they could still be good friends. And since she was considerate of Regulus' feelings towards the girl, she didn't expect him to spend time with them. So she would go back and forth, sitting with one during one class and the other during another.

It seemed to be working out for her well enough as she was on her way to meeting up with Regulus after his Quidditch practice. The Quidditch season would be upon the school soon and she was sure that Regulus was feeling a little bit pressured as the first match of the season was between Gryffindor and Slytherin. She had tried to reassure him that he was going to be great, but it was easier said than done, she couldn't fly the match for him...she couldn't fly at all. But she had all the faith in Regulus' abilities and the abilities of the Slytherin team that they would triumph and hopefully bring home the Inter-House Quidditch Cup.

Adjusting her bag, Éponine was fixing to place her books in her bag so that she didn't have to carry them outside as it looked close to raining. However, as she stopped in front of one of the portraits of the castle, she suddenly heard someone calling her name. Confused, she glanced up in the direction of the portrait with a raised brow.

The man in the painting gave her a look as well. "I didn't say it, he did!"

Following the direction of where the portrait was pointing, she looked over and saw Sirius approaching her. She let out a groan, paired with a fretful look as she was really not in the mood to be dealing with him. She didn't understand why he simply couldn't leave her alone.

"What do you want?" She questioned, not in a confrontational tone, but genuinely curious, even though she had an idea.

"You haven't gone running your mouth lately, have you?"

Éponine stared at the boy, seemingly offended by his question. It wasn't like Sirius didn't know her at all, she wasn't a complete stranger to the boy. Before he defected from his family, she had spent time with him and she had never been one to be a gossiper or to run her mouth. Of course, back then she didn't have the knowledge that another student was a werewolf, so she understood how the circumstances had changed in some manner. But if Remus or any of them had yet to get in trouble, what made him think over a week later that she would finally go to the Headmaster?

"Well, that's no way to talk to a lady, now is it?"

She had her mouth open to talk to Sirius and reassure him that she wouldn't say anything, but it seemed someone else was about to jump into the conversation. Well, more than one person. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Avery and Mulciber making their way to stand behind her. Without Regulus in their company, Éponine felt uncomfortable with them showing up.

Suddenly, the girl felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"I'm not talking to either one of you, so just mind your business," Sirius growled in the direction of the two boys. "I'm talking to Éponine."

"Well, you might be talking to her but not in a kind manner," Mulciber said, " so now we've got something to say to you and we're talking to you, mate."

There was such a bewildered look on Éponine's face as she had to pinch herself to realise that the two were actually sticking up for her. They were defending her, without Regulus being there. Sirius looked just as surprised and while he probably wanted to say something to her further, he couldn't discuss the topic with the other two there. He looked so conflicted, not wanting to back down to the likes of the younger two Slytherin boys, but it seemed he didn't have an option.

"We'll talk later," he told Éponine before he went to turn away. However, with Avery and Mulciber standing behind her, she didn't feel intimidated.

"No, we won't," she called after him, bringing Sirius to stop. Avery and Mulciber exchanged quiet glances, paired with grins and they watched. "I have nothing else to say to you and I don't want to hear anything else you have to say to me. If I catch you and your friends out after curfew again, you'll find yourself in a great deal of trouble, I promise you that."

She had zero intentions of getting the boys in trouble really but threatening Sirius and getting her point across made her feel absolutely fantastic at that moment. Sirius couldn't seem to argue with her as he just stormed off with a rough shake of his head. When he was finally out of sight, the girl turned to the two boys standing behind her.

It still felt weird because she didn't forget what either one of them had said to her in the past, all the nasty remarks and insults, she remembered every single one. She remembered them because some mornings when she looked in the mirror, she expected to see the acne return and brace herself for the insults that were to come. But if the boys were willing to turn over a new leaf, if they were willing to treat her with respect and help her, then she didn't want to dwell on all the past because then she couldn't move forward.

"Thank you," she said to each other them.

"No need to thank us, love," Avery said before Mulciber chimed in.

"Yeah, no need to thank us, if he approaches you again like that, let us know. We'll handle it."

Perhaps they were acting under the orders of Regulus, or maybe they were acting on their own accord, she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. Sirius was gone and she still had to meet up with Regulus outside. She thanked them once more and then quickly departed from the scene to head outside.

Of course, as soon as she did, she felt the first drop of rain land on her head.

Meeting Regulus at the stands, the sounds of thunder rolling in the distance made it clear that it was not going to be a passing shower but quite the storm heading their way. However, when she showed up at the stands, Regulus didn't seem bothered by the impending clouds of doom that she could see. She climbed up made her way to sit next to him, seeing him looking out on the pitch with a blank stare on his face.

"How did practice go?" She asked as he didn't say anything, she was sure that he wasn't even aware that she had arrived. Apparently, Éponine was right as Regulus jumped as he turned his head, surprised to see her there.

"I-i-it was fine," he said, suddenly noting the clouds in the distance. If he had noticed them earlier he would have made his way back to the castle and suggested that the two of them remained inside. "It was tough, you know, it's always harder when we go up against Gryffindor."

"But you all are always great against Gryffindor. You especially."

He couldn't even hide the smile on his face that formed, even if he tried. "Well, I hope that holds true come the day of the match."

"Of course it will if you could see yourself fly, you would understand that you have nothing to worry about. Your team has to put their work in but you will be fine. Besides, I already heard that the Gryffindor team is nervous about going up against you. There's a whole rumour going around that you spent the entire summer training with professional Quidditch players."

"What?!" Regulus' voice cracked as he turned to her, praying that she didn't hear it in his voice. "Who went and spread that rumour around?"

He watched as the corner of her lips pulled up as she tried to contain her grin.

"I did."