Third Person POV:
To Epona, the thing she didn't expect to happen was the clapping. The students in front of her smiled and made a whoop. She felt her face get hot, and Harry smiled at her. She bit her lip. A positive reaction was not what she thought was going to occur. She guessed maybe being a bit harsh works sometimes. They all got to work, and she felt a hand on her back. Epona turned around to see Harry, Ron and Hermione grinning at her.
"Hey, I'm happy you came back." Hermione beamed.
Ron smiled, "Yeah, someone needed to be tough on these guys. Plus, Fred and George really missed you."
She laughed a bit, "Yeah, well, I figured you'd need my help. After all, this isn't Potions."
They laughed, all knowing about her still not too great grades in Potions class. Harry smiled at his sister.
"It truly is great that you're back. Someone needed to be the bad cop." He then pulled her into a tight hug, and whispered, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when I should have."
Her eyes widened, and then she smiled softly, whispering back, "It's okay. No one can change the past, but we can decide what to do in the present. It wasn't your fault at all."
It had been a little while when Epona found herself sitting in the Gryffindor common room. She had texted Draco about moving their study session to later in the night, and he accepted her request. Epona's mind, although still filled with self-doubt, came to a realization. People don't hate her. Sure, she wasn't as popular as Harry or even Draco, but everything she thought she heard, it was all in her mind. People weren't calling her 'monster', that's just how she perceived it. The gears of her mind turned, and there was one solution. It had to be The Woman.
Before she came to Hogwarts, before she woke up even, The Woman was her support network. It's hard not to think of her that way. And yet, the things she's said to Epona...she's now realizing sounds a lot like what Phineas was saying to her. Things to gaslight her, but that's the thing about people who have as minds as dark as hers is right now. She can't see it.
It's what would worry some. She was a shining star, now fading away into the shadows. All she could think about was that no matter how hard she tried, that confidence she had at the beginning of the year, that nothing she did would put her to Harry's level. She shouldn't be jealous, but she is. She shouldn't care, but she does. Anyone would, but she doesn't see that. Epona pretended to be confident to hide the pain, to hide any bad thoughts going through her head from everyone else. It mostly worked. But some saw through it.
She slightly laughed at the photo that Cassie sent to her at that moment. It was a picture of August and Cassie both with their arms around a partly annoyed Draco. Sure, he's said that he's not part of their friend group, and yet, he seems to hang out with them quite often. Cassie's caption was, "Slowly breaking down that shell!"
Hermione sat down on the couch next to her with a drink, "What's so funny?"
Epona simply smiled and said, "It's just nice to find my people."
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In His Shadow (Draco Malfoy X Reader) MOVED
FanfictionMOVED --> IS NOW STARTING A REBOOT UNDER THE NAME "Forced into His Shadow" READ THERE! Everyone has heard of The Boy Who Lived. Except, what is it wasn't just Harry Potter who lived? Imagine if Harry Potter had a twin sister. Epona Potter was put...
