Les Misérables | Regulus A. Black [1]

Chapter Forty-Seven

[Chapter Forty-Seven]

Christmas morning held a rather bittersweet air to it within the Black Manor, something Éponine felt herself. Despite her own anger towards her parents for their lack of appearances, she still wished deep down that they would show up out of the blue for a surprise visit. She wanted them to arrive with plenty of apologies for why they had been so absent as of late. And yet, as Éponine woke to Kreacher scurrying around the Grimmauld Place to have everything neat and tidy, she didn't hear the voices of her parents.

Instead, she heard Orion and Walburga, sharing their morning tea in the company of each other as they waited for Regulus and Éponine to awake and make their way downstairs. There was a cosiness to their laughter as Orion whispered something that left Walburga rolling with youthful laughter. The night before had been another scene of their love for each other as Orion asked Walburga to dance with him time after time. Of course, she met his requests with a "yes" and the two seemed to dance as if no one was watching.

At one point, Éponine found herself staring at the couple, her future in-laws and couldn't help but smile. Her talk with Walburga earlier that day had proven that she had finally managed to accomplish what she had deemed impossible so early on in her life.

She was becoming part of the Black family.

The way Bellatrix had become fiercely defensive, protecting her from the likes of Ernest Nott, and the way she was included in family tradition, she no longer felt like an outsider in those moments. After years of struggling and everyone telling her what to do to make a good impression, she finally felt like she belonged somewhere; that she was wanted.

However, as she sat up in her bed, there was something that weighed heavy on her chest and in her mind as well.

Gian had crossed her mind far too many times during the holidays, enough that it left her uncomfortable to be around others. If they knew that she shared even an ounce of pity for a muggle-born, what would they make of it? She would more than likely fall out of their good graces after work so hard to find acceptance. Just the thought of having everything slip away from her left Éponine with a rather sour feeling in the pits of her stomach.

When she was able to be alone, she told herself time and time again to rid herself of the pity she shared for Gian. He was a "mudblood" she tried to convince herself and someone knew about it within the Slytherin house, it was best that she keep her distance. Any association with him would only give her trouble and she was so tired of being judged and scrutinised.

But no matter how many times she said it, no matter how many times she stared herself down in the mirror and demanded herself to rid of such thoughts, she simply couldn't do it.

Every time she tried, she was met with the innocent face that belonged to the eleven-year-old boy. The way he looked so fearful when he thought that someone was on the verge of finding out his secret heritage. She thought about how kind he was, which led her to think when was the last time a muggle-born had dared to attack a pureblood? When was the last time a muggle was so bold to organise a hunt?