Eponine was so far gone that she, personally, had no hope of returning. Others only saw part of the picture. They didn't see the deep festering wounds that were in her heart and mind. So of course they thought there was hope. Eponine, meanwhile, knew she would die before she was 23.

"Don't look so shocked," she said, trying to shrug off Hermione's shock. "I was talking with Prouvaire and needed fresh air." Rather, she'd left the cafeteria too quickly, needing to get out. "I was playing with a knife when he joined me, and I switched my grip. No big deal." She'd refused any sort of ambrosia for no reason other than pure stubbornness.