The Sunrise of My Heart

As Spring neared, everyone seemed to be in rather chipper spirits. The snow had melted, the ground had thawed, and warm weather was returning to the students at Hogwarts. There were occasional downpours, but no one really minded those very much. Some people even liked them. Well, okay, I liked them, and others tolerated them.

Even Draco, master of cold, was in a better mood than usual. I wondered if it was because the third task was drawing near and he thought Harry was going to die, or if my good mood was contagious, or if he just happened to really like the Spring. Whatever it was, I was glad for it and didn't want his cheerful attitude to end.

But, as the phrase goes, all good things must come to an end. And Draco's happy attitude went crashing through the floor, plummeting down until it was completely gone. What caused this loss of his joy? One word: Lucius.

♪♫♪♫

"Draco, I think you just spent fifteen minutes reading that same letter. Have you lost the ability to read?" We were sitting at breakfast, and we had been eating, but Draco had stopped because he was staring at the letter and I had stopped because I was watching Draco.

"No, I can still read, Riley," he said in a sort of snappish voice.

I rolled my eyes and flicked a piece of eggs at him."Be nice, blondie, or it'll be gravy next."

"Riley, stop flicking food at me."

"You're cranky today. Why are you cranky? You've been so happy lately. Why are you cranky?"

"I'm not cranky. I'm just preoccupied and a little tense. And if you flick that egg at me, you will regret it," he warned, noticing that I was picking up another bit of scrambled egg to flick.

I set it back down on my plate "Why are you so tense?"

"Because you keep asking me so many questions and won't let me think."

"No, I don't think that's it. You seemed tense before my annoying questions. So why are you tense? Is it that letter? What does it say?"

"Nothing, Riley. Go back to your eating."

"But I don't wanna. I want to know what's in the letter. Please?"

"Not now, Riley," he said, staring at the letter again.

I sighed softly and nodded. "Alright. Maybe later?"

"Maybe. But not likely."

So I went back to my breakfast, occasionally shoving a forkful of food into Draco's mouth because I knew otherwise he wouldn't eat. Once breakfast ended, we headed to our classes, and the letter was pushed to the back of my mind but still there, teasing me with questions over what it could contain.

That night, Draco and I had stayed up later than everyone else because I'd made him get a head start on his homework with me. Prince of Slytherin he might be, but he still had to keep his grades up and I knew he would put off doing homework until the last minute if I didn't make him do it.

As I was finishing up a paper for Defense Against the Dark Arts, another piece of paper suddenly dropped into my lap. Startled, I looked up to see Draco standing in front of me, his face illuminated in an orange glow cast by the fire.

"It's the letter," he said without waiting for me to ask.

"Oh. Are you sure you want me to read it?"

"Not really. But read it anyways."

I hesitated for a moment, but then my curiosity got the better of me and I picked it up, reading the letter silently.

Draco,

It appears that you have defied me and have chosen not to end your little fling with the Carson girl. I once again stress that it would be best for you if whatever you have going on with her was to end. She is not of your status, not good enough to be with a pureblood such as yourself.

I am also concerned about the people she associates herself with. I know for a fact that she is on good terms with Potter, the Mudblood, and the Weasleys, and is in fact close friends with some of that despicable family.

Aside from this, she is also closely acquainted with your foolish old teacher, Lupin, and may also be acquainted with Sirius Black. Is this really the girl you have chosen as your girlfriend? Can you be so dense and stupid as to waste your time with her?

If her father were still alive, perhaps circumstances would be different. But seeing as not only is the pureblood in her family dead, his killer was also Greyback. Greyback was, of course an... 'acquaintance' of ours, and to associate yourself with the daughter of one of his victims is just foolish.
If you do not end this relationship with her, and immediately, I will come to your school, pull you out, and forbid you from ever seeing her again. So either end it now or suffer the severe consequences of your insolence.

Lucius

"Well. Your father sounds like a very cheerful fellow."

"Oh yeah, he's great," Draco muttered sarcastically.

"So he really doesn't like me, does he?"

"Obviously not."

"Is he like stalking me to know all of this stuff about me, or-- Oh. Never mind, I understand. Honestly, sometimes Snape can just be so annoying! How dare he go running to your father, filling him in on my personal life and our relationship?"

"Welcome to my world. Nothing is private, nothing is secret, and everything is broadcasted for the whole family to see."

I was silent, re-reading a part of the letter that had caught my attention more than the rest of it had.
"When I told you about my father, you reacted more oddly than was necessary. Is this why? Because you know Greyback, and he's on fairly good terms with your father?"

Draco nodded silently, not speaking for a long moment. "Yes," he said finally. "My father and he are--were--on good terms." He hesitated before adding, "But of course they don't speak anymore since my father turned away from being a Death Eater after You-Know-Who's downfall."

I wasn't certain, but it seemed like he was speaking sarcastically. "I see... So what are you going to do about this letter? I take it your father is the kind of man who would follow through with his threats?"

"Most definitely. I have no clue how I'm going to fix this. I don't want to end our relationship, but I also don't want to leave and never see you again."

"Hang on... What if we were to trick him?"

"How? He's got Snape here to spy on us for him."

"I know. But what if we were to break-up for others? Make a big scene, start fighting, and end our relationship, and be totally lying."

"You mean fake our break-up for Snape and my father?"

"Yeah! Think about it. It could work, and it's at least worth a shot. Unless you want to really break up with me or never see me again."

"That might work," he said slowly. "But we'd have to plan it carefully and make sure no one knows about our plans." He was suddenly smiling. "Riley, you're a genius."

"The only problem is that when we're together in public, we have to pretend like we can't stand each other."

"That's fine, we can do it." He bent down and kissed me for a moment, but then he pulled away and we began planning our fake break-up.