The Sunrise of My Heart

That afternoon at lunch, I received a reply from Sirius. Afraid I would be unable to keep up my cheerful act in front of everyone, I had skipped out on lunch, briefly stopping by the kitchens to get some food from the House Elves. After that, I made my way back to my room, sitting against he window to eat. As i was finishing my meal, I saw Morrigan flying towards the window, ad I opened it for her. Clutched in her claws was Sirius' response, which I eagerly opened.

Riley,

Why didn't you tell me the very first night you started having the dreams again? You knew I would want to know. I'm worried about you already, and now with you dreaming again, I'm a downright bloody mess. I need to see you again and make sure you're okay.

Meet me as soon as possible. This weekend, perhaps, when you have your Hogsmeade trip. Bring lots of food if you come. I know it's risky, but I think meeting up with you to talk would be in your best interests. You can decline, but I'll find a way to talk to you in person anyways, so you might as well agree.

Side note-- Witherwings is faring well, as am I. Kindly pass that on to Harry for me.
Now, down to another matter of business. In your last letter, you said you were starting to fall away from your boyfriend. What boyfriend? Didn't you and the Malfoy kid break up? Give me details this weekend, please, so I'm not as confused.

Love always,

Your devoted friend Snuffles

I smiled as I read his letter, eager to see him again. A relaxing visit to Hogsmeade and the chance to talk to him face to face again would be very nice considering everything that had been happening lately.

That weekend, I sneaked down to the kitchens to get some food. Stuffing my bag full of sweets, bread, meats, cheeses, and other such things, and also grabbing some capped drinks, I was soon ready to go. As I walked out the castle doors, Draco's small green rabbit appeared by my foot. I scooped it up and listened to its message.

"Master Draco would like to know if you will meet up with him today at Hogsmeade. He suggests the Shrieking Shack because it's so secluded and will keep others from seeing you."

"Tell Draco that I'm not sure if I'll be able to meet up with him or not, but I'll let him know later today." The rabbit jumped down and scampered swiftly away, unnoticed by anyone.

I muttered to myself the directions to the cave Sirius was staying in, hoping I wouldn't get lost or followed by anyone. When I finally found it, I did a double-check to make sure I was alone, and then entered.

"Snuffles?" I asked tentatively.

"Riley!" an excited voice answered. "Good to see you."

When I saw Sirius, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. He still looked far too skinny, his skin was waxen and pale, and his hair was still a bit tangled, but he looked better than he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked more like the Sirius I remembered from long ago.

"Sirius! Gosh, I've missed you! How have you been? Here, I brought food like you requested."

I pulled the food items out of my bag, handing them to him. He gathered most of it into a large pile, but he also spared a good portion to give to Witherwing, who was staring hungrily at the food from his corner of the cave. He devoured his meal gleefully, giving both me and Sirius cheerful chirping noises as he did.

"What have you been living off of lately? You both look as if you haven't had a real meal in years!"

"I haven't," he reminded me. "And we've been living off rats, mostly. We both catch them. Of course, I only do when I'm in my dog form."

"Um ew. Rats? Aren't they like infested with fleas and disease and stuff?"

"Well, it's better than nothing. But tell me about you and the Malfoy child. Are you two together or not?

"Well, it's kind of complicated. You see, his father doesn't want us together, and he threatened to take Draco away if we didn't split up. So we had a fake break up, but we're still together. But it's difficult because we have to constantly hide from other people for fear of getting caught."

"And he's willing to go to all of the trouble just to be with you?"

"Yes, he is. In fact, he helped me come up with the idea."

"Then he's a much better boy than I thought. I still don't like him though."

I chuckled softly. "I never expected you to like him. But wait a minute... How do you know so much about my life? You haven't been sneaking in the castle again, have you?"

"No, I've been keeping up my acquaintanceship with Hermione's cat Crookshanks. He told me all about it."

"Oh, okay. That makes more sense."

"Now, for the more important subject. The dreams are back?"

"Yeah. One night, they just returned. And now they aren't going away."

"Is it all of them, or just the ones about your father and the most recent ones?"

"Mostly just the ones about my father and the most recent ones. A few snippets of the others, but not really anything much. For which I'm incredibly grateful."

"It worries me that the dreams are back. Last time..."

"I know. I'm worried too. But somehow I think circumstances are different this time. At least somewhat. Last time, I could feel it coming. This time, I'm certain it's not coming yet. But still, it makes me wonder..."

"If it will be the same as always, if it will end before it should?"

"Yeah... Because it does seem to have a pattern of happening that way, and I doubt this time will be any different."

There was a thick silence between us because the conversation was so heavy and we were both lost in our own thoughts. The only sound was that of Witherwing munching on some food he's snatched from Sirius' pile. Finally, I broke the silence.

"Look, I have to get back before people realize I'm not in Hogsmeade. Take care of yourself, Sirius. Be safe."

"I could say the same thing to you. No stupid actions. I know you well enough to know that you'd try something stupid if you had the chance. But this time, don't. Try to post-pone tradition for as long as you can."

I hugged him tightly, hating the feeling of foreboding hanging over both of us, and then left. Once I was back in Hogsemeaade, I used my blue mouse to tell Draco I couldn't meet up with him today, but tomorrow I would dedicate my entire day to him. Then, I made my way back to the castle, back to the common room, and back to my bed, where I curled up and fell asleep, already expecting the terrors that awaited me in my dreams.