The Sunrise of My Heart

For the remainder of lunch, all I could do was wonder what I had done to make Adrian hate me so. I was also wondering how he had figured out about my reincarnating. I couldn't think of anyone who would tell him, or any way that he could have found out. It was as I was thinking about him that I started to get annoyed. I hadn't done anything to Adrian to deserve this. What was his problem?
With my new anger boiling in my veins, I waited until our next break before setting off to find Brendan. He thankfully seemed to be more of a loner, so I found him alone. No one was around. His back was to me, giving me the opportunity to figure out what I was going to say. When it looked like he was about to walk away without even realizing I was there, I stopped thinking and just started talking.
"Dove!" I snapped.
He turned around and looked at me, quickly covering his shock with a look of haughtiness. "Who are you?" he asked coolly.
"Don't mess with me. I'm not a very friendly or stable person. What the hell is your problem? And your dad's? Seriously, what did I do to him?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered, his voice going even colder.
"Oh, really? All right, I'll refresh your memory. You sent me forty freaking roses, on your dad's orders, to warn me. To count down, am I right? Each rose represents a day. What happens when the days run out? Do I die? Does your dad kill me? How does he plan on doing it since I'll be protected here at Hogwarts?"
"You're insane," he said rudely. "My father would never kill anyone." I could see him mentally debating over whether or not he should continue to play oblivious. Thankfully, he chose not to. "And he's only giving your family what it deserves."
"Oh really? What does my family deserve? What has my family done to yours? My mom's a Muggle, you half-wit! She can't do anything to your family. And my dad? Yeah, he's dead. Has been for years. So enlighten me. What have we done to anger you?"
"My father has his reasons," he answered stubbornly, narrowing his eyes at me.
"Your father has issues, not reasons. You think helping him will make him like you, don't you? You think this will earn his love and affection. But it won't. I know Adrian Dove. He's self-centered, spoiled, and cruel. You will never be anything more than a pawn to him, something that can be lost without any grief."
"How dare you speak about my father like that?" he hissed angrily, drawing his wand.
"Before you hex me, tell me something. Has your father ever mentioned a girl named Roxanne?"
"No," he answered, aiming his wand at my heart.
I scoffed lightly. "Of course he hasn't. So, do you have any aunts or uncles?"
He was looking at me suspiciously, his wand still aimed at me. "Of course not. He's an only child."
"Oh really? If you put away your wand, I'll tell you a secret about your father. You see, my father went to school with him. They were in the same year. They knew each other. And your father has been lying to you."
Slowly, he lowered his wand. "What do you mean?"
"Adrian Dove had a twin sister named Roxanne. She was in Gryffindor, unlike the rest of the Dove family. She became close friends with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. If you go home over the Christmas break, you should ask him about her. Ask him why he never mentioned her. Ask him what happened to her. And then you can come talk to me, and I'll tell you the truth."
"My father wouldn't lie to me."
"Then why did he tell you he was an only child?"
"How do I know you're not lying about his sister?" he challenged.
"Good question," I answered. "Come with me. I can show you proof. Hogwarts keeps a record of all its students." He hesitated for a moment before nodding and following me. We made it to a hallway that no one ever really walked down. Along the walls were paintings of each class that had come through these halls. The paintings were of the students in their seventh years.
"For each class that's about to leave, they have a class painting done," I said. "This," I pointed to a specific one, "is your father's class. Look there. Adrian Dove, Slyhterin. Roxanne Dove, Gryffindor. The resemblance is unmistakable."
"What does this have to do with you?" he asked after awhile.
"Fourteen days before her wedding, Roxanne Dove received a bouquet of fourteen roses just like the ones your father had you send to me."
"So?"
"Why don't you ask your dad what happened to her when you go home for the break," I answered.
"All right, I will. That still doesn't answer what this has to do with you."
"Your father most likely intends to kill me or destroy my life in some other way. I just don't know why. Did he tell you anything about why he's getting revenge?"
"You dared to flaunt something that you have that he thinks only one person should have. I didn't get anything else out of him. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving." He gave me one last cold look before departing.
I flaunted something that only one person should have? What? That just sounded creepy and incestuous. What did I flaunt? How had I flaunted something to him when I hadn't seen him since I'd died as Roxanne? Actually, I hadn't actually seen him since about a month before the wedding. What did he mean, I had flaunted something? All of these questions were starting to make my head hurt.
Finally, the answer came to me. "You've got to be kidding me," I said. "He's pissed that I reincarnate. He's a freaking Death Eater. I'd bet my soul on it. I flaunted something that only one person should have. I come back from the dead, but he thinks the only person that should be impossible to kill is his freaking master. God, Voldy is really starting to piss me off with all this popping up and ruining my lives." With an angry huff, I made my way to the Defense classroom so I could find Snape.
"Miss Carson," he said coldly when I found him in his office.
"Hey, Sev," I said. He opened his mouth to correct me, but I shook my head. "Don't tell me to call you "professor" again. The only time I'll call you that is when we're in class. You are still Severus to me, the boy who was one of my closest friends."
"What do you need?" he asked, his voice dripping with icicles.
"I need to ask you if you can confirm the identity of a Death Eater for me."
He raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"I think he's trying to kill me. It's Adrian. I have this whole theory, but it all kind of relies on him being a Death Eater. Is he?"
"I do not know the identity of all the Death Eaters. Only the Dark Lord knows that."
"But you'd know if he was one. So is he? Don't worry, I'm not gonna go running off to the Ministry or whatever, telling them you told me. I just need to know." He didn't answer me, but I noticed the tiniest nod come from him. "Thought so. Is he a big fanatic? Really into it and stuff? Super fond of Voldy?" Another tiny nod accompanied by an eyebrow raise at my nickname for Voldemort. "Thought so. Then yeah, he's trying to destroy me somehow. Don't ask for proof, it's a long story. But I didn't know what else to do, so I came to you. You always knew how to comfort me when I was freaking out."
"Without proof, there's not much I can do. But I'll keep an eye out for him."
"Thanks. That's actually comforting." I smiled.
"Where are you spending the Christmas break?"
"At the Weasley's. I think I'll be safe there."
He sneered lightly before nodding. "I suppose Dove wouldn't be stupid enough to attack you with a Ministry worker around. Even one as low as Arthur."
"Hey, be nice. Mr. Weasley could kick some serious butt if he had to."
He didn't answer, but I'm pretty sure I heard him scoff. I rolled my eyes lightly before smiling at him. "Well, thanks. I guess I should get to class now." I waved in farewell and left. Despite knowing I probably wasn't safe, having him be aware of my situation made me feel a lot better. I suppose it's because, even though I had reason not to, I trusted him completely.