The Sunrise of My Heart

Over the next couple of weeks, Harry seemed to be very distracted by something. He also seemed to spend an awful lot of time staring at Draco. If I didn't know any better, I would have asked him is he was harboring a secret love. And, come on, this is me we're talking about here. Of course I asked him.
"So, you fancy shagging Draco or something?" I rather bluntly asked him one day. I was eating lunch at the Gryffindor table because I felt like I had been spending more time with Draco than with them, and I didn't want to look like I was playing favorites.
"What?" he asked, looking at me in a horrified way. Ron choked on his food and had to cough for a few minutes before he was able to properly breathe again. Hermione, of course, was sitting nowhere near us. Lavender was talking to her friends, thankfully. That bitch got on my nerves with all her Won-Won talk.
"You've spent almost all of your time these past two weeks just staring at Draco. It's been my experience that if a guy stares at someone that much, he usually wants to sleep with them."
"And has that happened to you often?" Ron asked, snickeritng.
"Ron, I managed to seduce Sirius Black, Draco Malfoy, Salazar Slytherin, and Godric Gryffindor. Without trying. What do you think?"
He nodded before going back to his food.
"Now, back to my point. Why are you so obsessed with Draco?" I asked, once again looking at Harry.
"He's still on about that whole Death Eater thing," Ron said with a slight eye roll, lowering his voice so no one around us could overhear our conversation.
I frowned, looking across the Great Hall to where Draco was sitting. Honestly, I had a feeling Harry was on the right track. Still, I didn't want to encourage him to continue snooping. If Draco was a Death Eater, I couldn't imagine he was very thrilled about it. Not that he'd ever admit it. But Harry trying to pry into his business would not settle well with Draco. A cornered animal will become dangerous if provoked.
"I don't know," I said, leaning in towards Harry. "I mean, let's face it. Draco's a bit of a coward. Do you really think he has the guts to do the evil commands of the Dark Lord?"
"Maybe not by himself. But if he had to, like if his life was being threatened or something, I bet he'd do anything Voldemort asked him to."
I chewed my lip, hating that Harry was probably right. Death Eater or not, I did not want to think that Draco was capable of seriously hurting or killing another person, not even at the cost of his life. I wanted to believe that he would be more noble than that. But I did not put much stock behind my hopes.
"Hmm. Maybe. Still, I think people will start to get the wrong idea about you if you continue to gawk at him so much. I mean, you've only had one girlfriend here at Hogwarts, and that ended horribly. It wouldn't take much to question where your interests lie..."
"Riley, you know where my interest lie," Harry said, looking at me incredulously.
"Sure, I do. But do other Hogwarts students really know? Think about it."
He frowned, apparently seeing my point. "Right, fine. I'll stop staring at him so much. But I'm still keeping an eye on him. I'm telling you, he's up to no good. And I'm gonna find out what it is he's planning on doing."
I sighed and shook my head. "Obsessions are so unhealthy. You know that, right?"
"I'm not obsessed. I'm just worried."
"Whatever you need to tell yourself," I said lightly. "So, Ron," I said, changing the subject. "You've got a birthday coming up soon right?"
"Yeah," he said, looking a bit surprised I knew this.
"What would you like? I can write my mo-- aunt and have her purchase anything in the world for you. I'm not good at getting people gifts, so just tell me what you want." Despite the weeks that had passed, I still sometimes found myself forgetting that I had lost my mother. It was just habit for me to assume that she was home, waiting for me to write her.
"I dunno," he said, looking suddenly like a house-elf in the spotlight. "You don't have to get me anything."
"Oh, boo," I said, with a wave of my hand. "My aunt's filthy rich with nothing to spend her money on. Which means she's very much into extravagant gifts. So, what do you want? It can be something small, like candy, or big, like a car. Well, maybe not a car. She does have her limits, after all."
"I, er..." he said, wracking his brains for a gift that he wanted but wouldn't feel weird asking for. Nothing seemed to come to his mind.
"It's on the next Hogsmeade trip isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, great. I'll spend five or ten minutes of your time taking you around and you can pick something from the shops while we're there. Then I'll give you back to Lav-Lav." I smirked at him.
He grumbled under his breath but didn't say anything out loud because Lavender chose that moment to lean over and grab his arm, resting her head on his shoulder and grinning like an idiot.
"I'm so excited for my Won-Won's birthday! I've got his gift already planned out! You're going to love it!" she squealed to him.
"Great," Ron said rather unenthusiastically. But Lavender somehow managed to completely miss his tone of voice.
"So you won't mind if I borrow him for just a few minutes on his birthday, then, right? I have no idea what to get him, so I thought I'd just walk around Hogsmeade with him for a bit and he could pick something while we were there."
She pouted, staring at me for a few moments. Evidently deciding I wasn't a threat to her relationship with him, she relented. "Fine," she said with a pout. "But bring my Won-Won back to me as soon as you can!"
"I'll be sure to do that," I promised, hiding my eye roll.
Unfortunately for Ron, the Hogsmeade trip ended up being cancelled. Thanks to my connections (which is, thanks to my persistent bothering of Snape), I managed to find this out ahead of time, so I was able to make arrangements for Ron's gift despite the fact that we wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade and pick it out. I only hoped he liked it, since I hadn't had his opinion when choosing what to get.
Ron, of course, was deeply upset by the cancellation. "It was on my birthday! I was looking forward to that!"
"Not very surprising though, is it?" Harry asked. "Not after what happened to Katie."
"But now all I've got to look forward to is stupid Apparition! Big birthday treat..." Ron seemed very glum about this turn of events. I felt very bad for him. A ruined birthday was a big deal, after all.
On Ron's birthday, I had planned on waking up early so I could surprise him with his gift. (Also, I was going to enjoy the look of shock on his face when he woke up to find me standing beside his bed, grinning at him like a total psycho. What can I say? I get my kicks out of other people's discomfort.) Anyways, back to my point. I had not planned on having bad dreams, although I should have. I always had bad dreams after someone dear to me died, and whenever there was a great threat to my life and the lives of those I cared about. And Voldemort being powerful and on the loose was definitely what one would call a great threat.
This particular dream was of Amanda Valentine. She stood in the Great Hall late at night, ignoring the curfew rules, basking in the moonlight that came in through the large windows. As she stood with her back to the doors, someone quietly crept in, watching her. The figure moved to her side without a word, slowly taking her hand. Amanda turned to face him, gazing up into his eyes without breaking the silence. And then (this part always makes me sick) the boy kissed her. Not deeply or passionately, or even with any real emotion. It was a small kiss, one that lasted no longer than a few seconds. It was like he wanted to know what a kiss felt like, and she was his best option to find out.
After this, the dream changes scenes. It is a few days later, and Amanda wakes up on the floor of a large chamber, her head aching and her senses confused. She has seen this place before, but between her pounding head and still blurry eyes, she cannot quite figure out where she is. The last thing she remembers is wandering the halls late at night, effectively avoiding any teachers on the lookout for students out of bed. After that, everything goes black. She slowly starts to sit up, moving slowly so she doesn't upset her head any more. And then she sees him. Standing a few feet away, watching her with those unreadable eyes of his. Finally, she realizes where she is. The Chamber of Secrets. In a year, the monster within will be unleashed on Hogwarts, resulting in terror and even a death. But she does not know that. All she knows is that this place holds many nightmares for her, and it haunts her dreams.
"Why am I here?" she asks the boy, slowly standing up.
"It's fascinating what one can find out with enough research," the boy says, ignoring her question. "Things you never thought could be possible are revealed before your very eyes to be the truth."
"Tom, please, get me out of here!" She is trying not to freak out, trying not to give in to the horrible memories this place holds, trying not to see the cold, heartless look in the eyes of the boy standing in front of her.
"Leave? Why would you want to leave? What's wrong with my Chamber? You act like you've been here before..." He stares at her, his eyes full of knowledge.
"Oh," she says, finally focusing on him and not the Chamber. "So you know, then. But I still don't understand. Why did you bring me here?" The terror she feels is almost crippling, making it hard to breathe.
"I thought it would be amusing to bring you back to this place. I knew you'd love it." He gives her a cold, terrifying smirk.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I wish to conquer death, obviously. And if I can learn more about the way your curse works, perhaps I can figure out how to change it up, make it so that the body does not die at all. Maybe I can make it so that the magic will protect me from death all together." The gleam in his eyes is maniacal, threatening. She feels like the walls are closing in on her. All this time, she had truly believed him to be her friend. He had tricked her and deceived her, and now she was seeing the monster he really was.
He attacks her then, making her immobile. Then he speaks in an evil language, one she has heard before. Soon, something begins moving behind her. She can feel its presence as it moves closer. The basilisk. While she lays there, screaming in agony, he stands and watches her death with interest, waiting to see if there is any sign to show what brings her soul back to a new life. If there is one, she does not know it. She is only aware of pain and sorrow and, finally, sweet oblivion.
I woke from my dream, rubbing my eyes and opening them slowly. As I did, I stared into a pair of groggy, confused, shocked gray eyes. There were two yells of surprise, one from me and one from the owner of the gray eyes, and we both flinched away from each other, effectively causing both of us to fall out of the bed we were in.
"Riley, what the bloody hell??" Draco yelled, standing up and glaring at me from across the bed.
"Am I in your dorm, or are you in mine?" I asked, rubbing my head from where I had bumped it on the floor.
"Pretty sure you're in our dorm," a shocked voice came from behind me. I turned around to see Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle, all sitting in their beds and staring at me in total surprise. "Did you and Malfoy shag last night?" Blaise looked a little horrified at the prospect.
"Do I look like I just got laid?" I asked impatiently, then suddenly realized I had no idea what I was wearing. I glanced down, relieved to find I had on pajama pants and a tank top. Not exactly just-got-laid attire.
"What were you ding in my bed?" Draco hissed, glaring at me.
"Hell if I know! I was dreaming deeply, and the next thing I know, I wake up here. I was sleepwalking, obviously."
"What, exactly, were you dreaming about?"
"Uh... This girl. And her friend. Well, not her friend. He was an ass. But she thought he was her friend. During, like, the forties. And she died." I gave him a pointed look, hoping he would get that it was a memory, and therefore could not be properly shared out loud.
"And why did that result in you sleepwalking to my bed?" he asked, crossing his arms and giving me a cold look.
I was silent for a few moments before answering. "Because I subconsciously associate you with the boy in my dream. It's a dream I've had often, and I can't help but compare you to that boy."
"Oh? And what's this boy like?"
"Cold. Arrogant at times. Dark. Misguided."
"He sounds like a great guy," Draco said with a smirk.
"I will hit you. You know this, yet you still evoke my wrath. I'm starting to think you're a little thick in the head."
There was a snigger behind us. I turned back to see Blaise, a cold smile on his face as he laughed at my comment. Is it like a requirement that if you're in Slytherin, you have to perfect a cold smile first?
"Okay, well as fun as this has been, I'm going to leave now. Because, quite frankly, you're all assholes and prolonged exposure to your presence is not good for my health. So, good day, gentlemen." I left quickly before one of them could get offended at being called assholes. Also, that whole situation was just awkward.
It was quite a bit later than I had planned on it being when I brought my gift to Ron, but that was all right. He'd understand, I was sure. I walked to the Gryffindor common room, net even bothering to change out of my pajamas. It was Saturday, after all, and I felt like being lazy. I did, however, brush my hair and teeth. I had my limits. I was not prepared for what would happen next. I walked into the Gryffindor common room just in time to see Ginny, her eyes desperate and wide, rushing past me.
"Ginny?" I asked, turning back to follow her. "Ginny, what's wrong?" I grew worried. Her expression and her pace meant something bad had happened.
"It's Ron," she said, quickening her pace. "He's in the Hospital Wing."
"Why? What's happened? Is he okay?" I quickened my pace to match hers. We were nearly running down the hallways at this point.
"He's been poisoned."