Dear strawberry

Right after breakfast, an owl flew in through the window, stepped dignifiedly on Ernie's head, and landed in front of me, waiting for me to open the letter it carried.

"A letter in the morning?" Ernie frowned. "Sunny, this is the tenth letter you've received."

"Ernie, don't be jealous that I have friends." Without paying him much attention, I quickly finished my bowl of oatmeal, fed the owl, and opened the letter. Ernie, leaning over me, read aloud: "Dear strawberry… strawberry? Sunny, when did you change your name?"

Look at that, spying on me!

I quickly folded the letter and looked at Ernie. "Any comments?"

"No, I just think your name sounds fine; you don't need a nickname, do you?" Ernie said. Then, curiously, he added, "So how do you call Malfoy?"

"Dear green apple. Okay, okay, Mrs. April will be here soon, hurry and go to the studio," I said as I pushed Ernie and turned to the owl. "Dear, come here, I'll respond now."

From time to time, Draco and I would call each other with little nicknames we came up with.

While waiting for Mrs. April to arrive, I quickly wrote a response to Draco.

"Dear Draco, I will visit you tomorrow afternoon. Your Sunny."

In his letter, Draco said that he had thought of something important since early morning and that's why he was writing so early: "The natural blooming period of the jasmine flowers is about to end. Though magic can keep them open…"

I'm not stupid. I know that Draco mentions the beauty of the jasmine at Malfoy Manor because he wants me to visit again. Then he insisted that I should make him a birthday present. Clearly, Draco wants me to go to his house and play.

Girls need to be reserved and can't easily visit a boy's house, so I still haven't found the right moment to talk about it with my parents. But this hasn't stopped Draco and me from sending letters; in fact, it's still not even September, and we've exchanged seven letters already.

Draco says Malfoy Manor is perfect for a broom, and Ernie is still terrified when he remembers what Draco and I did on our birthday. "Sunny, didn't you say you'd stop riding a broom?"

I smiled. "Did I say that?"

I'm sure I only said I wouldn't ride Ernie's broom anymore. But that's Draco's broom; he won't hurt me.

"Definitely, Malfoy is like your brother," Ernie ignored me.

Mrs. April came to fetch me in a good mood, while Ernie looked grumpy. The teacher looked a bit puzzled. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, ma'am, Sunny is in love with the Malfoys," Ernie answered. "With Draco."

"Shut up!"

Mrs. April: ?

"Malfoy... that Malfoy?" Mrs. April frowned, not sure what to think, and then smiled at me. "Sweetheart, it seems like since your birthday, you've really liked Draco."

"Um... well, because he's really cute, right?" I tried to sound serious.

"Alright, dear. Let's check your levitation spell and review the history of magic from yesterday…" Mrs. April started the class.

Today's assignment wasn't difficult. Ernie was rewarded with a flight to the courtyard for his good performance. I'm not interested in flying, but I was a little curious about what Mrs. April had mentioned before. So I asked, "Ma'am, do you know anyone from the Malfoy family?"

Mrs. April sighed, holding her forehead. "Well, if we're talking about the Malfoys, one of the twenty-eight pure-blood families, I know them. They're relatives of some friends. As for Mr. Malfoy, Sunny, you're right to be cautious around him."

"He used to..." Mrs. April chose her words carefully. "Maybe he did some bad things."

I have some doubts. Although Mr. Malfoy seems a little cold, what could he have done wrong? However, Mrs. April said he's still young and will learn some things later. When I heard this, I knew she wouldn't talk more about it, so I didn't ask further.

"You're not very Gryffindor at all. You should be more curious and adventurous," she said.

"But ma'am, maybe I don't want Mr. Malfoy's issues to affect my friendship with Draco," I replied. "We should see things with our own eyes, right?"

"... I often wonder if you're more suited for Ravenclaw or Slytherin," Mrs. April sighed. "Anyway, Ernie is more suited for Hufflepuff. Compared to you, he's truly an honest boy."

Honest Ernie ended up face-first in the grass when his broom landed, and I couldn't help but laugh at him as his sister.

Draco didn't reply, and I guessed that maybe Mrs. Malfoy had already told him that I was coming to Malfoy Manor with my mother for afternoon tea tomorrow.

Unlike the Malfoy family, who has graduated from Slytherin for generations, our family is more inclusive. My father graduated from Slytherin, and my mother from Ravenclaw, where she received a good education. They were two years younger than the Malfoys, and their relationship in school was good.

"What birthday present did you prepare for Draco?" Mom asked me. Although she knew it was just an excuse for the two friends to meet, she still cared.

"Mom, it's perfume," I replied cheerfully, thinking about seeing Draco tomorrow. "I made it with Mrs. Avril, who taught me how to use the cauldron."

"I don't quite remember Miss White's potions," Mom hesitated, worried that we might have prepared a questionable potion that would poison the only son of the Malfoy family.

I pursed my lips and showed her the list of ingredients. She read it and seemed a little surprised. "This is unexpectedly normal, but this perfume is a bit…"

"It smells good," I assured her.

"Actually," she nodded, smiling helplessly. "Alright, dear, go to bed early and wake up looking beautiful tomorrow."

I remembered what Mrs. April had mentioned and couldn't help but ask my mom if Mr. Malfoy would be home.

"Lucius? He has something to attend to… Tomorrow, only Cissy, that is, your Aunt Narcissa, will be home," Mom replied. For some reason, I felt relieved.

I guess I'm a bit of a coward, as I'm somewhat scared of Mr. Malfoy.

But since Mr. Malfoy won't be home tomorrow, that's great; after all, I just want to see Draco, not his dad.

The next day was Saturday, and neither Ernie nor I had class. It rained in the morning, and I was very worried. If it kept raining, wouldn't I miss seeing Draco riding his broom in the courtyard? Fortunately, the rain stopped by noon, and the day turned into a bright, sunny one.

Ernie complained that Mom and I hadn't taken him along and chose to go hang out with Dad in the Muggle world. "I don't like that Malfoy."

I made a face. "You don't have to like Malfoy either!"

Since it wasn't a formal gathering, we didn't need to enter through the main door. My mom gave me Floo powder, which is common for children from magical families.

But I won't say anything—I practiced saying "Malfoy Manor" many times in my room, and I'm absolutely not afraid of going to the wrong fireplace.

After a brief dizziness, I arrived in the Malfoy living room. My mom, who had arrived first, helped me out of the fireplace. I noticed that Draco immediately stood up when he saw me, his eyes lingering on my hair (because I was wearing that clip), then he looked at me and smiled.

Mom cleared her throat, and I reacted, pretending nothing was happening as I greeted Aunt Narcissa. "Good afternoon, Aunt Narcissa. Hello, Draco."

Draco, finally realizing, replied politely, "Aunt Mandy, good afternoon. Hello, Sunny."

"Mandy, I've prepared your favorite black tea and tiramisu," Aunt Narcissa invited my mom to sit, then looked at Draco and me with a serious smile. "Now, Mandy and I need to talk a bit. It's an adult matter, Draco, could you please accompany our little guest?"

"Of course, Mom," Draco said, clearly wanting to leave the adults' conversation quickly.

"Sunny, I've prepared some cookies," Aunt Narcissa smiled at me. "Draco said you like them a lot."

"…"

I looked at Draco, who remembered my favorite treats. He pretended not to hear and led me upstairs.