MANY THANKS AGAIN TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED!

WARNING: The yaoi (or slash, in English… or at least, not in Japanese… ^_^ ) is now coming in. You've been warned. ^_^ .

PS ~ the word 'ne' is sort of like an agreement, or 'eh'… you know, that kind of random word stuck into a phrase. ^_^

Shades Of Gray

By princessofplanets

E-mail: princessofplanets@hotmail.com

Part 5 / 9

Harry paced the length of the dorm room again. It had been almost three weeks since he cast a spell on the wall to see Alex in bed with Draco, and two weeks since he decided he had been jealous of Draco -- MALFOY! -- not Alex. It was only a week and a half to Halloween, and he had yet found a date for the dance. Throwing a quick glance to the mirror, he carefully made sure his hair was in place before heading down the stairs.

Alex glanced up as she heard a person entering the Common Room, smiling at Harry before returning to her conversation with Hermione. "Don't worry! It's nice to know that a couple of guys are interested in you, ne?"

"Yeah, definitely," the brunette agreed. "Too bad I'm going with Ron!"

"Mm," Alex agreed. "I – "

"Alex, can I talk to you?" The blonde blinked in surprise, almost as much over the question as the strange look flashing in Harry's emerald eyes.

"Yeah, sure… I guess." With a quick, wildly confused glance back at her female friend, the fifteen-year-old cautiously followed the Boy Who Lived – in a way that almost suggested she was a rabbit going into a wolf's den. "So… what's up?" Alex was twisting her hands nervously in front of her, and her breathing was uneven. She prayed to any and every god she had heard of that what she sensed from his mind was inaccurate, and she viciously tried to close her mind within its own walls.

There was a long uncomfortable -- for Alex -- silence in which Harry examined his friend's terrified gaze carefully. "I want you to go to the Halloween Dance with me."

The world swayed violently under the blonde's feet as she attempted to process the information quickly and emotionlessly. Before they were entirely under control, however, wind, water, fire, and earth responded to the feelings, howling, roaring, cackling, and rumbling in response to their turbulence.

This HAD to come now, didn't it?! Her cheeks flushed hot and cold as her thoughts behaved like a roller coaster. After a long moment, she thought, Well, he certainly was romantic with that suggestion, wasn't he? Shaking her head briefly to physically tear her from her thoughts, she grit her teeth as she replied. "I'm sorry, but I already have plans."

Then, startlingly, the raven-haired teenager exploded. "They're with Malfoy, aren't they?"

"W — what?"

"I saw you with him! Don't try to deny it! I bet you've slept with him too!" Harry was now sounding almost wild, and the surrounding Gryffindors looked up in shock.

Alex's head was aching from lack of blood and the yelling in the room added on top of her psychic awareness of Voldemort's building armies. "God, is there no way to win on this planet?!" Inwardly she was laughing at her situation. Her best friend, who she was in love with, thought she was shagging one of her other best friends. "Yes, I've slept with him, ok? But not in the way your gutter-mind is thinking of – even if I wanted to I wouldn't…" Words stopped pouring out of her mouth when she realized she couldn't yet explain the situation. Even if I could, she thought idly, I'd blush to the bone if I ever thought about repeating THAT sentence aloud!

"Look, Harry, the plans… They aren't with anyone, but I want it to be at least a semi-surprise, so…" She fell silent as she noticed her friend's anger. "Fine, come on," she ordered as she grabbed his elbow and started dragging him toward the portrait hole. The blonde frowned as he resisted, then concentrated on teleporting them into the hallway.

"Come ON!" she ordered again, this time pushing him forward as she mentally scanned the school for Draco's aura. In a moment she recognized that he was in their room, their secret place that was hidden from all others. As she marched determinedly forward, the wall transformed into a door and leapt open at her brief password – "Edro" – which was Elvish for open. Draco glanced up in surprise from the bed, an expression that changed to pure shock as he saw who followed her.

"Star, what the hell are you thinking?!" he demanded. She flinched slightly, knowing he was mad at her if he was using her surname. Alex rubbed her head slightly self-consciously, her fingers massaging the area where the star she had named herself after was hidden. As her fingers left the center of her forehead her anger returned.

"Look, Draco, I've had enough of this. If you don't tell Harry now I will."

The silver-haired boy's silver eyes were flashing. "Alex, are you crazy? I can't do that; you *WON'T* do that!"

"Just watch me!" she dared. His eyes quickly darted between the blonde and Harry, attempting to judge if she would actually do it.

"Fine," he conceded finally. "Do… Do you think I could talk to Harry in private?"

"Yeah, sure," she agreed softly. "Good luck, Draco. And Harry?" Confused, the boy looked at Alex. "Just listen, ok? Don't say anything until he finishes." With that she left, exiting the door and leaning against the soundproof wall for a moment, struggling once again with her emotions.

In a fit of anger she slammed her head against the stone wall, sinking slowly into a sitting position as tears warred with her control. "You two had better be happy," she whispered quietly. Her head and chest hurt from keeping her tears in, from lack of blood, from the total fear and worry she held inside. From her effort to forget about her upcoming death. She opened her eyes again weakly, weariness making her fall swiftly into sleep. "I'll make sure you have a future to be happy in."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside the room Draco shifted nervously before putting up his cool façade. "Take a seat," he offered, his intense eyes watching Harry carefully.

"I'll stand thanks," he replied coolly.

"Why are you here?" Draco asked suddenly. He had been amused by Harry's confusion, and even the sullen anger he was showing now, bet he didn't understand the other teenager's irritation.

"Alex dragged me here," he responded stiffly.

There was a silence as Draco rose. "Was that the only reason?" he asked, stepping close to the slightly smaller boy.

"I wanted to make sure you wouldn't hurt her."

"Why would I hurt her?" the silver-haired boy inquired, now thoroughly confused. "She's the only good friend I've got."

"All guys ever think about is sex."

Draco blinked. "Yeah, so…"

"So if you're shagging Alex you're gonna have to remember that girls don't."

As what he said sunk in Draco burst out laughing. "Me? Shag *ALEX*?!" Muttering under his breath he added, "Well *THERE'S* an unappealing idea if I ever heard one…" Louder he continued, "You know, Potter, if I didn't know better I'd say you were jealous!"

In an instant Harry was tossed back to the first day he had found out about the two blondes. Jealousy had boiled in his veins, and he unwillingly thought of the confusing weeks afterward when he wasn't sure of who it was directed toward.

"I'm not jealous," he denied through gritted teeth.

"Yes you are," Draco breathed, moving closer so his breath fell across the other boy's ear. "But who are you jealous of? Me… or Alex?"

Harry's breathing quickened as the other boy wrapped his arms around his waist and drew the raven-haired boy closer. "I'll never be jealous of you!" he exclaimed breathlessly as the silver-eyed boy rested his forehead against Harry's.

"Then that would mean you were jealous of Alex," he murmured slightly. Quickly, before the other could protest, Draco leaned in and kissed him.

Emotions swirled through the raven-haired boy, swelling and clambering for his attention. He through himself into the kiss, pressing his mouth harder to the other boy's and opening his mouth willingly when Draco's tongue ran over his lips.

The kiss continued for what seemed like hours and milliseconds and once. The couple broke apart for air before diving back together for another mind-blowing kiss. More than an hour passed before the couple changed their activity to talking, and several hours after that until they left the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex carefully left her place in the hall, dropping by the Common room to grab her books and state that she and Harry would be studying with Professor Karr before leaving for the teacher's office. When she reached the large wooden door she knocked softly.

Malachi glanced up from the papers he was grading. "Come in."

"I'm here," Alex murmured as she took her seat across from the vampire.

"You want to start our session?" The blonde nodded as she cracked open her Divination textbook first.

Three hours later Alex closed her last book and sighed with relief. "That was a *LOT* of homework!"

"Mm," Malachi agreed wordlessly. He watched as the girl yawned and stretched cramped muscles. "Alex, you don't have to do this, you know. I'd help you study regardless."

"Nani?" What? "Malachi, I said I'd do it. I have no problem with it, and its not hurting me." At her side her fingers waved slightly, tightening the power of her control. She stepped forward, exposing her neck and keeping herself from flinching as his fangs buried themselves in her neck and she released her slight control. As he drank Alex's head got lighter and she was forced to grab his shoulder to keep her knees from collapsing. No more than five minutes later she was back in her chair, resting and regaining her normal breathing rate.

"I'm – " Malachi began, his features flushed pink by the new blood.

"Don't be," Alex interrupted. She sat up, quickly healing the puncture marks on her neck as she said, "I think I've almost finished the project I told you I was working on – you know, the bottle that will be able to recreate blood perfectly if you fill it once. Hermione's been unwittingly helping me with the equations and stuff, and I've got the vial. Now I just have to enchant it, and see which ones work. It should be done before Halloween, if I can work on it!" She forced the last sentence to be cheerful, but it was difficult being the only one who knew that she was going to die by that time.

"Devil's night," she murmured softly to herself.

"Some do call it that," Malachi answered her just as quietly.

"It's just… you know, with Voldemort coming…"

"It fits?"

"Hai," she agreed softly. She started to say something else, then sat up quickly and froze. "Someone's coming," she warned quickly.

Just then a knock was heard on the door. "Come in," Malachi called, slightly wary.

Harry and Draco leaned in, then stepped forward when they saw Alex. "Um, we're just here to see Alex, sir."

"Ah," Malachi said. "I have one thing to say to her before she leaves, but if you're done with the work, Alex, then I don't see why you can't go."

"Okay…" Harry scratched his head. "We'll be outside, 'k?"

"Right," Alex murmured in reply. Malachi focused on her as the two boys left the room.

"Draco and Harry are together?" The blonde nodded, not questioning how he knew the information. "How are you taking that?"

"Fine. Why?"

"I just got the impression you had a crush on Harry, that's all."

Alex laughed slightly as she stood and turned to leave. "Yeah. So?"

"Alex, you're an intelligent young woman – "

"There's three things against me. Can you think of any more?" the girl asked, slightly bitterly. When she saw the teacher was about to speak again, she said, "Don't worry, I know being intelligent isn't a downside. I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" Malachi frowned, but nodded, dismissing the fifteen-year-old.

As she rejoined her friends, Harry briefly explained, "I went back to the dorm looking for you, and Ron said that you and I had been studying with Professor Karr."

"I figured it would give me the extra time to think up an excuse if you didn't come back tonight," Alex said, pointedly looking at Draco. Harry flushed a brilliant red as she continued, "I had a session planned for tonight anyway, so I couldn't be late." She was quiet for a while before asking, "So other than stuff I don't want to hear about, what stuff have you guys been doing?"

"We organized a game of strip poker!" Draco offered. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," Harry confirmed. "Ron, Fred, George, Dean, and Seamus are going to be there, along with Hermione and Lavender."

"Hermione?!"

Harry nodded. "But see, Alex, we sort of have a problem…"

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "And what might that be?"

"Because Ron's straight and Fred and Dean are bi, we promised there would be at least three girls…" Draco explained.

"And you only have two."

"Not exactly," Harry murmured. Even Draco looked slightly nervous to Alex's trained eye, knowing that she wouldn't like what she would hear.

Quickly, the silver-haired boy mumbled, "Wekindasortatoldthemyou'dplay."

Alex stopped as she attempted to translate the nearly incomprehensible words. "You did *WHAT*?!?!?!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

*Frown* I don't think I did Draco well. *Sigh* He's a really complex character, and I don't think I showed that well.

I'm going to say this: I can only tell those who review when I update my sequel… *Hint, hint!* I accept any reviews (even flames, as long as you explain what you don't like/hate) and I appreciate ALL of them. To think, some people actually take time out of their day to tell me what they think about my story… *Wipes away a tear of happiness.* Ja!