Disclaimer: Refer to disclaimer. As for the songs, I don't own them. One, The Last Battle, is sung by Heather Alexander and is owned by her and who knows who else. The second, Ai wo Shinjiteru, or I Believe in Our Love, is 'sung' in the translation form, not the original Japanese (don't worry, I wouldn't make you sit through THAT!). It's from the Japanese anime Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, which is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and many others, along with the singer. That song isn't entirely in order because I wanted you to be able to read the good parts, but not have to read the whole thing. (You'll understand when you read the fic.) If you want the original lyrics and translation, you can go to http://www.lyricmoon.org/lyrics/shinjite3.html .
Shades Of Gray
By princessofplanets
E-mail: princessofplanets@hotmail.com
Part 8/9"Um… 'Quel re," Alex said after a moment, still feeling shaky. The aura around this man was *SO* familiar…. He smiled.
"Actually it's 'Quel undome – good evening, not good day," he corrected gently in a lilting accent. "But I'm very impressed, Cel -- Ms. Star."
"Please, call me Alex," the blonde said, bowing slightly in an awkward manner.
"Then you must also call me Keigo," the raven-haired elf insisted. A slight blush crept across the blonde's cheeks before she forced it away.
"Thank you. But I'm afraid, Keigo-sama, that I have to say goodbye to my friends. I have to go and get ready."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he murmured, intense blue eyes watching her.
"Well, it was nice to meet you!" she said, praying her voice sounded cheerful before turning her attention to the members of the table. She murmured her goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley first, getting pulled into a tight hug by the latter. She said a formal goodbye to Bill and Charlie, who also hugged her affectionately before shaking hands with Mr. and Mrs. Granger and beginning a quick talk with her friends.
"Why are you saying goodbye, Alex?" Hermione inquired.
"Yeah, you're acting like you'll never see us again!" Ron exclaimed, still ecstatic because Hermione was his date.
"You're just singing," Harry added. Draco had a tight arm around his boyfriend's shoulder, which Alex noticed tightened even further as they talked.
"Right," Alex agreed softly. "But… You know…" She looked away, not brave enough to look her friends in the eye. "Just… in case something happens…"
Hermione frowned in confusion that Ron clearly displayed, while Harry looked only mildly puzzled and Draco held his usual mask of indifference. "Whatever, Star," he said roughly. "Get out of here, or you'll be late to your own performance." Alex blinked back tears and quickly pulled the two boys into a brief hug, also giving one to Ron and Hermione.
"Take care…" she murmured faintly as she left. Her heart tore as she left, a part of her knowing that, assuming she survived the night, nothing would be the same between them. She met Professor Dumbledore outside the Great Hall.
"Are you ready?" he inquired, smiling weakly at her. Alex nodded, her throat tight with emotion.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she whispered. "And you?"
"The same, I suppose," he replied. "And thank you again for volunteering for this, Alexandra. This way we have enough power to attract Voldemort, but we don't risk more people than necessary." Alex nodded her understanding, saying nothing.
"Well," Professor Dumbledore said. "I'd better go announce you."
"Thank you," she whispered softly. She was silent as she heard him silence the hall and proclaim her as the singer for the night, and she walked on to the stage created for her praying that her worry was hidden behind her happy mask.
"She's so much like Celeste," Keigo breathed to Malachi.
"Isn't she? They think almost exactly alike." The vampire was silent. "Keigo, you have to remember she's too young for you. "
"Believe me I know."
"Keigo, you may be her soul mate but did you even stop to consider that falling in love isn't in her plans right now?"
"Malachi…" the raven-haired elf growled warningly. "I love Celeste! I have since the beginning, since I met her…"
"In Bain, over ten thousand years ago. But she hasn't existed for those ten thousand years." Seeing Keigo's angry look, Malachi added, "I'm not questioning your love for Celeste. Or even Aileen, Michelle, and Raisa. But if you truly loved her, Keigo, you'd give your immortality up. Fate may have a twisted sense of humor, but she wouldn't be so cruel as to not allow you to be reborn so you could live your lives together."
"Don't you think I offered?" he snapped back. "Don't you think I was hurt when she refused and then DIED?!"
The vampire stood in stony silence. "We missed Alex's speech," he murmured softly. "Why don't we actually listen to her songs?"
"This first song is for – dedicated to, whatever – to the elves. I hope you like it." So saying, Alex took a deep breath and began to sing.
* * *
"Within the hill, the hollow hill the night wind seems to moan,
For empty stands the Elven hall and I dwelt here alone,
Alone to wait, alone to watch,
The weary seasons pass,
To watch our magic fade away as fragile as spun glass,
I would not battle for myself the toll claimed by the years,
My heart's song echoed note for note the falling of my tears."
* * *
Ron gaped, as did Hermione before she realized what she was doing and stopped. When Ron didn't, she forcibly closed his mouth. "Did you guys know she could sing this well?"
Harry shook his head in shock, while Draco did nothing, still attempting to figure his friend out.
* * *
" And is there yet a child of man above the hollow hill?Who hears my song and heeds my words and harks to magic still?
Is there a mortal anywhere who longs for wonder yet?
Or have they all forgotten those who never can forget?"
"One evening when the stars above the hill were diamond bright,
And all the woods were silvered by the full moon's gentle light,
I took my harp and left the hall to play where wind blew free,
When out among the shadows there approached me mortals three,
They saw me and they heard me and came to me unafraid,
Of years took child and grown were they,
These two youths and a maid."
* * *
Malachi remembered with startling clarity the day he had met Celeste and her two brothers. All three had approached him easily, even though they must have known immediately that he was a vampire by his aura. Not one of them had even shown the fear common around vampires, or even the distrust that those who weren't afraid of the undead race experienced.
* * *
"Temptation came to lure them in and yet I staid my hand,
For mortals often pine away when held in Elven lands,
And so I only smiled at them and held them with my song,
To give me treasured memories when the years grew cold and long,
And then in kindness took their hands and sent them on their way,
Bewitched their minds quite clean of me and vanished with the day.
All magic fades these latter days hemmed in by iron cold,
Yes even magic such as mine whose roots are deep and old,
It were no kindness to these three to keep them by my side,
To let the slowly fade with me for loneliness and pride,
And so, I let them go and only cast on them the spell,
To let me look into their lives to see them safe and well."
* * *
Alex felt sick. She could feel the soldiers assembling, getting ready to apparate to Hogsmeade and then travel to Hogwarts. Her limbs started trembling and she had to force them to stop and keep that same quivering from her voice.
* * *
"But not content with that tonight I thought to look ahead,
and saw them slain so uselessly by parent's strife struck dead,
It came to me to know then that they need not die by hate,
That I might with my magic battle to avert their fate,
That I could bring them back this night to dwell within my hall,
So now against hate, iron, and death I go to pit my call.
Now hear my song and heed my words and harken to me still,
I call by star and melody, by love and magic bright,
So come with me and bide with me,
I fight for you this night." * * * Slowly dancers stopped dancing as Alex murmured, still heard in her magically raised voice, " 'I fight for you this night,' minna-san -- everyone. Don't let it go to waste." For another slightly awkward moment she was silent, swallowing as she sensed Voldemort's troops coming closer to the school. "This next song was originally a Japanese song, but I'll be singing the translation for you. Its original title was 'Ai wo Shinjiteru,' or 'I believe in our love.' Um… I hope you like it." * * *
"As the heavens unfold, my infinite wings are,
Bathed in light and now I fly,
Off to tomorrow.
Please can I bury my face in your chest,
Please just for a while,
Look at me acting like a little girl,
I'm becoming such a coward."
* * *
Alex swallowed convulsively again in fear, once again attempting to ease her shaking as the Death Eaters started creeping through the Forbidden Forest.
* * *
" Although to forgive this cruelness would be unforgivable,
So now I turn my eyes towards,
Justice.
Silver Moon Crystal Power,
Please give me courage,
To continue fighting,
And believe in my proof of love."
* * *
Alex felt so alone, lost in a crowd of couples: Ron and Hermione, Draco and Harry, and all the dancing people on the floor. People she recognized from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were chatting in pairs, along with the few centaurs that were willing to come. Even the teachers seemed to have paired off, and yet it was *SHE*, the single one, singing of love.
* * *
"If anyone,
Were to die I wouldn't forgive myself,
I'm raising my face towards,
Justice."
* * *
That was why Alex picked the song, if only for those few words, knowing they expressed her feelings and wondering if anyone else would pick up on the subtle message. If anyone were to die tonight I wouldn't forgive myself…
* * *
"Believe in our dreams,
Believe in everyone,
With wings filled,
Full of courage.
Silver Moon Crystal Power,
No one should be alone,
So I continue fighting,
And believe my reason for loving."
* * *
No one should be alone, yet here I am, the blonde thought to herself. And for something that has never existed for me I will fight to the death… Imagine…
* * *
"I'm alone but still,
I ascend into the heavens,
With wings filled,
Bathed in power."
* * *
The troops were now in sight of – and spell range of – the dragons. As one of the leading cloaked figures chanted a spell Alex used her magic to spread the guarding dragons wings and force them to fly high into the clear night sky, wrapping a spell around them to take them home. Voldemort, cloaked in robes of the deepest black and an uncovered face, led his Death Eaters into the castle.
* * *
" Your heart and your beloved voice,
Though apart, I continue to fight on.
Believe in our love,
Destiny bonded us,
For millions of years we'll cross time together,
These mysterious miracles,
Are now tied to my heart."
* * *
Before Alex could continue the song the large, heavy wooden doors to the Great Hall burst open, revealing Voldemort and his fifty Death Eaters along with Dementors flanking each side. Screams erupted in the hall, echoing in the large space as people, centaurs, and elves started running.
"Stop." Voldemort's cold, merciless voice froze everyone in his or her paths. "Or this boy will die." Only then did the people realize that he held a terrified and crying three-year-old boy by the neck.
One woman screamed, presumably the mother. "Let him go, Voldemort," Professor Dumbledore ordered, standing in front of a thin gray line that had appeared, separating the wizards and witches from the Death Eaters. The other man laughed, high, cold, and mirthless.
"You think I fear you, Dumbledore?" he asked tauntingly. "You think you are more powerful than I?" He muttered a spell, and a green light shot out of his wand. It hit the line and shattered it, breaking the protective barrier. "Now I can kill any one of your people, Dumbledore. How do you feel about that?"
Alex dodged the outstretched hand of Professor McGonagall and slipped in front of the Headmaster. "If not from fear of Professor Dumbledore, then from fear of me," she replied. Sound rushed in her ears and power gathered. A silver wall rose to the ceiling, effectively protecting the partygoers. "Give him to me!"
"Why would I have a fear of my daughter?" Gasps rose in the hall and loud whisperings began.
"I am *NOT* your daughter! You're creation, maybe, but don't confuse the two!" Anger flowed through the blonde's body as she twisted a strand of magic and yanked the boy to her with it. In an instant he was being held tightly in her protective embrace.
"Do nothing unless I order you to," Voldemort told his Death Eaters.
She whispered softly into the boy's ear, calming him even as she kept her eyes on Voldemort. Backing up slowly, she extended one hand backward to find the closest wall. When her hand bumped into it she winced in pain as the powerful electricity rejected her body, though she carefully shifted the magic to allow a small portal big enough for the little boy to walk through to appear. Gently she set him down, making sure to keep her eyes on the dark wizard in front of her and to keep one hand one the magical wall. "Walk through that hole and to your Mommy, ok? I promise I'll keep you safe."
The chubby little boy nodded and walked unstably through the opening. The moment he was through she moved away from it. "Ready?" Voldemort asked lazily, almost as though he had waited for hours instead of seconds.
Alex opened her mouth, then shut it. "I'm a pacifist," she said tersely.
"This is war, whether you're a pacifist or not doesn't matter."
Swallowing her fear once again, she called the wind. "Aquilo!" The wind whipped around her head and blew her hair around. Wind.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort returned. Alex dodged the spell, allowing it to hit the silver wall of power and dissipate.
"Kaiyou," the blonde ordered in a deadly whisper. Water surged around her body, enveloping her before she pushed it out to drench and even shoved down some of the Death Eaters. Water. Immediately she called upon the trees, forcing large roots to explode from the ground and trap the robed people. She felt her energy draining, slowing her physical and magical reflexes, which was why she couldn't dodge the powerful spell that hurled her into the air and slammed her into the silver electric wall.
The girl screamed in pain, feeling nothing but her frying nerves. After a few moments the wall dropped her, allowing her to crash to the floor. As Voldemort approached her, ignoring his bound warriors, he smirked. His smile grew as he lifted her arm and dropped it. Teachers were physically holding back Draco, Harry, and Ron, while Hermione stood in shocked silence before needing *two* teachers to hold her back.
Ignoring his surroundings, Voldemort touched the tip of his wand to the young girl's inner right arm.
Alex awoke to pain beginning to burn on her arm. She weakly opened her eyes, and screamed while she pulled back when she realized what was happening to her. The darkness creeping out of the powerful wand was dragged into an unusual shape as she pulled back, forever distorting the Dark Mark scorched onto her arm. Blood started to well from the new wound.
She shoved both her arms forward as she sat up, and a large burst of power sent Voldemort flying back. As Alex stood, her legs trembled with weakness. Guys, she said weakly into the minds of Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Harry, could you please lend me some power?
She sensed their instant agreement, which was hand in hand with their confusion. How are we supposed to do that? Ron wondered inside his head.
Just trust me, she told her friends. With her mind she reached out and brushed theirs, individually and slowly. In a moment brown energy radiated from the roots binding the Death Eaters. A rusty red weaved into the silver of the wall, and a green-and-silver tinted envelope materialized in Harry's hand.
Alex breathed in deeply as she gathered power. The energy gathered in her hands, which were over her head, growing into an increasingly larger ball of silvery-gold. The blonde drew the power from her toes, making sure she got every drop along the way to her fingertips, from her heart, and finally drawing it from her mind. When she pulled her arms back down so they were in front of her, she felt herself hovering on the edge of life and death. With the small amount of remaining energy she had left, the energy keeping her alive, she pulled the slightest amount of Draco's energy to her and used the silvery green strand of energy to shove the ball of power to the now-standing Voldemort.
Goodbye, she thought sadly, feeling herself die even as she watched her power hit Voldemort and explode. The sound resonated through the Great Hall, and the heat from the explosion flowed over her body, creating large patches of burns as she was tossed back like a rag doll.
Sensing, somehow, Voldemort's death, Alex released her grip on life. Her energy had left the shields and the roots, which were now entirely dependent on the blonde's four friends, who trembled in shock and disbelief as they watched their friend's body go limp.
TO BE CONTINUED…
One last chapter! Then we get to see how everyone takes Alex's death. ^_^
Please review and tell me what you think! Or e-mail me. Once again, my e-mail address is princessofplanets@hotmail.com . I'd really appreciate any feedback. (Even flames.)