Shades of Green

In our darkest hours we have all asked for some angel to come, sprinkle his dust all around. But all our crying voices, they can't turn it around.

-The Shins

- - -

Black stared straight into gray from across the dim light of the boys dormitory.

Draco sat on the edge of his bed as he twisted his emerald and silver pinkie ring around his finger. "I just don't get it. I don't get what she sees in him. Bloody git."

He broke his gaze from Everly, who was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor, chin resting in her palms. She was midly surprised he was getting this worked up over Pansy, but then again he always surprised her. And he did enjoy a good rant now and then.

The dormitory was empty. She suspected the rest of the Slytherin boys were still in the Common Room. Draco had grabbed her arm and said he needed to talk and led her quickly upstairs.

"Enlighten me: why is every female so obsessed with Blaise Zabini?"

"Well," Everly began, "He's tall, tan, he has gorgeous eyes, and he's Italian."

"Thanks ever so."

She sighed started to get up off the floor, sniffling slightly because of a small cold. "Well, you asked."

Everly made a mental note to visit the infirmiry later for a potion to help out her head cold.

Just then, Blaise strutted into the dormitory, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. "What are you doing here, Everly?"

Before Everly herself could answer, Draco broke in. "Because I asked her to come. That's why."

She dusted the bottoms of her robes off and then crossed her arms. "It's fine, Draco. If you want me to go, Blaise, just say so."

He smirked, and then stepped aside, clearing a way for her to exit. "Well then, Everly, you know the way out by now, don't you?"

Everly shot Blaise her best dirty look and began to leave while Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. "Draco, I'll be in the dormitory if you want to continue this conversation. Apparently I'm kicked out."
Honestly, the fact that Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise had never become that fond of her did not phase Everly much. She had not been to eager to befriend them to begin with. They could at least be halfway civil, though, she decided.

She soon heard footsteps behind her coming down the hall, and immediately recognized them as Draco's. Quick, crisp, and making the distinct kind of 'tap, tap' that only expensive leather boots could muster up. Everly did not look behind her until reaching the noisy common room, where she spun on her heel to meet Draco, who stopped immediately. "You have some arsehole friends, Draco."

"Don't blame this on me," he said nonchalantly, losing the anxiousness he had had before when talking about Pansy. "And don't get all bent out of shape just because you can't stick up for yourself. You can't just let Blaise command you around."

"Listen, Draco," Everly began meekly, feeling a sudden pounding in her temples, "I'm sorry. No offense and all, but I just don't feel like hearing you preach to me about standing up for myself. And, no offense meant again, but I'm feeling sick enough as it is without hearing you gush over Pansy. So I think I'm going to head to bed early."

"Fine," he mumbled. "I'm serious about the not letting people walk all over you business. It's so un-Slytherin."

She watched him put his hands in his robe pockets, turn around, and mosey on down the hallway back towards his dormitory.

- - -

The remainder of the school year ended quickly and without much excitement. Spring came and passed, and the heat and humidity of summer was soon upon them all. Draco and Pansy, to Everly's honest surprise, had remained on bad terms. Everly knew Draco was not one to betray, but then again, it had happened plenty of times before and they ended up back together. Perhaps he took his own advice this time and stood up to her for good? Pansy, actually, had now taken a more permanent interest in Blaise. Soon after Draco had officially deserted Pansy, she and Blaise were often seen together.

Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle continued to be rude and obnoxious to Everly. Draco blamed it on the fact that Everly never stood up for herself. "I'm telling you, Ev, he's not as tough as he thinks he is. Just once I want to see you go at it with him. He'd probably cry," Draco would muse. Everly was never sure if it was because he honestly cared about Everly's well-being or if he just wanted to see a fight. It was, after all, Draco, and Everly assumed the latter was perhaps a bit more important to him.

So why did Everly remain friends with Draco? How did their friendship last, when one was so passive and the other so aggressive? When she was so eager to avoid conflict and he thrived on it? Everly herself was still not sure. She did, however, know that they enjoyed each others company. When she became tired of the Slytherin female friends she had, with their drama and unnecessary stress, Draco would be there. She suspected that in reverse, she was there for him when he was exhausted of his idiot friends. And Everly was right; she was real, and she kept him grounded.

When the time for final exams came around, Draco and Everly both did fairly good. She credited her good Potions grade to him, as he had helped her study. It was defiintley his forte.

And before the Slytherins knew it, it was the last day of school.

Everly shared a compartment on the Hogwarts Express ride home with Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle. Pansy and Blaise were annoyingly clingy with each other, Crabbe and Goyle were annoyingly stupid, and Draco was annoyingly quiet.

This was not going to be a good ride, Everly could tell already.

It dragged on very slowly. Everly busied herself with reading a magazine. Draco didn't even get up to bully any Gryffindors underclassmen down the hall, something he usually took much pleasure in. Nobody seemed to be in the mood for much talking.

The train finally pulled to a halt at Kings Cross Station.

Crabbe and Goyle were the first to sprint out of the compartment door after shouting a quick goodbye to them all. Blaise and Pansy, now holding hands, giggled with each other as they made plans to visit one another soon. They also, being oblivious as they were, blocked the door.

Draco, now fairly green in the face, looked as if he wanted to punch one - or both - of them. "If you two are done here, the rest of us should get a move-on. I mean, it's really tempting. If I had my choice I'd watch you two giggle with each other all day. Ah, young love. Unfortunately I have a busy schedule and really must be going."

Pansy's smile immediately turned into a look of disgust. "What," she began, "are you blabbing about? Honestly, Draco, nobody wants to hear you whine. Come on, Blaise. You still have to meet my mum and dad."

"Ooh, meeting the parents. What a big step," he said.

Blaise seemed torn between if he should start a fight with Draco or brush it off. The first option, he knew, and they all knew, was wisest. Although they were of the same slender build, it was a well-known fact that Draco knew a variety of charms and hexes that came in useful during fights. Pansy's cheeks flushed red. "You are such a child!"

"Well if I'm a child that makes you a pedophile."

"Draco," Everly said, not wanting to hear any more of their immaturity, "Let's go."

She tugged at his arm and led him past a fuming Pansy and an anxious-looking Blaise. They retrieved their luggage and ventured out into the loud train station.

"I suppose I'll be seeing you around soon then," she said.

"I reckon so," Draco said. "It's been fun, Ev. I'll write you."

She smiled and nodded. "It has. Well, goodbye."

Everly decided she should probably do, well, something. He wasn't the touchy-type that one would hug, so, hesitantly, Everly stuck out her hand, which he shook.

And with that, they parted ways. Everly could see Narcissa Malfoy waiting nearby. She, although looking bothered by having to wait, was obviously happy to see her son.

Now, she thought, off to find my own parents.

But the Hudson parents were not waiting patiently outside as she had expected. Nor did they arrive late, apologizing profusely, as Everly had next guessed they would.

Darkness began to fall, as Everly waited, sitting on her trunk, inside Kings Cross station, her broom beside her. Her owl was also in his cage hooting madly. Her watch read 7:49 PM.

Where could they be?

She reminded herself not to panic.

No matter, they must have forgotten.

Everly recalled the time they forgot to pick her up from a friend's birthday party a few years back and chuckled to herself. She remembered it was not unlike them to forget appointments every now and then. They were, after all, busy people.

With a small feeling of resentment, she rolled her belongings out of the station and in a matter of ten minutes found a secluded alleyway between nearby buildings. Everly leaned her broom against a dumpster while hiding her trunk behind several empty garbage pails. It would be safe, as she had an Anti-Theft spell on it. She let her owl out of his cage. He would follow her.

Everly gingerly mounted her broom and kicked off, zooming as high and fast as she could, hoping not to attract attention from anybody. Luckily, it was a foggy evening and her clothes blended nicely with the sky.

She swerved uneasily at first. Everly never had been a good flyer, and Draco often joked with her about her lousy flying skills, but she did enjoy it.

She glanced around at the ground below, and talked to herself aloud, "If the Hogwarts Express goes that way ... then home should be ... North."

The tiny, built-in, glow-in-the-dark compass on the tip of her broomstick came in very handy. Within about an hour and a half of nonstop flying, Everly had spotted the long driveway which lead to the Hudson household.

She lowered herself down to the driveway so she was only hovering about a meter over it and flew slowly, taking everything in. It was at least half a kilometer long, and lined with rosebushes, magnolias, and lush woods. The driveway was really quite beautiful and was something she liked to take in slowly.

The old stone walls of her home soon came into sight, behind gardens of more roses, lavender, and white oleander. It was a majestic structure on the most perfectly maintained bit of land.

This wasn't normal, though. Something right wasn't there.

Everly gasped aloud and dropped onto the ground from her broom, landing on her elbows and knees. She landed hard, scraping her legs, but that was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

What was that, leering so menacingly over the roof? Surely, it couldn't be-

But, it was.

Everly gawked at her house, feeling a rush of panic shoot through her body; only the sound of the summer crickets broke the silence.

A giant, shimmering green Dark Mark hovered over the tall roof, casting an eerie glow over her face.

- - -

"Oh, Draco, I'm so glad you're back, really I am," Narcissa Malfoy explained.

"Nice to be home," Draco said, and it was the truth.

She kissed him on top of the head and straightened out her robes. "Now, I need to go pick up a few things, but I'll be back soon."

"Right, then."

Narcissa walked to the other room to Floo herself off to Diagon Alley, and Draco was left alone in his house, save the elf.

He marched up to his bedroom and pushed open the heavy door, looking around.

He stared at his dark greens walls and wood floors, all immaculate. They must have finally found a new house elf since Dobby.

He spotted his Nimbus 2001 leaning against the wardrobe. Picking it up, Draco traipsed out of his bedroom, down a few flights of stairs, and out the front door.

Draco kicked off and soared into the air. He didn't care that he was still in his Hogwarts uniform, or how messy his hair would get in the wind, and how ridiculous he looked when it got like that. He didn't care that the air was almost unbearably muggy and it was almost dark, and mosquitos kept buzzing around him. Flying was a sort of therapy. Not Quidditch, but flying with no direction or meaning.

He often did this during his summer days, as he was doing now. Time had no meaning when he flew.

Draco flew aimlessly, looping and twirling, until his hair stood straight out and he was sure at least a hundred gnats were embedded in the Hogwarts uniform sweater. He finally landed, satisfied, drained, in the garden, and began to walk back towards the house.

He trudged down to the kitchen in search of something to eat and found the new house elf busying himself over sweeping the floor. The elf, who was an ugly brownish green and had a doglike snout, bowed several times before introducing himself as Strank.

"Master Malfoy, can Strank help you?"

"No."

Draco ducked under low-hanging pots and pans, and sifted through food in the pantry.

"Oh, Master Malfoy. Strank almost forgot to tell you, an owl came for Master Malfoy just nearly a minute ago. Apologies, please, sir," he gestured towards a piece of parchment that lay on the butchers table.

Draco picked it up. It was written on a small torn off piece of paper and didn't even come in an envelope. It simply read "Draco, something terrible has happened. I'm not allowed to notify anyone else. Am in the Leaky Cauldron. It's an emergency. Everly."

He reread it. He was thoroughly confused. Draco could not think of what had caused Everly to write him of all people. He knew she had plenty of relatives and family friends that she would be able to go to if she needed help. Not that he minded helping her, it just didn't make sense.

He pocketed the note and walked to the kitchen fireplace.

"Strank," he called, "If Mother returns tell her I've gone out."

- - -
Everly was surrounded by people. People of all sorts, and only few of whom she recognized. There was a Medi-Wizard who was repeatedly asking if she was alright, and was now preparing a potion for her. Cornelius Fudge stood nearby telling an eager reporter that not enough information was known yet.

The reporter, a chubby, red-faced young man, pushed his way past Fudge.

"Did you see who did it? Can you tell us about your parents a little?"

Fudge broke in. "No comment, I say! For Merlin's sake, can somebody please get this man out?"

As Tom the bartender shooed the reporter out, Fudge stepped in front of Everly. She was sitting at a table next to her broomstick. The Medi-Wizard was near, still preparing a potion. A large group of Ministry officials huddled nearby, too. She heard her name being mentioned several times.

Everly rubbed her hands over her face from exhaustion. She was confused, and Fudge was talking.

"...In the meantime, until a Malfoy comes, is there another friend you can contact? It has to be someone that is not related to you, and they cannot be particularly close with your family. Everly, you have to cooperate."

"I- I don't know. Yes, I don't know. I-" Everly realized she was yelling. She was tired of questions. She wanted to retreat to her own bed. She wondered if she would ever see it again. The words escaped from her mouth before she could realize they made no sense.

Out of the corner of her eye, Everly saw the roaring fire glow green, and Draco climbed out, looking dirty, disheveled, and confused.

"Oy, kid!" A Ministry wizard called. "You've gotta get out of here. We're closed right now. Official Ministry business going on-"

"What the bloody fuck happened?" asked Draco, gawking at Everly, whom he had spotted right away.

Everly, pale and miserable, shrugged and wondered how she could even begin to explain what happened. Luckily Fudge broke in.

"Mr. Malfoy, I would prefer it if your mother were here but since this is an emergency I will just have to trust you on it," he signed, took his hat off, wiped a sweaty hand over his head, and placed his hat crookedly back on, "There's been an emergency at the Hudson Manor. Both Astrid and William were found inside..." he cornered Malfoy as if to block Everly out of the conversation and continued in a hushed voice, "...Murdered, and judging from the clues we have gathered at the scene, we believe any relatives and close family friends of the Hudsons are in great danger, which is why Everly cannot stay with any of them."
Fudge moved from where he was standing in front of Draco. Draco stared down at Everly. He had this great abillity to mask his surprise wonderfully, even in the harshest of situations. He began to open his mouth for questions but was once again interrupted by Fudge.

"Now, I want you to take this letter home and give it to your mother straight away. For the sake of everyone, do not tell a soul Everly is staying with you. Hear me, boy?"

Draco nodded and grabbed Everly's arm and led her towards the fireplace. She followed, not even realizing where she was being pushed and pulled to.

The Medi-Wizard insisted on shoving a Calming Draught down her throat before she left, which she did not even protest.

Before she knew it, Everly was in a whirl of flames and was Flooing her way back to the Malfoy Manor, where Narcissa would jump with fright as the two stomped out of the fireplace. Malfoy would give her the letter, which she would quickly read, tell Draco to find a suitable guestroom for Everly, and rush to her study to contact Fudge. Draco would lead her to a roomy guestroom on the third floor, where he would awkwardly sit her down on the bed and tell her to make herself comfortable and try and sleep and that he would have Strank bring her dinner soon. Everly would hardly take in any of this, partly due to her state of shock and partly due to the potente Calming Draught. After Draco left she would immediately collapse onto the bed and be overtaken with heavy, dreamless sleep.

There were no problems, no questions, and no answers in heavy, dreamless sleep. Just peace of mind, something Everly would soon find very hard to come by.

- - -

Authors Notes: Yes, so there you go, Chapter Three. Thanks to reviewers. Input is always and obviously appreciated. Oh yes, so credit for a quote: the "pedophile" one is from The Family Guy. I think that's it.

Anyway thanks a lot for reading. Please comment. Reading comments makes me want to write more!

Coming up: Everly stays at the Malfoy Manor, they pay a visit to Blaise's wine cellar, Pansy makes another appearance, and much Slytherin drama ensues.