Shades of Gray

They say there's light magic and dark magic. But is there gray magic? I mean, gray's all around us. It's in the print of the Daily Prophet, it's in those old films we see in Muggle Studies (if Muggles can move in film, why not in their other printed media? Weirdos...), it's even the colour of the sky sometimes. Despite the dichotomy of magic presented in Defence Against the Dark Arts, it hardly seems applicable to everyday life.

Looking around, I see more evidence of this-even without the Sorting Hat, students are sorted into houses based on their perceived personalities. Gryffindors are often brawny, but every so often one comes out on top in exams (look at the 1999 N.E.W.T. results if you don't believe me). Hufflepuffs are supposedly the exact opposite, that every so often they win a quidditch match (one back in '93 comes to mind). Ravenclaws are wise, but as any member of Dumbledore's Army can tell you, wisdom can also translate to deceit. And as cunning and ambitious as Slytherins can be, that doesn't mean that bravery is anathema to them. Just look at the inscriptions under the portraits of past headmasters. Or at least one of them...

In essence, there are no absolutes. There's always shades of gray...just like the gray text of the Daily Prophet's crossword, a.k.a. the one thing that's allowing me to hold off exam revision.

Hmm...does procrastination have two t's at the end or one?