Don't call me Phil

Xenophilius Hezekiah Lovegood. 22. Ravenclaw. Aversio. Journalist for The Daily Prophet.

[xen-lovegood]

uncommcnlykcnd‌:

Lily couldn’t remember the last time she had seen her family. It was intentional and entirely her own doing, but it was for the better. The less they knew about where she was, or what she was doing, meant that theoretically they could be safer. Muggles didn’t have a place in a magical war, and wouldn’t have wanted her to be part of it were they to know. But she didn’t have a choice, to turn on magic was to turn on everything and there wasn’t a chance in that happening. Of course, being away from her parents was difficult, but it saved the searing pain of having to see Petunia. To constantly be reminded that in her sister’s eyes, she had no place among the Evans family anymore. Magic meant she was shunned, a freak, at least to her sister and Vernon Dursley. How her sister married a man that hideous, Lily would never know. But it wasn’t her place to, not anymore.

Whether she saw them now or not, Lily missed them terribly. It was growing more painful by the day to keep her distance, but it was all for the best. At least, that was what she hoped, what she told herself when things felt tiring. More often than not, the redhead found herself waking up craving the comfort she was raised in. Felt the cold and dire feeling of the safehouse the Order had claimed and instead wished she was smelling breakfast, hearing her parents chatter as they began their mornings in the kitchen. Those days were long gone, but oh she missed them terribly, and more so by the day. 

As time went on, Lily found herself thinking of them more and more often. It would be the easiest solution, she figured, to give up magic and return to them. Live out her life as a Muggle instead of accepting what was happening, but that would be a cowards move. Magic was too much part of her to ever give up now, and to leave it behind meant walking away from far too many people. Lost in her thoughts, the woman barely noticed anyone nearby until they began speaking. Jumping slightly, she glanced up, green eyes landing on the blonde nearby with ease. Eyebrows creased together in confusion for a moment, and then remained that way in concern. Xenophilius wasn’t someone she knew particularly well, but she had heard her share of stories. “What’s happened?” She asked, unsure of what else there really was to say, without more details.

Xen chewed on their lip, their fingers moving to run circles around the lip of their pint glass. They had worried the war might reach far enough to impact their parents--their mum especially--but they had also hoped Aversio could bring it to an end before it would. They also hadn’t imagined it would impact their father like this. Xenophilius and Obadiah were had very little in common, but their house was one of them. It was Obadiah who had fueled his son’s love and fascination with magic. His father had taught him charms and potions not in the books at Hogwarts and was the leading reason he had easily surpassed expectations for every reverse engineering assignment set to him at school. Their home had always been filled with little charms to make things run a little smoother and his mother had been taking potion to keep her hair golden not gray for years now. Leaving magic behind would destroy his father. But no one who had ever met them could say that Obadiah loved magic even half as much as he loved his wife.

Xen had just been openly expressing frustration to the ethereal abyss more than he had been saying it to anyone in particular when Lily responded to him. He looked at her with a sigh. She was his second favorite red headed underclassman (could anyone really compete with Marlene?) and she was better than the company she kept at least. Xeno had never been much of a fan of the self-congratulatory so-call ‘Marauders’--least of all James. Lily had to be a saint to tolerate him. A saint or stupid. Or very cognizant of the fact that the Potter family had their very own vault at Gringotts. Regardless of the reason, she had more patients than Xenophilius did. The only one of the quartet he didn’t mind being around was Remus. He wasn’t quite sure how she did. But then Severus had never exactly been fun company either. Perhaps she just needed better friends. Even if she didn’t, they needed someone to talk to.

“The Ministry’s sent my father a cease and desist order for doing magic in front of my mum,” he grumbled, teeth tearing at the skin around his nails. “If she wanted to turn him in, then she would have done it the year he spilled polyjuice potion on her begonias and killed them all. The blood purists worried about ‘cleaning the blood flow’ because they’re worried about wizards like you and I.” Everyone knew Lily was among the brightest witches her age. And while the professors may no be singing the praises of Xenophilius Lovegood for their own reasons, but he knew his spell base could easily take down the likes of Aidan Avery or Lucius Malfos. “They’re doing this to manipulate us into silent. To thin out the ranks. It’s a power play by the Death Eaters, no something the Ministry is genuinely concerned about.” 

[xen-lovegood]

Early November

@hcstia-joncs

The first few publications of The Quibbler--so named for the noun meaning an objection or criticism, as they were doing with the Death Eaters and pure blood culture, so he had tried numerous times to explain to Marlene--had gone off well. Xen’s fingers were stained with ink, despite the purchase of an enchanted printing press bought with funds donated to him by the McKinnon. He was finally not only getting his pieces published, but publishing them himself so he could say whatever he wanted however he wanted to say it. There was no more need for censorship, there was no more need for anything other than the unfiltered truth. Word was going to get out much more quickly now. But if they were going to resort to the guerrilla distribution techniques he had in mine, he was going to need some help to do so. Sure, he could manage to publish the entire thing himself, but it had only been with the use of numerous energy potions that probably weren’t particularly healthy for prolonged use.

They needed another columnist (or columnists really) to join the paper and they knew exactly who their top choice was. It was Hestia who had taken the risk to publish the truth. She had lost so much only for doing the right hing. If anyone had a quibble to make, it was Hestia. She had always been a strong writer for the Prophet and she was on the right side of things after all. She was his first choice for the first person to write with him on the paper, so he’d sent her an owl asking her to meet at the same cafe where they’d talked the day her momentous article had been published.

“Morning. Good to see you,” he said looking up from his latte with a smile when she joined him. “Look, I’ll get right to it. No sense in wasting time when we know what we want. You’ve probably heard about my new paper, the one I started after the Prophet burned. I want to put together a load of issues to disperse at the World Cup. But having only one journalist in the whole thing isn’t very journalistic, now is it? And if I want to keep it going, I’m going to need help anyway. Point is, we both know you’re the best one for the job. I can’t afford to pay you, or at least not much, but would you consider joining me as the first additional columnist for The Quibbler?”

[xen-lovegood]

November 20

@unbrokcnbones

Xenophilius looked down at the thick stack of paper in their hands. After many trials (and more than a few errors which were not catastrophic, regardless of how Marlene felt) they had been enchanted so no two would fall into the same hands. Exactly what mix of spells would be used to disburse them had yet to be decided, but he would figure that out when the moment came. For once Xen approved of the actions Aversio was taking. Throwing out copies of the Quibbler, leading chants, opening peoples eyes and not their arteries. This felt like the right path. Finally doing the right thing the right way. As his mother had always said, you catch more flies with honey after all.

He looked out at Amelia Bones, ready to do her part in tonight’s place. Something had changed in her since she had returned to them. He understood, to some extent. He had seen how much his best friend Marlene had been changed after being kidnapped and tortured by Orion Black. His heart had broken for Marlene--and broken too for Amelia in its own way. But the latter’s coping strategies were...worrisome to say the least. Maybe it was just him, but she seemed darker now. More prone to backing attacked against the Death Eaters. Xen wanted them stopped. He didn’t. He just didn’t believe that acting just like them was the solution.

“This is the right thing to do,” he said a bit hesitant at first, directing his comments towards her. Maybe if someone just showered her this was the right way, she would understand. Maybe she just needed brought back closer to center and no one had tried yet. He didn’t know. “no one has to get hurt tonight. There’s been too much of that. We can still let the Cup be a time for celebration and still change things.”

[xen-lovegood]

Welcome welcome to all our new members!! If anyone wants a starter or to plot relationships or anything of the sort, like this post or shoot me a message and we'll get something started!

For our older members, replies should be coming over the next few days

[hcstia-joncs]

“Were things ever that much simpler?” Hestia asked. She wasn’t trying to be obstinate – she truly couldn’t think of a time when things were ‘simpler,’ whether in the Muggle world or the Wizarding one. “Maybe we were more innocent before. Maybe we didn’t know to think so deeply about everything that the adults were worrying about. We were kids, after all.” Some people, Hestia knew, would still consider her a child. She had only just graduated from Hogwarts a short while ago. But the time that passed between then and now seemed like a decade at the very least in her mind. “Maybe the busyness and the pain is part of growing up, and we’re only just now realizing it. Isn’t it just horrible?” The statement may have been a touch dramatic. But all the same, it felt true. And if there was anything that Hestia could rely on these days, her feelings seemed like the right place to start. Their comments only made her blush more. She felt like the article had the potential to be something big. But whether or not it would be was another story entirely. “It’s just about the war. The dangers of not taking sides – you know, that kind of thing. It’s a necessary article, and of course I’d like to say the writing’s good. But I’m a bit biased, aren’t I?” She laughed at their comments about their own article. “Doxy populations – I think I read that one! I found a few copies of it floating around, which may have been your doing, too. It was impressive.” She didn’t know if she shared the same passion for mythical beasts and their well-being, but if Xeno was passionate about it, she supposed it was good for them to pursue such things. “Or maybe they’re tired of hearing me complain about everything good I write being left on the cutting room floor. But I hope you’re right. I hope it’s good, and I hope it’s necessary.” She wouldn’t have written it if she thought otherwise. But all of her thoughts meant nothing if someone else didn’t agree. Someone other than the Order. Someone outside of her personal sphere of influence. She wanted people to care about the war as deeply as she did, to see the hypocrisy they were surrounded by, and she wanted them to do something about it. Hopefully this article would spark just that. “At a minimum. You’re a gifted writer, Xen. I’ll be lucky if I can write half as well as you can.” Their disapproval for Gilderoy was apparent… and for once, Hestia couldn’t be mad about it. Gilderoy had ridden the fence for too long. He was part of the problem, if not a strong perpetuator of it. Still, she didn’t want to think too much about the shortcomings of someone who had once been so important to her. “You’re… you’re right. I didn’t know you were such a motivational speaker. Since when have you been so wise?”

[xen-lovegood]

“They felt simpler. We were children. We weren’t accountable for the state of the world. And whatever horrors there were, at least there wasn’t a war. Things weren’t good, but people weren’t being slaughtered in the street in the name of a supposed ‘greater good.’” Xeno sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Everything felt so much more complicated now than they used to be regardless of the reason. He’d give anything to go back to skipping classes to smoke a joint with Marlene at the lake while tossing in treats to try and tame Squedward. They had been good years, even if he hadn’t seen it then. “It is. I wish things could be easier. More peaceful. Less busy. More time to enjoy with friends. It’s likely that’s only what adulthood means but if that’s the case then I’m quite content to be a child again.”

Xen’s face turned a bit more serious when she said it was about the war. It was needed, Merlin knew that. But it was also damn dangerous. He had a deep level of respect for her that she had pursued such a divisive article, much less managed to get it published. “I’ll tell you a secret any journalist worth their salt knows--you will always be biased on topics that matter. They can preach non-partisanship all they’d like but with things? If you don’t know where you stand and you don’t communicate that to others, then you aren’t really telling your truth and you’re a part of the problem. Your article is absolutely necessary and if it is not popular, then it’s the world that’s at fault, not your writing.”

“Your article is extremely important. And so are you for writing it.” They saw the dangers of the war--had seen first hand what it had done to Marlene. They loved her still, always would, but sometimes it felt like they were living with her ghost and not a girl who was still very much alive. Xeno also worried more often than they would care to admit for their parents. He adored them, loved his mother deeply--how could anyone think she was less simply because she couldn’t do magic? And why did they continually insist he himself was a lesser wizard than those he knew he could easily best simply due to carrying her blood? No, the world may not ever be fair, but why not try to make it so? And why not at least try to make it just? Why not stand against the violence and bigotry of the Death Eaters? Still a small smile pulled at their lips from her comment. “Oh I would guess since at least fifth year. That’s when I really started...expanding my mind so to say.” They grinned and gave her a wink as they raised their fingers to their lips mimicking smoking a joint.

[xen-lovegood]

[xen-lovegood]

August, 1979 Open 

Xenophilius stared at the letter in his hands. His father didn’t know he had taken it. Hell, Obadiah didn’t even know Xeno had seen it on their last trip home. But the Ministry seal was cause to draw attention, particularly when his father was acting stressed out and his mother kept worrying her lip. Obadiah wasn’t the friendliest person to have walked God’s green earth, but his mother? Debbie had never rushed him out of the house before. A quick spell had brought the spell into his hand, tucked out of sight by his leather jacket. They didn’t need to know he knew.

But he could see why they hadn’t told him. An official warning from the Ministry about use of magic in front of a muggle. Plenty of phrasing thrown in about ‘strenuous times’ calling for ‘more conscientious behavior and responsible use of magic.’ From the sound of it, it wasn’t the first letter his father had received recently either.

“He’s always use magic around her,” Xeno said, their ringed fingers picking at their lips. “Always. It’s always been in the house. And they’re married for Merlin’s sake. It’s not like she’ll tell anyone. She loves him. She loves both of us. She wouldn’t tell anyone about the wizarding world, not anyone that doesn’t already know. She’s already kept it a secret for more than two decades, even from her own family. Why- Why are they saying this? Why are they doing this now? They can’t just ... dictate who we act in our own homes.”

[pandora-lockwood]

Spare me a quill? | Xeno & Pandora

[xen-lovegood]

pandora-lockwood‌:

“Why are you scared?” She asked him quietly itching to be able to reach out in order to run her hands through his hair, but Pandora kept her hands to herself for the moment. He had her stomach in knots with want, but her heart tried to keep her in check. He wasn’t talking about her, and she needed to keep that in mind so her heart wouldn’t end up broken. “I don’t exactly know Marlene, but I’m sure she has to feel the same way about you. I can’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t be captivated with you, Xeno. You just need to talk to her about how you’re feeling. You don’t want to regret not telling the people you care about while you can.” She didn’t want for him to live a life of regrets when he deserved so much better than that.

“She’s been looking forward to us spending time together?” She asked curiously unsure why the red head would have wanted for the two of them to spend time together. Especially if there was more going on between the two. She knew that Frank had wanted her to get over her crush and actually act on it she doubted that Marlene had the same reasons but she wasn’t going to question it too much. At least she was getting another friend out of it all. “That’s absolutely true. No matter what as long as someone is determined you can always find a result one way or another whether it’s the one you want or not there’s always one to be found. I don’t mind if we have to take our time with our experiment just so we’re absolutely sure of our results.”

Pandora’s heart was beating heavily against her chest as she looked up at him with wide eyes as understanding rushed over her. He wasn’t talking about Marlene after all. “You’re not talking about Marlene?” She asked quietly even though it was obvious now as her gaze flickered between his features trying to find any hint to contradict the idea that maybe it was her that he had been talking about after all this time. There was none to be found though as she felt frozen in her place trying to remember how her mouth worked. “Y-yes!” She exclaimed after a moment knowing that once the word was out her smile gave away her every emotion. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Xen. Anytime. Even if I would prefer for it to be sooner rather than later, but that’s because I would love to spend as much time with you as I can.”

Confusion instantly colored the entirety of Xeno’s features as he looked over at the blonde. “Marlene? What--” her assumption was so far from the truth, it actually took him a few moments to realize exactly what she had meant. “Marlene?! Merlin no! No, god no, not- We’re friends. Just friends. Not more, nothing more, never anything more in any capacity, no, absolutely not.” He shook his head a bit queezy just at the thought of it. Everyone had assumed things had gone beyond friendship at one time or another, but not once had it ever danced anywhere near that. “Merlin no, it’s not Marlene I have feelings for, it’s you.”

They paused in complete horror. He hadn’t meant to say that. Not at all. It had just...come out. And short of using a potion or spell to wipe it from her memory, there was really no going back now and from everything he’d heard she was quite a good witch, so really, who’s to say she couldn’t counter it. His mouth flapped for a few moments and all he could imagine was Marlene mocking him for standing there saying nothing like a complete and absolute idiot. So he chose to say something. Which turned out to be the wrong choice. “I- I mean, what I’m saying is-- I like you. I really like you Pandora, I always have. Well not always exactly of course, that would be strange. But I’ve liked you since school. Probably fifth year or so.” God this was getting embarrassing. “You’re just brilliant. You’re really smart. And beautiful. And adventurous. And so kind. I just- I’ve always really admired you. More than that really. But- Well.” He gave a small shrug. He wasn’t the kind to wind up with someone so perfect. He knew that. Why hand her the words she needed to break his heart?

When she agreed to a date though, a smile broke across his face. He bit down on his lip, his hair falling forward into his eyes. “Really? You mean that? And Marlene and Frank haven’t put you up to this?” A wide smile crossed his lips. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before his mind caught up with him. Would she still want to go on a date with him after hearing his confession. He cleared he throat and looked down at her. “H-How does next Friday sound? The paper always lets us out early on Fridays...”

[marliism]

The Leaky Cauldron Late August, 1979 Open

Blood was pounding in Marlene’s ears, despite the resting state she was in – well, if you could call lounging across the bar with a nearly empty bottle of firewhiskey resting. She hadn’t meant to go through nearly the entire thing, had been doing a damn good job of getting sober, but it looked like that was all out the fucking window now. It was a reprieve she needed desperately, something that eased the noise in her head, all the voices that screamed rampantly with little cease. They seemed to be growing louder by the minute, no matter how much booze she downed. Maybe she was finally losing her damn mind, and going just as mad as everyone already seemed to think she was. 

It was coming up on four months since Dorcas was murdered, an anniversary that Marlene was all too bitterly aware of. The image of the woman being blasted into the air, surrounded by violent green rays of magic before collapsing as if she was nothing was burned into her brain for the rest of time. As if being tortured wasn’t fucking enough. It was all one big joke; Orion was set free in exchange for Dorcas’ life, according to Katrina Parkinson – and yet the bastard that had spent months torturing Marlene had gotten out, an innocent being brutally killed in the process. “’S not fucking fair.” She snapped, the words biting out louder than she expected them to. The Leaky was practically empty, most of the usual patrons either having retired to their rooms upstairs or having stopped coming in altogether. War was stretching into everyone’s active lives now, impacting more than just the paranoia; Tom would have scolded her like she was an irresponsible child were he to know how much funding she was pouring into keeping the bar open for them. He was the closest thing to a parent she had anymore, she would protect him, protect his livelihood. 

Tears stung in her eyes for a moment as she rose the bottle to her lips, taking another long swig. “I loved her and now she’s dead.” They were words she’d been avoiding, not wanting to admit that war had really stolen something from her, someone that had been with her from the age of eleven. “Sometimes I really wish I’d never fuckin’ left Paris.”

[xen-lovegood]

Marlene hadn’t been at the apartment when Xeno got home, their hands full of bags. They hadn’t known exactly what it was that he _needed _to start a paper, they’d never really _thought _about it before. So for not it just consisted of a stack of parchment, several bags of ink (_mostly _black, sure, but you can’t have it _all _be black, can you?), and they’d managed to find a magic printing press. They didn’t have anywhere to set it up just yet, it would be delivered in a few days, but they were making progress. Their mind was already swimming with ideas for articles. They just needed a little help setting things up and figuring out _where _exactly the press was going to go.

So when she wasn’t at home, he apparated as close to the castle as he was able and walked the rest of the way. She wasn’t in the safehouse either. Sure, he’d wanted to find her for his own motives, but by now he was worried. She should have been home by now, one of the two places she called home by now. Or have let him know she would be particularly late. There was one last place he would look before putting his locator spell to use. Did she _know _Xen had her tacked, no. Was there reason to alert her to that fact by making use of the old charm, no. But as it turned out, there wasn’t any need to. She was sitting right there at the bar of the Leaky Cauldron.

They let out a long, disheartened sigh when they saw the nearly empty bottle. She’d been doing good lately. He’d hoped things were getting better. Xeno slowly pocketed his wand and made his way over to Marlene, sitting the bottle upright and just out of arms length when he was set back down. “I know Marls.” She’d never said those words, not out loud, not to him. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know. He bent down, wrapping his arms around her and giving her head a soft kiss. “I’m sorry Marls. But, hey. Coming back to London means you get to see my face.” It was soft, didn’t carry the same joviality his normal jokes did. He knew it wouldn’t do much for the mood, but it was all he could offer. “I’d bring her back for her if I could you know.”

[xen-lovegood]

hcstia-joncs‌:

He had a point. Hestia spent a lot of time alone these days, and not all of it was by choice. The people that she, at one point in time, had been close to were now scattered across the city of London, if not all of Europe itself. They were preoccupied with their own jobs, with their own lives, and the war. Nowadays Hestia cherished any bit of company that she could find. It was nice to hear the same thoughts come from someone else for a change. “I agree. We all need more company right now. It seems that everyone’s so busy with everything going on, in their lives or otherwise, so I won’t complain to having someone join me.” Especially when the person joining her was a fellow writer, and probably somebody that could ease her worries about her upcoming article’s publication. She found her cheeks heating up at the compliment, unsure how to react to such kind words. “Thank you.” It was all that she could get out for a moment. She wasn’t expecting anyone else to be this excited about the article, and any reaction would’ve been good news for her. But Xenophilius always had a way of making her feel like her work mattered – surely she would have to thank them for having belief in her when she even doubted herself. “I’m trying not to get too excited before I hear any of the feedback – I don’t want to build this up into something great only to have it backfire in my face.” She wanted to be humble. She really did. But for once, she also wanted to be proud and excited. She just couldn’t bring herself to actually follow through on showing those emotions. “I’m sure you’ll get your pieces published. They’re all decent, if not better, though. Seriously. I’m shocked that the Prophet hired me and hasn’t offered you a position yet.” At least, she thought they were a good writer – she couldn’t quite remember the last time that she’d read anything that they’d written personally. “Gilderoy means well.” Or at least, she hoped he did. “I might not agree with everything he says, but… he has a point every now and then. Recognition for recognition’s sake might not be what we all want, but we definitely need some of it if we want to make ends meet. I just hope that if it does get any recognition that it doesn’t blow up in my face. It’s just… it’s not something a lot of people will be happy with, but it’s something I’m proud of, you know?”

“Everyone’s busy now. And busy with so many different things. I wish we could go back to when things were simpler. I never imagined I would want to go back to the days we were in school.” Their time at Hogwarts had been such a bittersweet mixed bag for Xenophilius. On the one hand it was long days locked in the same rooms with the same students who never understood him and often mocked him mercilessly--for any number of reasons. On the other hand, he spent his days learning and experimenting, both in the classroom and beyond. If he wanted to do nothing other than sit in the library and read and study, he was perfectly capable of doing just that. Adult responsibilities and the war drained him. School had certainly had its rain clouds, but looking back, the rainbows and fresh flowers made them worth it.

“Oh you aren’t going to get bashful about it now, are you? Come on, you’re getting published! A big article too from the sounds of it, come on, you’ve got every right to be boastful about that. I clipped about a dozen copies of my article about increasing doxy populations. I think about half of them were sent to my mum.” He laughed lightly remembering his mother’s confusion or what exactly the little creatures were and why exactly having more of them around was a bad thing. “And that was hardly earthshattering news. Be proud of it. They wouldn’t be publishing it if they didn’t think it was going to be big.”

“Decent, my what a compliment,” Xen teased, wiggling his eyebrows. They only wished any of the publishers thought any of their work was ‘decent.’ It was a miracle he hadn’t been fired yet truth be told. He assumed it was because of the small following, largely consisting of elderly ladies, his articles on creatures seemed to have. “He has points. Occasionally. I suppose.” He had never seen whatever it was Marlene had seen in him. Other than those admittedly beautiful blue eyes and Grecian sculpted physic of course. But his tone grew softer as their focus returned to Hesita. “If you are proud of it and you’re speaking the truth, then I don’t see what more anyone could ask of you. I’m sure it will go well. Mustn’t lead yourself into a self-fulfilling prophesy as my mother would say.”  

[xen-lovegood]

Yes, hi, I’m a mess and haven’t been around at all in ages. BUT I have a week off to get some stuff done and get back in the swing of things. I know most of my threads are pretty dated so if anyone wants new ones (whether we continue old ones or leave them be!), like this post or message me :) 

[pandora-lockwood]

Spare me a quill? | Xeno & Pandora

[xen-lovegood]

pandora-lockwood‌:

If Pandora had even an ounce of bravery in her tiny body she would have told him how she knew that emotions couldn’t be controlled, but facing the awkwardness that would no doubt ensue she kept it to herself in the off chance that every signal he was sending her was still wrong and he wasn’t actually interested in her. She was no stranger to the belief that she would wind up alone despite her ever aching heart for love. Everyone knew that Pandora was strange at best that no one could understand, or wanted to. She was just thankful that she had Frank to herself, and while it wasn’t the same as romantic love at least she was loved at all. “You know you’re not fooling me, right?” She asked him curiously with a playful smile, “You of all people have to know what that’s like. To have a special someone that no matter what you can’t shake.” It wasn’t that she wanted him to answer truthfully because it would break her heart, but if she could at least be his friend she could live with that.

The idea of being able to spend more time with him on her own had her heart rushing in excitement even though she knew that she needed to get it under control. She needed to be able to be around him without constantly being excited or having him affect her. “Meanwhile we’re going to be incredibly lucky if Frank ever leaves us by ourselves. He’s been waiting for this to happen for far too long,” Pandora admitted not meaning for the second bit to slip past but if he picked up on it then she would deal with the fall out. “Even if we don’t find anything through the experiments I think just working together will be special.”

There was no denying the way that he made her feel as he starred down at her. It was as if she was some beautiful woman that he couldn’t take his eyes off. For a few minutes she could let herself believe that he wanted her more than just in this moment. “I think you would be a good bad influence if you kept kissing me,” Pandora admitting closing the space between them again so that they were kissing although this time it was more passionate on her part. If all she got was these few kisses then she wanted to make sure that she didn’t walk away with any regrets.

Xen’s head snapped sideways, eyes going wide. He wasn’t fooling her? Did she know? How long had she known? Had Marlene told her? Or maybe it was Frank. The damn Auror kept asking about the two of them. Oh he’d have Longbottom’s head for this. And if it was Marlene… Oh one of those two would pay. His cheeks flushed and using every ounce of control in his body, he looked away, letting his hair fall down to create a thick certain between them. “I- Uh- Well-” he cleared his throat, “I suppose that’s true. But it’s not as though I haven’t tried to put it behind myself. It isn’t as though I don’t know how things will likely go. Still—” he looked over at her, heart beating harshly in his chest, face filled with both fear and excitement. “Sometimes things just feel right.” 

Xen smiled, laughing lightly to himself. “So has Marlene. Precisely why she’ll want to be anywhere but here. We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t run of to Paris again.” He didn’t even think about the insinuation of his words carried or that, were he paying attention, he’d know exactly what it was that Frank had been waiting so long for. But Xen had been in denial about the possibility of anything happening with Pandora they didn’t even let themselves dream it. A few days of enjoyable experiments would be perfectly fine with Xen. At least they would be able to spend more time with the blonde who had so captured their heart. “As, see, that is the beauty of experimentation. You find something no matter what. Even if you don’t prove things to be true, you can prove them to be untrue. The only time you learn nothing is when the results are inconclusive and that only means you need to experiment further.” 

If Marlene were there she would mock just how dopey their smile was. As they looked down at the beautiful blonde, they didn’t see anything else. The whole world was just the two of them. When her lips caught his again, he leaned in to the pleasant surprise. He hadn’t expected this of her but he certainly didn’t mind it. He gave in, returning the passion of the kiss. Something about it just felt right. He used his hands on her slender hips to pull her in closer. When their lips finally separated again, Xen looked down at her with flushed cheeks. “Do you- I mean would you like-” They had never felt this nervous to simply be asking someone out before. Though perhaps that was because it had never carried as much weight as it did at this exact moment. They cleared their throat trying to ground themselves. “Would you like to get dinner with me some time? Or tonight? Or whenever. Assuming you’re interested at all of course.”

[hcstia-joncs]

While it might’ve been the most important meal of the day, Hestia wasn’t fond of breakfast. If someone else wanted to make it for her, she wouldn’t complain. But breakfast, more often than not, meant that she had to wake up early. Today that happened relatively easily. After all, it was going to be a busy, exciting, and important day. Most other days, however… not so much. “Well, I appreciate it, whether its out of your way or not. The walk’s always better when I have someone to join me.” She smiled at Xen, happy to have them by her side. “You would think that for a newspaper, their priority would be to promote the news. It’s a shame that isn’t the case. I haven’t heard about the changes in Augurey migration… you’ll have to enlighten me on that one.” Whatever they were talking about, Hestia knew that they cared deeply about it, so she wanted to show interest whether or not she could actually follow what he was saying. “Today is… it’s a big day for me,” she noted. There weren’t enough words to describe why she was nervous today of all days, though she did want to try. “I pushed a big article through – an important one – a genuinely important article – and it’s getting published. I’m not sure what the reaction’s going to be, and I want to act like I don’t care, but… you know how it is. It could be the article that makes or breaks my career. And I don’t want to compare myself to other people. Really. But Gilderoy’s found so much success, and people care about what he has to say, and… and I just want this to be the article that gets people caring about what I have to say too. – does that sound selfish?”

[xen-lovegood]

“Most things are better with company I’ve found,” they said with a soft smile back to her. During school, and much of the time since, Xeno spent alone, but it was more of a social isolation. Not everyone could be like Marlene and understand him and all the quirks he had. And that was just fine. Xen wouldn’t present a watered down version of themselves just for public approval. They didn’t mind being on their own too much, in fact it gave him more time to get lost to his own thoughts and experiments and idol pleasures. There was much to be gained from time alone. But time in the company of those you trusted, with friends, was incredibly important, especially with the world how it was right now. It was a dangerous time in the wizarding world and if they could stick together then it was probably for the best really. It was best not to take too many chances.

“Hestia, that’s fantastic! I’m thrilled for you. That’s absolutely brilliant news.” He grinned at her. It was better to have someone on their side of things finally being published rather than watching the Prophet continue to spin out lies and false praises for the Death Eaters. “It’s not selfish at all. Every writer wants their work to be known. And if it’s for good pieces we feel passionate about, then all the better. Merlin knows I’d be floating around here if I was getting any decent pieces published. Though... I’m not sure being like Lockheart should be the goal.” Xen pursed their lips slightly. “He does have a tendency to...overexaggerate things. I suppose personally I would rather be known for writing the truth or not known at all. But I hope the piece goes well and I certainly hope it makes your career. It’s good to see people on our side of things having articles go through. Gives me a little hope.”

[xen-lovegood]

hcstia-joncs‌:

Coffee, at this point, was practically a part of Hestia’s daily routine. The croissant, however, was not. She only bought them at the local bakery when she felt that she needed to treat herself. They were small and delicate, the perfect way to treat oneself if one woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Today had been one of those days. Her most recent article in the Daily Prophet had been approved for publication – that in and of itself was the good news. After all, she’d worked night and day to make it the best work that it could be, and in such partisan times, it was a miracle that it had even been approved. But today was the day that it was being published, and that was enough to scare her senseless. But a familiar voice shook her from the racing thoughts inside her head. Hestia’s smile softened as she looked over at Xenophilius, who toted coffee in hand. “Oh! Are you sure that wouldn’t be out of your way? That would be… refreshing, actually.” Company would definitely ease her mind, and at this point, Hestia was happy to get all the help and distractions that she could possibly get. “Coffee has saved my life far too many times for me to go without it. And I’m a bit on edge this morning, so I thought I’d get something in my stomach before I actually get to the Prophet. I take it you’re familiar with the feeling?” As a fellow writer, Xeno likely understood the pressure and anxiety that came right before putting a controversial work forward. Then again, Hestia couldn’t be certain that Xeno actually got nervous. They didn’t seem the type. “Talk to me. How’ve you been? What have you been up to?”

Somewhere along the way, Xenophilius had given up entirely on breakfast. His mum used to make a big English breakfast each morning and he’d load up a plate full of food in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. But once he was living on his own and making breakfast became something he needed to do on his own (Merlin knew Marlene wasn’t going to get up to make it for him), he’d abandoned the idea of it. Besides, working at the paper, he needed his coffee to be working its best by the time he got into the office and having food in his stomach would only dilute its effectiveness. Or so he told himself. For at least the better part of two years now, his breakfasts had consisted of coffee and not much more except on the weekends. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t contemplating going back inside for something when he saw Hestia’s treat. Ultimately he hastily decided against it as it would make the two of them late and he’d had enough problems with the editor of late without adding tardiness to his rap sheet.

“Not out of the way at all. Same office and all. I mean if I escort you to your desk, it might be a bit out of the way, but that does seem like a bit of overkill,” he said with a smile. He looked over at her good naturedly as they began to make their way toward the Prophet. “A bit too familiar with the feeling actually. There’s been one too many articles that have wound up on the editor’s floor as of late. I don’t know why they think there’s no interest in coverage of the war, or at the very least, the recent changes in Augurey migration changes. They’re important matters.” Xen shook their head, their  frustration showing clearly. “But what has you so concerned going into today?” They stuck one hand into their pocket as they made their way down the street. “About the same as ever. Wishing things were better and knowing their not. But que sera, right? What about you? How are things in the world of Hestia Jones?”

[ruinedchildhood]

[xen-lovegood]

Working the System | Xeno & Augustus

[xen-lovegood]

avgvstvs‌:

Augustus had highly suspected that Xen was on the losing side, but their words all but confirmed it. “I’m glad you’re doing well, no matter how much you have to struggle for it. I guess I could say the same for myself.” Lies, really. Augustus wasn’t doing well, though the knowledge of his side’s power helped to sustain him. If he hadn’t been confident of a victory, he would have run far away years before. Run until no one knew his name or the dark thoughts he held so deep inside. 

Deciding to pry a bit more, he raised an inquisitive eyebrow while idly flicking at the corner of a napkin, “The Prophet, huh?They’ve never exactly been an objective source of information. Seems a little…stuffy for someone of your unique interests.” He knew his words were entirely hypocritical. After all, he was the one who spent his days researching love and its complexities, and his nights actively suppressing his own desires and feelings. However, he had his orders, and the job actually worked in his favor when it came to faking closeness with others.

Ordering a drink for himself, Augustus began to form a plan to get Xen on his side, knowingly or not, “I wonder if your talents could be more useful elsewhere. My current project, perhaps. You’re aware that I’m an Unspeakable?” His tone was conspiratorial, despite not having revealed anything important yet.

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. It’s not common, not in times like this.” Happiness seemed hard to come by, everything seemed rather dark and depressing. It was hard to keep his positivity up. Things were going terribly all over and with the Death Eaters continually gaining ground, it didn’t seem like things were going to be getting any better. They were glad for the little bit of happiness they managed to cling to and were glad that Augustus had been able to find some as well. “Hold on to that. It won’t be easy, but it’s the most we can do.”

A deep sigh left Xeno and they shook their head, running a hand through their light locks. “No, it hasn’t ever been. But, I suppose I always thought I could change things. That if enough of the right people get involved, then things can be changed. It doesn’t seem to be how things are working out. I don’t know. I thought I could make a difference, but maybe that was foolish.” He looked at Augustus with a slightly sad look. “What about the Ministry? It’s...well it isn’t exactly moraled currently, is it?”

Xen’s brows knit and he turned toward Augustus curiously. He wondered exactly what he meant. But then if it was getting closer to the Ministry and getting Aversio another foot in the door there wasn’t something he could back out of. “Well, yes, but that does mean you can’t exactly, well, speak about it. Thus the title. But. You know. Hypothetically if you were to have a project that needs help, what kind of help would you be looking for?”

[xen-lovegood]

Mightier than The Sword | Xen & Selina

[xen-lovegood]

sclinasapworthy‌:

To say that things had taken a turn would be a massive understatement. On the one hand, the scales had finally tipped into their favor, knocking the Death Eaters down a peg. That in and of itself should have been seen as a win, and Selina would consider it as much so long as it lasted. Amelia had been recovered, but more miraculously, she was alive– that had been the Order’s win, or so they had all thought. Until she had come to Selina and Florence personally, and it was no longer simply a matter of a recovered war victim but the desperation for violent acts. And while Selina may be leading Aversio through war, under the instruction of their anonymous leader, she didn’t like violence. Not as much as everyone seemed to expect her to, anyway; the amount of blood staining her hands would never fully wash away. 

But this was war, this loyalty pledge she made was one that protected the things that meant most to her, and so she would do what was asked of her. Burning the Prophet had been an act of defiance, one that there had been whisperings of for quite some time; that they had finally enacted a plan should have came as no surprise, even if Amelia’s instigation remained as such. Tensions remained to heighten in the castle, but Aversio had yet to be kicked out. She knew it was only a matter of time, as she wandered the halls, ignoring the greedy questions people continued to ask of what was next. When Xenophilius approached her, internally she sighed, but he appeared as worn as she felt. “– Yes. It was us.” She said, letting out a sigh of exhaust. “And before you ask, no, it was not my decision to do so. The paper was corrupt, the news wasn’t accurate, Lovegood. You of all people should understand that.”

Something had been done against the Death Eaters and Voldemort’s powerful brood had finally lost ground after months of gaining strength. Xeno supposed they should be more proud of it than they were. But as much as they believed more needed to be done to gain equality and acceptance across the wizarding bloods, they never had really liked the idea of violence. And this? It was too much. It took away the community’s only source of information and news. And now there were rumors of finding a body. It didn’t seem right. Did they have to give up so much? Did they all have to slip to the same level as the Death Eaters in order for justice and equality to come about?

They deflated slightly at the confirmation. Xen had known, deep down, they had known, especially after all the talks about its possibility previously. but to hear it confirmed made his stomach churn. He bit harshly at his lip, bowing his head. Nothing felt quite right. “That doesn’t meant it should have been burnt down. It was all the people had. Without any way of getting any kind of news, they’ll all just jump to conclusions. Now no one will know the truth. There isn’t any way to get information.” They shook their head, their messy blonde hair shaking into their eyes. “And do you know people are saying there was a body of a Death Eater found torn up at the prophet. People don’t know any better. Even if they were getting a warped version of the truth, at least they were being told something.”