Call me Xenon

I reside in Ravenclaw Tower. I'm in my sixth year of study. I wish to one day enlighten you all with important happenings, rather than the rubbish fed to you by the Prophet . Anything else, you are free to ask away...

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

Wabbit Hunting || Xenon and Dedalus

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

Dedalus watched, intrigued, as Xenon inspected the rock. Xenon seemed to be having trouble identifying it as well. Though he’d been hoping to get an answer as to the rock’s origins, Dedalus didn’t begrudge Xenon. It was an odd little rock, after all. “I don’t mind at all if you keep it," Dedalus said, still giggling at Xenon’s almost dropping the rock. “You couldn’t very well research it if you couldn’t see it, could you?" Dedalus beamed, “Besides, maybe if you show it to someone else they can help find out what kind of rock it is too. It’d be like a… research party."

"Oh look!" Dedalus suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a nearby bush. Unfortunately, by the time Xenon looked, the creature Dedalus had spotted had disappeared into the undergrowth. Squatting down and moving slowly, Dedalus approached the bush. “Here little hedgehog…" he whispered, moving ever so slightly with each waddling step. “Come on out, we just want to see your pretty spines." It had been some time since Dedalus had caught a hedgehog, but this one was far too beautiful to pass up the chance, even if he did only catch if for a few minutes of admiration.

[xenonlovesgood]

"Precisely!" Xenon said, bouncing up a bit, extremely happy that that Giggle was going to let him keep the rock, and more importantly, that Giggle understood why Xenon wanted to keep it in the first place. "I'll give it back to you once I find out what it is, of course. It's still yours," he nodded. Then he tilted his head to the side, confused a bit. Research party? How could someone have a party that surrounded research? That's when Xenon remembered that he knew next to nothing about parties in general, much less the ones that had themes.

"Maybe," he acquiesced. "I don't know how we could have a research party, but it's a possibility!" He didn't want Giggle to think he wasn't going to consider his suggestion at the very least. That would be rude, and Xenon was anything but rude. It was at this point that Giggle noticed something in the bush. Xenon whirled around, trying to get a better look, but only managing to fall over. "Ahh!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands out to catch him. "Oomph." He sat up and wiped his hands off on his trousers, and noticed that he still had the rock in his hand, but he was now bleeding. He frowned, sticking the rock in his pocket.

"Hedgehog?" he asked, scrambling up and slowly walking over, hoping he hadn't managed to scare the poor thing yet with his fall. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a cherry bunch. Examining it, he tilted his head. "Giggle?" he whispered. "Do hedgehogs like cherries?" He really didn't know. Xenon was very good with magical animals, but some of the smaller normal animals slipped under his radar if he didn't come across them too much. "Well, if they do, give them these!" he said, holding them out before bending down and holding out his empty hand for the hedgehog to sniff. You had to be delicate with these things. He made a keening sound, wondering if the hedgehog would come out for him and Giggle.

[thisisrodolphuslestrange-blog]

Pureblood Politics || Rodolphus and Xenon

[thisisrodolphuslestrange-blog]

Does he mean to say that he believes rhinoceros’ do fly? Rodolphus wondered internally, deciding on not to broach the topic. It was entirely possible that this Crumpled Snorkack was a rhinoceros; Rodolphus was under the vague impression that Muggles believed that certain animal horns had healing properties, and it wouldn’t surprise him if Xenon had gotten the two somehow mixed up. Still, it was true that such creatures as unicorns had regenerative magic and the like imbued in their horns, hair and blood. Perhaps there was some, lost truth on which Xenon based his claim. Oddly enough, Rodolphus had the inclination to inquire further, although not with Xenon as his main source of information, but he certainly did not have the time. Bigger things afoot than an impromptu zoology hobby.

“Painfully close minded,” Rodolphus repeated thoughtfully, tone carrying a hint of surprise. “I would have to agree with you there.” Though, naturally, for entirely different reasons. “Not only do they neglect your Snorkack’s, but all manner of things naturally occurring in the Wizarding world. Lethifolds, or Dementors, for example.”

They were approaching the topic Rodolphus wanted to discuss, but here tact was necessary. “They guard our prisons, for Merlin’s sake. That most haven’t heard of them until fifth year or when they’re attacked… “

“The Lakes? They’re in England, the North West; my family owns a property there.” A hint of brag crept into Rodolphus’ tone as he spoke, so distracted was he considering Xenon’s words that he forgot to make an attempt at mediating it. A conspiracy theorist, how refreshing.

“What do you think the Ministry is hiding?” Rodolphus asked, finding himself forgetting the chill as he became more engrossed in the conversation, dropping down to sit on a rock besides Xenon’s. 

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon blinked. He was rather surprised that Rudolph wasn't putting any of his ideas down; in fact, it seemed like he was embracing them and agreed with him. Xenon wasn't used to things like this happening. If Rudolph had rolled his eyes, or even called Xenon a nutter, Xenon would know how to react - he would just keep pressing the subject. But Rudolph was agreeable. Xenon furrowed his brow and tilted his head, curious about this development. At the same time, he was also happy about it - he wouldn't have to fight to get Rudolph to listen.

"I will admit, I do not know much about dementors or lethifolds. They're classified as Dark creatures, yes?" Xenon tended to stay away from the Dark creatures, more out of fear for what they represented rather than what they were. He knew about them, and he knew about Dark magic too, but he didn't endorse those ideas. Xenon didn't like hurting people, especially innocent people who didn't deserve it. "All the same, I don't like how neglectful they are of any living creature, regardless of its classification. Or its plant status." 

Xenon hummed a bit. "I've always said that the Care of Magical Creatures curriculum was very limited." He had a prickly feeling about where this conversation was heading. Xenon didn't know why, though, so he figured he'd just let Rudolph continue with what he wanted to say.

He tilted his head to the side as he thought about these Lakes that Rudolph was talking about. He wasn't sure he knew where North West was, but he was almost certain he knew a spell that would tell him the directions. Maybe over the summer one year he could visit them. Xenon likes lakes. "My family doesn't - we live near the coast somewhere. I think the south? We've got a lovely field and forest that I like to explore." Talking about home made him think of how he found Mnemosyne, and Xenon smiled.

"OH! Lots of things," he said. He pulled his long legs in and attempted to tuck them under himself, but all that achieved was Xenon's nearly falling off his rock, so he settled for balancing one ankle under his other knee and the other foot propped up on the rock, nearer the snow. "Like all the creatures that we've mentioned, and also everything in the Department of Mysteries that they have. Why does it have to be a mystery? Why can't they tell us?" He made a face, thinking it a shame that their government had to be so corrupt. "Not to mention all the discrepancies between the departments. Most of them don't know what the other is doing. And they still won't acknowledge my dirigible plums!"

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

Wabbit Hunting || Xenon and Dedalus

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

"Of course you can hold it," Dedalus said, handing the rock over to the other boy. “I’ve never seen one like it either, that’s why I asked. I’m curious about it." He looked on as Xenon inspected the rock, wondering if he’d know anything about it. Xenon seemed to be the kind of fellow who’d know more about creatures than rocks. And there was nothing wrong with that, Dedalus was that way as well. Always had been. But there was no harm in the asking. After all, you never knew what other people knew about until you asked them about the thing.

"I found it down by the lake," Dedalus explained before Xenon asked. That was the sort of thing that would be asked, after all. “Not in the water, but close to it. It doesn’t look like the sort of rock you’d find the lake though, does it?" And, not to be conceited, Dedalus considered himself quite knowledgeable about the sort of rocks one usually finds near lakes. He had found quite a few in his day. And none of them looked like this one. “Might have been dropped by someone when they were by the lake," Dedalus mused. He hoped that wasn’t the case though. The thought of someone missing their rock was not one Dedalus enjoyed having. But, if it did belong to someone, he wanted to make sure that they could get it back. Somehow.

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon took a hold of the rock and turned it over in his hands. He felt that there was something special about this stone, but he wasn't quite sure what it was right yet. Just a ... something. He felt it, in the rock. His brows furrowed as he thought about what it might be, but Xenon couldn't figure out anything with just his brain. He'd have to find a good book about stones and read up. He also suspected that it was a magical property to the stone that made him feel that way, but again, he'd have to read up on them.

"By the lake?" he asked, looking up and blinking at Giggle before looking down at the rock again. It didn't look very much like a rock one would find by the lake, if you were to ask him. It wasn't smooth enough. Most rocks by the lake - or by any water body, Xenon amended - were smooth from the repeated motion of the waves. Xenon hummed a bit. This was quite the conundrum. 

"Ooh!" he exclaimed, bouncing up, scrambling to catch the rock when he nearly dropped it. Once he was sure it was in his hands again, he looked back to Giggle. "I think that's a more likely scenario," he said. "Look at it, this rock isn't smooth enough to be from the lake. 'Least not for a long time." He nodded, holding the rock up for Giggle to see. "I don't know what kind of rock it is," he rolled it around in his hands, tilting his head. "Giggle, would you mind if I kept it? So I could compare it to rocks in books?" Xenon blinked at his companion, his head tilted to the side still. 

[xenonlovesgood]

Windowsill || Xenon & Bilius

[blithebiliusweasley]

Bilius tried not to laugh when the boy called him Bilium. He realized he still did not know his name or anything. He decided he would just call him blonde boy in his head. “Well surely you have a name, what is it?” He said with a slight grin. He didn’t want to have to call him blonde boy for much longer, that would get weird and he’d accidentally say it out loud… Well, he did that often anyway. Sometimes it got laughs, sometimes it got him into trouble, it just depended on the situation.

“Pronounce… Runes…? Oi, I can barely read ‘em, mate. Much less even try to pronounce ‘em. You must be one of those really overachieving type of wizards.” He chuckled, baffled by the idea. Who even thought of that sort of thing? He sure hadn’t. He didn’t really like the Study of Ancient Runes anyway, it was one of those classes he pretended he knew what he was doing in… Actually, that was true for most of his classes.

Bil thought for a moment. What did bring him there? “Well I was just taking a little walk around the corridors, as usual. Never really came down over here and I was wondering who you were but then I realized I didn’t know you and it was sort of odd to just walk up then turn around. Besides, friendship is fun!” He finished loudly with a big smile. Some wondered where he got all of his energy, and he wondered as well. 

[xenonlovesgood]

"I do have a name!" Xenon said, perking up. "It's Xenon. Xenophilius Lovegood, formally, but Xenon." He smiled at Bilium, hoping that his saying his full name wouldn't encourage the Dorrfingry to start calling him that. Xenon hated his full name, and he didn't think it was a secret, but it also probably wasn't common knowledge. Xenon didn't think enough people knew his name in the first place to know which name he preferred to go by. But that number just increased by one, and that was exciting enough on its own. 

"Overachieving?" Xenon asked, tilting his head to the side. He'd not been called that before, he didn't think. Was it true? Xenon wasn't sure. He didn't think he went far out of his way to do things. But at the same time, he didn't fancy himself the type to just sit back and let teachers be wrong. Did that count as being overachieving? Xenon tilted his head to the other side, still thinking this through. He really couldn't come up with an answer. "I don't know if that's true," he admitted. "I just thought it'd be interesting to try, and languages are often easier to understand when spoken rather than read. Thought it might help me learn them." He shrugged.

Xenon couldn't help but laugh a bit at Bilium though. He seemed like he was a fun bloke. "I like taking walks too," he said, blinking and then blowing a piece of hair out of his face when it fell. "They're always adventures, and I rarely end up in the same place twice, unless I'm aiming to go there." The only places that Xenon intentionally went were the Ravenclaw Tower, the Great Hall, classes (sometimes), and the Astronomy Tower. Nearly everywhere else was an accident, when he appeared there, and therefore was an adventure. He did agree with Bilium about friendship too - but he didn't feel like he had enough friends to comment on the subject. The few friends he did have though made life fun. It made him smile, and then bounce in place a bit, careful not to fall off his windowsill. "Yes, I'd say friendship is fun," he nodded vigorously. 

[thisisrodolphuslestrange-blog]

Pureblood Politics || Rodolphus and Xenon

[thisisrodolphuslestrange-blog]

Rodolphus blinked at the question, raising an eyebrow. “Crumple Horned Snorkack?” he queried, less out of politeness or interest and more out of shock. “Is that some kind of creature?”

When Xenon abruptly began to babble on the subject, clearly well-informed, Rodolphus realised perhaps the instinctive question should have been thought out better. He listened with vague incredulity for a moment, but with, to his horror, gradually growing interest.

Severely curbing the desire to ask any further questions on the matter, Rodolphus made a few non-committal noises at appropriate intervals before interrupting.

“You seem to be quite gripped with the topic of mythological magic creatures,” he noted. That was a kind way of putting it. “Is that from Care of Magical Creatures? I must say I never opted to take that class after my fourth year.” An utter waste of time, another area of Hogwarts curriculum that neglected practical study of Dark creatures at least until seventh year.

“There was an article in the Daily Prophet yesterday on Thestral breeding,” said Rodolphus after  waiting for Xenon’s reply. It seemed like the sort of thing he might be interested in, and a way to keep the conversation going. “In the Lake District, did you see it?"

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon grinned widely when Rudolph asked about the Crumple Horned Snorkack. It always made him extremely happy when he was able to talk about one of his favorite creatures, especially to someone who seemed genuinely interested. Which applied to Rudolph, surprisingly. But Xenon was good at rolling with the punches either way.

"Oh yes! It's a magical creature that lives in Sweden. I plan on going there one day to see it up close. It looks kind of like a rhinoceros, but it can't fly. Its horn has a lot of very important magical qualities," Xenon said, nodding vigorously. Rudolph was responding rather well to the conversation, which encouraged Xenon to keep going. "For example, the horns can be used in potions if ground up. But that's not something that should be encouraged, because then people might start poaching the Crumple Horned Snorkacks, and that would be terrible. They also have mild healing properties. If you hold a Crumple Horned Snorkack's horn for at least but no more than 3.4 hours, then any infections you have will vanish. Just like magic." Xenon giggled at his pun.

He was just about to open his creature encyclopedia when Rudolph interrupted. He smiled at the compliment. Or, he took Rudolph's comment as a compliment, rather. "Thank you," he said, making sure to remember his manners. "But no, it's not, unfortunately." Xenon took a deep breath and made a face and shaking his head a bit. "Hogwarts's Care of Magical Creatures curriculum is rather lacking, in my opinion. I've tried talking to Kettleburn in an effort to remedy this, but he just thinks I'm off my rocker." Xenon sighed. "Painfully closed minded, they are."

Xenon tilted his head though, as he listened to Rudolph's recount of the Daily Prophet article and wrinkled his nose. "No, I didn't see," he told his companion. "I don't read the Daily Prophet very often, in truth. I find them a bit too...," Xenon struggled with the word he was trying to convey. He made a noise in the back of his throat as he thought through his vocabulary. "I don't like what they chose to report, and I feel like they're censored... Censored!" he shouted, triumphant. "That's what I was trying to think of before. They keep things from us, because they don't want us to know. If we're in the dark, then we're less of a threat to them and the Ministry." 

He paused, making a face again. Thestral breeding did sound interesting, even if he found out about it from the Prophet. Of course, he could always go through and do his own research. Xenon nodded, thinking this is what he would do. "I'll go through and find that issue though! Cause it does sound interesting. Where is the Lake District though?" he asked, not knowing anything about districts. Maybe it was close enough for him to visit. He thought that would be fun.

[xenonlovesgood]

Windowsill || Xenon & Bilius

[blithebiliusweasley]

Bilius was just wandering the corridors, no real purpose besides getting some extra exercise and boredom needing to be relieved. He waved to a few people he knew, bonked a couple kids in the nose, got a disapproving look from a passing McGoogles—the usual day in the life of Bilius Weasley. The corridors seemed to be less populated as he continued in the direction he was going. There was only one other person he saw and it was a somewhat familiar blond Ravenclaw boy.

Bil couldn’t pinpoint who it was. They must have been in different years because he knew he didn’t have any classes with the guy. Nonetheless, he did like his hair; it was long and sort of wavy, like his brother’s without all of the ginger. He decided it was safe to talk to him since he had good hair. What great judgement I have, he thought. I suppose if a stranger had a nice beard I’d hop onto his broomstick, he added with an amused smirk to himself. Bil came to a stop as he approached the guy and watched him stare at his feet. What a weird thing to do.

“Er, hello. I’m Bilius Weasley. I don’t suppose we’ve met but I decided you’re worthy of my friendship because you have great hair,” He said with a proud smile. He was only joking, of course, but he did like to pretend like he wasn’t. “Whatcha reading there? Or should I say not reading?”

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon looked up, and was immediately surprised. He did not know this person, he was certain of that. Xenon might not know very many people's names, but he was fairly good with faces, especially the ones that were interesting or stood out from the rest. And this boy - this ... Bilium? - definitely stood out, with his bright red hair and freckled complexion. He tilted his head to the side as he listened to this Bilium, and tried not to get confused. Who judged another based on their hair? Though... he thought it might actually be a compliment. In that case, he should be grateful.

"Thank you, erm, Bilium," he said, rather uncertain about this whole exchange. This was when Xenon caught sight of Bilium's tie - he was a Dorrfingry! Xenon smiled then. Dorrfingrys very rarely made fun of others for their own personal gain, so he was in the clear. "I'm glad my hair is up to your friendship standards," he said, not sure how his hair met the qualifications, but was glad it did all the same. In fact, Xenon didn't ever do very much to his hair - he just washed it when he remembered to take a shower and then let it drip dry, maybe running a towel over it so it didn't get his shirt too wet. It was rather long, but that's how Xenon liked it - he didn't look right with short hair, and the longness of it got on his aunt's nerves, so it was a win win situation, if you were to ask Xenon. 

He was startled out of his thoughts about hair when Bilium asked what he was reading. "Oh!" he exclaimed, looking down at his Runes book. "I'm trying to figure out how you pronounce Runes," he said. "I figure that a language is a lot more useful if you don't have to be limited to just a written context. There's no precedent for this though, so it's a bit difficult." He frowned down at his book, and decided he'd work on it later. Even if there isn't already a system in place, didn't mean that there never could be. "What brought you up here, Bilium?" he asked, thinking a question like that would be good for conversation.

[xenonlovesgood]

Windowsill || Xenon & Doris

[purkissda-blog]

The first few days of school always perplexed Doris. She hated getting used to her uniform once more; the skirts were horrible, and pants were so much better. That’s what she always lived in when she got the chance, her pants. Or she stole her brother’s old overalls and cut the legs off, that was always a solution. She sighed, missing the summer and her family already. Her brother was undoubtedly working on-playing with-a car and being a grease monkey, while her dad was already off in Romania, and her mum was off on some story. They were all scattered around, as usual.

Usually at this point in the year, people weren’t always settled in enough to be all lovey or anything at this point, so it was pleasant not to see all these random couples snogging in the corridor. They were rather empty, in fact. Everyone must be in class, Doris thought, remembering her newly found freedom as a NEWT student. It was a nice change from having a virtually full class schedule.

So, finding herself wandering around the school, Doris was left entirely to her thoughts. She wondered what animals she would have a chance to help this year, even if it was by freeing them from Professor Kettleburn’s room after they were done with the lesson… or sometimes before. It all depended on what condition the poor dear was in. She wondered what she could smuggle into the Hufflepuff common room, as well. In years past, she had gotten very good at getting things in there few days. This year, she was hoping to at least keep a bird for at least a month—though Bubbles might not be a happy kitty with a bird that she couldn’t kill around.

Eventually she came across a foot, seemingly sticking out of the wall. That was…odd. As she got closer, Doris saw that it was a blond boy… rather lanky and all that. It dawned on her that it had to be Xenon. Who else would be sitting on the windowsill, trying to pronounce some strange language?

“Hey, Xenon!” she said as she came up to him. “What in the world are you doing?”

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon smiled when he caught sight of a sort of familiar person. He tilted his head, trying to think of her name. He knew her name, he knew, but he didn't know what it was right then. He shrugged, figuring that it would come to him later, and straightened his neck. "Trying to pronounce Runes," he said. "I thought that if I could say them, then maybe I'd be able to remember and know the language better, and make better use of it." He looked down at his book, flicking a piece of blond hair out of his eyes, and frowned. "It's not working very well though. Apparently Runes aren't meant to be said." He sighed, and thought this was rather unfortunate.

He blinked down at the girl, still trying to figure out her name. He narrowed his eyes, and stared at her. Then, after tilting his head and thinking a bit harder, his eyes widened again. "Dory!" he exclaimed, nearly falling off his windowsill. He squeaked, and righted himself before any damage was done. "What brought you up here?" he asked, not sure what to do now that he explained what he'd been doing, trying to speak Runes. He supposed that Dory had had a reason to be wandering the corridors, though that reason could very easily be that she'd gotten lost. That happened quite often to Xenon. But at the same time, he had a small suspicion that Dory was a bit more directed than he was.

Deciding that sitting on the windowsill alone wasn't very much fun anymore, so he picked up his creature encyclopedia and set it on his lap underneath his Runes textbook. "Do you want to sit up here with me?" he asked, now that the other half of the windowsill was free. He wasn't sure if Dory would like to sit up here with him, but he also thought it'd be rude for him to not at least extend the offer. Normally Xenon wouldn't be so thoughtful - he was good at saying please and thank you, but he was also really bad at forgetting a lot of things. He'd just been home though, before the school year started, and that always left him in an overly polite state, thanks to his aunt. "It's nice up here, though it's a bit tricky to not fall out the window."

[xenonlovesgood]

Windowsill || Open

Xenon Lovegood was sat on a windowsill, looking over the grounds of Hogwarts whilst trying his best to keep his balance and not go tumbling to the floor, or worse, out the window. Of course, he wasn't sure if he could even fall out the window (wasn't there glass there, that would keep him in? Though, glass is breakable, he figured), but he wasn't really willing to risk finding out. He broke enough bones on a normal basis just by skipping and over shooting a distance, he didn't need to go about trying to break a bone by leaping out a window. Xenon had more sense than that, contrary to popular belief. Not much more, but enough to get him by.

While sitting on his makeshift bench, Xenon was reading. He had a couple of books with him in fact. One was his creatures encyclopedia that he carried nearly everywhere he went. The other was, surprisingly, a textbook for school. He was going over his Runes, since it was the beginning of the year, and he hadn't quite forgotten what classes he took yet. It was only a matter of time, however, as it happened every year. Near the beginning, he was a good Ravenclaw and went to his classes, and did his homework (sometimes) and stayed as on top of things as Xenon ever did. But by the time the first month had passed, his habit of sleeping through classes or forgetting where they were (he always had a problem with getting lost - but skipping around until you found it or asked someone was a good way of getting to places) fell back into place. 

He thought reading through his Runes book was interesting, though. Knowing a different language - for that's what he likened it to, knowing what the Rune symbols meant were basically what knowing the words in a different language meant - was fascinating. And it opened up a lot of doors, too. You could communicate with more people and learn more things. Not that you could say a Rune... At least, Xenon didn't think you could. That started him thinking about how he could say a Rune, and his book was soon forgotten in favor of looking at his feet as he thought. 

In fact, Xenon was so deep in thought trying to figure out the mechanics of vocalizing Runes that he didn't hear the footsteps that announced a person's approach. He didn't realize he wasn't alone until he caught sight of an extra pair of feet in his peripheral vision. He looked up with a curious expression, wondering who it could be.

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

Wabbit Hunting || Xenon and Dedalus

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

Dedalus was confused. How could someone just forget to go to class? And more importantly, how could Xenon have gotten all the way to 6th year by not going to classes? Well, stranger things happened, he supposed. Dedalus decided he’d just accept it and move on. That was generally the best way to go about these sorts of things. “Well, that’s certainly an interesting way to go about your education, mate,” Dedalus said with a smile. “Most people can’t get their minds off of classes. It’s impressive you’ve managed to do the opposite.”

As he searched for tiny hoofprints, Dedalus felt something heavy in his pocket. He couldn’t remember what that might have been, so he paused in his search in order to find out. Previous experience caused the boy to wary whenever there was an unknown in his pockets. It had taken no less than four melted chocolate bars that left quite a mess and five forgotten pinecones that he’d sat on before the lesson fully sank in. Dedalus pulled this day’s unknown, the rock he’d found by the lake before he’d tripped and had that nice talk with Alice, out of his pocket. What was that still doing in there? Usually he kept the things he found on his bedside table or on top of his trunk. Dedalus turned the rock over, admiring how the yellow flecks looked in the forest lighting. “Oh wait, I remember now,” he said aloud without meaning to. “Hey, Xenon, how much do you know about rocks?”

[xenonlovesgood]

"Really?" Xenon asked, pausing in his search to tilt his head to the side. He was a bit baffled by this assertion. Were people really that focused on their school work? Xenon didn't pay that much attention to how others studied, to be fair, but it seemed a bit much, if you were to ask him. There were some students in his common room who would stay up all night (Xenon knew this because sometimes he'd wander in very late after having been on top of the Astronomy Tower, either studying Astronomy or enjoying the company of Nargles, or on some other adventure) with their books spread in front of them. Xenon liked learning, and he loved reading, but he wasn't quite sure how people were able to accept what the teachers said as fact without checking it for themselves. It was a foreign concept to him. 

"I'm still smart, though," he said, wanting to assure Giggle of this fact. "I read a lot on my own terms. I read, and I'm planning my magazine. Did I tell you about that yet?" He honestly couldn't remember. Xenon didn't tell very many people, but he had been talking to Giggle a few times here lately, and that seemed to make him suspect-able to having been told. Maybe. Xenon really didn't know either way. "I'm just better at doing things on my own than with a teacher. I tend to make them mad when I ask too many questions. I just don't understand how they can accept things so readily! Don't they have to verify their facts? And," he skipped over a few paces, and inspected a leaf for hoof-prints before finishing his thought. "Don't get me started on how closed minded they all are." Xenon shook his head and elected not to say anything more on the subject, not wanting to go off on an angry tangent.

"Rocks?" he asked, popping his head up and turning around, trying to find Giggle again. He'd skipped farther away than he had meant to. He skipped back to Giggle's side, and looked at the stone in his hand. "Ooh," he murmured. "I don't think I've seen a rock of this kind before." It was a dark stone, with yellow flecks on it. "May I hold it?" he asked, wanting to be polite before just grabbing it, lest Giggle didn't approve. 

[thisisrodolphuslestrange-blog]

Pureblood Politics || Rodolphus and Xenon

[thisisrodolphuslestrange-blog]

It was interesting how clearly Xenon’s thoughts could be interpreted from the expressions that skittered across face, chasing after each other in a hurried kind of seamlessness. Rodolphus could see the unfazed confusion there, mixed up in a detached wariness. For Rodolphus, it was one part a source of triumph to have such proof of the conundrum he presented, but it also made him feel faintly self-conscious.

Stiffening, Rodolphus looked away across the lake as Xenon closed his book, trapping his finger between the pages, contemplating on how to proceed with the conversation. There were certain topics to be broached, but they would require what Rodolphus would usually consider delicate manoeuvring. In the case of Xenon, however, different rules were in play; he was an entirely different branch of oblivious and at the same time perceptive altogether.

He tilted his head back in the Ravenclaw’s direction when he heard the question, and then gave the snow stuck to the his shoes and the hems of his trousers a considering look.

“I can’t say that I particular care for it either way,” he replied, though now it had been pointed out to him Rodolphus was starting to feel the cold. A gust of wind raced across the surface of the lake, and Rodolphus contained a shiver as he took at his wand and cast a similar spell to the one that Xenon had used on his feet around his face and hands. Crossing his arms, he pulled his cloak a little more closely around him, hoping it wasn’t too noticeable.

“I’m not sure that I’d consider it appropriate weather to be sitting on a rock reading, though,” he added, nodding his head towards the book. 

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon listened to Rudolph's take on the weather, and nodded a bit, understanding. He was like that about the snow sometimes, when he was in a not so good mood, particularly. But today he was enjoying it, even though his feet were still rather cold because of his defective heating charms. He kicked up some more ice and snow fluff, and grinned to himself a bit as he noticed that Rudolph was gathering his cloak around himself and cast a few more heating charms. It was amusing to see someone who you don't really think of as a normal person doing something that was very normal. He did recognize that Rudolph probably wouldn't want anyone to know about it, so he didn't say anything.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, looking down at his book. "Well, sitting on the rock is much better than sitting on the ground in the snow," he pointed out. He looked around that the frozen landscape, and tilted his head to the side to get a better look at it all. "I figure it's not the best weather to be reading outside," he observed, "but it's nice all the same." He grinned in Rudolph's direction. Xenon was a bit curious as to why Rudolph had wandered out into the snow, especially if he wasn't all that fond of it, but he wasn't sure if asking would be appropriate.

If he were being honest with himself, and Xenon was a big advocate of honesty, which is part of why he didn't like the Daily Prophet so much, he would admit to not knowing what to say to Rudolph in general. It wasn't often that he had company when he wandered outside in the snow, and it was less often when a snakey like Rudolph joined him, or showed interest in him at all. He sat there for a moment, idly running his hand over the cover of his creature encyclopedia, before he turned his attention back to the present. "Are you... erm... interested in hearing about the Crumple Horned Snorkack?" That wasn't the question he'd originally meant to ask, but it worked all the same, he figured. And it would be nice to talk about it to someone who might not take stock in it otherwise.

[hogwarts1975memories-blog]

Sybil Trelawney perfecting her balance.

Taken by Xenophilius Lovegood circa 1976

[xenonlovesgood]

Quibbling about the Quibbler || Ted and Xenon

[huffletonks]

Ted kept one hand on the other boy, not wanting to risk him falling over. Xenon looked banged up enough. Ted chuckled because of course he had banged into a wall and broken his own nose. And people thought Ted was the clumsiest one around. But, he couldn’t really let Xenon wander around like this and Madame Pomfrey was busy enough. “Sure, I know how to fix noses. It might hurt a bit though,” Ted warned. Quickly Ted pulled out his wand, going over the spell in his mind to make sure it was the right one. It would be awful if he was trying to help Xenon and he only made it worse-not that Madame Pomfrey couldn’t fix it, but she shouldn’t have to. “Episkey,” wave of the wand, and Ted say Xenon’s nose crack into place. “Is that better?”

“Why don’t we go into the kitchen? We could probably get water or something o help clean up the blood, maybe a little food. You can tell me more about your magazine once we’re sitting in there.” Xenon was a resilient lad and he looked like he was doing all right, but that didn’t really assuage Ted’s concern. Looks could be deceiving, especially if someone was determined to look fine. Besides, Ted had no idea how long Xenon had been sitting there before had come over, and if he had accidentally swallowed some of the blood, his stomach would want something else in it. 

Ted threw an arm around Xenon’s shoulder in a gesture of comraderie, but it also prevented him from skipping or bouncing too much with his newly healed nose. And if he started to fall over, Ted would be able to catch him. The kitchens were only a few steps away and Ted was able to open the portrait and sneak them both inside. The house elves swarmed towards the two boys and Ted tried to greet each of them. “Hey, could we have a bowl of water and a napkin to help clean him up? And if I could have a bowl of whatever soup is on the stove, that would be great. Xenon, any food?” He turned towards Xenon to check. Ted had no problem eating by himself, but it was more fun with company and he would feel less like he was inconveniencing the other boy. 

[xenonlovesgood]

"Oh, I know it'll hurt," Xenon said. He was well acquainted with the sensation of healing bones at this point in his life; it'd happened way too often for him to be otherwise. All the same, he braced himself as Tall Ted pulled out his wand, trying not to tense up his face, because he knew that would make it hurt worse than if he was relaxed. He'd scrunched his nose up though, so when it cracked (was it supposed to be that loud? Xenon wondered) it twinged quite a bit. It was more of an after effect, as the cold to warm sensation numbed it some. Once it was healed though, he perked up and smiled widely. "Yes, much! Thank you."

He tilted his head to the side, thinking about the kitchens and trying to remember the last time he ate, but couldn't. "Okay!" he said, letting Tall Ted lead him towards the kitchens. He was a bit put out that he couldn't skip down the corridor with Tall Ted's arm around his shoulders, but didn't that normally mean they were friends? He'd seen friends throw their arms around other's shoulders like Tall Ted had done to him just then. This thought assuaged him, and he chose not to be upset about not being able to skip.

He did pout a bit, though, when Tall Ted tickled the pear. That was Xenon's favorite part about visiting the kitchens. That, and the house elves. He smiled when they swarmed at them and waved at the ones he vaguely recognized and patted a particularly short one on the head, thinking it was cute. When Tall Ted asked for water and some napkins, Xenon looked down at himself. He hadn't realized he was covered in blood. He knew his nose had been bleeding pretty badly, but he didn't think it was that messy. He started wondering if there was any of his blood on the wall (he hoped not, as that would be very rude to the wall; he felt bad enough about running into it) when Tall Ted's ask for food brought him out of his reverie. He tilted his head, thinking. "Do you have any plums? Or plum pudding. Or plum tarts. Or cherries, to eat, this time. Any of those." He smiled at the house elves as they scurried away to fulfill their requests, he presumed. Then he broke away from Tall Ted and skipped over to a seat and climbed up to sit cross legged on the table. 

[xenonlovesgood]

Corridor Skipping || Xenon and Frank

[headboylongbottom-deactivated20]

“Make plums floa-“ No. Frank decided he wasn’t going to ask about why Xenon wanted to make plums float. If the boy wanted floating plums, that was fine. His reasons surely were sounds ones. Really, it didn’t warrant much thinking about. There was nothing in the rules against floating plums. “Uhm,” Frank thought for a moment. “Well you could ask Professor Sprout for some help. I hear she’s usually really good about helping students with experiments.” Frank thought a moment more. “But if you’re against asking Professor Sprout, there’s a 6th year Gryffindor, Alice Murphy, who’d probably help you out. She’s really great with plants, and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

Frank had to chuckle. “No, they really aren’t welcoming,” he said, walking over toward the Gryffindor table. At least Xenon had enough sense to stay clear of the Slytherins. “But you can sit at our table, if you want. None of us will mind.” And if they did, they wouldn’t speak out against it. One of the perks of being Head Boy, the other students didn’t question your decisions. With that, Frank slid into a seat and surveyed the spread. There seemed to be quite the selection of delectable dishes tonight. Definitely a good night to get out of the dorm. There were even plums. Frank grabbed the dish of plums and slid them over toward Xenon, “Looks like it’s your lucky night. They’ve got plums.”

[xenonlovesgood]

"Professor Sprout," Xenon whispered. In truth, he'd forgotten that there were teachers he could go to for help with his experiments. He was always forgetting things like that, and he figured it was because he normally forgot to go to class. He didn't think in terms of students and teachers, just in terms of people who would talk to him and people who wouldn't. He found it interesting, being reminded that there were teachers. 

"Ooh!" he bounced once. "I like nice people," he explained. "Do you think you could tell her I'd be interested in a conversation about floating plums? I even have a working name for them! Or you could tell me where to find her. Though then you might have to tell me where that place is." Xenon still had a habit of getting lost on the grounds especially, when he ventured into a new place. But it really all depended on what place Frankenstein said this ... oh, what was her name, he'd just heard it. He couldn't really remember, but where this nice girl was. What was he thinking about?

Xenon let that thought drop though, when he sat next to Frankenstein at the Dorrfingry table. "Thank you," he said, knowing his manners. The Dorrfingrys were really nice people, he decided. Was that nice plant girl a Dorrfingry? He couldn't remember if Frankenstein had said or not, but he might've. He looked out at the table, seeing a few foods he thought he liked, and then squealed when Frankenstein pointed out the plums. "Yay!" he lunged for the plums and picked up the whole dish when Frankenstein pushed it his way and set it right in front of him. He picked one up and bit into it, careful to steer clear of the pit. "Plum pits are awful," he observed. "But plums are lovely, they're my favorite." 

[thisisrodolphuslestrange-blog]

Pureblood Politics || Rodolphus and Xenon

Rodolphus was not the sort of person to wander aimlessly, for two key reasons. The first was that the term ‘wandering’ implied a certain innocuous nature to the wanderer, a sort of passivity. Neither of these descriptions fitted the Slytherin. The second, similarly, was that he also wasn’t an aimless person. He had a cause that underlined all his behaviour, tasks that he set himself to prove his worth and dedication.

However. To the casual onlooker, his meaningful prowl did look distinctly like aimless wandering. But Rodolphus was in fact seeking someone out; he’d know who it was when he found them. He didn’t like having nothing to do, it made his hands itch. To take something apart, to curse something into dust. It was a destructive urge he considered one of his more base traits, one he occasionally considered with something like fond sentiment before harnessing for more productive uses. But right now, he was seriously considering just giving into immature urges and firing paralysis spells at second years from a concealed cupboard.

He stomped irritably out into the snow. Earlier Rodolphus had contemplated seeking out Bellatrix, as first preference, or Felicity, or even one of the lower years. But he did have a reputation to maintain, of which ‘aloof’ was a key descriptor. So he’d hung around, purposefully of course, the common room for a while in the vague expectation that someone would eventually appear, before giving it up and going for a long walk around the castle. And now, apparently, the grounds.

Half way through his first circle of the lake, a shimmer in the corner of his eye caught Rodolphus’ attention. Turning slightly, Rodolphus inspected the indistinct figure sitting on the rock several hundred yards away. The air around them was twisting, vaguely, an odd heat-haze, made clearly unnatural by the snow around it. Both bored and curious, Rodolphus walked on unhurriedly, watching the student carefully. As he approached, he recognised the person to be Xenon, reading something undoubtedly entirely fantastical and fictitious. Xenon represented something of a puzzle to Rodolphus; all pure-blooded wizards who entertained sympathies for muggles and mudbloods did. As a pureblood, Xenon was naturally exempt from the majority of Rodolphus’ violent tendencies. He was a sympathiser, but that could be remedied. He was a sixth year, so he’d be leaving school soon, and apparently entertained ideas of publishing once he was in the adult world. Potentially someone Rodolphus could use, if the Ravenclaw came down on the right side of the war.

“Afternoon, Lovegood.”

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon had looked up, and when he saw the Slytherin snakey that Xenon thought was called Rudolph, he tilted his head to the side. He was always someone who intrigued Xenon, but not in the right ways, he didn't think. It was a mixture of fear and curiosity. This snakey wasn't as cruel as the other ones; the ones who would hex you and run, not caring that you were hurt or something. In fact, Xenon thought they might even enjoy that! It was baffling. Xenon didn't like it when people were hurting, and though he wasn't any good at helping them, he would try to at the very least. 

But Rudolph didn't do that. He was more... focused? Xenon didn't even have words to describe how Rudolph acted, but it wasn't the same as the other slytherins. Not that Xenon really knew very many slytherins, and not well, though there was that one... Andromada? Andremedica? He couldn't remember her name off the top of his head, but he remembered it was a fun name that he really liked to say. Fun names were his favorite, and he was more apt to know those over the boring names. Simple names were good too. Like that Tall Pufflehuff Ted. But the Andromadadada slytherin had been very nice, and even dropped cherries with him along the forest. He couldn't not like someone who did that.

"Hullo," he said to Rudolph, marking his place in his book with his finger, even though he didn't really need to, as he knew this particular encyclopedia nearly by heart at this point. He was curious about why Rudolph always seemed to treat him at least as normal as any one did. Xenon always figured that if anyone would bully him, Rudolph would be one of them. But he never did, which was always surprising.

"Are you enjoying the snow?" he asked, kicking up some ice fluff with his still half frozen foot. He figured there had to be a reason for Rudolph to be out here. And you could hardly ever go wrong with asking someone if they were enjoying the weather. It was either in the affirmative and both parties could bond over a mutual agreement, or it was in the negative and it'd give you something to talk about. Xenon had come to this realization a while ago now. It'd proved itself useful a few times now, and he hoped it would again right then. 

[xenonlovesgood]

Quibbling about the Quibbler || Ted and Xenon

[huffletonks]

Ted stretched out his arms, yawning. He had spent most of last night studying for the test he had in Ancient Runes today. Usually he was pretty good about keeping up with his work in that class because it was one of his favorites, but the past few weeks he’d had a little more trouble focusing. The weather outside was just too great so he spent more time outside than he usually did. Besides, he had far too many friends like Dedalus and Hestia who would spend all their time studying inside if he let them, so he had been spending an inordinate amount of time coaxing them outside and then actually enjoying the day with them. Fun, but not the best test prep.

As soon as he had finished the test, he’d gone back to his room and crashed, barely taking the time to remove his jacket and bowtie before curling up and sleeping. Now that he was awake again, he ran his hand through his hair and down over his face, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He blinked around blearily, but he couldn’t see Dedalus or Edgar. That meant it was probably either time for one of their classes, or time for food. If it was class, he’d have to beg one of them for the notes later. If it was food, then he was mildly upset neither of them woke him up to join them. When he felt his stomach growl, he decided that regardless of whatever time it actually was, he’d go to the kitchen and grab something. 

He waved at all the people he knew in the common (there were enough people there that it was probably not a class time, which was a bit of a relief. He didn’t actually like missing class and he rarely did it, regardless of what he said about his work ethic). Ted crawled through the barrels and out into the corridor. But as soon as he came through, he saw a familiar figure sprawled next to the common room entrance and he had blood on him. “Xenon! Are you all right? Did something happen?” A closer look showed that it was just a bloody nose rather than something significantly more sinister, but that didn’t stop him from scrambling over to the Ravenclaw and helping him to his feet. 

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon perked up when he caught sight of the Tall Pufflehuff Ted. "Oh yes, I'm fine," he said, letting Tall Ted help him up. "I ran into the wall," he explained. Skipping, while definitely his preferred method of transportation, did have some hazards that went along with it. He'd managed to stop most of the bleeding, but he was still covered with blood. Oh, that can't be sightly. Xenon's nose was a bit sore, but he had a feeling it'd be more sore later on after it'd set some.

"Do you know how to heal noses?" he asked Tall Ted. Xenon still had that spell tucked away, the one the school nurse (Pom Pom? Xenon wasn't sure what her name was, really) had used last time he'd gotten hurt. But he hadn't used it yet, surprisingly had not had a reason to in a while, and if Tall Ted the Pufflehuff could mend bones, it'd probably be better for all involved. Xenon could perform magic quite well, but he had a problem focusing on the spell he was trying to spell sometimes, and that definitely caused issues sometimes. He made a face.

"If you don't, it's okay," he said. He tilted his head, trying to remember precisely why he'd gone to find Tall Ted the Pufflehuff in the first place. He knew there was a reason. He blew a stray piece of blond hair out of his face, and then remembered, and bounced on the balls of his feet a few times. "Oh, oh, oh, I know!" he said. "I wanted to come find you for my magazine," he nodded vigorously, but then his nose protested, so he stopped that and made another face. "But I can't quite remember why, precisely. Just that it had to do with the magazine." He hummed some, trying to remember. 

[xenonlovesgood]

Corridor Skipping || Xenon and Frank

[headboylongbottom-deactivated20]

Frank was startled when the other boy looped his arm through his. He was able to keep calm about it, however, and decided to just go with it. It was another of those things that Frank though would go more smoothly if he didn’t ask about it. Xenon didn’t mean any harm by it, at least not by the look of him. Had it been Gideon, Frank would have worried a bit more. But Xenon was not Gid and, frankly, that was rather happy news. “Um, actually I’ve never been terribly fond of plums,” Frank answered. “I don’t hate them, though. Just not my favorite.”

They made their way down from the tower, walking down the corridors and staircases toward the Great Hall. It was still a little strange to be walking arm in arm with another bloke, but Frank wasn’t going to complain. At least this way, Xenon wouldn’t wander off and get lost again.

[xenonlovesgood]

Xenon nodded ruefully at Frankenstein's confession. Well, not everyone could like plums. If everyone liked plums, then they might eat them all, and rid the world of plums for forever. That'd be a right tragedy! Xenon nearly shuddered at the idea of a world without plums. That started him thinking about the float-y plums that he'd been trying to figure out how to plant. It was an experiment at best, of mixing magical properties with the plant seeds and seeing what would happen. The problem is that Xenon didn't know how to garden very well. He figured he could figure it out easily enough, but these situations were delicate.

"Say, Frankenstein, do you know anyone who's good at Herbology? I want to make plums float," he said as they walked along. Xenon wasn't sure if Frankenstein would be any help, but he seemed like a reasonable enough bloke who would know these sorts of things. "I just need someone who will help me plant them." Xenon then let himself get lost in his thoughts about floating plums and wondering what on earth he'd call them. It had to be something that indicated that they weren't normal plums, but that they were still very much plums. He'd have to think hard about it.

So lost was he that Xenon was rather surprised when he realized that they were coming up on the Great Hall. "Hey, we found it!" he said, excited. "Are you going to sit at the Dorffingry table, or somewhere else? I usually just sit and whichever table has the most appealing looking food. Well, not at the Snakey table, those people aren't very welcoming...," Xenon trailed off, thinking about that one time he got a stinging hex to the leg when he'd skipped over. It was a long time ago, so he just shrugged it off. No use on dwelling on the past! 

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

Wabbit Hunting || Xenon and Dedalus

[dynamic-dedalus-diggle]

“That’d be brilliant!” Dedalus said. He really was excited at the thought of helping out with this. It’d be tons of fun. And a great way to spend some time with friends. “Just let me know what I can do. You probably know how to find me. And if you don’t, Teddy’s always great at relaying messages.” Dedalus just hoped that he would be useful in the endeavor. Though he supposed he could do things like handing out copies of the magazine or spreading the word about it. Leave the actual putting together of the thing to the professionals.

Dedalus took the cherries he was handed and looked at them for a moment. Yes. Good. “Thanks, mate,” Dedalus said. He quickly tore two of the cherries off their stems and tossed them to the roots of a nearby tree. The two boys could always come back to this spot and see if anything came of it. For now, Dedalus popped the rest of the cherries into his own pocket and hoped that it didn’t get too messy in there. It was probably time for a robe-pocket-cleaning anyway, so it wouldn’t do too much harm.

“Yes,” Dedalus answered, brandishing the magnifying glass once again. He giggled when Xenon almost fell over and nodded. Yes, being careful was probably a good idea, wasn’t it? Looking through the glass, Dedalus bent down a bit so that he was closer to the ground - mostly to get a better view of the dirt where the tiny hoofprints might be but also so that it was less of a fall if he happened to trip, which was likely considering his focus was on a magnified version of the ground. For a minute or two, Dedalus searched around for the tiny hoofprints with no luck. “So Xenon,” he said, hoping to strike up some more friendly conversation to hunt by, “How’re your classes? You doing well this year?”

[xenonlovesgood]

"I will," Xenon said, though he had no real idea how he was going to find Giggle when the time came. Though he figured it can't be too hard, as they lived in the same castle, after all. And he did know how to find the Tall Pufflehuff Ted. That was rather easy, as all he had to do was sit outside the basement corridor and wait for some other nice Pufflehuff to come along and ask him why he was sitting there. Then Xenon would say what he needed, and they would do their best to help him find the Tall Pufflehuff Ted. Pufflehuffs were good that way.

Xenon skipped around, searching for tiny hoofprints in most of the obvious places, like in the thick grass and on the tree trunks. He also looked on the ground some, but without much luck. Xenon had a theory that they avoided the obvious places to leave prints, and would go to the unobvious places so that made the unobvious places obvious for them! Really, it was so simple any one could've figured it out. Xenon just felt lucky that they decided to show themselves to him. The microunicornius seemed to be very skittish.

He stopped short, though, when Giggle asked about his classes. Tilting his head to the side, he blinked a bit. "I don't know," he confessed. "In order to know how I was doing in classes, I would've had to go to them. I tend to forget to do that, you see." With how much everyone asked him about his classes, Xenon was beginning to think that perhaps he should start attending more of them on a normal schedule. The problem with that is that he got way too caught up in doing whatever it was that he was doing, or he would sleep past classes because he didn't keep any semblance of a normal sleep schedule, and just end up not going. As for how he'd do in them once he got there... that was to be debated. Xenon had issues with conventional curricula more often than not, which led to problems with his education. Not that he wasn't smart, just not in the school-approved way. He preferred reading his own materials over class appointed ones.