wonder twin

“It’s been five years and I still don’t understand the point of these,” Ruth said, turning the box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans over and over in her hands. “I mean, couldn’t they just make the nice flavours? Who wants vomit? Or earwax?”

“The wonder of surprise is the best.” Lysander said while eating a bag of chips. “Normal jellybeans are so boring. One minute you’re eating cherry flavoured and the next you’re hating your life because you just tasted vomit.”

History of Magic is seriously the most pointless core class. I haven’t missed it all this year, thank Merlin for choosing your NEWT classes… and with Apparition lessons coming up soon, I can tell Sixth Year’s going to be an exciting one.

It doesn’t help that there’s no way to make history exciting. Normally I can stay up for a long time because of the hours and hours of creature observations but I struggle in those classes. Lorcan and I apparating is probably going to be a nightmare to our parents.

   “Snow likes to sleep in. She tends to be more active at night but that makes sense for an owl.” She shrugged half a shoulder, “I used to be a bit of a night person myself.” She usually left a window open for her owl to come and go as she wanted during the night. She often wondered what adventures she went on but knew she’d probably never know herself but that was okay. She listened to him speak as she watched Archie rest against him and she couldn’t help but smile.    “I used to want a cat so badly but my father isn’t too fond of them. He lies and says he’s allergic but I don’t think he is.” She rolled her eyes, “But it’s amazing that you found a cat that can keep up with your energy. He’s your perfect partner in crime.” Roxie looked around and nodded, she couldn’t argue with that. “Coffee’s never done much for me when it comes to energy but I still like to drink it.” She chuckled and turned her attention back to him, “I think you’re right. It seems I’ve been locking myself away too much lately.” She scrunched her nose and shook her head with a sigh.

“I know you weren’t trying to make a pun but I appreciate the execution.” Lysander was like his mother when it came to saying exactly what he was thinking.  “Walks at night are great but I usually just run during the day because of how clumsy I am. I’m still not used to my own height.”

He couldn’t help but grin even wider, not caring if he was being horribly transparent. “Yeah, I mean he seems like a cool guy,” he agreed, relaxing a bit again as he watched the cat roll in the grass. “Just figured it’d be cool if he was a species-cross.” As Lysander explained Archie’s history, Scorpius listened carefully, nodding along. “Aw, so he totally was a baby. He must’ve decided you were his person and been affronted by the idea that you expected him to leave… how old is he now?” He asked.

“People can be unperceptive.” But then Scorpius was nearly tripping at the offer, his head shooting up to stare at Lysander. “What? Really? I can meet THE Luna Lovegood?” He said, eyes wide. “Oh Merlin, I need to prepare. I need to make a good impression. I need to — Lysander! This is going to distract me for weeks,” he said, his voice pitching upwards in panic. “What if she doesn’t like me? What if she thinks I’m weird? What if the animals don’t like me either and then your dad hates me too, — oh, Merlin —” he couldn’t stop himself from rambling, already jumping to the worst possible scenarios.

Scorpius was still trying to calm himself down, not jump to the worst conclusions, count backwards in his head like his mum had taught him to when he was younger. “N-no, that ma-makes sense,” he managed to say, his chest hurting because of how quickly he was breathing. “At l-least people can tell you what’s hurting them t-though.” He realized he was crushing the plants he’d picked in his palm, and he tried to loosen his grip, letting out another stuttery squeak when Lysander called him cute. Every single Lovegood-Scamander was a menace, Scorpius decided, right then and there. He was literally going to collapse. Still, he took some of the offered herbs and tucked them into his back, glancing back at Lysander and then quickly down at his feet. “I’m sure it’ll be f-fine.”

“I’ve had him 6 years now. His birthday is in a couple months. My mum jokes that we are going to have a party for him but knowing her, i have a feeling she’s serious.” He rubbed the back of his head, not ashamed of his mom antics in the slightest but wondered just how far she’d go with some things.  “How long have you had Lyra? I feel bad about not knowing but there’s no time like the present.”

He found the male’s reaction more adorable than he should, turning slightly red in the face himself because he’s rarely seen someone have that kind of reaction. His mother was a war hero but  a lot of people only focused on how she chose to express herself and her personality. “Scorpius.” Lysander said, putting his arm on his shoulder. “Just be yourself. i know that’s a cliche thing to say but it’s true. Though, I can’t speak for the animals. That may take a little bit of time but most of them probably won’t kill try to kill you.” His last line was more of a joke. Lysander was blessed with having a tone of voice that made it hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

Getting the chance to know Scorpius more was great in Lysander’s book, especially because he had always wanted to know more about him. “Has anyone ever told you that you have this amazing way of getting people to think outside the box. You really will get along with my mom because both of you think and know things that most people wouldn’t.” Scorpius was smart and had this side of him that Lysander wanted to know more about. “We should hang out more.” He noticed that the other male had been crushing the plants, which wasn’t a problem and a common mistake. “I still do the same thing. The best way to pick plants is to think of it like...” He tried to think of an example, doing his usual quirk of rubbing at his temples. “OH. Think of it like you’re trying to turn the page of a book but the pages are stuck together.” Lysander bit his lip. “That was a shit example but I hope it..makes sense?” He grinned. “Do you want to continue this hang out by me showing you a remedy with these leaves that my grandpa taught me?”

“i think you have the wrong person,” balthazar said not looking up and honestly only paying half attention to what the other was saying. “i have no idea why you thought i would have a gillyweed,” he continued on scribbling on the paper in front of him with intense concentration. the seventh year was silent for a second then looked up as if he realized maybe that was not what the conversation was really about. that he had heard them wrong. “actually hold on a moment…can repeat what you said? it occurred to me i may have not been listening…”

lysander smiled, shaking his head with his arms, not at all surprised that the other male hadn’t heard most of his words. he wasn’t mad because that’s who he was, like everything, it made him chuckle. “i said i’m doing a homework assignment on dragon identification and could use your help figuring out the breed.” he was torn on the breed and though he had a considerable amount of knowledge in dragons, balthazar was an expert and would point him towards the right answer. “the only information i was given is the dragon being native to a country in the western hemisphere, on the smaller side of 15 feet, and has coppered colored scales. think you could help?”

“Prefect duty,” Rose mumbled, still half asleep. “We have crossed paths,” she nodded good morning to Archie, “I didn’t know he could run? Are you sure Archie is a cat?”

“I just thought he was special for a long time but Scorpius brought up the potential of him having some Kneazel in him.” Lysander commented, responding in his usual energetic tone. “How are you doing this morning?”

Scorpius couldn’t help but grin genuinely at that, his nerves fading a little at the idea that he’d managed to ask a question about animals that a Scamander hadn’t thought of. That was certainly something to be proud of himself for. Still, just as he’d finally gotten a grasp over himself Lysander had to go and say something like that. “If he’s understanding our conversation then I’m really inclined to think there’s Kneazle there,” he managed to say.

Scorpius followed the other male over towards a cluster of plants that he’d never particularly paid much attention to, though upon closer observation he was noticing they were actually more than just the common weeds he’d taken them for. “Have you had him since he was a k-kitten?” He asked. He’d had Lyra since she was only two months old. He wondered whether it was different getting an older cat or not… if that spurred Archie’s independence or whether Lysander had had him since he was a kitten and the creature just had a self-determined streak. “I don’t think it’s hard to pick just… interesting to pick,” he countered. “Not to be presumptuous or anything,” he continued, losing a bit of his stutter once he got passionate about what he was saying. “But people were awful about your mom. She helped save the whole wizarding world and people still call her Loony. She’s a hero. And besides, we need more people who think outside the box. That’s how problems get solved.”

He let out a breath, going red at his outburst, and stared back at the ground as they approached the herbology greenhouses and the open plant ground around them. “Oh that’s cool,” he said, perking up again. “I want to be a Healer. Are there a lot of similarities between healing a creature and a wizard?” He leaned forward to examine some of the plants that Lysander was pointing out. “I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “But mum used to make me lavender tea all the time when I was too ah-anxious to go to bed.” He worried his lip between his teeth, carefully following Lysander’s movements and plucking some plants himself. “It’s not boring.”

“Is that smile on your face because you love proving me wrong? Wow. I thought we were friends, Scorpius.” He kept a serious tone just to mess with Scorpius, the tone lasting just a few seconds until he grinned. “Messin’ with ya, again. If i’m bein’ honest with you. Never really looked into his history - it’s never been something I cared about. He could have wings and I’d just assume he was a normal cat because he’s hard not to love.” Archie wasn’t paying any attention to them now, but even Lysander was preoccupied.

“My grandpa thinks he was about 9 months old when I found him. Could be less but we really couldn’t tell.” He took the cat a lot of places with him. Most people never cared much unless it was a place that really didn’t allow animals such as the classrooms, some businesses, and places where an allergy would matter. “I’ve cared for a lot of animals but he’s always had my heart. We tried to set him free but he kept scratching on the door.” He smiled at the memory. “Lorcan was jealous too because he honestly did just as much work as me.”

The nice words about his mom threw him off, not in a bad way, it wasn’t something he heard from people often. “W-wow. Thanks, Scorpius. I don’t hear many people compliment my mom other than a few Ravenclaws and my professors. She’s one of the nicest people in the world and there’s more to her that people don’t see.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out two small baggies to put in the plants he’d been picking. “There’s no fun in acting like everyone else. If you’ve never met her, you should stop by our family land. We have a lot of creatures that we help rehabilitate. My mum also loves reading. Think about it.” He was serious, the smile on his face showed.

“There’s a lot I have to learn on both ends. Medicine and injury treatment are complex on both ends. Humans are a lot easier because we have a lot of the same make-up. Being a healer is important because you learn a lot of techniques that could work on creatures. I have a lot of experience with treating creatures so I still have a lot to learn on the human side. If nothing I said makes sense, please tell me.” Lysander being as tall as he was often made it awkward when it came to picking plants or other tasks as most people weren’t his height. He looked to Scorpius. “You’d be a cute healer. Not many people could pull off that uniform.” He held out the goldenrod and lavender leaves. “They are used in many healing potions. You just need a lot of them. it’s good to know in case you somehow end up stuck in an abandoned forest and are injured. most likely won’t happen..but hey..good to prepare.” Lysander jokingly nudged Scorpius. “We may end up training together one day. Which means you’ll sadly have to deal with me and my inability of sitting down more.”

Scorpius nodded. He could certainly see that. He’d never seen a cat perch quite as bird-like as Archie either. “Are you sure he doesn’t have some Kneazle in there?” Scorpius wondered. “But yeah, I mean d-don’t they say pets end up looking and acting more and more like their owners as time goes on?” He let out a breath, stumbling over his words again when Lysander acted like it’d been directed at him, his heart beating faster in his chest.

“Merlin, I thought the v-voice would give it away,” he said, trying and failing at keeping it cool. He drew his hand back as Archie started to give chase, pouncing through the grass. At the offer, he bit his lip, letting his book drop a few more inches. He had really been meaning to read but… maybe he could just finish the book during lunch. And finding ingredients for potions wasn’t exactly slacking off. “Uh… yeah. Sure why not,” he said. “I- I wouldn’t mind picking at your brain.”

Lysander shrugged. “This is going to sound really bad coming from me. Like..really bad..but I never considered that.” His father’s side of the family are well known for their history with magical creatures, his own grandfather being one of the best (if not the best) people in the world when it came to magical creatures.  “He does love pushing boundaries and being around good people with great conversation.” He winked , not trying to hide that he was teasing Scorpius.

“You ever heard of selective hearing? That’s a trait that Archie didn’t need to adopt from me.” Lysander commented, nodding his head towards the direction not too far away where he knew more herbal plants grew. Scorpius hadn’t yet confirmed if he was wanting to hang out with him but Lysander had a feeling that he’d want to tag along. He wasn’t at all worried about Archie considering the cat lived his first year of life as a street cat and usually didn’t stray too far away from Lysander when they were outside of the common room. “Good luck with that. Remember,I’m also a Lovegood by blood so my brain is pretty hard to pick. But if that means we can hang out, pick away.”

Lysander led the way, walking closer to where Professor Longbottom taught herbology. “The best place for any type of basic plant is here. This summer I worked with one of my dad’s former apprentices at a rehabilitation center for magic creatures and I spent a lot of time searching for the right plants and ingredients.” He had a passion for medicine and healing for creatures and humans alike. “I actually nursed Archie back to health. All it took was a few dittany plants and a lot of love..and look where we are today.” Lysander bent down to look at the plants growing to the side of the giant hut. “People always want to be intense and use dittany for everything, but the right amount of Lavender and Goldenrod does the trick. It just takes a while.” He smiled, gently pulling some of the more loose plants. “Sorry if this is kind of boring. I don’t know..I really love it.”

Scorpius pulled his book up higher, trying to hide his flushed face a bit behind the massive text. He didn’t even know what it was about Lysander that was flustering him so much. It was silly. He worried his lip between his lips, trying to not embarrass himself even further. He blinked rapidly and looked away from the other male’s frankly blinding grin. “That’s… c-curious. I’ve never heard of a cat that acts like a dog before.”

He pet the cat again, smiling despite himself at the way the creature arched into the scratches. “Oh you’re so cute,” he cooed at the cat, his smile peeking back over his textbook again. “Nah, Lyra’s too pampered. She deserves a bit of struggle every now and then.” He glanced back over at the Ravenclaw and tried not to flush again. “Just deny responsibility. If no one saw you, then they didn’t see you right?” He joked, glancing back down at his feet. The proposition had him going even darker pink. “That’s okay… I’d be learning from a better source anyways,” he replied carefully, shrugging. “He sounds fiesty.”

Lysander figured there was a reason that Scorpius was pulling the book above his face. He decided to not bring attention to it considering everyone had their own thing. “I’m someone who has grown up his entire life surrounded by creatures and people who stand out, it’s a matter of fate that he and I met. He can also play fetch and is an expert at messing with my twin brother. Both taught by yours truly.”

He heard Scorpius’ compliment towards Archie, choosing to act like it was for him. “Thanks. You’re pretty cute as well, Scorpius.” Lysander teased, following his statement with a wink. “Oh. You weren’t talking to me.” Soon after the blonde was done petting the cat he immediately jumped off Lysander’s shoulders and began chasing a butterfly that didn’t seem to being paying any attention to the cat. “See, he even has the same attention span as me.” He chuckled. “I like the way you think. Do you want to walk with me? I was headed to find some plants that are great for healing potions. It’ll be fun. I can be like a tutor?” Lysander was hoping he’d say yes because he’d enjoy the company, and he did love teasing Scorpius (though he wasn’t going to admit it).

Scorpius had wound up with a free morning period so he’d decided to get his breakfast and go eat it outside with a book, but he was shaken out of his thoughts by one incredibly sweaty-looking Scamander twin. “Oh —” he fumbled over his words, trying not to stutter or stare. “No I- I was just going to read by the lake while I ate br-breakfast,” he explained, waving his book in Lysander’s way awkwardly.

Still, the cat had him relaxing a bit. Animals he knew how to handle, and he was instinctively reaching out to scratch Archie under the chin. “Oh I sure have. He gives Lyra a lot of entertainment,” he said, quietly. “She’s not this willing to come outside with me though.”

Lysander grinned with his teeth at Scorpius who stumbled over his words, finding it adorable that Scorpius was tripping over his words. He put his arms into a fold, not bothering hiding the smirk on his face. Lysander was known for the smile that seemed to remain on his face, he was just a happy person. Archie was clearly not paying attention to their conversation other than expecting scratches whenever he was around someone that wasn’t Lysander. 

“He’s different than most cats. There are days that I wish he didn’t have the energy of one hundred puppies but that only makes him a perfect fit for me.” Lysander watched as Scorpius scratched under Archie’s favorite spot, the cat lifting his head slightly to give the blonde more access. “I apologize for the annoyance he most likely brings your cat. The other day he knocked over a bunch of books off the desks in the common room. Is it bad that I acted like it wasn’t him, grabbed him, and went back to my bed?” He asked, chuckling at the situation. “It’s great to see you, Scorpius. You should let me know when you come out here. Though, I’ll talk your ear off about the different creatures in the lake so you won’t get any reading done. You’ll also watch Archie try to smack the shit out of a fish.”

    Roxanne wasn’t much of a morning person. That was evident to anyone who knew her but a couple of nightmares had kept her up and instead of tossing and turning in bed, she decided to get up and greet the day. Roxanne hadn’t been out and about just because in what seemed like forever and if she was being honest, she missed the out doors and just sitting there. She missed just admiring nature and so on.     She was looking the other way when she jumped slightly upon hearing someone’s voice. She turned to see who it was to see it was Lysander. Roxanne chuckled, “I wanted to see the sun rise. It’s been quite some time since I have.” She admitted and glanced over at the cat, “I think we’ve met once.” She was hesitant to reach out now since this was her year back after the werewolf attack, she wasn’t sure how his cat would react to her now. “How was your run?” 

Lysander had a consistent smile on his face, a trait he definitely inherited from his great auntie Queenie. He also was like most cat owners who were even happier when their pet was around, making it even better that his cat was just as active as himself. “You and Archie both. He’s the best alarm clock because he wakes me up right before the sun comes up.” Archie pressed his face up against Lysander’s neck a few times before finding a comfortable enough position to rest while Lysander rubbed his head.

“He’s a cat-dog as I call him. Not like the American show if you’ve ever heard of that. Archie loves to go for runs outside, play with other animals like a dog would, and even knows tricks. I found him in New York as a kitten when we visited our relatives and we’ve been best friends ever since.” He chuckled while Archie sprawled out across his shoulders, almost as if he was sun-bathing. “You should come out here more often. Most people hate waking up when they don’t have to but it’s nice and a great way to start your day. A lot of Ravenclaws pull all-nights and they wake up all groggy. I don’t even need coffee, I’m pure energy.”

The Hufflepuff common room was getting unusually crowded for the end of October. After all, the leaves had already changed and the Halloween decorations were up, what more could the normal teenagers want? Oliver selected his current conquest, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, off his shelf, and made his way out of the common room, attempting to make zero eye contact. 

Mid-afternoon in the Great Hall was normally a minefield for pranks and games, but today, it was just a meeting place for the Wizards’ Chess Club and a reading nook for Oliver. He sat at the far-end of the Hufflepuff table and tucked his hands into the long, woolly sleeves of his crimson sweater. He had barely finished reading the first paragraph when a familiar face sat across from him. 

Lysander wasn’t one who could sit down for long periods of time without being engaged in some way. He didn’t care much about sole-house interaction, it was never his style. Many of his best friends were in different houses than his own, and even during his first month at Hogwarts when he was 11 years old he didn’t just mingle with the same people he saw in the common room and his classes. Lorcan was most likely busy with class work meaning that Lysander was going to have to find his own entertainment.

He spotted Oliver Longbottom, someone he wasn’t close with but he was pretty sure they’ve sat next to one another in the library a few times and smiled at one another - right?  That’s a good enough reason to consider someone a friend in his book. Lysander figured this would be a good time to get to know him better. Rather than say a normal greeting like most people, Lysander grabbed an apple from the table and sat across from Oliver. “You don’t mind if I sit here, right? Thanks.” He smiled, already plopped down into the seat and his backpack right next to him. Lysander was wearing his favorite looney tunes sweater, a pair of jogger pants, and a black cap with the ravenclaw insignia stitched onto the front. “Usually people from other houses will give me the weirdest looks sometimes when I just sit somewhere other than the Ravenclaw table but Hufflepuffs are always really nonchalant. It’s..awesome.”

They’d been running for a decent amount of time before Lysander got tired and started to walk back towards the main entry way of the school. Archie walked alongside Lysander, clearly happy to just be outside and next to his owner. Lysander was admiring the view around the courtyard when his attention turned towards a familiar face. “What brings you outside this early?” He asked. Archie walking right next to him until the cat jumped onto his left shoulder. “You’ve met Archie, right?”

Full Character Name:  Lysander Xenophilius Scamander

Does your character have siblings? What are their names?: Twin brother: Lorcan Scamander

What is your characters best subject in school? Charms

What is your characters wand?  Phoenix wing feather, Fairly Heavy, 11 1/4 inches, Mahogany with fairly smooth and bark-like markings, Pine

Can your character cast a Patronus? What is it? What memory do they use?: Still learning.

Who is your characters best friend?: His brother, Lorcan.

Does your character look up to anyone? Who? Queenie Goldstein, his great-aunt. The woman had always been someone he’s looked up to because she was willing to do anything and was always really sympathetic. She was always willing to sneak off with the twins and utilize her abilities to make everything fun.

What is your characters relationship like with their family? He loves his family. They tend to be in the news because of how his mum acts, and Lysander was quick to defend her and would constantly get in trouble at a young age because of him picking fights with others who taunted him. He loves his mum and sees how creative, smart, and herself she is. Lysander is proud of who he is and his family’s role in saving the magical community.

If your character has siblings, do they have a favorite? Only one. His brother.

What is your characters go-to spell in a duel? Lysander has never been a big fan of dueling. As someone who prefers healing he is usually the one stepping in when things get tough or helping the individuals on the sidelines. He isn’t one to back out of a challenge and he loves the laughs so he uses the laughing curse and then uses a knock back spell.

What spell does your character use most often? Concealing spells. Mostly because he loves sneaking around on the Hogwarts grounds to see the different types of creatures that visit the area. There’s been a lot of times he’s went in the forbidden forest with his brother.