Xen

He was going to be able to hold this over Pandora's head forever. Usually, when the time arrived that they had to leave the house, Xen was still very good at postponing the trip for another several weeks, until their homestead was in need of so many things that it was becoming inconvenient.

But to Xenophilius, there was always a workaround. Always a way to use what you had, what you could find, what you could make. It was fun, and it was a challenge and it was not getting held hostage in a bloody bank.

Pandora, at least, was fine. She was making polite conversation with their surrounding captive colleagues. Glancing over at the nearest soul, Xen gave them a nod, reaching into his cloak. "I think I have something that will help us all..."

Slowly, preciously, Xen extracted a short, flat wind instrument from his robes, bringing it up to his lips.

Whoever had placed Regulus in charge of the hostages was out of their minds. He didn’t have a commanding personality in the slightest. In fact, he was considered quite meek for a Death Eater. He supposed it was a better option than to be out there battling against his own brother and the rest of the Order. Regulus had been instructed to keep the civilians separated from the others so that they would have as little chance to plan escape, and to use deadly force as necessary. It was the last thing Regulus wanted to do– inflict pain on anyone. That was until he heard that blasted kazoo playing again.

“Shut that thing up,” Regulus hissed through his mask at the man, pulling his wand from his robes, yet not aiming it. He didn’t know how he had landed himself with the weirdest hostages of the bunch, the hippie looking couple who seemed to think this was all some tea party. “Or I will shut it for you.”

.

Xenophilius pulled the kazoo away from his lips, looking up into the mask of the death eater with still eyes.

“It’s just as much for your benefit as it is for everyone else-” he explained a little defensively, cupping in the instrument in both hands to protect it. “It is for easing emotions, heightening calm auras, increasing the focus of folypinx that may be near by... really, it is in your interest to let me play. Just enjoy the sound bath.”

Xen regarded the death eater, his face earnest in his explanation and request. He was, of course, tense from the situation, but he genuinely believed this would help. 

Being a metalcharmer was solitary work, it was why he had chosen it so there were no prying eyes to possibly notice symptoms before the full moon or days he was out sick, but sometimes the solitude weighed on him, the flat too quiet. Of course when Sirius was home that usually was never the case, but even he went off to work. He knew he shouldn’t complain, having any job was a blessing for someone like him but he just wanted a little ambience, a feeling of normalcy that he would have gotten with any other job. While that wasn’t an option he decided to do the next best thing and take his work with him to the Leaky Cauldron where he would have some hustle and bustle around him. He chose a spot at the corner of the bar angled to have a good view of all those coming and going, ordered a drink and set his work out in front of him. 

There were a few items in need of repair some of the shops had given him, charms that had worn out which was shoddy work, unless of course, the charmer was ancient, they shouldn’t have worn out. He was tinkering with a sneakoscope when it suddenly went off making a shrill sound before he quickly disengaged it and he pulled a face. Remus hated bringing attention to himself and especially such a horrible noise as that, his work was usually silent, it just so happened to have chosen now to have a malfunction such as this. He felt eyes on his and gave a sheepish smile. “I - er, sorry about that, mind of their own these things sometimes. How about a drink on me to apologize for the intrusion,” he offered.

It didn't take much for Xen's mood to sour, and this afternoon was no exception. The barkeep was giving him a nasty look for only having ordered water, and now his interview was a no show. The only positive, the only salvageable element of this outing was that it reminded him of how much he liked to come into the city.

And then, from behind him a horrible sharp sound burst- blaring out Xen's ears as he involuntarily winced before the sound quickly ceased. Turning in his chair, Xen squinted over at the culprit- surprised to see someone who'd actually make him smile.

"Lupin!" Xen grinned, glancing down at the sneakoscope in his hands. He leaned over his chair to get a better look at the object. "Some of them, made ages ago by Uther D'Arcy are said to have a mind of their own indeed!" Xen said with an air of correction. Then, he rose, moving to sit across from Remus at his table.

"I'll take one if you'll let me take a look at it?"

What a surprise it was when the little house elf popped into her living quarters just to inform her of the visitor in front of the door, calling out in the most unusual way for Celeste to show at the door. Manners dictated the speed at which she moved across the halls, unsure if the thought of seeing Xen again was thrilling or terrifying or everything at once. By the time the witch reached the front of, the small elf opening it for her with a snap of their little fingers, she was back to her perfect, poised state, ever so gentle, ever so serious about things. “How lovely of you to visit. How long has it been?” She gave a polite nod, smoothing out the skirt idly. “Whatever brings you to my door? Surely you haven’t come just to display that rather impressive number of wildflowers that you keep holding onto?”

He knew that Celeste had recently faced loss- and had felt guilty that it had taken him so long to appear. She was, after all, one of the few people on this earth he was fond of, and wanted to care for, to tend to.

"Remember that Braxial skull we found in the garden as kids, and I dug a hole for it wreathed in oleander and silver coins?" Xen's arms braced as he bent his knees, one arm wrapping underneath her legs and the other still firmly clasped around the small of her back. "Let's go see what happened to it!" he called excitedly, scooping her up into his arms and pivoting from the front of the house. "Now you're just another flower in the bouquet, Celeste!" he chuckled, beginning to leap down the steps that lead to the front door.

What scared her wasn’t the fact Xenophilius seemed to care very little about life outside of them, but how much she liked it. There was something deeply wrong with the both of them, — as devotion should never blur the line between adoration and sheer obsession —, and she wasn’t bothered by it at all. If that was how it was going to be, forever, she'd take it with open arms. Because when he said our… friends? like that, she almost forgot she even had them to begin with. Did anyone really exist outside of her husband? And if they did, did they truly matter? Should she care about the tree that falls alone in a deserted forest?

Fingertips pressing harshly into his skin, she dragged them down until they were at his neck, now tracing his collarbone in an almost hypnotic movement. “Yes, friends. We have those, I believe.” Persisting nevertheless, she put on her best act, eyes sweet and smile soft around the edges. “Does it matter who, my most beloved? They’re all friends at the end of the day, are they not?” 

There was a reason why she avoided names. As devoted as Xenophilius had always been, she knew there were lines he wouldn’t cross. She had read The Quibbler, had listened to him during dinners on end. Asking him to extend any kind of kindness to her own friends would take more than what she was putting on now. Deceiving him would be easier, although still almost impossible, and would probably guarantee her at least some kind of leeway. At least she hoped. 

“I was thinking that maybe we should help them out in these trying times. Maybe offer them a place to replenish in between battles, a warm bed to sleep on."

Xenophilius couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but hold her to his chest like she had been trapped. She knew right well that none of her friends had ever needed help with- what was it? Warm beds to sleep on.

No, they were not all friends. Not even close. But Xen had never been able to deny Pandora much, and in this regard he was very weak. It wasn't her fault that her heart seemed bigger than everyone else's- Xen had never seen someone be able to love as much as her, or even feel as much as her. It was a magic in of itself that Xen felt none of them deserved. They probably didn't even see it in her, that miraculous sense of care. Every heart string a golden thread she allowed others to tug on, that he would have kept.

And why now? These moon baths were not typically rituals of discussion, but of acknowledging their accomplishments within the last lunar month. This helped to keep the uncertainties and fears of darkness the New Moon brought at bay- unless she was really, genuinely worried?

Xen frowned, looking into her face for any sign of actual strain, of fear. He wouldn't have that. Not even if it meant seeing people. "It might matter, if this is truly based on need." Xen replied finally, his voice tinged with a coyness even though he really was concerned for her. "Many of y- our friends have more beds than they know what to do with, so I'm failing to see why we'd need to offer ours?"

“buggering shit blast damn” Ted watched as one of the pages from the most recent chapter of his report flew from the stacks of his spilled paperwork, floating so elegently into the floo of a random ministry worker, someone that he both could not track down, but now was in posession of any number of theories that he was currently working on. He could already see the hours of work it would take to source the mistake, and felt himself deflate. 

It was one of those days, and unfortunately one of those days happened far too often for Ted’s liking. He could never just stumble along and find a big stack of galleons in the middle of the road, could he? It always had to be a near disaster moment, threatening his peace of mind at every turn. He turned to scoop up the rest of his paperwork when yet another rogue page went flying. “Excuse me! Excuse me, please snag that!” before I have a complete breakdown in front of the entire ministry. 

He didn't like being here. Truthfully he didn't like being anywhere without Pandora and Luna, or without trees as far as the eye could see, but today it hadn't been possible to stay away.

As Xenophilius emerged from the fire, stack of Quibblers in hand, his attention was caught by several papers landing at his feet. At the request of some desperate crowd member, Xenophilius knelt down, picking up the papers, careful to not bend them.

"Oh- hello there-" he winced as he stood back up. Clearly these papers had been glamoured with some mischief. Perhaps this poor bloke's Tomte had gone running away, leaving his possessions up for trickery. "They don't seem like they want to be with you, do they?" Xen remarked, offering the papers back. "I think they've been jinxed to encourage Wrackspurts, careful there. The headache they give isn't all too pleasant."

moonlight skinny dipping with @strangelovc.

There were very few things nicer than the moon in her hair and the water against her body. One of them was standing right there, at the margins of the lake, looking straight at her.

“The longer you keep still as a beanstock the longer we are apart, my beetle.” Smile as pure as pearls glistening, Pandora swam farther and farther away from him, as an invitation, — perhaps even a challenge —, for Xenophilius to follow her towards the darkness. Although the night was never as dim as they’d expect during the full moon, their bodies illuminated by light magnified through sheer love. 

Once she heard the soft splash of her husband getting into the water, she broke into giggles, current taking him to her as if that was what nature had made it for. A force with a single purpose of bringing lovers closer in moments of solitude, making sure they’d be together even when it was so late not even fish dared to approach their feet. “I’ve been wondering…” As if already lost in thought, she placed her elbows upon his shoulders, hands fixing his hair as it fell onto his eyes in a motion very close to adoration. Sometimes Xenophilius was but a god and Pandora was Kronos, ready to devour him whole, consume him and leave behind just a trace of how he had once belonged to her.

“Oh, how beautiful you are, truly. Like a tulip, or a pretty fountain.” Thoughts kept to herself, her fingers traced his cheeks. Then his nose. And finally, his lips, tips pressing to them. “But, yes, wondering… Wondering about our friends, how they are… Don’t you? Not always, I suppose, since you should be thinking mostly of me. And duckling, of course. But me, primarily.”

Watching her, Xen understood what Hesiod meant when he said that gods were terrible to behold. Beautiful, powerful, but fearsome- their glance enough to call your soul to the surface. As if your fate was a string to be plucked. The fear, Xen had always supposed, was bearing the understanding and weight that you were a part of something much greater than yourself, suddenly, regardless of your wants. But now, Xen wondered if that fear was anticipation, if it was adrenaline, the feeling of your stars being changed before your eyes.

The reality of her, his Pandora, calling out to him- that this wasn't some fantasy, but something he could expect with every full moon- felt like that. A tug against his soul. A calling to live in service and love to her, that he would answer again and again.

It was just that this was a painting, a dream reverent souls like him had tried to capture through song and brush for as long as there had been music and art. How many? How many people could Xen count himself with, that had been captured, rendered in twain, by a woman calling for you in moon filled waters?

Xen gave a shaky laugh as the water came over his stomach, gathering her into his arms delicately. As she spoke, Xen watched every expression pass over her face, eyes tracing her features, a constant practice, a study. "If I have any beauty, it is only what you have given me by proximity." he assured in hushed tones, his smile soft and knowing.

And then Pandora did what she always did, what Xenophilius could never imagine, and what made him love her- she surprised him. "Our... friends?" he echoed, brow bent. There was a slight remorse in his eyes, that this perfect moment would have such an uninvited guest- other people- break the spell that she'd so easily cast over him.

"How who is?" he asked, head tilted, unable to think of anyone immediately.