Simply Nargles in the Tower [Pete]

[``xenophilius john lovegood]

The sky was a clear dark blue, which made the stars even more visible from the Training Grounds Tower's windows. The young man with the blond, candy floss hair was running around the tower trying to search for something that he seemed to have lost, the sun had set at least for a whole hour now, Xenophilius John Lovegood was still up there searching. It would have been easier to search if he would have used his wand to illuminate the place up. But fear of being caught in a place he wasn't supposed to be, well that was something Xeno could not risk, even in the importance of this mission.

It was the winter holiday's and Xeno thought it was the best opportunity to look for Nargles, his house mates were talking about things that would end up missing every time they went up to the tower, Xeno suspected Nargles of course, he's been on a Nargle search for weeks now, and it wasn't that hard considering the amount of mistletoe in the castle. Xeno loved to talk to his house mates about all the wonderful creatures he has claimed to discover, but they always blew him off and told him to "Piss off, Lovegood." Which only made Xeno more persistent, he didn't know that his house mates were fooling him and knew he was listening when they were talking about the Training Grounds Tower, he just accepted what they were saying was real , and that he has scored lucky with these bits of information. Now was the chance he told himself, he bundled up and quietly as a young Ravvie could go, Xeno set out to the tower, since most of the student's were gone, he thought his plan would work.

But he had been looking for an hour and no luck of finding not even one nargle. "This is useless!" Xeno shouted at himself, "I'll never find the bloody things!" He quickly brought both hands up to his mouth to cover it, his eyes wide and embarrassed, he had used a swear word. His blue eyes searching for a listener, once concluding that no ears, aside from his own, had heard him, he lowered his hands to his sides. He wasn't use to swearing but his house mates used them so often, they were bound to stick to him, which Xeno found hopeful. If their swear words stuck on me, maybe my information about creatures stuck on them he thought. His mouth widened into a smile that reached all the way to his eyes.

"Well on with the search," he told himself, Xeno walked closer to the window that was looking down on the training grounds, hence the name of the tower, the wind was chilly and trying to bite at him through his goose feather stuffed jacket. Something passed in front of his eyes, "A Nargle!" he shouted, and tried out his hand to reach for it, his hands slipped right through and half his body was hanging outside the window. His cheeks flushed red and that smile never faded, Xeno felt excited, the wind and the dark were filling him with joy. He let out a small laugh, he wanted to shout, this was the most fun he had ever had in a long time. "Brilliant," Xeno whispered, his eyes watered. He was well balanced, that he stretched out both hands to grasp the night air, his legs thrashing inside the tower, Xeno momentarily forgot about nargles, his house mates, he was content just to be there.

[``peter eugene pettigrew]

“NO!!! Don’t Do It!”

Peter wished for nothing more than to be alone. His friends were acting differently this year and it wasn’t a change that he necessarily cared for. Sirius had become little more than a man street walker and Peter couldn’t help but to wonder if Sirius was going to get busy with every girl he could that went to school at Hogwarts; James seemed to spend every waking and un-waking hour with Lily. Even in his sleep James could be heard speaking her name in various tones of affection, love and what Peter had guessed to be lust. Remus Lupin, now that was a face that Peter hardly saw anymore and he had no idea where it was that he had been hiding himself lately. But one thing was for certain Peter couldn’t bear to watch his friends turn into whatever it was they were turning into.

Peter missed the good old days, when he could follow them around and laugh with them at the jokes, pranks, and mischief that Sirius and James played; when Peter could find Remus long enough to ask him a simple or not so simple question about homework. It were these thoughts and his unhindered and wandering footfalls that found him in the cold staring at the thrashing feet of one who had apparently decided that life was not worth living and that it was time to end it all. Peter had never seen anyone try to take their own life and a surge of despair and fear raced through his body. An icy cold and unfamiliar grip of terror ran through his veins like ice water feeling for the first time in his life fear for another living, breathing human being. Blood hell, Peter thought, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly with inspirational insight Peter ran to the rescue of the youth. “NO!!! Don’t Do It! It can’t be that bad!” The adrenalin started pumping throughout his body, it warmed him from the inside out and his fears escalated to a feverish pitch. Almost throwing himself onto the flailing legs Peter grabbed a hold and started tugging for dear life. His hands felt slick with sweat. They trembled with adrenalin heightened fear and then with relief Peter realized that he was facing little resistance and was breaking the boy free for the cold hands of certain death. A trickle of sweat beaded down from his forehead, he could feel it forming and running down and tickling his back. Using all his weight and strength Peter continued to tug, feeling the struggling body starting to subside to the demand that it not die a most horrible, messy, and senseless death.

Suddenly something gave, unfortunately for Peter it was him suddenly losing all sense of up, down, and his feet that were nowhere near being on the ground any longer. It took him a fraction of a second, a second that seemed to carry on with a dreadful exaggerated slowness to understand that he had been kicked and that he was now flying unwillingly towards the starry night sky. There was little thought only a look of horror and a strangled yell that was whipped away by the frozen winds of the night. “I’m dead,” his mind shrieked in horror and terror. Another second… two… it took a moment to realize that he was still holding onto the reasons that he was going to die and he gripped it tight within his fists determined that he would never let go of the trailing robes of the fellow Hogwarts student.

[``xenophilius john lovegood]

His lips were getting dry, and his face was numb, Xeno barely felt the tugging on his leg, and barely heard the yells. He didn’t know what was going on, but felt something fall over him, his stomach slamming into windowsill, he felt like he had been punched in the stomach, because all the air escaped his lungs. He struggled to breathe and move back into the tower, but the weight of something yanked him back out, Xeno focused his eyes. “Merlin’s beard!” Xeno yelled out, there was this boy hanging completely out the window, and holding on to him for dear life. How had this happened, Xeno had no clue, but he couldn’t take his weight and the boys, he was struggling now to keep them from falling.

“You’re kind of heavy, mate,” Xeno’s face was getting hot, he had never wished for physical strength, but he wished right now, he wished so bad that it was making his legs ache from being stiff. Xeno’s pale hands grasped the boy. He’s warm, Xeno thought out of the blue. “I’m Xeno, Xeno Lovegood, it’s nice to meet you, I’d shake your hand but, so how are you?” Xeno tended to babble on nonsense when he was nervous, and he didn’t realize that this was not really time to make small talk.

One of his legs gave away and he was dangling farther out, Xeno bit his lip so hard that it bled.

It was one of those extra hot day’s in the summer, Xeno was only four, he walked around the grounds of is parents home. This day was different; he had managed to walk all the way to the river that ran through his parent’s land and the neighbors that were at least a mile across from them. Xeno hated his hair, he remembered that so vividly, it was cut extra short that it was only a buzz on his head. To get back at his mother, he decided to run away, well at that time he didn’t know how to swim, he came across the river. Xeno knew he shouldn’t but part of him was taunting him to go, besides, he figured he could easily make it, and now that he would live on his own, he would do more adult decisions like these for himself.

He nodded and walked straight into the river, but what little Xeno wasn’t counting on was the current, it quickly took his feet right from under him, his tiny hands flailed in the air as the river swallowed him whole. He tried to stand up, but the current wouldn’t let him, the taste of water was in his mouth, he was no longer Xeno, he was the river that took him.

“I wont let go, I wont let go, I wont let go,” he almost said it as a prayer, he started to pull himself and the boy back into the tower, but he was still struggling, if he didn’t think fast, they would both be gone, because Xeno sure didn’t plan on letting this boy out of his grip.

[``peter eugene pettigrew]

Peter never felt so close to snuffing it. He knew that he was going to die here and that the friends that he had been trying to temporarily escape from would never know the truth of his death. That he Peter was an idiot, an idiot that tried to save an idiot, from being an idiot and killing himself. His feet kicking wildly against the towers stony cold surface and they did so in vein. Peter’s futile attempts to claw his way back up were of no use.

If Peter had not been so completely and utterly terrified that he was spending his last few moments clutching a complete stranger for dear life; Peter might have had a few choice words to convey to the boy that was now struggling under his weight and his own. “Xeno is it? How am I?” Peter sputtered and stuttered. “I am hanging out of a window and thinking about the fact that I am probably going to make a bloody mess upon impact against the ground several hundred feet below!”

Peter felt the boy give just a little loosing the strength to hold them both up. I am going to plummet to my dead and I am probably going to take you with me because I am too much of a chicken shit to let go. Peter thought in heightened panic. “Pull me up please,” Peter said in a fearful and squeaky voice, “Or use your wand!” Peter muttered with a sudden surge of insight and intelligence that he rarely displayed. Peter wasn’t sure if magic could save his ass or not but he decided it was definitely worth a try.

I don’t want to die, there is no fun in dying, just cold, and nothing, and I’M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!!! Peter’s voice was screeching at him to save himself. For just an instance one of Peter’s hands slipped from Xeno’s robes and in a moment of panic Peter grabbed for the window ledge using its solid and unyielding nature to help brace, balance, and support himself and his weight. Ever so slowly Peter’s flailing and panic stricken self inched its way closer to safety.

[``xenophilius john lovegood]

"I don't think dying tonight is a very good idea, come on, push up!" Xeno was straining himself to get them up, he had both hands around the boy. "My wand?" Xeno breathed out, the wand was too far away, in his back pocket, that is if it hadn't already fallen out. No, reaching for his wand was risky, Xeno would just have to do this the muggle way. Oh, I like muggles, Xeno thought.

He grunted, pulled, and strained but he managed to get a little more than half his body back through the window. "Come on!" Xeno gave one good push and yanked the boy up. "I did-" the words were lost in his mouth because he had landed on his back, bringing the boy on top of him. For the second time that night, Xeno had lost the air from his lungs, thanks to the boy.

His eyes bulged, his mouth wide, trying to get air. Xeno was awkwardly laid down under the boy, he took most of the impact and if he wasn't so focused on breathing, he would have noticed the pain his back was in. Xeno closed his eyes, air was making its way into him, but it smelled different. It was a strange yet pleasant mixture of fleshly cut grass, sandalwood and lemon custard pie.

Xeno noticed his hands were still clutching to the boy tightly, reluctantly he made his hands let go. They were both safe from a gruesome death. "Mate, you still here?" Xeno wondered if the boy had passed out, Xeno opened his eyes to see a mess of brown hair, in his line of vision. "I got one question by the way, why in Merlin's beard were you trying to throw yourself off of the training Ground tower, and taking me with you?" Xeno had to know, after all, this bloke almost cost both of their deaths.

Xeno was beginning to think that he had more lives that a cat, he had come close to death, and he sure as hell didn't like it. The boy on him was just there, and Xeno could already feel his own body getting numb from not moving. But he didn't say peep about it, in case the bloke decided to go right ahead to the window again. It was dark in the tower, but the moon shone some light on them, that's how he was able to tell that the boy had brown colored hair, a question popped into Xeno's head, so he voiced it out, "Do I smell funny to you? You see, no one has ever told me what I smell like, and I was just curious since I can smell you, and you smell like nature and sweets." He always did ramble on when he was nervous.

[``peter eugene pettigrew]

Dead has never felt so close but holding himself to the window ledge and his living and tugging lifeline to safety, Peter finally managed to fall through the window and land on a rather soft, warm, and cushy body. With the starry night sky now behind him Peter lay there for a stunned moment, panting slightly from the unaccustomed exertion of a dreaded physical activity.

He felt awkwardly entangled in robes and body parts and the boy he had attempted to rescue only to find himself being the one in need of rescuing. Peter felt angry, hurt, and tired. He felt Xeno finally let go of his robes. “Still here,” Peter mumbled vaguely while lifting his face only to come within an inch of being nose to nose with the wheezing pale haired boy. For an instant Peter was completely and absolutely speechless. Staring into the dreamy dark blue eyes of Xenophilius Lovegood for the first time nothing registered except that Peter’s anger was turning into confusion, resentment, and discomfort.

“I was not trying to… you… why were you... I…” Peter sputtered feeling lost for words and feeling an embarrassed and illogical uneasiness being so close to him. With a heave Peter rolled off of the boy and landed on his back with a painful oomph next to him turning his head to glare at the youth. “I was not trying to throw myself off of the training ground tower, I thought you were.” Peter said indignantly. Why the bloody hell did I leave the Gryffindor common room again? I should have just gone to bed early, it would have seen safer.

“Smell funny?” Peter asked, thinking it a rather odd question considering the circumstances. “Funny smell… um,” After some thought Peter decided that Xeno smelt a lot like Remus, only with a more pleasant minty lingering smell about him. “Books and parchment kind of like the library and chocolate one of my roommates smells like that too, and something minty, like fresh spearmint.” Peter gave a small smile thinking it was a delicious and heady smell. There it was again, that feeling of nervousness that was making him feel as if he should bolt for cover.

There was definitely something odd about this boy and Peter wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

[``xenophilius john lovegood]

Once the boy moved off of Xeno, he felt relieved from the weight, but curiously uncomfortable, he had liked the warmth the boy was providing. He slowly turned his head to the direction of the brown haired boy, the moonlight made his skin glow, it looked like smooth stone. Xeno sniffed his clothes when the boy told him what he smelled like, he did love eating chocolates and chewing spearmint gum while he was working on his homework or reading books.

Xeno smiled at the way the brown haired boy was stumbling over his own words, it was something Xeno did quite often but managed to calm himself enough, instead he just babbled on and on. “I wasn’t trying to kill myself either, that would be a stupid thing to do. By the way, what is your name? I know I might have seen you around, but I can’t be sure,” Xeno was in a very talkative mood for someone who had managed to evade death.

Xeno quickly looked away, feeling shy that he was staring, as if wasn’t enough that he and the boy had been in a very intimate position just minutes ago. Instead he fixed his eyes on the ceiling, which wasn’t much to look at. He concentrated on his breathing while he waited for the boy to speak, from this position, and from what Xeno had estimated in his head, he was a bit taller than the boy.

Another thought popped into his head, Xeno propped himself with one elbow, his back was aching less but there would definitely be bruises in the morning, “You know, I was looking for nargles, that’s why I was hanging out the window, they’re fascination creatures just as they’re mischievous. I don’t suppose you’ve seen one?” Xeno smiled, he always did when he was curious and fascinated, and he had to admit, this boy looked like he had a story to tell.

[``peter eugene pettigrew]

Peter found that the boy was exasperating but he was starting to feel a sort of kinship to the boy. “Yes, killing yourself would be extremely stupid…” Peter muttered watching the boy through the incandescent glow of the pale moonlight that was bathing them within its light. A faint wind tugged at the boys pale hair shifting it and giving him an ethereal quality. Peter was mesmerized by the effect.

“Name? Oh yeah, Peter… Peter Pettigrew.” He answered a grin starting to tug at the corners of his lips. With a shake of his head Peter sat up and looked around the otherwise deserted tower. The dance with danger was at an end he was slightly surprised that the noise that they had made had gone unnoticed. Not that Peter was going to complain since he got into enough trouble as it was thanks to Sirius and James and he didn’t want to add this to a long his of reasons to find himself in detention.

“Nargles? I have never heard of them. Are they up here somewhere then?” Peter inquired, his curiosity getting the better of him. “What are they? What do they look like? Do you need some help finding them?” Peter was starting to smell the tantalizing hint of an adventure on the loose; something that he hadn’t been privy to lately with the other Marauders.

“Come on, I’ll help you look!” Peter said almost cheerily pushing himself off of the floor and lending a hand to Xenophilius so that he could get off of the uncomfortably hard cold stone of the towers floor. Peters eyes were aglow with the thoughts of an adventure, it was an adventure of discovering the unknown and he found that he liked it. “Is it some kind of animal? Is it maybe some sort of exotic bug? ” He asked with a smile.

[``xenophilius john lovegood]

Xeno was excited that Peter was interested in something he had to say, putting the near death experience behind them he sat up and smiled. Out of habit he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his eyes. “Peter Pettigrew, well nice to meet you…and I mean it this time. I like your name very much, Pete, Peter,” Xeno liked saying the name; it felt right coming out of his mouth. He crossed his legs and rubbed his hands together since they were cold. “Nargles live in mistletoes, they are about two inches tall, green and have little sparkling blue eyes, and they have these paper thin wings, almost invisible. Oh and let me tell you Peter, they are incredibly fast, and can carry something as heavy as ten pounds, can you believe what those little buggers can pick up if they are in a group of twenty? Well they could take you easily,” Xeno snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

He was getting lost in describing; Xeno was just thrilled that someone was willing to listen to his tales and descriptions. “They love to do pranks, mainly take things. I was hoping to find some here catch them and train them but make them less troublesome, sadly there aren’t any here. I thought I saw one,” Xeno trailed off. He was staring at Peter, and a question shot out of his mouth, “Peter, why didn’t you go home for the holidays?”

Xeno was curious; he himself hadn’t gone home because seeing his parents would bother him, not because they were mean. No, in fact they Xeno’s parent’s were incredibly sweet, but Xeno would never get a minute alone to himself with his parents bothering him constantly about what he was doing, and if he had met a nice girl yet. Xeno didn’t understand why he had to “meet a nice” was that some kind of code for something else? He decided to save himself the trouble and stay at Hogwarts, after all, he would have all summer to be with them.

“Oh, did I do that thing where I ask things I’m not suppose to,” Xeno squinted his eyes, and smiled, he felt silly for babbling on like he did but there was no stopping him, he just did things before he had enough time to reason, like a normal person but then again Xeno has never been normal, at least normal to him wasn’t what society thought was what they considered normal.