How do you like my darkness now?
She was able to sneak off to work without coming in contact with her cousin. He sneaked in bed with her while she slept. When they were younger they used to have sleepovers and they would share a bed sometimes but he's seventeen now and she's in her twenties. A bit awkward for bed sharing.
"You're late." Her editor points out as she hurries past his desk.
After she decided to rid one Lucious Malfoy from her life, she's been working at the Daily Prophet. For the most part she enjoys it. She's the photographer and partner of one Xenophilius Lovegood. He's strange and never asks her out. It's a perfect relationship, not that she thinks they have one. Because they don't.
"Good. You're here!' Xenophilius grabs her by the arm and pulls her into the small office they share. He shoves a photograph under her nose. It's blank.
"Well?" He asks eagerly. She glances at him before looking at the photo in question once more. Yeah. Still nothing.
"You have truly massive skills, Xeno." She says dryly before shoving him and the photo away.
"Nargles!" He taps the photo with his hand.
"Who?"
"They thrive off of mistletoe. My wife has been experimenting with it in her potions and I was able to capture them on my camera, as you can clearly see." He taps again.
"What do we have today?' She asks ignoring his excitement. He sighs and walks over to his desk and pulls out a piece or parchment from the clutter.
"Someone was burgled last night. Our master wants us to interview the family."
Narcissa and Xeno hated interviews.
He swallowed and prayed that ground would rise up and eat him. He could feel his spine slip off of his back and into his shoes. Why oh why did he have to eat a garlic sandwich before his interview?
Strange toys he couldn't place filled the shelves of the office. Pictures of a happy family on a picnic, he thanked the gods of photography for making wizard photos soundless. He couldn't stand children. He was barley seventeen, he was supposed to not like children. He, however, loved toys and jokes which is why he was here: Zonkos.
The man who could be his savior from his hum drum life finally makes his appearance. He's not at all what Regulus had imagined him to be: tall, gangly and a tweedy and stuffy looking suit and jacket combo. His heart leapt to his throat.
"You just graduated." He gave Regulus the once over before taking his seat behind the desk. What was his name?
"Yes."
He folded his hands. Not a good sign. Regulus gulped and felt sweat run down his nose. He fought to urge to wipe it with his sleeve. He needed to have an air of class.
"You left your job at the ministry after two months."
Oh gods.
"I wasn't happy." His voice cracked. He caught his hand few inches from his nose, he froze and the lowered the hand. The nameless man was not impressed. Was he THE Zonok?
"You're a bit young. Don't you think?"
What.
"This is a joke shop."
"Yes."
"This is a joke shop." He repeated. Clearly the man was confused.
"I am aware of that. We just don't have need for new employee's."
Regulus''s heart sank to his toes
Muggle transport wasn't something Narcissa was fond of and she knew that would not change soon. The car they were given needed a new paint job. The metal frame had started to rust, the seats upholstery had been torn and ripped as if something with claws threw a tantrum.
Xeno, for reasons that Narcissa could only think that were explained by his curious insanity, enjoyed the car. They had to stop every thirty minutes because the engine would start to emit a dark smoke.
During these periods of rest and waiting Xeno would fiddle with the radio, was it called that? He raised the music to ear shattering levels and only stopped when Narcissa threatened to relive him of his nether parts. He loved them and his wife had wanted offspring so he relented for their future children's sake.
By the time they had reached their destination it was half past midnight and all the other press had left. In a way that had been a blessing, having to stop so much. Narcissa hated strangers and small talk whereas Xeno seemed to live off of it. What a pair they had made.
"Ah!" Xeno said happily as he stepped out of the vehicle and shut the door on poor Narcissa's face. She tried to resist the temptation of throttling him and opened the door into his back, she smiled in satisfaction as he cried out.
"You could have said something." He grimaced as he rubbed his backside. Narcissa smiled cheekily before turning her attention to the mission-the muggle house.
"What do you think?" His humor and pain left him as he looked at the house. The door was removed and yellow tape had wrapped around the front yard as a barrier.
Narcissa pulled out her camera ready to take pictures. Xeno beckoned her to walk further. They ducked under the yellow tape and walked along the path to the missing front door.
"Can you feel that?" He shuddered. He wrapped his long cloak around him tightly. Narcissa looked up into the sky. He copied her actions.
"It's gone now but it was there, wasn't it? Can't you feel it?"
"Yes. It was. Good thing too. Don't know if I would want to see his sign."
He stepped back and let her go through the frame first.
"We're sane. I also like to think you, like me, are sensitive to evil. You'd make a razzlewhurl jealous."
She didn't want to enable his strangeness any further than she had already but when compared to creatures that don't exist, it does make one curious.
" I can make what jealous?"
"Razzlewhurl. They are attracted to the dark. People often mistake them for nargles. Nargles are mostly harmless, the most they'll do is work as an aphrodisiac. Razzlewhurls also make your body tingle. You know that pins and needles feeling when your foot falls asleep? That's a razzlewhurl leaving your body."
She was a attracted to the dark and made your toes tingle?
"I'm sorry but is this an insult?" Someone was going to get a smack.
"I meant that you can sense the dark. It can be a good thing. You know the different between good and bad. You can sense it, feel it, the evil that had been here?"
Ah.
"Oh."
He flipped a switch on the wall and the dark room became illuminated. The front area before the stairs was very . . homey. The coat and key racks were covered completely. Shoes of different sizes and colors lined up against the side of the stair case on the right side. Pictures line the wall.
They walked further inside and walked passed the stairs and into the kitchen. Several plates and dishes were left out on the stove and counters. The owner was just about to have dinner before-
"They didn't clean this up yet?" Narcissa felt a chill run through her body. Xeno frowned and walked to the dinning area. The chair at the end of the table lay on the floor, turned over as if by a sudden movement.
Four places were set to dine and glasses were half full but Narcissa would argue half empty if you asked her. A family had live here. They ate dinner together and their little muggle routine had been interrupted by darkness.
Xeno walked to a shelf behind the table. Several small pictures, all not moving much to their surprise, grabbed his attention. One in the middle,it was pink with the words "Kayleigh" painted on in awful child handwriting. A beautiful young blonde child smiled at whomever had taken the photograph.
Kayleigh. he assumed, was sitting on a plaid blanket on the grass. She had a pink straw hat and held the frame a bit tighter than he had expected. He dropped the picture when Narcissa placed a hand on his shoulder.
"She-they had a daughter she was-" He trailed off. Narcissa frowned and glanced to the shelf. Perhaps they shouldn't continue to look at their things.
"We have to ask what happened to her." He tried to keep the strain out of his voice. He failed. Narcissa nodded and pulled him away from the shelf.
"They put us up at the inn. We should go. We can't do anything until the morning." She didn't know how or when her hand went to his or why she didn't care he was holding her.
"A family lived here." He felt his knees buckle and Narcissa yelped in surprise. She tried to pull him up to his feet. He was unconscious. She cursed the gods. He had fainted.
He felt something touch his face. His eyelids flutter and his bottom lip curls and trembles. Narcissa squeezes his nose and he chokes and sits up as he gasps for air.
"You've been asleep for two hours." She's leaning over him. He locks eyes with hers and they look at each other. The walls of the room slowly fall away and they are the only beings left in the universe, if only for a moment.
"They were supposed to be alive." His voice is low and he is trying so hard to keep his emotions in check. He knows how uncomfortable it makes Narcissa. She is his only friend and he cannot lose her.
"They were robbed though. One of the cabinets was open. Something was taken."
Narcissa realizes that she is still hovering over him and blushes. She moves away and turns round so her back is to him.
"Where are we?"
The room is dirty. The carpet is lime and has seen some better days and the wallpaper has cracked and is starting to peel. Just as well, the design is stupid, smiling suns. Really.
The bed is not much of a comfort either. The blanket looks like it has made love with a muddy sand dune.
"The motel they set us up with." She answers, still avoiding looking at him. He turns his head to the side table. He reaches out and caresses the lamp shade. He loves muggles and their quirky things.
"It's a dump." His tone light. She can hear his smile. She walks to the closet. The distance makes her feel more easy.
"It's how they feel about us I suppose."
The bed creaks as he moves. She catches herself mid turn and keeps her eyes away from his frame. He's sitting up though, she figures that much.
"I guess some good came out of this for you, eh?"
His smile doesn't reach his eyes but gods is he trying to keep the tension away.
"What?"
She allows her eyes to wonder over to his face. Has the room turned into stove? She pulled off her scarf and pulled off her jacket.
"You don't have to interview anyone."
Because they're dead but he wont say that. He can't.
"Xeno-"
"- I love you-
" You're sleeping on the floor."
"- But I don't want to share my bed with you."
They always end up talking over each other about different things.
She feels a force throw her into the wall behind her. His words ring in her eyes and she doesn't understand any of this.
" My wife and I," He starts, " we're going to work things out. She- I- we want kids and." He doesn't know how to finish that sentence. She says nothing as she looks down at the floor. Her vision blurry and her burn from pressure.
"Why are you telling me this?"
She hugs her chest and wishes she were in bed at her flat alone with the lights off and her music signing softly to her.
"You make me happy in ways she never will but I have to choose her. I'll sleep on the floor but I don't want that. . . we can't. Not anymore."
He stands up and she wants the world to swallow her whole.
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