Growing up.

Kyle Alcott-Ward

french | theatre dad scrivenshafts asst manager
 
Messages
556
OOC First Name
Rowan
Blood Status
Mixed Blood
Relationship Status
Married
Sexual Orientation
Matt ) ( Gay
Wand
Apple, 13 1/2 inches, Essence of Belladonna
Age
8/2011 (48)
Kyle wandered down his favourite of all the halls of Hogwarts, saying hello to the paintings as he passed. He was a second year now, and having to adjust to seeing people smaller than he was even (though most of them were still taller) walking around the school. It was certainly quite an adjustment, and he had to admit; it was annoying when people mistook him for a first year, and offered to show him around. After a year here, Kyle felt he had earned a little bit of respect as a senior student.

But, his height being what it was, that was unlikely. Kyle sighed, pausing and leaning on the wall between a painting of two men playing chess, and a woman picking lavender. He removed Eli from his pocket; after the holidays, Kyle had realised he was neglecting his closest companion, and made plans to take his rat everywhere he could from now on. He settled Eli on his shoulder, and smiled as the rodent sniffed his ear, then nuzzled his neck lovingly. "Yeah, I love you too, boy." Kyle cooed adoringly, stroking behind the white rat's soft ear with a finger.
 
Kit wandered along happily, swinging his arms as he walked. He'd decided to explore the school a bit, trying to get a bit of an idea of the layout before classes began. He didn't want to get lost or have to ask anyone for directions. Some of the paintings seemed willing to offer a helping hand, though... And apparently most of the ghosts (freaking ghosts!) were nice enough to first years. Even so, Kit would rather be able to find places on his own.
He turned a corner and saw a boy with curly hair leaning against the wall, patting a rat which was on his shoulder. Kit froze, surprised. He hadn't seen anyone for at least ten minutes, and had been expecting this corridor to be deserted as well. He ducked back around the corner and hoped that he hadn't been seen.
 
Kyle blinked when he heard a shuffling to the end of the corridor, and turned just in time to see a small person ducking back around the corner. Kyle grinned. A first year? He decided to try and see if he could establish himself with at least one first year as a senior student, so at least there'd be one person who would ask him for things, rather than if he needed anything. He pushed himself off the wall and headed down the corridor, smiling kindly. "Is anyone there?" He asked, peeking around the corner.
 
Kyle smiled back. Perfect! Someone this timid had to be a first year. He reminded Kyle of himself when he had started at Hogwarts. "I'm Kyle. You must be a first year, right?" He asked, Eli scuttling from one shoulder to the other, staring at the strange boy curiously and wiggling his white whiskers.
 
"Um, yeah..." Kit gave a small smile. "Are you a... Second year?" The boy surely wasn't a first year, but he did look really young. He was only a tiny bit taller than Kit himself. The rat moving around on the boy's shoulders made Kit giggle a little, especially when it moved its little nose around.
 
Kyle nodded, happy that at last someone recognised him for the age that he was. "Yeah, I'm a second year. What's your name?" He asked, smiling at the boy's giggle when Eli wiggled his nose. "His name's Eli." He said, taking the rat off his shoulder and petting him lovingly. Eli sniffed curiously at the first year. "Do you want to hold him?"
 
Kit realised that he'd forgotten to introduce himself. "Oh, I'm Kit, sorry." His eyebrows raised involuntarily as the rat, Eli, was held out. "Yeah, okay!" He grinned. "How old is he?" Kit cupped his hands together. He hoped that he was doing it right; he didn't want to drop Kyle's poor rat onto the hard stone floor.
 
Kyle smiled. "Nice to meet you." He said kindly, carefully shifting Eli onto the boy's hands. "He's not gonna bite or anything, he's completely tame and friendly." He smiled, as Eli sniffed at Kit's hands curiously, then sat down and cleaned his whiskers. "I've had him for three years." He smiled. "I think he's about three and a half or something." Kyle giggled slightly as Eli finished washing, and decided to sprint up Kit's sleeve, heading for the shoulder, his favourite place to rest.
 
Kit watched, grinning, as Kyle placed Eli in his hands. He stroked the rat's fur softly with a thumb as he rubbed at his whiskers. "He's so cute! Is that old for a rat? I've never really seen one up close before, only mice." Eli suddenly scampered up Kit's arm and onto his shoulder. He squealed in surprise, trying to stay relatively still. The rat's whiskers tickled the side of his neck.
 
Kyle nodded. "I'm hoping he'll live to be five or six, but he's quite old. Most pet rats die at about three." Kyle didn't want to think about that, but he smiled at the boy's adorable comment that he had only seen mice before. "I like mice, but rats have so much more personality, and you can train them." He smiled. Kyle giggled when the boy squealed at Eli's movement. "It's okay, he won't fall. He's tough for a rat, and he's good at clinging." Eli, meanwhile, sniffed around his new environment, then settled under Kit's hair and curled around his neck, tiny claws touching the boy's skin gently so as not to hurt him, the rat comfortable and warm.
 
Kit smiled. "Aww... Yeah, they just really seemed to sleep, eat and run around lots." Eli then curled around Kit's neck; his soft belly felt pleasantly warm against the skin. Kit laughed softly and reached up to stroke the rat again. "Is he usually this friendly?" He grinned over at Kyle, glad that the rat had taken a shine to him. He liked animals a lot, especially small ones like nice rats or cats.
 
Kyle nodded. "Rats are way more social, they're so much like people." He smiled. "They just get a bad reputation from the media." He said, reaching over to stroke Eli gently with his finger. "He's always frendly." Kyle smiled, withdrawing his hand. "But sometimes he likes some people more than others. He seems to really love you, he won't sleep on most people." Kyle grinned. It was true - the only person outside Kyle's family that Eli had slept on was Jessy, and Eli was so used to her she was practically family.
 
Kyle giggled slightly too, not noticing Kit's blush. "Maybe. I think the world needs a rat whisperer. You could tour around, fixing people's rodent problems." He giggled, reaching out to stroke Eli again. The rat was warm and contented, perfectly comfortable right where he was. Kyle's fingers brushed Kit's ever so slightly in passing, and his face heated slightly.
 
Kit's teeth ground into his lower lip, and he was sure that his face looked like a ripe tomato. He dropped his hand quickly. With a little smile, he said "I'd be like the pied piper. Just without the flute." Eli appeared to be unaware of the way Kit's neck was heating up.
 
Kyle smiled, scratching Eli's neck, and the rat wiggled happily, burrowing his face into Kit's warm neck, perfectly contented with the heat. Kyle dropped his hand, putting both hands in his pockets. "Only try to avoid leading them off cliffs, too." He chuckled, flicking his head slightly to get a stray curl out of his face.
 
Kit felt his face twist into a stupid lop-sided grin. He tried to stop it, but to no avail. His facial muscles just weren't going to co-operate with him. Eli's weight was oddly comforting on his shoulder. "Yeah, maybe take them into nice meadows where they can eat..." he paused, frowning. "Um... Things that rats eat. Rat food." Kit shuffled his feet.
 
Kyle chuckled slightly. "Seeds and grain mostly, and the odd bit of grass or scrap of leftover human food." He smiled. "Rats are sort of like miniature goats; they'll eat absolutely anything." He said, smiling, and adjusting his t-shirt slightly.
 
Kyle made a slight face at the mention of a kitten. "Nope, I just have Eli. I'm not really an other-animals person. I just like rodents." He smiled, feeling a sudden gladness for Eli, his closest companion. Without him to turn to when the people here got too much, Kyle really didn't know how he would have gotten through his first year.
 
Kit cocked his head to the side slightly, mindful of the rat still sleeping on his shoulder. "Oh, d'you not like cats? Lugosi is very nice to people I like." He grinned endearingly. Which reminded him, he should get Lugosi some treats. The cat was dealing pretty well with the transition, but there was only so much one creature could take without a bit of coersion.
 
Kyle shook his head. "Cats don't usually get on that well with rodents. I've been attacked by a couple." He said, almost apologetically, clasping his hands behind his back. Eli woke up with the movement, standing up and sniffing curiously around, snuffling his nose behind Kit's ear.
 
Kyle nodded. "He'd probably try to eat him. We've had some close scrapes with neighbourhood cats. That's why Eli's so clingy when he gets to the safety of a person." He smiled. The rat sniffed at him again, then scampered along the back of his neck to the other shoulder, where he sniffed at Kit's other ear, then ran up and down his shoulder restlessly. Kyle giggled. "He's all excited to meet a new person now."
 

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