If You Ever Find Yourself Lost In The Dark & You Can't See, I'll Be The Light To Guide You (Azalea)

"Just here,"

Thought took over the man's expressions as he tried to work out from what Azalea was saying to what was happening. The one place the witch was supposed to be safe, and yet she was being plagued by the man who was intent on keeping tabs on her. Had Azalea said that it was happening at her home in Surrey, and not here at Hogwarts, that would have been easier to explain. The security at her home was not going to be anywhere near strong enough to repel a Murray, but Hogwarts...

It didn't make sense, and Jacques simply nodded along as Azalea explained that it only happened whilst she was sleeping.

The mention of Jake didn't spark anything to the man either as he continued to think.

It was only as Azalea spoke of her own wards that Jacques' attention moved back to the witch rather than internally thinking through everything. "Wards?" He asked, curiosity clear upon his features. "What do you mean?"

The man would listen as Azalea explained, reaching over for his coffee and taking a small sip of the bitter drink before placing it back down as Azalea continued through her explanation.

Once she was done, the man would remain quiet for a moment.

"You don't have a Floo network in here, do you?" The man asked, looking around for a sign, but it didn't look like there was one. That was that option out -- even though a Floor would likely alert the wards she had in place.

"You can't apparate within Hogwarts."

And again, her wards would stop that.

"So... what's here that isn't at your home in Surrey?" Jacques asked, trying to think through it as logically as he could, but drawing a blank entirely.

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~ Clement Heir ~ 24 ~ Athletic ~ 5'11" ~ French Accent ~

Thanks to .V0ldiemort @ TDA for my signature!

At his queries about wards, Azalea tried to briefly explain her own methods of protection. She eluded to the use of Herbology, keeping cautious plants around to act as a fail safe. In short, the witch gave him a very basic description of of how she put her measures into place, not going into detail about he physical structure, anatomy or psychological links he shared with her vines. The important thing to convey here as that all physical evidence suggested no one had entered Hogwarts or her private quarters who wasn't supposed to.

"You don't have a Floo network in here, do you?"

"Not anymore," Azalea reassured him. All unauthorized floo networks into the castle had been shut down after the school board had overhauled security. How the Clements had gone over the Ministry's head, she would never know but it had been done easier than child's play.

"So... what's here that isn't at your home in Surrey?"

The brunette thought about it as best she could, but nothing came to mind. Jacques was right in his supposition that Hogwarts would be far more secure than the family home in Surrey, yet it was here where she felt the least safe. "I don't know," she admitted helpless. "But you believe me, don't you? Because it's real. Sometimes its so bad, i don't even want to take my sleeping potion. Surely a night deprived of sleep would be a lot better than waking up to the feeling of... this."

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If You Ever Find Yourself Lost In The Dark & You Can't See, I'll Be The Light To Guide You (Azalea) - Page 2 Rsz_gr10

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Jacques listened to the explanation of the herbology wards -- another time the man might have asked more questions on this subject as it was something that sounded very interesting even in it's briefest form -- however, the answers that came about the wards just confirmed to him that no one had been in Azalea's room that evening. No one had ever been in her room period if the wards were to be trusted, and it seemed like Azalea trusted those entirely.

So Joshua Murray hadn't been here.

The confirmation of the Floo networks within the school being closed down only further confirmed his suspicions that no one had been in the castle.

"But you believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I believe you." Jacques replied, no hesitation in his mind. The Azalea he knew was not like the one who had opened the door earlier that evening. The Azalea he knew did not sit trembling over nothing at all. No, the Azalea he knew was a strong woman, confident in her abilities, and not normally... doubting herself like this. Merlin knew that Azalea would not have called him at such a late hour if it wasn't important -- Jacques knew that much beyond a doubt because whenever they spoke it was in 'normal' hours, and she'd always apologised for taking up his time.

So clearly something was going on.

But it wasn't coming to him easily.

A quiet filled the room as Jacques thought over everything again. Reaching for his mug, the man drank from it steadily, finishing up the beverage. Placing it down on the coffee table again, he stared at the cup, and Azalea's beside his. His focus didn't waver, but his mind was rushing through everything she'd said.

Nothing was different to Surrey.

Absolutely nothing.

The only difference was that Jake wasn't here. Perhaps it was the comfort of her boyfriend that made her feel much more easy? But, then, if that were the case, it wouldn't stop Joshua Murray. Merlin knew the man didn't have any boundaries.

"Wait... what did you say?" Jacques asked, turning back to Azalea.

"Something about normal sleep with Jake... but you just said a sleeping potion?" He asked, trying to piece it together. "Do you use a sleeping potion when you're with Jake?" The question was not meant to pry, but Azalea had mentioned something about Jake that just set his brain off in to overdrive in that moment.

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~ Clement Heir ~ 24 ~ Athletic ~ 5'11" ~ French Accent ~

Thanks to .V0ldiemort @ TDA for my signature!

"Wait... what did you say?Something about normal sleep with Jake... but you just said a sleeping potion?"

The deputy Headmistress shook her head slightly at the question of taking a sleeping potion with Jake. "Quite the opposite, actually," she confessed, averting her gaze from Jacques because she didn't want him to see how weak she really was. "Jake is the only person in the world I don't need a potion to naturally fall asleep with." Fiddling with the hem of her slate gray hoodie, worrying the edges with her fingers, she continued.

"I've had... problems sleeping since I was very young, younger than Mimosa. My mind would just never be quiet and when i did sleep, it was always restless. Then I met Jake and..." She didn't recall all the exact details now, after about two decades and many memory lapses in the middle but she remembered the feeling better than anything else. "He made me better somehow, with him nearby, I could fall asleep."

Thinking back to the blurred memories of Murray Manner, Azalea recalled needing a sleeping potion too. But not after Joshua had engineered their second meeting. After that, she had fallen asleep naturally in Wales too.

"When I'm away from Jake, I use a potion," she finished, getting up from the couch, her long legs making quick work of the short distance between the sofa and the bedroom. The witch was back in half a minute with a small vial in her hands, the liquid within almost depleted. "I need to order more. Normally dad used to get it for me but he's been away so I just get it delivered directly from the Apothecary."

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Jacques listened to the explanation provided about Azalea's sleeping habits. He hadn't know, before now, that Azalea had trouble with her sleep. It had never come up, truth be told, not when they'd gone to America, not when she'd stayed at the Palace during the summer. But, then, he hadn't need to know. They'd stayed in separate rooms, so the witch had been blessed with the privacy that that provided.

Had it been any other time, the man might have teased her for the story.

Suggested that it couldn't possibly be true.

But now wasn't that time.

Seriousness surrounded them, even with the story of why she and Jake were together became more apparent. The story was one that made him think of his parents for the briefest moment, but as Azalea stood from the sofa, the man watched on. Azalea retreated to her room, and for a moment, Jacques was left with the uncertainty of following her, and staying where he was. She hadn't asked him through, after all, so it would be impolite, but his protective urges were about to kick in.

The witch reappeared a moment later. A small vial in her hand, a vial that was almost empty. As Azalea came back to him, the man held out his hand to take the vial from her, which was provided without hesitation. Turning the bottle on it's side, the label was clear that it was supposed to be a dreamless sleep potion. "I think we can rule out nightmares..." Jacques mentioned as he took in the vial a little more. Potions were not his speciality, so by looking at the liquid inside, he couldn't say anything was amiss. Merlin knew that Azalea would be able to tell, so he drew the line at the liquid having been tampered with.

But there was a possibility.

"Would you mind if I take this? I can ask for it to be tested so that we know whether anything is being altered at the apothecary. Though, I'm not hopeful that is the answer..."

If it wasn't the potion, though, what was it?

With the witch's permission, Jacques placed the vial on the table, he would take it when he left.

"Do you want me to take you back to Surrey? I don't mind. That way, you can at least be with Jake and... hopefully you won't..." Jacques trailed off, not sure on what to say to explain what was happening. "Or, if you want, I can stay here until the morning? So you're not alone. I don't mind, if you don't, of course."

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~ Clement Heir ~ 24 ~ Athletic ~ 5'11" ~ French Accent ~

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When Jacques asked if he could have the potion, Azalea nodded in agreement. Even if she could, she didn't want to sleep now. She doubted she would be able to rest until she was safely tucked in Jake's arms, and that was not possible at the moment.

"Jake is... so busy these days," she began quietly at his offer to either take her to Surrey or stay here with here. "I guess we didn't realize how much we were taking on with this new position. Don't get me wrong, I really like my job but..." she trailed off, her fingers once again reaching for the hem of her hoodie as she stood in front of the Frenchman. "It keeps me away from Adrienne and she's at the age where she has a million and one questions. And most of those questions have lately been about where I am." R=the witch moved to sit on the arm of the sofa, crossing her legs in front of her as she continued quietly, trying not to show how guilty she felt.

"He has enough going on without knowing what a mess I've become," she concluded, brown eyes downcast.

"But please, don't feel obligated to stay. I'm already embarrassed enough at calling you like this in the middle of the night. I'm sure I'll be fine, I'll just read or.." Worry, she finished silently in her head. the Slytherin Head didn't want him to go, he was a comforting presence at a time when she truly needed one. But it didn't seem fair to him and she would never want to be unfair to Jacques Clement.

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The offer to take Azalea to Surrey was denied, the worry on the witch's features quite clear. She didn't want to wake her boyfriend in the middle of the night, and for that, the man was completely understanding. In her place, Jacques wouldn't have wanted to wake Kiranjeet either, so he understood. But it wasn't just Jake that Azalea was worrying about -- that much was quite clear as she spoke of Adrienne and the small child's questions of where Azalea was.

That, Jacques didn't have personal understanding of entirely, but he could see that it was bothering Azalea more than she would say.

"I'm sure she understands that you're busy." Jacques tried, but whether it would help would remain to be seen.

"You're not a mess." Jacques insisted, reaching out to the witch's hand to calm the worrying fingers on the hooded jacket she was wearing. "Not at all. Joshua Murray is causing you a lot of stress, you're holding up really well, considering that. Please don't be so hard on yourself, Azalea."

"But please, don't feel obligated to stay. I'm already embarrassed enough at calling you like this in the middle of the night. I'm sure I'll be fine, I'll just read or.."

Jacques shook his head. "There's no need to be embarrassed, I've been called in the middle of the night for the silliest of reasons, and this doesn't even make the list. Come on, lets get you some rest." With that, the man got to his feet, letting go of the witch's hand as he motioned for her to show the way. Jacques would follow just behind the witch, pulling out his phone to send a quick text to Kiranjeet to let her know he'd be back in the morning. With that, the device would be turned off, and his attention would be solely on his sister, and whatever it was she needed that evening.

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~ Clement Heir ~ 24 ~ Athletic ~ 5'11" ~ French Accent ~

Thanks to .V0ldiemort @ TDA for my signature!

Once again, Jacques's perceptiveness was at full display as he reached for her hands, soothing it away from worrying the hem of her hoodie. An unconscious habit even she hand't realized was not something the Frenchman had only noted but was also actively trying to comfort her about. As he assured her that she wasn't a mess and that the Murray heir was simply putting her through hell, she almost believed him.

"You know, its ironic," she spoke up, letting him strong her fingers and enjoying the warmth of the touch. Having always gravitated towards physical touch as a form of comfort, the brunette appreciated him giving it to her without having to ask. "When I was about Mimosa's age, all I ever wanted was for someone to need me so badly... Side effects of being an abandoned kid I guess. I thought no one needed me... And that it must feel so good for someone to wholeheartedly want and need you." The young woman let out a small, bitter laugh at her past self. "Needless to say, this is not what I had in mind."

It was like one of those corrupted genie wishes, a game Azalea used to play at her no mag school back in Carmel. Make a wish, ruin a wish. Joshua Murray seemed to need her in a way she could never have imagined, but it was at the cost of everything she held dear.

When Jacques reassured her that he didn't mind staying the night, the American witch nodded gratefully again. She averted her gaze politely as he took out his phone and tapped a few times before shutting off the device for good, making her belatedly realize that he probably handn't been at the Palace of Versailles if he could receive calls. "Were you already in the country when I called?" she asked as they got up off the couch, Azalea gathering the two coffee cups and walking into the small kitchen with Jacques following close behind.

"And what have you been up to lately? Mimosa says something about having fun at the army but as far as I know, those places are more work than fun." Placing the cups in the sink, the witch retrieved the dish soap, soaking a sponge in the liquid and creating lather. The idea of doing something with her hands was far more calming than just leaving the cups for the house elves to clean.

"And how about Kiranjeet? How is she doing these days? Is she coping alright with her teammate's scandal? Josie LeBlanc is a good friend of mine."

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The bitter laugh that escaped the witch's lips brought a small smile to the Frenchman's lips in turn. He could see the irony of the situation, a wish the witch would have made to make herself wanted, but never could she have imagined it would end up like this. It made sense to him, but there wasn't much he could provide in lieu of an answer to that much.

"Were you already in the country when I called?"

"I was," Jacques replied, but he didn't divulge the fact he'd been with Kiranjeet. He knew without a doubt that if he'd mentioned his girlfriend's name in that moment, Azalea would likely shoo him from the castle, and feel bad for pulling him away from his girlfriend, and the man didn't want that. "You picked the right night to call." He joked gently, knowing Azalea had now cottoned on to the fact he couldn't use his phone from home.

At the question of what he'd been doing recently, and then the mention of Mimosa's version of events, Jacques let out a soft laugh at the idea of the army being fun. "She's right," the man replied, his fingers moving to the French army crest upon the shirt he was wearing in that moment. A shirt that hugged his biceps tightly, and found itself tight across his chest. "I've spent the last six weeks completing my basic training with the French Army. My pass out parade was at the weekend, so I'm officially Lieutenant Clement now." The man couldn't help but look quite proud of himself at that much, he'd worked hard for the six weeks, and it had been quite the experience.

"It's not something that we usually do, as Clements. My Papa joined when he was seventeen, but he was the first to complete the courses for many generations. Usually we get honorary titles, but we're never expected to complete any training." Jacques explained as Azalea washed the cups. "I just felt... with everything that is going on at the moment, it was the right course of action to take.

"Besides, I'm working on getting them to let me fly some of the jets they have."

The mention of Kiranjeet made the man let out a small sigh. He hadn't known he was feeling that way, but he supposed that was just the joy of relationships. "She's a little bit... stressed at the moment. Kiran doesn't like me being away so much, so the last six weeks have been tough on her, we had very little time to talk, and with the season starting during that time, she's been working so hard to be in the best shape she can be..." The man let the sentence fade, still not sure that Kiranjeet was coping well, but he didn't know what else to say in that moment.

"Yeah, the scandal's hit the club pretty hard. Kiranjeet... well, she isn't letting it phase her, honestly. It took the sting out of her move to the club and the expectations on her, because now everything is about Josie doing well enough to keep her position within the team. I feel sorry for her, though, Josie that is. She must have trusted someone with... being that close, and this is how that trust is repaid. It's disgusting, and I hope whoever is behind the camera gets their comeuppance."

"But what about you? How are things going with you, outside of the dreams? Is Jake alright? Ivan's first term, too, right? How's he finding school so far?" Jacques asked, pointing Azalea to move favourable topics about her family. "And, of course, we can't forget the excitable Miss Adrienne, how is that ball of sunshine doing?"

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At his assertion that she had picked the right night to call, Azalea's lips formed a half amused, half apologetic smile. Despite his assurance that he had not been disturbed, she suspected better. Though if he didn't want to acknowledged it, then she wouldn't either.

Instead they moved on to a topic he seemed to be genuinely happier taking about: The French Army. Azalea knew very little of the Clement's history with the French forces, just some of the things Ivan had learned from his readings in the Archives about the current Lord Clement being a career Military Officer before he had assumed the position of Head of the Clement household. She listened as Jacques elaborated on his training and getting to fly some of their planes.

"Ah, so the Lieutenant Cadet has an agenda," she smiled knowingly, reaching for the sink sprayer to clean the sudsy cups. "Well if you ever get a mission to fly a girl to Wisconsin to see her best friend, look me up," she grinned, pressing the button and sending a dozen individual jets of water flying over both herself and Jacques.

"Oh Granny Weatherwax," she exclaimed, pressing down on the same button to coagulate the water into one stream but the damage was done. The front of her hoodie was soaked and the Frenchman's army T shirt clung even more tightly to his chest, both droplets of water and streaks of soap suds trailing down his abs. "I am so sorry, I'm sure you can tell I don't wash the dishes often," she joked, trying to dispel the extra water from her own hoodie, hoping the cold water on her barely clothed form wasn't too obvious.

"I'll get you something to change in a minute," she promised, rubbing some water out of her eye. Unfortunately, the action also left a tiny trail of soap bubbles on her forehead.

The talk turned to Kiranjeet and the club and it was almost impossible to ignore the slight tension in his tone. "I'm sure Kiran understands she isn't dating.... Just anyone," the brunette began cautiously, wiping the cups and placing them on the draining rack. "Don't get me wrong, distance is never fun. But at the end of the day, we all make choices." her own sadness at not spending enough time with Jake would be apparent as she spoke. While Azalea and Jake may not be anywhere near as important or significant as Jacques' family, distance was just something everyone had to manage in their own way. "I'm sure if you explained..." she trailed off, doubting she was the right person to give advice on such matters.

Thankfully the Clement heir changed the conversation to her children, a subject that would slays make Azalea smile warmly. "They're doing well. Ivan got sorted in Hufflepuff and I'm so proud of him. His favorite place here is the library, Grayson has to gently nudge him out most evenings when he has to close up the place." She moved out of the kitchen motioning for Jacques to follow her into the bedroom area of her little suite.

"I just wish he was making friends as easily. He hangs around with another boy a lot but.... I think someone's also being a little mischievous with him. You know children... And Ivan is very non confrontational."

Moving to the other side of the bed, Azalea knelt down on her knees in front of the closet, trying to find a spare t shirt in the bottom drawers. Finally she came across an old Moose Jaw one, tossing it to Jacques. "Here, try this." She turned to the closet once again to try and find something for herself.

"Adrienne of course is the complete opposite, that child would never let anyone push her around. She's already so excited for Hogwarts she asked the other day if she could wear some stilted shoes and sneak into the next sorting ceremony so she could be with us all the time too."

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» And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad (Jake)
» Tu Hai Meri Azalea (Azalea)
» Light Up the Sky (Bro)
» At the speed of light (Bryant)
» The Perils Of Being Lost