Sparkling (Nerisei, Jacques, Mercy)

As the duo left the bathroom, that was briefly turned into a closet, Nerisei couldn't help but wonder where the young Slytherin was going to lead her. From what she had gathered, little Mimosa had organised a whole operation for Valentine's Day, but the older witch had no idea who her date was, or where the young witch was leading her. As they kept walking, though, Nerisei started to put the pieces back together.

Mimosa's hand felt soft as it held on to her own, and the Ravenclaw witch couldn't hold herself back from looking down at their joining hands and smiling. A sudden need to protect took over Nerisei, who frowned slightly, trying to figure out why. Was this what mothers felt, when they held onto their little ones? And just like that, thought about her future started roaming Neri's brain. Was she going to have a family of her own, one day? Was she going to be a good mum? Or would she end up like Janna, who had no relationship with her daughter?

"Just wait here, I'll properly announce you. I'm sure my date would love to see you!"

"Okay." Nerisei replied, stopping just outside of the doors of the Hospital Wing. To say that she was not curious to find out, who exactly was behind those doors... But Nerisei knew that she had to wait, since Mimosa asked her so kindly to stay here. After all, she would be invited to join them, eventually.
A few moments passed, and Mimosa's voice could be heard, inviting her in. Nerisei took a moment, unsure of who she was going to find inside. Eventually, she pushed open the heavy doors and made her way over to the Slytherin witch... who was standing next to another young witch, who was seemingly... sick?

"May I present, Ms. Nerisei Gerber,"

At the comment Mimosa made, of how she was the reason the Slytherin witch looked beautiful today, Nerisei tsked. "You always look exquisite, darling." Turning to the other girl, Nerisei offered her an enormous smile along with her hand. "You must be Mimosa's date. It's lovely to meet you. What's your name?"

Mercy listened with interest to how Mimosa had managed to obtain everything, seemingly at short notice, and tried not to make obvious the way her breath hitched when the Slytherin twirled. She took a seat at the small table, and by some great feat of self-control, refrained from taking any sweets just yet. She'd wait for Mimosa to sit down first.

Only, the younger girl wasn't sitting just yet. Instead, she was inviting someone inside. A pretty, dark-haired, older witch entered the room, and Mercy recognized her as the Ravenclaw seeker. Mimosa introduced the new arrival as Nerisei Gerber, and explained her role in this morning's events.

You always look pretty, Mercy thought in response, and Nerisei stole the words out of her mouth. Then the Ravenclaw turned to her, and the words "Mimosa's date," made Mercy's heart flutter almost painfully. Had Mimosa referred to her as such? A grin broke out on her face of its own volition.

Mercy tried to stand again to shake the older witch's hand, but a jolt of pain shot up her legs. "Ow," she hissed softly, sitting back down. "Sorry. I have a...condition," she mumbled, a little embarrassed by the display of weakness, especially in front of one of Mimosa's friends.

She reached up and shook Nerisei"s hand from her seat instead. "I'm Mercy. Nice to meet you too," she said, returning the Ravenclaw's smile. "Do you want a cupcake?"

[PRIVATE NUMBER]
Happy Valentine's Day, mon chouchou!
My gift to you today will be with you shortly, I hope you like it very much!
Love you always,
Jx

[PRIVATE NUMBER]
P.S. I hope you told all the boys no!


[PRIVATE NUMBER]
Happy Valentine's Day, Nerisei!
J


It had been a surprise that Jacques couldn't have passed up on. Valentine's Day was always a fun time of year for the simple reason that everyone became so insistent upon showing those they loved, or felt strongly for, just how they felt. It amused Jacques how men who could not fathom showing their feelings for the other three hundred and sixty four days suddenly managed to come out with some of the most thoughtful gifts in the world. Or, often times, how some men forgot completely and ran around like headless chickens trying to rectify the position.

Jacques loved being at the Palace at this time of year, not because his Papa fell in to the previous two categories, and not because you couldn't feel the love for the rest of the year, but because the Palace just seemed to become deeply infatuated with the season. The smile upon his Maman's face each time she passed one of the thousands of vases of Dahlias on her morning walks, the way meals became interrupted with spontaneous meals in the Dahliantelle, how the staff seemed to be so much more positive around the Palace. It was a wonder to behold.

What many people forgot around this time of year, though, was that there was more than one kind of love in the world.

The twenty year old had sent a card to both his Maman and Papa for the season, denoting his love for both of them, and once more wishing them luck with their travels -- accompanied with the most English of sweet selection as a small play of humour to his Maman -- for the holiday. For his sister, he had sent her a card of her own, picking out a new selection of winter cloaks for the witch, along with a gentle question of her progress with her college applications with an extension of his help in the situation if she needed it.

His friends from university would have woken up to a small selection of French sweets and an anonymously signed card -- though the French would have given him away easily.

Another -- joke card -- went off to Clara Kent, a wider selection of sweets enclosed, as well as a question of her health, and of the health of her guest. Polite enquiry, as always, because it did well to keep up good relations within the Harrington home.

Which left only one more person.

The most important.

Jacques had not sent word forth to Mimosa that he would be coming to see her today, the surprise would be the reward for such things. The Palace had picked out some new jewellery for the witch of the Clement colours. A dainty little necklace for the witch, and studded earrings to match them. Sweets came in a separate box, as usual, and Jacques came forth with the largest bouquet of pink roses for the witch, almost too large for the wizard to handle.

His arrival at Hogwarts had been via the main entrance where a number of students -- especially the females -- looked hopefully to the Clement heir and the reason for his presence. Jacques had noted a younger student staring in awe, and had smiled, moving to the young witch, and pulling one of the smaller roses from the arrangement. "Do you know where Mimosa Harrington might be?" Jacques asked the young witch, who nodded eagerly as Jacques held out the rose to her. "She went upstairs. Rumours are she went to see Mercy... in the hospital wing..."

"Thank you," Jacques replied in that moment, a charming smile upon his lips. "Happy Valentine's Day." He added, before moving off up the stairs in the direction of the Hospital Wing, not really noticing the huge grin, and the awed faces of the others in the Hall, who were all looking to the first year holding a single rose from Jacques Clement with a mixture of envy and want.

The move up to the hospital wing was easy enough, and Jacques paused at the door, readying himself to enter, when he heard a third voice on top of Mercy and Mimosa's... Peeking round the corner, Jacques saw Nerisei there, too, and smiled to himself. Stepping in to the room, Jacques softly cleared his throat.

"I hope you ladies don't mind, but is there room for one more in your Valentine's Party?"

"My Jacques!!!"

If Jacques Clement had been smiling before that point, it was nothing to the beaming smile that lit up his features at Mimosa's outburst in that moment. The way she dropped absolutely everything she was doing in that moment, to run towards him in their age old greeting. The Frenchman readied himself, balancing the flowers in his left arm and opening his right for the young witch who did not slow down for a second before she launched herself in to his arms.

Jacques caught Mimosa with ease, spinning with her movements so that he wouldn't bruise the young witch -- something she was much too prone to -- in the process of the greeting, before gently placing her down on the floor. In the same move he pressed a light kiss to the witch's cheek, before kneeling down to her height. "You've grown, mon chouchou!" He said fondly, taking her in. "And you look very beautiful today, all of this for Mercy?" He asked, using a stage whisper so as not to completely embarrass the witch before him.

"Here, I got these for you..." Jacques said, presenting the young witch with the vast bouquet. "Though..." And this time, Jacques' voice did drop to a whisper, because this was going to be his and Mimosa's secret. "Can I steal two, I didn't realise we were going to have company today..?" He explained, waiting only a moment longer for Mimosa's consent before he took out two of the pink roses from the bouquet and turned to guide Mimosa back to her friends.

Reaching the bed, Jacques held out the smaller of the two roses he'd borrowed from Mimosa to Mercy -- the young witch had never seemed overly girly, so he doubted very much she would actually want a rose -- and then the bigger rose he turned to Nerisei with, a smile playing on his lips as he took in the young woman he'd spent a night in Italy with a few months ago.

"Miss Gerber." He said as he presented the rose to her, purposefully allowing their hands to brush for a moment more than necessary in that moment before he turned back to Mimosa. After all, he didn't want to labour the point in front of Mimosa and Mercy, they were still much too young.

"So, Mimosa, do you have time to come to lunch with me today? My treat, of course, you can have all the ice cream, with all the sweeties on top you can manage!" He offered, hoping she would agree to that much. Though... perhaps he should have text ahead, seeing as she looked to be set with Mercy right now.

As the Gryffindor introduced herself as Mercy, Nerisei gave the young witch a big smile, happy to make her acquaintance. Though, a frown soon touched her lips, as the little one seemed to be in pain, after trying to shake her hand. For a moment, Nerisei stood frozen, worried that she had been the one to hurt the witch, but as Mercy admitted to having a... condition, as she named it, Nerisei calmed down just a light. The Ravenclaw witch carefully shook hands with Mercy, after Mimosa helped her steady herself, whilst thinking through all the conditions that would have left the young one lying in the Hospital. Obviously, the Gryffindor did not want to share, and Neri was not going to ask her about it, but it wouldn't hurt to find out. After all, she could, perhaps, help?

"Do you want a cupcake?"

"Oh, I would love to!" Nerisei said, taking one of the offered cupcakes. The girls soon fell into a conversation, with Mimosa narrating the story of how the two of them met to Mercy. The older witch had never believed that she would find herself spending Valentine's day with two younglings, but as more time passed, the Ravenclaw found herself enjoying this much more than expected. Hell, this was definitely better than spending the day with an idiotic male, who would only want to throw himself on her.

Just as Mimosa was finishing the story, though, a familiar voice touched her ears, making her freeze in her place. She knew that voice, and as his name left Mimosa's lips, Nerisei turned around, just in time to see Mimosa running into Jacques Clement's arms, who were currently filled with the biggest bouquet of roses the witch had ever laid eyes upon. The man caught the Slytherin witch with ease, spinning her around and earning the smallest of giggles from Nerisei. The picture was simply... precious.

As Jacques knelt in front of Mimosa to hand her the bouquet of roses, Nerisei moved closer to Mercy, giving her a big smile as a sign that she was not alone. Obviously, the young Gryffindor would already know she was far from alone, but Neri did not want her to feel ignored in the slightest. If she could make this day amazing for her, she would! "Don't they look adorable?" She whispered to the little lion, turning her eyes back to Mimosa and Jacques, just as they were making their way towards them.

Jacques moved towards Mercy, making Nerisei take a few steps back, allowing him to reach the witch witch ease, and hand her a beautiful pink rose. Nerisei stared at the man, noting that he looked exactly as she remembered him. Still... handsome and... Jacques. The witch was lost in her thoughts, reminiscing the beautiful night they had spent in Italy, until Jacques called her name, dragging her back to the here and now.

"Miss Gerber."

Nerisei stared into Jacques' eyes, as she softly took the rose he was offering her. Their hands touched for more than necessary, causing the young woman's heart to flutter, as her breath caught in her throat. Had he done that on purpose? No, he couldn't have... But what if he had?

The Ravenclaw witch brought the beautiful pink rose to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent, and getting lost into her thoughts once more. All voices were blocked out, as Nerisei stared at the precious flower and smiled, thinking of all the things she shouldn't.

Mercy grinned at Nerisei as the older witch accepted a cupcake. Mimosa had brought way too much food for just the two of them, so Mercy definitely didn't mind sharing. She took the opportunity to snag one of the many chocolates which spun tantalizingly on the table before her. She popped it in her mouth as she listened with rapt attention to Mimosa's story. Somehow, everything the Slytherin said seemed riveting, no matter what the subject matter was. Even if Mercy didn't care much about hairstyles, they seemed vastly more interesting than they ever had before now that Mimosa was mentioning them.

Her eyes were glued to her best friend's face as she spoke, so the new voice caught her off guard and she jumped slightly before turning to look. Mimosa disappeared from her side with a squeal, and Mercy's shoulder felt strangely cold at the sudden absence of her friend's hand. In the doorway stood Jacques Clement, whom Mercy had met a couple times before. His exact relation to Mimosa had never been entirely clear to her, but he was obviously very important to the younger witch, and Mercy was aware of the many presents that Mimosa received from him. Anyone who made Mimosa that happy was okay in Mercy's book.

"Don't they look adorable?"

Mercy nodded somewhat absently, smiling as Jacques and Mimosa turned back to approach the table again. As Jacques handed her a pink rose from the bouquet he'd brought, Mercy thanked him with a grin, twirling it around between her fingers. She didn't quite know what to do with it, but it was nice of him to give her one. She set it on the table gently, and watched as Jacques turned to Nerisei next. It looked like they knew each other somehow. Maybe Mimosa had introduced them before.

Jacques turned back to Mimosa, asking her out to lunch, and Mercy glanced at the clock surreptitiously out of the corner of her eye. It was already about 10:30...lunch time wasn't that far away. If Mimosa went out with Jacques, their time together would be cut short. Her heart sank a little, but she was sure Mimosa wouldn't pass up the opportunity to go out with Jacques. After all, he didn't visit often. Mercy didn't like it, but she wouldn't intrude on her best friend's Valentine's Day fun. She couldn't expect Mimosa to stay cooped up in the hospital wing with her all day; that wouldn't be fair. She resolved to be happy with the hour or so she had, and hoped Mimosa would come back after lunch if she wasn't too busy.

"I have!!!" Mimosa grinned, accepting the bouquet of flowers along with the kiss one her cheek, the action making the child go pink with happiness. The only person who could make this day better as her Jacques - and he had done just that.

Like he always did.

"Once whole inch," she reported proudly as he bent to borrow some of the roses from her bouquet. Of course the brunette didn't not mind, seh would have given the whole bouquet if he'd needed it. The girl giggled softly as she moved with him to the other two occupants of the room.

The girl returned to her place beside Mercy as Jacques gave her the first rose, trying not to giggle as Mercy twirled the flower around, clearly unsure what to do with it. When she placed it on the table, the Slytherin was quick to pick it up and turn to her best fiend. "Hang on," she cautioned, reaching up to the taller girl's hair and, finding little purchase unlike in her own braided stands, ended up sticking the flower behind Mercy's ear.

"Now you look dressed up like all of us," she declared as Jacques returned from his conversation with Nerisei, only to invite her to lunch.

Any other day and the young witch wouldn't have hesitated a single second, and for a few seconds, she considered inviting everyone along too. It didn't matter how hard she had worked on the candy spread, Jacques would take them somewhere much better, and he wouldn't mind having three dates instead of one. If there was one thing Mimosa knew with complete belief, Jacques would never say no to anything she asked.

But Mercy was clearly not able to go out. She needed to stay here in case she got ill, or tired. And Mimosa couldn't leave her best friend alone, it just felt really wrong inside her chest. Not like a pain, but like when she drank too much bubbly and it made her vision blurry.

Looking up at the Frenchman, she began hesitantly. "I really want to go for lunch, but I don't think I can." The idea of refusing to go to lunch with him felt so alien coming from her, like she was supposed to take it back immediately, but the child persisted. "Mercy needs to stay here and I promised myself I'd spend the whole day with her." She had, she had promised herself this would be the best day ever, for Mercy not just for herself. Her blue grey eyes searched the room, landing on the Ravenclaw who was still cradling her flower lovingly.

An idea sparked in the young witch's mind.

"But can I ask for one more present?" she grinned, motioning for Jacques to come down to her height and whisper in his ear. When the Clement heir complied, she spoke as quietly as she could. "You can take Nerisei to lunch. Please, please. I want to say thank you to her for helping me today and I don't know how. So maybe you can take her to lunch, that way you can still eat and I can still be here. And we can go for a picnic after my next Quidditch match?"

The whispered conversation only lasted a minute before Jacques was straightening up again, his face not giving away anything. But Mimosa knew.

She always knew.

He was her Jacques after all.

The question of lunch hadn't been something Jacques had thought Mimosa would refuse. He was, though, expecting the invitation to be extended to the two witches who joined them in that moment. Mimosa was always good that way, including others as she saw fit. Not that Jacques minded, of course, any time he spent with the young witch was a joy for him, and today wouldn't be any different.

It was, therefore, quite the surprise when Mimosa all but said no to his invitation.

The surprise didn't touch the Clement heir's features, instead a small, accepting smile graced them instead. "It's okay," Jacques assured Mimosa who had grown hesitant in that moment. It was good, Jacques reflected, that she wasn't just dropping her friends upon his arrival. Back to University, he supposed, to see what antics were going on there, instead.

"But can I ask for one more present?"

There was never going to be a no to that question, was there? Jacques leaned down in that moment, so that Mimosa could whisper in his ear. The Frenchman's eyes concentrate on one spot on Mercy's bed, not giving anything away as Mimosa requested he take Nerisei out for lunch instead, as a thank you from Mimosa for the work she'd put in. As Mimosa finished, Jacques stood back up fully, contemplating for a moment.

"Well, we would have to ask Miss Gerber if that would be okay." Jacques told Mimosa, before turning his attention back to Nerisei. "Would you like to go to lunch with me, Miss Gerber? If you don't already have plans, of course, as a thank you from Mimosa and myself for helping her look so beautiful today for her lunch with Mercy?"

It was cordial, of course, and Jacques would understand if the witch was busy. She was, after all, a very beautiful young woman, and Jacques would not wish to interrupt any plans she'd already made. Hopefully, though, Nerisei would agree, so that his visit was not completely wasted, or full of invitations being declined.

To say that she was following the conversation, well, that would be a lie. After Jacques had come in the room, Nerisei felt exactly how every teenager would feel. Butterflies in her stomach, frozen to the spot, unable to think clearly or speak. Truthfully, the young witch had not believed that she would meet Jacques again, after those beautiful couple of days in Italy, but fate seemed to have a different opinion. After what happened with Dimitri, though, Nerisei had learned to be more careful with the males in her life. But Jacques... he was different. He seemed to be different, at least.

When Jacques had turned to Mimosa, asking whether she'd like to have lunch with him, Nerisei felt herself sigh inwardly. Valentine's Day seemed to be cursed for her, and the Ravenclaw witch couldn't hide the small sigh from escaping her. No, she had not expected Jacques to visit Hogwarts just to ask her out, that had not been the case. Neither did she expect him to ask her out now. But each year, this day was usually spent with the young woman hiding away in the Library. Though, last year, she had had the chance to spend Valentine's Day with Dimitri.... as friends.

And now he was going to spend the day with someone else.

"Well, we would have to ask Miss Gerber if that would be okay."

At the sound of her name, Nerisei snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards the source of the voice. Jacques was now looking at her, along with Mimosa and Mercy, and for the smallest of moments, Neri felt... exposed. Could they possibly know she had been thinking about Jacques? No, that was definitely not the case, but the Prefect didn't know what to expect. She was going to ask what exactly he meant by that statement, when a question left the man's lips. A question that shocked Nerisei more than a little.

"Would you like to go to lunch with me, Miss Gerber? If you don't already have plans, of course, as a thank you from Mimosa and myself for helping her look so beautiful today for her lunch with Mercy?"

Nerisei was dumbfounded. Astonished, amazed, startled, dazed, and every other synonym of that word. Under any other circumstances, her answer would have been as fast as lighting, but this was not a normal occasion. Jacques had come here to ask Mimosa to celebrate Valentine's with him, which was unbelievably cute, in her opinion, yet, it was her he was asking out to lunch, at this moment. How could the witch not believe they had been reading her thoughts, after that?

"I.. I don't, I..." Her cheeks turned red from embarrassment, as Nerisei's eyes darted from the handsome man, to the beautiful young Slytherin, to her friend, and then back at Jacques. She wasn't supposed to be stuttering like this! "I don't have any plans. It would be a pleasure to accompany you." Nerisei answered after taking a deep breath, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. Only she could mess this up...