Be my Valentine? [Jacques]

When Nerisei had agreed on helping Mimosa on Valentine's Day, she had never expected that she would end up going to lunch with none other than Jacques Clement. The Ravenclaw witch had offered her services to the young Miss Harrington the first time they met, so she was obviously very excited when the young Slytherin had actually asked for her help. Nerisei had rushed down to the Girls' Bathroom --that had been turned into a walk in closet, with clothes, makeup and jewelry practically everywhere--, and had helped Mimosa with her hair. She had no idea what her plans had been, since all girl had said was that she was organising a surprise.

Once they were done with her hair, Nerisei allowed Mimosa to lead her away from the Girls' Bathroom and towards the Hospital Wing, where she was forced to wait outside for some time, until Mimosa found it appropriate for her to enter. Upon entering, though, Nerisei couldn't hide the smile that had touched her lips. Meeting Mercy had been a positive, since the girl was obviously a special friend of Mimosa's, and Nerisei was more than willing to get to know her. Time had flown quickly though, and before she knew it, another surprise made his way inside the hospital wing.

Jacques Clement.

The Ravenclaw witch wasn't sure how surprised she looked, but had tried very hard to remain calm and collected. The scene went by fast, with Mimosa running into Jacques arms --that were filled with the biggest bouquet of roses she had ever seen--, and then the two of them approaching. Another shock followed when Jacques all but gave Mercy a rose, before turning to her and handing her one of the pretty flowers as well. But the biggest surprise was the fact that Jacques had asked her to have lunch with him, as a thank you for helping Mimosa. Nerisei had, of course, managed to embarrass herself before she agreed.

After that, the duo had bid Mimosa and Mercy farewell, with Nerisei wishing them both to have a lot of fun, before they had exited the Hospital Wing. Jacques had asked her where she wanted to go, but Nerisei being a girl, had insisted she went to change, before they decided what their destination would be. Jacques had insisted that he would love to take her out the way she was dressed, but Nerisei gave him a short 'Nej', before rushing though the Portrait hole and up the stairs  to change. She had a whole hour until they were supposed to meet at the Entrance Hall, but for Nerisei, it felt like ten minutes.

The relief she felt, when the she saw that the dorm was empty was enormous, and the witch quickly changed out of her casual outfit and quickly had a shower. Once she was done, the young woman changed into one of the beautiful dresses she had, deciding on white, for the colour, and matching it with a pair of silver heels and a silver purse. It wasn't too fancy, but it was enough for a day like this, she believed. Using her wand, the witch dried her hair into soft waves, and applied the softest of makeup, before checking her phone. Only then did she noticed that Jacques had texted her, wishing her a Happy Valentine's Day.

"Well, who would have thought..." Neri murmured to herself, throwing her wand and phone in her purse, before spritzing some perfume against her neck and wrists, and then running out of the door. One hour had passed faster than what the witch had expected, and upon arriving at the Entrance Hall --slightly breathless--, she noticed that her date was already there, waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together as she approached him, giving him a dazzling smile. "I hope I didn't make you wait long..." Nerisei apologised, feeling kind of guilty. Hopefully, she would make it up to him.

Neri's Attire

As Jacques had promised, he had been waiting in the Entrance Hall an hour after Nerisei and he had parted ways. The brief meeting with the Headmistress had denoted that Mimosa was doing well, and that his personal show of gratitude was not a necessity. Of course, Jacques had not accepted such a thought, denoting how he could not possibly have left without seeing the witch to say thank you. Not that he had to, of course, but it made the Headmistress more amenable to his wishes in future.

After spending enough time with the witch to be polite, Jacques had gone down to the Entrance Hall, not missing the hopeful glances of the girls left in the castle as he turned to waited for Nerisei. The Frenchman returned their looks with a small smile, which left a few of them bright red and giggly.

Jacques, though, had his attention readied for only one witch that day.

Nerisei Gerber emerged at the top of the stairs in a beautiful, white dress that might have had another man's jaw sliding open in awe. For Jacques, the dress brought forth a smile, his eyes taking her in carefully, but not lecherously in that moment, before his eyes rested on hers. The smile grew in that moment as she reached him, and Jacques took her hand in his, bringing her knuckles to his lips. "If I may, mademoiselle, you look beautiful!" Jacques complimented the witch as he lowered their hands, but didn't let her hand go.

Mimosa had given him the instructions to say thank you for the witch's efforts, so Jacques would ensure Nerisei felt as cherished as she deserved in that moment in Mimosa's absence.

"I hope I didn't make you wait long..."

"Not at all, I've only just come down from the Headmistress' Office, actually." Jacques explained, before continuing. "Shall we?" With that, Jacques moved Nerisei's hand to his arm, allowing her to use him for support as they turned towards the grounds, and then Hogsmeade. For a moment, there was a comfortable silence, before Jacques spoke again.

"I'm sorry, if Mimosa pushed you in to something you weren't expecting. She's a fireball of excitement, and I know it's difficult to say no... every time! But, I hope that I'm not intruding upon your time too much by taking you for lunch..." Jacques explained, truly hoping he wasn't a burden in this moment. "But, seeing as you have accepted, I will of course make today as special as I can. Starting with your chosen place for lunch? Pick anywhere, I'm sure I can get us a table."

After all, Valentine's Day was all about the ladies, so Nerisei should get to choose where they ate.


Jacques' Attire

The soft kiss upon her knuckles was enough to make Nerisei miss the kisses they had shared in Italy. It was no lie, Neri was not overly experienced, having only kisses Dimitri, but Jacques was... a whole other story. That night in Italy, she had not planned on meeting a new guy, in order to spend the rest of the night with him. No, even though Dimitri had messed up everything between them, Nerisei was in no rush to replace him with anyone else. After all, Dimitri was irreplaceable, or so she thought, until she stumbled upon Jacques Clement.

As the older wizard explained that it had truly not been too long since he had arrived, Nerisei sighed in relief. She had not meant to keep him waiting at all. But Jacques did not spend much time talking about it, and instead, allowed her to take his arm before he began leading them away. There was a comfortable silence for a little bit, something that gave Nerisei time to calm herself and clear her thoughts, and then the handsome man, who was walking by her side, spoke up again.

"I'm sorry, if Mimosa pushed you in to something you weren't expecting. She's a fireball of excitement, and I know it's difficult to say no... every time! But, I hope that I'm not intruding upon your time too much by taking you for lunch..."

Nerisei couldn't hold back the small laugh that escaped her full lips at hat comment. It was, indeed, quite hard to say no to the young Slytherin, but the Ravenclaw witch wasn't particularly interested in denying Mimosa. Neri had been left without a date --after she had turned down more than a few famous players of Hogwarts--, and would have possibly spent the day alone, thinking about Dimitri and his possible... girlfriend. Stop thinking about him, the voice in her head reminded her, and Nerisei sighed inwardly, knowing it was right. Dimitri was dead for her, after he had openly called her a whore and accused her of things such as infidelity, when he hadn't even been bold enough to ask her to be his.

He wasn't worth a second of her time.

"I do not think anyone can deny Mimosa anything, if I have to be honest. But truth is, I am more than glad to spend the day with you.." The young witch admitted, a faint red colour tainting the apples of her cheeks. "I have no preference, really. But I definitely not want to go to Madam Puddifoot's!" Nerisei added, making a small face at the thought of all the couples fooling around in that bloody Tea shop.
No, Nerisei did not mind where they were going, as long as it wasn't that nightmare of a place.

The admittance that came, together with the reddening of the witch's cheeks when she told him that she was more than happy to spend the day with him made Jacques feel much better about taking her for lunch that day. Jacques didn't wish to push Nerisei in to something she didn't want, and to hear she was actually happy to comply with Mimosa's witch put all worry from his mind. The amusement played on his lips, though, at hearing Nerisei note she couldn't deny Mimosa anything.

"I'm glad, then, that you will be around next year, to help her out. Elenore finishes here after this year, so it will mean Mimosa won't have one of us here with her. But, if you're here..." Jacques paused, wondering if it would be impertinent to ask such a thing of Nerisei. "You might... keep an eye on Mimosa for me? Make sure that if she's doing something that might get her in trouble that she doesn't get caught, or, worse, hurt in the attempts?"

It was, after all, no secret that Jacques was rather fond of Mimosa, and the idea that someone was looking after her would definitely ensure he wasn't worrying about her.

"Oh, not Puddifoots? That was always my favourite!" The Clement heir joked in response to Nerisei's insistence they not go to the tea shop that would be overly pink at this time of the year. Not, of course, that Jacques minded the colour, but it seemed Nerisei didn't wish to head to that establishment today.

"I really wish they would establish a good restaurant in Hogsmeade. You'd have thought by now there would have been a good enough reason to do so." Jacques mused, before settling on the obvious choice that was left. "The Three Broomsticks it will be, then!" He settled, as they walked out across the grounds.

"But, enough of Mimosa, and enough about Hogsmeade. Lets talk about you. How have you been since December?" Jacques asked the witch, once again genuinely interested in the topic of conversation. "Have you done any more shoots, yet? If so, where?" Jacques asked, making it clear he wanted details. The day they had spent together in Venice had been great fun, Jacques showing her the sites as they talked of their interests, what Nerisei was working on. Their conversations had been engaging as they talked of the city, and its history, and today, Jacques hoped it wouldn't be any different.

He didn't, though, move to ask how she was spending the holiday on her own -- before his/Mimosa's invitation out today -- because that was not something Jacques felt he needed to know.

Nerisei had been known to help the younger years, whenever they were in need. Mostly, the witch felt like she wanted to help, because she, too, had been young once, and the castle is scary for more children, whenever they lay eyes on it. Upon further inspection though, Hogwarts is more fun and exciting than what it looked like.Therefore, Nerisei had always been by their side, explaining everything and showing them the way, if some of them got lost. Becoming Prefect, though, had added more to that list, but the Ravenclaw witch hadn't minded at all.

She hadn't expected Jacques to ask for her help, though.

As Jacques admitted he was glad that Nerisei would be around next year, since Elenore was graduating, the young witch turned to look at him, confused. It was known that his sister would be leaving school, which meant Mimosa would be alone from now on, in a sense, but Nerisei didn't take Mimosa for a girl that can't take of herself. Nevertheless, as the Clement heir asked of her to keep an eye on the young Slytherin, Nerisei nodded before he could even finish. Mimosa was her friend, and she wouldn't allow any harm to come to her, even if he hadn't asked her. "Mimosa is my friend. I always take care of my friends, Jacques." The witch admitted, giving the man a reassuring smile.

"Oh, not Puddifoots? That was always my favourite!"

The slight teasing from the handsome male by her side brought forth a small laugh from the brunette witch. Nerisei rolled her eyes at the obvious lie, playfully punching his arm. Of course, that was not the way for a lady to act, Dimitri had reminding her so over and over and over again, but Nerisei didn't care. She was not going to change herself for him, or for any man, for that matter. She was a lady, even if she weren't a Pureblood. But as Jacques spoke of how Hogsmeade should have established a good restaurant, Nerisei nodded in agreement. Truthfully, someone should have thought of opening a finer restaurant here, after all these years.

The Three Broomsticks would be their destination, though, seeing as there weren't any better options, and Nerisei followed Jacques as they headed that way. The Three Broomsticks was the best place in all of Hogsmeade, in her opinion, but what she hadn't considered was that most people would go there --if they weren't going to Madam Puddifoot's!--, and marching in there, with Jacques freaking Clement was not going to go unnoticed.

"But, enough of Mimosa, and enough about Hogsmeade. Lets talk about you. How have you been since December?"

Like shit, Nerisei wanted to say, but decided against it for more than one reasons. Jacques did not need to know what had gone down between her and her... and well, Dimitri Moreau, neither did she believe he cared to know. Plus, they weren't... a thing. Jacques had spent a beautiful night with her, yes, but that was pretty much it. Or was it?
"No, no more shoots. But I will have a couple during Easter. Though, they did ask for me to shoot a Valentine's themed set. I just... turned it down." Nerisei admitted, just as they arrived outside of the Three Broomsticks.

Nerisei stopped in her tracks for a bit, her blood going cold as she grew more nervous. Heads had turned, when she was walking alongside Dimitri, but this time, it was going to be so, so much worse. Because Jacques was not Dimitri. "Should we go in?" The witch asked, sounding stupid, but the nervous feeling that had taken over her was not allowing her time to think clearly.

"I am sure you do, but, I feel like I need ask for others to look after Mimosa, because... well, she is very dear to me, and I would never forgive myself if she came to any harm." The man explained, but he was glad to have Nerisei's reassurance that after Elenore's departure from the school, Mimosa would have someone looking after her. Though, of course, Mimosa had Mercy too, but Jacques had a niggling feeling that the Gryffindor might not always be the best influence Mimosa could have.

The punch that Jacques received from Nerisei a moment later though, for his comment on going to Madame Puddifoots brought a soft laugh from the Frenchman. His hand reached up to softly rub the abused section of his bicep, but he didn't look remotely put out by the action. "I guess I deserved that," Jacques commented a moment later, showing that no harm had been done by the action, nor that Jacques would hold it against her. It was good, this carefree kind of attitude from the witch on his arm. It showed she was comfortable with him.

Jacques listened intently to the information of there not being any shoots since Christmas for Nerisei, that she would be doing a couple over Easter, and had turned down a Valentine's Day one. All of this was interesting in itself, but Jacques did have to wonder why Nerisei would turn down work. Didn't she want her career in the industry to flourish somewhat? Or, had she simply decided that going for such a shoot was not to her taste? That pinks, reds, and whites just weren't something she desired being seen in and amongst?

Jacques was about to raise the question when he felt the witch beside him slow off as they reached the pub they had agreed on. His eyes turned to the witch, and he could denote the hesitance in her stature. She was, for the first time, not comfortable, and Jacques quickly looked to the pub and back, making a quick decision. The Three Broomsticks would be packed full of people. Nerisei was stood next to him, someone who would draw attention to them, even if he tried not to. Perhaps...

"Will you wait here, madamoiselle? Just give me a few minutes, and I will be back." He asked, taking her hand from his arm, placing another kiss upon her knuckles as he looked to her eyes to reassure her he would be coming back, before he turned and entered the pub, alone.

Five minutes later, no more, Jacques emerged from the pub, and moved back to Nerisei. "I've sorted something for us..." Jacques explained, taking the witch's hand carefully in his own. But, the duo did not move forth to the front door of the pub, Jacques took the witch around the back of the pub, out past the back perimeter of the pub. There, sat a table for two, looking out across the hills of Hogsmeade, and back towards Hogwarts itself. It had taken a couple of the staff mere minutes to make the whole thing possible, and a warming charm had been placed around the table so that neither Nerisei or the Frenchman would get a cold from sitting outside in February.

A bottle of Champagne sat in the middle of the table, two glasses waiting for the two of them to fill when they were ready.

"It might not be the best restaurant in the world, nor the finest Champagne, but I hope the scenery will make amends for the shortcomings of our meal." Jacques told the witch. He did not mention that he'd noticed her freeze, nor did he elude to the fact Nerisei was on edge at the notion of being seen. That would be told with time, but for now, they could sit and eat, and drink. Enjoy the moment.

"So, what are your upcoming shoots?" Jacques asked, pulling out the chair for Nerisei, and aiding her in to the seat before moving to uncork the Champagne. It popped softly, and Jacques filled Nerisei's glass, and then his own, before take the seat opposite her. "Where are they going to be done, too? Easter will be on the change of season, so I imagine somewhere quite hot?" Jacques asked, looking to Nerisei for answers.

Nerisei hadn't meant to freeze. The reaction was something beyond her control, and for the briefest of moments, the Ravenclaw witch felt bad for not being as courageous as she wanted to be. But Nerisei was not used to that type of attention. She was not a Clement, or well, any Pureblood of class, therefore the young woman didn't have to socialise that much, before she started modeling. Her mother, of course, had tried to change that one too many times, by dragging her along to as many parties as she could, but Nerisei always found a way to stay away from the spotlight.

But Hogwarts was not just any party.

And if the with walked in with Jacques Clement, this would be a bold statement, even if it wasn't truly one.

"Will you wait here, mademoiselle? Just give me a few minutes, and I will be back."

Nerisei almost pulled Jacques back, unwilling to let go of the source of comfort, but she knew better than to make a scene like this. Instead, after taking a deep breath, the witch nodded softly, her eyes following his handsome figure as he placed another kiss upon her knuckles, before entering the popular pub. Alone. And that's when the fear seemed to kick in. Would Jacques come back? Of course, he would never leave her standing here, in the middle of the street, and disappear... right?

Nerisei licked her lips, keeping her head low as she looked around a bit, waiting for the older wizard to come back. He won't leave you, she kept telling herself, in an attempt to calm herself down. No, Jacques was not Dimitri, he would never leave her like that, without an explanation, especially on a day like this one. Mere minutes passed, three perhaps four, before the handsome wizard was back, informing her that he had arranged something just for the two of them. The Ravenclaw witch raised an eyebrow at him, questioningly, but followed him without a word, as he took her hand and lead her, not inside the pub, but around it.

Her eyes were met with a beautiful scenery. A table set for two, away from the prying eyes of the Hogwarts students, and a bottle of champagne, waiting for them on the table. Nerisei turned to look at Jacques, the gigantic smile that touched her lips unable to stay hidden. For a moment, she almost wondered how he had managed to arrange something like this for them, but then the fact that he was a Clement popped up once again. Anything was possible for a Clement.

"It might not be the best restaurant in the world, nor the finest Champagne, but I hope the scenery will make amends for the shortcomings of our meal."

Nerisei laughed softly, shaking her head at his words. She did not care if this wasn't the most luxurious restaurant, or if the Champagne wasn't the finest there is. In her mind, this was above every luxurious restaurant. This was... special. Jacques had actually gone to great lengths --even if it wasn't that hard for him-- to make her feel comfortable and special, just like he had done in Italy. Something that the Ravenclaw witch hoped Dimitri would have done. Then, perhaps, she wouldn't have been here now, but in his arms...

Whilst asking about her next shoots, Jacques helped her to her seat, and Nerisei sat down comfortably, a smile playing on her lips. The Clement heir poured her a glass of champagne, before he did the same for himself, and then sat down opposite of her. Nerisei almost sighed in pleasure as she took a good look at him once again. He was incredibly handsome...

"Where are they going to be done, too? Easter will be on the change of season, so I imagine somewhere quite hot?"

"Not quite sure, yet. I think they are still trying to decide, but from what I've gathered, it's probably going to be Greece." Nerisei answered, sipping some of her champagne and humming in approval. Not the best there was, but it was tasty enough. Do you have any plans? I suppose you must be rather busy..." The witch trailed off, unsure of what to say.

The smile that touched Nerisei's lips as he showed her the table he'd made pop up out of thin air was enough to bring a smile to the Clement heir's lips. It wasn't much, Merlin knew there were ample things better than this, but if it was enough for Nerisei to be happy with... well, he wouldn't be letting his promise to Mimosa slide.

As they sat, quite comfortably despite the cold outside the small heating charm that had them staying warm even outside, Jacques took up his glass, sipping from it softly. Nerisei moved forth to explain that she believed they might be heading to Greece.

"Not a bad choice, the scenery over there can be quite nice. To the islands, I would imagine?" Jacques asked, curious as always to talk about things the woman in question held an interest in. "My family has business with Greece, but I haven't been there for... oh, I'm not even sure. But, I would imagine I would have good reason to head over there from time to time, now. Take in the scenery."

Though, Jacques wasn't overly keen on the idea. Greece lacked in the finery of housing he was used to. Much more contemporary, terribly small, and, well, as of yet, not a good reason to head over there. Though, perhaps the take over recently could warrant a visit to see the Venizelos' family, he supposed.

"Relatively." Jacques replied to the question, placing his glass down. "I will head back to Versailles if it agrees with my Maman and Papa's timings, but they're travelling a lot recently. I always joke that they're enjoying the freedom of not having their children around." Jacques explained, letting out a soft laugh in that moment.

"I have some business to attend to, through personal choice. Then I will need to study for my final year exams, but, truthfully, I have a lot less to do than I would care to admit for the break." Jacques explained, but it wasn't sadly, there would always be something to do.

Reaching forth, Jacques took the two menus, and offered one to the younger witch. "Please, eat whatever you would like, my treat." The Frenchman insisted, before turning his eyes to the menu. Facing him was similar foods to those he would be faced with when he met with Clara. But, with The Three Broomsticks, at least, he wouldn't be regretting it later. Scanning the menu, Jacques picked out the only Italian option on the menu, and settled on that. English food was always much too bland.

They ordered shortly after, the waiter taking their orders with a nervousness Jacques was used to in his presence, and all but ran from the scene afterwards.

"How's school going? Sixth year, right? So you have mocks at the end of the year, to prep you for your N.E.W.T.S? What are you taking?" He asked, once again pushing the conversation to Nerisei, and getting to know more about her. "Thought about a career after Hogwarts, yet?"