25 May 2028

Subject: 25 May 2028 Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:55 pm

"Have you heard anything from Jacques?"

"No."

"You've spoken to him?"

"I left a message for him."

"With?"

"The Palace's office."

The sigh that came through the phone was one that clearly showed he'd done something wrong. Victoria had called to check up, she hadn't had time to do anything on her side, work kept her too busy. The witch had not stopped hounding him in her free time, though, for an answer.

"That's not going to work, Jake. Do you think if you rang for the Queen and left a message that she would get back to you?"

"Well..."

"I'll see what I can do."

The phone cut off again as Victoria hung up, much too busy to say goodbye, and much like him, probably much too worried, too. The man had run a finger through his hair in frustration in that moment, trying to think of something else. Perhaps if he rang the office again and be more insistent.

"Daddy, when is Azalea coming back to play with us?" Adrienne asked, appearing in the kitchen with her pyjamas on backwards. "You said she wouldn't be long, but she's been gone agessssssss."

"Daddy is working on it sweetheart. But, Azalea is just a little bit busy at the moment." Jake explained, moving to the youngest Newbury and helping her navigate to get her pyjama top on the right way. "But she'll be back with us soon, I'm sure."

"Hmm," Adrienne replied, looking away thoughtfully and then looking back at him. Cocking her head to one side, the witch continued on. "What about the strange lady who likes colouring, can she come and play with us until Azalea comes back?"

"I don't thin-"

It hit him in that moment.

Not finishing the sentence, Jake pulled out his phone again, and scrolled down to Q in his address book. Quinn, Alexander. Why hadn't he thought of this before?

The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

"Hello, you're through to Alexander Quinn's voicemail, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can."

Jake hung up.

Scrolling back up to H, the man hit the next contact. Hawkeye, Annagramma.

"Hello?" The phone had been answered on the second ring, and the confused voice on the other end of the phone was remarkably welcome in that moment.

"Hi, Annagramma? It's Jake Newbury, is Alex there, please?"

"He's with someone at the moment, but, I'm sure that I can get him for you. One second please." The woman on the other end of the phone hadn't heard his thank you as she moved off, the noises from the phone were enough to say that she was moving upstairs, or something similar in that moment.

"Annagramma! What are you doing-"

"Mr Newbury is on the phone for you."

"I'm... in the middle of something, Anna. Did you put that on hold whilst you came up?"

"Was I supposed to?"

"Anna!"

"Hello Jake."

"Hi Alex, listen, I know this might not be very good timing for you, and I apologise for the interruption, but I really need to get hold of Jacques Clement. It's urgent. Would you be able to give me his number, please?"

"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to do that. Palace protocol." Alex replied without missing a beat.

"I thought you would say that. Would you be able to give him my number, and tell him I need to speak to him, urgently, about Azalea. Please?" Jake asked, knowing that it would make the Frenchman call him straight away, if he was just given the message. "And, if you could do it now... I would be really grateful, I've been trying to get hold of him for a couple of days."

"Yes, I'll call him now, not a probl-"

"No, Anna, don't do-"

"I'm just trying to make her more comfortable."

"Anna, please, we do-"

"I think I'm going to go..."

"Estelle... wait a minute. Anna!"

"Sorry Jake, I really need to go, give me time to sort out this... meeting, and then I'll call Jacques for you, I promise."

"Thank y-"

"Bye Jake!" Annagramma's happy tone came through the phone with more enthusiasm than could be expected in that moment, and then the line went dead. Lowering the phone from his ear, Jake looked down at the end of call display with the same amount of curiousness that usually followed meetings with Annagramma and Alex.

"You didn't ask Annagwamma if she was gonna come play!" Adrienne stated, looking very put out in that moment.

"I'm sorry, Adrienne, she sounded very busy. Maybe next time, okay? Now... how about some ice cream?" The Auror offered, trying to distract his daughter from making a fuss that he really did not need in that moment. It worked too, the young witch had hurried off to the kitchen to retrieve her promised ice cream without a second thought.

It was an agonising hour from there. Trying to keep Adrienne entertained enough to forget about her missing guest, and trying not to worry further about the problem that was unfolding. Jake had sent a text to Victoria to say he'd gotten in contact with someone else from the Palace, and that he would keep her updated. No reply had come in that moment, but Jake had put that idea to the side. It was just as Jake was about to call time for Adrienne to head up to bed that his phone rang.

A private number.

Jake had answered too quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I've been given this number by Alexander Quinn. This is Jacques Clement, who am I speaking with, please?"

"It's Jake Newbury." Jake replied, and an awkward moment passed by in which it became apparent the name did not ring a bell to the Frenchman. "I'm a... I know Azalea Harrington."

"Oh, right, yes. Alex said you wanted to speak to me about Azalea. Is everything alright?"

The worry in the Frenchman's voice might have been noticed by Jake more in any other situation, but in that moment, he just needed to get the Frenchman on board before he hung up. "Well, quite honestly, no." Getting up from the sofa, Jake left his daughter glued to the TV screen to move to the kitchen for a little bit of privacy. "I have good reason to believe that she is being held against her will by someone, and I need help."

"The last I saw of Miss Harrington she was engaged and due to marry Joshua Murray."

"And, in the politest possible way, that's absolutely bullshit." Jake replied, clearly not in the business for beating around the bush that evening. The other side remained quiet. "I'm sorry, what I'm trying to say is that... Azalea didn't want to marry Josh, she's never wanted to marry Josh. She wasn't happy with him, and he's keeping her against her will."

"I don't think it's our place to say what Miss Harrington would or wouldn't do."

The Frenchman's tone was one that showed he was getting tired of this phone call, and Jake had to act quickly.

"Jacques, Monsieur Clement... whatever I'm supposed to call you. I wouldn't have called you if I wasn't sure of this. I know that you don't know me, but I know Azalea, and this is not what she wanted. I can tell you that with the confidence of the world. She is being held by Josh against her will, she had given up her teaching job at Hogwarts for Merlin's sake. She wouldn't do that!" Jake insisted, holding the phone tighter to his ear to try to hear something from the other side. "Azalea is in trouble because I stupidly asked her to a Ministry Ball last Thursday with me. Josh was there with his mom and he saw us together.

"I'm worried that he might hurt her because he knows... he knows the truth." Jake finalised, hoping that something within that explanation would push through the Frenchman's resolve.

"You're together?"

"Yes. I know it was wro-"

"I'm not here to judge."

For the first time in the call, the Frenchman sounded more understanding than he had before. He seemed to have come around.

"Azalea doesn't want this wedding, and we can't get hold of her to check if she is okay. My sister has received multiple replies to messages that are not in the Azalea's usual tone or language. Please, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her again. But I don't know what to do."

"I'll be at your home shortly."

Jacques' final words made Jake pause, he'd never given the man his address, nor did he ask for it. A short goodbye, and the phone had gone dead once more, leaving Jake looking back at it curiously. There would be just enough time for Jake to put the children to bed before a soft knock came at the door not forty minutes later.

Jacques Clement had arrived swiftly that night, with an air of a man who meant business as he sat opposite the Auror and went through everything that had happened in a step by step manner. No judgement had shown on the man's features when Jake had detailed the affair that they had been having for the best part of a year now. He'd explained how Azalea had spoken of not wanting to be with Josh, but being unable to leave Ethan behind. He'd explained everything to the best of his ability up until Thursday night's Ball, and Jake had shown Jacques the texts Victoria had forwarded to him. If proof had been needed of everything Jake had said, then it had been well and truly given by the Auror.

"I love her, Jacques, and I could never forgive myself if anything happened to her."

Again.

________________________________________________
~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Subject: Re: 25 May 2028 Fri Mar 19, 2021 4:01 pm

It was not usual for Jacques Clement to call people outside of his inner circle on the mobile device he kept secretly. It was vastly unusual for Alexander Quinn to call him with requests. The accountant had proved himself to be very capable in all matters of his field, and was clever enough to realise the less contact he made with the main family, the better he was rewarded. It was precisely why Jacques had answered his phone curiously when the number had come up on his screen.

The message had put the edge of undeniable worry through his body.

The call to Jake Newbury had been played carefully. The name was one he knew, the man was well known by the Clement heir for multiple reasons. The first, and most important, being that he was Mimosa's father. The second, because he taught at Mimosa's school and helped with the Quidditch. Jacques hadn't needed the clarification that had come when the man had answered the phone, but he had pretended to need it.

From there, it had been a gentle poking of what the man wanted. The first insistence that Azalea was in trouble would have been enough for Jacques to do his own digging immediately, but he had let the Auror continue on to make the situation easier in the long run. The explanation of the affair was not necessary either. Jake and Azalea might not have known it, but tabs were kept on them both for security purposes, the affair had been documented by the Clement staff for a year now. But, Jacques didn't tell the man that.

Instead, he'd arrived at Jake Newbury's home not even an hour after he'd hung up. He'd sat and listened to Jake's explanations of why he believed something to be wrong, and read over the proof that was provided to him. Even in Jacques' point of view, the texts were incredibly false, he might not text with Azalea often, but the wording was so off, it had spoken volumes.

The Frenchman had denoted he would resolve it, glancing up at the clock and deciding that a quarter to nine was not too late to call.

"I just need you to be quiet, and leave this to me, okay?" Jacques had denoted to the Auror who had nodded to show his understanding. Taking a deep breath, Jacques readied himself for his next move. Scrolling down just enough to find Joshua Murray's number in his phone before he hit the call button.

"Monsieur Clement."

The curt tone of Joshua Murray sounded through the phone was enough to make the Clement heir bristle. He'd never liked the blond man, and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to pretend otherwise.

"Lord Murray," Jacques greeted warmly. "I believe congratulations are in order? Miss Harrington is an amazing catch for a man like you, you will have to tell me how you became so fortunate."

"I didn't need fortune to become my A-Azalea's husband."

"Of course, of course." Jacques replied in the same upbeat manner that he had started. "Have the two of you set a date for the wedding?" The question was merely out of politeness, but the way it made the Auror opposite him bristle made Jacques realise that he was perhaps being too genial in that moment and averted his gaze from the older male.

"The thirteenth of August. The invitations will be going out shortly."

The information made Jacques consider for a moment. The date was especially important at the Palace, and this was not going to be news well received.

"Well, I'm sure Maman and Papa will be delighted to attend." Jacques provided, knowing that the invitation would be coming their way. "But, the reason for my call was so that I could speak to Miss Harrington, if you wouldn't mind? I tried to call her phone, but she didn't pick up. I wanted to talk to her about a couple of things. I hear she has quit at Hogwarts, it's a terrible shame that she would do that, Azalea always spoke so fondly of her children when we were at university together, I find it impossible to believe she w-"

"My A-Azalea is too busy at the moment, making wedding plans, to take calls from others."

"I can appreciate that, but I think she might have time to take a call with me. Would you kindly go and ask her if she has a moment this evening?" Jacques' answer was calm, and the request was gently put, but the bristling of the Welshman was palpable even from here.

"She doesn't want to talk to you. She's very busy with the preparation for the wedding, and if she did want to talk, she would answer your calls."

"Perhaps you could kindly let me know when she might be available to talk. Is she free tomorrow?"

"She will not be."

"Lord Murray, might I politely remind you with whom you're speaking right now. It wouldn't bode well for you to refuse my calls with Azalea."

"And I might remind you who you're speaking with, Monsieur Clement. My A-Azalea does not need you meddling in her affairs. Send my regards to Lord and Lady Clement, we will see you all at the wedding."

"My regards to Lady Eleanor, too." Jacques replied, only for the phone line to be cut halfway through the sentence. The furrow of his brow denoted the annoyance he was dealing with in that moment as he tried to work out what it was he needed to do.

"Well?" Jake prompted, looking at him like a man starved for oxygen waiting to hopefully catch on to an air pocket that would quench that need.

"Joshua Murray is not a force to be reckoned with." Jacques supplied, knowing that would not give the Auror any hope. "But, he's chosen the wrong family to fight with."

A tap came at the door, and then the letterbox opened and closed with a snap behind them both. Jake looked towards the door, getting up only to pause as something scuttled across the ground and up his leg. Jacques drew back slightly in that moment, drawing his wand and trying to aim for the-

"Leafy?" Jake exclaimed as the thing twisted around his arm and then put... a piece of paper in his hand. Jake was quick to open it, and the half relieved expression showed that it was something that he had been waiting for. "It's from Azalea." The Auror explained, turning the piece of paper around for Jacques to be able to see.

Help!

Only one word, but that was all they had needed.

"She's alive." Jake managed as he crumpled in to his chair once more. The relief was palpable as the man looked at the four letters written upon the paper. One hand held the older man's head up slightly as he looked down at the piece of paper he cradled in his hand, and Jacques Clement didn't need to look twice to know that the man needed space. Getting up from his seat at the table, Jacques moved through to the kitchen. Finding the fridge, he opened it and scanned quickly before finding two beers left on one shelf. Taking them out, Jacques moved back to the table and put one down in front of Jake.

"I think you need this." The Frenchman stated. "Now, tell me, how does... that thing work?"

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