A Soulmate's Love

Chapter 76 - Return to Normalcy

Time Jump: February 7 

"'Till next time, partner." Jacques bid me goodbye before I could enter the limo that would take me to the outskirts of Hogwarts. 

"'Till next time," I smiled softly before leaning in. Knowing instinctively, he very inconspicuously passed me a bottle of the pills which I palmed before placing them in my pocket. The exchange was unnoticeable and flew by the sights of the bodyguards and the driver. 

We did our little handshake and he saluted me goodbye before I entered the shiny black car, settling into the black leather. We were off in moments, and as I turned back in my seat, I waved one last goodbye at Jacques. He was the only person out of everyone that had bothered to say goodbye, and although we never made a point to be sentimental, I noticed the gesture. Jacques was more like family than anyone I was blood-related to, I found, and this was something I would always cherish.

Turning back in my seat, I rummaged through the mini-bar, satisfied when my eyes caught the miniature bottle of Hennessy amid the large bottles of scotch, whiskey, and champagne. Closing the window that would allow the driver to see me, I chugged the harsh alcohol, not caring about the burning trail it was leaving in my throat. My throat was dry, my head was aching, and I was bored - alcohol it is. 

After finishing the bottle, I laid back on the leather, looking out the window and feeling the exhaustion get the best of me. I closed my eyes and prayed for my brain to let me sleep, but after a minute of what I thought could be rest, brief flashbacks of everything Aaron did to me began flooding my vision. I opened my eyes once again, as I have done every night and every day for the past weeks, and wanted to scream out of frustration. 

I couldn't fucking sleep, for the life of me. 

Opening the mirror compartment, I reapplied a layer of concealer under my under-eye bags, wanting to look like I wasn't a body in the morgue. After that, I applied some blush to hide the dead, dull tint that my skin now wore. Lastly, I put a bit of highlighter in certain areas to appear happy and glowy. Just because I was dead inside, didn't mean I had to look dead on the outside. Just to feel fresh on the inside, I took a mint, the taste reminding me of summers in Provence when my siblings and I used to eat mint in the garden.

After what felt like ages, the car slowly came to a stop and I heard the driver's door shut. Moments later, my door opened and I was greeted with a stern, professional nod from the driver - he wasn't like Frank. Frank would always smile, laugh, call me nicknames and give me chocolates. But I couldn't blame him. This guy was new, and therefore abided by the protocol he had been forced to memorize.

He dipped inside the car and brought out my coat, beckoning me to extend my arms to put it down. "Thank you," I told him appreciatively as he ensured that my coat was rightly-situated and without a wrinkle. Looking out and seeing Professor Dumbledore waiting for me, I let out a sharp breath, knowing that I would now be thrown back into a completely different life. Now, I had to be a different person entirely. 

Walking up to him, I smiled politely. "Welcome back, Ms. Jane." 

I looked back at the car that was now driving away, and to the daunting castle ahead. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. And thank you for graciously abiding by my mother's wishes." I am sure that my mother has never thanked him for the trouble he must've gone through to extend my stay abroad, and thought to thank him now. 

"I had an inkling that your stay might be extended beforehand; the work you completed prior to the break included the past weeks." I let out a breath of anxiety at his words, reassured that I wouldn't have to do all of this extra work. "I suppose it is me who should thank your mother," He began, making me cock my head in question. "Your mother made the most generous donation I have seen in my entire career." I inwardly rolled my eyes at her blackmail disguised as 'generosity'. She did this to remind whoever she was paying that upon her word, they had to accommodate her every wish and command. When someone had paid you millions, it was a little difficult to say no to them.