It was dark out and the long lines that the shadows of the furniture in the living room cast across the floor reminded Russel of the great forest back at the Academy. For a minute as he sat in the solitude, Russ' mind wandered back to the times when he, Julian, Jacob, and Maria had all walked the halls of Beauxbatons as students. Quite some time had passed, and the former Flamme could only recall some bitter memories that swirled about in his mind from some of the crazy antics the young teens used to pull. A smug smile graced the man's face as some of his more finer days at school came flowing back to him. Naturally there were the Quidditch days with Julian and Jacob, the trio an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. However, not all the memories were of good times. One memory in particular that Russel had hoped to have wiped from his mind was of that night him and Veronique broke up...officially. It was also the very same night that he left Beauxbatons for the last time, and since then, he hadn't been back.

Russel stood up momentarily and made his way over to the window. His dark eyes swept over the nighttime outside, the wind blowing the trees below in a slow, lazy manner. For a brief moment, the auror had the want to venture outside, borrow a broom, and just fly about the cool night air to tone down his temper. For some odd reason, the thoughts of this afternoon, when him and Julian had visited the engaged couple, had struck Russel somewhat odd, and he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was that bit of his mind that felt reluctant about the wedding. With his mind once again floating back to those old school days, Russel remembered how he had kissed Maria, and created a whirlwind of bad events afterward. Veronique had gone absolutely insane when she had witnessed it, and then there was that whole issue with Maria that the two never really sorted out.

Truthfully, Russel still wasn't one hundred percent sure that the girl was ready to marry his former best friend...he only said former because he had been absent from their lives for such a time period. It really was a waste if you thought about it. The sound of shuffling feet brought Russ' attention from his own drifting memories towards the entrance. The dark curls of the brunette made it unmistaken who his visitor was. It surprised him that she was still up and about, while the others had gone off doing their own thing before to bed. The only reason Russel was still around was that him and Jacob needed to get fitted for their tuxedos early the next morning, and it was easier this way if Russ just crashed on their sofa for the night. Giving her an eyebrow raise, Russ questioned her presence at once.

"I haven't disappeared on you again, mother."

“I didn’t- I wasn’t checking to see if you’d run off,” she corrected in her barely accented English as Maria stepped out of the shadows that once cloaked her.

The brunette’s curls were tousled, and her slightly rumpled negligee paired with a hastily thrown dressing gown when she remembered that she had company, showed that she had indeed just came from bed.

“Not that I could stop you if you decided to leave.” Maria added as an after thought, “After fighting all those scary dark wizards, getting past little old me would be a breeze.”

She gave Russel a rather shy smile; he was so different now, it was hard to know how to behave around him. He was nothing at all like the good-humoured Flamme she knew back in her school days. Quieter, more reserved, almost broody- what had changed? And why?

Maria motioned toward the kitchen, “I actually came to get a glass of water. Would you like one?”

After a preganat pause, she decided to offer in case water was not something Russel particularly want, "Or perhaps something stronger, if that's more to your liking?"

"Ahh, has little Miss Role Model given up her headstrong career of behaving like a teacher's pet now that she is about to be married so soon?" With a dog-like barrier of teeth that could be passed off as a smile, Russ got up from his leaning stance against the sofa and followed the scantily cad woman into the kitchen. Giving her a tepid eyebrow raise, Russ eyed the wine bottle that seemed to have appeared out of thin air in a matter of seconds. With hardly a flinching of muscles, Russel summoned two tall wine glasses that sat themselves aside the vintage bottle. Sheathing his wand just as silently and unnoticable as he had it drawn, the auror strode over to the bottle, reaching for it with his fully capable hands. With one mighty POP! the cork shot out, and the pleasant scent of the fruity delight permeated through the air. Giving Maria a grin, Russel poured out two healthy helpings of the dark blood-red wine. Sliding a glass over to the former Eau, Russ gave her a wild look. "Just two old friends having a celebratory drink."

With a wink, the crazy man slammed the glass back, taking a full mouthful of wine before remembering something. Dropping the glass to the counter, Russ merely licked his lips in satisfaction. "Well now, you'll have to excuse this dear boy for forgetting his manners..." He raised his glass at once, as if to give a toast to those in company. "To the happy couple, may they forever be, happy." Not even waiting for a response from Maria, Russ clinked his glass against hers. Feeling devious enough, he swirled the dark wine in his glass with a slow movement of his hand, eyeing the brunette quietly. "Not so bad, if I do say so myself,"

For a man of his size and height, Russel moved quite silently; like a jungle cat stalking his prey in the night, she thought with a slight shiver. Having placed the bottle of vintage wine upon the counter, Maria turned to gather glasses from the cabinet before realising that he had in fact, gotten everything summoned.

To the happy couple, may they forever be, happy.

The glass of ruby-red liquid seemed heavier than usual in her hand as she managed to murmur the expected thanks and take the obligatory sip. There was something about his words that made her doubtful of his sincerity. The congratulations, from anyone else, would be one graciously given and accepted. Yet coming from Russel…it was more of mockery.

But no, that couldn’t be right. Russel was one of Jacob’s closest friends, the brunette dismissed her thoughts. He couldn't want anything but his happiness.

Still, Maria couldn’t help turning her face towards the living room, “Why don’t we go back to the front? It's a bit chilly in here.” she offered over her shoulder.

Even as she moved away, she could feel his stare continued to bore into her back, watching. Ridiculous, , Maria thought. She was being absolutely ridiculous. The witch took another deep sip from her glass, barely paying attention to the shimmering river Seine down below.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?" Maria enquired without turning back.

Are you having trouble sleeping? As the steel eyes engrossed the female's image slowly, the auror was quick to consciousness. His inner workings were alive and ticking, and the thoughts immediately began forming in his brain, tempting him to speak at once. Of course it was almost natural of him to respond to her question with a stoic not any longer, if she had been wandering if his job interrupted his normal sleeping habits. Obviously it did, and before he started concocting his own potions to calm his spirits at night, Russel would awake from slumber several times a night, his wand already lit and aloft, searching the surroundings for signs of any disturbance.

"Not at all, your sofa is quite comfortable." With a curt nod towards the massive lump in the middle of the room, Russ' almost sarcastic sneer cut through the dim lighting, carrying his message across to the former Eau. He wasn't trying to be so asinine, but that was just the way he was programmed to act nowadays. He was being brutal in one extent, and the whole issue of friendship reigning higher than attitude differences should have been applied, but in his own defense, Russel was merely trying to act like his old, sarcastic comedic self. Too bad he was failing...

Watching the escapades of changing emotion upon Maria's face was really comical to Russel, and yet, it was almost haunting, as it only served to bring him back to some form of character lapse, as if her facial expressions was bringing them back to their school years, back when they would bicker one day, be best friends another, and on one occasion, be caught snogging under the trees. Boy, did that spark a fire in Russ' brain. Immediately, all of the sorrows and disappointing factors came rushing into the auror's head, flushing out almost everything he had learned about self-control. He accepted the change of emotion within himself, and reveled in the light that he lived apart from the rest of civilization, and worst of all, his friends.

"Honestly Maria, tell me, life beyond the halls of Beauxbatons, was it at all magical as they advertised?" He was being serious now, not exactly knowing how to live a normal life after graduating, even if his tone was somewhat kaniving. Russ never got the chance to settle down with anyone, or hold a normal job, once he graduated, he was Castel's potions bitch assistant for a couple of terms before finally getting the credentials he needed to apply to the Ministry as an Auror trainee. Then from there, its one big nasty mess of rhetoric and brutal soul-crushing endeavors before he was thrust into the cold hands of the wizarding world. Work was not exactly your average nine-to-five deal any longer, it consumed him 24/7. His work had become like a stationary dementor on his heart, sucking any form of happiness and childish behavior from him, leaving behind an empty shell that was cold, brutal, and one hell of a soldier.

At least there was Rhonwen, his prized white gyrfalcon, and sole companion out on the hunt. Some of Russ' work companions joked that Rhonwen would forever be the sole woman in Russel's life, given the fact that the efforts of advancement given to him by his late boss' daughter and field partner, Gisèle Vaux, were only met with one night stands and carefree sexual encounters in the field on Russ' part. Whatever anyone said, it didn't matter to Russel, he blamed himself for his shitty life, and would give anything to be in the company of those he had once loved...

It was by then that the stone man realized that Maria had said something, and his wine had gone unsipped for some time. He brought the glass to his lips and tipped the contents into his mouth. Wine wasn't exactly the drink to chug so, but it made him sleepy and taking potions every night wasn't exactly healthy. "I'm sorry, you were saying?" Taking the moment to glance over in Maria's direction and catching her gaze, Russ refilled his glass with a wave of his wand, and did the same for is lovely provider, he owed her at least that. Not once did he let his sights wander from her face, almost creepily was he too drawn in by the familiar features of the brunette.

Not at all, your sofa is quite comfortable.

His terse reply made her wince, yet the witch steadied herself enough to respond, “I’m sorry. We’re aware that you’re probably accustomed to more... spacious accommodations, but Jacob doesn’t see the need to move into a larger space when it’s just the two of us living here.”

Maria paused, and added as a quiet afterthought, “But that may change.” The corner of the brunette’s mouth lifted up in a half-smile, “Our humble abode here is hardly a place fit to raise children.”

A glance around the living room alone was enough to prove her point. The creamy-beige armchairs (one currently occupied by the snoozing, resident feline Jolie), and intricately wrought glass furniture belonged in the pages of a magazine like Magic Décor, not Wizarding Family.

She rested her back against the glass doors, sipping her wine as she listened to Russel. Something must have crossed his mind for the sudden change in topic.

Honestly Maria, tell me, life beyond the halls of Beauxbatons, was it at all magical as they advertised?

The witch’s first reaction was to laugh; “It certainly wasn’t as easy or glamorous as they first made it out to be.”

“But in the beginning…in terms of excitement or “magical” well, yes, England was all that for me,” Maria smiled, “I got my freedom, and the chance to explore myself and what I wanted in my life. Still, not nearly as exciting or exhilarating as the first years of an Auror, I’d wager.”

Maria lowered her gaze to her wine glass, “Dear Russel. Sometimes I wonder…was it the adventure that attracted you? Or the thought of doing something worthy with your life?”

But he didn’t seem to have heard her the first time, and beckoned her to speak once more while filling her nearly empty glass to the brim. She dismissed his question, "It's nothing, hardly important. Just..."

Her soft amethyst met Russel’s, “I was just wondering if you were content with the “magic” of being an Auror. If your life’s not lacking in any way.”