Venom & Virtue

chapter 15

Draco looked up as I approached our usual table, his grey eyes following me until I reached him.

I placed myself down in the chair carefully, wincing slightly as my spine twinged with pain, still sprained from the previous day's fall.

"You should go and see Pomfrey."

I sighed, not in the mood for an argument.

"I'll be fine."

"You're being stupid."

"Well, according to you I always am, so what difference does it make?"

There was a pause as I began to unload my bag onto the desk.

"I didn't really mean that."

I looked up at him, a doubtful frown across my face.

"And yet you said it anyway. Perhaps you should consider your words more carefully in the future."

He didn't reply so I continued, "what are we studying today? Please tell me we are done with scent."

"We can move onto colour. It's simple in comparison."

I nodded in approval and opened the ink pot, dipping my quill into it as I stared at him expectantly.

He looked back for a moment, seemingly apprehensive about something, and then he waved his wand, causing a box to materialise next to me on the table.

The strange object was covered in a plush black velvet fabric, the design about the 30cm in height and perfectly square.

I looked at it blankly, "what is this?"

"Open it."

I refrained from rolling my eyes at his lack of answer, instead standing up as I pulled the strange item towards me.

It was soft to the touch, like a feather-pillow, entirely inviting, and there was a faint smell to it too, some sweet perfume that smelled of lavender and extravagance.

I braced myself, expecting something to pop out as I pulled the lid off carefully, doubtful about my companion's intention.

But when nothing scary materialised, I leaned over to see the contents inside.

A single black cauldron sat within the box, intricate swirls of metal wound around the edges for decoration, handcrafted in nature.

There was a lid to match the diameter as well, a perfect fit in size, and finally, an erbium mixing spoon with the same detailing as the pot.

I blinked in surprise, grabbing the charcoal-coloured handle, as I gently lifted the cauldron from the box, placing it down on the table with extreme care.

There was a small silver plaque under the curved edge of the object, screwed in neatly, and I bent forward to read it.

Delacour

I retracted in disbelief, looking at the calm blonde seated next to me.

"This is a Delacour Cauldron."

"I know."

"It's worth 2000 galleons," I stated, waiting for some normal response to occur.

"I believe it's 3000 actually."

"So... you bought me a cauldron."

"Yes, you needed one didn't you?" He replied, as if the issue with the gift was merely doubt about whether I had retained a new one already.