Ineffable. [D. Malfoy]

thirty-six.

"Though you might need this."

She lets out a breathy sigh as her shaking fingers reach out, taking the vial from his hand.

"Thank you. I really needed this."

He sends her a comforting smile, walking over to the potion bench across from her work station.

Esme starts her brewing, heating up her cauldron, and waiting for the water and salt to rest. After a couple of moments, her left-hand reaches out to obtain the essence of wormwood. Her right-hand holds the cauldron at a slight angle, adding in precisely ten drops of the essence of wormwood. Her left-hand reaches out, holding it at a switched angle as she adds ten more drops, carefully watching it fall into the cauldron. She adds her cut pieces of valerian root with water, waiting for it to settle. Her eyes widen in surprise as the potion takes the form of a deep back liquid. 

Wiping her sweaty hands on her pants, she notices Draco's watching her from her side vision. Esme adds in the remaining Sopophorous bean's juice before making sure there are no more traces of the Valerian root left. She stirs the potion ten times clockwise, watching as the colour changes into a sweet lilac. Switching to her right hand, Esme stirs the potion counterclockwise until it looks as clear as the ocean. Immediately she adds the remaining seven pieces of valerian root and then stirs the potion ten times clockwise. She adds the powdered Root of Asphodel. Holding the cauldron with her right hand her left gently mixes the potion counterclockwise ten times and then switches eight times clockwise. As she leaves it to settle, Draco's eyelids have completely shut as his head drops onto the table, his platinum hair sprawled out wildly. After two and a half minutes, she adds the final piece of valerian root and watches in amazement as her potion turns into a pale pink colour. Then quickly poured in the mixed phoenix tears and basilisk venom. The potion switches to another colour for the last time, changing into a midnight blue.

Her eyes light up as she wipes away the slight sweat collected at the top of her forehead. She can feel her curls sticking to her neck, and she reaches back, pulling them back into a low bun.

The success of mastering a potion with such difficulty makes her insides bubble.

She walks over to his side cupboard, grabbing a line of ten clear glass vials. Bringing it back towards the table, she fills them up to the precise measurements. Draco's head snaps up as he wipes his eyes groggily. His eyes focus on the vial in front of him.

"You did it," He murmurs in disbelief.

"Of course."

Without having to tell him, he drinks it in a single gulp, and she watches as his chest expands as if the air has circulated back into his system. As if he can finally breathe properly this time.

He takes off his ring as his attention hovers to the one around her neck on the chain, "It couldn't protect you because it was around your neck."

"It didn't fit back in the cell. But now." Silently she unclasps the necklace, unhooking the ring off the chain. She slips it onto her right pointer finger, curiously scanning the roman numerals of his birthday. She looks back at him, "You used blood magic."

"Yes."

Then she's taken back in surprise as his ring outlines her birthday in the same carved roman numerals.

"My birthday is on your ring?"

He glares at her, "What did you expect? You know what you mean to me."

Draco places his ring a single centimetre away from him, and on the other side is her potion. He lifts his wand, and she watches in amazement as he murmurs Latin incantations to transfer the liquid into the ring. The words fall from his lips like a soft satin, and she's memorized by the movement of his lips and tongue, almost as if he's singing, "spe ligaveris caecus dolor."