Unrepentant

"Thank you." She downed the potion in a single gulp, throwing her head back. Her eyes squinted for a moment. Until she began to move.
Looking uo from her bed, she halted immediately.
"Go get something to eat." She waved her hands at him.
"I," He hesitated for a moment looking at her face, she was blinking rapidly as the potion took effects.
"OK." He left the room and headed to the kitchen, still in his unwashed clothes from yesterday. He stared at the large stove for a moment. He had never been the best cook, Anne had taken that title from the time they were 10. But now  with 9 years without ever touching a stove, he was completely stumped.
Sebastian stood in the kitchen, his brow furrowed in concentration as he looked over the various ingredients spread out before him. He hadn't cooked a meal in nearly a decade, and the thought of preparing breakfast for his family was daunting. He opened a cupboard. Jars stacked from the bottom to the top. She had everything and yet nothing came to him. He sat staring at the ingredients for god knows how long. Until he heard footsteps behind him. He turned quickly to see her, her hair was tied uo once again, her white shirt tucked neatly under her black vest. His eyes traced her face, she seemed content. Nothing like the distress that had graced her features hours before or the blind happiness of her drunken stupor.
"You not made anything?" She walked towards him slowly, placing something on the table as she went.
"No. I can't cook." He refused to meet her eyes. Was he embarrassed. Why would he be. It was her who deprived him of this in the first place.
"I can show you."
She took the ingredients from his hands. She showed him how to crack the eggs, fry the bacon, and make toast, all the while patiently guiding him through each step. Sometimes flicking her wand to warm the stove bit maintaining for the mostpart a traditionally muggle means of cookery. He struggled at first, fumbling with the eggs and burning the bacon. But she remained patient, showing him how to flip the eggs and fry the bacon to perfection. She gave him tips on how to toast the bread just right and how to time everything so that it was all ready at the same time. As they worked together, Sebastian began to feel his confidence grow. He watched as the meal came together under his own hands, the bacon sizzling in the pan, the eggs cooking just the way he liked them.
The whole house smelt of bacon. It was the perfect perfume to the peaceful moment. At some point the woman had turned on the gramophone in the corner and began humming along to the melody.
"See its not so hard. Its just like making a potion. All about the timing." She leant down to retrieve a set if plates from the lower cupboards, placing them onto the counter to be plated up.
"Go ahead, it's your masterpiece." She gestured to the plates, watching for a moment as the boy served a hefty portion of bacon.
She turned around chuckling heading towards the door.
"Where are you going?" He dropped the tongs he had been using and turned to look at her. Worry plastered his face, something about her leaving scared him. He couldn't place why.
She picked up the empty vase off the table.
"Getting some fresh flowers, and strawberries if you want some."
He nodded far to quickly for a man living with his enemy. He was far too at peace for a man cooking for the woman he hates. She left picking a small basket off the floor by the door. He continued to plate the food. He wished Anne were with them, he would've gloted this victory too her.
The girl was still outside when an old tawny old came bursting through the open window dropping a letter onto the table, barely missing the jug of orange juice that the woman had set out. He moved to pick it up, noting the red envelope and golden seal. Before placing it neatly above her plate.
She returned a minute later, a basket of fresh fruit in one hand and a vase of soft pastel pink camellia. She placed the vase at the centre of the table and brought the basket towards the gentlemen.
"Strawberries." He took one in his hand, they were rather large, bright red things. He bit into it allowing its juices to envelop his tongue. He let out a soft moan.
"You grew these?" She looked up at him as she placed the basket down.
"Yes, I like to keep them in my garden."
She turned towards the table smiling brightly as she sat herself down. The mean that had been prepared infront of her was far from five stars. It had been haphazardly thrown onto the plate, the baked beans spilt over the bacon and the egg already running. But it was a masterpiece.
He sat next to her, watching as she took her first bite. He watched as he face contorted. Didn't she like it, had he burnt the beans or undercooked her egg, was the bacon too chewy. He wasn't sure. He scrambled to try himself. One bite. Then another. And another. No it tasted fine. He continued to panic until she swallowed and smiled, grabbing her fork again and taking another bite.
"This isn't bad." She said whilst loading her mouth with another bite of food. He smiled.
"You git a letter by the way." He gestured infront of her plate, as the girls eyes trailed across her food to the red envelope infront of her. Without missing a beat she ripped it open, pulling the paper out from its tiny prison. He continued to eat whilst she read, taking small sips of his orange juice to wash it down.
"Shit, when you're finished go get dressed l, Tom wants us in as early as possible, he got clearance for The Red Virtue."
"Wait as in to investigate it."
"Well done sherlock holmes, that's what clearance means." He comment was blunt, but the slight smirk she made relayed that it was all in gest. He finished his food quickly, getting up to get dressed. She wasn't yet finished herself.
"Wait." She called out after him.
"Take that parcel, its for you." She gestured towards the small paper package she had placed down earlier. It was tied neatly with an emerald green ribbon, fixed with a wax stamp of a bird.
"For me?" She nodded quickly gesturing at him to leave. And so he did.