"Oh, there is always a contest.”

“Just like school; there’s always a test,” Said Sabrina, studying his hand carefully. It was certainly red, but she wished she could see it clearer. That was the only down side of her contact lenses, her distance vision was excellent, but she now needed glasses to read, or see detail up close!

"You sound just like my sister," he said, a grin slipping onto his face. "You know, when she could talk."

“It’s the Head Girl thing,” She said, ironically. “I suppose I’d sound just the same if I couldn’t talk, as well.” It was perhaps a little unfair, but she meant it as a joke. She continued holding his hand, as much to offer comfort as anything; to show she cared. That was a Head Girl thing, too.

"Didn't actually take either." A pause. "Physics or chemistry."

“I didn’t take Defense Against the Dark Arts past my Owls,” She admitted. “Which was pretty useless overall.” Now she was holding his hand just because it was nice to hold his hand. Suddenly Sabrina felt sad. Alexander had grown so distant. For a couple who were supposedly engaged, they communicated very little. Even if their engagement was a secret, he could have found time to come out to Italy.

"Oh, not so bad. Not really," he said, wincing even as he said so.

“Liar.” Sabrina caught his look of pain. “Why is it that men have to pretend they are invulnerable? Seriously, you don’t have to impress me Gavin.” Why should he? She was just a friend of his sister. Hardly that, even.

"Potion? I'd not know. Caitlin might have a whole pharmacopeia, but not a clue, really. Ice will do, for the moment," he added.

“Good idea. I was going to suggest that.” Though, naturally, her first thought had turned to magic.

"Don't have a spell that will do the same?"

“Well, I can transform the water to ice, easily enough,” She said, casting a freezing spell on the damp cloth. “And I could freeze your hand to stop the pain, but it’s a little tricky. I’d probably do more harm than good. In fact I could stop the pain, now that I think of it.”

Her mother had done a little hurt-stopper spell when she and Serena were little, and Sabrina had picked it up over time. She took ways the slowly melting cloth and crossed her wand tip over his hand in a series of spirals.

“Better?” She asked. “The thing is, it just numbs you up, it doesn’t do anything about the burn. That’s why I want to make a potion. It will help with the healing and take away the pain as well.” She gave his hand a little squeeze. “How’s that?”

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