"Well, if it weren't for my carelessness there wouldn't be stains to remove in the first place," she pointed out in response to Miss Jones' compliment. It wasn't as though what she was doing was difficult work; she was only applying a potion that had been made specifically for the task. The right tool for the right job made things easy — and the timing worked in their favor, too. If Miss Jones had waited until she'd gotten home, the stains would have started to set and then it was mostly a matter of luck whether even a strong potion would get them out. Luckily her guest had eventually taken her invitation to strip off the worst of the wet clothes.

Glancing over at her, Jules was struck by how small she looked, and how young. It was probably a function of the time of year; winter layers added a lot of bulk and losing them suddenly was bound to make anyone look small by comparison.

She finished with the potion and stoppered the bottle, which she placed on a nearby table. Most of the stains were gone, and the remaining ones were fading. She removed her wand and ran her hand over Miss Jones' dress, using a drying spell to finish what the warmth from the fire had begun. "This is ready," she said, removing the dress from the rack. "Should I help you put it on, or would you prefer to do it yourself?"