If Draco noticed Arcturusā reaction (and he did), he didnāt mention it. Heād grown far too accustomed to people disliking him, to being met with immediate distrust, that what surprised him was the exact opposite. Draco spent quite a number of years being hounded by the press and side-eyed by people whenever he briefly went out in public to expect anything less. So, really, it was perfectly normal to catch that same flash of wariness in Arcturus, and he simply filed the topic of family away as one to avoid. All the better, really. He was fairly certain the other Slytherin didnāt need to know how things turned out with that.
The comment about herbal teas made him smirk, however. āI understand the feeling,ā he said, thinking back to the week of his arrival in Night Vale and how horrified heād been by what passed for tea in most places. āIāve a stock from a shop called The Paradox. Iād recommend it, should you need something suitable. The owner used to live in London, so he has a better idea of what weāre looking for.ā Draco wasnāt exactly certain whether the owner in question was a Muggle himselfājust that he seemed unfazed by talk of magic, which was good enough for him.
It didnāt occur to Draco until Arcturus expressed an interest that heād never performed his tea-making charm in front of anyone before. Not even his mother knew how he brewed it, but then, they didnāt speak about a lot of things. He hesitated only a second or two before drawing his wand slowly, making it absolutely clear he wasnāt pointing it anywhere near his guest. āItās a modified charm,ā Draco explained. Arcturus knew the first part, which was heating the kettle, but the next part would likely be new, since Draco came up with it himself. He twisted his wrist, drawing out a wispy cloud from his wand that took shape into a small bird. It went to work: collecting the cups, preparing the tea, setting out the milk and sugar.
He was only a little self-conscious. āItās not terribly complicated,ā Draco said, and gestured at the two chairs and small couch he had, waiting for Arcturus to pick where he preferred to sit.