Interoffice Memorandum

[Trina]

Office of Oddities & Antiquities
Salem Witches Institute

Dear Mr. Weasley,

I understand your concern regarding unregulated cauldron vending, as 
this clearly violates the World Cauldron Association's recently 
instated international trade agreement and appreciate your interest 
in the latest in a rash of black market trading of magical items. 

However, I have spoken to the witch in question as she owled me 
immediately after having made her purchase of the cauldron.  Ms. 
Trina (she has requested that her last name be withheld as she 
currently works among Muggles and does not, at this time, wish to be 
revealed as a witch) was attending a local Muggle street fair when 
she caught sight of a booth selling Muggle-made pottery.  Out of 
curiosity she stopped and promptly recognized the cauldron for what 
it truly was.  In her words, "it was diguised as a common piece of 
Raku pottery meant for Muggles to paint over with glazes and have 
fired in order to make them feel a part of the artistic world."  She 
rescued it and painted it using a Revealing Charm activated by the 
fire of the kiln. 

I have seen the cauldron and it is, in my expert opinion, the finest 
example of a mid-nineteenth century salesman's sample.  As you 
undoubtably know, the sale of cauldrons in North America at that time 
was a challenge. Cauldrons are notoriously bulky even now, but at 
that time, the Featherweight Charm was not in use and trying to 
travel from magical settlement to magical settlement with a trunkful 
of full-sized cauldrons was not practical.  So instead, they used 
samples, in other words, a miniature.  The witch or wizard could 
choose the cauldron that they liked and in three week's time Apparate 
to the Cauldronsmith's and pick it up.  The number 171 etched into 
the bottom denotes the model number. How it had fallen into the hands 
of Muggles will forever remain a mystery. Ms. Trina is truly 
fortunate to have acquired such a rare piece of North American 
wizarding history.  If I were to put a price on it, I would have to 
say anywhere between 8000-12,000 Galleons.  Ms. Trina has graciously 
loaned it to the SWI to be placed in a permanent exhibit at the 
Mystikal Museum.

Sincerely, 

Claresta Clinkscales
Curator, Mystikal Museum
Salem Witches Institute

cc: Cornelius Fudge (Minister of Magic), Jeanette Gateau (Liason 
Francaise, NA)