Irene tripped on something as she approached the great Willow. What in Scammander's suitcase was THAT? She turned around to find her foot in a cauldron. A potions cauldron? She removed her foot and then crouched down to view the slip of parchment inside. "Get on with it! Make your way to the passage beneath the tree." Irene glanced at the tree and noticed that the icicles weren't icicles and that they were.... ornaments? She squinted her eyes a little more, making sure not to take a step too close to the willow, and realized that they were potions ingredients. Then Irene noticed the little workstation that was set up close by. Ahhhh... alright. She could roll with this.

So it seemed like she would need to brew a potion before trying to get past the dangerous tree. But what potion could she use? Irene paused, taking a moment to recall Professor William's lectures as well as her potions textbook. Thank Merlin for a photographic memory. Ah. That could work. She debated her options.

An invisibility potion would make her invisible to the eye but her spell had revealed that no one was hidden near her. Though a disillusionment charm could mask her from unwary eyes. Maybe that'd be a better plan. A strength or wit-sharpening potion would be an interesting idea. It could help prepare her for whatever or whomever was in the passage underneath the tree. Though she would have to make a quick run past the long branches that could try to bar her entrance and perhaps even injure her badly. She would need to do something to slow the tree down. Then maybe a defensive or healing spell would be the best solution. Or..... Or perhaps a potion that gave her good luck. However would good luck simply be enough to help her through this challenge.

She set about making a Dresden Draught. It would help keep her more concentrated on the task ahead. Immobulus would work on the tree and she could use a disillusionment charm on herself. Irene turned to the Whomping Willow and cast, "Immobulus!" With the tree frozen, now she could brew a potion. When she glanced at the ingredients, she couldn't find the muggle beverage. Hmm... She'd have to revise her plan.

Felix Felicis. Good luck would work hopefully for a little bit. It was an advanced potion and it would take way too long to brew. Six months or something. A stamina potion should do. A Girding Potion would do the trick. What page was that on? Thirty four. Ingredients that she would need were water (four cups), dragonfly thoraxes (forty toasted and ten untoasted), two fairy wings, three flying sea horses, and twelve doxy eggs.

"Scourgify," she said, pointing her wand at the cauldron and cleaning it up. Then she cast Augmenti and waited for the cauldron to fill up. Fairy wings were added first and then she heated the mixture with a simple heating charm, watching as the mixture turned to a beautiful turquoise color. Once it was this color, she added three doxy eggs and heated the potion. Once again the potion changed colors, starting from a turquoise and then moving to a periwinkle color and then finally a bright pink. Ooh! That pink matched her handbag. She loved the color. Then she began adding the toasted dragonfly thoraxes. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. The mixture was becoming redder but it wasn't red enough. Irene added more. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Redder but not RED. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Perfect. Now that was red. Hot fire truck red. Pointing her wand at the mixture, she heated it, watching the mixture as it turned from red to blue. Then she added seventeen more toasted dragonfly thoraxes. Hmm... one more to make it more red. Eighteen. Perfect!

She eyed the eggs. Alright. They were all going in next. She added them in groups of three. Three. Six. Nine. Okay. Then she added the ten untoasted dragonfly thoraxes and heated the potion once more until it became a beautiful royal blue color. Irene then picked up the flying seahorses and apologized to them in her mind as they were such beautiful creatures. Then she added them to the mixture and heated it up. Blue. Turquoise. Teal. Green. Slytherin Green like Brent's new robes. She bottled up the mixture into a vial. Time to keep moving. The Whomping Willow wasn't going to stay still for long.

Irene turned and pointed her wand at herself, casting the disillusionment charm first and moving her wand as if it was a rope being wrapped around her. Then she brought the vial to her lips and took a sip, feeling more confident in her abilities. Right. She glanced up at the Willow and then walked further until she was ducking to get under the tree.