The third year noticed when Noble glanced her way, no doubt surveying her work and looking for mistakes. When he looked away and continued with the lesson, Maddie smiled to herself. Yes! She collected her glass stirring rod and knife and started the process of sterilizing them. She peered at her fire, found the blue part of it, and moved the stirring rod through it once...twice. She was careful about it, too, because she had a feeling the professor wouldn't show any extra mercy to an injured student. She did the same with the knife, too, moving it through twice, just as she'd done with the rod.

With that done, she collected the rosemary and began mimicking what the professor was instructing them to do. She started at the small end and pulled the stalk through pinched fingers. Soon, she held two pieces in her hand, just like Noble did. She then began chopping finely then measured out exactly one TABLEspoon. She heard that emphasis, Professor, and she figures it's for students like her! Confident that she was still on the right track, she sprinkled the finely chopped pieces over the top of her potion then stirred twice in a clockwise direction.

Maddie collected the murtlap tentacles and laid them in front of her. She then began slicing them in half lengthways. Leaving them on the cutting board, she added the ten drops of honeywater and tossed with her fingers the way she'd seen the professor do. Carefully collecting the pile, she added everything to the cauldron then turned toward the tea oil. Five drops, yes? One...two...three...four...five.