Violet felt a lot more confident after having made it up and down her first tree without accident--this Gripping Charm really seemed to work! She walked on a bit further until she found a free tree with a marker around it, right on the edge of the boundaries of the class area. Casting another round of the "Queritorto" charm on her hands and feet (sure, it had worked, but can't be too careful), Violet began to climb with more confidence. But when she was about 2/3 of the way up, she suddenly encountered her pet magpie, Machiavelli, escaped from his sanctuary and gadding about the campus without permission, as usual. And now here he was, interfering in her class. "Go away! Go home!" she hissed at the bird under her breath, not wanting to draw the attention of the other students or, particularly, the teacher. Mack's response was to step casually onto Violet's forearm and proceed to walk up the arm, around her neck, and down the other side to a different branch, before giving her a look that clearly said, 'I do as I please, human!' and then flying off. "Argh, why couldn't I have gotten a cat!" Violet said in frustration.

Now her concentration was broken (but fortunately not her grip, thanks to the spell). Pausing another minute to regroup, Violet began the last part of her ascent and finally reached a branch near the top, where she found another egg, this time a deep purple one. "Gotcha," she said as she grabbed it, using a bit too much vigor, because she nearly lost her balance. Fortunately, she was able to grab hold of the tree again, but the egg nearly slipped away. Violet managed to grab it just in time, tuck it away, and then straighten her grip properly, before she carefully climbed back down the tree. Eagerly, she drew out the egg to examine it. "Number 331!" she exclaimed with satisfaction. Only one more to go.