Discovery was Millie's persistent fear, her oft-despised guidance that kept her toes in line. Whether among family or her peers, even a simple stroll down the halls, there were eyes and whispers everywhere. She learned to tune it out at the best of times, but this was not one of her best times. Nor could the young witch really expect to escape discovery now, with the whole study room under assault by the winged vegetables.

"Thaumaturgical Interference," she intoned mechanically. Millie knew the essentials of what had gone wrong. A potion spill on her cauldron cakes had changed their fundamental nature, causing the transfiguration to go awry. The young witch could have easily written a two-foot parchment for Professor Foxwood on the subject, covering the basics of the concept and how it might be reversed.

In the moment, however, Millie didn't have a clue.

"The cakes were supposed to become cabbages," Millie explained, pointing to the few heads of success on her desk. "Except..."

She laid her hands on her skirts, holding them together to avoid reaching for her throat. This was no time to abscond with responsibilities on account of nerves. Millie Potts was a fourth year by now, she should have known how to reverse her own errors. Particularly before an exam, next year she might face the very same scenario, and find herself graded on it as well.

"Perhaps a general counterspell would do it," Millie suggested to the air in her immediate vicinity. She didn't quite glance over at Sisse yet, uncertain if the older girl could hear her. Miss Thompsett was both Head Girl and graduating in less than a week, Millie didn't want the witch's lasting impression of her former schoolmate to be that of an inelegant, magical klutz.

Not after how well they had managed to resolve the matter during last year's study week. Oh, how the tables had turned on her.

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