---

At five o’clock the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries had, one by one, started to leave their work for the day to return home to whatever it was that filled their evenings.  By five fifty-five on the dot the department was completely empty except for its head who was busying himself with unpacking brewing supplies in his office.  The doors to the other areas that would be considered off limits to outsiders were tightly closed, and a few were even guarded by magic to ensure no one went inside.

Over the past few days he had received a few off looks from some of his workers after the rainbow shaped and decorated sugar cookies had arrived at his office.  No one had dared ask, much to his relief, where they had come from, but he had heard some whispered speculations.  Some of them were actually quite amusing and about as far from the truth as anyone could get.  However, most of them had sufficiently annoyed him enough to cause his office door to remain shut for the remained to the day.

There was a table on one side of his office meant for brewing purposes and he had set out supplies for two separate potions.  At least if he was going to be giving a lesson in basic brewing he would attempt to get a little of his own work done.  He would have to be careful none of the ingredients mixed together, what he was working with was highly combustible and he would prefer the concern of Candice Stevenson blowing up his office remain as far fetched and unnecessary as she seemed to believe it was.

Candice had been looking forward to brewing with Dante Ward, as odd as it might seem to some. She was out of practice, and someone had been nice enough to extend an offer of help her way, (and as Candice saw it an offer of friendship) so she was not going to blow it by being disinterested or bored. He hadn't been very forthcoming on what sorts of treats he would like, insisting it was not necessary. Candy knew that she didn't have to do it, but she wanted to. It made her feel good to do nice things for other people. Besides, who could say no to delicious treats?

Since he had been so cryptic, Candice had worked hard to make small amounts of a few different things, arranging them in a basket. There were different types of cookies, brownies, muffins, fudge, and a few other random add ins. She hoped that she had not gone entirely overboard. While the basket was large, it wasn't stuffed full of a ridiculous amount of treats. It was feasible that two people could sample and enjoy what was there and have left overs for later.

After the normal ministry operating hours were over, Candice had straightened up her desk and smoothed out her work robes before gathering the basket in her hand and finding her way up to the Department of Mysteries. (She was giddy just thinking about it! All those secrets and she would be so close to them! Imagine the sorts of things locked away up there! It was a pity that Mr. Ward was likely not going to let her in on any of those secrets, though.) She approached his office cautiously, hoping that he had not forgotten she was coming this evening. Candice wasn't very familiar with him or his memory, so to her it was a genuine possibility. Plus, a small part of Candice that wasn't touched by the excitement was worried that he didn't even want to help. She was still paranoid she had weaseled him into this against his will, which would upset her greatly if she found it to be true.

The door to his office was closed, and when Candy noticed that she chewed her bottom lip. Shut doors generally meant that people were not welcome. Had he forgotten? Was he trying to send her sign? She did her very best to push the worries away and put on a bright small, knocking quietly on the door so as not to disturb him in case he was busy and had forgotten. She felt a bit of relief when he opened his office door and she saw brewing supplies already out. Her smile immediately seemed much more real and she held up the basket in front of her. "I know you told me I didn't have to, but I wanted to. There's a little bit of everything in here, since I don't know what you like. I hope you aren't watching what you eat too closely, though. You'll find nothing healthy in there. Just delicious sweets."

The knock on the door drew him from the preparations and he crossed the office to admit his expected guest.  However, he had not expected her to bring an entire basket of treats for the evening.  He raised an eyebrow slightly for a moment, but his features quickly returned to their neutral expression.  Obviously he should have been more specific as it seemed she had gone to quite a bit of trouble preparing an assortment of edible items.

I hope you aren't watching what you eat too closely, though. You'll find nothing healthy in there. Just delicious sweets.

For a brief moment there was the thought that there had been no one sending him baked goods in over ten years, but he quickly shoved the thought from his mind as it would do nothing to serve him that evening.  He would see that she had a good review of basic brewing and once he was certain it would be safe for her to do so without supervision he could go back to not having to worry about the Ministry’s psychiatrist.

“I…yes, I’m sure they will be fine,” he said, motioning for her to come in.  “You can put that on the desk for now.”

The desk which was finally clear of the papers he had inherited when he took over the position as Department Head.  The bottom paper on the pile had looked as if it had been used to wipe up some sort of animal dropping and after a moment of contemplation he had figured out the most likely source.  If it hadn’t been after hours he was quite certain Marietta would have heard the rant of swears all the way across the Department.

“We should have everything we need for the evening,” he told her, propping the door open.  “I’ve tried to allow enough space between the ingredients to limit confusion as I’m going to try to get some brewing down myself.”

Candice nodded and walked past him, placing the basket carefully on his desk so as not to disturb anything that was left on it. The last thing she needed to do was poke some mysterious object. "I've never been in the Department of Mysteries before," she commented, facing Dante again. "Is your office as mysterious as the rest of the place?" Chances were that any mysterious items would be locked away into a cabinet or a closet somewhere. The curious side of Candice wished he was the sort to breach protocol and show her something fun and interesting. Dante, however, did not seem to be that sort of person. Pity.

She walked over to inspect the ingredients and other things laying out whenever Dante mentioned he'd be doing some brewing of his own. "Ooh, what are you brewing?" she asked, leaning close to a flower that was laying among his ingredients. "What a pretty blossom!" Candice exclaimed. "What is it for? Does it make the potion smell good?" she giggled quietly at the thought, and resisted the urge to reach out and pick it up. She had no idea what it was. While Candy highly doubted that this man would be brewing a poison alongside her this evening, you could never be too careful. Many potions ingredients could be dangerous.

"I've really been looking forward to this," she stated. Candice had learned that Dante was not a big talker. She talked a lot, and it was nice for her to have someone to ramble to, even if they weren't particularly interested in what she had to say. When actually working, Candice had to shut up and take in what others said. While she had absolutely no problems listening, she liked to talk sometimes, too. And there were just some things you couldn't talk to non-magical people about, and a lot of her friends weren't from the wizarding world.

"It seems like I don't get much of a chance to practice stuff like this, or more practical magic. My family is non-magical, so when I take care of them I do things the old fashioned way. My grandparents are okay with the fact I do magic, but it makes them uncomfortable so I try not to use it much around them." Her mother didn't like the fact her daughter was a "freak", but what did her mother know anyway? It wasn't as if she'd had any part in raising her. It had been Grammy and Poppy he had done that. "Sometimes I wonder how it is that muggleborn witches and wizards managed to live any sort of functionable life style. It's like being a super hero with a secret identity."

There was a slight smirk that formed on his lips when she asked about his office and he knew most people would be disappointed by the fact that it usually didn’t live up to the reputation of the rest of the department.  Even on days when he wasn’t expecting outside visitors, sensitive information or any objects brought to him were rarely left out for anyone to see.

“I think most people come into my office expecting to ‘accidently’ discover some top secret information find themselves a bit disappointed,” he told her.  “Most of what is left in my office is rather mundane actually.”

With some people it was actually amusing to watch them become a bit crestfallen when they realized he wasn’t going to be foolish enough to leave sensitive information out in the open.  This time he wasn’t particularly trying to disappoint Candice; it was simply the reality of being the head of a department and finding it necessary to have occasional meetings with those who weren’t his employees.

"What a pretty blossom!"

He had been retrieving one final ingredient for his own potion from the cabinet and approached the table to look at the flower, even though he knew exactly what she was referring to.  It was the only blossom on the table, and it wasn’t a common sight.  He could only hope that his thought was right as to the full potential of its properties.

“It’s an African Tulip,” he told her.  “In Ghana parts of the tree it comes from have been used for centuries in the treatment of wounds.  My curiosity about it has led me to do a bit of experimenting.”

He gave a slight nod at her mention that she had been looking forward to brewing.  He had been a bit torn at how exactly he felt about the entire thing as he was used to having his evenings to himself.  Yet, there was a part of him that welcomed the distraction from everything that had been on his mind.

"Sometimes I wonder how it is that muggleborn witches and wizards managed to live any sort of functionable life style. It's like being a super hero with a secret identity."

“I don’t know,” he said.  “I think you simply grow used to it, or I think in my case it simply became habit when visiting Muggle relatives.”

Of course he hadn’t actually visited his relatives in a decade.  It occurred to him in the back of his mind that it was also around that time he made his last trip to Dublin.  He didn’t dwell on that fact for very long though as he moved to retrieve his wand from his desk.  There was also a parchment containing the recipe for the Draught of Peace which would she would need to complete the brewing process.

"That's very professional and responsible of you," Candice stated. If she were the head of his department, she might have a hard time keeping her trap shut. She wondered whether or not employees of level nine had to take some sort of special, magical oath that would prevent them from telling secrets. Part of Candy wanted to ask Dante, but she figured if that were the case, it was probably a secret and he couldn't tell her about it. She understood that. There were lots of things that she got told on a daily basis that she could not tell others.

She listened closely when he began to explain the point of the flower. The woman had never heard of using an African tulip before. If Dante was so good with potions that he was comfortable experimenting with them then he must be a great choice for a tutor. Candice couldn't imagine taking random things and throwing them into a cauldron. She would explode another one, or melt one. Better him than her taking that risk. Candice had sworn to herself she was going to pay extra close attention and brew the potion one hundred percent correctly and not explode or melt anything in Dante Ward's office. You just didn't destroy the office of someone who was the head of a department, it didn't bode well for anyone.

"The habit is a hard one to keep up," she stated. "I grew up in the muggle world. My grandparents raised me. They're really wonderful people, and even though they were a little put off by the fact I turned out magical, they were pretty accepting. My mom wasn't, though, after she found out. And I have lots of muggle friends- they're the people I was drinking with the night before I came to the Halloween party..." She trailed off at thta point, blushing a deep shade as she remembered how she acted at that particular party after drinking far more than she should have. "It's just, just hard... To keep it a secret from people," Candice stammered as she tried to push the thoughts of Halloween from her mind. Obviously Mr. Ward hadn't been too offended by however she had acted, because he had still invited her to his office for some potion making.

"So, uhm, what are you experimenting with?" Candice asked, still trying to fight the blush that had crept into her cheeks, and desperately seeking a way to change the subject from her drunk debauchery to something more professional. "Something for healing?" If the tulip had healing properties, that would make sense. But, since those were obviously the ingredients Dante would be working with, she took up a position on the other side of the table. Candice eyed the basket for a moment, wishing she had something to eat just to prevent her from sticking her foot in her mouth. With the lack of conversation on his side, and the high amount of it on her side, it seemed to be something she was particularly skilled at doing.

His mind considered that for some people it was simply more difficult to keep certain things a secret.  Dante’s father had been a member of the Department of Mysteries and he always assumed he had gotten the ability to do so from him.  The conversation was lingering on family and a bit too much for his comfort though, and he was relieved when the topic changed back to what he would be brewing.  Family was one of those topics he generally avoided talking about if possible.  It was easier to not have to relieve the memories…

Setting the parchment next to the supplies he had set out for her, he said, “Yes.  I’ve found that some of our potions are fine as they are, some could use a bit of tweaking to perhaps make them work a but more affectively.  Traditionally the bark is used in Ghana, but the flowers have similar properties to some of the ingredients in the potions that are currently used, so I’ve found myself wondering what might happen if this flower is substituted.”

While he was not known for talking a great deal, potions were one of those topics he tended to talk about in detail.  Usually he would watch whoever he was talking to carefully, well aware that few truly shared his passion. Moving back around the table to his own supplies he lit the fire under his cauldron before setting the wand on the table.

“Sometimes we tend to over complicate looking for an answer to improving upon our knowledge,” he continued.  “As I said, it’s been used for centuries…all one had to do was actually do a little research.  Knowing about herbology also helped, of course when trying to determine how this new ingredient might fit.”

This was what he lived for, what had kept him exploring in the Department of Mysteries for so many years.  It wasn’t as exciting as some of his other attempts at experimentation.  In the past he had actually traveled to do his research first hand, however being tied to a desk all day limited that.  It was enough though, to have a few hours each day for his own personal research.

"How can you be certain the flower won't interact poorly with the other ingredients?" Candice asked. "If it hasn't been used in this before, it might make the potion go bad, mightn't it?" Honestly, she wasn't sure. She just knew that throwing the wrong thing in could result in bad things. Surely, though, Dante knew what he was doing. Mr. Ward wouldn't be so careless as to just toss in a random flower without fully invesigating its properties. "I trust your judgment though," Candice added. She didn't want it to sound like she thought that Dante was going to make a mistake with his potion- that wasn't the case.

Candice nodded at the comment of over complicating things. Everyone did that- not just in potions, but in their every day lives. Most of the times the most obvious and most effect resolution to a problem was right in front of your face, but most people just couldn't see that. It was sad to see people who struggled so hard, when the resolutions were so simple. She wondered if Dante had taken a long time trying to figure out the flower or if it had been as simple as it sounded. Perhaps he could see the forest and the trees all at once. That was awfully rare.

"Centuries?" she repeated. "That's fascinating! I always thought those old wives tales about herbal things were ridiculous. Or, at least, I did until I came to Hogwarts and realized plants really did have lots of properties like that. Did you go to Africa to research? I've never been out of the country, I've always wondered what it's like."

"If I could go anywhere, I think I would like to visit Australia. Have you ever been? I've always wanted to go see kangaroos and koala bears! And a platypus. I mean, I know you just don't see these things running around the wild... And I suppose a zoo would have them... But I just have always wanted to go. I've heard it's a wonderful place, too. The wild life is just spectacular. I like animals. Fluffy, safe ones anyway. Not a big fan of some of the beasties in the wizarding world. Or anything with scales." Snakes were terrifying, and even though Candice knew that running into a dragon in the wild was basically im possible, she was always afraid she would. But Candice was a chicken. She was afraid of almost everything.

Picking up the parchment, she read through the steps for the potion, using her wand to light the fire under her own cauldron. "So am I just doing this, step by step, while you work on yours? I'm guess you'll keep an eye on things to make sure I'm not messing it up too badly."

“I’ve spend countless hours researching the properties of the flowers, Miss Stevenson,” Dante told her in answer to her question.  “While the ingredients for this potion can be highly combustible, I do not anticipate a problem.  I don’t like to just go into something without considering all of the possible outcomes first.”

He tried to see her questioning as simply curiosity and not her questioning his abilities.  Of course there had been plenty of botched attempts over the years, and enough of his own catastrophes that he could see the warning signs before anyone had cause to worry.  He bit back the snarky remark when she mentioned she trusted him.  She was genuine in her curiosity when most people were not.

“There’s always something to be said for old wives tales,” he replied to her next set of comments, adding the first ingredient before reaching for the flower in question to grind it up for use.  “Unfortunately the constraints of my current position limit the time I can spend outside the office, so this time I had to rely previously recorded research and a contact I have to retrieve the flower.”

He tried to appear interested as she spoke of traveling to Australia, shaking his head in the negative when she asked if he had been there.  It had been the next place he had planned to travel for research, but the Department Head position opened up around the same time and he was finally rewarded with the promotion.  She was rambling about animals, the fuzzy sort that he tended to ignore, and he dropped the flower into the nearby mortar so it could be crushed before use. 

And I suppose a zoo would have them...

His hand stilled for a moment as he reached out for the pestle, the old unwanted memory threatening to creep into his mind.  He managed to push it aside as she kept talking, the thoughts of the day meant to be filled with childhood exploration not serving him in that moment.  He had, however, been lost in thought long enough to not completely hear her question when she asked about what she would be brewing.

Looking up at her, parchment in hand he was able to fill in enough of the blanks in his mind to say, “Yes, it’s all there.  If you follow the directions you should be fine, but I’ll make sure you’re doing it correctly.”

Combustible? That did not sound safe. Candice, who was a klutz, in a room with highly combustible potions ingredients when Dante knew that she had a bad history of explosions could not end well. She didn't tell him that, but simply nodded, making a note to be very certain not to touch or get too close to them.

"I'm sure that was disappointing. I didn't know you had done research like that. I guess it makes sense, if you work in this department, though. Do you just research potions? Or other things?" Candice had never done any thorough research on anything. It had be quite the experience, especially if he had traveled. Candy wanted to travel, but she had always been afraid to go alone to a place she didn't know well. One day, though, she would do it. She might drag one of her friends along or something. Perhaps she could go on a business trip for the ministry or something. Either way it was on her to-do list.

It was obvious to Candice that Dante was distracted by his potion. It was good, to be so focused, which was something she understood. Her constant prattling wasn't helping him any, she was sure of that. Candice knew when she was in school and trying to concentrate that she couldn't focus if people were talking too much. That was why she made lots of mistakes, because she liked to talk, and generally Candy was that annoying girl who wouldn't shut the hell up.

Looking at the parchment he had provided, Candice studied the ingredients that were laid out for her. She knew that hellebore was poisonous if not handled correctly, and it worried her. Her draught of peace would very easily turn into something very dangerous if she didn't do this correctly. Hopefully that wouldn't happen. A large part of Candice really wanted to prove to Dante that she could do this. She read the first few steps aloud to herself in a whisper before she started working. Knowing that Mr. Ward was watching her closely made her nervous, but it also caused Candice to pay much closer attention to what she was doing.

"What's the proper way to powder a moonstone?" she asked. "Do I just mash it with the mortar and pestle? It's a stone, it's not that easy, is it?"

There were times, when faced with huge stacks of reports that he wished his position allowed him more time to travel.  Yet, to be the head of DoM was something he had worked towards from the moment of his initial hire by the Ministry years earlier.  His father had been a well respected upper level employee, the head of the Potions and Herbology office within the DoM, but Dante had always wanted to go one step further.  Finally, after being looked over twice for promotion, he had managed to see his desires come to fruition, but of course it came with a price.

“My research was usually based on around ways to improve upon or produce new potions,” he told her, starting to grind the flower mind focusing on the task at hand even as he spoke.  “I was always curious about how herbology and potions went hand in hand and it’s carried over into my work here.”

They fell into silence again for a moment and he was able to divide his attention more fully between his own work and what she was doing.  He could hear her whispering the directions to herself and a small smirk formed on his lips.  She was determined, he would give her that.  It seemed she was going to do her best to truly focus on the work and take the brewing process seriously.  That earned her a little more respect in his mind, causing him to regard her as more then just the flighty, perky, silly woman who seemed to be crossing his path on a more regular basis then before.

"What's the proper way to powder a moonstone?"

Setting the flower aside he looked up at her for a moment, giving her a slight nod when she said it wouldn’t be as easy as simply grinding it up.  Certainly there were ways one could do so by hand and that was usually they way it was taught to you students.  However, there was no need in his mind to waste her time and energy in such a way.  Picking up his wand, he moved around the table to stand next to her for a moment.

“There’s a spell that I picked up a few years back that makes it quite simple actually,” he told her.  “The charm is calx pulvis.  Give it a try.”

He hoped her wand work was better then she claimed her potions work was…either way he stayed next to her ready to offer further assistance should it be necessary.

With Dante standing right next to her, Candice felt even more nervous about this whole process. She lifted her gaze to meet his, hoping that he wasn't impatient with her for asking the question. He seemed to be genuinely interested in helping her, and suggested a charm. Candice's wand work was much better than her skill in potions. At least, it was now. When she was in school, her potions work had been very good. That was what happened when one neglected to practice important skills, she supposed.

She picked up her own wand and carefully aimed it at the stone. Candice chewed her bottom lip slightly, giving Dante one more questioning glance before comitting to attempting the spell. Surely things couldn't go too wrong. "Calx pulvis!" She watched as the stone slowly powdered before her eyes, and then traded her insecure glances for a rather thrilled one. She hadn't powdered anything she wasn't supposed to! Fabulous!

"Thank you, Mr. Ward! That was a much more efficient way. I used to hate powdering and grinding for potions, it always took so long, but I always was afraid not to do it properly so I would take the longest of anyone in class. It paid off back then, though." That being said, she read the instructions again, and added the moonstone to the cauldron in the very specific way that was directed.

Now she was supposed to stir it, counter clockwise, exactly seventeen and a half times. How did someone stir a half a time? Candice assumed it meant you went halfway around the cauldron. She couldn't waste time on it, though. Letting it sit might mess it up. So she stirred it, as close to seventeen and a half times as she possibly could. (Although it might have been more like three quarters, or perhaps three-eighths as opposed to an exact half of a time.) The instructions stated to let it come to a simmer. So, while she waited, she began to prepare other ingredients to be put into the cauldron.

"So far so good," she told Dante with a slight smile. Perhaps things would go well and there wouldn't be any explosions after all!  Stepping away from the table, she fished a muffin out of the basket of treats and returned to her position, not thinking twice about the few crumbs that fell onto the table amidst her potions ingredients. "I was really afraid that spell would backfire, I was so nervous. I was just waiting on the whole table to collapse because I did it wrong."

The day in Diagon Alley she had asked him to help her with find supplies in a way that clearly showed her uncertainty.  Now, the way she bit her lip as she glanced over at him clearly questioning whether she could make the spell work made him wonder if he should be the one helping her with her brewing.  He was not a teacher, he was a researcher and he had purposely chosen to not to into education, as he wasn’t really known for his vast patience.

Dante’s expression remained neutral as she finally cast the spell; the stone properly powdered a moment later.  He looked back over to her again, her expression instantly changing.  If he was the sort for grinning hers would have probably been infectious and he might have worn one that mirrored hers.  Yet, he wasn’t and a slight nod of approval was the best he could do at that moment.

“You’re welcome, Miss Stevenson,” he said, moving back around the table to his own potion again.

He went back to his work, as she seemed to go back to what she was doing.  He put the first set of ingredients into the cauldron, using a spoon to make fourteen and three quarter turns.  She had gone to get a muffin and he didn’t notice the crumbs as he looked up at her once his stirring was finished.  The potions would have to sit for ten minutes before he could add the flower.

"I was really afraid that spell would backfire, I was so nervous. I was just waiting on the whole table to collapse because I did it wrong."

He couldn’t resist a smirk at that and he replied, “Stevenson, I wouldn’t lead you astray?  I’m not planning on having anything in my office destroyed or either one of us injured.  Try to relax and enjoy the process of brewing.”

"I wasn't doubting you or your advice, I just tend to get nervous when I have to perform in front of others. It feels almost like I'm in school again." She giggled quietly, imagining Dante standing up in front of a class of teenager, trying to maintain his patience to teach them how tod o everything properly. She had a feeling that wouldn't go over so well. "Should I be calling you Professor Ward for the rest of the evening? Tell me, Professor, are you head of house as well? I imagine it cannot be that easy to keep a bunch of rambunctious children in line." She finished off her muffin, fighting the giggles, not wanting to offend him by laughing at his capabilities  (or lack there of).

She grabbed another muffin and produced a thermos of milk from her bag, pouring herself some into a cup she had brought. Candice wasn't sure if Dante would want any milk or any muffins at all, but she was going to make a point to make sure there was enough for him as well. Well, enough milk. It would be a hard task to devour all of the muffins and other goodies that she had made to share with him for the evening.

"So what exactly does your potion do?" Candice asked, hoping to draw some more conversation out of him. "Healing isn't very descriptive. There are lots of different ways a person can be healed, Professor." Candice grinned at him again when she called him professor, hoping to keep giving off the impression that she was just teasing him. Candice didn't know Dante well enough to know how easily he was offended. She had heard that he was a real stickler in his own department, and many of his employees were afraid of him. Well, not afraid, but very wary of pushing the wrong buttons.

Candice peeked into her cauldron, not surprised to see that it was still sitting there, quite stagnant, not simmering. She had been told that a watched pot never boils, and she knew that it was the same for cauldrons. "I always hate waiting on things to boil. It seems like it always takes so long. Why is it, that since we have magic, we can't just flick our wands and make it happen? I know it works that way. Why does it affect the brewing process so much? It would be much more efficient if it was more instantaneous." She crossed her arms, looking very much like a little girl who was pouting.

He tried not to grimace when she called him ‘Professor Ward.’  The whole idea of him teaching was laughable…at least where children were concerned.  The first time one interrupted him, or spoke to him with that attitude children could have, or, worse yet, cried, he would certainly be questioning his will to live.  Adults were difficult enough to deal with.

There had been a few times his sister had teased him in a similar fashion.  She had been convinced that perhaps he should have considered teaching, much to his horror.  Tutoring her in potions had been one thing, dealing day in and day out with large groups of hormonal teenagers was something else entirely.  The whole meeting with Analiza had brought him too close for his own comfort.  Still, his response, while said in his usually dry tone was laced with just enough sarcasm that he hoped she would pick up on the fact that he wasn’t being completely serious.

“Yes, my vast patience and humor is quite a hit with the young ones,” he said.

He turned and grabbed a cookie from the basket, staying far enough away from the potions so as not to risk affecting his ingredients.  Her curiosity about his potion earned the slightly upward turn of his lips in appreciation.  It wasn’t exactly a smile, and probably looked more like the usual smirk that graced his features.  Not many people would attempt conversation with him, and it seems she had discovered the one topic that never seemed to fail to earn a real answer from the usually short department head.

“The potion I’m basing it on is used in the medical community to heal burn wounds,” he told her.  “As I said, usually the bark is used…Well, the sap more specifically.  It should help speed up the healing process and be a stronger defense against infections.  It’s virtually the same potion, just tweaked a bit to make it more effective.”

He bit into his cookie as she started to talk about not being able to have a brew boil instantly.  An eyebrow rose, as he looked her standing there pouting.  He was fairly certain that she wouldn’t appreciate him pointing out the fact that she looked rather like a child at that moment frowning at her professor.

“Since brewing is a lesson in patience,” he told her.  “Enjoy the process, Stevenson.  Don’t be in such a rush to reach the final destination.”