The Royal Academy of Magical Baking

Bolstered by her fellow Whizzes, Lyra brought the 'baking music' issue up in their very first class on Monday morning after break, with all three professors present. She simply told them about her songs and requested permission to use them in class over the coming term.

Professor Honeycomb, as predicted, took no convincing. Before Lyra had even finished her explanation, the Flavor headmistress's gray curls were bobbing up and down as she nodded in fervent agreement.

"I still have dreams about that first cake you made for your final entrance exam," Professor Honeycomb sighed. "Anything that can help you create something like that is fine by me."

Professor Genoise was open to the idea, though he did request a demonstration before giving his final answer. Thankfully, the Whizzes had predicted this too, so Lyra had come prepared.

At a wink and a nod from Boysen, she produced one of the many frosted sugar cookies they had all made together in Whisk the night before.

"This is just plain white frosting, as you can see." She held the cookie up in front of the professors. "Now let's make it green."

In honor of Ginger, she thought.

Lyra took a deep breath and sang Master Brulée's Coloring Charm for 'Green.'

This was a tune she had worked on extensively with her family over the break. In fact, the coloring charms as a whole were her brother Canto's favorite of all Lyra's baking songs.

"It's not just the colors," he had told her at dinner on the last day of her vacation. "I can tell you were thinking about people. Each song really is a distinct personality. I want to spend time with your friends. They literally SOUND incredible."

Smiling at the memory, Lyra completed the tune's final run, which included a surprise key change at the end for extra Crumble-flair. Then she handed the newly colorful cookie to Professor Genoise for inspection.

He stared at the vivid green frosting in open-mouthed wonder. It took him a few seconds to remember he was holding his monocle, and a full minute of peering at the cookie through the monocle to gather his thoughts.

Finally, he raised his eyes to Lyra.

"And… you wrote songs for all the coloring charms?" he asked.

She nodded cheerfully. "All the primary ones. I made a start on some of the more complicated shades over break. The pink and red varieties are done, and I'm making headway in the blue-green family. Orange is next."

Professor Genoise nodded weakly. He handed the cookie back to Lyra with a care that bordered on reverence.

"Consider me both impressed and intrigued, Aspiring Baker Treble. I look forward to witnessing the impact of your… explorations in the term ahead."

Lyra gave him a bow of thanks. Then, with another deep breath, she turned to Professor Puff.

The Texture headmistress was already gazing at Lyra, her gray eyes kind but inscrutable.

"I have been impressed with your growth in my class this year, Aspiring Baker Treble," the professor said quietly. "But I do confess I noticed something… missing, in the second term. Your exam cake, as we have already discussed at length, left much to be desired. Am I to understand that it was your effort to omit music from your baking that led to this deficiency?"

"I think so, Professor," Lyra replied.

Professor Puff held her gaze another few moments, then gave the tiniest perceptible nod.

"Very well. I permit you to employ any songs you have written for Texture spells in my classroom —"

"Hurrah!" Boysen called.

Professor Puff held up a hand, then continued, "On a trial basis only. This is quite a leap for the academy, rather like the inclusion of a new spell in our curriculum. I deem it unwise to proceed further without proper testing. I believe my colleagues would agree?"

The Flavor and Presentation professors nodded meekly.

"Apologies, Praline." Professor Honeycomb looked rather sheepish. "I got a little carried away."

"As did I," Professor Genoise said gravely. Then he clapped both his colleagues on the shoulder. "But that is why there are three of us! Constant balance, and all that. Even when two of us lose our way in a recipe, we have a third to bring us back in line."

Lyra looked from him, to Professor Honeycomb, to Professor Puff. "So… is that a no? Or a yes?"

"A yes for now," Professor Puff assured her. "We all need the chance to observe this new technique in action, and chart its effects for analysis." She raised her eyebrows at the other two professors. "Shall we say three weeks?"

"Just right," Professor Genoise agreed.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Professor Honeycomb beamed. "Perfect. Really gives time for the Flavors to simmer!"

Professor Puff bowed to them, then turned back to Lyra.

"We are entering into a three-week trial period, Aspiring Baker Treble, starting now. At the end of those three weeks, we will evaluate our results and issue a final decision. You may sing the spells in any of our classes over the next three weeks, so long as it does not become a distraction or hindrance to the other students."

"No worries there!" Boysen called out cheerfully. "The songs are a help to all of us."

Professor Puff silenced him with a look before turning back to Lyra. "Understood, Aspiring Baker Treble?"

That same chorus of delight that had started at the Berry household was rising in Lyra's mind again. She tried to keep the melody from spilling over into her voice, but it still sounded a bit like singing as she said, "Absolutely, Professor. And thank you."

The song just kept rising. It carried Lyra back to her seat, enhanced by an encouraging smile from Caramelle. It sustained her through the rest of that morning 'tribunal', then through to the first full class of third term: Flavor.

Professor Honeycomb was so excited, she couldn't keep still. She bounced lightly on her toes as she addressed the class.

"I was already looking forward to this term. Not only will we deepen our knowledge of existing spells, but we have some significant new magic to acquaint ourselves with. And now, with Treble's music to look forward to…"

She clapped her hands, her blue eyes sparkling with undiluted joy. "Oh, it's going to be a wonderful term!"

Lyra just smiled quietly. The chorus of delight had faded into the background, but it was still there, ready to serve as 'baking magic music' inspiration at the first available opportunity.

"Wonderful, and just plain full," Professor Honeycomb went on. "There's not a moment to lose. Today — the next few weeks, rather — we are focusing on one particular spell. The oldest spell in the Flavor discipline, and quite possibly in all of baking. Anyone know which spell that is, or care to guess?"

Caramelle and Boysen answered at the same time. "The Sweet and Savory Spell."

"Correct!" Professor Honeycomb clapped again. "What can you tell me about this historic piece of magic?"

Caramelle opened her mouth, then caught Boysen's eye and closed it.

"Go on, Meringue," he said amiably. "You'll say it better."

Caramelle gave him a grateful smile. Drawing herself up to her full Meringue posture, she folded her hands primly in her lap and spoke as if reading from a textbook.

"The Sweet and Savory Spell is supremely foundational to baking, particularly in the discipline of Flavor. It is foundational not only in terms of subject matter, but in age. This spell is so old that we do not know who created it. That is why it is not labeled with its inventor's name, as is the practice for all other baking charms. It is known only as 'The Sweet and Savory Spell.'"

"Sweet and Savory?" Lyra repeated. "I thought that was just a phrase you use in the baking world. Like my family says 'sharps and flats.'"

Professor Honeycomb chuckled. "That's how popular this spell is. Not only can no one remember who invented it, but it's also passed into our vernacular as an idiom in its own right. Do go on, Aspiring Baker Meringue. What does this spell do?"

"There are two primary use categories," Caramelle said. "When the spell was first created, we believe it was used quite directly, to make something more sweet or more savory. Bakers had no other way to deepen Flavors. The Sweet and Savory Spell paved the way for Madame Hazelnut's work."

"Exactly!" Professor Honeycomb smiled broadly at Caramelle. "Madame Hazelnut was the first to differentiate amongst all the various Flavors. Before her time, bakers focused only on 'sweet versus savory.' You're on a roll, Meringue. Care to tell us about the other use case?"

Caramelle looked happier than Lyra had ever seen her in Flavor class. Thinking back to the events of the night before, Lyra felt her own heart glowing.

Professor Honeycomb may not know it, she thought, watching Caramelle bask in the glow of the Flavor master's approval, but Caramelle needs this. It's just the pinch of confidence that will help her get back on track for this term.

"Certainly, Professor," Caramelle was saying. "Once Madame Hazelnut's Deepening Spell came along, bakers didn't have to depend on the 'Sweet and Savory' spell to impact Flavors so directly. That was when the second use case began to take over. Bakers began implementing the spell as a balancing agent: to bring out a hint of sweetness in savory dishes, or to add savory complexity to meals that would otherwise be too sweet."

"My mom uses it in bolognese sauce," Boysen offered. "She says it counteracts the tomato's acidity without having to add sugar."

Professor Honeycomb nodded. "Yes, that is an excellent use of the spell. All tomato-based dishes, actually, can benefit. Thank you, Aspiring Baker Meringue!"

The professor led the class in a round of applause for Caramelle. Then her gaze swept over the first-years, suddenly shrewd. "Now, I imagine some of you are wondering why I waited until the end of the year to teach such a foundational spell. Yes?"

Lyra didn't have to glance at Caramelle to know the auburn-haired girl was nodding discreetly.

"Some may call it a matter of preference," the professor said. "But every Flavor master I've spoken to agrees with me. The Sweet and Savory Spell is the most difficult in the Flavor catalogue."

"Really?" Mac was so taken aback, he forgot his usual conscientious habit of raising his hand. "More difficult than The Soufflé Sisters?"

"Much." Professor Honeycomb turned to Boysen. "What did your parents tell you about this spell, Aspiring Baker Berry?"

Boysen grinned. "They agree with you. It's such an old spell, that it's… rough. More dependent on the baker's will and concentration. Very easy to mess up."

"Indeed." Returning to her work-station, Professor Honeycomb pulled a bowl of dough from the fridge and set it on the counter. "This spell does not distinguish amongst the varying levels of Flavor. That is up to the baker. Our magical baking ancestors must have had highly developed instincts. Most Flavor experts find it necessary to train their own instincts first, before applying them to this spell. This has been the guiding principle of our curriculum over the past two terms."

The professor waved her hand, and a piece of chalk rose into the air behind her. As she spoke, it moved rapidly across the chalkboard, writing the topics of conversation in her cheerful, flowing script.

"First term, we cover Flavor Identification Training. You learn to recognize each Flavor on its own, without depending on any magical assistance. Second term, we move on to Madame Hazelnut's Deepening Spell. This trains you to amplify all the various Flavors, and hones your instincts to work with them magically. As you can all attest, each Flavor responds to magic a little differently."

All four first-years nodded ruefully.

"And now, with that solid foundation of instinct and deepening magic to sustain us, we can venture into this storied spell: Sweet and Savory."

The chalk wrote both these words on the chalkboard, underlining each with a flourishing twirl.

"Gather round, Aspiring Bakers." Professor Honeycomb beckoned to them, and they rose from their seats, moving towards the front of the room. "Let us travel together into the past, and see what this particular piece of magic means for our future."