The Royal Academy of Magical Baking

The news that Boysen would be so far away all through break hit Lyra with surprising force. She hadn't realized how much she had been counting on his presence, both for board meeting support and for the eventual 'Berry melody' conversation. The rest of that night's exam prep was a blur of amateur baking mistakes and jangled inner melodies.

Thankfully, her bubble of Enjoyment mirth proved itself far too resilient to be burst by a single 'bad news' pin, however sharp. The thread of happy music that had been playing nonstop in Lyra's brain since the first appearance of yellow light soon recovered, bringing all her other internal tunes back into balance with it. By the time the second-years gathered in the exam hall the next afternoon, Lyra was feeling bright and calm enough to greet the prospect of puff pastry with peace.

And eagerness, she realized, her heart giving a sudden wriggle at the sight of the envelope containing her exam assignment. I'm actually looking forward to this.

Everyone seemed a bit more relaxed this term. The Apprentice Bakers were already present, pens poised over their notebooks. Lyra even thought the air around Eclair and Florentine was vibrating at a slightly less hostile speed than usual, though she suspected they might just be tired. Third year at the Royal Academy of Magical Baking was notoriously brutal.

But neither Florentine's halfhearted glare nor Eclair's massive yawn could dim the mood of the second-years and the professors, still riding the Enjoyment high of the previous two weeks. Professor Honeycomb bounced so hard throughout the instructions speech that her formal green chef's hat fell off twice. Professor Genoise was on a particularly alliterative kick, producing phrases like 'Never naysay the noble knack for noteworthiness' and 'Resolve repeatedly for radical renown.' Even Professor Puff's serene manner cracked slightly through a few unexpected smiles and stray giggles.

As for the second-years, Lyra knew from their recent conversation around the lunch table that they were tired but ready.

"At least we only have one type of pastry to think about this time," Mac had sighed over his bacon sandwich. "And puff's not nearly as annoying as choux."

"You just can't wait to get out all that famous Fondant rage on some poor innocent butter blocks," Boysen had said with a grin.

The second-years had laughed, but Lyra knew Mac wasn't the only one excited about that stage of the puff pastry process. Between anxiety about Enjoyment, the discouragement of all those fruitless Mondays and Fridays, and the recent euphoria of the yellow light, second term had been full of some rather big feelings. They could all use a chance to pound out those emotions with a rolling pin.

"...and we trust you will be both challenged and delighted by the recipes we have assigned each of you," Professor Puff continued, drawing the exam instructions to a close. "In fact, we believe you will find this exam to be most enjoyable."

The Texture headmistress winked at them as Professor Honeycomb's hat fell off for the second time.

"Aspiring Bakers!" Holding up both hands, Professor Genoise paused dramatically. "You may begin!"

Lyra glanced at Boysen just in time to catch his special pre-exam grin. A tiny part of her whispered that it seemed a bit more strained than she remembered, but she drowned those whispers in a focused wave of anticipation as she opened her envelope.

A bit of sweet, a bit of savory… The smile already on Lyra's face widened, glee spiking through her internal chorus. Professor Honeycomb was right: challenged AND delighted.

As with shortcrust and choux, the three disciplines' puff pastry spells varied slightly with each recipe. Pesto puffs were definitely among Lyra's top five favorite spell variations for Flavor and Presentation. Texture could be a bit tedious, but the delicious whimsy of the final product made any effort well worthwhile.

Keeping her mind's eye on that tasty prize, Lyra sang the Texture charm with gusto as she mixed butter and flour together. The charm helpfully ended when she had added just the right amount of water to form a soft yet robust pastry dough. Holding the smooth lump of dough in her hands, she could actually feel the molecules settling together in pleasant harmony. The tingle of blue sparkles swirling from her fingertips was merely icing on the cake.

Then, at last, it was time for the rolling pin.

It took constant vigilance for Lyra to keep her voice at a respectfully quiet volume. The Presentation spell for puff pastry was as contagiously bombastic as Professor Genoise at his most unguarded moments. It was a tune meant to be belted at the top of one's lungs, especially the 'pesto puff' version, with all the dynamism of basil and garlic driving the melody forward.

Lyra tried to funnel the song's audacious energy into her physical movements. She pounded the butter heartily, rolled out the dough vigorously, and performed the first and second turns with extra zest, singing barely above a whisper all the while. When purple light erupted over the dough, however, she couldn't hold back any longer.

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Her shout of laughter startled a passing Eclair so thoroughly that the pale third-year jumped several inches off the ground and dropped everything in her hands.

"Sorry," Lyra giggled, trying to help the Apprentice Baker gather her pen and notebook. Eclair shrugged off her assistance and darted to the other side of the room, where she stayed for the remainder of the exam.

Fine by me, Lyra sang internally. She almost thought she should apologize to her friends on that side of the hall for saddling them with Eclair's focused observation, but one glance told her that this was unnecessary. Both Mac and Caramelle were far too engrossed in their puff pastry projects to notice a haughtily scribbling third-year.

Mac, in particular, looked more like a 'Puff (Pastry) Paragon' than ever. The rhythmic thwack of his rolling pin served as an ideal percussion track for his quietly enthusiastic rendition of the puff pastry Presentation spell, 'Napoleon cake' version.

Allowing herself another few seconds of giggling, Lyra set the laminating dough to chill and turned to the Flavor portion of the recipe. She mentally thanked whoever had invented these spells for arranging each discipline's part so perfectly. The puff pastry spell for Flavor, meant to be performed over the dough while chilling and baking, fit perfectly with the charm Professor Honeycomb had taught them for pesto.

The pesto song was one of Lyra's most 'fun' tunes. She had based it on the melody for Master Brulée's 'green' coloring charm, so singing it always made her think of Ginger. It was light, and daring, and herbal, and somehow green. Just as green, Lyra thought, as the Flavor magic that erupted from both chilling dough and bowl of pesto when she brought both songs to their dovetailed close.

Another two turns of the pesto puff pastry dough, and then it was time to begin the galette de rois. The puff pastry process took too long for the second-years to complete one recipe fully before moving on to the next. Lyra didn't have to look around to know that her three classmates were also already working with their second round of flour and butter.

Galette de rois: 'king cake.' Unlike pesto puffs, this recipe wasn't usually at the top of Lyra's mind when she thought of her favorite uses for puff pastry. Yet it was one she had been glad to encounter in class a few weeks before and definitely a dish she looked forward to making often in future years.

The name alone was worth its weight in excitement-gold. Who couldn't thrill to the idea of making a cake for a king? Even the mundane task of mixing butter and flour together seemed more elegant when 'royal pastry' would be the ultimate result.

And the spell variations were worthy of such a dignified dessert. Lyra reveled in the regal gravity of the melody she'd composed for the Texture chant, feeling more like a princess with every spark of blue magic that burst around the dough. She couldn't wait for the noble steadfastness of the Presentation charm, nor the surprising mirth of the Flavor spell.

It's the closest I'll come to feeling like Flavor royalty, she thought happily as she set the galette de rois dough to chill. Since my instincts will never be as good as Boysen's…

She paused just a moment to check on the Flavor King. He was slightly ahead of her, already putting his first assignment into the oven while his rolling pin lay waiting beside his second butter block. Breathing in, she caught the unmistakable aroma of apples and caramel.

Tarte tatin…

Her eyes widened. Apparently, Professor Honeycomb had entrusted 'Aspiring Baker Berry' to show 'Apprentice Baker Tatin' what real Flavor expertise looked like.

Oh, Eclair is going to be BOILING…

Lyra giggled so loudly that Boysen turned, just long enough to share a nod and a wink. Then they both returned to their rigorous exam assignments, though the Berry melody wouldn't let Lyra's thoughts leave the Flavor King entirely.

In fact, as she rolled out her pesto puff dough for cutting, a tiny part of her mind began forming a 'galette de rois' plan.

I should make this cake for him. A king cake for the Flavor King. But not just the normal frangipane… I could add some of his favorite Flavors. Chocolate, maybe… with sea salt, and a hint of cayenne pepper…

Letting that happy musing-melody continue in the background, Lyra directed her primary focus to the pesto puff Presentation spell. It was refreshing to return to the energetic tune that had carried her so cheerfully through the butter block pounding. Now, it transformed the otherwise tedious process of 'final puff prep' into a lark.

She didn't mind cutting out a dozen precise squares of puff pastry dough, nor pressing each one carefully into a muffin tin. She had no trouble whipping her pesto into a bowl of cream cheese, transitioning the Presentation song briefly into Madame Hazelnut's Deepening Spell as she added salt and pepper and just a touch of lemon zest. She positively delighted in placing a spoonful of that cream cheese-pesto mixture into the center of each 'puff,' then folding the edges of the pastry squares over with merry precision.

And when the Presentation spell song ended, she just kept singing. She didn't remember a conscious decision to begin "The Joy Song." It flowed as seamlessly from the Presentation puff pastry tune as it had from "Stairways" during that first medley, pouring from her lips with gentle inevitability.

She forgot she was taking a final exam. She forgot about all the pressures of being a student at the Royal Academy of Magical Baking. She forgot she would be standing in this exact room in a week, singing this exact song at a board meeting that could determine the future of Enjoyment.

For one blissful moment, she was just a bard in a kitchen, baking a truly incredible batch of pesto puffs.

"The Joy Song" dissolved into giddy laughter as yellow light erupted out of Lyra's chest, brighter and warmer and more forceful than ever before. The dome was so large that it briefly encompassed Boysen's workstation in the row in front of her. The Flavor King whirled around, rolling pin in hand, covered in flour, and caught up in the spreading tide of laughter.

The dome was so large, in fact, that Apprentice Baker Florentine Clafoutis walked straight into it while making one of her frequent ominous scribbling rounds past Lyra's counter. The third-year froze like a piece of fruit suspended in gelatin. She glared at Lyra for a startled moment before doubling over, lips clamped tightly shut as she pressed her notebook into her stomach. Lyra wondered if she was going to be sick.

Then, slowly, the Apprentice Baker laughed.

It started as a few chuckles forcefully escaping through her closed lips, progressing quickly to a full-on tidal wave of hearty guffaws. Lyra had never heard joy expressed quite so loudly. She thought Florentine's merriment might actually beat Chef Flax's in volume.

Even after the yellow dome receded into the tin of pesto puffs, the third-year kept laughing. Tears streamed down her face as she dropped her notebook and clutched her stomach, helpless with contagious mirth.

The contagion spread rapidly around the room. Soon Mac was laughing, and Caramelle, and all three professors. Rye collapsed over Caramelle's work-station as laughter brought on a coughing fit. Eclair retreated into a corner and covered her face with her notebook, but Lyra could have sworn she saw the Flavor Apprentice Baker shaking with repressed glee.

Lyra gazed around the exam hall, still laughing, trying to contain herself enough to transfer the tin of pesto puffs into the oven.

Now THIS… THIS is Enjoyment.