To Lyra's unending astonishment, every new week of third term was better than the one before.

She had spent so much of the first two terms trying not to think too far ahead. Either she wouldn't make it through to third term, which would be sad, or she would make it, which would be incredibly stressful. To be so close to second year, knowing all along that she might still be cut… Lyra had been sure that third term, IF she made it that far, would be a nightmarish slog of nerves.

She had been wrong.

She kept waiting for the nerves to kick in. It was usually the first thought that greeted her upon waking each day: Maybe today's the day. Something will go wrong, and I'll fall down the anxiety-well, and I'll just keep falling for the rest of term. But each night, she was humming peacefully as she went to bed in Zester, and she always fell asleep with a smile on her face.

It was hard to tell which was the biggest contributing factor to her ongoing peace of mind. Like all the notes in a song, or all the Flavors in a cake, the different areas in Lyra's life were operating together in wondrous harmony.

The singing issue, of course, had been a source of immediate relief. But the chorus of delight that had sprung up in Lyra hadn't faded after the initial shine of newness wore off. Instead, it had continued rising throughout the term, adding new notes each week.

Baking with music was extraordinary.

Every class contained some form of joy. Singing the old spells injected fresh life into them, easing the tedium of repetition. Learning new spells wasn't nearly as scary as it had been. Even through the long weeks of practicing Madame Dacquoise's higher-level work in Texture, Lyra was not overcome. She just focused on how she would set each tricky charm or complicated chant to music.

It wasn't like singing the spells automatically made her the best at everything. Even with the musical element, she couldn't touch Boysen in Flavor. Mac had quietly pulled ahead of everyone in Presentation some time during second term, and he was still getting better every day. And Caramelle… no amount of melodic assistance would ever bring Lyra anywhere near that level of Texture expertise.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that music helped Lyra rediscover why she had started baking in the first place. She could finally enjoy baking again, which in turn produced food that other people enjoyed eating.

Lyra was not the only one experiencing this rejuvenation. She began bringing her guitar to every Whisk Whiz Review, and all the first-years found some benefit in her approach.

They abided by Professor Puff's condition. All four were careful to keep their own musical practice from distracting the others in class. But it soon became customary to pass by any first-year classroom and hear at least one student softly singing through their work.

Boysen swore by the efficacy of Lyra's Presentation songs, especially the coloring charms. Mac was so grateful for his growth in Texture thanks to 'Madame Brioche's Proofing Chant' song that he insisted on baking Lyra a different kind of cupcake every weekend, all exquisitely decorated.

As for Caramelle, she couldn't stop gushing about Lyra's Flavor music.

"I never thought I'd get the hang of that Soufflé Sisters Cooperation Chant," she told Lyra as they walked to Professor Honeycomb's class one day. "But the melody you wrote is so catchy. It reminds me of my favorite dance, from when I took dancing lessons… so I just imagine myself dancing, and then the Flavors are dancing, and then they're dancing together!"

Caramelle was another of the ingredients contributing to Lyra's enjoyment of third term. Lyra didn't realize how heavily her concern for the Texturist had been weighing on her during second term, or how much she had missed 'The Caramelle Experience.'

Not that it was the same as first term. The two girls weren't roommates, though Lyra reserved the right to move back into Pestle if Caramelle skipped any meals or showed signs of sleeplessness. Caramelle herself was making a conscious effort to temper the zeal that had nearly driven her over the edge.

It just felt so surprisingly right to have Caramelle back in their lives. Lyra enjoyed her company at the first-year table in the dining hall, especially now that Ginger wasn't there to help balance out the Boysen-and-Mac duo. Caramelle's diligence and determination were as inspiring to be around as ever. Her presence in the Whisk Whiz Review was invaluable, particularly when it came to Texture homework.

Even Ginger had to admit it was a positive change.

"The Meringue's not too bad," she confessed quietly to Lyra in Zester after one Friday's Whisk Whiz Recreation. "As long as she's not being too 'Meringue-y.'"

There were some difficult days, of course. Caramelle had a lifetime of perfectionist habits and family pressure to work through. The other Whisk Whizzes learned to watch for the telltale signs of what Lyra named 'The Meringue Malady.' If Caramelle made a few too many snappish comments, or if the air around her began vibrating at a particular frequency, her first-year colleagues would step in.

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Boysen and Lyra usually let Mac handle these episodes. Caramelle never forgot Mac's help in that crucial moment when 'The Meringue' had almost taken over, quite literally. She was often more likely to listen to a warning from him than from anyone else.

Macaron, meanwhile, proved as adept in the subject of 'Caramelle' as he was in Presentation counter-spells. Whether through a lavish new treat for the next Whisk Whiz Review or the latest tale about Fortescue the Foppish Fox, he could almost always make her smile.

As if music and Caramelle weren't enough to give Lyra a superior third term experience, there was also the lack of certain persons in her weekly routine.

The third-year students did not assist in the first-year classes during third term. They were all immersed in their final thesis projects and thereby absent from most of their 'apprentice' duties. Other than occasional glimpses in the dining hall or when they made their dorm rounds in the evening, Lyra could count on one hand the number of times she saw Razz, Hyacinth, or Cardamom.

Which was just fine by Lyra. More than fine. She missed Razz and Hyacinth, but she knew she'd be seeing them at the Berry household over break. As for the other… third term was full of far too many pleasant Flavors to miss that particular spice.

In fact, Lyra smiled every time she entered the Presentation classroom these days. It really was lovely to have an entire term of memories in that room untainted by the intoxicating scent of cinnamon and honey.

Last, but certainly not least, third term also contained the 'kitchen-friends' ingredient.

Lyra gave Chef Flax and Bumble (and Sprinkle, of course) their long-promised concert on the very first Sunday night of third term. It was hard to tell who was more delighted: the head chef, singing along in his booming tenor; the flying squirrels, dancing and occasionally joining in with their piping baritone and powerful alto voices; or Lyra herself. They all enjoyed the experience so much, she couldn't believe she had delayed two whole terms.

Chef Flax was particularly impressed by her baking music. He insisted on pulling out ingredients so he could see the song-magic in action. Her melody for Madame Hazelnut's Deepening Spell, in particular, left Bumble speechless with joy.

"You're going to have to write that one down for me," Chef Flax chuckled. "I'll start making notes myself, so I can try to implement a song or two in my own work each week. I think you might be onto something here."

The next Sunday night, she brought the other Whisk Whizzes along. Chef Flax and the squirrels were thrilled to host. They insisted on whipping up four extra batches of brownies, flavoring each for a different first-year: almond for Mac, raspberry for Boysen (he thanked them for not using his actual namesake, which didn't always play nicely with chocolate), and salted caramel for Caramelle.

Lyra received a mysterious 'dark chocolate madness' batch of Bumble's own invention.

"The secret is a hint of chili powder and cayenne," Chef Flax whispered to her. "Not overpowering. Just a nice surprise that brings out even more of the chocolate Flavor. He's terribly proud of it."

After one bite, Lyra agreed that the 'sous chef inventor' absolutely should be.

Brownies in hand, they enjoyed a singalong of baking tunes mixed in with some old Any Weather Bards favorites. The evening culminated in a visit to Queen Penelope, who finished their many uneaten brownies with gusto and clucked appreciatively at their choral performance of the 'Sweet' spell song. When everyone said good night, it was only with the promise that this event would be a weekly tradition all through third term.

This proved incredibly motivating for the first-years. They all were careful to complete their weekend homework by dinnertime on Sunday, so they could spend the evening in the kitchens. Caramelle exclaimed more than once how well these nights of music and rest prepared her for the week ahead.

They all needed such preparation. The third term workload was one ingredient which fully lived up to Lyra's apprehensions. The Monday morning exams continued, with every professor assigning multiple projects every weekend. But 'teams' were a thing of the past. If second term had been about collaboration, third term was focused entirely on solo execution. Each student was expected to complete the assignments alone.

Saturdays became the longest day of the week. Boysen left the Whisk kitchen to Mac and practically moved into Spatula, the neighboring room, on the weekends. Lyra needed all of Caramelle's organizational tips to keep the long lists of spells and recipes straight in her head, and to devise a realistic schedule for getting everything done in time.

But still, no one fell down the anxiety-well. No matter how intense the workload, every Friday night's 'Whisk Whiz Recreation' included at least one element of celebratory fun. The first-years always shared at least one meal together on Saturdays, to make sure everyone got some nourishment. And no matter how daunting the week ahead, every Sunday night saw Lyra heading towards the kitchen with her guitar and friends in tow.

It was during one of these Sunday night concerts towards the end of term that Chef Flax summed up Lyra's feelings perfectly.

"I've seen you bake, Lyra," he said, after she led them all in a rousing rendition of 'Master Glaze's Shine Spell.' "I said from the start you belong here. And now I've seen you sing. You seem like you belong in that world, too. But never, in all the time I've known you, have you looked so 'at home' as you do now: combining the two. When you turn baking into music, you seem so…"

"Joyful?" Boysen suggested.

Chef Flax's red face creased in a wide grin. "Yes. That's it. Joyful."

His words were still singing in Lyra's ears as she fell into bed that night, fusing effortlessly with the chorus of delight that had been playing in the background of her thoughts all term.

'You belong here.'

Lyra believed him. What's more, for the first time, she knew everyone around her believed it, too.

She, Lyra Treble, belonged at the Royal Academy of Magical Baking.

But so does Caramelle, she thought, giving brief attention to the one sour note always hovering beneath the term's bright melody. And Boysen. And Mac. All four of us belong. But only three of us can stay.

Lyra sighed and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow. There was no point in worrying about it now. As her mother often said, all she could do was sing each note in order, measure by measure.

Or, as Professor Honeycomb would say: "Add each ingredient in its own time, Flavor by Flavor."

Until they're all dancing together…

Smiling, Lyra drifted off to sleep, 'Master Glaze's Shine Spell' mixing inextricably with 'The Joy Song' in her head.

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