The holiday party at the Treble household confirmed one thing: the other second-years were just as eager to dive into the second term as Lyra was, particularly when it came to Enjoyment. And the secret meeting the professors had called seemed the best place to start.

Accordingly, after their first full day of class came to a close, the four Aspiring Bakers ate a very rushed dinner and set off briskly towards the professorial residences.

"I've never been inside one of the professors' cottages," Caramelle breathed as they hurried along the stone walkway. "Have any of you?"

Boysen was in the lead, though making an obvious effort to moderate his long stride to his friends' slower pace. "Not me. Razz has, though. And Cran, and Straw. It's mostly a third-year thing, I think."

Mac shivered in the cold winter wind, digging his hands deeper into his apron pockets. "Salts, do you think the third-years will be there? I'm not up for Florentine tonight."

"I d-don't think so," Lyra gasped through chattering teeth. "R-remember this morning? Professor P-Puff was t-talking to Rye about a special evening project. Just for Apprentice Bakers. She k-kept reminding him how l-long it would take and how thorough they all needed to be."

"Sounds like a distraction." Boysen turned just long enough to wink at Lyra, which sent a cascade of new-song arpeggios jittering through her gut. "Maybe, once we get Enjoyment on the books, they could start teaching classes in 'subterfuge.'"

Boysen was proved right once again. Professor Genoise met them at the door in a decidedly clandestine manner, silencing their chatter with a look and ushering them inside swiftly. As soon as they had all crossed the threshold, he closed the door and leaned against it, spreading his arms wide.

"No snoops that I could see, Praline. Your scheme appears to have succeeded," Professor Genoise said.

Professor Puff smiled demurely from her armchair by the fire. "It is not purely a scheme. The Apprentice Bakers do need to meet with Chef Flax about ingredient lists for their thesis recipes. They should be in the kitchens for quite a while."

"My only fear is the first-years," Professor Genoise said darkly. "I would not put it past Apprentice Baker Clafoutis to persuade some young innocent into spying on her behalf."

"Not to worry!" Professor Honeycomb chirped, bouncing over to greet the second-years. "I gave them all an extra homework assignment, in preparation for lab day tomorrow. They'll be prepping dough for hours!"

Lyra was only half-listening. She gazed around the small living room, taking in the surprising warmth of Professor Puff's home.

A cheery fire blazed on the stone hearth. Three armchairs were arranged cozily in front of it, as though the other two professors were frequent guests. A rocking chair sat in the corner between a window and a large bookshelf, with a table and lamp nearby to make a perfect reading nook. Two double doors on the far wall stood open, revealing a large kitchen which appeared to take up the entire back half of the cottage. Lyra guessed the closed door in the wall to her right must lead to Professor Puff's bedroom.

What arrested Lyra's attention, though, was all the lace.

It was draped over every available surface. Chairs, tables, bookshelf… even the fireplace mantle was festooned with pristine white material, delicately and exquisitely embroidered.

Caramelle had also noticed. "Is this… did you make these, Professor?" she asked, her fingers hovering over a doily spread over the back of a chair.

"I did." Professor Puff indicated a half-finished handkerchief and two knitting needles on the low table in front of the fire. "One must have a hobby, you know. Knitting is so… precise. I find it incredibly soothing."

Boysen caught Lyra's eye and raised a single eyebrow. She looked away before he could make her laugh.

"A bit tedious for me," Professor Genoise said sadly. "Though we all certainly need a bit of soothing. Especially these days."

"Don't be such a blueberry, Basil." Professor Honeycomb bustled around, spreading out the armchairs and throwing cushions on the floor. "Gather 'round the fire, dears. Praline, I believe you made some hot chocolate?"

Once everyone was settled on their chairs or cushions, steaming mugs in hand, Professor Puff began.

"As you know, the Apprentice Bakers are meeting with the academy board this Saturday. They will present their findings from the first term regarding the progress of Enjoyment." Professor Puff's gray eyes swept over the four second-years calmly. "I need not tell you that there is precious little progress to report."

Professor Genoise harrumphed. "Clafoutis is sure to serve up as unsavory a dish as possible."

"Same with Tatin." Professor Honeycomb wrinkled her nose. "It's such a shame. Her instincts are stunning when it comes to Flavor. I don't know how they can mislead her so gravely in other matters."

"But we really don't need to worry too much, right?" Boysen asked. "With Rye there, and over half the board on our side?"

Professor Puff took a sedate sip of hot chocolate. "We cannot afford to take this occasion lightly. Half the board is, indeed, inclined towards our cause, but that still leaves several important bakers adamantly against us. We have only one year to change their minds. Three terms, with one already done. If I were an objective observer, I would not be concerned by the results of this term, but neither would I be impressed."

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"In terms of Enjoyment," Professor Genoise added, beaming at Mac. "You should all be very proud of your pastry progress. Especially Fondant."

A murmur of subdued celebration ran around the room. Mac hid his smile with a long sip of hot chocolate, letting the steam fog up his glasses.

Professor Honeycomb settled back into her armchair. "And remember that we anticipated this, Praline. First term is so packed in the traditional curriculum. Second term, we have only one type of pastry to cover. That will open up time for more Enjoyment-specific exploration."

"I kept thinking I would have time," Lyra mumbled. "All through first term. But week after week went by, and…"

"And you were quite busy enough." Professor Honeycomb patted her on the shoulder. "Of course, my dear."

Caramelle sat up a little straighter on her cushion. "I must say, the board's demands seem a trifle unreasonable. How are we supposed to develop a whole new baking discipline in addition to the traditional curriculum?"

"Oh, no one expects us to produce a fully developed baking discipline by the end of the year," Professor Honeycomb assured her. "That would be unreasonable. What did we agree upon as our mantra this year, Basil?"

Professor Genoise sighed. "Change takes time."

"Exactly." Professor Honeycomb helped herself to more hot chocolate. "We simply have to demonstrate that Enjoyment is a viable discipline. If we have a few solid spells by the end of the year, with measurable results, that will be sufficient."

Lyra's heart sank. "Measurable results… do you mean light? The glow of magic?"

"Possibly," Professor Puff replied. "As I told you at the beginning of the first term, Enjoyment might manifest differently than the other baking principles."

"It just has to be a powerful manifestation," Professor Genoise said grimly. "Obvious enough that no one can deny it. Or, at least, three-quarters of the board."

"Three-quarters?" Mac echoed.

"That's the required majority for a major adjustment to the academy curriculum," Professor Honeycomb explained. "It was two-thirds for a while, but that opened the possibility for two disciplines to rule over the third. This way, at least a few representatives from all three disciplines have to agree before moving forward."

Boysen's cheerful face looked uncharacteristically careworn. "So… half the board is against us. We have to change the minds of at least half that group?"

"A few good spells will do it." Professor Honeycomb smiled brightly. "Only a fraction of those bakers are adamantly opposed to change. Most of the holdouts are merely… cautious."

Professor Puff nodded. "As I said, I am not overly concerned. I am merely reminding all of us that we must make the most of every opportunity we have with the board. Starting with Apprentice Baker Galette's report this weekend. That is why I called this meeting."

"And to make a plan." Professor Genoise set his empty mug down emphatically on a lace doily. "I confess I was a trifle naïve going into the first term. I expected spells to develop organically."

"What about your work with Ginger?" Lyra asked. "She wouldn't give me any details. Kept saying 'you can't roll out the pastry until you've built up enough layers.'"

Professor Puff nodded again. "Sound advice."

"That was the other disappointment," Professor Genoise said. "I thought the weekly experiments with Crumble would be enough. But her talent does not lie in developing new spells, alas. At least, not for this particular discipline. She is becoming quite adept at modifying spells that already exist. I must say, the effects are most striking."

"Not to mention delicious." Professor Honeycomb gazed dreamily into the fire. "That 'complementary custard' she's working on… delightful."

Boysen perked up. "Oh, she did tell us about that one! A custard that can adapt its own Flavor to best accompany whatever cake you serve it with? Amazing."

Professor Puff held up a hand. "Of course, we must make a plan," she said, calmly redirecting the conversation back to the original point. "First term was always going to be difficult. Now that shortcrust and choux are both behind us, and your pastry foundation is firmly in place, we can incorporate a bit more free time into your weekly workload. Focused free time."

"You mean…" Caramelle stared at Professor Puff, her mug of hot chocolate forgotten in her hand. "Actual time set aside to work on Enjoyment?"

"We were thinking Mondays and Fridays," Professor Honeycomb said cheerfully. "It's hard to get any real teaching done in those short classes, anyway."

Mac raised his hand. "What if we set up in one of the practice kitchens on those days? We could all work together, without having to move from classroom to classroom."

"Ingenious!" Professor Genoise grabbed Mac's still half-full mug and refilled it with a flourish. "We could each stop by during our normal class time with you on those days, to monitor and assist."

"This will make the lab days even more full," Professor Puff warned. "There might also be more homework involved. We cannot allow the traditional curriculum to suffer."

"We can handle it." Boysen looked around at his three classmates, his eyes lingering on Lyra. "Right? For Enjoyment?"

"Absolutely," Caramelle and Mac answered as one. Both then flushed and hid behind long gulps of hot chocolate.

Lyra couldn't speak. Her mind was too full of too many different types of melodies, and there was no telling which would come out if she opened her mouth. She simply nodded with a solemn smile.

"Excellent." Professor Puff set her own empty mug aside and sat forward. "With that plan in place, we can return our attention to Apprentice Baker Galette's upcoming report."

That mischievous smile Lyra had seen only a few times before reappeared on the professor's normally taciturn face.

"Let us see what extra… zest we can contrive for him."

—

Spirits were high when the second-years filed into the Texture classroom the next morning for lab day. As soon as they were all settled in their seats, Professor Puff turned to Rye.

"We have some ideas for your meeting with the board this weekend, Apprentice Baker Galette. In addition to your recorded observations, which will be invaluable in their own right, we think it wise to demonstrate some of the nascent Enjoyment spells."

To Lyra's surprise, Rye's face turned pale.

"Enjoyment spells?" he echoed. "I didn't think we had any of those yet."

"Nascent spells," Professor Puff repeated. "Still in development."

Caramelle smiled encouragingly at her cousin. "Just one spell, really. Chef Flax's song."

"It made a difference in the disaster cake at the welcome feast," Mac piped up.

"Indeed," Professor Puff affirmed. "Though magic may not manifest visibly yet, the difference is clear in the taste."

"Same with all Lyra's songs," Boysen said stoutly. "That's what started this whole thing last year anyway. They're not specific Enjoyment spells, but singing any baking spell helps the baker enjoy baking more."

"Which makes the finished product more enjoyable to eat," Lyra explained. "It would be worthwhile for the board to experience that."

Professor Puff produced a parchment from her apron pocket. "We have written out the words to Chef Flax's song, as well as a list of standard baking spells Lyra has set to music. Select one, and she can teach you the tune. We can all work with you this week to help you prepare both songs."

Rye gulped. "I… I don't think I can do that, Professor."

The Texture headmistress stared at him. "I believed you to be in support of this endeavor, Galette."

"I am!" he assured her. "I definitely believe in Enjoyment. It should be developed and taught and practiced. I just don't think I could ever do it."

"Whyever not?" Professor Puff demanded.

Rye suddenly deflated. He looked down at his crisp sky-blue apron, apparently unable to meet anyone's eyes.

"I… can't sing."

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