Lukić eyed the class suspiciously. She wasn't particularly suspicious of anything, mind you, it's just that over the years she found that the occasional glare directed towards students kept them in check.

Actually, there was one student she was suspicious of: Kagari. Kagari had that confident look on her again, and as any teacher in the school would attest, a confident Kagari spelled disaster.

Lukić quickly made a mental checklist of potential detentions: gathering ingredients in the Arcturus Forest. Cleaning all the cauldrons by hand. Sorting ingredients by color…no, by name…no, no, by weight! Yessss…

Still, Kagari was paired up with Cavendish today…perhaps things would go okay?

Probably.

"Class," she said, "it is time to start your project. You all have your partners, and I hope you all know what potion you plan on making today. Now, before we begin, let me go over the basic safety information once more—"

"Psst, Akko!" Amanda hissed from her table, where she had been paired up with Constanze. "You sure you're ready to do this?"

"Uwah, I hope so," Akko sighed, "Diana kept me up all night!"

In the corner of the classroom, Lotte stiffened.

"But all that studying will be worth it if I can mix a great potion!" Akko clenched her fists in determination. "I can do this! I will do this!"

"You'll do fine, Akko." Diana smiled. "I believe in you."

"Yeah," Amanda grinned, "believing heart and whatever other nonsense you always shout. Go get 'em!"

"—and while the damage to the castle's foundation was minimal and the smell eventually cleared out of the hallway, we do not want a repeat of last Tuesday, so remember to read the ingredient labels carefully!" Lukić gave a smirk that would make a Lovecraftian horror shiver. "Ready? Begin!"

Akko began. Normally, she would grab everything she needed at once and try to brew the coolest-looking, most complex potion there was.

But not this time.

"It seems to me," Diana said as she milled through some of the library books on the table in front of her, "that your problem is subtlety."

Akko looked up, a half-eaten tart hanging from her mouth.

"Hwhh?"

"You often go for spells that impress everyone at once," Diana explained, "ones with lots of movement, light, and color."

"Lmmk Shmmn Chmp—" Akko swallowed her tart. "Like Shiny Chariot!"

"Yes, precisely." Diana turned several pages at once. "But that's the problem."

"Huh?"

"You're trying to impress everyone at once. But for this assignment, you don't need to impress everyone, you just need to impress Lukić."

"Uh, yeah? That's why I need to brew the coolest pot—ACK!"

Akko rubbed the spot on her head where Diana's hand had connected.

"You don't need to brew the 'coolest' potion because that won't impress Lukić." Diana huffed. "You need to brew a potion well to impress Lukić."

"I…uh…huh?"

Diana sighed.

"Well, I had hoped you'd realize it yourself, but let me just explain it outright."

She thrust the book she had been thumbing under the other girl's nose.

"Akko, you will brew this potion tomorrow!"

Akko stared at the book the way a small child stares at socks on Christmas.

"Diana…" She bit her lip. "This potion is kinda…"

"I know it's not what you would call 'interesting' or 'powerful'," Diana said, "but being powerful isn't important. Lukić wants to see a good potion, not a powerful potion. Remember, the best potions aren't always the ones that explode the brightest or have the most ingredients, they're the ones that you put the most effort into."

Diana smiled.

"If you try your hardest, any potion you make—no matter what it does—will be great."

Akko glanced between the book and the girl several times, before nodding in determination.

'I can do this!' Akko thought as she mixed lavender in with the rose oil.

'I won't fail!' She thought as she added the cornstarch.

'I will brew a grea—wait, did I add six Mini-Dragon fangs or seven?'

She bit her lip. She should add one more just—

Akko took a deep breath. In. Out.

'Remember what Diana said,' she thought, 'don't panic, it's better to add less of an ingredient than more…or, was it the other way around?'

She sprinkled in the bat nails.

'Can't afford to get distracted…gotta focus on the—aw geez is Sucy brewing poison again? Lotte looks so uncomfortable…"

She stirred and stirred and stirred until the potion turned bright pink.

It was ready.

Lukić granted herself a small cackle.

"I do hope you've finished," she said, "because time's up! Let's see how well you actually did. Cavendish? Let's start with you."

Akko gulped, but Diana remained steady.

"Nóstos Álgos Philtre," Diana said as she held up a small blue vial, "allows the drinker to briefly relive happy memories."

"Quite the complex brew," Lukić grinned, "but the better question is, did you succeed?"

"I—I'll drink it!" Akko said.

"Akko…"

"I trust you, Diana!" Akko said as she snatched the vial out of the blonde's hands. "I will get that extra credit!"

She quickly tilted the bottle back and took a swig of the liquid. As she finished, she smacked her lips.

"Huh…actually kinda sweet, like—WOAH!" Akko went wide-eyed and stared at the ceiling.

Her brain tingled and her body went fuzzy. A heat rose in her chest and spread to the tips of her ears.

"Ahhhhh…" Akko cooed. "Iz…is…iz like I'm back in the hot spring I went to back home…so nice…"

Akko mumbled something that was either in Japanese, unintelligible, or both. Lukić raised an eyebrow.

"Impressive," she said, "and extra points to Cavendish for having your partner drink it. Though I doubt you needed it, hehehe…"

"Whuhuuu…" Akko blinked a few times before coming down. "Wait…huh?!"

She leaned in on the table into Lukić's face.

"Wait a minute!" She shouted. "I thought I got extra credit for drinking the potion, not Diana!"

"Well that would be a stupid way to give credit, wouldn't it?" Lukić cackled, unperturbed by Akko's outburst. "Brewing a potion you trust your partner to drink and survive is worthy of extra credit, not being stupid enough to drink whatever's in front of you."

"Bu-whu-ah…" Akko gaped.

She slumped over the table, drained.

"My plans…" She moaned. "…but it was foolproof…"

"No matter," Diana said as she uncorked Akko's creation, "let's continue."

"E-eh?!" Akko snapped upright. "Diana, wait! You don't have to—!"

"Nonsense," she said, "I believe in you, Akko. You're a great witch."

And with that, Diana tilted the mixture into her mouth, to the protests (both silent and vocal) of several classmates.

Nothing happened for a half-minute. A long, awkward thirty seconds of absolutely nothing happening. Exactly thirty seconds. Constanze timed it.

Then, Diana's hair began to shimmer and glean. Her highlights began to glow. And, like someone adjusting the hue slider in an image editor, her hair color changed from its typical blonde to a light shade of powder blue.

Diana fiddled with a few strands of her hair.

"It's a bit pale," she said, "you may have added too much cornstarch. But otherwise, a perfectly functioning hair color potion. Coma Capillus, just like we studied together."

Akko sat stunned, at an utter loss for words.

"Astute observation, Cavendish," Lukić said, "and extra credit to Kagari for her potion not killing you, I suppose."

"Diana…" Akko stared blankly at the girl.

"Like I said, Akko," Diana smiled, "you're a great witch, and you made a great potion."

Akko's face slowly broke out into a grin.

"Haha, thanks Diana!"

"Now," Lukić hummed, "let's move on. O'Neill! You're up!"

"Aw, man!"