Silvia looked at the pod in front of her. The next step was to make an incision down its side. She picked up the scalpel and muttered "scourgify," to make sure it was clean. Taking a deep breath and not wanting to do anything wrong, she picked a spot near the top of the pod and rested the scalpel against it. Slowly she pressed the scalpel inward until she felt it break through the other side of the thick membrane, then dragged it down until she reached the bottom of the pod. Pulling the scalpel out, she watched for a moment as the disgusting-looking plant insides began to ooze out. Then, she cleaned the scalpel once more. Better to clean up as I go, she thought.