Eyes darting up just as the desired silver vapors began appearing, the Wampus bowed her head back down to focus on her work seeing as the Whomping Willow was still under the influence of her charm (although that groan was rather disconcerting). It was not the most complex of brews, but was one that spoke to perhaps the more overlook aspect of this particular species of magical plant. An animated plant with a predictably antagonistic personality, Valerie elected that the most efficient means of winning favor with the will would be to attempt and pour Camraderie Concoction (the very potion which she was brewing now) around the base and over its roots. She may need to magically enhance the photosynthesis process for things to take full effect, but she could tackle that hurdle should it arise (the spell already tucked away in the back of her mind but in all likelihood unnecessary given the speed at which this particular potion dissolved and activated). For now her pale hands moved to grab the vials containing the raindrops and dried daisies.

Cleaning her mortar and pestle once again with a well-timed and nonverbal Scourgify, she swiftly crushed the all twelve daisies and dumped those into the cauldron. An eyedroppper full of raindrops (the ones with the faint aftertaste of rose which implied a harvest from rose petals) went in next and she waited for this additional ounce of liquid to dissolve in with the rest of the ingredients, checking the fire to make sure it had not grown too strong for this delicate process. A watched cauldron never boils, were the insufferable words echoing in her head as she did exactly that. Impatience was a factor given the time constraints associated with the unpredictability of the sentient tree in her presence, but it was only natural to wish to continue brewing the precise moment things began to bubble. She did pause for a moment to glance back at the tree and all its creaking and wooden moaning while gripping her wand in anticipation of shooting off another Freezing Charm (or Blasting Curse if it tried to take a swipe at her, to be honest). When the present situation remained the same, Valerie cleaned her silver knife with another Scourgify and pulled the fluxweed from the vial. Chopping it coarsely (and glancing at her ticking time bomb, the Willow, now and again) her ears soon picked up the sound of the liquid within her cauldron gently lapping at the sides thanks to the turbulent brew within.

Finally.

Acting quickly, the ounce of fluxweed was dumped into the cauldron and her hand reached next for the vial of cruppie fur. Using her teeth to uncork it (and spitting it in some haphazard direction) she poured the hairs in to the table and used her index finger to pick up them one by one, pressing her finger firmly against the table so the fur stuck to her clean hands and flicking it into the cauldron. All the while her wooden spoon (held in her other hand) alternated between clockwise and counterclockwise motions until all ten hairs had been added and her potion-in-progress now an awful bubblegum pink color.

Grabbing the vial of golden passionfruit juice next, a half ounce of it was added and then her attention shifted to the final ingredient: condensed kneazle breath. Shaking her hands out to release any tension built up there from her previous diligence, Valerie grabbed and uncorked that vial quickly. Hunching her shoulders and straining her eyes as she tipped it downwards, she tried to ignore the small cutesy meeeeeoooooooooow that poured out along with the first drop into the brew. Two more meows later and the cork went back into the vial which she then pocketed for safe keeping. Put out the flame with another flick of her wand, the sixteen year old was pleased to see that her potion was a pleasant (or obnoxiously bright depending on whose opinion you were seeking) sunny yellow. Picking up and once again applying the appropriate cleaning charms to the strainer provided and looked around for another vessel to transfer her potion into. But the particular brand of vessel she had been hoping for was not present.

Well then.

Wand out and thrust in the direction from whence she had come (the direction of Hogwarts castle and, more importantly, the greenhouses), the Wampus performed an upside down ‘U’ movement. “Accio watering can.” If the poncho wearing loud hippie of a deputy headmaster Hogwarts had noticed a large hole in the glass of one of his greenhouses, she would know why. Not that she particularly cared. Tapping her foot impatiently, it took a bit longer than expected for the object to show up. Jumping up and grabbing it out of the air, she waved her wand about it to clean it as well. Now came the long and tedious process of straining her potion into the watering can. Not just that, but also keeping an eye on the Whomping Willow in case the charm wore off and it decided to take a swing at her. The process was simple enough, ladle from cauldron over the strainer into the watering can while shifting her gaze between her manual work and the tree itself. It would have been more efficient to charm the appliances to do this for her, but when it came to potions brewing Valerie was a bit of a purist in that she much preferred to do things by hand.

Thankfully the process of transferring from cauldron to watering can helped speed up the cooling process and (upon resting her hands on either side of the can once it was full) had reached an acceptable temperature for her to proceed further with her gamble. Eyes shifting upwards to the remaining vials dangling from the branches as she approached the Whomping Willow once again with the watering can in one hand and wand the other, Valerie began methodically pouring the yellow potion over the exposed roots and all around the base of the trunk. “Drink up,” she cooed dryly, trusting that her brew would manipulate the historic tree into a more friendly disposition so it would reveal to her the whereabouts of this secret passage that seemed hidden from view for now.