Potions. Peony wasn't that bad at it, provided she didn't get distracted, or impatient. Or frightened, but she was as far from the Goblin as she could get, which would just have to do.

...and also, don't you dare fail this on purpose because Goblins are immune to most poisons, the Voice paused in it's lecture as Peony's shoulders slumped visibly. Of course, if she had studied her HoM textbook properly (where Urgg the Horrible tries to poison Slurd the Foremost), she would probably know that that wasn't true - but Peony seldom read the section on Goblin wars - there was a large picture of a Goblin general that scratched nasty parts of itself inecessantly, and smaller pictures scattered the other pages.

As if I'd waste marks on destroying that Goblin for the good of the world... thought Peony to herself a little sullenly as she waited for the water to boil. Jaren Kymers was along the line of Goblins as Satan is to the devils.

Pulling her knife out, Peony began to chop the plants up as finely as she could, using her thumb to guard against the flesh of her hands being accidentally sliced by the sharp knife. She helped out with the cooking at home quite a lot, when she went back. Automatically, she turned around - knowing the water had been boiled by now, and gingerly began to feed the threads of her earth-based ingredients into the hot water. The steam rose and flushed her face.

Left - Peony made a little twirling gesture, her wand hand was her right hand - that meant this was her left hand -

The Voice heaved a sigh, and the left eye almost rose itself to heaven before Peony stopped it.

She stirred it, trying not to hurry, waiting impatiently for the two minutes to end.