Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 349 Guess what Snape is feeling right now?

An angry Neville shouted, "Of course it's because of Vaughn's new research. He's trying to create a universal potion solvent—that's what I saw in some magazine reviews. Anyway, if he succeeds, it's said that the potion-making process will be greatly simplified in the future, and the difficulty of learning to make many complicated potions will be greatly reduced."

"Yes, I'm a bad student, but that doesn't mean I don't want to learn, Ronald Weasley. It's just that I have a bad memory and I always forget what I learn, unlike you, who has the opportunity to study hard but always wastes it and then takes pride in it and laughs at others!"

It can be quite frightening when an honest person suddenly loses their temper.

Harry and Ron were so intimidated by Neville's outburst that they didn't dare breathe, watching him finish speaking loudly, pick up his plate, and leave, seemingly not wanting to sit with them anymore.

Remember this website's domain name: ??????????.??????

"Uh, your magazine—"

"I'll keep this for you to see. If I were you, I would pay close attention to Vaughn's every move. You are the people closest to him, yet you don't even know how great things he's doing!"

Neville stormed off.

Harry and Ron looked at each other in bewilderment.

Neville's roar just now attracted the attention of those around him, especially since Neville took the initiative to leave, making it seem as if Harry and Ron had teamed up to bully him.

After a brief silence, whispers began to circulate around them.

Harry and Ron were embarrassed. They looked at each other for a while, but eventually couldn't stand the stares. They sheepishly grabbed a few loaves of bread and took the magazine "Extraordinary Potions" and left.

Once they left the auditorium and were away from the crowd, Ron muttered defiantly, "I didn't say anything, why are you so angry? I suspect he's been brainwashed by Vaughn, like some kind of ideology has been implanted in his brain. This year, whenever there's a topic related to Vaughn, he's like a bomb, ready to explode at the slightest touch."

Harry didn't agree. After a moment of silence, he said, "You really went too far, Ron. You shouldn't have mocked Neville."

""

Ron looked a little embarrassed: "Hey, why are you siding with outsiders?"

"The truth is, it's our problem." Reflecting on his recent internal monologue, Harry felt a pang of regret and said, "Once Neville calms down, I'll find a chance to apologize to him!"

"I'm not going!" Ron said sternly.

Harry dismissed it: "Let's go at noon. With Neville's memory, he should forget he's angry by noon."

Ignoring whether Ron agreed or not, Harry walked along flipping through the magazine, wanting to see what Vaughn's paper had said that excited Neville so much that he called it "great."

""

Ron joined them from the side.

But when the two of them flipped to Vaughn's paper page according to the table of contents, they were dizzy after scanning only a few lines and began to doubt their own literacy for the first time.

Why do I recognize each letter individually, but still not understand anything when they're put together?

The tangible interference mechanism of "ribosomes? peptide chains? Frucrine disrupting intangible probabilities"? Helical motion? Low-energy trap?

Stable three-dimensional conformation of proteins? Interference experiments using polymorphism to influence molecular spatial orientation and layout?

For the first time, Harry realized that the English he had spoken since childhood could one day feel so unfamiliar.

Everywhere I looked, there were words I couldn't understand, and even more symbols (molecular formulas) that I couldn't decipher.

Fortunately, Vaughn seems to have taken into account the difficulty of reading papers for wizards who generally don't even have a Muggle primary school degree.

Following the paper is a simplified overview of concepts related to Vaughn's paper, authored by Hermione.

Following the overview, there are even further magical interpretations and comments from the editors of Extraordinary Potions.

Feeling dizzy and disoriented, the two decided to first read the editor's interpretation.

The very first sentence stunned them:

This is the greatest paper in potions science of this century, and perhaps the next, bar none!

,

The two exchanged a speechless glance. Ron scoffed, "What kind of editor is this? Does he have to be so obsequious? It's as exaggerated as Neville's!"

Harry nudged him with his elbow, reminding him to watch his mouth.

"Let's see what he said first."

The two continued watching.

Compared to Vaughn's obscure paper and Hermione's tedious, verbose overview that explains various concepts to the point of being nauseating.

The editor's comment on "Extraordinary Potions" was much more favorable.

The editor provided a relatively simplified summary of Vaughn's paper in the comments, for example:

What Vaughn is going to do is develop a universal potion solvent, or a universal group.

What is the essence of the universal radical? It is no longer the water or oil used to brew potions, but a kind of "protein robot" that can actively bind to the effective molecules of drugs, and even the magical elements in the potions. Then it enters the human body, actively transforms and binds to human cells, and delivers the drug molecules and magical elements it carries into the human cells.

What are the effects of a universal radical?

This section seems to be the editor's most highly praised part, which he describes at length: "First of all, without a doubt, this will completely change potions. If Mr. Weasley succeeds, from now on, newly trained potion makers, as well as lucky young wizards at Hogwarts and even other magic high schools around the world, will no longer have to memorize complicated and tedious potion recipes, nor will they have to foolishly chant spells and stir in front of bubbling, green-smoking cauldrons that emit a disgusting smell."

"All you need to do is learn the spell Mr. Weasley will eventually develop, extract the medicinal properties from the materials in the correct proportions, mix them with the universal group, and then chant the incantation to make the protein robot transform for the first time, completing the combination of drug molecules and magical elements. A potion will then be born!"

"The whole process is simplified to the point of tidying up a room with a cleaning charm. I believe no wizard, not even a junior wizard, could not do that—"

Upon seeing this, Harry and Ron scratched their faces simultaneously, then looked up at each other, silently continuing to read: "—At the same time, Mr. Weasley's research, using a combination of Muggle technology and magic, reveals to us an expandable approach to pharmacokinetics in a microscopic environment. The movement and action of drugs are not necessarily inefficient and passive as in the traditional way; they can become active and efficient."

"Mr. Weasley discovered that the most basic building blocks of life, something called amino acids, combine to form proteins that possess a three-dimensional conformation for capturing magical elements. In other words, the magic we once thought originated from the soul and was unobservable is actually observable and has a material medium."

"During the review process, although many pharmacists questioned and opposed Mr. Weasley's research for various reasons, all pharmacists recognized it because Mr. Weasley's research may completely solve an embarrassing problem that has plagued pharmacists for thousands of years."

"In the past, my arrogant peers always claimed that potions could solve all problems, but a persistent question has been constantly proving them wrong: why can't omnipotent potions replenish magic power?"

"Why? Of course, before Mr. Weasley, no one had observed it. How can you replenish something you can't even see? And how important magic is to wizards is self-evident. I believe no wizard would complain about having too much magic!"

This editor, Damocles Belby, appears to be a staunch supporter of Vaughn—at least that's how he appears in his comments.

He used sharp words to mock his "pharmacist colleagues" while lavishly praising Vaughn's research and papers.

In the latter part of the article, he returns to the opening sentence, emphasizing just how "great" Vaughn's paper truly is: "—This research is revolutionary. I know some might maliciously say that Damocles Belby has been tamed by Vaughn Weasley. I can honestly say here that yes, I have been tamed, because compared to that group of short-sighted fools, I am well aware of just how great Mr. Weasley's research is for the real world of Potions."

"At the same time, I understand what the opponents are thinking. They don't disagree with Mr. Weasley's research, but they are afraid. Yes, they are afraid that this research will have an immeasurable impact on the current potions system, and that it will make them lose their jobs and lose their charming Galleons."

"Some readers may wonder, if simplifying the potion-making process saves pharmacists a lot of work, why would they be afraid?"

Yeah, isn't this a good thing? Why be afraid?

Harry and Ron felt that Mr. Belby had a complete understanding of their hearts.

They looked on with interest at the next paragraph: "Because it's very simple, the simplified potion-making process will greatly lower the learning threshold. Previously, my arrogant colleagues were the absolute authorities in the field of potion-making; they monopolized control over potion manufacturing, sales, and a whole host of other aspects, including customers..."

The shops were merely tools in their money-making chain, and now, Mr. Weasley is going to break that mold!

"As I said before, when Mr. Weasley developed the spells described in his paper, which included molecular diagrams, transformation instructions, and function instructions, potion-making would become as simple as casting spells. This also means that any wizard can skillfully make potions."

"If everyone is a pharmacist, then will the authority of pharmacists still exist?"

A potion revolution?

The sheer volume of vocabulary left Harry and Ron somewhat bewildered. It was early in the morning, and they hadn't even finished breakfast yet, so why did it feel like a dream?

But Damocles Belby explained it in a very simple way in his article, so even academically challenged people like the two of them could understand how convenient potion making would become once the so-called "universal group" was developed.

The two looked up and exchanged a glance.

"Uh, will potions be like casting spells from now on?"

"At least that's what Belby said."

"—You can brew a potion simply by chanting a spell, without worrying about whether to cut or crush the herbs. You directly extract their medicinal properties, without considering the order in which the ingredients are added, or how many times to stir clockwise or counterclockwise for each step. You don't even need to time it or watch the color changes, and you'll fail if you're not careful?"

As he spoke, Harry's eyes, hidden behind his thick glasses, brightened.

Ron, who shared the same expression, nodded repeatedly, emphasizing again, "Yes, that's what the article says!"

Will potions really become this convenient?

Harry seemed a little dazed, recalling Neville's words in the Great Hall, and sighed, "If it's true, then no wonder Neville said Vaughn was great—"

Only those who have actually studied potions know how grueling this subject can be.

Upperclassmen jokingly call Potions Studies "The Study of Suffering," just like its most typical steps, where the ingredients have to be boiled and simmered. The learning process is also a process of suffering, like hell!

The first and second grades only cover basic potions, which are relatively easy to learn. It's the intermediate and advanced potions that are truly terrifying.

Last year and this year, when Harry was in Potions class, he often saw fifth and seventh-year students huddled in the Potions room, converted from an abandoned dungeon classroom, studying day and night in preparation for their Online and Night Elf exams.

Because many medicinal herbs need to be stored away from light and heat, the potion room is usually very dimly lit, and even fireplaces are not allowed to be lit. Only one or two magical fire pits provide some illumination.

In that dimly lit environment, the senior students recited the incredibly complex recipes, steps, and rituals of advanced potions—reciting them until their eyes were glazed over and their faces were blank.

At first glance, it looks like the scene of some kind of illegal activity.

The actual operation was even worse. A group of slovenly robed, greasy-haired men stirred the bubbling crucible, accompanied by rising green, purple, and red smoke, and a mixture of various terrible smells.

If a Muggle were to accidentally wander in, he would be terrified.

Every time those poor guys finished their revision and went to the dining hall, Harry could smell the pickled odor on them as they passed by—once in Potions class, Snape sarcastically remarked that it was the smell of failure!

Harry couldn't imagine how many times he would have to fail before he could truly master potions—in any case, from his first year onward, potions had always been an extremely difficult subject in his mind.

He had already given up on the delusion that he could pass the potions exam in a few years, let alone the fact that he needed to pass the ordinary wizard level exam to continue his advanced courses and then take the ultimate wizard level exam.

Beside him, Ron seemed to be caught up in the article's excitement, appearing somewhat agitated, his freckles on his nose bright red, as he said in a proud tone, "Vaughn will definitely succeed!"

"I thought you'd keep being stubborn and hoping he'd fail!" Harry teased his friend.

Ron rolled his eyes at him: "I just hate him, but that doesn't mean I'll oppose everything he does. Besides, we're the ones who benefit from his potion spells. Anyway, he's a potion master, so he doesn't need these things. — Anyway, although Vaughn is a jerk, he's never been a braggart and has always kept his word."

The two continued reading the article.

The pharmacist and editor named Damocles Belby had a thorough understanding of the theories and experimental approaches in Vaughn's paper, and was clearly not new to Vaughn's ideas.