Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 350: Vaughn and Snape's falling out?

After the other party's relatively straightforward written introduction, Harry and Ron gradually realized that once the so-called "universal group" was successfully created, its influence could affect the entire global wizarding world!

Moreover, it has a comprehensive impact.

Among them, Belby mentioned the feasibility of "industrializing potions".

In the article, Belby cited the development history of Muggles, recounting how the industrialization of Muggles brought about a massive explosion in productivity and played a role in promoting the rise of Muggle civilization.

Limited by their knowledge, Harry and Ron didn't quite understand why "industrialization" and the explosion of productivity could boost the development of civilization.

In their minds, magic is already amazing, so what more do they need to unleash?

Of course, the article doesn't only reveal the good side.

As seen earlier, every few paragraphs, Bellby would make sarcastic remarks about his peers, revealing between the lines that the publication of Vaughn's paper had been met with "extreme jealousy" and "defamation" from his colleagues.

Although Harry and Ron have limited experience, they have been exposed to various public opinion events surrounding Vaughn's C over the past two years, and they vaguely understand that when a controversy becomes public, it means that the conflict surrounding it is irreconcilable.

After finishing the magazine, Harry frowned and pondered for a moment, then said worriedly, "It seems—there are quite a few pharmacists who are opposed to it!"

Ron said matter-of-factly, "If I were an apothecary, and someone challenged my authority, making it possible for any Tom, Dick, or Harry to become an apothecary, I'd go crazy too—but conversely, as an ordinary wizard, if I could brew my own potions, but a bunch of apothecaries wouldn't allow me to, I'd go crazy just as much. In the end, it's all Galleon's fault. Who would want to mess with Galleon?"

"6

""

When did this guy become so insightful?

Harry scratched his head: "Then, won't Vaughn be surrounded and attacked again?"

He recalled the period at the beginning of last year when public opinion overwhelmingly criticized Vaughn and C.

"There's no way around it. If you want to do something, you have to be prepared to affect other people's interests or arouse their jealousy. Human nature is often unreasonable and impossible to guard against." Ron didn't take it seriously. Seeing Harry looking at him with surprise, he said speechlessly, "Don't look at me. Vaughn said that before."

"How long ago?"

"Around 9 or 10 years old?" Ron thought for a moment and shrugged. "I can't remember exactly, but it was before we entered Hogwarts. Back then, besides bullying me and flirting with girls, he was also getting into arguments with people in the newspapers. My mom was worried that he would make too many enemies, so he told her this."

Harry hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "A verbal battle?"

"Yes, he came up with the magic extraction theory around that time." Ron chuckled, "Otherwise, why do you think so many apothecaries opposed him? Because they had already started opposing Vaughn years ago!"

"...

""

Harry didn't know what to say.

Compared to Harry's complicated feelings, Ron seemed much happier. On the one hand, although he didn't like Vaughn, he had witnessed his brother create all sorts of "miracles" since he was a child, and he didn't think that mere verbal abuse would cause much trouble. A few years ago, those pharmacists had also had a verbal battle with Vaughn, and Vaughn didn't lose a single hair.

On the other hand, he occasionally wanted to see his brother get his comeuppance—such opportunities were too rare.

for example-

Ron suddenly grinned mischievously: "Guess what Old Bat will do now?"

Harry paused, taken aback. "Snape? What does this have to do with him?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "What do you mean, 'it doesn't matter'? Old Bat is a Potions Master, one of the most authoritative figures in Potions. He used to act like a peacock with its tail held high, praising Potions to the skies while belittling other disciplines. And now, his most prized student is preparing to single-handedly overturn his most prized skill—heh heh, I don't think Old Bat is a magnanimous person!"

Was Snape easygoing?

Are you kidding me!

Harry had never met anyone more petty than him!

Harry's thoughts wandered for a moment, but he quickly came back to his senses. He had to admit that what Ron, who was usually unreliable, said today actually made a lot of sense.

"Do you think Snape might cause trouble for Vaughn?" Harry asked worriedly.

He knew that the school board had given Vaughn trouble a few months ago, and it was only thanks to Snape and a few other headmasters standing up for him that things got serious. If the petty Snape, in a fit of anger over ideological differences, abandoned his support for Vaughn, then—

More importantly, Snape is also involved in the conspiracy of a foreign wizard.

"I don't care about any of that, it'd be great if they broke up!" Ron snorted. "One of them is a nasty jerk, the other is mean and vicious. If they completely fall out because of their ideological differences, that'll be a fantastic thing, I'll applaud them!"

How much resentment must have been building up!

Harry scratched his face, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Let's go check on Snape. If he seems off, we can tell Hermione so she can warn Vaughn—by the way, did you see him today?"

Ron, who wanted to see some fun, wasn't too keen, but when the trio were together, he was always the one who abandoned his brain, especially when Harry made decisions.

So after sulking for a while, he still replied, "Why would I care about him when I have nothing better to do? Maybe he's gone home. His vacation isn't over yet, man. Even an old bat has a private life."

Harry was taken aback. He really hadn't expected that Snape would have a private life.

Sunbathing with greasy hair?

Or do you wander the streets like a ghost? Hiding in the shadows while shopping, then sneaking out suddenly after all the other customers have left?

Imagining the scene from that horror movie, Harry shuddered and quickly shook his head to dismiss the unfounded association.

"Anyway, pay attention today."

"Mind your own business—okay, I'll be careful!"

"Also, remember to apologize to Neville at noon."

"When did you become like Hermione? Maybe I should just call you Mr. Nagging from now on!"

"Get your attitude straight, Ron."

The two bickered for a while, then huddled together to read some more articles from "Extraordinary Potions." After finishing breakfast, they staggered back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Energetic teenagers often have contradictory thoughts that seem to border on schizophrenia. During the school year, they always look forward to holidays.

But when the holidays actually start, I feel like I have nothing to do every day, and the time drags on.

Of course, as the holiday is about to end, that feeling of boredom will reverse again, and one will start to cherish the fleeting holiday as if it were a belated attempt to salvage it.

Especially when you haven't finished your holiday homework —

Harry and Ron are currently in the second stage of their split personality, not yet in the crazy homework-cramming mode at the end of the holidays. Back in the tower, with nothing else to do, they can only gather in the common room like everyone else and watch two third-year students play Goblin.

However, after just over ten minutes, the onlookers, including the two individuals, retreated.

The senior who lost was sprayed in the face with a strange liquid by Gao Bushi, and his body reeked of an unpleasant odor, as if he had just crawled out of the toilet.

Ron said bitterly that this was why he had disliked Gobstone since he was a child, and that if the wizarding world didn't improve the game, it would eventually disappear completely.

But Harry thought Ron's aversion might stem from childhood trauma. He could imagine his poor friend being pranked by the twins until he vomited. The evidence was that Ron once ate a vomit-flavored Bean and forced himself to swallow it!

Clearly, Ron is not as "fragile" as he thinks; he is actually very strong!

Bored, Harry suggested playing Wizards' Chess, but Ron decisively refused. Last year, Ron had kept the set of chess pieces he had treasured since childhood, but Harry's chess skills were so bad that he committed suicide because he couldn't bear the humiliation. This year, he had to consider the feelings of the pieces to prevent them from having a mental breakdown and developing suicidal thoughts.

The two began wandering around Hogwarts, killing time while trying to run into Snape or find Vaughn's laboratory.

Unfortunately, by noon, neither of their goals had been achieved.

When they went to the Great Hall for lunch, Harry took Ron to apologize to Neville. It must be said that Harry understood Neville very well and had a very accurate grasp of timing.

Neville had indeed forgotten the little scuffle from that morning.

Honest and simple-minded Neville accepted Harry and Ron's apologies with trepidation, and the rift in their friendship healed itself before it even exploded.

Besides that, they still hadn't found any trace of Snape.

So, where did this Potions professor go?

In the afternoon, a laboratory converted from an abandoned classroom.

The demonic fires in all the braziers went out again, and darkness enveloped the room like a thick fog. Only in the center of the room did invisible light waves surge and ripple like a surging tide.

After an unknown amount of time, with a snap of the fingers, the invisible light source quietly disappeared, several orbs of light flew in all directions, and the extinguished brazier's demonic fire suddenly reignited.

A cool blue light shone down, revealing Vaughn and Hermione standing in the center of the room, and Snape, who was like a ghost in the corner against the wall.

Vaughn rubbed his eyes, which were a little sore from being under magic for so long, glanced back at Snape, and said somewhat helplessly, "Professor, this isn't Potions class, you don't actually need to hide there."

'

'

Snape was expressionless, only his dark, unfocused eyes suggested that his main consciousness seemed to be elsewhere.

After a while, his eyes became lively again, and he raised his wand to dispel the Multispectral Vision Charm.

The bizarre and fantastical scenes of the electromagnetic wave world faded away, and with no continuous stream of light waves transmitting information, thoughts that had been almost stagnant began to function again.

Of course, the Multispectral Vision Charm did not block out external sounds, and he actually heard Vaughn's "tactful" well-intentioned advice.

But Snape chose to ignore it.

He was more interested in what he had just seen: "Is that what you called a protein robot?"

As he spoke, he looked toward the center of the room, at the source of those tsunami-like invisible light waves.

An eight-eyed giant spider lay slumped on the floor, its limbs twitching slightly.

Snape's gaze was deep and unfathomable.

Despite witnessing it firsthand and even experiencing it personally, I felt a surge of information and "knowledge" flooding my brain as this eight-eyed giant spider unfolded in its so-called "hyperspace polyhedral form" in all dimensions.

But he still couldn't accept that such an ugly life, at its most microscopic and fundamental level, could be so beautiful and exquisite!

Like an ancient, ever-rotating nebula.

Like a sophisticated factory full of orderly beauty.

That was a view Snape had never seen before—although he didn’t agree with Vaughn’s paper published in Extraordinary Potions at all.

Yes, just as Ron guessed, Snape was an opponent of the "universal group".

However, the reason for the opposition is not because of being petty.

Rather, it was because, upon seeing the concept of "protein robots" in the paper and understanding its operating mechanism, Snape immediately noticed a hidden function that neither Vaughn, Hermione, nor even the touting Damocles Belby had mentioned—

Thinking about it, Snape's expression tightened even more.

His dark eyes looked at Vaughn.

Seemingly oblivious to the complex emotions hidden in his indifferent eyes, Vaughn waved his wand to put the listless Aracleide away. A glass bottle floated beside him, the liquid inside glowing: "Yes, Professor, what I just demonstrated to you was this glowing potion beside me. After entering Aracleide's body, it was actively delivered into his cells by the protein robots of the Universal Group."

Snape glanced at the glowing potion.

Before the demonstration, he heard Vaughn briefly explain the potion's function. It was made from glowing magical plants such as moongrass and firefly mushrooms, and it was a magic potion that could stimulate magical light. It had no other function than to make the user emit colorful light.

It was improved from a prank potion recipe made by an ancient apothecary.

Of course, the improved potion was given a new function by Vaughn, who named it "Target Marker".

It is said to be used to track the binding and transport of drug molecules by protein robots.

The so-called new feature was something Snape had never heard of before and was unfamiliar with, but just now, he had witnessed firsthand what targeted marking was.

Recalling the images that appeared in my mind not long ago, where light waves were transmitted into my mind, I saw fluorescent dots being "carried" by something invisible and sent into "huge" cells with thin, gauze-like membranes. They traveled along the energy pathways displayed in infrared light.

The complete structure within the cell is outlined.

The facts cannot be refuted.

He could only try to find flaws: "But I didn't see your robot anywhere; all that was moving the fluorescent light were dark outlines."

Anyone can tell from this statement that it's nitpicking.

Beside the lab bench, Hermione, who was in charge of recording experimental data, looked up in surprise, seemingly unable to understand why Snape, who had always favored Vaughn, was now on the opposite side.

Vaughn, however, seemed unconcerned, smiling as he explained, "Currently, the three-dimensional conformation of the protein robot is still in the black box stage, meaning we are far from fully understanding its principles and mechanisms. The main reason we were able to create it was by referencing the conformation of the magical proteins on Aracleed's body. We used a protein-modifying agent to replicate and deform it, and with the probabilistic interference of Felix Felicis, we were able to create the first stable conformation that met my expectations."