"So, until we truly crack the genetic code and understand magical proteins, they will probably remain invisible for quite a long time. But as you have seen, that does not affect their efficacy. Objective facts do not lie."
Snape fell silent.
Wizards who specialized in potions held objective facts in great respect. In the field of potions, the inability to create something from nothing was far more obvious than with spells. After all, whether one had the ingredients, and how those ingredients complemented, conflicted with, or restrained one another, were the most important factors.
Not just him—if Vaughn brought these results before the public, even the potioneers most fiercely opposed to him could not, in good conscience, claim that he had failed.
But if he admitted that Vaughn had succeeded—
Snape clenched his fists, his expression growing uglier. He forced himself to say, "Then what about the production process? From what you just described, I noticed that making it seems extremely difficult. The Protein Transfiguration Potion—is that a new potion you developed specifically for this so-called Universal Functional Group? I looked over the ingredients you prepared. The formula seems to be derived from Polyjuice Potion?"
"Yes." Vaughn was not surprised that Snape had seen through it. He nodded. "The replication and transfiguration effects of Polyjuice Potion perfectly suited my needs. It only required minor adjustments before it could be applied."
"But that means enormous costs, not to mention the need for Felix Felicis—I cannot even imagine how many precious ingredients you would waste to make a single vial of that fluorescent potion."
"Heh!"
Vaughn laughed at Snape's questioning.
But before he could speak, Hermione, who had been secretly listening in all along, could not help chiming in. "Professor, it seems you did not carefully read the terminology explanations I published