The Wolfsbane Potion, improved by Snape, greatly reduced the production cost, but increased the difficulty of production, requiring more meticulous operation.
Snape tossed a quill pen, distracting himself as he used it to record the experimental process on Parchment.
"We can begin." Snape then handed Silan a bottle of Fire-Control Potion: "The new steps require precise control of the heat. Drinking this will make things easier for you."
Without any hesitation, Silan took the Fire-Control Potion, drank it all in one gulp, and began the operation.
In the original process of making Wolfsbane Potion, Wolfsbane juice were added directly at the beginning, making the entire process very brutal and barbaric due to the toxicity of the material.
But now, thanks to Snape's improved production process, it wasn't difficult at first.
Silan selected a small amount of mild Moon Powder and placed it in a crucible. Only when the Moon Powder gradually melted and turned into a gelatinous substance did she gradually add Star Orchid Grass and Wolfsbane.
The modified method of Wolfsbane is not done by pressing, but by gradually boiling it in a crucible, which increases the difficulty of preparing the entire pot of medicine.
It's easy at first, but the liquid in the crucible becomes increasingly volatile and uncontrollable, making the process much more difficult.
Ultimately, the difficulty of crafting the crucible potion will reach an extremely terrifying level.
Unsurprisingly, Silan's first attempt was a failure.
Snape controlled the quill pen, meticulously recording the entire process, including the color, concentration, and smell of the potion in the crucible when it failed.
The two of them each tasted a spoonful of the medicine with a test spoon, and their frowns were exactly the same.
This was also the first time Silan had tasted the Wolfsbane Potion, and she thought to herself, "As expected of Potions known for its awful taste... it was like playing a Quidditch match in my mouth, and in overtime at that!"
"The last few steps were arranged too tightly..." Snape said, manipulating the quill pen to review the experiment.
Silan emptied the liquid from the crucible and washed it again, suggesting, "When adding the Wolfsbane, could you try adding it intermittently?"
"Okay." Snape nodded.
The two discussed the last few steps briefly before starting the next round of experiments.
"Looks like I'll be busy for a few days..." Silan thought to himself.
Today is Miss Granger's birthday.
Lavender and Parvati each gave her a pretty little piece of jewelry, while Harry and Ron together gave Hermione a set of spellbooks that interested them.
In the evening, George and Fred also came to give her birthday wishes and two small gifts, with Filch chasing after them, yelling and cursing.
"Happy birthday, Hermione!" they both shouted as they ran off.
Filch, panting, ran and yelled, "You two little rascals!"
Everything today seems joyful and happy.
But Hermione was far from happy; instead, she felt a deep sense of worry.
She didn't see Silan today.
Even after dinner and returning to her dorm, Hermione was still somewhat absent-minded.
A person stood by the window, staring blankly outside.
She was worried about Silan, and also felt guilty for not being happy despite receiving so many gifts, as if she had let her friends down.
Lavender and Parvati huddled together and whispered to each other.
"Hermione hasn't seen Prewett for several days. Did they have a fight?" Parvati glanced at Hermione and whispered.
Lavender was eating a small Cake with a spoon, mumbling somewhat indistinctly, "The two of them? No way... umm, umm..."
"Is it because Prewett didn't give her a gift, so Hermione got angry?" Parvati guessed.
"What do you take Hermione for? How could she possibly be angry about something like this?" Lavender swallowed the Cake in her mouth and guessed. "If you ask me, she's probably worried."
Parvati asked, puzzled, "What are you worried about?"
"I heard that Professor Snape seems to have put Prewett in solitary confinement." At this point, Lavender stopped Cake, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously.
"How could this be?" Parvati's eyes widened, she covered her mouth with her hands, and gasped softly, "I thought Professor Snape liked him very much."
"Who knows? I heard it from Slytherin. They say that Prewett seems to be locked in Professor Snape's office day and night, and he's not even allowed to come out for meals." Lavender finished speaking in one breath and put a large piece of Cake into his mouth.
"That was terrifying," Parvati said, still shaken.
"Who can argue with that?"
Lavender glanced pitifully at Hermione, who was staring blankly out the window, then devoured the remaining Cake on the table like a whirlwind, wiped her mouth, and dragged Parvati out.
Let's leave Hermione alone for a while.
Hermione stared blankly out the window.
As the sun gradually sank behind the Low Hill in the west, a deep orange-yellow hue clearly outlined Low Hill contours.
Where the Low Hill meet the sky, the afterglow of the sun is like a huge ink dot, spreading outwards in shades of yellow, cyan, and blue, until finally turning into a pale black that envelops the entire sky.
What Lavender and Parvati had just said resonated with her deeply.
Slytherin and Gryffindor classes haven't been held together for the past few days, but even in the past, Silan wouldn't have gone several days without showing up.
In addition, rumors that he had been put in solitary confinement by Snape, which came from who-knows-where, made Hermione very worried.
A floating black dot slid through the air, Accio straight toward the Gryffindor Tower and landing in front of Hermione.
"You're back, Gerzan, thank you."
Hermione ran the back of her fingers through the feathers on Gerzan's head and took the letter from its beak.
The letter contained a mistletoe Ring.
There was also a text message.
Hermione carefully put the Ring back on her finger and opened the letter.
"Dear Miss Granger: I have, as you instructed, conducted a thorough examination of your Ring."
"I can vouch for it with my reputation; there's absolutely no problem with it."
"Of course, I also tested the Ring to address your concern about its inconsistent calming effect. The results showed that the Ring was not the problem. All test subjects experienced a noticeable sense of calm and reduced agitation while wearing the Ring."
"Therefore, I believe that the Ring's calming effect not working may be related to the individual."
"If you intensely dislike someone to the point that even looking at them makes you feel like your heart is on fire, the calming effect of the medium will be greatly reduced."
"Vice versa..."
Hermione completely ignored the extremely unpleasant situation and focused her attention on the words "the opposite is also true".
Miss Granger thought somewhat angrily, "What kind of talk is that? Do you think I care about Silan to the point of losing control of my heartbeat?"
"That's utter nonsense!"
Hermione angrily crumpled the letter in her hand into a ball, intending to throw it in the trash can later.
Hermione looked up at the Ring on her finger and suddenly remembered the day Silan put the Ring on her finger.
She remembers every detail of that day.
He even remembered Silan's movements, expressions, and the temperature of her fingers clearly.
Thinking about it, Hermione couldn't help but blush again, her heart pounding like a wild horse that couldn't be restrained.
The Ring emitted a soft, shimmering light.
But clearly, the calming effect is the same as none at all.
Hermione glanced resentfully at the Ring on her hand, then silently and slowly unfolded the crumpled letter she had been holding.
Hermione patted the crumpled letter apologetically and stuffed it back into the envelope.
After standing there for a while, Hermione decided to go to Snape's office to find Silan.
"Why not at least ask Professor Snape what Silan did to deserve this punishment?"
Sitting idly by and waiting for death has never been Miss Granger's style.