great-warnovel Chapter 202 The Posture of an Aristocrat
Chapter 202 The Posture of an Aristocrat
Chapter 202 The Posture of an Aristocrat
As the trigger spray is a trade secret, Beauxbatons is delaying the public disclosure of its effects as much as possible. Hermione and the others are also unable to reveal it to outsiders due to their magical contract.
According to the information available to these nobles, the Perfumery was like an unconventional potion workshop that managed to stay afloat by luck securing a contract with Beauxbatons.
They made absolutely no connection between the recent influx of low-priced alchemical artifacts into the market and Hogwarts.
After all, the production capacity of the inducing spray is still not high, and this splash is not enough to disrupt the market.
Hermione ignored these idiots and calmly said, "Could you please move aside? The board meeting is about to begin."
The little girl's calm demeanor made the adults slightly less dismissive of her.
Old Selwyn's smile faded, but he still spoke with a hint of disdain: "Go back, young lady. I can promise to buy your workshop, or if you can't make that decision yourself, you can have Mrs. Potter negotiate."
In their understanding, Hermione was only the nominal owner, and the "Potions" workshop, which was jointly operated with Hogwarts, was definitely still being controlled by Lily Potter.
These families already had orders with Lily, and they thought they had grasped the whole story behind it.
Hermione shook her head, too lazy to communicate with these people anymore.
She raised her left hand and swept it outwards, and an invisible force instantly tore the crowd apart, like Moses parting the sea in the Bible. They were evenly spread to both sides, and everyone was pressed against the wall by specks of purple light. Various alchemical artifacts activated various barriers, but without exception, none of them could resist this force.
A group of adult wizards were instantly subdued without any power to resist. Their faces were flushed as they pressed themselves tightly against the wall, struggling to break free. However, they did not even understand what gravity magic was, and even if they wanted to cast spells to resist, they had no effective spells.
"Stop the spell! Stop the spell!" Old Bock, enraged, kept casting spells without a staff. Although it had some effect, it was not enough to break the constraint of gravity.
Hermione strolled up the quieter staircase. These people weren't weak, but they were just so-so, even weaker than Lockhart. She increasingly found gravity magic useful, quick and easy to use for crushing weaker opponents without leaving a trace.
The annoying little guy even flew curiously onto their faces, chirping and circling for a while before leaving.
Only when she turned completely upstairs and disappeared from everyone's sight did that irresistible pressure instantly dissipate, and a group of people fell haphazardly from the wall, bumping into each other on the stairs.
A chorus of cries of pain erupted as they scrambled to their feet, exchanging undisguised glances of surprise.
Regarding Hermione Granger, only a small number of people who were open to new things knew that she was the originator of the Brilliant Stone magic. Many nobles, on the other hand, paid no attention to the emergence of new magic and spent their days indulging in a life of luxury and extravagance.
But no one could have imagined that this underage girl would have such strength!
"Can any of you do it?" Karaktakus asked the crowd behind him in a somber tone. Neither he nor the self-proclaimed powerful Auror leader behind him had the ability to suppress so many wizards silently.
While the skill levels of adult wizards varied greatly, only a very few could disregard the difference in numbers, and the names of those individuals were enough to make nobles tremble—Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Voldemort.
"She's only a teenager—has Dumbledore raised yet another monster—"
Everyone's faces were grim. Dumbledore was already a formidable opponent, but at least the old man respected the rules of the game.
Now there's another underage school board member, and she doesn't seem like someone easy to talk to, nor does she seem to have the habit of respecting elders.
Hermione certainly didn't have the habit of indulging fools. She made her way to the headmaster's office with ease, found a less conspicuous spot to sit down, snapped her fingers to summon the elves, and had some drinks and snacks served to her.
An oval table had been specially prepared in the principal's office, but only the school board members had seats; attendants had to stand at the back. Hermione felt that she was not the main character, so she sat in a very low position.
This practiced manner also attracted a lot of attention. The long table was already occupied by many people, all of whom were leaders from other settlements, mainly from Britain, with some from remote areas of Europe. They had all provided some form of assistance to Hogwarts.
Dumbledore sat at the head of the table with a cheerful smile, winking at Hermione. He hadn't attended a board meeting for many years. Even when he returned to his peak last year, McGonagall was still in charge of the meetings. This year, however, the nobles were coming in strong, and he couldn't possibly let McGonagall take the lead again.
Hermione's actions on the stairs could not escape the notice of the all-knowing Dumbledore, but he was pleased with it. Lady Granger was expanding her authority, and the White Wizard, who felt his soul growing colder, hoped his successor would be more powerful.
Before long, Professor McGonagall led in the group of nobles from Malfoy Castle. They had sour faces and had obviously gone to complain.
But Professor McGonagall wasn't going to listen to them: "You say Granger insulted you, insulted the Hogwarts Board of Governors, but Miss Granger herself is a member of the Board of Governors, and who among you truly represents Malfoy Castle? Who among you is a member of the Board of Governors?"
The nobles chattered on and on, and the noise didn't subside even after they entered the principal's office.
Especially upon seeing the single seat next to Dumbledore, a seat belonging to Malfoy Castle, he instantly forgot Hermione's threat and immediately began arguing about who deserved to sit in that chair.
A new round of arguments ensued.
The other leaders watched with amusement, sipping tea and snacks brought by the elves, waiting for the debate to reach a conclusion.
"We run the entire administrative system of Malfoy! Who has the most say in this city? Of course, it's us, who control the newspapers!"
"Without strength, everything is in vain. Malfoy Castle's current status was earned by us Aurors and Sky Riders, one spell after another!"
"Give me a break! Without the ecological dome we maintain, without a stable supply of food and resources, your pilots can't even sweep through a one-star base! Without money, you're nothing!"
Finally, McGonagall couldn't stand it anymore. She impatiently turned one chair into three smaller, backless four-legged stools, forcing the three leaders of the factions to squeeze together. The three old men wore grumpy faces, but had no choice but to sit close together, which made the scene look somewhat comical.
"Alright, stop arguing. Let's all save face!"
McGonagall said sternly, "Today, we'll mainly be reporting to the Board of Governors on the various expenses of Hogwarts last academic year. We'll also be reviewing the budget for next academic year. Let's get down to business; we have a lot to do."