great-warnovel Chapter 38 The Little Perfumer
Chapter 38 The Little Perfumer
"Sparkling scent?"
At the teachers' table for breakfast the next day, Lily, Flitwick, and Professor Sprout stared at the small glass bottles that the little witch had brought out, exchanging wide, confused glances.
"It's made from the pollen of the white phosphorus flower." Hermione hesitated for a rare moment, after all, it was somewhat ungrateful to give something stolen to the original owner.
This is the result of her tinkering all night. At her current level, she probably won't be able to help the professors in other ways.
"Spraying it forward creates an explosive flame that covers a certain area, and because it's pollen, it will adhere to the enemy and continue burning," she explained. "Compared to raging flames, its advantage is that it's quick to activate, requires no spells, and has no magical fluctuations, making it good for surprise attacks."
"So you stole my pollen to study this," Professor Sprout couldn't help but say, her expression visibly softening.
Dean Badger, who always gave his students the impression of being stingy, was actually just heartbroken that these plants weren't being used properly. Now that he learned that his students had used the newly discovered plants to make practical tools, that heartache naturally dissipated.
"That's an interesting idea." Flitwick couldn't help but open the bottle cap and sniff it.
"It has a hot, spicy sensation, but it's not like chili peppers," he savored.
"White phosphorus pollen is just the catalyst. Your few plants aren't enough to make so much Sparkling Incense. You must have added other ingredients, right? Something like a spice?" Lily, as expected of a master of potions, guessed pretty accurately just by smelling some lingering scents.
"I did a lot of experimentation before I finally settled on the base ingredients for the spices, but this is a secret recipe." Hermione showed off a little proudly, omitting the story of how she sneaked into the school kitchen, befriended the elves, indulged in a feast, and stole the spices.
Just like the Atas flower, the base material used by perfumers in the Borderlands, any perfumery cannot do without this medium that can activate the materials and also act as an adsorbent and mixing agent. Hermione also stole various materials from Potions class and the kitchen and carefully ground them in proportion to create a product with similar properties.
"My goodness, you're only in first grade," Sprout exclaimed affectionately. "It's a pity Minerva isn't here, otherwise she would be very pleased."
Hermione said embarrassedly, "Actually, there's another one, but I'm not sure if it will work. My potions skills are still far from sufficient."
She took out a few more bottles, this time containing a red powder that looked very dangerous.
"I call it an inducing spray. The idea is that if you hold this powder in your mouth, mix it thoroughly with saliva, and then spit it out, it will form a powerful inducing spray that can make the potion, which is normally slow to take effect, react quickly."
This fragrance is inspired by perfumers' "poison spray." In the history of the border region, it was originally used as a treatment to enhance the effects of healing fragrances. However, after the war, this spray was modified into a deadly poison spray.
Upon arriving in this world, Hermione didn't believe there was any poison Lily couldn't concoct. Fortunately, by restoring its original form, a potent inducer, the potion, which was originally slow to take effect, could now work quickly and might even be more useful.
"Huh?" This kind of perfumery with important practical applications really piqued Lily's interest.
She took the glass bottle and began to examine it carefully.
"The base is indeed consistent with the Sparkling Fragrance, but instead of adding white phosphorus pollen, another powder was used. Is it also a fragrance? Why do you have such a fondness for fragrances? It seems to have a very active nature after being mixed with your secret base..." Lily visibly entered a professional state.
Perfumery is an ancient and exquisite technique, but due to war, this technique, which originally served the nobility and was used for healing and exorcism, evolved into a weapon of war, and many perfumers destroyed their hearts by inhaling excessive amounts of perfumes.
"Let me think... the role of saliva in this... indeed, most common triggers have instability issues, and using saliva as a trigger is something that even those renowned potions masters would never think of! Hahaha!" Lily laughed happily.
She turned to Hermione and said, "Without testing, I can't say for sure how many potions it will work on, but I'm very optimistic about this invention. At least it should work well with vaporized poisons. Congratulations, Miss Granger, you may be the pioneer of a new discipline!"
"Unlike the potion system, the spice system is no longer limited to the form of infusions. Instead, it takes fragrance as its core and uses the sense of smell to penetrate the body and mind. I can already imagine what this discipline will look like in the future."
Her gaze was gentle, much more loving than when she looked at Harry, as if this were the daughter she should be looking at.
"Ha, Miss Granger has another magic technique waiting for her to create!" Professor Flitwick immediately chimed in, not wanting Lily to run off with Hermione.
"Of course, Professor, I can give you the paper this week!"
"But child, why did you suddenly think of giving us this?" Sprout asked.
Hermione betrayed Harry without hesitation: "It was Harry and Ron. They overheard the professors talking and found out you were going to do something very dangerous."
"So, you sent your research results ahead of time because you were worried about the professors' safety?" Professor Sprout's gaze became even more benevolent.
Hermione tilted her head and smiled shyly, "It may not be very useful, but it's the only thing I can do."
"It's good that you have this thought. Oh, this child, it's really touching!" Sensitive Flitwick's eyes reddened, and he tugged at Sprout's clothes to wipe away his tears.
"Thank you, Hermione. If Harry were half as carefree as you, I wouldn't be losing so much hair." Lily stroked Hermione's head. "But don't worry, with Dumbledore around, the professors will bring the children back safely."
"We'll accept your invention. The professors will take care of things outside. As for you, kid, eat well, finish your homework, and don't go out at night with Harry and the others," Sprout said with a smile.
"Well, so all the professors know what Harry and the others do at night..." Hermione thought to herself, obediently returning to the Gryffindor table.
Harry and Ron were struggling with breakfast: "What did you say to the professors? Weren't we supposed to stay away from last night?"
"The professors told me not to go on nighttime outings with you anymore."
"Pfft!" Ron spat out a mouthful of cockroach milk: "All the professors know?"
"Maybe except for old Malfoy, he doesn't even come to the teachers' table for meals very often," Hermione said casually.
"It's over. This Christmas holiday, Mom will kill Dad first, then me," Harry said with a look of despair.
"If you get an O on your next potions assignment, maybe you won't have to," Hermione added mercilessly, delivering the final blow. As everyone knows, Professor Potter would never give Harry an O on his assignments.