The silky, warm butterbeer dissolved instantly upon touching his tongue, followed by rich buttery aromas and delicate malt fragrances spreading throughout his mouth. The two flavors blended together perfectly, and if one savored it more carefully, subtle threads of caramel could also be detected.
The taste was genuinely excellent. The creamy butter flavor lingered in Glenn's mouth for quite some time, though that was essentially the extent of his interest.
Iced lemonade and tea remained firmly entrenched as first and second place in Glenn's personal beverage rankings.
Incidentally, third place belonged to plain drinking water—hot or cold, both were perfectly acceptable.
Compared to Glenn's cautious approach, Hermione appeared considerably more "adventurous." After her initial tentative sip, she never moved her lips away from the glass rim, taking delicate sips of the warm butterbeer. White foam had already accumulated on her lips, resembling a wispy white mustache.
She was clearly thoroughly enchanted by this bestselling beverage of the wizarding world.
"The alcohol content isn't particularly high. If Hermione enjoys it, then by all means continue."
After sampling that initial droplet, Glenn had no intention of drinking further. He set down his glass and patiently waited for Hermione to finish savoring her portion of butterbeer.
At this moment, though the pub buzzed with activity, within the young man and woman's immediate vicinity, all remained peacefully serene.
After approximately five or six minutes, Hermione finally drained the butterbeer from her glass, licking her lips with obvious lingering satisfaction.
Following Glenn's gentle guidance to clean the foam from her lips, the spirited girl's attention shifted toward the butterbeer before Glenn that remained virtually untouched.
"When you said you'd sample a bit, you genuinely meant just a bit..."
Hermione tilted her head, attempting to detect any change in the liquid's level within the glass.
Unfortunately, compared to when it was initially served, there was absolutely no discernible difference.
"If you'd like it, please take it."
Glenn immediately saw through Hermione's transparent scheme and pushed the glass toward her.
"Brilliant!"
Hermione, whose intentions had been thoroughly exposed, felt no embarrassment whatsoever. She gave her small hand a gentle flick, sending a brown pellet shooting from her sleeve. Then she pointed with her finger—white light flashed—and the brown pellet expanded mid-air, ultimately transforming into a portable cup with a small opening.
Another flick produced another brown pellet, which Hermione similarly subjected to Transfiguration, converting it into a drinking straw.
"You've become quite proficient at this."
Glenn observed Hermione pouring the butterbeer from the glass into her improvised container and offered this assessment.
"Naturally! Just consider who's utilizing the birthday gift you created for me."
Hermione spread her hands with characteristic matter-of-fact confidence, then rolled up her left sleeve, revealing a small device fitted snugly against her skin yet creating a slight protrusion on her arm.
"Speaking of which, alchemy truly is extraordinary. To think it can manifest objects from seemingly nothing, generating materials simply through magical energy infusion."
Hermione touched the alchemical device on her arm, unable to suppress her wonder.
"This isn't creating something from nothing. One of alchemy's fundamental principles is equivalent exchange. When matter is produced, other matter must inevitably undergo conversion. Magical energy merely serves as the driving force for transformation and constitutes part of the required cost. After you channel your magic, this device produces pellets easily manipulated through Transfiguration. The conversion source consists of various airborne substances invisible or barely visible to the naked eye—atmospheric impurities, or elemental components like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen."
Glenn provided this detailed explanation.
Precisely as Hermione had observed, this alchemical device that converted atmospheric substances to supply Hermione with brown pellets for Transfiguration represented Glenn's birthday gift to her this year. He'd previously noticed that although Hermione'sTransfiguration skills were already remarkably advanced, during actual combat she was frequently constrained by the spell's inherent limitation—requiring a physical object for transformation.
For instance, when she'd wanted to rapidly ascend stairs to locate him and Crookshanks, Hermione had chosen to scale the wall rather than wait for moving staircases. At that time, she'd employed Transfiguration to convert stone fragments severed by cutting charms into makeshift steps, enabling her continuous upward progression through strategic jumping.
Similarly, when she and Glenn had navigated corridors together using ground-movement spells and encountered corners requiring directional changes, Glenn had needed to provide suitable transformation materials before Hermione could cast Transfiguration to create inclined tracks.
Whether converting magical circuits or retrieving and deploying transformation materials from various sources, such methods proved excessively cumbersome, time-consuming, and wasteful of precious energy.
Motivated by the desire to streamline these somewhat tedious procedures, Glenn had crafted this nimble, lightweight alchemical device for Hermione through advanced alchemical techniques.
Though the alchemical device appeared simple—possessing merely three functions: absorbing magical energy, converting matter, and ejecting pellets—its manufacturing process and required energy expenditure exceeded all reasonable expectations.
First came volume and mass reduction. More intricate structural designs were essential to ensure the compact device fulfilled its intended purposes. This demanded extensive time and energy from the alchemical creator for conceptualizing and drafting the device's architecture before successful refinement.
Second was concealment. Though this reflected Glenn's habitual preferences, he insisted such tools merit the designation "concealed"—capable of remaining hidden on one's person without detection, providing unexpected advantages during crucial moments, and even if discovered, preventing observers from determining the device's actual function. This inevitably required exterior modifications to make the alchemical device resemble commonplace daily objects, while inscribing concealment-oriented alchemical circuits onto the device's surface.
Finally, Glenn needed to consider Hermione's aesthetic preferences regarding appearance and design. Honestly, this aspect presented the greatest challenge for Glenn.
He possessed virtually no understanding of fashion or similar considerations. Ultimately, he'd reached his final design through careful observation of Hermione from memory and comprehensive analysis of accumulated information.
One could genuinely say he'd invested tremendous effort.
However, Hermione's delighted reaction upon receiving the gift had already provided Glenn with immense satisfaction—not to mention the wonderful gift she'd presented to him in return.
"I understand now. No wonder I always sensed something peculiar about the surrounding environment during my practice sessions. With this explanation, it no longer seems strange."
Securing the lid and opening the cup's small aperture, Hermione inserted the straw and began blissfully enjoying her second serving of butterbeer.
Magic was undeniably convenient. Not only could one package unfinished beverages anytime and anywhere, but in colder environments, magical heating could maintain optimal drinking temperatures. Absolutely marvelous!
The pair pushed open The Three Broomsticks' door and continued their leisurely stroll.
"So it appears that before returning, our final destination is simply The Shrieking Shack!"
Hermione radiated excitement, clearly anticipating their upcoming adventure with tremendous enthusiasm.
"It's midday. We should visit a restaurant for lunch first."
"Ah, right."
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