Chapter 61: Simple Materials
"Betrayal at Hogwarts?" Fred and George exchanged a look. A strange, inexplicable chill ran down their spines.
"Yes," Ryan said, his expression serious. "A very kind-hearted game. I'll share the design with you. And I have an idea for another game as well. We can work on them together." The twins, still feeling a sense of unease, could only nod and wait for Ryan to reveal his diabolical plans.
"Any other suggestions?" Ryan asked the group.
"Can we add a camera?" Hermione's hand shot up.
"An excellent idea, Miss Granger. We can certainly add a camera lens and the corresponding magical-photo development charm."
Hermione's suggestion opened the floodgates. The other students all began to think of everyday objects and how their functions could be incorporated into the new device. And when you get a large group of students together, you're bound to get some... creative ideas.
A heating function, Ryan could understand. A function that would automatically do your homework, he found a bit abstract, but he knew of similar "tutoring" software in the Muggle world. But then, a true visionary spoke up. "Ryan," he said, "I believe we should add a clothes rack."
"And," he continued, "if we combine the clothes rack with the heating function, we can dry our clothes anywhere, anytime! We could wash our clothes while we're in the shower, and they'd be dry by the time we got out!"
A wave of strange, pitying looks was directed at the speaker. He was a man of such wild, untamed imagination that he clearly belonged at the mad hatter's tea party, and at the head of the table, at that. "An excellent suggestion," Ryan said, trying to gently shut him down. "We'll… consider it."
After filtering out the more… abstract… ideas, the group finally settled on a feature set for the first version of their communication device: basic communication, gaming, a camera, a study aid, a notepad, and an alarm clock.
"In my original design," Ryan began, "the communication function would project a miniature hologram of the other person. But the charms required for that would necessitate silver and some precious gemstones. With the additional features we've agreed on, the final cost of the device would be several dozen Galleons. That's too expensive. It doesn't align with my vision."
"Several dozen Galleons?" Malfoy interjected. "For a magical item that has never existed before? With all due respect, Ryan, that's a bargain. I think you should raise the price."
"Draco," Ryan said patiently, "we're developing this product for the entire wizarding world. It needs to be affordable for everyone. I don't want to wake up one day and read in the Daily Prophet about a riot at the Leaky Cauldron over a 'Fifty Thousand Knut Communicator.'"
Draco understood, but he didn't like the idea of using the same device as the… less fortunate… members of wizarding society.
"Of course," Ryan added, seeing the look on his face, "we can also offer a luxury version, for several hundred Galleons, for those who wish to display their status." He knew it was unrealistic to expect a child who had grown up in the lap of luxury to understand the struggles of the common wizard. Malfoy had already changed a great deal; he was now able to interact normally with students from all backgrounds, and he was even beginning to show a modicum of respect for his teachers. So Ryan offered him a solution that would cater to his sensibilities: a high-priced, functionally identical luxury model.
Malfoy, as expected, gave a dignified nod and said he had no further objections.
Pablo Pierce, who had been scribbling on a piece of parchment, now looked up. "I've just done a quick cost analysis," he said. "Ryan's prototype, which is made from the highest quality materials, already has a material cost of fifty Galleons, and that's not even including labor. To make it affordable, we need to substitute some of the more expensive materials with cheaper ones, or even with artificially created ones."
Artificially created materials! Ryan's eyes lit up. He had been so focused on using naturally-occurring magical ingredients that he had overlooked this obvious solution. As long as the material could achieve the desired effect, it didn't matter what it was made of. They could even use a miniature alchemical matrix and a permanent enchantment to make a simple piece of parchment mimic the properties of mithril, at least for a while. "A brilliant idea, Pablo," he said. "What materials do you think we can substitute?"
Pablo projected his list into the air. "The ruby, which helps to stabilize the magic, can be replaced with a glass bead that has been soaked in a stabilizing potion. It won't last as long, but it will save us four Galleons."
"The Cymophanite crystal, which carries the Projection Charm, can be replaced with a common synthetic crystal. The image quality will be slightly lower, but it will save another three Galleons."
"And the unicorn hair," he continued, "can be replaced with wood from a protector tree, which has similar protective, stabilizing, and dark-force-repelling properties. That's another ten Galleons saved."
"And so on," he concluded. "The carriers for the various other spells can all be replaced with cheaper, treated materials. In total, we can save forty Galleons."
"A lifespan of five years, instead of several hundred," Vaisey mused. "That's acceptable. Especially when contrasted with the multi-hundred-Galleon luxury model. The buyers will feel like they're getting a steal." He then added, "But a material cost of ten Galleons is still too high. Even with Ryan's... workshops... there will be production costs. To break even, the final price would have to be at least fifteen Galleons."
Ryan knew Vaisey was talking about a production line, but was being careful not to use such Muggle-specific terminology in front of a group of wizards. And he agreed with his calculations. A fifteen-Galleon price tag was still too high for many wizarding families. They would have to cut even more corners... ahem, increase efficiency even further.
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