Chapter 86: "The Art of Operations"
The news that a fifth-year student had become the patriarch of a pure-blood house spread like wildfire from the banquet guests, sparking a frenzy of speculation and disbelief throughout the wizarding world. It was an unprecedented event, and the undercurrents of doubt and suspicion began to churn beneath the surface of their polite society.
The glittering banquet finally came to a close, and the guests departed. For the first time in their lives, the members of the Adventurers' Club found themselves strolling through the castle corridors at night under the watchful eye of Professor Snape.
"Merlin, I can't believe it," Harry whispered to the Weasley twins as soon as Snape had peeled off toward the dungeons. "Our second-ever nighttime stroll through the castle, and it's with Snape."
"Forget strolling with Snape," George said. "In all our years of nighttime adventures, we've never once been accompanied by any professor."
"Tonight was a first, that's for sure," Fred added. "We're headed to the Adventurers' Club with Ryan, so we won't be going back to the common room just yet."
At the front of the group, Ryan was speaking with Vaisey. "You'll need to get leave for tomorrow as well. There's some prep work to be done at the Tower of Wonders. I'll try to be there if I have the time."
"This whole marketing timeline for the communicator feels a bit rushed," Vaisey admitted. It was a question that had been nagging at him, but he hadn't found the right moment to ask. "Building a headquarters, setting up a production line, and launching a marketing campaign all within a few days, with no time to build up hype... it doesn't seem like your usual style." From what he knew of Ryan, a proper launch would have involved a slow burn, gradually building excitement and getting the pure-blood families to act as willing promoters before the final, massive push to the general public.
"A keen observation," Ryan said. "That's because this is only one part of a much larger plan." He had his own doubts about whether Dumbledore's new scheme would succeed, but even a slim chance of capturing Voldemort was far more important than the first day's sales figures for the communicator.
"Can you tell me about this plan?"
"If it were the original plan, perhaps. But things have changed. The revised plan is far too dangerous. This particular dungeon raid is not suitable for young wizards." Ryan held up his hands. The original "savior-nurturing" plan would have likely involved nothing more than some trash-talking and stalling in front of a weakened Voldemort. This new "Voldemort-capturing" plan was on a whole other level. He didn't think a single member of the Adventurers' Club could survive even a single blow from a desperate, cornered Dark Lord.
"I understand," Vaisey said, and the two parted ways.
The Weasley twins followed Ryan to the second floor, while the rest of the students dispersed to their respective common rooms.
Inside the club, the three of them sat down. "First," Ryan began, "I need to explain exactly what kind of game Hogwarts: The Betrayal is."
He waved his wand, conjuring a series of virtual images that resembled Chocolate Frog Cards. But instead of the usual famous wizards, these cards depicted students and alumni from the four Hogwarts houses across the ages.
"They look just like Chocolate Frog Cards!" Fred exclaimed.
"Exactly," Ryan said. "We've taken the most famous wizards from Hogwarts's thousand-year history and turned them into virtual cards. Their greatest achievements have been condensed into unique skills, and the main gameplay involves battling with these cards."
He conjured a demonstration, a short, animated battle between two cards. The students watched, captivated, as a card depicting Dumbledore launched a roaring jet of flame at a card depicting Voldemort.
"Each round, you draw a hand of cards," he explained. "This is an attack card, a 'strike.'" The Voldemort card shimmered, and one of the five health points displayed beside it vanished. "If the Voldemort player doesn't have a defense card, a 'parry,' he takes damage."
After a few more rounds of the demonstration, George and Fred were practically vibrating with excitement, eager to try it for themselves.
"It's not loaded onto the communicators yet," Ryan said. "The long-term operations, updates, and maintenance of the game will be your responsibility."
He then proceeded to give them a detailed, and rather cynical, lesson on how to run a "wildly popular" game. First, to get the best wizard cards, players would have to spend a fortune in Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons on a card-drawing lottery system. A system, he added, with no "pity timer" or guaranteed drops. Second, they would constantly release new, cosmetic "skins" for the same characters at exorbitant, fixed prices. The game's special events would be guided by one principle: "Pay to Win." Finally, there would be no game balance. The player who spent the most money was always right. And under no circumstances were they to listen to player feedback.
The ruthless, predatory marketing tactics made the Weasley twins' blood run cold.
"Is this... really okay?" they asked, horrified.
"Of course it's 'okay'!" Ryan said with a grin, making a pun in his head that didn't quite translate. The twins, still young and naive, simply nodded, figuring if Ryan said so, it must be the right way to do things.
The three of them discussed the plan all night, their enthusiasm never waning. As dawn approached, they were still raring to go. "When can we start?"
"Tomorrow—no, wait, today," Ryan said. "Vaisey is heading to the Tower of Wonders. You can go with him. I've already created the alchemical device that will install the game onto the communicators. All you need to do is feed the basic game framework into it." He added, "But I won't be able to help much after that. All the future updates and maintenance will be on you. I hope it won't be too much trouble."
"No trouble at all! We'd be delighted!" they said, nodding vigorously.
As he watched the two redheads depart, Ryan offered a silent, one-second prayer for their immortal souls. Then, he had a sudden realization. A feeling of lightness washed over him. With the Order of Merlin in Dumbledore's hands, the Voldemort ambush also being planned by Dumbledore, the communicator business delegated to Vaisey, and the game operations now with the Weasley twins, he was, for the first time in a long time, completely free.
"And I don't think I have any classes with the Heads of House today," he mused. "Which means I can finally get back to the Room of Requirement and work on my external magic core."
Just as he was savoring the thought, a silvery phoenix Patronus soared through the wall and hovered before him.
Well, so much for that, he thought, his vision momentarily going dark. Is there no such thing as a child labor law in the wizarding world?
The phoenix opened its beak and spoke with Dumbledore's voice. "I have already written to some friends about the Order of Merlin. Come to the castle entrance at once. You are to come with me. There is someone who wishes to meet you."
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