"Full disclosure: I am terrible at business."
Lynn stated this honestly after they had all settled down in front of the fireplace in the Room of Requirement.
"However, I can provide some ideas that might be interesting and achievable. I just need you two to look at them and tell me if they have any commercial value."
"You two have brilliant minds and love tinkering with this stuff. I trust your judgment."
"Finally, someone with the foresight to recognize genuine genius." Fred flashed a dazzling smile and nodded immediately. George held up a thumb. "Honestly, when Charlie invested in us, he was prepared for the money to be completely wasted, but we're not going to let him win that one!"
"Spit it out, Lynn. Let's see your bright ideas."
As the twins watched, a slightly worn set of Wizard Chess pieces flew over from a nearby desk.
"Are you planning on upgrading Wizard Chess?" Fred raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You could say that." Lynn poked one of the pieces with his wand. "It's a variation of the game. I'd like to call it—"
"Don't touch me if you're not going to play!" the King, whose head Lynn had poked, announced aggressively. "You dirty, rotten, &!@#%(\%..."
"Hahahaha!" The twins roared with laughter at Lynn's dumbfounded expression after being interrupted by the piece. "That set's previous owner must have had a foul mouth! If you curse and swear while playing, the pieces tend to pick it up over time."
"New pieces talk a lot too, though, especially if you're a terrible player. They'll even try to coach you."
"But what if the pieces really moved on their own?"
Lynn gave the foul-mouthed King a flick, sending it flying into the corner of the room.
"But not through insults—through battle."
"I call it: Auto Chess."
Lynn gave a flick of his wand, and the remaining pieces on the table began to transform. He was quite skilled at Transfiguring small objects now, and could even add a little flair.
The pieces were divided into two teams on the board: each side had two Swordsmen, one Knight, and one Archer. The formations were different, however. When the fight began, the Knight on the left side had a perfect angle for a charge and immediately sliced into the back line, taking out the Archer easily. The previously even match was broken, and the Knight's side won.
"This is an 'Auto Chess' model that suits multiple friends playing together, setting up their own battle arrays. Each small figure has its own unique ability and attack pattern, along with an equipment system to strengthen the pieces..."
Lynn had essentially copied the concept of Teamfight Tactics (TFT), but in a magical, physical-piece version. The rules weren't overly complicated, and the twins understood it immediately.
"Economic management, pre-battle strategy, and tactical positioning—that's the core selling point of Auto Chess."
"The barrier to entry is low, but there's a lot of room for improving your operation and strategy. Compared to Wizard Chess, this is infinitely more fun."
"What about the design of the pieces?" The twins posed a crucial question after Lynn finished explaining the rules.
"That's not hard to solve." Lynn pulled a box of Chocolate Frogs from his pocket and took out a card.
"Not only famous witches and wizards—"
He placed the Dumbledore card on the table. "I also plan to include fantastic beasts and figures from myths and legends."
"But Auto Chess is just one part of it. These figures can also be used in a different game mode."
"I'm using Dumbledore to cast 'The Path of the Fire God' for 777 points of damage against you."
Lynn pushed the Dumbledore card forward, and the twins immediately yelled dramatically.
"Ow, ow, ow! That's powerful fire!"
The two jokers' mime was a bit exaggerated, but in that moment, they understood what Lynn was trying to convey.
"Card battling?"
"Clever."
Lynn was saving a lot of breath with the quick-witted twins.
"We can use a bit of magic to project virtual images when the cards are played, but I'm not great with Charms. This is where you two will need to put in some serious work. Once you've designed the spells, I can find a way to translate those spells into runes and print them on the cards for mass production."
"Character cards, Equipment cards, Spell cards, Trap cards, Field cards... combinations of different cards will make the duels exciting beyond imagination."
"You, my friend, are a genius!"
The twins, who had already visualized both 'games' in their heads, immediately realized just how popular these two products would be upon launch. The Wizarding World—at least in England—doesn't have many leisure activities. Tired old Wizard Chess would stand absolutely no chance against Auto Chess and Card Duels.
"We can already see the moment in the future when Galleons rain down like a storm, hitting us right on the head!"
"Your ideas are absolutely brilliant."
"But the difficulty is quite high. At the moment, we have no confidence that we can bring your ideas to life. We can't even begin to figure out all the magic we'd need for this."
The twins also realized how insufficient their current knowledge and skill were. Turning the visions in their heads into reality would be a serious challenge.
"Then why not ask a professor? I bet Professor Flitwick would be interested in this. He's much more of a kid at heart than Professor McGonagall."
"So, we start with the Card Duels first? Magic projection is much easier than Auto Chess's physical pieces. We can already do a little bit of that now."
Fred whipped out his wand and waved it. A stream of sparks shot from the tip, forming a crude, blurry image of his own head.
"So, our task for this stage is: Collect data for the cards we need to make—Wizards, Fantastic Beasts, and legendary figures. First, complete the character design. Then, we ask Professor Flitwick how to make it happen."
Fred and George exchanged a look, then grinned. "This is going to be brilliant fun!"
"I can be responsible for gathering information on Fantastic Beasts and mythical creatures. I've read quite a bit on those already," Lynn offered. He didn't intend for the twins to do all the work, as that would be too slow.
"We'll handle the famous wizards. Perfect, because we're staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. Mum and Dad are going to see Charlie in Romania, so we can spend that time doing proper research in the library."
"So, now."
Lynn stood up and held out his hand. "Welcome to the Game and Entertainment Department of Dora B. Mon Future Tech Co."
"What in Merlin's name is that?"
Fred and George laughed, shook Lynn's hand seriously, and pumped his arm.
"If we're going to make a fortune, we can't keep operating like amateurs. Harrie is the major shareholder—she provides the funds, we provide the manpower. In any case—you won't be short on dividends later."
"With Harrie involved, Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore can practically vouch for us. Even if this thing gets huge, no one foolish enough will dare come looking for trouble."
"Merlin's beard! May Harrie always be young, beautiful, wise, and clever!"
The twins realized the importance of the situation, cheering with raised hands. Now they had a solid foundation. With a powerful backer, their business would be secure.