The twins hadn’t drafted their proposal yet – they were still developing a programming language to create their magic version of a video game. Yup, they were starting by designing the programming language itself, testing combination of runic characters to see which ones could suit their needs for game development.
As the twins excitedly explained their first game concept and initial plans, Scarlet lean over and whispered to Alexis, “Can I expect them to invent a magical iPhone or internet in the near future?”
“Maybe. It’s hard to say; they’re unpredictable,” Alexis replied in a low voice.
Fred turned to the two girls on the couch, beaming with excitement in his eyes. “Isn’t it a brilliant idea? Milady, we shall be famous!”
“Battling with cards where the characters appear before you when summoned - how cool is that!” George added, sharing his brother’s enthusiasm.
Scarlet nodded, amused. “And how exactly are you going to achieve that effect?”
She mentally listed comparisons. Yu-Gi-Oh uses holograms; Pokémon are captured in the wild and summoned with Poké Balls; Digimon start as digital eggs needing a device. What else...Cardcaptor Sakura? The spirits are sealed in cards and awakened through summoning. Or maybe like a gacha games? Collecting fragments to form a card?
“We’re torn between a few ideas,” Fred admitted. “Summoning a character directly from a card sounds convenient and cool, but using a summoning device for the cards also seems practical. Or we could go smaller and set the game on a table. We’d be able to install new games onto the table, just like the setups in the game centres we saw.”
Scarlet thought for a moment, then asked, “Hold on - what’s the size of these card characters in your first idea?”
“Same size as us, of course!” Fred declared proudly, thumping his chest. “We’d team up with our card characters and battle against each other - player with player, character with character!”
Scarlet shook her head. “Too risky if players are also battling. With characters moving around, controlling a wizard duel-like situation could get messy.”
“That’s what I told them,” Alexis agreed, nodding. “I still think we should start with a game table. It’s a bit big for a console, but we could have all kinds of maps and set it up like a visualized war game. We could have 1v1 duels, 5v5 matches like in MOBA games, and even larger-scale battles where players act as generals commanding troops. The characters would be summoned from a pool of cards before each game, and players couldn’t pick their cards directly. Instead, they could collect shards to increase their chances of summoning specific characters. How does that sound?”
“Brilliant!” Fred and George exclaimed.
Scarlet nodded in agreement. “Good. Like I said, do some market research: decide your target audience, gameplay, time estimated development time, and the funds needed to make the game. We’ll settle on the price later, once I know the full development costs. Oh, and give the game a name – it’ll be easier to talk about that way.”
While Alexis was still distracted by thought of a “Holy Grail War”, the Weasley twins instantly came up with a name. “Wizard’s Gambit!” they chimed.
Scarlet blinked, then nodded. “Sounds legit. Congratulations – you're finally starting a long-term, interesting project.”
“Thank you, Milady; we couldn’t have done it without you,” Fred said, kneeling and kissing Scarlet’s hand like a knight.
“We’ll never fail you, nor the money you’ve invested in us,” George added, kneeling on the other side to kiss her hand as well.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“...Alexis, I’m leaving them to you,” Scarlet sighed, her expression resigned. She was clearly getting used to their “knight and lady” routine. “I’m going to check on Sammy.”
“Who’s Sammy?” Alexis asked.
“My broom,” Scarlet replied before quickly slipping out of the house.
“...You two just love embarrassing her, don’t you.” Alexis squinted, giving the twins a sceptical look.
“We’re not embarrassing her,” Fred said, feigning innocence.
“We’re teasing her!” George added cheerfully.
“To lighten her mood~” they said in unison.
Fred’s smile softened slightly. “Don’t you think she takes things a bit too seriously? She’s just eleven...well, twelve now. Twelve! Look at our baby brother, then look at her. See the difference?”
Her soul’s probably about the same age as your mom’s...Alexis thought with wry amusement but kept it to herself. “Well, everybody’s different. She’s just the type to mature mentally faster than other kids.”
“Or forced to,” George added softly. “At five, she figured out how to use her fame as an author to boost her orphanage’s reputation and give everyone there a better life. What were we doing at five?”
She was a discipline teacher, and probably a captain leading a support team in her past life! She’s used to that kind of life! But...it would do her good to let go of that tension now that she’s reincarnated... after Voldy is dealt with, of course. Not the best time to rest yet. Alexis thought to herself, but tried to drop a subtle hint.
“Well...If all goes well, she might be able to relax a bit next year,” Alexis said. After she deals with whatever Horcruxes she can get to.
Fred and George rubbed their chins, studying her closely. “You’re hiding a secret with her, aren’t you?”
“Obviously.” Alexis chose not to elaborate and moved to exit the room. “Don’t ask; girls’ secret.”
The twins exchanged a look.
“Definitely not an ordinary secret.”
“Something big?”
“Something Muggle?”
“Wanna find out?”
They considered it for a moment before shrugging. “Nah.”
While the twins dove into their market research – drafting a questionnaire to get feedback on their tabletop game idea and working on the game rules - Alexis headed to the orchard behind the Red House. Looking up, she spotted Scarlet flying on a broom. But...the broom itself looked oddly familiar yet out of place.
When Scarlet landed and noticed Alexis’s expression, she raised an eyebrow. “What’s with that look.”
“Your broom,” Alexis said, studying it closely. “It’s not a Firebolt or from the Comet series. It looks... like one of those Japanese brooms from anime, the kind shrine maidens use to sweep up fallen leaves.”
“I’m impressed by the scope of your entertainment references.” Scarlet smirked. “Yes, it’s a gift from Meiko. I keep it in my pendant too, but I couldn’t bring it out in Hogwarts since first-years aren’t allowed brooms. Tell me, besides anime, novels and games, what else do you do for fun? Hiking? Window Shopping?”
“Watching YouTube,” Alexis replied immediately, then said after a moment of thought. “Sometimes browsing Reddit. Found tons of interesting stuff there...Like, just before the car crash, I stumbled on a fantastic AMV of the Fate series, and I fell down that rabbit hole. Shame I never actually got around to playing the game before I died.”
Scarlet glanced at her, intrigued. “You really seem to admire that series.”
“Wait till I find a way to show you the cool battles between the Servants. Especially Gilgamesh versus Enkidu.” Alexis shrugged, eyeing the broom. “So, just out for a ride with your broom...Is it a youkai, like with a spirit or feelings?”
“No, it’s more like a self-developed AI, but yes, with feeling, similar to our wands,” Scarlet replied, noting Alexis’s weird expression. “What? You didn’t know wands have preferences? Some wands would rather snap in half than let someone else use them.”
“...I didn’t know that,” Alexis groaned. “I can already see my exam results – all T’s.”
“Well, study, then. You’ve got a pair of geniuses around, plus Hermione, the brains of the protagonist trio. Make use of that advantage.” Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Alright, I’m off to walk my broom. You’ll be fine here?”
“Don’t worry about me - I’m an adult too, just not as experienced as you. I’m fine by myself,” Alexis said, waving as Scarlet zoomed off into the sky. She watched the red-haired girl perform all kinds of intricate manoeuvres, clearly something only a skilled flyer could pull off. The broom almost seemed like an overexcited husky, happy to dart about. Scarlet isn’t the type to show off, so the broom must be loving this.
Wait...does that mean I have to bond my wand like you would with a cat that just might ignore you? Alexis stood there, stunned.