As he spoke, the suitcase Wayne had brought with him opened automatically, releasing two strange devices roughly the height of the podium, which landed beside Hermione and Cho.
The two girls each took out a palm-sized metal plate and slotted it into the designated grooves on the devices.
Whoosh—!
The crowd suddenly stirred, students pointing and whispering amongst themselves.
After a soft chime, a massive virtual projection appeared in the air—a stage, divided neatly down the middle by a line.
Upon it, projections of Cho and Hermione each occupied half the space, wands in hand.
The laymen watched the spectacle, while the experts observed the craft.
The young witches and wizards only saw the lifelike effects, but professors like Dumbledore could discern far more intricacies.
"A remarkably precise piece of Alchemy," Dumbledore marvelled. "It reminds me of the Pensieve—both create such an immersive experience, blurring the line between illusion and reality."
"To stabilise the images like this... has Mr Lawrence invented another new spell?"
Professor Flitwick was practically vibrating with excitement. As a lover of all things spellcraft, encountering an entirely unfamiliar charm had him itching with curiosity.
Lupin shook his head in awe. "Is he really just a student?"
As one of the creators of the Marauder's Map, Lupin had a deep understanding of Alchemy. He knew exactly how difficult this feat was—certainly beyond his own capabilities.
"What a waste!"
Snape cursed inwardly. Of them all, he was the most impatient.
With such formidable strength and talent, instead of researching resurrection potions with him, he's here making these flashy 'toys'.
Isn't gold just something you need enough of?
Why is this guy so obsessed?
It's not like you can eat it!
"..."
Wayne gave everyone ample time to discuss and marvel, only continuing once most had calmed down.
"Allow me to present to you all – a virtual duelling game I conceived upon first entering Hogwarts, which took me two and a half years to complete: 'Hogwarts: Magic Awakened'!"
"In this game, you can experience the thrill of duelling others without injury, casting spells you've never learned, and taming legendary magical creatures."
As Wayne spoke, card after card flew out from his person.
Snowball, thundercloud, hurricane, freeze, dragon, unicorn, Thunderbird.
With each card that flew out, special effects appeared in the air one by one, eliciting gasps of amazement.
Especially when the dragon and Thunderbird made their appearances – the sky filled with flames and lightning illusions – pushing the atmosphere to its peak!
"Wayne! How do you actually play this?" Justin Finch-Fletchley shouted loudly. As a Muggle-born, this immediately reminded him of those fighting games on Muggle consoles.
The difference was that the display effects of Wayne's cards were hundreds of times better than those of the low-pixel special effects.
But flashy effects aside, what mattered was whether it was exciting to play.
Ginny glared at him fiercely.
She hadn't even spoken yet as the paid plant, and someone had already jumped the gun. Would Wayne ask for a refund?
"Don't rush," Wayne gestured with one hand pressed downward. "Next is the demonstration. Everyone, please step back a bit so you can see more clearly."
"It's worth noting that the projection device is just for better display effects. Even without it, you can duel directly by connecting two game consoles, though the screen will be much smaller."
He turned to look at Cho and Hermione. "Ready?"
"Yes, no problems here."
It was their first time too. During Wayne's introduction, they'd familiarised themselves with the relatively simple controls.
Tapping the wand on specific positions in the projection would make the character walk there automatically. A transparent panel in front displayed the available spells and summoning cards.
To cast a spell, you select it first, then choose the direction and position to release it.
Wayne walked over to Hermione's console and adjusted it briefly, lowering the projection height to the space everyone had cleared.
From this angle, it truly looked like two people were about to duel before them.
As Wayne pressed the button, a countdown appeared above the duelling platform. Three seconds later, the battle began.
Hermione controlled her virtual avatar to retreat while selecting the Snowball Spell card, aiming it at Cho.
A huge snowball rolled forward, but Cho simultaneously moved her character, dodging easily before countering with a Summoning Charm that pulled Hermione back near the centre line.
Cho then advanced, her wand emitting beams that tapped Hermione's head repeatedly. Both their health bars were slowly decreasing.
The Great Hall was silent except for the sound of virtual characters casting spells, with everyone else holding their breath as their eyes remained fixed on the duelling platform, afraid to miss a single thrilling moment.
Both participants were using very common spells that many young wizards recognised.
Summoning Charm, Disarming Charm, Shield Charm, Water-Making Spell, Inflating Charm...
Wayne's commentary arrived at just the right moment: "When you purchase the base game, each console comes preloaded with ten spells and summonable objects. More advanced spells require purchasing card packs~"
"Cards are ranked into four tiers: white, blue, purple and gold. The higher the tier, the rarer they become, making it a true test of one's luck..."
As he spoke, he explained some additional rules.
Meanwhile, Cho played a card that excited many Quidditch enthusiasts.
George shouted: "A Bludger? You've turned Bludgers into spells now?"
A Bludger appeared on the field, striking Hermione and dealing significant damage before flying back. Cho quickly controlled her character to predict its trajectory, swinging her bat to relaunch it. Unfortunately, she only managed two hits, somewhat wasting her magical power.
Harry and Malfoy were very familiar with the magical power gauge display, having used practice wands with similar features during classes.
No wonder Wayne said he'd been practising for two and a half years - he'd clearly been preparing since back then.
Both players' health bars were now nearly depleted. After their initial flustered moments, they'd begun grasping the game's mechanics.
The atmosphere grew tense as students held their breath for Hermione and Cho, cheering loudly for them.
"Granger! You have to win!"
"Chang! You're representing Ravenclaw!"
The shouts in the Great Hall could have lifted the ceiling.
Suddenly, a 'mini-Hermione' appeared beside Hermione, even smaller than herself.
From then on, whatever spell Hermione cast, the mini-Hermione would replicate it.
Meanwhile, another Cho appeared beside Cho herself. As this duplicate waved her wand, Cho's health began slowly recovering while her movement speed increased, allowing her to dodge spells more gracefully.
Wayne had to cast Amplifying Charm to be heard over the excitement as he explained:
"Character cards! Extremely special cards - unlike others that can be reused, character cards can only be played once per match but possess tremendous power."
Finally, with her enhanced speed, Cho dodged several of Hermione's spells. Combined with her recovered health, she emerged victorious.
The Ravenclaw eagles erupted in cheers.
"Wayne, can we have a go now?" George called from the back, jumping up and down as others stood anxiously around him.
Not just him, almost all the young wizards present were itching to have a go, seeing Hermione and Cho battling so thrillingly—they wanted to try it too!
"Of course you can. I've arranged an hour-long trial session with a complete set of built-in cards. Interested students are welcome to experience it firsthand."
"Now, please step back further to make room for the machines!"
With a clamour, all the young wizards squeezed against the walls. Wayne still felt it wasn't enough, so he cast an Undetectable Extension Charm, doubling the size of the Great Hall, before setting up eight identical machines.
The students nearly came to blows fighting over who would get to play first. It was only after Wayne made them draw lots that the commotion settled.
One set of equipment was reserved for the professors.
Standing nearby, Wayne watched as Dumbledore took his position, looking for an opponent.
"Remus, care to give it a try?"
"Certainly." Lupin was about to step forward when Snape blocked his path.
"How about letting me have a go?"
Lupin shrugged helplessly and yielded the spot to Snape.
Professor McGonagall exclaimed in surprise, "Snape, you're actually interested in games? Oh, I don't mean to imply this game isn't good—on the contrary, it's quite fascinating."
"Merely seizing an opportunity," Snape replied coolly.
It wasn't the game he was interested in—it was the chance to thrash Dumbledore!
If he couldn't beat the old man in reality, couldn't he at least pummel him in a game?
The two standing before their machines didn't start immediately. Instead, they browsed through the card information, selecting the spells and companions they needed to assemble their decks.
Each deck could only hold eight spell cards and three companion cards. Without careful selection, it would be hard to form effective combinations.
"Severus, I can hardly wait to begin. What about you?" Dumbledore said cheerfully.
"Let's proceed," Snape replied darkly, his face souring as he spotted his signature spell—the Laceration Curse!
The bat-like man shot Wayne a venomous glare, blaming him for exposing his trump card.
"The effects aren't even the same. What are you worried about?" Wayne muttered beside him.
"Later, I'll need to borrow your likeness for another card anyway. Consider the materials I gave you earlier as payment for your endorsement."
Snape's face turned green.
While these two were still preparing, the students displayed far less patience.
Once they grasped the rules, they eagerly launched into battle.
Malfoy and Harry, sworn rivals, found themselves matched up again. To their delight, they discovered Wayne had designed companion cards featuring them.
"Brilliant," Ron grumbled, green with envy. But Harry had no time to console his best mate's disappointment—he was too busy excitedly assembling his deck to face Malfoy.
Right off the bat, Harry summoned a Phoenix, which hovered around him, continuously restoring his health.
Malfoy, meanwhile, played his own character card, prompting Crabbe and Goyle to guffaw stupidly beside him—for the card depicted not just Malfoy alone, but the three of them together.
Next, Malfoy summoned a Troll. Watching his four hulking figures charge menacingly toward Harry, he crowed triumphantly:
"See that, Potter? My cards are just that powerful!"
"Harry, your health's already full—that Phoenix is wasted! Quickly, use a companion card!"
Ron quickly forgot his gloom as he eagerly began advising Harry, resembling those elderly gentlemen who gather around chess games.
Harry hastily responded with an "Oh!" and activated his companion card. A miniature Harry appeared before him, casting the Patronus Charm that sent all the monsters flying and protected him.
"That's not fair!" Malfoy stomped his foot in frustration. "You haven't learned the Patronus Charm yet! Why is that your card's ability?"
As it happened, Wayne was passing by and overheard the question. "Oh," he explained, "I just wanted to encourage Harry to learn the spell sooner." Then he added, "Better start casting spells now—you're nearly defeated."
Wayne glanced at Malfoy's deck and nearly facepalmed.
The boy had loaded up entirely with high-cost cards. By the time Malfoy accumulated enough magical power to summon an Antipodean Opaleye, Harry could have cast two or three spells. Then came another long wait for the next move.
Harry wasn't faring much better. His deck consisted solely of spell cards, leaving him helpless against Malfoy's creature cards. Once his companion card disappeared, he got thoroughly pummeled.
It was truly a case of the blind leading the blind.
The Great Hall buzzed with excitement, filled with young wizards' delighted shrieks and the sound of onlookers offering advice.
Wayne felt rather pleased with this outcome.
Truthfully, he could have copied many existing game concepts—Hearthstone, Teamfight Tactics—but standalone card games didn't quite align with wizarding culture. This battle format seemed more likely to catch on.
Moreover, players could learn about spell effects, creature characteristics, and even gain combat experience from the game, making it less likely to draw objections from professors. Professor McGonagall's reaction proved this point.
The senior cat-girl was currently fixated on Snape and Dumbledore, ready to jump in the moment either stepped away.
The hour passed quickly.
When Wayne began packing up the machines, current players clung to them reluctantly, while those who hadn't gotten a turn looked even more disheartened.
But there was no helping it—it was already past nine, and curfew approached.
"Lawrence! I want to buy a game console now, plus ten more card packs!" Malfoy demanded impatiently as the equipment was being collected.
He'd just beaten Harry twice consecutively—an absolutely exhilarating experience. How could he possibly stop now?
"Make that ten for me too!" Harry shouted, caught up in competitive fervour.
Ron immediately tugged at his sleeve.
"Have you gone mad? We don't even know the price yet! Ten of something this impressive must cost a fortune!"
Harry sobered instantly and closed his mouth.
The other students now watched Wayne nervously. What if the price exceeded their means?
Facing the expectant crowd, Wayne stepped back onto the platform, cleared his throat, and smiled. "Now let me announce the prices for both the game consoles and card packs."
"The game console will cost three Galleons each."
Cheers erupted through the hall as everyone clapped enthusiastically.
Three Galleons wasn't exactly cheap, but for this gaming system, it represented excellent value. They'd already tested it—two consoles could connect without projection equipment, creating a playing surface the size of a table that worked perfectly well.
"As for the card packs..."
Wayne's eyes took on a nostalgic gleam, as if reminiscing about his lost youth, before continuing:
"Each pack of ten cards will cost 168 Knuts, guaranteed to contain at least one purple-rarity card."
"Twenty-card booster pack price: 328 Knuts, guaranteed to contain at least two purple cards."
"Forty-card booster pack price: 648 Knuts, guaranteed to contain either a gold card or gold card fragments, with five additional bonus cards."
"Before the end of this academic year, any student who purchases ten sets of the 648-packs will receive a free game console."
The crowd in the Great Hall fell silent.
The conversion between Knuts, Sickles and Galleons was so complicated that no one could immediately calculate how many Galleons this amounted to.
Hermione was the first to figure it out: "Approximately one Galleon plus five Sickles."
"Lawrence, why did you set such odd prices?" Malfoy complained.
When he'd first heard the large number 648, he'd been startled and was still calculating how much ten packs would cost. After Hermione's explanation, it turned out to be only about eleven or twelve Galleons.
"You don't understand," Wayne said with complete seriousness. "648 is a matter of faith!"