To run a successful business, you must understand your target audience's purchasing power.
According to Wayne's long-term data collection, Hogwarts students were generally quite 'wealthy'.
Muggle-born students typically had the least pocket money, but even they had at least ten Galleons to spend.
Take Hermione—in her first year, she'd only had that much due to exchange limits and necessary purchases like wands and cauldrons.
By the third year, apart from textbooks, Hermione's allowance had reached forty Galleons.
Half-bloods and purebloods were more complicated, depending entirely on family circumstances.
But the minimum was five Galleons, with no upper limit for some.
Cases like Ron's were rare—apart from the Weasleys, Wayne didn't know any other families with so many siblings.
Averaging it out, fifteen Galleons was a reasonable estimate for a student's disposable income.
It wasn't that Wayne didn't want to lower the console's price—he simply couldn't.
Though the system lacked emotions, it had basic intelligence. Anything he sold had to be above the cost price to earn points; otherwise, it would be considered a gift.
Three Galleons was already the base cost—he couldn't go any lower.
But that didn't matter, because the cards were practically worthless.
The average production cost per card was less than three Knuts—gold, white, it didn't matter, they all cost the same. This was where he could get creative.
Thus, he announced a series of promotions: double value on first purchase, a free 648-pack with every console purchase (not stackable with the ten-packs-free-console offer).
Calculated out, each console effectively costs just two Galleons.
The students had never seen such marketing tactics before. Dazzled by this combination punch, they were practically ready to empty their pockets immediately for a chance to pull cards.
However, due to time constraints, Professor McGonagall wouldn't allow Wayne to continue. Purchases would have to wait until tomorrow.
Wayne would be waiting in the hall opposite the Great Hall at six o'clock tomorrow morning.
Before dismissing them, he had the Prefects from other houses help take the projection equipment back to their respective common rooms.
Showing off was also a major motivation for spending money. Who wouldn't want to flaunt their powerful cards after pulling several rare ones?
Wayne definitely wanted to give the whales and lucky players a chance to showcase their pulls.
Take, for example, when he pulled Huangquan with back-to-back golds plus a ten-pull with double golds—if he didn't boast about it, who would know?
...
The next day, many young wizards had barely slept that night, their anticipation and impatience surging like a heatwave.
In this world where technology wasn't particularly advanced and the wizarding community was rather dull, the games Wayne had introduced undoubtedly hit many people's sweet spots.
At the first light of dawn, just as the school permitted students to leave their common rooms, many rose from their beds simultaneously.
Harry was no exception.
In fact, all five boys in their dormitory were up.
"Ron, are you buying one too?" Harry asked in surprise, watching his friend get dressed.
"What choice do I have?" Ron sighed. "It's not like I can play yours."
Wayne certainly wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Every sold console would be magically 'locked' upon activation by the owner's magical power, making it unusable by anyone else.
"Do you have enough money? I could lend you some if needed." Harry, aware of Ron's financial situation, asked cautiously, careful not to touch a nerve.
Ron shook his head. "No need. I can afford this much."
"Are you wondering where I got the money?"
Harry nodded. He was indeed curious—had Mrs Weasley given him more pocket money than usual?
Facing his questioning look, Ron gave a bleak smile. "I earned it by selling my body."
"I've tested every single one of Fred and George's new inventions. Some more than once."
Harry's mouth opened, but no words came out.
In the end, he could only pat Ron on the shoulder as they walked out of the dormitory together.
The common room was already crowded with students, both boys and girls, though the former outnumbered the latter. As six o'clock approached, a large group filed out through the portrait hole and descended the tower.
By the time Harry and the others reached the first floor, queues had already formed outside.
Slytherin and Hufflepuff had arrived earlier due to their proximity.
Inside the Great Hall, Wayne had set up a table with Cedric, behind which stood several stacks of metal plates. Beside them stood a machine resembling a Muggle vending machine, filled with card packs of various price points.
Students simply had to insert money, and the machine would automatically dispense the card packs. Wayne believed the machine ensured fairness, at least...
Inputting card information into the machine was straightforward. The game console had a slot at the back—inserting a card would display its details on the front screen.
Malfoy was among the first to arrive and quickly obtained his cards and packs. After activating the console with his magical power, the young Malfoy eagerly embarked on his first-ever card draw.
Outwardly, all cards looked identical. Only by inserting them into the console could one view their specific details on the screen. Once removed, the card's concealing layer would vanish, revealing various designs.
Young wizards could choose to collect them or sell them back to Wayne for one Knut per card. As for the recycled cards...
After soaking in a special potion for a day, they could be repurposed as new cards for sale.
With a mix of nerves and anticipation, Malfoy inserted his first card. Soon, the screen displayed an image of a plump woman floating mid-air.
"Engorgement Charm."
Malfoy curled his lip and pulled the card out. He nearly tossed it aside, but hesitated—after all, it was his first draw. Eventually, he pocketed it.
Then he picked up the pace.
He had bought ten sets of 648, plus the complimentary pack, amounting to nearly five hundred draws. Other cards didn't matter much, but he had to pull his own character card at least.
Imagine the humiliation if he lost a duel to someone using Malfoy's card against him.
Disarming Charm, Kneazle, Fwooper...
Finally, on the seventh draw, the screen glowed purple. Crabbe and Goyle's large heads immediately leaned in. As the light faded, a peculiar clock appeared.
"Time-Turner?" Malfoy frowned. He had no idea what this was. After reading the description, his expression turned to astonishment. "The magical world has something this incredible?"
Don't assume pure-blood wizards knew everything. Time-Turners were classified artefacts from the Department of Mysteries, rarely seen or mentioned. This was Malfoy's first time learning that such a time-manipulating device existed.
"I'll ask Father to get me one later," he muttered dismissively, pocketing the card. Suddenly, an excited voice rang out nearby:
"I got a gold card!"
Instantly, everyone—whether drawing cards or queuing—crowded around. Blaise Zabini waved his console triumphantly. "See? Golden Snitch! Not only boosts magical power but also provides movement cards."
"Which pack was that?" someone asked curiously.
"Needless to say?" Zabini raised his chin haughtily. "Got it in the first pack. Doesn't seem as difficult as Lawrence made it out to be."
The envious and jealous gazes from the crowd nearly made him laugh aloud.
He relished this feeling of being the centre of attention.
"Tch, nothing special," Malfoy muttered, his expression turning poor as he retreated to a corner to resume card-drawing, this time speeding up considerably. He ignored ordinary cards, waiting only for the golden ones to appear.
Finally, on the thirty-fifth attempt, golden light erupted. Malfoy's breathing grew heavy with excitement.
It was as if the radiance had pierced his very soul.
Then...
"Potter?!"
"And just a bloody fragment?!"
Seeing the words "Harry Potter (1/5)" on the screen, Malfoy nearly fainted.
A fragment. And Potter of all people!
Grimacing, Malfoy tore open his second pack.
Potter again! Another fragment!
Third pack... still Potter, though this time not a fragment but a complete card.
Malfoy drew cards like a man possessed. He refused to believe this streak – if all eleven packs contained Potter...
Then he'd just buy ten more!
Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, Harry was similarly surrounded by onlookers. Like Malfoy, he'd purchased ten 648-packs.
Everyone wanted to see what cards the wealthy Harry would draw.
"Odd that Wayne didn't make us companion cards but turned us into support cards instead," George remarked nearby.
"Support cards are powerful, too! Didn't you see yesterday? With us, companion cards can be used twice with reduced cooldowns."
Support cards granted wizards special traits. The Weasley twins' card allowed repeated use of companion cards, while Cedric's summoned an additional plant card randomly after casting two spells.
Soon, Harry obtained his first golden card... a fragment.
His face twisted in disgust.
Malfoy, of all people?
"Tough luck," Neville said sympathetically, patting his shoulder.
Next, Harry drew four more Malfoy fragments and one complete Malfoy card, leaving him looking as though he'd swallowed a slug.
By the sixth and seventh golden cards, things finally changed.
But at the green glow on the card, everyone gasped, Ron even taking two frightened steps back.
"Avada... Kedavra," Harry murmured softly.
This curse was all too familiar to him...
His parents had died by it. During both encounters with Voldemort, the Dark Lord had used it repeatedly, each time sending searing pain through his scar.
Now, just seeing the green light on screen brought phantom pains.
"Why did Wayne include Unforgivable Curses?" Neville muttered uncomfortably.
"Makes it more realistic, I suppose," Percy interjected. "I saw a Ravenclaw at the next table pull out the Cruciatus Curse."
Now it was Neville's turn to go pale.
All morning, it seemed the entire school was drawing cards.
Some struck gold; others lost everything. Many spent their entire allowances without obtaining the desired cards.
Yet some, with just a single 168-pack, drew complete golden cards.
At once, an invisible barrier seemed to form between these people.
Ron had relatively good luck—he bought three packs plus a free one and pulled a complete gold card 'Orb of Water'.
He remembered this spell vividly. In their first year, Wayne had used it to suffocate a Troll, after which he'd obtained a new wand.
Just as Ron was eagerly preparing to duel Harry, they realised class was about to start. The two had to hurry off to their lesson.
...
During History of Magic, taking advantage of Professor Binns' leniency, the young wizards unusually refrained from sleeping. Instead, they discussed which cards they'd pulled and what decks they planned to build.
This left those without game consoles feeling miserable, as they struggled to fit into their social circles.
"Wayne, will you be releasing more cards later?" Padma Patil whispered beside him.
"Of course. The future cards will get even more interesting."
"Then..." The girl from the banks of the Ganges blushed slightly. "Would you make me into a Companion Card?"
"That's not impossible." Wayne smiled. "Many cards are still in design—perhaps you could give me some inspiration."
Padma immediately beamed like a flower in bloom. Nearby, Justin Finch-Fletchley overheard and chimed in:
"Don't forget about me! I'd love to appear on a card for others to pull."
"Me too, me too!" added Ernie Macmillan.
A whole crowd of students clamoured for Wayne to feature them on cards.
Professor Binns, immersed in his lecture world and hard of hearing—though not completely deaf—finally snapped:
"This is class time! Who are you all talking to—Lautaro?!"
Wayne's mouth twitched. Every time Professor Binns called his name, he seemed to acquire a new surname.
Similar disturbances arose in other classes.
Playful students, even if unable to duel, secretly powered on their consoles to read spell descriptions or configure decks.
If caught by a professor, consequences depended on the lesson.
Professor Flitwick had the gentlest temper, merely confiscating items until after class. Professor McGonagall would seize them for a week and deduct house points.
Snape... Well, no one was reckless enough to misbehave in Potions class, making it ironically the safest.
Yet the students' gazes towards Snape held a peculiar edge.
Wayne had actually made Snape into a Support Card. Did he know? And if he did, would he rage?
Snape himself dearly wanted to vent his fury, but poverty had humbled his ambitions.
For the sake of his grand ideals, he could only let Wayne have his way.
Finally, the morning's two classes ended. Many dashed to the Great Hall at top speed, wolfed down lunch, then found corners to duel with friends.
Wayne, however, went to the Headmaster's Office.
"Professor, could the school lend me a few rooms for projection equipment?" Wayne smiled, sitting opposite Dumbledore. "I think the houses should strengthen interactions—occasional public tournaments would be excellent for that."
Competition drove consumption. To earn money, he needed to make as big a splash as possible.
But this required Dumbledore's approval.
"If it's unused classrooms and corridors, of course." Dumbledore chuckled. "Mr Lawrence, why haven't you designed a card for me? Even Severus got one."
The teenager's lips twitched.
Are you jealous, perchance?
He offered a casual excuse: "Your card would need to be exceptionally powerful. I haven't perfected the design yet."
"Don't disrupt the game's balance," Dumbledore shook his head. "Normal strength will suffice."
"That's precisely why I haven't made one yet. I'll give it proper consideration."
"I'm most looking forward to it." Dumbledore regarded the youth with amusement before suddenly producing a gaming console and placing it on the table with evident enthusiasm. "Fancy a round of thrilling combat?"
Wayne blinked, unprepared for this turn from the old wizard. This was the same console he'd given Dumbledore yesterday for research purposes - it contained no cards whatsoever.
Noticing his puzzlement, Dumbledore stroked his beard in explanation: "I purchased several card packs during your lessons. Rather fortunate, really - pulled two complete golden cards."
"You're certain you want to duel me?" Wayne eyed him strangely.
Dumbledore radiated confidence: "Don't underestimate this old man. Yesterday I defeated Severus quite handily."
"Very well then."
The teenager's mouth curled into something resembling a predatory grin.
"Professor Dumbledore, I'm afraid you have no idea what a... GM account is, do you?"