Loren's shout cut short the family's reunion. Neville, who always listened to Loren, froze mid-rise, holding his posture and not daring to move.
"Hermione, switch Neville's Automatic Training Suit to day mode!"
A second later, Loren's voice came again from the magical notebook. Only then did Hermione, holding the notebook, snap to it. She hurried over and toggled Neville's suit into day mode.
Seeing on the screen that Hermione had quickly carried out his instruction, Loren let out a long breath.
Neville, hearing Loren, realized he still couldn't control his strength. If Loren hadn't stopped him just now— The thought alone made cold sweat bead across his back, soaking his clothes in moments.
Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom, seeing their son's sudden state, hurried over to check him, worried something was wrong. Neville waved his hands to reassure them, then tugged his foot up out of the floorboards. In his excitement, he'd misjudged his force and driven a foot straight through the wood. At that level of control, without Loren's quick warning, a comedy could have turned tragedy.
Through the magical notebook, Mrs. Longbottom watched the family's sweetness for a while longer, then closed the video call.
"What's the effective range on this magical notebook?" The old fox didn't waste time—her very first question after sitting down went straight to call distance.
Loren quietly offered two words. "Global coverage."
It was far beyond what she'd expected. "Truly possible?"
"I'll leave a few samples. Test them however you like," Loren said. He wasn't going to argue the point; let facts speak.
"How much are you planning to sell each notebook for?"
"Two Galleons apiece," he said, naming a price that made her blink.
"Wholesale or final retail?"
"Final retail."
"And the unit cost?"
"One Galleon."
Mrs. Longbottom sat silent for a long moment before saying, "We can use the Longbottom family's channels to sell these for free. I'll even beg a few favors to help promote."
She knew there were barely ten thousand witches and wizards in Britain; the notebook was a true must-have product, but even if everyone bought one, the profit would only be a few hundred thousand Galleons—and that didn't count time costs. The Longbottoms didn't need the money; covering distribution would square today's favor.
"No, no," Loren said gently. "I must not have explained clearly. The magical notebook isn't as simple as you think."
"Oh? What else can it do?"
"Here—these little icons are different functions. I call them applications, or 'apps.'" Loren began to introduce the other features.
"Right now there are only a few. This one that looks like a bookshelf is Library. Put the notebook on a book and it can auto-recognize the contents and store them. As I said, it can hold the entire Hogwarts collection.
"This one like a sheet of parchment is Forum. Everyone can see the threads there and join the discussion; the originator can also set certain restrictions on replies.
"This camera icon gives the notebook photo and video, saving shots in the notebook and letting you post them to the Forum.
"The crossed swords is Games. Tap in and you'll find casual games for relaxation."
The functions made Mrs. Longbottom's eyes brighten, but she still didn't grasp their full implications.
"Each notebook connects to a server," Loren continued. "It records everything each person uploads. If a notebook is lost or damaged, you can log into a new one and recover your data. And it can bind to a user's magical signature so only the owner can use it."
At that, Mrs. Longbottom's eyes sharpened; she'd spotted the key and asked at once, "And this 'server' is where?"
"Trade secret," Loren said lightly. "No comment. But we'll do everything possible to keep every customer's data secure."
She let the question drop; the answer told her enough. Loren moved on to how it would make money.
"By my estimate, the wizarding world has around two hundred thousand witches and wizards. The notebook will become a must-have. If everyone buys one, that's a bit over two hundred thousand Galleons in profit. That's only the start. I also have an upgrade roadmap—refreshes every year or two.
"More importantly, we can monetize through apps—partner with shops, run ads in the early phase, promote goods through the notebook, and later sell directly and share in their profits. That's the simplest path. There are richer ones. If we can work with Gringotts and have them guarantee transactions, we could even issue our own currency one day."
That line brought Mrs. Longbottom to her feet. She still didn't fully see all of his intent, but the benefits of pushing the notebook were stark.
"How are the Longbottoms' interests guaranteed?"
"As I said before: profits split fifty–fifty. Out of my half, I'll still give a cut to the Weasley family."
"The Weasleys will be involved?"
"I'm already working with them. They'll help manufacture notebooks and open a shop in Diagon Alley. With their distribution and yours together, we can ship worldwide."
Mrs. Longbottom thought it over. "We can cover the Weasleys' share out of our side."
"No," Loren said. "I'll cover the Weasleys' cut. Your share should be used to bring more allies in."
That left her momentarily puzzled—why should the Longbottom profits be split again? Loren laid out the logic.
"The end goal is notebooks in every witch and wizard's hands—not just Britain. And the earning plans I mentioned will require many participants."
As the family matriarch, she was quick on the uptake—she'd simply been caught on her back foot before. Now she understood, and she could already see the advantages: this web of interests could pull the Longbottoms back into the magical world's center of influence and make the family stronger than before.
Seeing she'd grasped the point, Loren set several magical notebooks on the table. "Let the Longbottoms handle promotion. Publicly, you can present it as a partnership with the Weasleys."
"No problem. Leave it to us. I'll also reach out to the Weasleys. When can we begin selling?"
"There's one server issue left. I'll have it solved soon. Roughly by end-of-term holidays we can launch. Before then, you can start lining up partners."
"Isn't that a bit rushed? The holidays are only a few months away."
"The exact launch date is for the Longbottoms and the Weasleys to decide," Loren said. "But I have one condition: those brain-dead pure-bloods don't get into this partnership."
Mrs. Longbottom had heard from Neville about the friction with the Malfoy family and knew exactly whom he meant. She nodded at once. Though the Malfoys stood for many of the Death Eater families, the Longbottoms were no lonely force—and they weren't afraid.
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