Chapter 194: The Witchcraft Card Club
Chapter 194: The Witchcraft Card Club
While his roommates were busy finishing their lunches, Albert was writing a letter to Sierra Harriman. The letter consisted of greetings and expressing his desire to correspond regularly. At the end of the letter, Albert briefly introduced his idea for the magic lamp to Harriman.
In fact, Albert had tried to store the light orbs in a box on more than one occasion, but the result was always the same: without a source of magic to sustain them, the orbs would dissipate after a short period of time.
The idea for the magic lamp was initially inspired by a snuff-out spell. If one could possess the technique to store a light source, then creating a magic lamp would be feasible.
Of course, there were also simpler and more straightforward ways to create a magic lamp.
For example, the use of eternal flames, such as the Goblet of Eternal Fire.
By using the Goblet's flame as a light source and placing a specially crafted glass cover over it, one could achieve a stable, continuous, and bright white light.
As for the switch mechanism, a similar covering device could be used to simply block the light when the lamp was not in use.
As it happened, Albert knew of a way to completely block out the light.
In the novels and movies, the Weasley brothers had once created a smoke bomb that was completely opaque. By utilizing this property, one could fashion an opaque lampshade.
However, most of these ideas were still just notions in his notebook. Transforming these hypotheses into reality was no easy task.
It wasn't until after Serra had flown away with the letter that Albert returned to the hall.
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan had finished their lunch and were now huddled together, examining Albert's notebook on Witchcraft cards, transcribing the names and effects of the cards.
Across from them, Angelina and Alicia were flipping through the new cards, discussing whether to ask Albert to create original cards for them.
After all, the original cards that Albert had made for the four of them looked really good, a level above the standard cards they were currently using.
"But, do you think it's appropriate to use photos directly on the Witchcraft cards?" Angelina asked, having noticed a potential issue.
While the Witchcraft cards were similar to the Chocolate Frog cards, there was something about them that felt a little odd.
"We don't have the money to hire skilled painters," Albert said as he sat down next to Alicia and shook his head. "If we really want to replace the photos with paintings, that would be something for the distant future."
Of course, Albert already had a backup plan in mind. If they decided not to use photos in the future, he would use portraits instead.
"Can you paint portraits?" George asked curiously. He knew that Albert had a wide range of skills, so it wouldn't be surprising if he could paint as well.
"No," Albert denied outright. "If there's a need for that in the future, we can pay a Muggle artist to do it and then use magic to process the portraits afterward."
Albert's suggestion surprised the group, as they had never considered borrowing the skills of Muggles to accomplish something in the wizarding world.
"Let's worry about that later," Albert said, raising his hand to stop the others from continuing the discussion. He indicated that they shouldn't dwell on it, as it was something that would happen far in the future.
However, the mindset of the wizards who lived in the magical world left him exasperated at times.
With several people taking turns to help fill out the cards, the process became more efficient, and soon, a significant number of new cards were added to the collection. Albert then clearly divided the cards into factions, with only the four heads of Hogwarts currently having distinct effects, and all players' health points were fixed at twenty.
Perhaps due to subconscious bias, everyone was currently using only the Gryffindor faction.
"Do you think people will be scared if we put the Dark Lord on a Witchcraft card in the future?" Albert asked casually, bringing up the topic as a joke. However, he soon noticed that the atmosphere around them had suddenly turned stiff.
"What's wrong?" Albert asked, looking around at his companions in confusion.
"You're planning to put the Dark Lord on a Witchcraft card?" Angelina's tone carried a hint of anxiety, clearly not considering it a good idea.
"Of course, there will be a card for the Dark Lord, and there will also be a Dark Wizard faction in the future," Albert replied, his voice trailing off as he finally understood what was going on.
Wizards born and raised in the magical world held an innate reverence and fear of the Dark Lord. Unlike himself, they didn't have the advantage of an overpowered system, nor did they come from the Muggle world, and they certainly didn't know the Dark Lord's weaknesses or that he had been reborn without a nose.
The people who lived in the magical world were different from him. They had grown up listening to terrifying stories about the Dark Lord, and that fear remained with them even if they hadn't personally experienced that era.
"Wow," Fred whispered. "You're not scared of him at all?"
"I'm from the Muggle world," Albert shrugged. "The name doesn't hold any more significance to me than any other name."
"So, you really are planning to include the Dark Lord in the cards. But without a photo, how do you plan to depict him?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.
"That's simple," Albert winked. "Just show a pair of red eyes in the darkness on the card. Portray him as a mysterious and terrifying figure, the infamous Dark Wizard. After all, very few people have actually seen the Dark Lord."
"That makes some sense." George nodded in agreement.
"Hey, can you guys stop talking about this?" Alicia interjected, exasperated. For most wizards in the magical world, Voldemort and the Death Eaters were a taboo subject, but these troublemakers were treating it like a joke.
"Well, it's not like it's going to happen anytime soon anyway." Albert shrugged, rearranging his cards. With the new additions, their collection now numbered over a hundred.
Shanah walked over, eyeing the group curiously as they huddled over the table, fiddling with the cards. "Is this game really that fun?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's more enjoyable when you play with a bigger group." Albert replied, "It tests your understanding of the cards, how you combine and utilize them. You need to think about strategies to defeat your opponents, instead of just stacking high-star cards like George here."
"Hey, don't use me as a bad example!" George protested.
"I think you're the perfect example," Lee Jordan chimed in with a nod.
George was determined to stick to his strategy, hoping to refine it as the cards were further improved. With the right combinations, his idea might actually work.
Lee Jordan's comment elicited chuckles from the group.
Shanah pointed at Fred's card, a curious expression on her face. "Why does your card look so different from the others? It's much more polished."
"Yeah, this card was specially made by Albert a while back. Don't I look cool on it?" Fred boasted. "Eventually, all the cards will look like this. But Albert can't make them that fast on his own. Once we reach his level of skill, we'll be able to help craft the original cards too."
Shanah pulled out a Dumbledore Chocolate Frog card and compared it to the Witchcraft card. "It does look similar to the Chocolate Frog cards."
"Indeed, that's where we first got the inspiration." Albert admitted, "We plan to turn all the Chocolate Frog cards into Witchcraft cards eventually, but we can't do that yet."
Shanah sat down next to them, watching Fred and Alicia play. Fred's superior skill won him the game.
"That's it? You lost already?"
"Yeah, everyone starts with twenty health points." Albert explained, "Usually, the game ends when one player's health reaches zero. The strategy is to use your cards to deal damage while trying to minimize the damage you take. Of course, there are many ways to play Wizard Cards, it depends on your personal style."
"Why are all the cards from Gryffindor?" Davis asked, having observed the game for a while.
"Well, this card game is still new, so I've only made cards for Gryffindor so far." Albert clarified.
Katrina picked up a card, scanning its contents and raising an eyebrow. "You invented this game?" she asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, it's my invention." Albert confirmed, "If you're interested, you can ask someone to teach you how to play."
"Is this the Witchcraft card game you mentioned in your letter?" Truman asked, recalling the card Albert had sent him, which had a rush-attack effect, allowing the player to attack immediately upon being summoned.
"Yeah, if you want, you can try playing a game with them." Albert gestured to Fred and the others.
"What if I want cards from my own house?" Truman continued, as he wasn't a Gryffindor student and naturally wanted cards that represented his own house.
"It'll take time to design the other cards." Albert explained, "But don't worry, I won't favor any particular house when creating the cards. It's important to maintain fairness and balance in the game, otherwise, it defeats the purpose."
"I'll play, lend me your deck." Katrina reached for Albert's cards.
"I'll play you." Shanah offered, "Fred, can I borrow your deck?"
The two novices began their match, clashing in a friendly duel.
Despite being newcomers to the game, they quickly grasped the basics after a brief explanation.
A few minutes later, Katrina lost rather badly, having mishandled the spell cards in Albert's deck.
"There's something wrong with your deck!" Katrina accused, glaring at Albert.
"You just don't know how to use my deck properly." Albert shrugged, "There are many ways to play Wizard Cards, and my deck might be a bit tricky for beginners."
Katrina pouted, knowing that Fred's deck focused on Quidditch, while Albert's deck contained a variety of spell cards.
"It seems like deck-building is quite flexible." Truman observed the difference in playstyles between the two decks.
"Of course." Albert replied, "Everyone can develop their own unique style."
"If any of you are interested in Witchcraft cards, I welcome you to join me in refining this game." Albert addressed the onlookers.
However, not many people were truly interested.
The Witchcraft cards didn't look very appealing, and other games seemed more entertaining. Yet, there were always those who were intrigued by novel games.
(End of Chapter)
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