The problem that had plagued him and George all summer was solved less than ten minutes after Gerald arrived.
"Sometimes I really don't understand how that brain of yours works." Fred leaned back against his chair, looking at Gerald with admiration.
Ever since they were little, he and George had been recognized as the two smartest members of the Weasley family, at least when it came to alchemy. But in front of Gerald, he always felt completely outclassed.
Gerald smiled without saying anything.
Sometimes, things from the Muggle world were well worth drawing on, especially the things Old Ma had come up with.
QQ's friend-adding system, along with the local chat history storage and cloud syncing found in every social app.
In his previous life, product managers had spent decades refining these things over and over. He was simply transplanting a proven set of product principles into the magical world's alchemy system.
Of course, he couldn't explain any of that to Fred, so he merely smiled.
Just then, George came upstairs too.
He had just successfully diverted Ginny's attention with three Chocolate Frogs and a packet of Fizzing Whizzbees.
After hearing Fred's account, George was just as astonished.
"I knew you'd have a solution. That's why Fred and I kept writing to hurry you over. Sure enough, you did."
"I have an idea. I wonder if you'd be interested." Gerald changed the subject, clearly having no intention of pursuing the topic.
Fred and George exchanged a glance and sat down in front of him at the same time, their movements as perfectly matched as mirror images.
The last time he had spoken in that tone, he had produced a hundred and eighty Ballpoint Pens for them to sell on commission. They had sold out in less than a month, earning