The discussion at the Leaky Cauldron was only the beginning.
That day, the entire Wizarding World was like the surface of water into which a stone had been thrown, ripples spreading outward in widening circles.
On the streets of Diagon Alley, wizards gathered in groups of three or five, clutching crumpled copies of the Daily Prophet as arguments rose all around them.
"Have you read today's paper? The bit about Harry Potter!"
"I have! Merlin's beard... The Chosen One actually grew up going hungry?"
"Exactly! I heard he lived in a cupboard under the stairs. He didn't even have a decent bed."
"This is outrageous! How could Dumbledore let something like this happen?"
"Shh-keep your voice down!"
"What am I afraid of? I'm stating facts! Dumbledore is supposed to be the greatest wizard of our time, yet he couldn't even protect one child?"
The conversation gradually shifted from "Who is Allen Vane?" to "Harry's childhood."
"Tell me, how did that boy get through those eleven years?"
"The book says he lived in a cupboard... a cupboard! Even the place where we keep our owls is roomier than that."
"And his aunt and uncle treated him terribly. They made him do all the housework and wouldn't even give him enough to eat."
"I heard he didn't have a single piece of clothing of his own. Everything he wore was his cousin's castoffs."
"Good heavens... he's only eleven."
A witch in purple robes had tears in her eyes. "I have a son about his age. I simply can't imagine it-if someone treated my son like that..."
"The point is, Dumbledore knew all about it!" a wizard beside her said indignantly.
"He personally left Harry Potter on that family's doorstep! Didn't he know what sort of people they were?"
"Perhaps he thought they would treat him well?"
"Treat him well? Leaving a baby on the doorstep with a letter and walking away-is that treating him well?"
"You're right. That was utterly irresponsible!"
Similar anger soon spread throughout the Wizarding World.
Inside Honeydukes in Hogsmeade, several young witches sat together with a secondhand copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Part One) spread open before them.
Only after considerable effort had they managed to borrow the book from a wizard who had visited the Muggle world, and they were taking turns reading it.
"Look at this passage," one blonde witch said, pointing to the words on the page, her voice trembling slightly.
"[Last year, the Dursleys gave him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.]"
"For eleven years, all his birthday presents have been old things his relatives had used for ages!"
Another witch, this one dark-haired, covered her mouth. "That's so cruel. He defeated You-Know-Who and saved the entire Wizarding World, and all he got in return was eleven years of loneliness and abuse."
"We should do something." The blonde witch looked up, her gaze resolute.
"Do what?"
"At the very least, we can't just let this go."
Meanwhile, in a small flat in London, Allen Vane lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The system's notification had just sounded in his mind.
[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Part One) has sparked widespread discussion.] [Milestone reward issued: Magic Awakening (Tier One)]
"What is this?" Allen asked in confusion as he felt a strange fluctuation suddenly pass through his body.
[The host has been helped to awaken the magical power of wizards in Harry Potter.]
"So that means I'm a wizard from Harry Potter now too? Roughly what level am I at?"
[Supplement: Dumbledore's total magical power corresponds to Tier Nine.] [Masters in certain fields of magic correspond to Tier Eight.] [Elite Aurors correspond to Tier Seven.] [Ordinary Aurors correspond to Tier Six.] [Outstanding Hogwarts graduates correspond to Tier Five.] [Ordinary Hogwarts graduates correspond to Tier Four.] [Most ordinary wizards are between Tier One and Tier Three.]
Allen rubbed his chin. "So I'm equivalent to an ordinary wizard now."
"But this isn't the world of Harry Potter. I'm the only wizard here!"
He sat up in bed excitedly.
"I need to hurry up and try the spells in the book!"
While Allen enthusiastically tried out magical spells, the Wizarding World, which he believed did not exist in this world, had already descended into chaos.
A letter delivered jointly by twelve owls landed on a desk in the Daily Prophet's editorial office, requesting that the Daily Prophet publish its news.
The envelope bore a bright red seal that read:
"S.P.U.W. - Society for the Protection of Underage Wizards' Rights"
A line of small print was also attached to the envelope's lower right corner:
"To Professor Dumbledore: please have your lawyer ready."
The contents of the letter were soon "leaked."
By that evening, the entire Wizarding World knew-
An organization called the Society for the Protection of Underage Wizards' Rights was considering bringing a lawsuit against Albus Dumbledore.
Grounds: negligent guardianship, endangering a minor's physical and mental well-being, and violating Article Seventeen, Clause Three of the Underage Wizards Protection Act.
The news sent the entire Wizarding World into an uproar.
"What? They're going to sue Dumbledore?"
"You read that right. The S.P.U.W. lot are serious this time."
"But... Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of our time!"
"So what? Everyone is equal before the law. Besides, if everything in the book is true, Dumbledore does bear responsibility."
"I heard the chairwoman of S.P.U.W. is a very influential witch. Her husband is a member of the Wizengamot."
"Merlin's beard... this should be quite a show."
In the Leaky Cauldron, Tom wiped a glass, his brow furrowed as he listened to the discussion around him.
"This has really blown up. Dumbledore's going to be sued," he said quietly to Edmund beside him.
Edmund nodded. "I heard the Ministry of Magic has started paying attention to this."
"The Ministry?" Tom raised his eyebrows. "They're finally doing something?"
"But..." Tom hesitated. "Why has the Ministry only started taking action now? This book has been a hit in the Muggle world for over a week."
Edmund shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they didn't think it mattered, or maybe..."
He shook his head and said no more, thinking that the matter might be complicated.
In fact, the matter was not as complicated as anyone imagined.
The Great Britain Ministry of Magic.
In the conference room of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, the atmosphere was as heavy as the sky before a storm.
Department Head Silas Quildon stood at the head of the conference table, both hands braced against its surface, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
His expression was grim.
"Can someone tell me," he asked, his voice low and icy, "why our Ministry of Magic was the last to learn that a book about the Wizarding World had appeared in the Muggle world?"