Edmund stood in the queue outside the bookshop on Oxford Street, holding a copy of The Times and looking no different from the other Muggles waiting to buy books.
But his eyes were not on the newspaper in his hands. Instead, he stared intently at Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Part One) inside the bookshop.
Ever since his last conversation with Tom at the Leaky Cauldron, he had been unable to get that book out of his mind.
Today, he had heard that all the major bookshops had it in stock, so he had made up his mind to buy a copy himself.
The queue moved slowly forward. Edmund waited patiently, and after a while, his turn finally came.
"One copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," he told the shop assistant.
"Certainly, sir." The assistant deftly pulled a book from beneath the counter. "Three pounds."
Edmund paid, took the book, and strode out of the shop.
He found a secluded corner and opened it.
The first page, the second, the third...
"Merlin's beard..." he murmured. "This is far too detailed."
He quickly turned to the section describing Diagon Alley, which mentioned Ollivanders and the Goblins at Gringotts...
Every detail was exactly as he remembered it.
"This author is definitely a wizard," Edmund muttered to himself. "No Muggle could write something like this."
He stuffed the book into his pocket and hurried toward the Leaky Cauldron.
The same scene played out simultaneously in different cities across Great Britain.
Manchester, outside Simon Bookstore.
A middle-aged man wearing a T-shirt and a bowler hat stood in the queue, looking incongruous.
His name was Augustus, and he was a retired Ministry of Magic official.
He had come all the way from home to Manchester today specifically to buy a copy of that much-talked-about book.
"I hear this book is very popular," he said quietly to a stranger beside him.
The stranger was a Muggle, who responded enthusiastically, "Yes! My daughter's been pestering me to buy it every day. She says it's a wonderful read!"
Augustus smiled politely without saying anything.
If your daughter knew everything in this book was real, she'd probably faint from the shock.
Before long, it was his turn.
"One copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," he said.
"Certainly, sir." The assistant handed him a book. "Three pounds."
Augustus paid, took the book, and turned to leave the shop.
He hurried home and opened the book over a cup of tea.
"Oh no, this is unbelievable," he murmured. "These details feel completely real."
"Hmm... perhaps I should ask my old colleagues at the Ministry. Could this book have something to do with the Department of Mysteries?"
Liverpool, outside a large chain bookshop.
A young witch stood among the people queuing, wearing an ordinary Muggle coat.
Her name was Lillian. She was a Hogwarts graduate and now worked at a shop in Diagon Alley.
She had taken the day off specifically to buy this book.
I've heard the price of this book has already been driven sky-high in the wizarding world, she thought. But I'm not wasting my money. It's better value to buy it myself.
The queue moved quickly, and it was her turn in less than twenty minutes.
"One copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," she said.
"Certainly, miss," the assistant said with a smile. "Three pounds."
Lillian paid, took the book, and eagerly opened it to the first page.
Standing outside the bookshop, she read the first three chapters in one sitting.
"Oh my..." She looked up, her eyes shining. "This book is so detailed."
"Maybe it really is true!"
She had to hurry back and share this book with her colleagues.
Edinburgh, outside an independent bookshop.
An elderly wizard stood in the queue, wearing an old-fashioned black overcoat and leaning on an oak walking stick.
He had come from the Hog's Head to the Muggle world today specifically to buy this book.
I've heard this book has caused quite a stir in the wizarding world, he thought. Let's see just what's in it that's got those wizards so excited.
"One copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," he said politely when his turn came.
"Certainly, sir." The assistant handed him a book. "Three pounds."
The elderly wizard paid, took the book, and left the shop.
He found a quiet café, sat down, and began to read.
When he reached the account of Harry's life with the Dursley family, he frowned.
"This child's had a terrible life," he murmured. "What on earth is Dumbledore thinking?"
As though something from the past had come to mind, a trace of coldness crossed his face.
Within a few days, more and more wizards had obtained copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone through various channels.
Some went to bookshops in the Muggle world and queued to buy it themselves.
Others asked friends to buy copies for them.
Soon, an entirely new commercial chain quietly took shape in the wizarding world:
Reselling.
The first to sniff out the business opportunity was a young wizard named Frederick.
He lived in London, very close to the Muggle world.
He spent a day visiting five bookshops and bought twenty copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Then he returned to Diagon Alley and set up a small stall outside Flourish and Blotts.
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Part One! Fresh copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Part One!" he called loudly. "Four Galleons a copy! Limited stock, first come, first served!"
Four Galleons was roughly twenty pounds in Muggle money, more than six times the original price.
Even so, a crowd quickly gathered around his stall.
"Give me a copy!"
"I want one too!"
"I'll pay five Galleons each. Sell me all the rest!"
Frederick grinned from ear to ear.
He had never expected the business to be this easy.
In less than two hours, all twenty books had sold out.
"This pays much better than working at the Ministry," he said to himself.
Word spread quickly.
More and more wizards joined the reselling trade.
Some made special trips to Muggle bookshops to buy in bulk, then brought the books back to the wizarding world to sell at high prices.
Others ordered through owl post, then resold them at the Leaky Cauldron or in Hogsmeade.
Some even formed dedicated "book-buying squads," dividing up the work and cooperating with remarkable efficiency.
However, with so many resellers, prices were not driven too high.
At first, a single book could fetch four or even five Galleons.
But as the supply increased, the price soon fell back to around three Galleons.
Some shrewd buyers even shopped around to find the cheapest seller.
"Hey, that stall over there is only charging two Galleons and ten Sickles!" a witch called to her companion.
"Really? Let's hurry over!"
Seeing this, the resellers had no choice but to lower their prices.
Eventually, the market price settled at between two and three Galleons.
Although this was considerably more expensive than the original price in the Muggle world, the wizards found it reasonably acceptable.
After all, they no longer had to go to the Muggle world themselves and queue to buy the book.
As more and more wizards bought the book, an unprecedented reading craze swept through the wizarding world.
At Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley, the assistants were surprised to discover that business had been considerably better lately.
Strangely, however, most people who came in were not there to buy books.
"Excuse me, do you have anywhere to sit?" a witch asked as she entered the shop, holding a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
"Er... we don't have a reading area here," the assistant said awkwardly.
"All right, then." The witch sighed, turned, and left the bookshop.
Similar scenes kept playing out in every corner of the wizarding world.
At the Leaky Cauldron, Tom noticed a marked increase in customers lately.
But these people were not there to drink.
"A Butterbeer, please." A wizard entered the pub with a book in his hand.
Tom handed him his drink. After taking it, the wizard found a corner, sat down, opened his book, and buried himself in reading.
Watching this, Tom did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Are these people here to drink or read?" he grumbled under his breath.
Something similar happened at Honeydukes in Hogsmeade.
Several young witches sat on a bench inside the shop, each holding a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
They ate sweets as they read, occasionally letting out exclamations.
"Oh my goodness, this part is so well written!"
"Yes! My heart started racing when I read about Harry entering Hogwarts for the first time!"
"Stop talking and let me finish this chapter in peace!"
The owner, Florean Fortescue, shook his head helplessly at the sight.
"My sweetshop's practically become a library," he said with a wry smile.
But truthfully, he did not mind.
Because these witches would also pick up some sweets while they read.
His sales had actually risen considerably.
In the streets and alleys of the wizarding world, almost everyone had a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Even the way wizards greeted each other had changed.
Before, they might have said, "Lovely weather today."
Now, however, they often asked, "What chapter are you on?"
"I've just reached the part where Harry meets Hagrid."
"That part's brilliant! My favorite bit is how Hagrid rescues Harry from those awful relatives of his like a savior!"
"Yes, exactly! Mine too!"
Two wizards who had never met before chatted animatedly because of this book.
Inside the Leaky Cauldron, several wizards sat together, heatedly discussing the plot.
"Do you think Professor Snape is a bad guy or not?" a plump wizard asked.
"I think he's definitely a bad guy!" another wizard declared firmly. "Look at his attitude toward Harry. It's absolutely appalling!"
"And... didn't you see the description in the book? [The hook-nosed teacher looked past Professor Quirrell's scarf and straight into Harry's eyes-Harry immediately felt a stab of pain in the scar on his forehead]."
"Remember, that scar of his was..." He paused, instinctively closing his mouth.
For a moment, silence fell among the wizards.
"Not necessarily." A third wizard shook his head. "I don't think he's a bad guy."
"After all, Dumbledore kept him on as a teacher at Hogwarts!"
"Perhaps he has his reasons," the third wizard added.
"His reasons? What reasons could justify treating an eleven-year-old child like that?"
"You're overthinking it," a fourth wizard interrupted. "I think he's just a bad-tempered teacher."
They argued endlessly, none able to convince the others.
In the end, they decided to wait until the second half came out before reaching a verdict.
Similar discussions took place at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.
"What do you think was in that little package?" a witch asked curiously.
"I don't know either." Her companion shook her head. "But I think it must be very important."
"Obviously. If it weren't important, why would anyone want to steal it?"
"Do you think the person who wants to steal it could be Snape?"
"Possibly! One look at him tells you he's no good!"
"But didn't Hagrid hide that little package? How could Snape possibly steal it?"
"Perhaps he has an accomplice?"
"An accomplice? Who?"
"Someone like... Professor Quirrell?"
"Professor Quirrell? That stammering Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts? How could he possibly..."
"Don't let his appearance fool you. People like him are the sneakiest of the lot!"
"You have a point..."
Almost the entire wizarding world was discussing this book.
Whether in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, at the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks, and even in the offices of the Ministry of Magic, wizards were all discussing the same topic:
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (Part One).
The book seemed to possess a wondrous magic that left everyone who read it unable to put it down.
Those who had yet to read it, meanwhile, were left itching with anticipation by what everyone around them said, wishing they could buy a copy that very instant.
For a time, "Harry Potter fever" swept through the Wizarding World.
Just as the Wizarding World was caught up in the reading frenzy over Part One of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," a bombshell announcement caused an uproar in the Muggle world.
Outside the Bloomsbury Publishing building, a huge banner had been hung.
The banner had a deep blue background, with large gold-stamped letters that read:
"'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (Part Two)-the three-headed guardian, the truth behind the mysterious theft at Gringotts, the conspiracy in the underground classroom, and... that final secret! All will soon be revealed!"
Below this, the banner bore another line in small print:
"Officially on sale October 1!"