The man folded the newspaper, tucked it into the inside pocket of his overcoat, and turned toward the street corner.
His name was Hunt, Elias Hunt in full, and he was an ordinary employee of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.
He passed through a narrow alley and stopped before a seemingly unremarkable brick wall.
After looking around to make sure no Muggles were paying attention, he drew his wand and gently tapped the third brick in the wall.
The brick wall began to twist and change shape, first opening a crack, which then widened until it formed an arched entrance.
Beyond it lay a dim cobblestone alley. Past the alley, the road gradually widened, lined on both sides with all kinds of shops.
Hunt strode inside, and the brick wall automatically returned to normal behind him.
He crossed Diagon Alley and pushed open the back door of the Leaky Cauldron.
The Leaky Cauldron was quiet that morning, with only a few elderly wizards sitting in a corner drinking their morning tea.
Tom was polishing glasses behind the bar. He nodded when he saw Hunt enter.
"You're here early today, Hunt."
"Can't help it. I worked overtime again last night." Hunt sighed. "You know about that pillar of light?"
Tom's expression turned curious. "The whole Ministry of Magic is talking about it. I heard the Auror Office sent an entire team to investigate, but they found nothing?"
"That's right." Hunt approached the bar. "Not even a trace of residual magic. It was as though that light appeared out of thin air and vanished the same way."
"That really is strange," Tom said thoughtfully. "Though we've had more than enough strange things lately."
As he spoke, his gaze happened to stray toward a bookshelf in the corner of the pub.
Several copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Part One, sat on the shelf, the little boy on their covers looking at them through round glasses.
Hunt followed his gaze and gave a bitter laugh. "Don't remind me. That book is our department's biggest headache right now."
"I heard Minister Fudge flew into a terrible rage at the Ministry yesterday," Tom said, lowering his voice.
Hunt accepted the Butterbeer Tom handed him and scoffed. "Well, that book has sold millions of copies in the Muggle world, and we can't even find out who the author is."
Tom shook his head. "In all my years, I've never seen anything like it."
Hunt finished the last of his Butterbeer and set the glass back on the bar.
"I need to report to the Ministry. There's another pile of messes to clean up today."
He turned toward the pub's back door, where there was a fireplace connection to the Ministry of Magic.
He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fireplace. Green flames rose.
"Ministry of Magic!" he announced his destination clearly.
The green flames engulfed him. A second later, he was standing in a fireplace in the Ministry's atrium.
The Ministry's atrium was already bustling that morning.
Wizards in robes of every color moved through the hall, some hurrying toward the lifts, others stopping to read the noticeboard.
The golden fountain splashed in the center, its spray refracting rainbow colors beneath the magical lights.
Hunt brushed the soot from his robes and headed toward the lifts.
"Good morning, Hunt!"
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Hunt turned and saw his colleague Martha walking briskly toward him.
Martha was a witch in her early thirties, with short brown hair and round glasses. She looked sharp and capable.
"Morning, Martha," Hunt greeted her.
"Did you investigate that light last night?" Martha asked curiously.
"Yes, with the people from the Auror Office," Hunt said. "We didn't find anything."
"Nothing?" Martha raised her eyebrows. "With magical fluctuations that strong, how could there be no trace at all?"
"I don't know either." Hunt shrugged. "But there really wasn't any residual magic at the scene."
Martha nodded thoughtfully. "That really is strange."
They headed toward the lifts together. The doors opened just as they arrived, revealing several people already inside.
Hunt and Martha squeezed in and pressed the button for the third floor.
The lift rose slowly, its metal grille rattling.
"Oh, have you heard?" Martha lowered her voice. "It sounds like the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is going to take action against that book."
"What action?" Hunt asked.
"I heard Minister Fudge previously drafted a temporary bill to put it on the banned books list."
"So bringing it into the wizarding world from the Muggle world would be illegal."
Hunt paused in surprise. "That serious?"
"Minister Fudge really is getting desperate this time," Martha said. "The book spreading throughout the wizarding world will increase public pressure. If it contains anything that smears the Ministry, we'll have a real mess on our hands."
"And apparently the International Confederation of Wizards is watching this too. If it's mishandled, it could damage the Great Britain Ministry of Magic's international reputation."
The lift stopped on the third floor, and the metal grille opened.
Hunt and Martha stepped out and followed the corridor toward the offices of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.
Portraits of former department heads hung on either side of the corridor, casting curious looks at the people passing by.
The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes occupied an open-plan office, with dozens of neatly arranged desks piled high with documents and reference materials.
Quite a few people were already seated in the office, but none of them looked particularly well rested.
With one glance, Hunt spotted several colleagues slumped over their desks dozing, while others held coffee cups and stared blankly at the parchment before them.
"Wow, you lot look exhausted." Hunt walked over to his desk.
His neighboring colleague, Ellie Brown, looked up, two prominent dark circles beneath his eyes.
"Don't even ask." Brown yawned. "We worked overtime until two in the morning again last night."
"That book again?" Hunt asked.
"What else?" Brown gave a bitter smile. "There's always a group of Muggles hanging around the Leaky Cauldron. One of them even happened to bump into a wizard coming out."
"We had to modify their memories. It took us most of the night to sort it out."
Hunt patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Thanks for all your hard work."
"That's not even the worst of it," Lillian, the witch sitting opposite them, interjected. "King's Cross Station is even more trouble."
"What happened?" Hunt asked.
"Lately, quite a few Muggles have been going between platforms nine and ten, trying to find the legendary Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."
"Some even brought hammers to knock on the wall, saying they wanted to find the hidden entrance."
"We had to go and deal with it, using a Muggle-Repelling Charm to temporarily seal the place off from the Muggle world."
Hunt couldn't help laughing. "They really thought they could find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?"
"They certainly did." Lillian shook her head helplessly. "It's all that mysterious Allen Vane's fault. He described everything in such detail that those Muggles actually believed it."
"I heard some Muggles have even started keeping owls at home, saying they're waiting for their Hogwarts acceptance letters," Brown added.
Laughter rippled through the office.
Hunt pulled out his chair and sat down, then took the third-rate tabloid from his pocket and spread it on his desk.
"Speaking of which, take a look at this newspaper."
Brown leaned over for a look. "Mysterious pillar of light appears over London? Wasn't that the magic from last night?"
"Yes." Hunt nodded. "The Muggle papers have noticed already. It's only a third-rate tabloid, but there's no telling whether more people will start paying attention."
"With that book being such a hit on top of it, these really are troubled times."
He sighed and tapped the newspaper's headline.
"Strange books, an unexplained eruption of magic, Gringotts getting robbed... put all those things together, and something just feels wrong."
Brown shrugged. "Well, that book is hugely popular."
"Speaking of which, have you read the second part?" Hunt suddenly asked.
Brown and Lillian exchanged a look, their expressions turning a little peculiar.
"Haven't you heard?" Brown lowered his voice. "Minister Fudge issued a ban the day he came back."
"A ban?"
"Yes. He put Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on the List of Prohibited Items. No one is allowed to bring it in from the Muggle world."
"He also specifically stressed that no member of the Ministry of Magic was allowed to read it."
Hunt frowned. "That serious?"
"It certainly is," Lillian chimed in. "Apparently Minister Fudge got a cold reception from the Muggle Prime Minister, and he was furious when he returned."
"He thinks the book has exposed the wizarding world's secrets and threatens the security of the International Statute of Secrecy."
"So he decided to start internally and ban people in the wizarding world from having anything to do with it."
Hunt nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder I haven't seen anyone discussing it lately."
"And apparently the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is already drafting a banned books list. Once the bill passes, even privately keeping a copy will be illegal." Brown shrugged.
Hunt nodded thoughtfully. "I'm actually rather curious about what's in the second part."
"The first part was already exciting enough. I wonder what happens in the second."
"Forget it." Lillian waved a hand. "It's not as though we can read it anyway."
"All right." Hunt shrugged and changed the subject. "What assignments has our department had lately? I've been in the Muggle world these past few days, so I'm not really up to speed."
"There's this." Brown pointed at the stacks of boxes in the corner of the office. "Those are all copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone we've confiscated, smuggled into the wizarding world from the Muggle world."
"We've confiscated several thousand copies over the past few days."
"Smuggled?" Hunt asked, his eyes widening in confusion.
"That's right. The book is contraband now, so bringing it over from the Muggle world counts as smuggling," Brown said seriously.
"But..." Hunt recalled the scene at the Leaky Cauldron earlier. "I just saw Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Part One, at the Leaky Cauldron."
Brown said helplessly, "You know, the vast majority of people in the wizarding world have already read the first part, and we're short-staffed right now."
"So our priority is cutting off the smuggling routes from the Muggle world into the wizarding world and confiscating books being transported here."
"As for the copies of Part One still in the wizarding world, we'll need to wait until we have some time to spare before confiscating those."
"Most people have read it anyway, so we're in no hurry to deal with Part One."
"I see." Hunt nodded slowly.
Just then, the office door opened.
Everyone turned toward the doorway.
Silas Quildon, head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, strode inside.
He still looked rather grim, but considerably better than he had a few days earlier.
Holding a roll of parchment, he walked to the center of the office and clapped his hands.
"Your attention, everyone."
Everyone put down their work and looked at Quildon.
"I've just returned from the Minister's Office," Quildon said. "We've received clear instructions from above on how to handle that book."
A low murmur ran through the office.
Quildon raised a hand for silence and continued, "Under the temporary bill previously signed by Minister Fudge, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has officially been added to the List of Prohibited Items."
"Any and all instances of bringing this book in from the Muggle world will be considered illegal."
"And matters involving the law must be handed over to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Therefore, all copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone we previously confiscated must be transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
The moment he finished, groans filled the office.
"What? Do we have to carry all those books over?"
"We've confiscated at least several thousand copies!"
"And the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is on the second floor. We have to carry them up there?"
Hunt was stunned too. He glanced at the boxes piled in the corner that Brown had pointed out earlier.
Those boxes were all filled with copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone they had confiscated over this period.
Large and small together, there appeared to be at least several hundred boxes.
Moving all those boxes to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the second floor would take dozens of trips, even with the Levitation Charm.
"I know you're all tired." There was a hint of helplessness in Quildon's voice. "But these are the Minister's orders. We can only comply."
"The transfer must be completed before this evening."
Another chorus of groans rose.
"Sir, isn't that a little rushed?" Brown raised his hand. "We only just worked overtime last night, and now we have to move books..."
"I know," Quildon interrupted him. "But orders are orders."
"Get to work, everyone. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can rest."
With that, he turned, walked into his office, and shut the door.
A gloomy atmosphere settled over the office.
Hunt heaved a long sigh and stood up.
"Come on. Let's get to work."
Brown and Lillian stood up too, reluctance written all over their faces.
They walked to the corner where the books were stored and felt dizzy at the sight of the mountain of boxes.
"How long is this going to take?" Lillian complained.
"At least the whole afternoon," Hunt estimated. "And that's with the Levitation Charm."
Brown crouched down and opened a box. Inside, more than a dozen copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Part Two, were neatly stacked.
He picked one up and casually leafed through it.
"Come to think of it, we've confiscated all these books without ever reading them ourselves," he remarked offhandedly.
At his words, Lillian's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Exactly! We worked so hard confiscating these books and haven't even read them ourselves, and now we have to carry them over for someone else to read?"
"That's completely unfair!"
Hunt joined in. "Exactly! Those people in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement don't have to do a thing, and they get all these books for free?"
"Why should we let them reap the benefits?"
Brown looked at the book in his hand, then at Hunt and Lillian, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Then how about... we read for a bit and take a break?"
Hunt and Lillian exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time.
"Agreed!" Hunt said, lowering his voice. "This is a perfect chance for us to give this book a thorough... ahem, critique."
Lillian smiled too. "Right, a critique!"
Brown glanced around and found that their other colleagues looked eager to join in as well.
Clearly, they weren't the only ones who wanted to slack off.
"Then let's just... take a short break," Hunt said. "Director Quildon went back to his office anyway. He won't be coming out anytime soon."
They nodded knowingly.
Brown pulled three books out of the box and handed one each to Hunt and Lillian.
Then they each returned to their seats, pretending to sort through documents as they quietly opened their books.