In Diagon Alley, before most of the Wizarding World had even recovered from the news of Hogwarts' opening, the first wave of news had already caused a sensation in the Leaky Cauldron.
Tom had just opened the door that morning when he saw a greyish-brown owl swoop down from above the fireplace with a brand-new book in its beak, landing precisely on the bar counter.
The book fell to the wood with a dull thud, the dark green lettering on the cover gleaming faintly in the candlelight.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Part 1)
He bent down, picked up the book, flipped to the back cover to confirm the publication information, then looked up at the early customers who were coming in one after another, and cleared his throat.
"Here he comes," he said, his voice not loud, but loud enough to attract attention.
An old wizard, dressed in a worn fur robe and about to sit down on a stool, suddenly looked up. "What's here?"
"Part Two." Tom held up the book and waved it at the crowd. The old Ford car on the cover, floating in the night sky, stood out conspicuously in the dimly lit bar.
Within minutes, the previously sparse morning drinkers all gathered around, and the bar area was instantly packed with people.
"A second part?! Wasn't this just released in the Muggle world yesterday?"
"Delivered by owls. It's said that hundreds of owls flew into the Wizarding World simultaneously this morning."
A commotion arose in the crowd; someone reached out to grab the book, but Tom slapped their hand away.
"Who would like to read it to everyone?" Tom asked, glancing around the room.
He hesitated for a moment, then handed the book to the old wizard who had spoken first, who practically snatched it from him.
The old wizard eagerly turned the pages of the book, and everyone else craned their necks to surround him.
The title of the first chapter is 'The Worst Birthday'.
He read aloud, cleared his throat, and began to read on.
Half an hour later, the air around the bar had completely changed.
The first thing to spark heated debate was the House-elf named Dobby.
"Breaking into a wizard's house, sealing the fireplace, intercepting mail, and even using magic to attack a Muggle's dinner party?"
A wizard wearing silver-rimmed round glasses and three rings on his fingers slammed his hand on the table.
"When did House-elf have this right? They are just property, not free citizens!"
A witch standing nearby, wearing a faded blue robe, frowned and retorted:
"But it's clearly written in the book that it was to save Harry Potter's life. It believed Hogwarts would be in danger this year and wanted to prevent him from going back."
"So what?" the ring wizard persisted. "It cannot act without the master's order."
"It did it 'to save Harry's life' now, but who knows if next time it'll attack another wizard 'to save someone else's life'? What's this called? House-elf dictatorship?"
"You're exaggerating. It didn't hurt anyone; it just blocked the fireplace and intercepted a few letters."
"Intercepting letters! That's illegal!" The ring wizard's voice rose several octaves.
Article 7 of the supplementary regulations to the International Statute of Secrecy states that no non-human Magical Creatures may interfere with a wizard's freedom of communication in any form.
"If it has an owner, then its owner is fully responsible."
"The question is, does it have an owner?" another young man standing in the corner interjected.
"The book hasn't said whose it is yet; it only says that it's wearing a dirty pillowcase and looks like it's been abused for a long time."
This only fueled the discussion even more.
"If it was House-elf kept by a Pure-blood families, how did it escape?"
"Perhaps it was abused by that family, and it couldn't take it anymore and ran away."
"Impossible. House-elf are bound by magical contracts; they can't leave their owners on their own. Unless the owner lets them go, or—"
"Or perhaps that House-elf simply didn't care about its owner."
When the last word was uttered, there was a moment of silence around the bar, and the people exchanged glances.
A House-elf trying to escape its owner? That's a very, very dangerous act, and extremely undignified.
The old wizard turned to the next chapter, cleared his throat, and said, "Now let's talk about the second thing."
Harry Potter was picked up from his Muggle home in a flying car by the Weasley family sons.
The crowd's attention quickly shifted.
"A flying car?" The Ring Wizard's voice immediately rose. "That illegally modified car? Arthur Weasley's?"
"That's right." The old wizard nodded. "It's written very clearly in the book."
"The twins and Ron Weasley, in that flying Ford Anglia, got him out of the Dursley family ' bedroom window."
" Merlin's beard." A junior clerk from the Ministry of Magic, dressed in a dark brown robe, pushed his way through the crowd.
He wore a silver badge on his chest, which looked like it belonged to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he looked shocked.
"That's explicitly prohibited! Article 21 of the Underage Wizards Protection Act states that underage wizards are prohibited from using any form of magical transportation in Muggle- populated areas."
"Furthermore, that car was also enchanted with Flight Spell and Invisibility Spell, which constitutes serious illegal modifications and should at least warrant a fine—"
How much should be fined?
"For a first offense, there will be a warning and a fine. But Arthur Weasley has already been caught illegally modifying Muggle items three times before, so a second offense could result in a heavier penalty."
"Furthermore, his sons are all minors, so the responsibility will fall on their guardians."
A low chuckle came from the bar area.
" Arthur Weasley's old car has flipped over several times, hasn't it? Now, the whole Wizarding World knows."
"I knew it! That guy's always messing around with those Muggle junk pieces; he was bound to get into trouble sooner or later."
But some people don't see it that way.
The witch in the blue robe put down her cup, frowned, and said, "Don't you ever consider how desperate that child must have been to go with the Weasley family?"
"It's clearly written in the book that he was locked in his room, the windows were boarded up, and he couldn't even receive letters from his friends. If he really wanted to go back to Hogwarts— "
"Then he should have contacted the Ministry of Magic through proper channels, instead of running away with two underage wizards in a flying car," the ring wizard interrupted her.
"The proper way?" the witch's voice rose again. "He can't even send a letter! His relatives have sealed off the fireplace!"
"What proper way? Write a letter to the Ministry of Magic complaining about abuse at home? Do you think anyone at the Ministry of Magic would care about something like that?"
The Ministry of Magic employee awkwardly adjusted his glasses. "Well... we have a dedicated department for the protection of minors."
"Really?" the witch countered. "Then why did no one ever visit the child during the ten years he was locked in the cupboard?"
A brief silence fell around the bar.
The old wizard in the corner, who had been silent all along and was wearing an old gray trench coat, finally spoke:
What do you think of Dobby's warning?