Flourish sighed, took off his trench coat and draped it over his arm, then plopped down on a nearby chair.
"I set out at six this morning and went to those big bookshops in central London first."
"I never expected them all to be sold out. Customers had even bought the display copies in the windows."
"Then I tried my luck in a few towns to the north. Same result."
"Every bookshop assistant gave me that 'you're too late' look when I asked for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."
Blotts frowned. "So you couldn't find some way to get a copy?"
"What could I do?" Flourish spread his hands. "I couldn't exactly steal one with magic-the Improper Use of Magic Office is no joke."
"Besides, even if I used Apparition to jump straight into a bookshop's stockroom, I doubt those Muggle stockrooms would have a single copy left."
For a moment, Blotts was at a loss for words. He looked at Flourish's tired face.
"So," he began slowly, "we can't even get our hands on a book about the wizarding world that's come out of the Muggle world?"
"To be precise, the vast majority of people in the entire wizarding world can't get their hands on it right now," Flourish corrected him.
"I ran into Millicent on my way back. She told me she was planning to buy a copy in the Muggle world."
"But I bet she won't manage to get one."
Blotts rubbed his temples.
Someone who might belong to the wizarding world had written a book about it and published it in the Muggle world.
All that information was supposed to be kept completely secret.
"Do you think..." Blotts lowered his voice. "Could this Allen Vane be a Muggle?"
"Impossible." Flourish shook his head. "If he were a Muggle, how could he know so much about the wizarding world?"
"But... he certainly has guts."
"The International Statute of Secrecy isn't just for show. Any wizard who reveals the existence of the wizarding world to Muggles gets locked up in Azkaban."
Blotts nodded in agreement.
"Do you think what the book says is true?" Flourish asked.
"I'm not sure. The descriptions are far too detailed. It even describes what Dumbledore did... eleven years ago."
"But if Harry Potter really grew up in the Muggle world, as the book says, then Dumbledore was probably the only person who could have made that decision eleven years ago."
"Looking at it that way, if we can confirm that Harry Potter grew up in the Muggle world, then the book is probably true."
The two exchanged a look, determined to find some way to buy Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Part One.
The Leaky Cauldron.
Tom's pub was as lively as ever.
Flames crackled in the fireplace, and the scent of Butterbeer and roast meat filled the air.
Several elderly wizards sat around a table in the corner, drinking Firewhisky and chatting about recent curiosities.
"Have you heard?" an old wizard wearing a monocle said in a low voice. "A strange book has come out in the Muggle world recently."
"What book?" the stout wizard beside him asked curiously.
"I think it's called... Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."
"Harry Potter?" A third wizard frowned. "The boy who defeated You-Know-Who?!"
"Yes, him."
"It came out in the Muggle world?"
"Yes."
"How do they know Harry Potter's name?"
"No idea." The old wizard with the monocle shrugged. "But apparently the book describes the wizarding world in great detail."
The stout wizard's eyes widened. "Merlin's beard... what's going on?"
"Who knows?" The old wizard raised his glass and took a sip. "But I heard the book is selling extremely well in the Muggle world."
"Loads of Muggles are reading it, and they're thoroughly enjoying it."
The stout wizard and the third wizard exchanged a look, each seeing confusion and unease in the other's eyes.
"Something's wrong here," the stout wizard said quietly. "Very wrong."
"You can say that again." The old wizard sighed. "But there's nothing we can do right now."
"The book has already sold out in the Muggle world. I doubt even the people at the Ministry of Magic can buy it."
The three fell silent for a while, each drinking his own drink.
Just then, the pub door was pushed open.
A young man in an old trench coat walked in and headed straight for the bar.
"Tom, a Butterbeer, please."
Tom glanced at him. "Edmund? Aren't you supposed to be patrolling the Muggle world today?"
"Don't even mention it." Edmund took off his trench coat and hung it over the back of a chair. "Something strange happened to me today."
"What happened?"
Edmund took the Butterbeer, drank a large mouthful, then wiped his mouth.
"I saw a poster for a book in the Muggle world."
"Oh?"
"And it was a book about Harry Potter!"
Tom's hands stopped moving at once.
"What did you say?"
"I said a book has come out in the Muggle world. It mentions Harry Potter, Hogwarts-everything about the wizarding world."
There was a hint of disbelief in Edmund's voice.
"I passed a bookshop today and saw a poster in the window. It showed a little boy wearing round glasses, with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead."
"That's right-it was Harry Potter!"
"At first, I thought I was seeing things, but when I went in and asked, the assistant told me it was a poster for a book called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."
"And it's selling so well that it's already out of stock."
Tom stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide.
"Was... was that book written by a Muggle?"
"How would I know?" Edmund shook his head. "The assistant said the author's name was Allen Vane. He's a new writer nobody had heard of before."
"Merlin above, who knows whether he's a Muggle or a wizard?"
Tom put down the glass in his hand, his brow deeply furrowed.
"This is far too strange."
"That's what I thought," Edmund said. "So I need to notify the Ministry of Magic right away."
Tom thought for a moment. "I don't think you need to go."
"Why not?"
"I reckon the Ministry of Magic must already know," Tom reasoned with an air of authority. "How could they not know about a book that's so popular in the Muggle world?"
"If they haven't acted immediately, that means they're still waiting to see what happens."
"Perhaps..."
Tom shuddered and fell silent.
Edmund nodded thoughtfully.
"So what should I do now?"
"Nothing, so you don't get on the wrong side of the higher-ups," Tom said. "Wait and see how things go first."
Edmund nodded, looking thoroughly convinced. "You're right."
"Come on, shall we have a toast?"
"Cheers!"