Inside the Leaky Cauldron, everyone instinctively held their breath.
But before the discussion on this topic could be explored further, it was interrupted by an even bigger uproar outside the window.
Suddenly, a large group of people surged through the Diagon Alley, their footsteps hurried and chaotic, interspersed with shouts.
Someone peered out the window, then turned back and whispered, "It's a Lockhart fan."
Everyone in the bar turned their heads away.
Through the thin, gray-tinted glass window, one could see about forty or fifty witches surging along the cobblestone street toward the Ministry of Magic.
Most of them were wearing brightly colored robes, some were holding books, and some were holding homemade signs.
The signs, written in cursive script, read things like "Give Professor Lockhart justice" and " The Wizarding World needs the truth."
The witches at the front were all quite young, their faces flushed red, and they kept turning back to urge the people behind them to keep up.
The witch in the blue robe put down her book, frowned, and leaned closer to the window. "Are they going to the Ministry of Magic?"
"Maybe they feel the book is badmouthing Lockhart," Tom said, peeking halfway out from behind the bar. "They're probably going to the Ministry of Magic to complain."
The door to the Leaky Cauldron was pushed open a crack, and a wizard wearing a top hat poked his head in and called out:
"There are over a hundred people gathered near Flourish and Blotts, all heading towards the Ministry of Magic, saying they want the Ministry of Magic to reinstate that book as a forbidden book."
The chatter in the bar suddenly became even more heated.
" Lockhart's female fans are really something else. Do they think that book is fake?"
Who knows? Maybe it really isn't true.
"Don't you think Lockhart is a fraud?"
"How could a wizard who defeated Werewolf be chased by a bunch of House-elf? Maybe it's just something made up in that book?"
"Didn't most of the first part already prove it?"
"But didn't the Ministry of Magic ban the first book? That means they don't approve of its content at all. Maybe the author just got lucky?"
Just then, the door of the Leaky Cauldron was suddenly pushed open, and a witch dressed in a pink robe and wearing an exaggerated feathered hat rushed in.
She looked around at the crowd in the bar and shouted, "You're all talking about this book? Doesn't anyone think it's ridiculously absurd?!"
She held up the book in her hand. " Professor Lockhart! That's Gilderoy Lockhart, the one who defeated the banshee and the Werewolf!"
"As a result, in this book he became a complete bum who couldn't even handle a House-elf!"
"I just came from Flourish and Blotts, and people are already organizing a protest at the Ministry of Magic! This book is clearly smearing our great hero!"
A dozen or so witches followed her in, all of them dressed in relatively respectable robes.
Their expressions were similarly angry and agitated as they chattered about things like, "That's outrageous!", "This is absolutely slander!", and "How could Professor Lockhart possibly be unable to defeat House-elf?"
A short witch in the crowd looked around and said, "I don't really understand why so many people rave about Harry Potter."
She looked around, lowered her voice but made sure everyone around could hear her:
"What I mean is, while both are stories about the magical world, Professor Lockhart's books are based on true events, unlike some people who make up a bunch of kids' adventures and exaggerate them to the heavens."
The person next to her immediately chimed in, "Exactly, the difference is really quite obvious."
A young witch wearing a pearl earring crossed her arms and said, "It's not that Harry Potter is badly written, but compared to others, my Professor Lockhart's writing is much more convincing."
The person next to her immediately chimed in, "Objectively speaking, when compared side-by-side, the difference in quality is immediately apparent."
" Professor Lockhart actually saw combat, unlike some characters in books who are entirely made up."
"Exactly! Some people make a fortune by fabricating stories, but their actual skills don't match up."
Another brown-haired witch standing in the middle of the crowd rolled her eyes. "So what if a book sells well? It doesn't even respect basic facts."
A young witch who looked to be in her early twenties crossed her arms and shook her head. "Stop hyping this book up. It's just that people in the Wizarding World can't see reality and are just making things up."
"If you ask me, my Professor Lockhart has a proven track record."
A witch in the crowd raised a book in her hand. "Has the author of this book done any research? Has he even met Professor Lockhart in person? How dare he write something like this?"
"I think he's just trying to ride the wave of popularity!" The pink-robed witch's voice rose even higher.
" Professor Lockhart has published so many books, each based on his personal experiences, and yet some author who just appeared out of nowhere can smear him like this with a casually written novel?"
"He's desperate for fame; his stories are all made up, unlike Professor Lockhart, whose reputation was earned through real hard work."
A witch wearing a bright green headband pursed her lips, her voice carrying a deliberate hint of regret.
Everyone who had just been talking in the Leaky Cauldron looked at each other in utter bewilderment.
Several of the older wizards exchanged glances, and one of them, a middle-aged man in a dark brown old robe, lowered his voice and said:
"But... I've read Professor Lockhart's book, and some of the details are indeed a bit off--"
Before he could finish speaking, a young witch wearing a purple lace collar turned around:
"If you don't like it, don't watch it. Nobody's forcing you. If you're so capable, why don't you do it yourself? What right do you have to judge Professor Lockhart's real experiences?"
"I did not mean that..."
"So you're really interested in my Professor Lockhart, you must be a Harry Potter fan, right?" she added with a smile. "Don't pretend to be a casual observer."
The middle-aged man opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything and silently took half a step back.
The pink-robed witch pressed her advantage, waving her arms further. "Our demand today is simple! The Ministry of Magic must reinstate this book to the Forbidden Books List!"
"It has severely damaged Professor Lockhart's reputation!"
"That's right! Ban it!" a shout erupted from the crowd of witches.
" The Ministry of Magic banned it back in the first book!" someone shouted.
"Then ban the second book too! We can't let this kind of trash continue to pollute the reading environment of the Wizarding World!"
"Anything that smears celebrities or heroes doesn't deserve to be on the shelf!"
"My Professor Lockhart has worked so hard to write so many books, and yet some unknown author can just make up a story and trample him into the mud? Where is the justice?"
"Come with us!" The pink-robed witch leading the group waved towards the bar. "People are already gathering at the entrance of the Ministry of Magic! We need to get this book banned again!"
Watching the group of witches storm off at the door, Tom shook his head and whispered to the blue-robed witch beside him, "It seems today's discussion was a bit ill-timed."
The blue-robed witch downed the rest of her Butterbeer in one gulp, stood up, and dusted off her robes. "Let's go see what's going on at the entrance to the Ministry of Magic."