Dumbledore smiled as he said goodbye to the Head of Department and to Fudge.
"Harry, let's go."
"Huh? That's it? We're not getting dragged to the legendary Courtroom Ten for a proper criminal trial? I mean, I'm clearly a heinous criminal."
Fudge's eyes seemed to drift further into the distance.
Harry thought to himself, Heh, you really were planning on that, weren't you?
Dumbledore showed no sign of noticing, and his expression remained cheerful as he said, "Of course not. That courtroom is for trying criminals."
"I kind of wanted to hang around here a bit longer. Working here in the future wouldn't be half bad."
A loud, unrestrained scoff suddenly broke out.
Harry turned his head and finally noticed the woman standing next to Fudge.
He immediately turned away and bent over dramatically. "Urghhh—grossss~"
The woman's face flushed red, then turned pale.
She looked like a bloated, pale toad. Short and fat, with a wide, saggy face devoid of any visible neck—just like Harry's uncle. Her big, round, bulging eyes were set above a perpetually drooping mouth.
Despite her aged and ugly appearance, she was decked out in girlish pink clothes and had applied an absurdly thick layer of powder to her face.
Harry had only ever seen two women so shamelessly self-deceiving: Luo Yufeng and Ximen Wuhen.
For people like that, Harry had no reservations about showing open contempt.
"Professor, who's this grandma?" he asked innocently.
Forgive Harry—he was just a child, sometimes too blunt for his own good, but always honest.
"Oh, oh, this is... Senior Undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge," Dumbledore said, dipping his head slightly to hide his amusement.
The grotesque Umbridge's face twitched slightly, but she was a "refined" witch.
Forcing a smile back onto her face, she said to Harry, "Mr. Potter, this is the Department of Magical Law Enforcement—one of the most powerful institutions in Britain. I expect you to show the proper respect."
Harry didn't even look at her. Instead, he responded in an absent-minded tone, "Mm-hmm, you're right, well said."
Umbridge was so enraged her face almost twisted itself out of shape.
Harry lifted his head and asked, "Headmaster, can we go now? I'm still hungry."
"Of course. We can leave at any time," Dumbledore replied with a smile.
He bid farewell to Amelia Bones and Cornelius Fudge, then left the room with Harry.
"That 'Miss' Umbridge you just called grandma... probably isn't feeling very pleased right now. She still believes she's eighteen years old."
"I was just telling the truth," Harry replied, entirely sincere.
A month passed, and it was almost time for the new school term to begin.
Harry was now officially a second-year student.
Before term started, the new-and-improved Leaky Cauldron had finished its upgrades and opened for business.
All those Muggles he'd tricked into signing contracts—half coerced, half conned—had now been brought here.
What kind of shock would it cause for ordinary people to suddenly enter the wizarding world and see mysterious, otherworldly witches and wizards? Harry didn't really care to guess.
To the Muggles, contracts imbued with magical power were utterly binding. They had no choice but to obey all of Harry's conditions, such as: never reveal anything about the wizarding world to other Muggles, never cross the wall in the backyard...
Although they were terrified at first, none of them quit.
Because the wages here were several times what they'd earn outside.
And more importantly, this place made their ordinary lives feel extraordinary—it was the mysterious magical world.
The reopening of the Leaky Cauldron marked a new beginning.
As for what kind of reviews it would receive from the customers—good or bad—Harry didn't give it much thought.
He had only done this because he'd had the idea, and maybe it would bring a fresh perspective to the wizarding world... and earn him a few Galleons in the process. It was with that attitude—half curiosity, half ambition—that Harry started drawing from Muggle "culture."
He received two letters—one from Hogwarts, and one from Hermione.
Hermione let him know that next Wednesday she'd be heading to Diagon Alley to buy supplies for the new term, and she invited him to come along.
Harry still remembered the second term of their first year—things between him, Hermione, and Cho Chang had gotten a little... complicated. But now, Hermione seemed to have selectively forgotten all that and turned a new page, keeping only the strong bond of friendship between them.
Was this the infamous adolescent syndrome?
Harry pondered this as he opened the letter from Hogwarts:
Required for Second-Year Students:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk
Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart
Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart
Tsk tsk, Harry thought. So the school really did hire that con artist as a teacher. All he could do was smile.
At this point, Harry was probably the only one who knew Lockhart would be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. The other students must still be clueless—probably just thought their teacher was a huge Lockhart fan.
A few days into the Leaky Cauldron's reopening—so far, things were going… well?
The chefs, waiters, and managers Harry had swindled into joining—after their initial shock—were now gradually adapting. Perhaps, in time, they'd get fully used to it.
Humans are incredibly adaptable. Harry had worried the Muggles wouldn't be able to handle working in such a place, but he quickly realized his concern was unnecessary. By now, those pretty British receptionists were even bold enough to flirt with the wizards.
When the appointed day arrived, Harry sat in a Muggle café beside the Leaky Cauldron. Many witches and wizards were entering the bar and vanishing from sight, but not a single one noticed Harry sitting by the window.
Then Hermione appeared in his line of sight. She scanned the area, her face lighting up with a smile before she ran toward him, her long brown hair flowing like a waterfall.
Even though it had only been two months, Hermione looked noticeably more mature.
But when she saw the Leaky Cauldron, her expression turned blank with shock.
"The Leaky Cauldron? What happened to it? Wasn't it small and old before?" She tilted her head to stare up at the towering building. The dramatic transformation amazed her—especially all the touches that clearly drew from Muggle culture. Compared to the unchanging layouts of traditional wizarding buildings, this one was genuinely refreshing.
Together, Hermione and Harry passed through the magical wall into Diagon Alley. The narrow, crowded street unfolded before them, bursting with sounds and sights.
They walked along, their eyes constantly drawn to the shop windows.
Thanks to Harry's "KFC" influence, Diagon Alley now had quite a few Muggle-style shops. Wizards may be conservative, but they weren't stupid—nor were they going to say no to money.
Most of the new shops were food-related. First, because of Harry's Magic Castle. Second, because magical tools and artifacts weren't easily modernized or innovated.
As a result, business at Harry's own Magic Castle had dipped somewhat, but it was still the most popular shop in Diagon Alley.
Harry didn't mind the competition—he'd never planned to become some Galleon-hungry tycoon anyway. And since other shopkeepers didn't even understand the concept of franchises, Harry knew he could just rely on a bit of Muggle ingenuity to stay ahead. With that, a steady stream of Galleons would always be within reach.
Harry and Hermione munched on cream buns they'd bought from a nearby cake shop, faces full of bliss.
"These are so good," Hermione said, eyes closed in delight.
They laughed and chatted all the way to Gringotts. After showing his identification token, Harry successfully withdrew enough Galleons for the school year—tuition, books, robes, and all.
One notable change: his vault was now just an ordinary one—not the deep, hidden vault far beneath Gringotts—because he'd already emptied that one out.
As they left, Harry spotted a family of six exiting a junk shop: two parents and four children. The youngest girl clutched a cauldron with one ear missing, filled with second-hand textbooks. Her head was down, hurrying along, clearly hoping not to be recognized.
The entire family had one thing in common: bright red hair.
It was the Weasleys.
Harry glanced toward the shadowy alleys that branched off Diagon Alley and smiled to himself: Time for Lucius to make his entrance, right?
"Let's slow down a bit," Harry said.
"Hm?" Hermione looked puzzled.
"Oh look, a Quidditch shop! I heard they just got in the new Nimbus 2001! Let's go check it out!" Harry's eyes sparkled with excitement as he practically ran toward the store.
"…Heh." Hermione chuckled coldly.
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⚡🦉 THE REBIRTH OF HARRY POTTER 🦉⚡
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📢 MAGIC REBORN! 📢
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The wizarding world is changing.
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⚡ A wizarding world reborn.
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