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Chapter 1368: Chapter 1140: The Fall of Sirius

April 10th just happened to be a Saturday, the official release date for the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series!

Morning.

Across the continents of Blue Star.

Readers, with their excitement already through the roof, rushed into bookstores to pick up the newly released copy of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” as soon as possible!

In response,

major booksellers were ecstatic.

“Tsk tsk.”

“Thriving prosperity.”

“This series just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

“The ending of the last book was shocking. Chu Kuang suddenly killed Cedric off—I even thought it might negatively impact the sales of the fifth book.”

“You worry too much.”

“Cedric, after all, isn’t a key character.”

“Chu Kuang is really clever. He knows killing Cedric might sadden readers, but that storyline also highlights the brutality of Harry Potter’s battle with Voldemort. Cedric’s innocent death makes readers hate Voldemort even more deeply.”

“Far from abandoning the series, readers will be even more eager to see what’s next.”

“Everyone is waiting for this book. They want Harry Potter to kill Voldemort and avenge the countless lives lost because of him.”

“Indeed.”

“Just look at these sales numbers, and you’ll see how wise a decision it was for Chu Kuang to write Cedric’s death.”

…

The Harry Potter series is wildly popular.

Even among major booksellers on Blue Star, many are fans of the book themselves.

Take, for example, Norton Bookstore in Zhong Continent.

The owner, Pullman.

Pullman never imagined that, at his age, he would find himself so captivated by a piece of children’s literature.

At first,

he only planned to skim the book for work purposes—to familiarize himself with the bestselling title under his bookstore’s name.

But after reading the first installment, he simply couldn’t stop.

The second book!

The third book!

The fourth book!

Whenever the store got new stock, Pullman would always be the first to grab a copy and start reading.

This morning was no exception. After casually observing the surge in customer enthusiasm for purchasing the fifth installment, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,”—a level seemingly higher than the previous book—Pullman enthusiastically took a copy off the shelf and began reading in his office.

…

Witnessing Voldemort’s resurrection firsthand, helplessly watching Cedric die before his eyes without the power to stop it.

Harry woke up countless times from nightmares.

This was likely the longest and loneliest summer of his life.

In that supposed “home.”

His aunt and uncle still treated him like an annoying pest, snapping orders left and right;

his cousin Dudley used him as a punching bag whenever he felt like practicing boxing;

and to make matters worse, two Dementors—creatures who feed off souls—had escaped the Ministry of Magic’s control and appeared on Privet Drive to ambush Harry.

Dudley was also attacked by the Dementors.

Luckily, the brave Harry cast the Guardian God Charm and drove the Dementors away.

Who could have guessed that the Ministry of Magic would use the Dementor incident as grounds to falsely accuse Harry of using magic outside of school, thereby violating the wizarding world’s regulations—

The Ministry of Magic has always prohibited underage wizards from reckless magic use outside of school.

That day,

Harry arrived at the Ministry of Magic for his trial.

Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore appeared as Harry’s witness and successfully helped him clear the charges.

Poor Harry, after enduring a string of upheavals during this interminable summer, finally looked forward to the new academic year.

This would be Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

However,

The trees longed for stillness, but the wind would not cease.

The Minister of Magic seemed deeply dissatisfied with Hogwarts and sent his deputy, Umbridge, to become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the year.

In Umbridge’s words:

She was sent by the Ministry of Magic to “correct the unhealthy atmosphere” at Hogwarts.

On the very first day of class, Harry got into trouble with her because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, resulting in his punishment: detention.

…

As he read,

Pullman’s brows would occasionally knit tightly and then relax.

But for the most part, his expression remained heavy.

Suffocating.

Dark.

The content of the fifth Harry Potter book maintained an atmosphere of “an imminent storm” from the very beginning.

The plot was just as engaging.

But it was no longer as lighthearted.

Pullman even noticed some allegorical undertones meant for adults.

For instance, the reason why the Minister of Magic and his deputy were targeting Harry so vehemently was his claim that “Voldemort has returned.”

Out of fear, the wizarding community categorically denied this truth.

Minister of Magic Fudge was convinced that the venerable headmaster Dumbledore intended to leverage Voldemort’s return to undermine his authority and ultimately usurp his position. Thus, he sent Umbridge to Hogwarts as an instructor, with the true intention of monitoring the school’s every move!

This was a tangled web of power and desire.

This was the selfishness and despotism of the head of the Ministry of Magic.

Chu Kuang had infused ideas that strayed from the typical children’s literature theme.

Simply to maintain his authority, the distinguished Minister of Magic could even turn a blind eye to Voldemort’s relentless assault on wizards and Muggles alike, recklessly disregarding the safety of the world!

The critical undertones were unmistakable!

Harry Potter soon learned of the Order of the Phoenix.

This was an organization founded by Dumbledore to fight Voldemort. Harry Potter’s parents were former key members of this group.

At this moment,

Harry longed deeply for the comfort and guidance of Headmaster Dumbledore.

Yet for reasons unknown, Dumbledore seemed unwilling to see him.

This once kind and approachable headmaster even avoided Harry’s gaze.

This only made Harry more restless and uneasy.

Thankfully, the plot wasn’t solely oppressive and grim.

In some sense, it could be considered a sort of seasoning for the narrative?

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