"It depends on the circumstances—"
Old Tom warmly invited Harry and Ron to sit down.
After serving them two bottles of Butterbeer and ferret sandwiches, and seeing that no other customers needed his attention, he sat down at their table and answered Harry's earlier question.
"You know, most of the people doing business in Diagon Alley are renting their premises. The land here actually belongs to wizards with real status and standing.
"For the owners of that land, the Ministry of Magic will negotiate with them and give them a choice—"
Harry wolfed down his sandwich and mumbled indistinctly,
"What—"
"Actually, it's not much of a secret anymore—"
Old Tom said eagerly,
"The Ministry of Magic has plans for this place. I heard Mr. Breen is overseeing them. They intend to expand upon the ruins of Diagon Alley and build it into a Magic City that can accommodate more wizards!"
Ron's gaze briefly left the new broomstick he had bought, and he looked curiously at Tom.
"A Magic City? You mean, like a Muggle city?"
"That part is top secret, Mr. Weasley. I'm afraid not many people know about it besides the Ministry's senior officials—"
Tom smacked his lips, looking slightly regretful.
"But there's no doubt that land in that Magic City will be worth even more than it is now. So when the Ministry negotiates with the wizards who lost their Diagon Alley land, it promises them that once the new Magic City is completed, they can receive a shop of the same size for free. Of course, there's another option: they can be compensated directly in Galleons according to the previous value of the land."
The very mention of a Magic City filled Harry with longing. After thinking for a moment, he said,
"I suppose most people would