Entrance to Diagon Alley.
The flat, cobblestone street wound ahead, lined with all manner of strange and curious shops. Oddly colored smoke drifted from the potion shops, giving them a rather sinister air, as though they were luring in young, ignorant wizards to boil their flesh and bones into potions.
People occasionally hurried in and out of the shops.
Imogen's clear, bright eyes were filled with curiosity about everything around her. Every so often, she craned her neck to peer into the shops. Emeris was shyer; he pretended to inspect the storefronts while secretly glancing at members of the other races.
The wizarding shopping district was one of the liveliest and most prosperous places in the entire New World, and Diagon Alley was where trends were set, bringing together chain stores from across the magical world. Wizards came here to shop, Pukwudgies and Giants occasionally came to buy daily necessities, and if members of other races wished to sell their goods, Diagon Alley was also the best choice.
The goblins were deeply dissatisfied with the wizards' law expelling them from Gringotts. Sometimes, they sold handcrafted items in exchange for gleaming gems and gold. To wizards who specialized in Alchemy, goblin-forged items were exceptionally novel.
Thus, with the support of the International Confederation of Wizards, Diagon Alley had become a trade center renowned throughout the New World.
Neville silently calculated.
He had heard that Senior Undersecretary Granger was preparing to expand Diagon Alley and redevelop the neighboring Knockturn Alley, demolishing all those disorderly shops to build a larger, more comprehensive commercial center.
When that happened, the shops in Diagon Alley would surely increase in value. He might as well close his family's boutique and lease it out for rent, freeing his parents from the shop so they could follow Headmaster Dumbledore