In Diagon Alley, Allen and Hermione appeared on a winding cobblestone street with no end in sight.
It was no longer as deserted as it had been after Floating City stole away its business. After Umbrella and the Muggles began trading with each other, this neglected, dilapidated wizarding shopping street had regained some vitality—though that vitality meant it was no longer simply a wizarding commercial street for shopping.
Taking advantage of its convenient location in London, the wizards had turned it into a logistics hub for trade between wizards and Muggles under Lenn. Large storage warehouses had replaced the old variety of shops, and the clusters of Floating Ship docks built on the rooftops almost occupied the sky above Diagon Alley.
As for the magical shops that still remained in Diagon Alley, the goods displayed and sold inside had also changed style. Shops like bookstores and pet shops had disappeared from Diagon Alley after gaining a firm foothold on Floating City. Several open-air shops had opened to sell large-capacity trunks permanently fixed with the Undetectable Extension Charm, piled under their shelves; artifacts that could help unload cargo by casting a Powerful Levitation Charm had been placed in the hottest-selling, most eye-catching display windows; Madam Malkin had shifted the center of her business to Floating City, while her shop left in Diagon Alley had taken on a side business selling Muggle clothing. Muggle-born wizard clerks warmly greeted wizards who needed to go into the Muggle world, giving them guidance on matching and selecting outfits so as to avoid situations where forgetful wizards ended up wearing dresses and high heels...
The little stall that sold Brownies, where Allen had once tasted them together with the Grim Reaper, had also changed owners and become a kind of fast-food snack stand. On the menu,