Harry, Ron, and Hermione left their luggage at the Leaky Cauldron, then went to the small courtyard behind it and tapped the bricks in the proper sequence.
They stepped into Diagon Alley and looked at the queue stretching all the way to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron could not help exclaiming, "Merlin's flowery underpants! The line's still so long!"
Unlike Ron's surprise, Hermione looked utterly despairing. "It's all the way to Quality Quidditch Supplies again... I won't be able to buy those books before we leave for France!"
Ron's eyes widened. "No... It's been more than a week already. Why are there still so many people in line?"
Although the odds of getting a copy of the Magical Tuning series were already very low, Hermione still held onto her last shred of hope and joined the back of the queue.
As Hermione's friends, Harry and Ron joined her. Harry adjusted his glasses. "Maybe it's because... Wizet is really famous?"
Ron's expression eased, and he nodded. "That does make sense!"
Counting on his fingers, he said, "He led a team to win the Quidditch World Cup, stopped those prisoners from escaping, and now he's written books too..."
"If I didn't feel embarrassed about it, I'd just ask Wizet directly to give me a few signed copies of Magical Tuning, and then..."
"Excuse me, do you really know Mr. Lovegood? Are you classmates? Could you really get him to sign something?" The speaker was a tall girl with a distinctly American accent.
While Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been chatting, someone had joined the line behind them and immediately fired off three questions in a row.
Looking at the tall girl, Ron repeatedly shook his head. "N-No..."
"There's only Hogwarts here, isn't there?" The girl was clearly unwilling to give up. Blinking her