Inside Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the customers immediately panicked.
"Ahhh!" someone screamed.
"Run! The Death Eaters are here!"
"Run!"
"Stop shoving! Don't push me!"
After the Death Eaters' attack on Diagon Alley not long ago, most customers instinctively assumed they were attacking again.
Customers who had been browsing the shelves lost their heads and scattered in every direction.
Some screamed and rushed for the door, only to be blocked by the crowd surging in from outside.
Others knocked over a shelf of Skiving Snackboxes in their panic. Colorful sweets spilled across the floor and were crushed underfoot.
Some went pale with fear and fought their way toward the stairs, trying to find somewhere to hide upstairs.
But a few took advantage of the chaos to slip up to the shelves and stuff merchandise into their robes.
"Quiet! Everyone, stay calm! Don't push! I work for the Ministry of Magic—" Mr. Weasley waved his arms frantically, trying to make himself heard over the screams.
Mr. Weasley did his best to keep order, but he could not calm the panicked customers on his own.
Beside him, Frank Longbottom stepped forward at once and watched the entrance warily. He instinctively reached for his Wand, only to find nothing there—Neville still had it (Note 1).
He had come to Diagon Alley today to help Neville buy a Wand of his own.
Will looked at the crowd packed into the shop. With people pressing against one another like this, someone could easily get hurt.
I need to step in. At the thought, Will's figure rippled away like water...
Soon, everyone in the shop felt a wave of drowsiness wash over them. One by one, they quieted down.
Many stared ahead with unfocused eyes, as though they had not slept in days.
Quite a few even fell