Shawn froze because the contrast between the poster and the man himself was simply too striking.
Lockhart, who was signing books in the bookstore's main hall, was dressed far less flamboyantly. His pale blue outfit instead lent him an air of understated refinement, and every movement was as elegant as a true aristocrat's.
The Lockhart on the poster, who occasionally winked at passersby, was the one who matched Shawn's preconceived image of the man.
Have I been judging him too narrowly again?
Shawn began to doubt himself.
A wealthy young lady like Alice was rather more immune to someone like Lockhart, so she had never paid him much attention.
She frowned at the sea of people.
"Why don't we wait until tomorrow and have a house-elf buy the books?"
Shawn considered this for a moment, weighing his plans to stir things up in the new term and whether this unexpectedly different Lockhart would get in his way.
At Alice's suggestion, he shook his head.
"I need to sound him out."
With that, he stirred his magical energy, forming a barrier around himself, and walked into the bookstore.
The crowd was pushed aside automatically. Some of the more ill-tempered people opened their mouths to curse, but when they saw it was Shawn Black, they all fell silent.
Although Shawn was not famous enough for every passerby to recognize him, these gossip-loving witches had learned about some of his exploits and seen his photographs through various channels.
Then there were all the outrageous stories passed around by the young witches and wizards attending Hogwarts.
Shawn had acquired the image of a powerful young wizard with strict rules and a bad temper.
As for the legends, most adults could tell whether they were rumors, though some genuinely believed them, such as Luna's family.