After purchasing the broomsticks, the three headed toward Flourish and Blotts.
Most of their textbooks had already been bought since William had been using the new books for their lessons. However, they still needed to pick up a few more, like Gilderoy Lockhart's seven-book series.
The bookstore was packed, but the crowd was queuing outside.
Today was the release day for Lockhart's new book, and many fans were here for his autograph.
Most of them were witches around Mrs. Weasley's age, proving that Lockhart's nickname, "heartthrob of housewives," was well-deserved.
Seeing the crowd reminded William of a possible future where Cedric might open a wand shop. He imagined a similar scene, an eager line of older witches waiting outside for Cedric to sell wands and sign autographs.
The three maneuvered around the throng and entered the bookstore.
William was on the hunt for books he hadn't encountered during his time-loop studies, such as Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky.
Cassandra Vablatsky was a famous Seer, now over 90 years old and still alive. She had even been a schoolmate of Newt Scamander, though she had graduated without dropping out like Newt.
After her time at Hogwarts, she had briefly served as a professor before being succeeded by Sybill Trelawney upon her retirement.
As a premium member of Flourish and Blotts, William had purchased an extensive collection of books from them. The manager personally came out to greet him and led him to the back section of the store.
In a quiet corner dedicated to Divination, a table displayed several books, including Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shock and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul.
"Everything from palmistry and crystal balls to bird entrails is covered in Unfogging the Future," the manager explained.
But William wasn't paying attention. His gaze landed on another book sitting on the top shelf: The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus.
This famous book of Predictions held a similar status in magical history to that of The Pushback Diagrams in Muggle prophecy circles.
Most wizards, however, treated it as a collection of poetry.
William remembered Newt Scamander mentioning a famous prophecy from the book:
"The son is cruelly exiled,
The daughter deeply mourns.
The warrior's vengeance returns,
To soar and swim through storms."
This prophecy had caused a stir before the Père Lachaise Cemetery battle, with many believing it referred to Credence Barebone. At the time, Credence was thought to be Corvus Lestrange, the long-lost child of the pure-blood Lestrange family.
But it was later revealed that Credence was not a Lestrange after all.
With a flick of his wand, William summoned the book into his hand and opened it to page seven, where another prophecy caught his eye:
"Oh, the cold-hearted Dark Lord!
Ah, the fractured soul!
The self-exile of old,
Reborn through Death's toll."
William frowned. Predictions were notoriously cryptic and rarely straightforward.
"Mr. Stark, if I were you, I wouldn't waste my time on such a book," the manager said lightly, noticing William reading The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus.
"It's an antique from the last century. Just poetry, really, meant to fool gullible readers."
William didn't respond but smiled politely. "Please add this one to my purchase."
He planned to consult his future Divination professor, Sybill Trelawney, once the term began. After all, Dumbledore had chosen her for a reason, surely she had some talent?
As they turned a corner, William spotted Luna Lovegood and her father.
Luna was dressed in a sparkling robe and wearing pumpkin earrings as large as her thumbs.
Her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, wore a black cloak with white lettering that read: The Quibbler.
Clearly, Luna's unique fashion sense came from her father.
"So many people," Luna said, "They're all queuing up for Lockhart's books. But I didn't sense a bit of wisdom in him."
"He's a fool," she added bluntly.
"Why do you say that?" William asked.
"Lockhart's brain has been infested with Wrackspurts. He's lost all sense," Luna declared.
Wrackspurts were one of Luna's favorite imaginary creatures. She believed they were invisible pests that floated into people's ears and muddled their thoughts.
She waved her arms around her head as though trying to swat away mosquitoes.
William couldn't help but laugh. Luna was as entertaining as ever.
Xenophilius, however, seemed less amused. He muttered about how Lockhart had failed to invite him, a well-known editor, to the book release.
Xenophilius never missed an opportunity to make money, especially since he had to support Luna.
Money was always tight.
At that moment, Lockhart burst into the bookstore.
He wore a forget-me-not blue robe that matched his dazzling blue eyes, and his wizard's hat perched jauntily atop his golden curls.
"Ah, William! Long time no see!" Lockhart exclaimed, patting William on the shoulder as though they were old friends.
In truth, the two had only met once, at the Order of Merlin award ceremony.
They had exchanged a few letters afterward, mostly about Dumbledore's invitation for Lockhart to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lockhart had also repeatedly invited William to his book launches, but William had declined each time.
"You finally came to one of my events!" Lockhart said excitedly.
"No, I'm just here to buy books with my family," William replied politely.
"Books? My books, surely? I can give you a few signed sets, for just a few minutes of your time," Lockhart insisted, "People would love to see two Order of Merlin recipients together."
A short, irritable man with a large black camera darted around, trying to snap a photo of them.
William subtly waved his wand behind his back, causing purple smoke to erupt from the camera.
"Ah, the camera's malfunctioned?" the man grumbled, inspecting it.
"What's going on? There's no time–my signing is about to start!" Lockhart said, frowning. He then noticed Xenophilius and his camera.
"Hey, William, is this your friend? Another journalist?" Lockhart asked.
"I'm the editor of The Quibbler," Xenophilius replied, unimpressed.
"The Quibbler? Never heard of it. But would you mind taking a few photos for me? Of course, if your paper wants to feature my photo on the cover, it'll surely boost sales," Lockhart said, offering a hint of goodwill, likely because he thought Xenophilius was William's friend.
William couldn't help but chuckle. He was genuinely curious to see what The Quibbler would publish about Lockhart.
Xenophilius, with an air of pride, left Luna behind and followed Lockhart, camera in hand.
Moments later, commotion erupted outside. It turned out Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley had gotten into a fight.
The two seemed incapable of encountering each other in Diagon Alley without clashing, and this time was no different.
Lockhart clapped enthusiastically on the sidelines, turning to Xenophilius and the other journalist.
"Make sure to include this in your report! Say they were fighting over my books. "an impassioned street brawl for the last copies!""
William didn't hear this, as he had already rushed forward to intervene, just like Cedric had taught him in the past.