Link squeezed into the shop with difficulty, and the first thing that caught his eye was a giant magical poster. Printed on it was a man dressed exquisitely, showing a big white-toothed smile.
And below his portrait was written this line of text...
[Gilderoy Lockhart, internationally renowned personality and author, recipient of the Third Class Order of Merlin, Honorary Member of the Anti-Dark Arts League, five-time winner of the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, author of the Gilderoy Lockhart series, Breaking Up with a Banshee, Travelling with a Ghoul, Vacationing with a Hag, Trekking with a Troll, Voyage with Vampires, Wandering with Werewolves, A Year with the Yeti of XZ, The Magical Me, and other bestsellers.]
Link had just finished reading the words on the poster when a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd in front of him.
Looking closely, Link saw that the man from the poster had actually entered the store smiling from the back door.
Different from the poster, he was now wearing a forget-me-not-colored robe, and his chest, neck, and wrists were adorned with various accessories, giving off a showy and flashy feeling.
However, the special smile hanging on his face was exactly the same as on the poster. That kind of smile made Link feel uncomfortable, because it was almost no different from the fake smiles hotel waiters had trained through etiquette.
But the surrounding onlookers really bought into it, as could be seen from their excited reactions and the constant flashing of magical cameras.
"Heh!"
Looking at Lockhart, who had walked through the crowd and finally sat down in the middle of a pile of posters, a mocking smile appeared on Link's face.
As a transmigrator, Link was actually not unfamiliar with Lockhart. He was indeed a bestselling author and also this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. But compared to proper Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, Lockhart was more like a fraud and businessman.
Because he was always promoting to his fans that all the stories described in his novels were based on his own personal experiences. This way, his powerful image and good looks attracted a large fanbase, especially female fans. For example, most of the crowd now gathered in Flourish and Blotts were female, ranging in age from 8 to 80.
However, Link was very clear that those so-called personal experiences were outright lies.
That's why he looked down on Lockhart now. But what Link couldn't deny was that Lockhart was indeed a genius in business.
Just like the move he had pulled now.
When others were invited to become Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, they might think about how to prepare lesson plans.
But Lockhart was different. His sharp business sense immediately sniffed out a business opportunity. So he directly replaced the entire Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook for the next semester with his own works, and then held a book signing and sales event right at this critical moment.
Link could only admire the guy. This move, this wave, was fame and fortune in one.
Shaking his head with a smile, Link stepped back into a corner to wait for Harry and the others to arrive.
He didn't come here today to pick trouble with Lockhart, dealing with the diary was today's real priority.
And after waiting for half an hour, Link finally saw Harry and the Weasleys squeezing into the store with difficulty.
It wasn't because Link was constantly watching the doorway, that wasn't realistic. The crowd had long blocked the view.
What really helped Link recognize them was the Weasley family's uniform, bright red hair.
Such a rare trait in a population as small as the wizarding world was practically more effective than the Weasley family crest.
The corners of Link's mouth lifted slightly, but he didn't go up to greet them immediately. Instead, he sat quietly to the side, waiting for Draco Malfoy's entrance.
And the next events unfolded exactly as Link expected.
Harry, as a well-known figure in the wizarding world, was soon recognized by others, followed by Lockhart rushing to ride the wave and eagerly announcing that he would be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts this year, causing a wave of screaming from fans.
Link even noticed that Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were also screaming loudly.
Clearly, they had also become Lockhart fans like other women.
But that didn't matter, what really excited Link was that Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy finally appeared at the entrance.
This time, Link saw with his own eyes as the father and son entered Flourish and Blotts.
Because the people gathered at the door either disliked or feared them, they automatically stepped aside.
Draco was clearly proud of this treatment. He and his father exchanged a smile, then confidently walked toward Harry, who was being surrounded by Lockhart and fans.
Seeing this, Link didn't hesitate anymore and got up to squeeze into the crowd.
"You must really enjoy this, right, Potter?" In the crowd, Draco said mockingly to Harry. "Famous Harry Potter can't even enter a bookstore without making the front page."
His words clearly ignited Harry's anger. But before Harry could reply, a little red-haired girl beside him spoke up first.
"You're talking nonsense!"
"Potter, you found yourself a girlfriend." Malfoy drawled.
Malfoy's words were explosive, the red-haired girl's face immediately turned as red as her hair and she lowered her head, saying nothing more.
Their exchange finally drew the attention of others, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Hermione came over. The scene began to grow tense.
Just then, a voice familiar to both sides suddenly rang out.
"Harry, Draco, so even outside school, you have to be so full of love and hate?"
"Link?"
Harry and Draco both exclaimed in surprise. Then Draco quickly added, "Link, this has nothing to do with you. You'd better not get involved."
Although Draco's words sounded tough, his expression was nervous. He even stepped back a few steps as he spoke.
Then, a large hand landed on Draco's shoulder.
"Isn't this little Link?"
Draco looked up, and his slightly nervous expression immediately returned to normal, because behind him now stood Lucius Malfoy.
Lucius didn't care about Draco's expression. He continued speaking to Link, "You're here to buy books too? But I must remind you, you'd best not associate with certain red-haired folks. You'll catch their poor stink. Honestly, I'm surprised they even dared to set foot in Flourish and Blotts. The prices here are high. The junk shop is more their kind of place. Or perhaps, Weasley, your boss took pity on you and gave you a bonus?"
As he spoke, Lucius swept the Weasley family with a mocking gaze identical to his son's. It was already obvious who his words were aimed at.
And that wasn't even the worst. After speaking, Lucius reached into the red-haired girl's cauldron and pulled out a tattered, worn-out textbook, waving it in front of everyone, "Looks like not. What a pity. If I were you, I wouldn't have had so many kids. It's so pathetic. They can't even afford proper schoolbooks."
"What did you say!"
A furious shout came from Mr. Weasley. His hair stood on end from anger as he raised his fist and punched Lucius directly in the face.
Lucius, coming back to his senses, wasn't about to take it lying down. The two were quickly entangled in a brawl.
Seeing this, Link finally made his move.
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