But Harry's attention was drawn to one corner of the store where a group of young wizards had gathered.
They crowded around a counter piled high with colorful boxes, each about the size of a palm and nearly identical in shape.
The boxes were made of metal, but since the kids handled them so easily, Harry guessed they couldn't be very heavy.
The little wizards seemed completely captivated by whatever was inside those mysterious boxes.
Harry pointed to a counter in the corner and looked at Hagrid with curiosity.
"Is that the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica blind box they were talking about?" he asked.
Hagrid nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, those boxes cost 10 Sicos each. After you open one, you get to draw a lottery ticket right there, you can't take the box with you. What you get is completely random. If you're lucky, you might score something really good right away. But if you're unlucky, you could end up buying dozens and only get cheap prizes."
As Hagrid explained, Harry noticed a young wizard approaching the wall with four blind boxes in his hands.
The kid opened all of them at once and plunged his hand inside one box.
Harry's eyes widened in surprise.
The box was only about ten centimeters square, but the kid actually shoved his entire arm inside it.
Judging by the kid's expression, it seemed like he was reaching into some other dimension, fumbling around for a long time before finally pulling his hand out.
To Harry's shock, the kid pulled out a paper tube about forty or fifty centimeters long from that tiny box.
"A poster again! And it's from the Falmouth Falcons. If it had been from the Caerphilly Flying Crossbow Team, it would've been just as bad luck!"
The kid tossed it aside and immediately reached into the next box.
From the remaining four boxes, he pulled out a quill, a mismatched pair of stockings, and a fist-sized lollipop.
"Argh, I don't believe you can't get anything good!"
The kid muttered, taking a frustrated bite of the lollipop before grabbing some coins and rushing back to the counter.
Harry watched closely and realized that most of the blind boxes the kids bought didn't seem to have a very high chance of winning anything valuable.
Even he could tell that the consolation prizes were pretty worthless.
"That's why they call it a blind box," Hagrid said, scratching his head with a smile.
He already knew he was pretty much doomed when it came to getting anything good from those broken boxes.
Alex had once confided in him that about 90% of these blind boxes were junk, 9% were outdated products that couldn't be sold, and only 1% contained genuine new items.
And within that tiny 1%, only 1% were valuable; the rest were cheap things like old records, which you could buy outright for about 15 silver Sickles or 1 Galleon.
As for the value of these products, maybe they weren't as impressive as that one big box he had seen, which was a high-end item enchanted with an 'Untraceable Stretching Curse.'
Still, Hagrid couldn't understand why so many people were into blind boxes, and why some were even addicted to them.
"If you're curious, you can give it a try later, but right now, we need to buy your teaching supplies," he said, pulling the reluctant Harry in another direction.
Nearby, there was a counter with only a few people gathered around.
Behind it stood a witch with curly hair, resting her cheeks on her hands, looking bored and lost in thought.
"Vivian! The store's busy, why are you just standing there like that?"
Hagrid called out as he approached, but she barely seemed to notice him.
Startled, Vivian jumped like a hen caught off guard.
She trembled, then glared at Hagrid with an annoyed look.
"It's you, Hagrid! You scared me half to death! I was imagining a chess game in my head, could you stop being so loud all the time?"
Hagrid shook his head, a bit speechless.
"I've been standing right next to you for a while, and you didn't even notice."
Then, curious, he asked, "By the way, don't you usually hang out at that poker club? Why are you here today?
I thought Shalltear was running this counter before."
Vivian rolled her eyes.
"Don't even mention it. It's all because of our terrible boss!"
She huffed in frustration before launching into a rapid-fire rant.
"Do you think it's easy managing the poker club? I only got the job because I helped the company sell more magic poker sets. But that jerk, he actually accused me of slacking off! He said if I don't come down to help during the busy season, they'd clear out the club from the second floor. What kind of reason is that? In the end, I was abruptly kicked out and stuck running the counter for new students' teaching supplies. It's so boring!"
Harry, standing nearby, watched the young witch speak nonstop for several seconds and couldn't help but be amazed.
'Was this some kind of magic? Incredible!'
Hagrid chuckled at Vivian's obvious annoyance.
"It's because you've been too relaxed, leaving all the work to David. It's summer vacation, and there are plenty of customers now, Fang and Shalltear have even come to help out. How could I let you just sit around?"
"You only defend him. If there's not enough staff, why don't you hire more people? It's not like you can't afford it. Honestly, that guy's just too stingy to bring in temporary workers. Otherwise, who else would design all this? The boss himself? You know my regular work's tiring enough, playing poker is how I get inspired!" Vivian shot back.
Still annoyed, Vivian suddenly noticed Harry beside her and glanced again at Hagrid.
"Hey, why did you come to the shop all of a sudden? The new students are here to buy supplies, wait a moment."
She turned and rummaged through the cabinet behind the counter, pulling out a stack of items and placing them on the counter.
"Here you go: all the teaching aids for new students, one 'Tactical Training' textbook, two sets of summer training clothes, one set of winter training clothes, a pair of all-terrain training boots, a sensor ball, and an identity plate."
Vivian casually placed a set of field survival tools in front of Harry and said weakly, "All of this comes to 37 Galleons, but that's a student discount. Thanks for your attention!"
Hagrid, who was usually straightforward and simple, couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief at Vivian's lackluster attitude.
"Survival tools like these are usually for senior wizards. Vivian, can you try to be serious for once?" he said gently.
Vivian gave an awkward smile and replied, "Oh, I forgot, I've been feeling a bit off ever since I stepped away from the poker table."
Then she tucked a small box away on the counter and added with a laugh, "Okay, I'll take 20 Galleons off for the survival tools."
Harry noticed how unreliable she seemed, but he just smiled and took out the money from his pocket.
As Vivian was counting the money, her eyes suddenly widened when she caught a glimpse of the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.
"Wait, that scar on your head... are you the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter?" she asked excitedly.
Harry smiled awkwardly and nodded.
Ever since he'd entered Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, every wizard he met seemed to know him, but he had no idea who they were or how to respond.
Vivian, though, didn't react with stiff surprise like the others. Instead, she shook her head and sighed.
"Merlin's beard, I can't believe how much you've grown. Time really flies!"
Curious, Harry asked, "Do you know me? I mean, did you know me before?"
Seeing how she acted, Harry wondered if she might have some connection to him, or even to his parents.
Vivian chuckled softly and said, "No, I haven't met you before, but I do know some people very close to you."
Then she frowned and looked at Harry more closely.
"But why are you so thin, kid? If that guy saw you now, he'd be pretty upset."
Harry scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Wait, who's that guy you're talking about?"
'This lady knows someone close to me? Do I even have any relatives? And why would the person she mentioned get angry?'
"You'll find out when the time comes," Vivian said with a sly smile.