Since Rolf was a first-year, he had quite a lot to buy, so the group set off quite early.
Upon arriving in Diagon Alley, they split up as planned—Rolf's mother took him to buy a suitable wand, while his father went for things like cauldrons.
Steven and Wade headed to the apothecary first. Wade needed to pre-order some potion ingredients to be mailed to him at school later. Shops in Diagon Alley did business with Hogwarts students year-round, and their reputation in this regard had been built up over many years, so there was no worry about them breaking agreements. Steven, meanwhile, needed to buy some deworming powder for his Kneazles and then sell some materials he'd collected from his farm, like Murtlap essence.
After circling around, they agreed to meet at the ice cream parlor. Wade and Steven sat down at a table outside the shop to rest for a bit, had some drinks, and then Rolf, who had just finished ordering his new school robes, joined them.
"Mum, buy me some Dr. Filibuster's Fireworks, please," Rolf pleaded, tugging at Mrs. Scamander's sleeve. "Just one, even!"
"No," Mrs. Scamander gently refused. "The school doesn't allow you to bring those."
"I won't take it to school, I'll just set it off at home," Rolf said. "I want to see what it's like for flowers to bloom in water."
"Let him have it," Rolf's father interceded for his son. "What child doesn't get toys?"
On the way to Flourish and Blotts, they first detoured to a magical joke shop. Rolf was dazzled by the various magical fireworks. Wade bought a selection of everything, and Steven even recommended a jar of colorful sweets to him.
"These are fun; eat one and a plant will sprout from your head. It'll be gone in a few minutes, no need to worry about it being harmful." Steven said, picking up two jars for himself. There were also self-shuffling playing cards, quills that suddenly turned into giant spiders, realistic toads that squirted foul-smelling liquid, and more.
Wade wasn't particularly interested in these prank toys and put them down after a quick look.
The crowd around Flourish and Blotts was larger than expected, mostly clustered outside, with a majority being middle-aged witches. They formed a winding queue at the entrance, each holding a book or two, occasionally straightening their hair or patting down their skirts.
A few adults hesitated at the edge of the crowd, but Wade, pulling Rolf, nimbly weaved through the gaps in the throng. Most people were at the signing event, so the shop itself was relatively uncrowded. The two boys told the shop assistant their year levels, and the young man skillfully produced two pre-packed bundles.
"Do you want all new books?" The assistant, seeing they were both children, kindly reminded them, "If you want second-hand books, they're cheaper."
"New books are fine, thank you."
Wade and Rolf both pulled out Galleons to pay. Gilderoy Lockhart's books weren't cheap; two heavy bags of Galleons were placed on the counter.
Clutching their books, they squeezed back out of the bookstore, just in time to see Gilderoy Lockhart gripping Harry's hand for reporters to photograph. The surrounding crowd was buzzing with excitement, but Harry had an expression of wanting to escape.
"Harry Potter? He's here too?"
Rolf heard Harry's name and strained on his tiptoes, craning his neck to see. Unfortunately, he was too short; all he could see were dense backs, completely obscuring the black-haired boy.
Seeing Rolf nearly bumped by the surging crowd, Wade pulled him back and asked, "Curious?"
"Of course!" Rolf said excitedly. "I grew up hearing his stories! I heard he thwarted the Dark Lord's plot again recently, is that true?"
"It's true. But you don't need to push through the crowd now. When you get to school, you'll see him every day."
"Can I take a picture with him too?" Rolf pressed. "I want to hang his photo on my wall."
Wade said, "I have a camera. But whether you can take a picture, you'll have to ask him yourself."
Wade pulled Rolf away, still hearing Lockhart's voice from behind them—
"I am absolutely delighted and proud to announce that this September, I shall be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
—Good thing I've already found myself a truly capable Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Wade muttered inwardly. If not for that, he'd have to find a way to get rid of this Lockhart.
Wade safely escorted Rolf back to his parents, just in time to hear the boy excitedly tell them, "Mum, Dad, guess who's there?"
"Lockhart?" Mr. Scamander echoed.
"No, it's Harry Potter! He's taking a picture with Mr. Lockhart, and reporters are photographing them!"
Rolf bounced with excitement, "I'm going to be classmates with Harry Potter!"
"Settle down," Mrs. Scamander dabbed the sweat from his forehead, cautioning, "And, don't ask him about his scar, and you're not allowed to ask him about defeating You-Know-Who the first time, understood?"
"Why, Mum? I'm so curious!" Rolf wailed.
"Silly child, he lost his parents then!" Mrs. Scamander said gently.
The crowd suddenly became chaotic; someone screamed, and others scrambled to get out of the way. Wade heard one of the Weasley twins loudly shout, "Get him, Dad!"
And Mrs. Weasley's high-pitched cry, "Don't, Arthur, don't!"
"Try this, Ronald Weasley!" Malfoy's voice was particularly distinct.
"I think I heard some familiar names," Wade said, handing his other things to Steven. "You hold these for me; I'll go see what's happening."
He squeezed back into the crowd, just in time to see Hagrid, one hand on each, easily separating Ron's father, Arthur Weasley, and Lucius Malfoy. Ron and Malfoy, who had been wrestling, were also pulled apart by Harry. Harry had secretly shown partiality, and Malfoy's eye socket was already bruised from Ron's punch.
Lucius Malfoy's pale blonde hair was covered in dust. He wrenched himself from Hagrid's arm, looking utterly disheveled, and shoved a tattered Transfiguration textbook into Ginny Weasley's hands.
"Take your book!" he said arrogantly and disdainfully. "That's the best your father can give you."
Wade's wand was hidden in his sleeve; he subtly flicked it. Ginny suddenly stumbled as if pushed, falling to the ground.
"Lucius Malfoy, you dared to lay hands on a child!"
Arthur Weasley immediately erupted in fury, about to lunge into a fight again, but was once more restrained by Hagrid.
"That's too much!" The half-giant was also angry. He looked at Malfoy with contempt. "If that's all you can do, you'd best not show your face in front of me!"