He was much more comfortable navigating a mystery to be solved than the awkward intricacies of conversation. August's shoulders relaxed.

"I'm not sure," August said. He tilted his head back momentarily to look up at the ceiling, as if that would settle the question. Of course there were no answers written there. "I'm not here often enough to be confident - but it does seem like the sort of store that would just appear."

If it had just appeared, then there was another question: why now, why today? August tapped the tip of his cane against the toe of his shoe. "Did you enter from Diagon Alley?"

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