The moment he stepped inside, enthusiastic service greeted him. A shop assistant immediately approached and asked warmly, "Anything you're looking for?"
"I'd like to look at cats or toads," Herman said earnestly, recalling the requirements on his Hogwarts acceptance letter.
"A new student, right? Come along. Our cats are over here, and the toads are over there." Like an attentive guide, the assistant led Herman to the cat cages and toad cabinets.
Smelling the stench of cat shit, then looking at the large lumps covering the toads, Herman found himself in a dilemma. It felt rather like asking himself whether he wanted cream-flavored shit or chocolate-flavored shit.
Reading his expression, the assistant immediately saw that Herman might not be entirely satisfied and hurriedly said, "Don't like cats or toads? No problem. We have plenty of other pets here, including owls."
Herman shook his head gently. "I'm not too fond of owls either. Does Hogwarts let you bring other pets? I only saw those three kinds listed in the letter."
The assistant keenly picked up on the potential desire to buy in Herman's words and immediately switched into sales mode. "No problem at all. Although the letter only lists three kinds, you can actually bring other pets too."
After saying that, the assistant silently added to himself, At most, Professor McGonagall will tell you off and deduct a few points. She won't go so far as to make a student get rid of their pet.
Every year, though, pets that students no longer wanted or had lost found their way into the Forbidden Forest. Those that managed to survive even enriched its ecosystem.
"Of course, dangerous pets are definitely out of the question, but we don't sell dangerous Fantastic Beasts here anyway," the assistant continued.
Hearing this, Herman immediately became interested. "You can bring any of them? What would you recommend, then?" he asked eagerly.
"Certainly. Do you have any preferences? What sort of pet would you like?"
After a moment's thought, Herman said, "It has to be clean and easy to clean up after. Nothing too clingy that needs walking like a dog, either. Ideally, it should be useful in some way. Most importantly, it needs to have something distinctive about it, something unconventional."
Since he was getting a magical pet, of course he had to go for something novel and different.
Hearing Herman's requirements, the assistant thought rapidly and soon had an idea. He first led Herman beside the toad cabinet and pointed at the pile of cold-blooded creatures in the tank. "The magical lizards and snakes here all meet your requirements."
Looking at a lizard that changed color as it flicked its tongue and a white snake coiled around a dead branch, Herman asked curiously, "Do they have any special abilities? I'm from Muggle society, so I don't know how these animals differ from the ones there."
The assistant explained patiently, "This lizard can turn invisible, and it's intelligent enough to understand its owner's commands with training. This snake doesn't have any special abilities, but it's more intelligent and can understand most of its owner's commands. Cold-blooded animals are a little lazy, though, and it may well hibernate if the temperature gets too low in winter."
"They're quite pretty. Do you have any other pets to recommend?" Herman was somewhat tempted, but he still couldn't suppress his anticipation and kept asking, wanting to see whether there was a more suitable pet.
"Yes, this way." The assistant then showed Herman the other pets: a Fire-tailed Mouse whose bright red tail burst into flame when it got agitated, which unfortunately made it liable to set blankets and other things alight; a fluffy Puffskein, which was certainly cute but really didn't suit Herman's style; and a Bowtruckle, which looked like a miniature, malnourished treant and was unconventional enough, but took too much effort to raise.
Herman rejected every pet introduced after that. Finally, the assistant led him to the owl section, but this time, rather than introducing an owl, he introduced a pitch-black raven beside them.
"This is a magical raven, bred with magic over many generations. It's just as intelligent as an owl." Looking at the raven, which stood out so distinctly beside the owls, Herman's eyes immediately lit up.
The raven was big enough, about the size of a small eagle. Standing on his shoulder, its presence and sheer cool factor would be off the charts.
The assistant could clearly see that Herman liked this raven very much and immediately stepped up his sales pitch. "We train this raven alongside the owls. It can deliver letters, and it's big enough to carry about as much weight as an owl can. It's intelligent too. Most importantly, you can let it roam free, so you won't have to clean up its droppings. It's practically a magical pet tailor-made for you!"
"Great, I'll take it!" Herman decided on the spot. He really hadn't seen anyone with a raven in the films. He might even be the only one.
"Certainly. This raven costs thirty Galleons." The assistant immediately quoted the price, then, afraid the high price might scare him off, quickly added, "We'll also throw in a month's feed. Once you settle down somewhere, say Hogwarts, just give it some time and it'll learn the surrounding area like its own backyard. Then you won't even have to feed it yourself. It'll be able to find its own food. It really couldn't be less trouble."
"It certainly sounds easy to keep." Herman nodded in agreement, gazing intently at the raven in the cage before him. As though sensing that it was about to change owners, the raven lowered its head toward the little boy like a well-behaved child.
Once the purchase was confirmed, the assistant led Herman to the counter to pay. Afterward, the assistant also gave him a magical whistle. The raven had been trained to return immediately whenever it heard the whistle.
This time, Herman didn't ask the shop to deliver his purchase. Carrying the complimentary bird feed in one hand and his wand box in the other, with the raven perched on his shoulder, he headed high-spiritedly toward his final stop, which was also where he would be staying for the next few days.
"Look, you're a raven, you're so big, and you're black all over. I'll call you Xiao Hei from now on." After thinking for a long time, Herman finally gave the raven a simple, easy-to-remember name.
The raven seemed less than pleased with the name and cawed several times in protest, but Herman took that as agreement and acknowledgment of its name. With no other choice, the raven could only accept it.
Entering the Leaky Cauldron from Diagon Alley didn't require tapping specific bricks as in the films. As soon as Herman reached the entrance, the wall slowly opened on its own like an enchanted curtain.
Carrying his things with the bird perched on his shoulder, Herman strode into the Leaky Cauldron.
The Leaky Cauldron was bustling in the early evening. Nearly every table was packed, and people raised their glasses and drank, exchanging toasts.
Apart from a few people near the entrance, hardly anyone noticed Herman coming in.
Even those who happened to see him merely gave him a casual glance before returning to their own business. Clearly, he had no protagonist halo. When Harry came, he received the star treatment, with everyone fawning over him. All the customers in the Leaky Cauldron crowded around him like crazed, brainless fans.
Still, Herman was happy enough not to attract any attention. He headed straight toward the bar to find someone and get a room.
"Landlord! Landlord! Can I get a room?" Herman sat on a chair at the bar and called for the landlord.
He called several times, but there was no response from behind the bar. Just as Herman was wondering what was going on, a child's clear voice came from beside him. "Stop shouting. The landlord's not here. What do you want?"
Herman turned to look and saw a rather pretty little girl. But the apron she wore was covered in grease and drink stains, and her once-neat braids had become like a little bird's disheveled nest after going untended for so long. Young as she was, she looked like a workhorse worn down by labor, muttering angrily under her breath, "Old Tom, where on earth has he run off to with all these people here? He even said he missed me, only to trick me into coming here to work."