At this point, Director Margery seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to walk deeper into the room. Before long, she hurried back, carrying a trunk in both hands.
"Oh, right, this is for you." Director Margery handed the trunk to Herman.
"They say you were lying on top of this trunk when they found you. It was later brought to the orphanage along with you. It now holds the clothes you were wearing when you arrived here. Apart from those, the only other item was that silver coin of yours," she added, her eyes full of tenderness, as though she had returned to Herman's childhood. Come to think of it, Herman had been very obedient and adorable at four or five; he had simply become a little too mature as he grew older.
Herman carefully accepted the trunk Mrs. Margery handed him and opened it to find a few pieces of children's clothing inside.
Although the clothes looked quite well made, they were only Muggle clothes, with nothing special about them.
The trunk was not large either. An adult could easily lift it with one hand, and it was probably just big enough to squeeze a three-year-old child inside. Its design was somewhat dated, and its surface was inlaid with numerous bronze ornaments. However, most had been bent and knocked out of place by an impact. Its original exquisite appearance had long since vanished, making it a perfect fit for something salvaged from a plane crash.
"My husband guessed at the time that your parents might have put you inside this trunk to save you. That way, you escaped the shock wave from the impact. Once the trunk floated to the surface, you opened it yourself and drifted on the water until, luckily, rescuers arrived," Director Margery explained slowly, her voice full of feeling.
Listening to Director Margery's explanation, Herman still found it a little far-fetched and unscientific. But after thinking it over, he could come up with no more reasonable explanation, so he could only nod helplessly, reluctantly accepting this account.
"Director, may I take this trunk with me?" Herman raised his head and asked softly, a trace of anticipation in his eyes.
"Of course. It belongs to you, after all." Director Margery nodded without hesitation, granting Herman's request with a kindly smile.
"Thank you, Director," Herman said gratefully, his voice full of sincerity. Afterward, he followed Director Margery back to the office.
The two sat down and discussed his future plans. In the course of their conversation, Herman casually let slip that Hogwarts allowed students to stay at school during the holidays, laying the groundwork for not returning to the orphanage during his breaks.
After spending another night at the orphanage, Herman said goodbye to his friends and the staff one by one. Carrying a wealth of memories and that mysterious trunk, he returned once more to the Leaky Cauldron.
Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Herman quickly got himself into the right frame of mind and once again threw himself wholeheartedly into his studies.
His earlier experience with magical combat, though it had only been a one-sided thrashing, had also made his next direction clear.
Although his study of magic had hit a bottleneck, he could work on increasing his casting speed and improving his ability to adapt on the spot.
After all, in a dangerous situation, if his opponent had already fired a gun while he was still slowly raising his wand, he would probably be lying on the ground before he could even finish a fancy flourish.
Apart from that, Herman waited every day at the Leaky Cauldron for an opportunity to fall into his lap, keeping his eyes fixed on the people coming and going as he looked for a chance to have someone guide him to Knockturn Alley to exchange currency.
This had already become an urgent matter for him. After all, his little reserve of money was nearly depleted, and his wallet was practically spotless.
Especially now that he was carrying a large amount of British pounds yet could not exchange them for Galleons! It felt like starving to death while clutching a gold brick. The frustration was indescribable.
Herman racked his brains. If he really had no other options, perhaps he could try asking Old Tom to recommend a few reliable wizards.
Over the month he had spent here, he had gotten along very well with Hannah and chatted with Old Tom several times too. He felt that the latter was a kindly, approachable old man.
But if he could not get hold of some Galleons soon, Herman reckoned he would have to go to Hogwarts penniless and live off the free meals in the dining hall every day. He might not even be able to afford his room at the Leaky Cauldron, and could end up owing Hannah a mountain of repair costs.
Just as Herman was frowning and scratching his head in frustration, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure walking into the Leaky Cauldron.
A striking head of red hair caught Herman's eye as Harry strode in from outside. The moment she entered, she glanced around as though searching for something, and her eyes happened to meet Herman's.
The next second, she headed straight toward Herman without hesitation.
"Hey, what was your name again?" Harry's voice was icy, like a winter wind, without a trace of warmth.
"Herman Horace. Your memory isn't very good." Herman was currently tearing his hair out over the Knockturn Alley problem and had no patience for small talk with Harry, so he answered irritably.
"It's a good thing I don't remember. People I remember tend to come to a bad end," Harry said coldly, her face still expressionless.
What do you think you are, Light Yagami's notebook? Write someone down and they die? Herman silently snarked. But he only thought it and did not say it aloud.
After gaining a deeper understanding of the wizarding world over the past few days, Herman finally understood why Harry's "spawn point" had been the underground courtroom at the Ministry of Magic.
Ten years ago, Voldemort had suddenly disappeared, and Harry's parents had tragically died in that brutal battle.
Orphaned, Harry had been adopted by her godfather, Sirius.
But events had clearly gone against Dumbledore's plans. Dumbledore had originally thought that having a child around would make Sirius rein himself in somewhat and shoulder a father's responsibilities. If he settled down for little Harry's sake, and Dumbledore then found him a job, this former problem student could live a normal life.
Sirius, however, had thought very differently. James's death had been far too suspicious. How had Voldemort learned that James lived in Godric's Hollow? Had someone betrayed James? And why had Mr. and Mrs. Lombardo been there too, joining forces to attack Voldemort? Had Dumbledore arranged all of this in advance? All these questions and suspicions tangled around Sirius's heart like a mass of knotted threads, leaving him unable to stop.
He began traveling everywhere to investigate the truth of what had happened back then, killing a few former Death Eaters along the way to avenge James.
His suspicions of Dumbledore also led him to speak with him less and less, and the trust between them gradually crumbled.
And so Sirius raised Harry while busy pursuing revenge. In the end, Harry developed the icy personality she had today, while Sirius himself became a wanted criminal everyone condemned after repeatedly killing pure-blood wizards who were Death Eaters the Ministry of Magic had declared innocent. He was even dubbed the most terrifying Dark wizard since Voldemort.
After all, although Voldemort had killed countless people, he had rarely touched members of the pure-blood families who controlled public discourse. Sirius, on the other hand, had been painted by the Daily Prophet as a terrorist who could frighten crying children into silence, more effective than werewolves when it came to scaring young wizards.