This time, Herman knew there was a magical seat belt and understood that he could not be thrown out, so he could handle it a little better than before.
Yet whenever the cart shook violently and he nearly flew out, his heartbeat still sped up uncontrollably, and his blood pressure soared along with it.
Looking at Harry now, Herman had to admit that he was genuinely impressed by how cool she was. After all, although he knew he would not fall, he felt he could never remain as unruffled as Harry on such a hair-raising cart ride.
Before long, they reached the Black family vault. As soon as Herman stepped out of the cart, he spotted someone familiar.
Across the chasm, a huge figure emerged from another vault a short distance away, wearing his signature leather coat, his long black hair hanging in a disheveled tangle. It was Hagrid.
Hagrid spotted Herman across from him at once and greeted him warmly. "Herman, are you here to pick something up too?"
Hearing Hagrid's booming voice, Herman looked at the chasm between them. With no other option, he shouted back, "No, I'm here with Harry."
Hagrid clearly had not heard him properly and carried on talking. "Herman, I went to Knockturn Alley the other day, but I didn't find the silver coin you mentioned. Don't worry, though. I know a fellow who's often around Knockturn Alley, a light-fingered sort. I'm going to ask him. Might turn something up."
Hearing that Hagrid was still going to the trouble of looking for the silver coin, Herman hurriedly raised his voice. "No need to look! I found it!"
As he spoke, he also tried to divert Hagrid's attention, pointing to Harry beside him. "I came with Harry Potter to take care of something at the vault."
This time, Hagrid finally heard him clearly and said excitedly, "Harry Potter! Are you Lily's child? You look just like Lily. Last time I saw you, you were only this big." Across the gap, Hagrid gestured to show the size of a baby.
Harry had been watching Herman shout across with interest. She had not expected the conversation to turn to her so suddenly, and judging by Hagrid's manner, the big fellow across from them might start crying if she said nothing.
Resigned, Harry prepared to speak, but first she told Herman, "Wizards should know how to use magic."
Then she took out her wand, pointed it at her throat, and said, "Sonorus." A clear, ringing voice immediately echoed through the cavern:
"Hagrid, right? I received the photos Dumbledore sent me. Dumbledore said you found them. Thank you."
"No need to thank me. If I'd arrived a little sooner back then, perhaps Lily and James, and Longbottom and Alice wouldn't have, wouldn't have..."
Harry clearly did not want to continue discussing the subject and spoke again. "Nothing would have changed. Perhaps more people would only have died."
Even Hagrid picked up on the displeasure in Harry's cold tone, slow as he was, and hurriedly changed the subject. "Well, let's leave that. Welcome to Hogwarts, Harry. It'll definitely be the most precious experience of your life."
Herman hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over and change the subject as well. After all, Harry was his financial backer, so he had to keep her happy. "Hagrid, what are you doing here? Taking out money too?"
Hagrid replied vaguely, "Something like that. Just picking something up. You two carry on. I should be heading back. Dumbledore doesn't want me staying out too long."
With that, Hagrid waved to them and climbed into the cart on his side. Not long after it started moving, Herman heard that same clang as before, as though something had been struck.
Now Herman understood what had happened. Hagrid's huge frame must have hit a stalactite or something on the cavern ceiling while the cart was moving.
Apparently, when the goblins dug these caverns, it had never occurred to them that a little giant might come to deposit money too.
Harry also emerged from the thoughts Hagrid had stirred up, took out the vault key, and handed it to the goblin to open the vault door.
As soon as the vault door opened, Herman instinctively wanted to step aside to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Before he could move, however, Harry suddenly asked, "Want to have a look inside?"
Naturally, Herman was brimming with curiosity. After all, the films had only a few shots of the vaults, and he had always been curious about the vaults of the so-called pure-blood families.
Still, Herman made a show of restraint. "That wouldn't really be appropriate, would it? It is your vault, after all."
Harry said casually, "It's fine. You can help me carry a few things while you're in here."
"All right!" Herman stopped standing on ceremony and answered readily.
Herman followed Harry into the vault, but the moment he stepped inside, he realized he had been tricked.
A piercing screech exploded in his ears, as though several needles had stabbed into his brain at once. The pain made him clamp his hands over his ears, trying to muffle the sound.
Yet the shrill noise seemed to penetrate every gap, continuing to bore into his brain.
"Shameless thief, leave the Black family vault."
"Those who lay hands on the Black family's treasures shall die without a burial place."
Herman gritted his teeth and endured it, looking around and thinking that if he could not take it, he would retreat for now and assess the situation.
Just then, he suddenly noticed that Harry was covering her ears too, but she was walking deeper into the vault.
Gritting his teeth, Herman decided to follow her example and moved deeper into the vault as well. Soon, he noticed something unusual: the farther he went, the quieter the sound became, and the needle-like sensation gradually eased.
Before long, Herman and Harry both lowered their hands. By now, the sound had become a muttering in their ears. Once they grew used to it, it was no different from background music that the brain could automatically filter out.
"What was that just now?" Herman asked curiously.
Harry did not answer immediately, offering him a compliment first instead. "You did well. Most thieves hear that sound, think they've triggered a trap, and immediately retreat to work out how to deal with it. What they don't know is that entering again will trigger the real trap. But as long as you keep moving inward, the sound gets quieter and quieter."
"That's a pretty interesting design, but why didn't you warn me?" Herman asked, somewhat annoyed.
Harry gave him a mischievous grin. "You didn't warn me before using me to change the subject with Hagrid, either."
With his little ploy exposed, Herman felt somewhat in the wrong and changed tack. "Let's call it even this time. If there are any more traps, make sure you tell me beforehand."
Harry nodded. "No problem. Be careful not to touch anything at random. A lot of things here carry curses."
Only after Harry's reminder did Herman notice that they had already reached the depths of the vault. Several shelves stood in the middle, displaying all kinds of objects. A pile of Galleons lay in a corner, but it was covered in dust and looked as though no one had touched it in a long time.
Compared with the pile of Galleons, the objects on the shelves clearly drew Herman's attention more. He could distinctly sense the powerful magic within them, as well as the deadly threat they gave off, as though a loaded gun were pointing at him.
Harry also grew serious now, carefully examining the shelves and walking past row after row, seemingly searching for something.
Herman moved closer to take a careful look as well. The shelves held all manner of things: a wand snapped in two, oddly shaped statues of unknown purpose, an ornate but bloodstained wine cup, a crown set with gems glowing red, books whose covers seemed to be made of skin, and more. It felt like walking into an upgraded version of Borgin and Burkes' Dark Magic shop.