Thoughts about Trunks
When Harry finally gets his Hogwarts letter from Hagrid, it contains a list of required school supplies, but makes no mention of how he\u2019s expected to pack it all. Nevertheless, on the 1st September, it\u2019s all safely packed in a \u2018huge, heavy trunk.\u2019 This is fortuitous as it appears that the trunk is indeed the luggage of choice for Hogwarts students. Was it just a fluke that Harry happened to come by this archaic style of luggage? Where did Harry get this trunk? And why does the wizarding world favour this most inconvenient form of packing container?
\nIn answer to the last question we could probably deduce that it\u2019s for the same reason wizards use quills and parchment. Tradition. Or perhaps an element of being stuck in the past. Trunks, as we know them today, mostly date from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century, when they began to give way to the more convenient and lightweight suitcase. They conjure up images of long ocean voyages and definitely have a sense of nostalgia about them. They would undoubtedly be able to fit all manner of bulky objects required by Hogwarts students, such as cauldrons and scales – although broomsticks are another matter – as well as a year\u2019s supply of clothes. However, they are hardly the most convenient item for an 11 year old to be lugging about. When Vernon Dursley drops Harry off at the station and walks away, Harry notes that he is \u2018stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift.\u2019 Later, it was only with the help of the Weasley twins that he was able to get it on the train, as he could hardly raise one end of it by himself. I know this is a mundane concern but I can\u2019t help wondering how on earth they ever manage to get those things up on the luggage racks!
\nOnce at Hogwarts of course, they serve double duty as a piece of furniture. The students use them to store their things in throughout the year, so once in place, they serve their purpose quite well. It\u2019s just that they\u2019re not very portable. Struggling with the trunk seems to be an intrinsic part of Harry\u2019s journey almost every year, until Deathly Hallows of course, when they finally resort to more practical rucksacks and the wonderfully portable beaded bag.
\nFor an adult witch or wizard, a heavy, bulky trunk does not present too much of a problem. They can always use a levitating charm or something similar. However, for a lone underage witch or wizard, or even a Muggle-born with no magical parents on hand to take care of the luggage, these trunks must be a huge inconvenience. What would Hogwarts make of someone showing up with a nice light Samsonite on swivel wheels? Arthur Weasley at least would probably chuckle about Muggle inventiveness.
\nSo where did Harry\u2019s trunk come from? He didn\u2019t buy it in Diagon Alley, and the Dursley\u2019s wouldn\u2019t have bought it for him, so it must have been something they already owned. Perhaps it was just the oldest piece of luggage in the house, and they weren\u2019t about to send Harry off with a new suitcase, such as they might have bought for Dudley to go off to Smeltings. Is it possible that the trunk once belonged to Lily, that it was in fact Harry\u2019s mother\u2019s old school trunk? Perhaps the trunk was left with Lily\u2019s parents and on their deaths it was passed to Petunia, where it had sat ever since, gathering dust in the attic. Well no, not gathering dust. I\u2019m sure even Petunia\u2019s attic is spotless. But if so, was this an uncharacteristic act of kindness on Petunia\u2019s part, ensuring that Harry went off to school, not only with luggage that would allow him to fit in with everyone else, but also with something of his mother\u2019s? That seems unlikely… but you never know.