Harry recognized the look Remus Lupin had. He had seen it every month the previous year, but at the time didn't recognize it for what it was.
"How're you feeling Remus?" He asked with genuine concern. He was there to escort Moony out of the Chamber.
"It's never easy Harry, but at least I have Sirius again," Lupin said in a voice that was trying to hide his pains. "Even though I'm safe with the Wolfsbane, there is always that feeling of isolation I have when I'm a werewolf. Having Sirius around reminds me of the times with him and your father."
"Anything we can do?" Harry asked.
"You're already doing it," Lupin replied as the two of them walked down the tunnel toward the steps. "Just being around people who accept me for who I am means so much. It's another thing that brings back memories of my student days in this school."
"Thinking about Fleur's offer?"
"I'd be a fool not to, but I want to talk to her father first," Remus replied. "I don't want charity, but if they seriously could use me for something that's important, I...I would like the opportunity."
"She was serious in her offer," Harry told him. "And I've met her father. I know he'll listen to her. He's going to try to help Sirius when we announce our bond."
"He knows about Sirius?"
"Only that he's innocent and my Godfather," Harry explained. "He's going to ask for a full investigation of me once the bond is announced, and that should bring Sirius into the picture. Once it comes out Sirius never had a trial, he'll push for one. With Dumbledore changing his testimony that Sirius was the secret keeper they shouldn't have a case."
"I hope it's that simple, but the Minister doesn't like admitting the ministry makes mistakes," Remus said. "We'll need to make sure we have a solicitor lined up for Sirius before the trial."
They continued to converse on various subjects as they left the Chamber area.
Remus found that his tent, gloves, books and the rest of his rendering equipment had arrived in Hogsmeade. He made his way to the store and paid for and picked them up. After shrinking them down, he made his way to the local post office, where he placed several envelopes into post that would be converted into muggle mail. He smiled as he watched the owls fly away and thought, "Well Padfoot, your first prank against the Dursleys is underway."
The owls landed a short time later at a wizarding/muggle post conversion station where the envelopes were taken from the owls and put into the standard muggle post. A couple of days later those envelopes made their way to several magazine processing points where the order was fulfilled. Two subscriptions of magazines were placed for number Four Privet Drive, while a third was an order for the same name but for number Fourteen Privet Drive. Harry assured Sirius that neighbor was on par to his Aunt for neighborhood gossiping.
....
Over the next several days they studied in the Chamber, where they were practicing learning various spells from Fleur. She would cast the spell and Harry would experience it in his mind. After he perfected the spell Gabrielle and Hermione would learn it from him the same way.
Remus was studying both French and the books on dealing with the Basilisk. One of the evenings he was standing next to the large carcass deep in thought, when Harry came over to talk to him.
"What's this thing good for Moony?" He asked.
Remus had been thinking about how and where to begin with the rendering and at Harry's question, he looked startled. "Oh, sorry Harry, lost in thought. What's it good for you ask? Well from what that book says," He nodded at the book lying open on the table, "Almost every part of this thing has value. Considering that almost all Basilisks have been killed off over the years and one hasn't been killed and harvested in almost ten years the backlog of demand for the various parts has driven up the prices astronomically. The book has some numbers in it, but its two years old so you have to presume a higher price now. An example would be the venom. It's especially in high demand and two years ago it was selling for one hundred and fifty galleons an ounce."
Harry remembered the white hot pain of the Basilisk venom as it coursed through his body and he gave a slight shudder. "What's the venom used for?"
"Several things actually," Remus explained, "it's a critical ingredient in several high end potions and it's also an effective means to kill dangerous magical resistant creatures. An example given in the book is an enraged dragon that can't be controlled. You can risk several dragon handlers' lives in attempting to kill it, or less than an ounce of basilisk venom can take it down. Of course getting the venom into the dragon is dangerous in itself, but the risk is far less."
By now the others had gathered around them, "So how many ounces of venom do Basilisks have?" Hermione asked.
"Not ounces, gallons. The average Basilisk will have between four and five gallons of venom," Lupin explained.
Hermione and Fleur both did the math rapidly in their heads, "Zat's over seventy thousand galleons," Fleur said. "Just for ze venom?"
"Actually I said the average was four to five gallons," Lupin explained. "The average Basilisk is only thirty feet long. Considering this one is over sixty feet, if there is a corresponding increase in venom, you could be looking at over thirty to forty gallons based depending if the venom cavity has a corresponding increase in both diameter and length."
"What do you mean?"
"The venom sac is a cylinder like mass near its head. A normal sac is about twenty five centimeters in diameter with a length of forty centimeters, if this one has one fifty centimeters by eighty centimeters, the volume increases to over thirty gallons. If there are thirty gallons of venon in this beast.."
"Over four hundred and fifty thousand gallons," Hermione whispered.
"Correct again. Minus, of course the amount is less whatever you'll have to pay to whoever you are getting to sell it for you."
....
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