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Chapter 554: Collaboration
Chapter 554: Collaboration
Lupin's heart yearned to go to Romania. Months ago, he had written to the Dragon Sanctuary in Romania, detailing his work experience at Hogwarts and explicitly revealing his werewolf condition.
To his surprise, they had replied.
Instead of the outright rejection or demands for a pay cut that he often encountered, they had offered him an opportunity for an interview.
The only requirement was that he must obtain a recommendation letter from Dumbledore or at least two other Hogwarts professors as proof of his work and a character reference.
Lupin could understand this requirement, and compared to the harsh demands he had faced in the past, these seemed too simple and almost insignificant.
The Dragon Sanctuary was probably the only place that could offer him a normal job.
For a moment, Lupin's thoughts wavered between his job and Harry.
Kyle saw the conflicted look on his face and spoke up, "I have an idea that will let you stay here and not worry about salary. Would you like to hear it?"
"You have a solution?" Lupin blurted out.
He knew Kyle was clever; it was the boy's idea that had led to Sirius being proven innocent.
Perhaps he did have a good plan to solve his current dilemma.
"Yes, I can lend you some Galleons," Kyle offered.
Lupin sighed with a hint of disappointment. "Lend me Galleons? Forget it, I can't take a student's money."
"But you're not a professor anymore," Kyle pointed out.
"No, really, I couldn't," Lupin said with a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Though it's embarrassing to admit, I couldn't pay it back."
"Yes, you can," Kyle said with a smile, pointing to the dilapidated house in front of them. "Don't we have a ready-made solution right here?"
"What do you mean?" Lupin asked, confused.
"Didn't Sirius just say he wanted you to take care of the Shrieking Shack?" Kyle explained. "This is the only remaining wizarding village, right next to Hogwarts. Any shop here would make money."
"Sirius bought this place," Lupin said seriously. "If he wants to open a shop, then all the profits are his. I can help, but I won't take even a Knut."
"What if you bought half of it from him?" Kyle shrugged. "I can lend you two thousand five hundred Galleons. You can give it to Sirius, and this place will become jointly owned by the two of you. I'm sure he won't refuse."
"That's true..." Lupin's expression froze as he asked, "Wait, how much did you say?"
"Two thousand five hundred Galleons," Kyle replied, confused. "Half of five thousand, right?"
"I know, but... How could you possibly have that much money?"
"I think so," Kyle said, scratching his head.
To be honest, he wasn't quite sure how much money he had at the moment, but he definitely had a couple of thousand Galleons. After all, they had made a small fortune at the Quidditch World Cup the previous year, and even after splitting it six ways, each of them had almost a thousand Galleons.
With the additional thousand Galleons from the Triwizard Tournament champion's prize money, Kyle would still have plenty left even if he lent Lupin a substantial sum.
And if that wasn't enough, he had other options, like asking Kanna to help him sell some of the shed Basilisk skins to Snape.
However, that option was a bit risky... Snape knew the Basilisk was with him, and even with Kanna's help, he might not be willing to pay up honestly.
So, if possible, Kyle didn't want to resort to that method. He just needed to wait a few months for the champion's prize money. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Lupin was still a little dazed at the moment.
He knew Kyle had money; he had witnessed it firsthand last year on the train when the students had lined up to buy treats from him.
"Fifteen, just barely meeting the age requirement for the Triwizard Tournament," Kyle replied.
Lupin's expression grew even more perplexed.
At fifteen, Kyle had earned over two thousand Galleons, while at the same age, Lupin had been busy covering for James and Sirius whenever they broke school rules...
"But..."
Lupin wanted to say more, but he was interrupted.
"This is the best solution for you to stay close to Harry," Kyle said. "Besides, these two thousand five hundred Galleons aren't a gift; they're a loan, and you'll need your own business if you want to take care of him."
Lupin's heart was stirred.
He stood there, deep in thought with a furrowed brow, until Sirius and Harry emerged from the Shrieking Shack, finally making up his mind.
"I'll pay you interest, and if you refuse, I'd rather not take it at all," Lupin said.
"Why would I refuse free money?" Kyle laughed. "Then it's settled."
"Okay." Lupin nodded reluctantly, his expression somewhat heavy.
"Then, wait a moment."
Kyle took out his trunk, placed it on the ground, and stepped inside.
Lupin instinctively took a step back. He remembered that it was from this very trunk that Kyle had taken out the Devil's Snare the previous year when he had turned into a werewolf.
As a result, he had ended up staying in the hospital wing for quite some time.
Thinking of this, Lupin glared at Sirius.
"What's that look for?" Sirius, who had just come out of the Shrieking Shack, was baffled. "Did I do something to upset you? Oh, and where's Kyle?"
"He's in the trunk," Lupin said irritably. "You'd better keep quiet for now. I'm in no mood to put up with you."
"What's going on? This is all so confusing," Sirius muttered.
A few minutes later, Kyle emerged, holding a smaller trunk in one hand while trying to stuff the squirming Scurvyback into it with the other. Finally, he managed to toss the little dragon back inside and closed the lid.
"It's all here, right on the dot," Kyle said, handing the small trunk to Lupin. "Do you want to count it again?"
"No need," Lupin shook his head.
But he still opened it to take a look.
The trunk had been enlarged with the Undetectable Extension Charm, and it was filled to the brim with gleaming Galleons.
Lupin's hand shook, and he almost dropped the trunk.
Seeing all those Galleons, any lingering doubts he had were completely dispelled.
"You've been carrying this much money around with you?" he asked incredulously. "Why didn't you put it in Gringotts?"
"Why would I pay goblins to guard my gold?" Kyle said matter-of-factly.
Gringotts was guarded by a dragon that oversaw hundreds, if not thousands, of vaults. In Kyle's case, it was a single dragon guarding one vault, so it was obvious which was the safer option.
The only thing he really needed to guard against was Scurvyback's thieving tendencies.
That little dragon had an incredible capacity for hoarding, having stolen over a thousand Galleons from the dragon's lair bit by bit.
Unfortunately for Scurvyback, he had been caught red-handed by Kyle this time.
"What are you two talking about... and what is that thing?" Sirius couldn't help but lean in curiously.
Lupin took a deep breath and turned to Sirius. "Come with me, Sirius. I need to discuss something with you."
"Can't we talk about it here? Harry and Kyle aren't outsiders," Sirius said.
"No, we can't," Lupin insisted.
"Alright then," Sirius reluctantly followed Lupin back into the Shrieking Shack.
(End of Chapter)
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