Coconino National Forest, Sedona, Arizona, 10/8/1983, 09:35
Harry was very very pleased, after a lot of effort he had managed to coax Bellatrix into getting on a jet. She and the twins would be staying with him in his tent for the next month before the weather got colder and they returned to Britain.
Today he and Sanjay were beginning to collect venom from two species that lived in the area, the Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus), and the Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox).
These two species were their top priority as they were both highly venomous and responsible for countless snake bites in North America, many resulting in deaths.
They were in the high desert region in an area called Sedona, at the moment Harry was hoping to find one of these two snake species.
The Coconino National Forest was massive and had all sorts of other climates including a large are of desert which was the best place to find rattlesnakes.
Harry had left Athena with Bellatrix and the twins as a guardian of sorts for the day. It was warmer here than in Britain during the day, but in the early morning, it was quite chilly compared to the rainforest she came from. Athena had decided to remain in the warmth of the tent until the sun had fully risen.
Harry was currently making his way into a small canyon, where he believed an old creekbed used to be. The rocks around here had a reddish quality to them that was very pretty to look at but Harry was focused on the ground as he walked through the ankle-high scrub.
Rattlesnakes made a very distinctive sound from a rattle on the tip of their tails, which is where they got their name. That sound set off a primal instinct in most people to get away from the area as quickly as possible which is exactly what the snake wanted.
Harry was walking very slowly and listening intently for that distinctive sound, the thermal sensing pits in the snake's snout that resembled nostrils meant that the snake would see him well before he saw them. He may have the gift of parseltongue but he would still get bitten if he accidentally stepped on one. As cool as it was this morning he didn't expect the snakes to really come out until the sun had fully risen.
This was day one and he was still getting familiar with the area, it was a welcome change from the dense jungle of the Amazon. The landscape here was so open compared to the dense humid rainforest it felt almost freeing.
The landscape was very picturesque, he had watched the sunrise this morning, the sky that looked like something out f a watercolour painting with the pinkish-purple sky over the red rocks buttes and rolling hills in the distance.
Last night he and Bellatrix had watched the sunset after they had set up camp, they had stayed up quite a while as the stars came out just talking and enjoying the view.
Harry was jerked back to the present when he heard the unmistakable sound of a rattlesnake's rattle not far away from where he was walking.
§Rattleserpent, I mean you no harm§, Harry hissed in the direction he heard the rattle.
§ A speaker, what do you want?§ A cantankerous voice hissed as a large Mojave rattlesnake slithered out of a crevice under a rock overhang in the embankment to his right.
The snake had a greenish hue to it"s brown scales with trapezoidish diamond markings running along its back that changed to a white and black zebra pattern near its rattle. The snake was about three feet long with a massive head, Harry could easily identify the bulging venom sacs on either side of his head. This snake had a stripe that started at the corners of its eyes and ran backwards diagonally down the sides of its head.
§ I would like some of your venom§ Harry hissed back trying to be as polite as possible.
§ If you do not leave my territory I will give you plenty of my venom§, the snake hissed threateningly as it showed off its inch long curved fangs and rattled even louder.
§ Do not test me serpent, if you attack me I will make you into a pair of boots for my mate§", Harry hissed back his wand slipping into his hand.
§Why should I give you my venom, speaker?§ The snake hissed irritably.
§ I will do you a service§, Harry replied as he subtly cast a warming charm over the snake remembering Sanjay telling him that snakes can be a bit cranky when they were uncomfortable.
§ That feels nice, oh yessss§, The snake hissed appreciatively.
§ I can cast this spell on your den when you go into brumate§, Harry offered.
Sanjay had admitted that they had arrived here a bit late in the year, the snakes in the high desert would be going into brumate or hibernation within the next month.
The winter temperatures here were mild during the day, mostly in the low to mid-fifties but at night time it could get at or below freezing which was a problem for cold-blooded animals such as... snakes.
So the rattlesnakes of the high desert usually hid somewhere and went into a sort of hibernation when it got too cold for them, only coming out on warmer days to bask in the sun and hydrate.
§ You can make my hidey-hole warm like thisss?§ The snake hissed hopefully raising its head over a foot in the air to look at him.
§ Yes, The spell will last until the coming spring§, Harry assured the serpent.
§ You have a deal speaker§, The snake hissed in agreement before adding, §I also want a fat lizard.§
§ Very well§, Harry agreed secretly hoping that all of his encounters today were not like this one.
Harry slumped into the campsite to find Bellatrix and the babies out at the picnic table. Sanjay was nowhere to be found yet.
"You look awful," Bella sniggered when he plopped into a seat across from her.
These Mojave rattlesnakes are the most temperamental brats I have ever met in my life," Harry sighed as he summoned himself a Coke.
"Yes, they have the personality of a grumpy two-year-old. How many venom samples did you collect?" Sanjay asked as he came out of his tent hovering a large pot of soup in front of him.
"Nineteen Western diamondbacks, nine Mojave greens, and three black rattlesnakes," Harry answered after consulting his notebook
" I am impressed," Sanjay said as he summoned bowls and utensils.
"Where is Athena?" Harry asked as he took Carina so that Bella had a free hand to eat with.
"She went hunting," Bellatrix said as she ladled some soup into a bowl.
"I may have warned your familiar that it will get cool after the sun sets, so if she wanted to hunt she had better go before dark," Sanjay added as he took a seat.
"Good, I hope she eats one of the Mojaves," Harry chuckled darkly.
"I am afraid that that would be a bad day for all involved, your snake would win the fight but the Mojave venom would affect her, either from a bite or when she tried to digest it," Sanjay said matter of factly.
"What is this, it's wonderful?" Bella asked after taking a bite.
"That is a recipe my wife picked up called Southwestern chicken soup," Sanjay said smiling at Bellatrix.
Harry grinned as he took a bite of his soup, it really was very good, warm and spicy with big chunks of chicken as well as black beans and corn in a savoury broth.
"This is really good," Harry agreed between bites.
"I figured it suited the locale," Sanjay grinned before tucking into his own bowl of soup.
The three of them ate in silence enjoying the excellent dinner and in Harry's case unwinding after an exhausting day dealing with petulant snakes. It was about ten minutes later that his daughter started squirming in his arm letting him know she was awake.
§ Hungry§, Carina hissed as the smell of the soup wafted her way.
§ Soon little one, let mommy finish her soup first§, Harry soothed noticing his wife was almost finished eating.
"Extraordinary, this really is unheard of in a child younger than seven," Sanjay said looking at Carina in wonder.
"What did she say?" Bella asked as she finished her food.
"She says she's hungry," Harry grinned.
"Okay, Bella will feed them both. I need to put them to bed soon anyway," Bellatrix said as she gently took Carina out of his arms, Ignotus was asleep in her left arm and carried the twins back into the tent.
"You have yourself a nice little family," Sanjay grinned after refilling his bowl.
"I know, the twins are starting to get so big," Harry chuckled.
"I remember that stage well, my own children seemed to grow in an instant," Sanjay said wisely.
"How did you do today?" Harry asked curiously as he refilled his own bowl with soup.
"No Mojaves but I collected nineteen venom samples from the diamondbacks to the north," Sanjay said between bites.
"When are we going to see the horned serpents?" Harry asked hopefully.
"We should be going to the reserve next week. Truthfully I am overdue for a visit with the horned serpents," Sanjay answered.
"I admit that going there is the highlight of this trip for me," Harry said truthfully
"Be prepared, the horned serpents have become skittish around wizards and for good reason, they were hunted to extinction in Europe and have become distrustful of Wizards ever since," Sanjay said after a few minutes of silence.
"I am not surprised to hear that, I am just excited about seeing a magical serpent up close," Harry admitted.
§ I am a magical serpent§, a familiar voice hissed as his familiar slithered around his feet.
§ You are, I see you were successful in your hunt§, Harry grinned as he noticed the bulge in her midsection
§ Yessss, there were these little barking creatures that lived in the ground, there were so many of them, so taaaasty§ " Athena hissed happily.
"I think she found some of the prairie dogs borrows," Sanjay chuckled.
§ Where are the hatchlings?§ Athena hissed scenting the air with her tongue.
§ My mate is feeding them§, Harry answered.
§ They are always feeding, very hungry little hatchlings§, Athena hissed as she slithered over to the coil up beside the fire.
§ The more they eat the bigger they grow§" Harry grinned as he watched Athena settle on a rock and rest her head on her coils.
§Soon they will stand tall, I can feel they will both have great power§" Athena hissed sleepily.
"I think she is growing attached to the twins," Harry said to Sanjay.
"I expect so, they are part of you, she is bonded to you. I imagine she can sense your magic in them," Sanjay said thoughtfully.
"A serpent expert couldn't have a better guardian over his children than a twelve-foot bushmaster," Harry grinned.
"Agreed, have I told you where we're going next?" Sanjay asked looking at Harry curiously.
"No, where?" Harry asked in interest.
"The land down under and home to the most venomous mundane snake on earth," Sanjay grinned.
"The Inland Taipan?" Harry asked curiously.
"Yes, though this collection will not be for antidotes, the inland taipan hardly ever bites anyone but their venom is quite valuable for potion ingredients. We will also be collecting venom from the taipan, coastal taipan, Eastern brown, western brown, mainland tiger snake, and the death adder," Sanjay explained.
"When do we leave?" Harry asked.
"Mid-January, right in the middle of Australian summer Sanjay replied.
"So we're taking a few months off?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Yes, I would like to spend the holidays with my grandaughters," Sanjay admitted.
'I understand, I want to spend the twin's first Christmas as a family, "Harry agreed.
"Excellent, I will send some material home with you on snake species of the region," Sanjay explained.
"Who is the client?" Harry asked.
"Black Potion Suppliers," Sanjay shrugged.
"Huh, This will be the second job I will take on for that company," Harry chuckled.
"This should be a lot safer than dealing with feral werewolves and they are paying us quite handsomely for the venoms," Sanjay shrugged.
"I guess we had better get some shut-eye, I have to search the other side of the dry creekbed and deal with those petulant Mojaves," Harry sighed.
"The black mambas are even more confrontational, they seem to always be in a foul mood," Sanjay chuckled.
"When will we see them?" Harry asked as he got up.
"Sometime next June, that is their mating season and they will be even more aggressive for that," Sanjay admitted.
"Wonderful, though I am only looking forward to a trip to Africa so I can see a runespore," Harry said.
"Be careful what you wish for, they will give you a headache. Three heads and all three of them constantly bickering with each other," Sanjay chuckled as he got up from his seat as well.
"I have always found the species interesting, good night Sanjay," Harry said as he slipped into his tent
"Good night," Sanjay called after him
Lake Serpentine, Arizona, 10/25/1983, 12:57
Harry and Sanjay made their way around the massive lake looking for the horns of the serpents protruding from the surface of the lake as they would break the surface first.
This lake had been hidden from the muggles two centuries ago to protect the statue of secrecy. This was the largest body of water in the state of Arizona though only the magical folk knew it even existed.
For the last few weeks, Harry and Sanjay had been travelling all over the state to the major desert regions to collect venom from the many rattlesnake species that lived there.
There were over a dozen different rattlesnake species in Arizona that had been identified so far and they had managed to collect at last a dozen samples from all of them.
They had also collected over two hundred samples from the western diamondback and seventy-three from the Mojave rattlesnakes which was the top priority for this trip.
Harry was glad they had set their camp up where they did as the farther south they travelled the hotter it got. The high desert was quite comfortable by comparison to the southern deserts.
Bella was starting to get bored staying in the tent all day and Harry was just thankful they would be leaving in three days so they could spend their first anniversary in their own home.
Harry was looking forward to the two months off, he had made what most people earned in a year in the two months he had spent in South America so it wasn't like he had to work all year round even if they weren't already decently well off.
Harry saw something break the surface far out in the lake before it sank back into the water.
"Did you see that?" Harry asked Sanjay.
"Yes we have caught the attention of one of the horned serpents," Sanjay nodded.
"Should we try to go out into the lake?" Harry asked curiously.
"No, it would be best if it came to us," Sanjay said quietly as the horn of the serpent broke the surface much closer to the shore.
"I think it is coming our way," Harry pointed out unnecessarily.
"Good, now don't make any sudden movements, they do not trust wizards very much after being hunted for their horns and jewels for centuries," Sanjay warned.
"Jewels?" Harry asked curiously having seen nothing about that in Newt's book.
"Yes, the species of horned serpent that lives in this lake is called the uk'tena and has a large diamond-shaped gem set into its forehead. They were relocated here from the Appalachian mountains in the mid-eighteen hundreds," Sanjay explained.
"Why?" Harry asked curiously.
"Because the muggle government forced the caretakers of this species from their lands in one of the greatest atrocities in American history," Sanjay said in disgust.
Before Harry could ask anymore, a massive head came out of the water about twenty feet from shore. The head was about six feet long with a mouth full of six-inch-long curved fangs, Harry thought it resembled a dragon more than any snake.
Instantly Harry noticed three horns that were sticking up from the back of the serpent's skull. They were coloured a shiny gold and were about four feet long, very slender and came to a sharp point. Each horn had three ridges starting at their base that spiralled the length of the horns giving them a gnarled twisted look.
On the creature's head, there was a pair of bright fiery red crests running from the base of the outer horns, down between the snake's eyes all the way to the tip of the serpent's snout.
Harry could just make out a large blue diamond-shaped stone set into the serpent's Forehead in between the vibrant crests.
The animal's eyes were staring unblinkingly into his own, they were the same shade of blue as the stone and seemed to see into his very soul. The eyes stood out in sharp contrast to its shimmering orange scales that almost looked like the snake was on fire.
The snake swam closer to shore and Harry could make out a row of golden coloured spikes running down the animal's back breaking the surface of the water behind the snake. From the number of spikes he saw trailing behind the snake Harry guessed the serpent was over forty feet long.
§ Sanjay, I am glad you have returned to visit me, who is this you have brought to meet me?§ The serpent hissed in an almost musical tone making the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand on end.
§ Hello Adsila, it is good to see you as well. This is a friend of mine, meet Harry§, Sanjay said respectfully.
§ I am Pleased to meet you great serpent§, Harry said nervously.
§Well met Harry, I can sense the venom of my kin running through your veins§, The serpent hissed looking into Harry's eyes.
§Yes, I was bitten many years ago but saved by the tears of a phoenix§, Harry hissed back a bit taken aback that she could smell the basilisk venom still flowing through his veins.
§What is it you seek by coming here, Harry?§ The serpent asked its gaze getting even fiercer if that was possible
§ To make you're acquaintance nothing more§, Harry answered honestly.
§ I am teaching Harry to work with magical serpents, he will be my replacement when I retire§, Sanjay said making Harry's eyebrows raise in surprise.
§ I know Sanjay, I see it in your eyes," The snake said turning to look Sanjay in the eyes.
Harry jumped when the serpent's head snapped back to look at him, § You are more than what you seem Harry Peverell, I sense death surrounding you. You are a great warrior that has seen much death and caused much death but are still light in your heart heart§, the serpent hissed almost as if passing judgement on him.
§ How do you know this?§, Harry hissed back ignoring the look of surprise that crossed Sanjay's face.
§ I can see it in your eyes, you still have a long road to slither but you will bring great change to our world§, Adsila answered cryptically.
§ I would like to give you a check-up while we are here§, Sanjay cut in, thankfully he let the serpent's last statement pass without comment.
§ Very well§, Adsila replied as she slithered onto the shore stretching herself out on the red sand her horns and spikes glinting in the sunlight.
§ First we need to get your measurements§, Sanjay hissed back as he removed a similar measuring tape to the one Newt always used.
§ I remember, just hurry up before my scales dry out§, Adsila replied.
She was every bit of forty foot long, her body was as thick as an oak tree, she seemed much girthier than the basilisk he and Newt had measured last year. The sunlight reflected off of her scales making them look like burning coals.
It took them about a half-hour to check her over and get her basic measurements, Harry holding one end of the tape and jotting down measurements as Sanjay called them out.
§ How old are you great serpent?§ Harry asked as he held the measuring tape next to the end of her log dragonlike snout.
§ I have seen six-hundred winters since my hatching§, The snake hissed and Harry was sure he heard a note of pride in her voice.
"Forty-four feet six inches," Sanjay called out from the tail end and Harry jotted it down
§ I can sense that you have bonded with a mundane serpent, where is she?§ Adsila asked as Sanjay measured her girth in different sections of her body.
§ She is staying with my mate and hatchlings§, Harry answered distractedly as he was writing down the measurements Sanjay was listing off to him.
"Eleven foot six inches in girth at the widest point, she has grown since I last saw her," Sanjay chuckled.
§ I have Sanjay, I will be laying eggs soon§, Adsila hissed as Sanjay came to her head and gently crawled onto her back.
§ Excellent, it has been many years since there was a hatching on the reserve§, Sanjay grinned.
Sanjay began measuring the three horns and calling out the measurements for Harry to jot down.
"I believe that will be it for the measurements, now I just need to take a look at her fangs," Sanjay said as he slid off of her back.
Harry watched as she opened her maw wide enough for Sanjay to climb into her mouth and inspect her fangs. Harry thought the man was very brave as the last place he would want to be was in a giant snake's mouth, Harry sighed in relief when Sanjay climbed back out.
§ I do not like the taste of humans, Harry§, Adsila hissed looking at Harry and he could swear she sounded amused.
§ You are perfectly healthy§, Sanjay said as the serpent slithered back into the water.
§ I will see you again, speakers§, Adsila hissed before her head disappeared under the water.
"That was not what I was expecting," Harry admitted as her horns dipped under the surface.
"I know what you mean, I thought they would be like the other magical serpents I had met, I was quite surprised the first time I visited the reserve," Sanjay said as he put the notebook Harry handed him away.
"How dangerous are they really?" Harry asked as he saw a glimmer on the ground about ten feet away and walked over to pick it up.
"They are relatively docile animals but are very dangerous when provoked, they also produce a very toxic venom not to mention they could swallow a human in one bite if they wished. Their skin is highly magical resistant and it is rumoured that jewel on their heads can make them invisible and grant them the power of flight," Sanjay said in a lecture like tone.
Harry only heard half of what Sanjay said as he stared in wonder at what he had picked up, it was one of the spikes from the horned serpent's back. It was conical in shape and about eight inches long, it was surprisingly heavy, weighing at least five pounds.
"Oh my she shed a spike," Sanjay exclaimed bringing Harry out of his observation.
"Yeah I think it got dislodged when you were measuring her horns, is it valuable?" Harry asked handing the spike to Sanjay for him to look at.
"Only to a wandmaker, this right here would make thirty wands give or take," Sanjay said as he looked it over in interest.
"So what should we do with it?" Harry asked as he dug his canteen out of his pocket a took a deep drink.
"You should keep it, you very well might find a use for it one day," Sanjay said as he passed the spike back.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked in surprise.
"I am, you found it and I already have two of them. They shed them every so often, the bottom of the lake is littered with these," Sanjay said with a shrug.
"Thank you," Harry said as he put the spike into the magically expanded pocket of his robes .
"Don't thank me, thank Adsila when you see her again," Sanjay grinned.
For the rest of the day, they went to different areas of the lakeshore and conversed with some of the other serpents in the lake, they took down their measurements and checked their health before moving on. There were twelve horned serpents living in this lake according to the records, this was close to the optimal population for a body of water this size.
Adsila was the largest they had seen but not by much. One of the males that was a deep jet black colour was within six inches of her length.
Around six they called it a day, they would have to fill out the paperwork to turn in to the warden in charge of the reserve but other than that their work in Arizona was finished.
Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 11/1/1983, 09:38
Harry sat at the table going through a month's worth of daily prophets that Jangles had collected while they were gone. Cassiopeia was making a lot of changes in the ministry, none of them alarming on their own but when Harry put them all together the picture was quite worrying.
An eight per cent tax had been placed on goods imported into magical Britain, Cassie had forced this through by executive order and had not disclosed where these funds were going.
The misuse of muggle artefacts office had been merged with the obliviation squad, which meant that the muggles who ended up with a cursed magical item were likely to be obliviated and sent on their way. Harry knew this would mean that it was very unlikely that any of the other departments would seek out the perpetrators that were giving the muggles said cursed items.
This would open all sorts of doors for wizards to cheat muggles out of money, Harry was certain that there would be a lot more magical on muggle crime because of this change in ministry policy.
Even more worrying was that the minister now had her own squad of aurors that she had handpicked to carry out orders considered classified, Corban Yaxley had been promoted to head this squad which was even more unsettling.
Finally, Cassie had taken a firmer hand in the department of international magical relations and had been making frequent visits to the French ministry.
What she was doing there and who she was meeting with was kept quiet, though all three factions of the Wizengamot were becoming uneasy about the new minister.
"You look upset," Bellatrix said as she entered the kitchen.
"Cassie is up to something," Harry sighed throwing the paper on the table.
"Yes I know, I can go visit Cissa tomorrow and find out what she knows about all of this if you like," Bella offered as she took a seat across from him.
"You don't have to do that, we can just have her and Sirius over for dinner soon and pick her brains then," Harry shrugged.
"If you're sure," Bella shrugged.
"There is no hurry," Harry assured her.
"So what are we doing today?" Bella asked.
"We should go to the alley, I need to check the state of our finances," Harry answered after thinking it over for a bit.
"Oh goodie, Bella wants to go to the alley! I need to get the twins new clothes!" Bella exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes, I figured you would like to get out for a bit, I know you didn't really like Arizona," Harry said ruefully.
"It was pretty in Arizona but Bella got bored after a while," his wife shrugged.
" I know, it was wonderful to have you with me though. We have two months to decide if you want to accompany me on my next excursion," Harry said as he tossed the last paper in the stack to the side.
"Where are you going?" Bellatrix asked curiously.
"Australia, where many of the snakes on the list of the top ten most poisonous snakes in the world reside," Harry replied.
"Are any of them magical?" Bella asked as she picked up this morning's paper.
"No, there is only one known magical serpent in all of Australia and it is regarded as a god by the Aboriginal magical community. We would be lynched if we went anywhere near it," Harry assured her.
"Where would we stay, Bella does not want to stay in that tent any more," Bellatrix said flatly.
"I have been looking over the information Sanjay sent me about the country and have decided that I will not be staying within a hundred kilometres of Sydney," Harry said matter of factly.
"Why, Sydney has a large magical community?" Bella asked in surprise.
"After dealing with the acromantula colony I have developed a strong dislike of spiders and the second most venomous spider on earth lives in and around Sydney," Harry explained.
"Wait just a minute! You work with some of the most poisonous snakes on the planet and you're afraid of spiders?" Bella giggled.
"I'll have you know that I am not afraid of spiders, I just don"t particularly care for them very much," Harry protested.
"Of course dear, what are you doing in Australia?" Bellatrix asked sounding amused.
"Venom collection, that's pretty much all we really do," Harry admitted.
"I see, I think I will stay here with the kids, you can just set up a portkey like you did in South America. I despise spiders as well," Bellatrix admitted.
§ The little ones are awake, the female tells me that she is hungry§, Athena hissed as she slithered the into the room.
"It seems the babies are awake, you're daughter is using my familiar as a messenger serpent. Harry chuckled as Athena slithered up his body to settle around his shoulder.
" She is an excellent nanny snake," Bella giggled as she stroked Athena's head.
§ I am hungry too and it is too cold to hunt outside§, Athena hissed into his ear after Bella had left the room to go tend the children.
§ I am going to the alley today, do you like rabbits?§ Harry asked idly stroking her head causing the serpent to hiss appreciatively.
§ Yesss, rabbits are my favourite prey§, Athena replied.
§Then I will get you some rabbits in the alley§, Harry promised.
Harry thought he might convert one of the rooms into a habitat for Athena to hunt in.
He still remembered the classroom Dumbledore had converted to simulate the Forbidden Forest for Firenze to teach in during his fifth year. With a bit of research, Harry was sure he could make Athena a similar room to replicate her Brazilian rainforest home.
§Can I come to the alley with you?§ Athena asked pulling him from his thoughts.
§ Yes, I don't see why not§, Harry shrugged.
Truthfully taking her with him would definitely catch the attention of everyone who saw him but he had no intention of hiding his familiar from the wizarding public. It was bound to come out that he was a parselmouth eventually and he could care less about what the rest of the world thought of him anyway.
The only thing he was worried about was the reaction of the goblins when he brought a highly venomous snake into the bank but worst case scenario he would just let her go shopping with Bella and the children while he handled his affairs in the bank.
Diagon Alley, London, 11/1/1983, 14:28
Harry stepped out of the bank having just gotten an accurate assessment of his finances, he was now getting very close to reaching a seven-figure balance in the Peverell vault.
Harry had been pleased to learn that their work in Arizona had paid quite well, apparently, he and Sanjay were paid to check out the health of the serpents on the reserve. From what he gathered, the caretakers of the reserve could not approach the animals so the only way they could monitor the animals well being was to call in Sanjay.
Harry had also invested ten thousand galleons in the Nimbus broom company which had been gaining in popularity since they were founded sixteen years ago.
Harry had given Long blade strict instructions to buy as many ownership shares as he could with the gold and to start selling them off in the spring of ninety-three. Harry knew the shares would triple in value when the Nimbus two thousand and one hit the market in the summer of ninety-two, all the professional Quidditch leagues purchased them for their teams.
In the summer of ninety-three, the value of the shares would drop tremendously with the debut of the Firebolt making the Nimbus line obsolete as far as the quidditch leagues were concerned.
Technically it was unethical to use his foreknowledge in such a way but it would be silly not to as he could turn the ten thousand galleons into close to forty thousand with no effort on his part.
Unfortunately, the goblins would not work within the muggle stock market, the muggle pound was considered worthless to the goblins and they refused to convert more than a few thousand pounds to galleons for a single customer in a fiscal year.
The only reason they exchanged small amounts of pounds for galleons was that they were quickly reimbursed by companies that did trade in the muggle world. These companies would exchange galleons for paper money at a two per cent mark up so they could purchase wholesale products to sell in the wizarding markets like food and certain textiles.
Harry was somewhat disappointed because certain tech companies were about to explode onto the muggle market in the next few years but decided that it would be more headache than it was worth to try and handle the investments himself.
§ Those creatures stink, speaker§, Athena hissed as Harry stepped out of the bank.
§ Luckily my sense of smell is nowhere as strong as yours §, Harry chuckled getting horrified looks from the people he passed in the alley.
§Where are we going now?§ Athena asked curiously.
§To get you those rabbits, I promised§, Harry hissed back as they entered the magical menagerie.
§ Yessss, a nice juicy rabbit for Athena§, His familiar hissed as they stepped inside and were overwhelmed by the noise of hundreds of animals squawking, barking, squeaking, and squealing in an almost earsplitting cacophony.
Harry made his way to the counter, the sales clerk's eyes nearly bugged out when she recognized the breed of snake coiled around his shoulders.
"You know that serpent is very venomous?" The woman asked taking a few steps back from the register.
"I do, I collect her venom once a week, she is quite docile I assure you," Harry nodded as he gently stroked Athena"s head which was resting on his chest.
'Very well what can I do for you, sir?" The woman asked keeping her eyes on Athena who seemed to be enjoying Harry's attention.
"I need some non-magical rabbits, they will be used for feedings so I would prefer the common brown rabbits, she likes to hunt her meals," Harry said getting straight to the point.
"Very well how many do you need?" The woman who according to her name tag was named Dorothea asked finally seeming to relax.
"One every week should do, but I will need one to take home with me today," Harry replied after some thought.
" They are three sickles a piece, I can have the amounts taken directly from your vaults if you wish," The woman offered.
"That is acceptable, I will only need this service until the middle of January," Harry explained.
" Very well the woman said as she made notes in a ledger.
It took about five minutes before Harry was stepping out of the shop, he had called Jangles to take Athena and the fat rabbit he had purchased back to the house for her feeding.
Making a beeline for the Italian restaurant Harry saw Bellatrix pushing the double stroller from the direction of Twilfit and Tatting's looking pleased.
"Good you're on time, where is Athena?" Bella asked as they continued walking towards the restaurant.
"I bought her a rabbit and she wanted to go home to enjoy her meal," Harry shrugged.
"Good, now that you've fed your pet it's time to feed your wife," Bella said as they entered the restaurant.
"Of course, let's get you some alfredo," Harry grinned.
'All in all, today had gone pretty well,' Harry thought a few minutes later as their meal arrived and he began to dig into his stromboli.