After quite a few weeks of waiting, Matthias came through with an expert at rendering large magical creature carcasses down to potion ingredients. The man also claimed experience in rendering down a two hundred year old basilisk in Bosnia.
Quietly, Harry met with the man and Matthias in the Shrieking Shack and led them through to the castle under disillusionment charms at a time when they knew, from Dobby's monitoring of the man, the Headmaster was away from the school. Harry quickly took both men down to Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor, where they met with Hermione and Daphne. He opened the secret entrance and, together, they went down to the chamber.
The man, Gregor Ianovich, took one look at the carcass and exclaimed, "Slatki Milostiv Merlin!"
Harry chuckled and said, "And, just think; I killed the damned thing with a sword." "I had heard of this," said Ianovich, in his strong eastern European accent. "I just could not belief it. And for a beast so big; this is... how you say... astonishing!"
"So I've been told," smirked Harry. Turning to his bondmates he saw Daphne standing there looking gob smacked, while Hermione was trying to stay as far away from it as she could, while still also offering her bondmate her support.
"Harry, when you said it was a 'big snake' this is not the size I imagined," trembled Daphne. "Even the memory did not do this justice. H-How did you survive this?"
"Sheer bloody luck," muttered Harry. "And, if it wasn't for Fawkes, I'd be dead."
While they'd been talking, Ianovich was walking around the carcass. "Vell, it can be done," he proclaimed. "It vill not take me too long to render it down. But, vee needs to not sell ingredients too fast. Zee market, she cannot take too much, zo fast."
"That's fine," replied Harry. "Render it completely as quickly as you can. We'll store the components in Matthias's vaults."
"Harry?" asked Matthias.
"Better yours than mine, Matthias," replied Harry. "You can easily get access to your vaults; I cannot."
"Harry, we're talking millions of galleons worth of basilisk parts, here," explained Matthias.
"And I trust you," stated Harry. Explaining himself, he said, "Your eldest daughter and heir is one of my bondmates, Matthias. You are now one of a very select group of people I believe I... that is, we... can trust."
Matthias thought of that for a long moment before he looked Harry in the eyes and said, "And I thank you for that trust, Harry."
After some initial haggling Ianovich agreed to handle the work for an agreed fixed sum, a small percentage of the profits and a small portion of the final rendered ingredients. Harry was happy that the final figures involved were actually smaller than the level he was prepared to go, based on what Matthias said would be likely. Ianovich would return with sufficient containers, bottles and other receptacles the following weekend to handle the work.
Harry had already discovered the Headmaster would be away from the school the following Monday for a Wizengamot meeting. Ianovich would go down into the chamber, at that time, and remain until the next weekend. He would take in a wizarding tent and sufficient supplies to live in there for the duration.
The weeks started to flow past. The mail sorters worked hard to go through Harry's entire backlog of mail and were making solid progress. Harry had also started to receive mail back from various witches and wizards he didn't know who had, in part, written to apologise they'd thought badly of him; and to thank him for doing the right thing and responding to every letter and gift he'd received.
Of course, there was the near-week when the owls had to be returned for a prior contract, but that didn't stop the sorters from continuing. Only the sending team had to go on hold. It also meant the owls were given a terrific load of work once they came back.
The gift sorters were also going though all the gifts and breaking them down into categories, as per Harry's request. There were a great many handmade gifts from children that were set aside. And Dobby and Winky were charged with building shelving for the smaller gifts on the walls in the bondmates' apartment. And many ended up there. The larger ones were lovingly packed away and taken to the Potter vaults for safekeeping.
The bought non-perishable gifts were broken down into age-related piles. And then split again into muggle-safe and non-muggle-safe piles. When the piles then became too large they were forwarded on to orphanages around the country, with the muggle-safe gifts going to muggle orphanages. All gifts were left without attribution so they'd be anonymous.
The hand drawn, glued, cut-out, and sprinkled or whatever cards Dobby sorted into chronological order, and used sticking charms to paste them into large wizarding albums he'd purchased. These now numbered over half a dozen full, and there'd be far more before they were finished. The bondmates spent most of their time while in the sorting room going through these albums. And the girls realised Harry was right to keep them and cherish them.
"Some of these cards are absolutely amazing, Harry," said Daphne, a little awed. "The amount of time it must have taken these little witches and wizards to make each one must have covered many days." Harry chuckled a little bit and reached for album six. He quickly flipped through it until he came to one particular page; and plopped the open album before Daphne. He then reached across and tapped one of the small cards.
Daphne took one look at it and blushed. "I... didn't remember making that. I do now, though."
"It's not my intention to embarrass you with this, Daph," he apologised. "I just thought you'd get a kick out of it."
"Oh, I do!" she shot back. "I also remember that was the first of the ones I made for you for each of your birthdays."
"It's not surprising," cut in Hermione, from where she was flipping through another album. "In the later albums I'm starting to see names of current students. Admittedly, most of them are all in the more senior years; but, I've seen a couple from our year.
"The closer we get to this year, the more often that's going to occur. I just hope our school mates aren't going to be too embarrassed when they receive a thank you letter from 'Harry'."
"I won't change what's happening just because we personally know the sender," Harry firmly said. "If we did it means the sorters were going to have to second guess each letter to see if we know who sent it. By not treating them any different it makes the sorters' jobs that much easier. So, if anyone asks, that's what we'll tell them."
"Well, the Daily Prophet 'Letters to the Editor' section has you, again, as the second coming," blushed Hermione. "They're singing your praises for caring enough to write to each and every person; in some cases, multiple times."
"It's necessary," sighed Harry. "I'll need that goodwill to fight against the backlash that will occur when my name comes out of the Goblet, and then Skeeter's bile. Hopefully, if Skeeter does try to use her poisonous quill against me, the wizarding public will be up in arms before I can even sic Miss Pentridge onto her again."
"How did that turn out?" asked Daphne. "The other week, I mean."
"The Prophet printed its retraction; though, it was only on one of the last pages, and in really fine print," replied Harry. "However, as Miss Pen... Margaret pointed out, the Prophet now knows that if they print untruths about me they're in for a major legal stoush. Margaret's made it quite clear that her demands of them the other week were only what she considers a 'love tap' and an introduction to what could be in store for them in future. The next time it happens, she brings out the legal claws and shreds them."
"That'll declaw Skeeter for a while," mused Daphne. "However, it also means Skeeter's now going to be after you. And, she'll dig up as much dirt on you as she can, and make sure it's true."
"Good," replied Harry. "I want her to print as much truth about me as she likes. It'll make it that much harder for Dumbledore to try and control me... us."
He grinned at the girls as they smiled back. After going in while Dumbledore was away at the Wizengamot meeting - one where the Headmaster was hauled over the coals, and only avoided being sacked as the 'legal action' had yet to pass through the courts Ianovich came out right on time. He carried in with him a large trunk he said was loaded down with other shrunken trunks, his tools, his victuals and the wizarding tent.
Six days later, Ianovich had no sooner popped out of the hidden entrance, and he and Harry were hidden under strong disillusionment and notice-me-not charms, when Dumbledore hurried in. While the Headmaster was peering closely at the now opened entrance - and was casting spells upon it Harry thought were designed to hold the entrance open - the two made their escape through the still open door.
"It appears that man vas very eenterested in Chamber of Secrets, yes?" asked Ianovich, once they were far enough away their conversation couldn't be overheard.
"Yes," replied Harry. "I have it on very good authority he was interested in claiming the carcass for himself. I take it Matthias explained this to you?"
"Da. He did," replied Ianovich. "This Dumbledore... he is supposed to be great white wizard... yet, he tries to steal carcass from you. I think he is not as white as he would have others believe, no?"
"No, he's not," sighed Harry.
The two met Matthias at the Whomping Willow entrance to the secret tunnel to the shrieking shack. Matthias was even kind enough to press the knot on the tree to settle it while both made it down and into the tunnel.
"It's done?" asked Matthias.
"It is done," Ianovich firmly replied. He handed the trunk over to Matthias and said, "I have kept five square yards of skin, one quart of venom, two eye strings, and one cup of bile, as agreed. I trust I will receive the balance of my payment soon?"
"As soon as we get to Gringotts, if you like," replied Matthias. "I'll collect your final payment once I have this trunk safely ensconced in my vault."
"I'll leave you to it, gentlemen," said Harry. "I need to get back."
"Take care, Harry," replied Matthias.
"Da. Take care, Mister Potter; and it vas a pleazure doing business Ianovich, offering his hand.
wit
you," said
Harry shook it and said, "Try to come and see the first task of the Tri-wizard Tournament. I may have a second large job for you," before he quickly made his way back to the castle using his invisibility cloak to hurry back to the apartment.
As he walked in and removed the cloak, Daphne asked, "How'd it go?"
"It went off as planned," he replied with a grin. "I collected Mister Ianovich up from the bathroom and escorted him out to your father, who was waiting under the Whomping Willow. They're now on their way to Gringotts to see the rendered products safely into the Greengrass vaults; and Mister Ianovich receiving his final payment. "We damned near got caught by Dumbledore, though. I'd only just got Ianovich out of the hidden entrance... and both of us under disillusionment and notice-me-not charms... when the white whiskered wanker hurried into the bathroom. We were lucky he scurried right past us and went direct to the sinks. It allowed us to slip out the door while he had his back to us."
"I'm still having difficulty believing Dumbledore would try to steal from you Harry," grumbled Hermione.
"Then answer me this, love," asked Harry. "What condition was the carcass in when you and Ron went down into the Chamber just before the start of the Battle of Hogwarts; the day the three of us died?"
"It was frowning.
just
a
skeleton,"
she
replied, "The only way it could have been a skeleton is if it had already been rendered down," said Daphne. "The battle was only about five years after Harry killed it. Something that big could not possibly have been reduced to nothing more than a skeleton that quickly. Especially, not something as magical as a basilisk of that age or size."
"Uh-hmm," agreed Harry. "And, in this timeline, it's been close on eighteen months since the basilisk was killed. "How much decomposition did you see?"
With a pained sigh, Hermione sadly replied, "None. So, someone had definitely harvested it by the time of the battle."
"I suspect Ron, of course," said Harry. "But, from those wards and alerts Dumbledore placed on the sinks, I think you'll find it was Ron and Dumbledore working together. I think Ron tried to steal it, and was busted by Dumbledore. Then Ron split the profits with him. Hell, Snape was probably the one who did the rendering work. As a Potions Master 'rendering' is a skill he'd have to know."
Two days before Halloween and the two schools were about to arrive. Classes had finished at lunch time to allow all the students to return to their dorms to change, where necessary, into clean robes. Even the evening meal was pushed back a little to wait for both schools to arrive.
With the rest of the school body Harry, Daphne and Hermione stood out on the lawns of the school next to the main driveway to await both arrivals. Of course, all three had already been through this before, so they were all looking to the skies above the mountains on the other side of Black Lake for the first speck of the Beauxbatons carriage.
Harry spotted it and, with an outthrust arm and pointing finger to the carriage, exclaimed, "There!"
.
.
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