Cooperation

Lupin longed to go to Romania. A few months ago, he wrote a letter to the Dragon Sanctuary, in which he not only shared his work experience at Hogwarts but also directly revealed his Werewolf identity.

The other party replied.

Instead of the outright rejection he had imagined, and without the salary reduction demands he often heard, he was given an interview opportunity.

The only requirement is that you must obtain a letter of recommendation from Dumbledore, or at least two Hogwarts professors, which would serve as proof of his work experience and a guarantee of his character.

Lupin could completely understand this; compared to the demanding requirements he had experienced before, these were incredibly simple, even negligible.

The Dragon Sanctuary is probably the only place that can provide him with a normal job.

For a moment, Lupin's mind was torn between his work and Harry.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Kyle couldn't help but speak up:

"I have an idea that would allow you to stay here without worrying about your salary. I wonder if you'd like to hear it."

"You have a way?" Lupin blurted out.

He knew Kyle was very clever, including that Sirius's acquittal was Kyle's idea.

Maybe he really does have a good solution to his current problem.

"Well, I can lend you some Galleon," Kyle said.

Lupin sighed in disappointment.

"Lend me Galleon? Forget it, I can't take a student's money."

"But you're not a professor anymore."

"Really, it's not necessary." Lupin shook his head with a wry smile. "It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I can't afford to repay it."

"No, you can," Kyle said with a smile, pointing to the dilapidated house in front of them. "Isn't there a ready-made solution here?"

"What?" Lupin was somewhat confused.

"Didn't Sirius just say he wanted to let you manage the Shrieking Shack?" Kyle said. "This is the only remaining wizarding village, and it's right next to Hogwarts. It's such a great location; you could make money opening any kind of shop here."

"Sirius bought this," Lupin said seriously. "If he really wants to open a shop, then whatever profits he makes is his. I can help, but I will absolutely not touch a single Knut."

"What if you also contribute money to buy half?" Kyle shrugged. "I can lend you 2,500 Galleon, which you can give to Sirius. Then this place will become jointly owned by you two."

I'm sure he won't refuse."

"That's certainly true... wait, how much did you just say?" Lupin asked stiffly.

"Two thousand five hundred Galleon," Kyle said doubtfully. "Half of five thousand, that's right."

"I know, but... how could you possibly have so much money?"

"I'm alright." Kyle scratched his head.

To be honest, he wasn't quite sure how much money he had, but he definitely had two or three thousand. After all, they had made a fortune at the previous Quidditch World Cup, and even if the six of them split it equally, they would still have close to a thousand Galleon.

If you also consider the 1,000 Galleon prize money for the upcoming Triwizard Tournament champion, even if Kyle lends Lupin some money, he will still have a considerable amount left over.

Even if that wasn't enough, he had other options, such as asking Kanna to help him sell some of the Basilisk's shed skins to Snape.

However, doing so is a bit risky... Snape knows the Basilisk is with him, and even with Kanna's help, he's unlikely to pay up obediently.

So if possible, Kyle doesn't want to use this method, since he only needs to wait a few months to receive the championship prize money, and there's no need to take the risk.

Lupin was still a little dazed at this point.

He knew Kyle was rich; he had witnessed it last year on the train, seeing students lining up to pay for things.

But two or three thousand Galleon... isn't that a bit too much?

"Kyle, how old are you this year?" Lupin murmured.

"Fifteen years old, just meets the Age Line for the Goblet of Fire of Fire."

Lupin's eyes looked even more confused.

Kyle earned over two thousand Galleon when he was fifteen. What was he doing when he was fifteen...? Oh, right, he was busy covering for James and Sirius, who were breaking school rules.

"But..."

Lupin wanted to say something more, but was interrupted.

"This is the best solution; it allows you to stay and protect Harry."

Kyle said, "Besides, those two thousand five hundred Galleon aren't a gift to you; you have to pay them back. And if you want to take care of Harry, you need to have some property of your own."

Lupin was somewhat tempted.

He stood there, his brow furrowed in thought for a long time, until Sirius and Harry came out of the Shrieking Shack, and he finally made up his mind.

"I will pay you interest, but if you refuse, I'd rather not have it."

"Why would I refuse money?" Kyle said with a smile. "Then it's settled."

"Okay." Lupin nodded with difficulty, his expression slightly heavy.

"Then, please wait a moment."

Kyle took out his box, placed it on the ground, opened it, and went inside.

Lupin instinctively took a step back. He remembered that when he became Werewolf last year, Kyle had taken the Devil's Snare from this very box.

He then stayed in the Hospital Wing for a long time.

Thinking of this, Lupin couldn't help but turn around and glare at Sirius.

"What kind of look is that?" Sirius, who had just come out of the Shrieking Shack, was completely bewildered. "I didn't do anything to you, did I? By the way, where's Kyle?"

"It's in the box," Lupin said irritably. "You'd better not say anything now, or I might lose my temper and beat you up."

"What on earth is going on? This is so strange," Sirius muttered to himself.

Kyle came out a few minutes later.

He held a smaller box in one hand and the squeaking Niffler in the other, and with great effort, he managed to throw it back into the box.

"It's all here, just right." Kyle then handed the small box to Lupin. "Would you like to check it again?"

"No need." Lupin shook his head.

Even so, he couldn't help but open it and take a look.

The box was enchanted with Undetectable Extension Charm and was filled with golden Galleon.

Lupin's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the box containing the money.

If he had any doubts before, seeing the whole box full of Galleon made him completely believe Kyle's words.

"You carry so much money with you all the time?" he said incredulously. "Why don't you keep it in Gringotts?"

"Why should I pay a Goblin to keep my gold coins?" Kyle said matter-of-factly.

Gringotts has a Dragon guarding hundreds or thousands of vaults, while here it's a Dragon guarding just one vault. It goes without saying which one is safer.

The only thing he needs to be wary of is the Niffler.

This little guy's pockets are really big; he managed to steal over a thousand Galleon from the Dragon's lair.

As luck would have it, Kyle caught it red-handed while it was committing the crime.

"What are you talking about... and what is this thing?" Sirius couldn't help but lean closer.

Lupin took a deep breath, turned around, and said, "Come with me, Sirius, I need to discuss something with you."

"Can't we talk about this here? Harry and Kyle aren't strangers."

"No, come with me now," Lupin insisted.

"Alright then." Sirius had no choice but to follow Lupin back to the Shrieking Shack.