"The spear you found was no ordinary one", Firenze continued. "There were once great beasts called Basilisks. They were serpents as large as buildings that could turn a man or woman to stone with just one look" Astor tried to imagine such a creature but could not visualise such a thing. "The spear you found was a Basilisk tooth fashioned from its venomous jaw. You're very fortunate, in fact, that you didn't, by accident, brush the sharp end. The spear retains its venomous touch for eternity, and the poison is so potent that it would kill a mortal within seconds"