Authors Note: 18th Oct 2020

Many apologies for the delay of this chapter. Writer's block can be a terrible thing. Combined with insane work hours due to this COVID thing (that you might have heard about in the news) and it makes getting a new chapter out difficult.

Here is Chapter 68, I hope you enjoy it. Once again thanks for joining me on this journey.


"Huh?" We heard a distracted voice comment.

"If you are respectful and courteous to others, they are more likely to be so to you," Dave answered.

"Is that your secret then?" Daphne asked, sounding, slightly amused.

"It's not really a secret, at least I'd hope it isn't." Was his reply, "More like a wish, that people would be more civilised to each other. As constructive conversation generally gets better and longer-lasting results than open conflict."

"You sound almost like a diplomat," Tracey told Dave. There was a startled exclamation at this statement, and the two of them were laughing at Dave's reaction. We were also sharing a few chuckles as well.

"Well if you two 'ladies' are going to be calling me names like that, I'll be on my merry way," Dave stated as we heard him take his leave of the two witches and begin to move off. We could hear his laughter and that of both Tracey and Daphne as he walked away.

"Time for us to move also," I suggested to the others.

"Agreed, my legs are going to sleep, sitting here like this," Hermione said with a few grumbles as she unfolded herself from her hiding spot.

"You should have used the cushions from the seats," I said with a smile as Hermione quickly looked around and realised that there was indeed an abundance of cushions readily to hand. She mumbled something very un-ladylike under her breath that I didn't quite catch. So, I decided to wind her up some more.

"Brightest witch of her generation indeed forgets to use a cushion to make a hard-wooden floor more comfortable," I commented just loud enough for her to hear. I won't write here what she said, but it was refreshing to know that our very prim and proper Hermione does indeed know how to swear properly. Some of the words she used were obscure enough that I had to go and look them up, to find out what they meant.

We were careful not to be seen, as we made our way back to where our family were waiting for us on the floor of the Wizengamot chamber. As it turned out, we needn't have bothered (or so we thought at the time), as the focus of those left in the chamber was on the conversations that were occurring between the various ambassadors.

Hermione was particularly pleased when she overheard one conversation between the French and Spanish Ambassadors and their 'press attachés'. From what we heard of their conversation, Kingsley and Percy had made them aware of the plan for the upcoming press conference, and they were fully supportive of it. Almost eagerly awaiting payback on the various members of the British Wizarding press who had given them so much grief over the years (namely Rita Skeeter).

When the Spanish Press Attaché stated that he loved the recent additions to the plan, Hermione was smiling so much she forgot to look where she was going. This nearly resulted in her tumbling down one of the steep sets of stairs that the Wizengamot members used to get to their seats from the floor of the chamber. The only thing that stopped this rapid descent was a pair of arms that appeared out of nowhere to catch her.

Once Hermione had been placed back on her feet, we noticed that the arms that had caught her were attached to a familiar German Auror, who was grinning at us with a very mischievous look on her face. It took me a moment to realise that the Auror who had caught Hermione was none other than Natascha Feuerstein. Her equally amused companions were Brigitte Bräuer and another witch that had been with the German Ambassador in the chamber but hadn't been introduced to us as yet. While this mystery witch was showing signs of amusement, her smile never reached her eyes. Indeed, her eyes were carefully watching, almost measuring us.

"Did you ladies enjoy your little intelligence gathering session?" Brigitte asked us her amusement evident in her eyes as well as in her voice.

"You saw us?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"But of course." Was the reply from Natascha, "It wasn't a bad effort, for someone without any formal training that is." She advised us.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Hermione asked her. Clearly more than a little annoyed at having been caught out.

"You all looked like you were having so much fun. We didn't want to interrupt you." Natascha chuckled, before turning more serious for a moment, "But we will impress on all of you, the importance of not repeating what it was that you heard just now." She cautioned with a dangerous-looking glint in her eyes. Fleur seemed to recognise the look as she gave a rather solemn nod of acceptance.

"How could you hear what was being said from all the way over here?" Hermione wanted to know, her curiosity driving out signals that she should have picked up on. Her eyes were rapidly getting that look in them like she was about to start to explode with questions.

"There are many ways to listen to conversations without being detected." Natascha said with a measuring look, "If you are lucky and prove yourself to be trustworthy; we might even teach you some of them." She offered, seeing the indignant look that was rapidly taking over Hermione's face she held up her hand to stop Hermione's impending outburst and further explained.

"Look at it from our point of view for a moment." She requested, "We've only known you for a few hours, and you all seem like decent people. But we just watched you all sneak up on a dear friend of ours and listen in to a private conversation he was having." Hearing her explain the situation like this brought a blush of embarrassment to all of us. None more so than Gabrielle, who had been trying to hide behind her sister.

"Now, there might well be a benign explanation to what we just witnessed. But we would like to know more about your motives before we pass judgement on your actions."

"It was my idea." Gabrielle admitted with her blush still showing on her cheeks, "I wanted to know what zose two witches wanted wiz my le petit ami." She explained as she stepped out from behind her sister and fixing the German Veela with a challenging look.

"Le petit ami?" Natascha asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow, as she regarded Gabrielle for a moment or two. "Now, that was unexpected." She said as she glanced over at her now grinning companions. "Yet it also explains so much, like why he is so trusting of you." She stated, before returning her gaze to Gabrielle. It was now that Natascha took notice of the heart-shaped pendant that Gabrielle was wearing on her Talisman. She stared hard at the pendant for several moments before turning back to her two companions and making them both aware of it.

Brigitte's eyes went wide as she took in the pendant. However, her reaction was nothing compared to their mystery companion. She let out a startled gasp before moving in to take a close look at the pendant. After she studied it intently for several moments, she changed her focus to Gabrielle herself.

Gabrielle had been a little uncomfortable with this mystery witches' intense study of her pendant. But once the mystery witch moved her focus to Gabrielle herself and stared deeply into her eyes, Gabrielle seemed to calm. Indeed, it almost seemed like she moved to accept the challenge offered by this mystery witch.

"Woher hast du diesen Anhänger?" The mystery witch asked Gabrielle.

Standing her ground, Gabrielle asked, "Who are you, and why are you so interested in my pendant?" This 'non-answer' seemed to annoy the witch, but it did spark a rapid conversation between the three of them in German. I was later to learn that while Gabrielle and Fleur both spoke some German; they don't consider themselves fluent in it.

After a few moments, Natascha turned back to us. "Please forgive us for not introducing our friend earlier. She is a Spækona and not accustomed to being around so many others at once." She explained. "Our friends' name is Ingegärd Aleifrdottir," Natascha told us as she then introduced each of us to her in turn.

Ingegärd politely nodded her head as each of us was introduced to us. She didn't, however, offer any other greeting in return. Once the introductions were completed, she immediately tried to repeat her earlier question/demand. It was hard to tell the difference with her thick accent. However, Hermione had gotten in first with her own question.

"Who or what is a Spækona?" She asked Natascha, quickly followed by, "Why does she have such a Norse sounding name if she is from Germany?"

Giving Hermione a quick smile and ignoring the huff from Ingegärd, Natascha answered, "Spækona, is a title that doesn't easily translate to English." She explained, "Depending on the intent behind it, it roughly means 'shaman' or 'foretelling woman'. But more often these days it merely means 'wise' or 'knowing' woman." She explained to us.

"As to her name, well, Ingegärd comes from a family that holds fast to their Norse roots. One example of that is in the names they bestow on their children. A belief in the 'old magic of mother earth' is another example along with the style of Magic that they practise." She told us before getting a nudge in her ribs from Ingegärd.

"She is also not used to her questions being ignored," Natascha advised us as she tried to placate her friend. "With that in mind can you please tell us how you got that pendant?" She requested of Gabrielle.

"Oui," Gabrielle answered as she turned back to Ingegärd. "My le petit ami made eet for me." She told her.

This caused Ingegärd to turn so pale that we thought that she was going to faint. She also turned to look out onto the floor of the Wizengamot chamber where we could see Dave, Bill, Harry, Ron, Mick, Charlie and Dad all talking to Kingsley and a few of the remaining Ambassadors. When Ingegärd turned back to face us, she fired off a rapid stream of questions in German at both Natascha and Brigitte that I think even they had trouble in trying to keep up.

Eventually, Natascha and Brigitte calmed Ingegärd enough so that they could get a word in. Even then, they had to fight to be heard. This started a back and forward between the three that would have been more entertaining if we had been able to understand what was being said.

One comment, however, had both Fleur and Gabrielle bristling and almost cast a set of fireballs at the three Germans. Gabrielle was the first to calm herself and react with a very indigent, "I would NEVER do zat to 'im." She snarled out. The look in her eyes as she directed her ire at Ingegärd was frightening in its intensity.

"What did she say?" Hermione asked slightly fearful of Gabrielle's reaction.

"She accused my sister of sleeping wiz Dave to gain 'is favour so that he would create ze pendant that she is wearing," Fleur exclaimed with her own fury still showing.

"Calm yourself." Natascha advised a still fuming Gabrielle, "Ingegärd meant no offence, although she could have gone about seeking her answers more tactfully." She explained with a hard look at Ingegärd and an almost apologetic one at Gabrielle who was still fuming.

"What she was trying to explain before she jumped to her own conclusions, without basing them on any factual evidence... I might add." Natascha advised us as she gave a now slightly embarrassed Ingegärd a meaningful look, "Was that the object that you are wearing is no simple pendant. Did you know that?" She asked Gabrielle.

"I know zat when Dave made it, he told me that it would help us understand each other better," Gabrielle explained as the three German witches broke out in rather cheeky almost naughty smiles. This was not the reaction that Gabrielle (or any of us for that matter), had expected.

"What else did he tell you about it?" Brigitte asked while struggling to keep her smile under control.

"Not much, only zat it would help us understand each other better, and zrough zat better understanding help us grow closer togezer." She said with a blush colouring her cheeks. "He also asked me to take care of it, as it is one of a kind."

"I see that he truly has his brothers' gift for understatement." Natascha grumbled while eyeing Dave on the floor of the chamber for a moment before turning back to Gabrielle, "You truly do not understand what he has given you, do you?" She asked Gabrielle who was looking at her in confusion.

"You are in an almost literal sense wearing his heart around your neck." She told us as we all almost fell off our seats in shock.

"His what?" We heard two voices exclaim behind us, as Shelly and Fireball joined our gathering. The three German witches quickly greeted them as the friends that they were, before Natascha explained her earlier comment.

"That pendant, which Gabrielle wears is an anchor stone for a 'heart bond'," she told us as Dave's sisters' eyes went wide in shock. While the rest of us only displayed confused looks.

"Heart bond?" Hermione asked Natascha, while the rest of us were still trying to process what we had just learnt.

"Yes, a Heart Bond. It's something only possible between two people who have earned or want to earn the absolute trust of each other." She explained, "It also offers a significant amount of protection to the one who wears it." She added as Gabrielle's eyes went wide in surprise.

"Protection?" Fleur asked just a moment before the rest of us could. "What sort of protection?"

"Mostly against anyone tampering with the emotions or thoughts of the wearer of the stone," Brigitte told us as she watched Gabrielle closely. "The original purpose of a 'Heart Bond' was to enable two people to grow to know one another honestly and without any outside interference." She explained as a single tear rolled down Gabrielle's cheek.

"It is rare to see one nowadays, mostly because of the danger that they pose to the one who created the stone."

"What danger?" Gabrielle immediately asked, looking a little concerned.

"If you were to destroy that stone in anger willingly, you would for all intents and purposes kill David. By literally breaking his heart." She told Gabrielle as her eyes bored into her and watched her very closely as she saw the genuine shock on her face. The rest of us were similarly shocked as well. "I trust now, you know why they are so rare? Along with the level of trust and commitment that is being shown to you?" She asked.

"Oui. I do." Gabrielle answered with a heartwarming smile as she turned her eyes to my cousin out on the floor of the chamber, where he was involved in discussion with Kingsley and several of the remaining Ambassadors. She was also caressing her pendant lovingly and protectively.

"Excellent," Brigitte stated, before turning to Shelly and Fireball. "What brings you two over to see our little gathering?" She asked them.

"The Spækona is what drew us over." Shelly explained, "We were curious as to why she is here. As a Spækona doesn't leave her people without a very good reason. So, our curiosity compelled us to seek her out to ask what she was up to."

"Especially when we saw her level of interest in our brother," Fireball stated as she observed Ingegärd.

We all picked up on her tone immediately, and the expression on her face only re-enforced our belief that she wasn't happy with Ingegärd's interest in Dave.

"Ich bin gekommen, um nachzuforschen." Ingegärd quickly replied meeting Fireball's stare calmly.

"Investigate what?" Fireball wanted to know.

Her simple question sparked a rapid exchange of German between the three German witches and Dave's sisters. I could tell from the looks on the faces of Fleur and Gabrielle that they could understand some of the conversation, but not all of it. That is until a simple statement from Ingegärd brought them all up short and caused the conversation to stop.

"Die drei Brüder versammeln sich wieder."

Dave's sisters and Bridgette and Natascha were all stunned. They were sharing looks of disbelief between them. Fleur was the first one to speak.

"What three brothers do you speak of?" She asked. This reminded them of their audience, and Natascha tried to put her thoughts into words.

"She speaks of an old foretelling." She began, "One that hasn't been heard of for many hundreds of years."

"Foretelling?" Hermione asked, "I think you meant to say prophecy, didn't' you?"

Natascha looked at Hermione with amusement. This seemed to upset my bushy-haired witch, but she wasn't about to let the matter drop.

"I take it from your expression that YOU believe there to be a difference between them?" Hermione retorted a little snidely. "It's easy to see why people would get them confused." She added in her 'lecturing' voice.

"There is a difference, indeed." Natascha answered, "But it isn't based on my own personal views. Unlike some, I don't try to make the world conform to my beliefs. Instead, I try to take the world as it comes to me and then work to understand it, rather than force it to comply with my own narrow interpretation of it." She advised Hermione.

I could tell that she was trying to explain something important to her, but at the time, her real message eluded me along with Hermione.

"Are you trying to tell me that I don't know the difference?" She snapped. "I'll have you know; I know a great deal about Prophecies…" Hermione started to rant before Natascha cut her off.

"In short, yes." Was the blunt answer she got, "But I understand that you are limited by your biased and bigoted education. So, I'm not going to hold it against you personally at this point."

"However, if you try to force your views on to me." She cautioned, "That will change rapidly." She warned us we could see the fire of her conviction show in her eyes. Before Hermione could snap back an answer, Fleur put her hand on Hermione's shoulder to catch her attention.

"Yes, Hermione, there is indeed a difference between the two." She told her calmly, "A Prophecy is a statement from a single person, while a Foretelling is one that has come from many different people." She explained.

"To be a true Foretelling, there must be more than 3 individuals who have made the same prediction, and they must not have any knowledge of each other having made this prediction at the time of making it."

"The language of the Foretelling will also not be identical between those that make it. But the main elements of it MUST align, between the different speakers…"

"Spækona" Bridgette corrected, "The correct name for someone who makes a Foretelling is Spækona, not speaker."

"Merci," Fleur added diplomatically. "The main elements MUST align between the different Spækona. To verify this, a Spækona who was not part of the Foretelling will be assigned to investigate it and try to determine if it is valid or not."

"You came here because you thought that David was mentioned in this Foretelling?" Hermione asked Ingegärd.

"Nein." She answered.

"Then, why are you here?" She asked. This caused another rapid exchange of German between the five of them before Natascha translated for us.

"She is indeed here to investigate a Foretelling." She told us, "But she didn't know who she would be seeking out, only that the 'person of interest' would be here today."

"Who is your 'person of interest', if not Dave?" I asked Ingegärd.

She raised her hand and stated, "Ihm." As though she was selecting an interesting book in the library.

Following where she was pointing, I suddenly got a cold shiver running down my spine as it settled in my stomach like a ball of ice. The colour faded from my face as I realised she was pointing at my Harry. Who was at this point blissfully unaware that he was once more the target of events outside of his control.

Looking at Harry as he happily chatted with Nat and Auror Graves, I internally raged at the unfairness of it all. Even after defeating Tom Riddle Jnr, it looked as though my Harry wasn't going to be able to get the rest and the peaceful existence that he so desperately sought after all.

Doing my best to control my anger (as I had to admit to myself that Ingegärd wasn't responsible for this), I turned back to Ingegärd.

"Why, Harry? Why is it always, Harry?" I asked.

"Er hat sich als würdig erwiesen." She stated calmly while regarding me.

"He has proved himself worthy." Natascha translated for us before Ingegärd continued with Natascha translating as she went.

"He has discovered his heritage, solved his riddle and completed his assigned challenge." She said.

"What?" I snapped, "You mean dealing with Tom Riddle Jnr was simply a test?" I wanted to know.

"Yes" Was the answer Natascha translated for us. "One of three, three-part tests."

"WHAT!" All of us demanded.

"You mean Harry has to do another two of these tests?" I exclaimed.

"No. Each brother does one set of tests only." Was the answer we got, "Unless one of them fails their test, in which case the remaining brothers, can then work together on it."

We were all caught off guard by this statement. None of us knew what to say. Predicably it was Hermione who spoke up first.

"Three Brothers?" She asked, "You mean like from Beetle the Bard?"

"Ja." Was her answer. None of us needed that translated. We did need her following comments translated, however. Thankfully, Bridgette was only too happy to provide us with a translation.

She explained to us that the 'Three Brothers' mentioned in story by Beetle the Bard were only the most recent incarnation of the 'Three Brothers' and that there had been many sets of 'brothers' before the Peverell 'brothers' appeared, going back before recorded or remembered history. The interval between the occurrences of the brothers appearing was never uniform. It could be Centuries or Decades, but it always coincided with a significant upheaval in Magic itself.

Each time the 'brothers' appeared to deal with the upheaval, there would be signs and portents to warn of their coming. Most often it was a war or the appearance of a significant 'Dark Lord', or rumours that the supposed 'Deathly Hallows' had surfaced again.

This was a major revelation to us all. Hermione, however, was having an issue accepting it.

"How can that be?" She almost demanded of Bridgette and Ingegärd. "According to the story in Beetle the Bard the Deathly Hallows were made for the Peverell brothers." She stated, rather forcefully.

Ingegärd only smiled coldly at Hermione before answering, which Bridgette translated for us.

"Silly girl, the true Deathly Hallows are not simple objects." She informed us.

"Yes, they are!" Hermione snapped back, "We had to locate them for Harry so he could defeat Tom Riddle Jnr."

Ingegärd's laughter only seemed to infuriate Hermione. Thankfully, Fleur was able to calm her down enough to allow Bridgette time to translate her reply.

"The objects you are referring to, are merely the Foci for the true Deathly Hallows themselves." Was the answer we got. This answer stumped all of us. Even Natasha and Bridgette were surprised by this. Ingegärd ignored them however and focused on Hermione. She watched her carefully as she could see Hermione's mind processing what she had just learned.

"Do you understand yet?" Bridgette translated as comprehension dawned on Hermione's face.

"The True Deathly Hallows are not the cloak, stone or the wand, but are instead the brothers that wield them." She stated in a small, surprised voice.

"Ja." Was the answer we got, along with several moments of silence.

"So, Harry is one of the Deathly Hallows?" I blurted out.

Ingegärd turned to regard me for a moment before simply nodding once. This caused my legs to give way, and I collapsed into a chair. Outwardly I was in a state of shock, inwardly I was in a rage at the unfairness of the hand that fate had dealt my Harry. One thought raced through my mind, I had to warn Harry of this new threat to his, no, our future happiness.

My thoughts must have betrayed me as Ingegärd was quickly beside me and laid a comforting hand on my arm. She then spoke once more in a very calm voice.

"He cannot be told." Bridgette translated for us.

"Why?" I asked.

"If he is told of his destiny before the confrontation that is coming, he and the others will fail and, in that failure, will be the end of the magical and non-magical worlds that we know and love." She warned us. "The same can be said for any of the 'brothers' that are the focus of this Foretelling." She added.

"But Harry has no brothers." Hermione told Ingegärd, "So how can he be one of these three brothers?" She asked.

"The Peverell brothers shared a family name, but not their parents." Was the reply that Bridgette translated.

"Brothers in Magic." Fleur stated as if to herself, when we all looked at her, she smiled and explained further, "Just as biological brothers share one or more parents, so do 'Brothers in Magic' share one or more elements of their magical essence or signature." She explained.

"It is an overly simplified answer but correct in the essentials." Was the translated answer we got. "Another way to describe it would be to say that their magic is highly complementary or compatible with one another."

"While it isn't that rare for two individuals to have highly complementary magics. It is almost unheard of to have three such individuals sharing such highly complementary magics."

"So, who are the other two 'brothers' then?" Hermione asked after she had processed what we had just earned.

"Ich weiß es nicht… Noch." Was the answer we got. "I don't know… Yet." Was the translated answer.

"You may not know, but you DO have your suspicions," Shelly stated while glaring at Ingegärd.

Few are those that can last long against Shelly's glare, Ingegärd fitted into that category as she demonstrated by calmly regarding Shelly for several moments before slightly nodding her head. After a moment of thought, she began to speak again, and once more Bridgette translated for us.

"There are several possibilities on who the remaining brothers could be. I was hoping to see one of them here today, but sadly I did not." We were told. Both Shelly and Fireball quickly asked why she was expecting to see one of them today at the British Ministry.

"There were several signs that ALL pointed to one of the 'brothers' being revealed today during a significant 'clash of magic' in the British Isles." She explained, "Given that this morning's action was guaranteed to generate a magical conflict, I came here to see what would be revealed."

"Sadly, nothing was revealed to me."

"So, that means that you were wrong then?" Hermione stated a little too quickly and smugly. Realising that she had unintentionally given voice to her thoughts, she tried to justify her statement. Ingegärd however, beat her to it, with a smug reply of her own.

"Die Tage sind noch nicht vorbei!" She stated confidently.

I looked to Bridgette, who quickly translated it for me, "The day is not over yet!"

This answer put a chill in my spine the likes of which I'd never felt before. My primary fear was that my Harry would be selected as more than one of the brothers. Seeing the look on Hermione's face, I could tell she was concerned that Ron might end up being one of the brothers as well. Because we had discussed on several occasions how both Ron and Harry seemed to work very well with one another (magically, that is).

These thoughts raced through our heads for several moments before Hermione spoke up with some questions (big surprise I know, huh).

"The three objects that are commonly called the Deathly Hallows do they only work for the 'true' brothers?" She asked.

Ingegärd considered her question for a moment before she replied. Soon after Bridgette translated for us again.

"They could be used by anyone; however, they will work 'best' for one of the brothers." We were told, "They will work at their peak for their relevant 'brother' only."

"Thus, any of the brothers could use the cloak of invisibility to evade the human revealing spell, but only the 'brother' for whom the clock is intended could use the cloak to bypass ANY ward or trap that is triggered by the presence of a person." She explained.

"That makes more sense than I thought," I remarked softly to myself. Not softly enough as it turns out, as the others all heard me. Given that their attention was now on me, I needed to explain my comment.

"Harry has lent his cloak of invisibility to my brothers and me quite a few times." I told them, "However, it never seemed to work as well for us as it did for Harry, or when Harry was with us."

"Some of the places that Harry used the cloak to enter, I couldn't," I added.

"Like the restricted section of the library," Hermione grumbled, and when she found herself the focus of the attention of our group, she blushed a wonderful shade of red. "Oh, come on… Where else did you think I was trying to get to when I borrowed his cloak?" She snapped at me.

"I don't know, maybe Ron's…" I tried to get out before Hermione silenced me with a spell. But she couldn't silence my grin at her embarrassment. Fleur also seemed to enjoy seeing Hermione being flustered.

In an attempt to get the focus of the conversation of her, Hermione fired off another question.

"How do you know which brother is destined for which object?" She asked Ingegärd.

Ingegärd didn't need long to compose her reply.

"Simply look at the true traits of the object, and the core traits of the potential brother and it will be obvious," Was the translated reply.

"Taking the cloak as an example." Bridgette translated, "The true 'owner' of the cloak would be someone who prefers to work in the shadows and avoid the spotlight. They would be extremely focused on protecting those around them from harm. Almost like hiding them from it." She added with a meaningful look at me.

"They would also never seek out glory. In fact, they would do all they can to avoid any form of public recognition if they could."

"Does that remind you of anyone?" She asked me.

"Harry," I stated simply, as she had described him too well.

"That was my thoughts also." Was the translated answer.

"The stone?" Hermione asked Ingegärd. "I can't see many people having a driving desire to literally raise the dead." She remarked.

Ingegärd had a small laugh before she began to speak, "Being able to 'talk to the dead' isn't genuinely possible unless you yourself are stuck between the realms of the living and the dead." She told us via Bridgette.

"The reason the stone is mentioned in conjunction with 'talking to the dead' is that it would be the ultimate as feat as far as communication is concerned." She explained before she spent several moments watching us, to see if we would understand what she was trying to tell us before she continued.

"No, the true 'owner' of the stone wouldn't have the overwhelming need to talk to the dead as their driving need." Bridgette translated, "They would be far more interested in talking to the living."

"In fact, they would have an almost overwhelming desire to talk to just about anyone." She added as I saw a look of concern appear on Shelly's face.

"They would also have a real talent or knack to be able to get their point across to just about anyone and get people from opposing backgrounds to work together towards a common goal."

This last statement turned Shelly white and Fireball as well. Natascha also had a look of concern on her face as she looked to Dave's sisters.

As she did so, I recalled a comment made by Shelly on the day we first met Dave and the rest of his team.

"That is probably one of Syd's greatest strengths. His ability to get people to work together and his willingness to work with just about anyone or thing to get the job done."

With Shelly's words running through my mind, I looked up to see both Shelly and Fireball exchange a significant look between them before turning their gaze onto Gabrielle.

As though she felt their gaze upon her, Gabrielle turned to regard them with a worried look of her own.

"You think my brother is linked to the stone… don't you," Shelly asked Ingegärd with a noticeable note of concern in her voice.

"Yes. I do." Was her answer, "He is the strongest contender that I see for that position. However, that isn't confirmed yet."

"So, he may yet escape this foretelling?" Fireball asked, hopefully.

"It is a slim chance, but still a chance." We were told, "But as with the one who has already been selected, he CANNOT be told. Otherwise, all will be lost." She warned us. Shelly and Fireball reluctantly gave nods of agreement. Ingegärd then turned her gaze on the rest of us to make sure that we also agreed. Which reluctantly we did. Poor Gabrielle looked like she was struggling to hold back tears.

"The wand?" I asked, partly to change the subject but also in the hope to find out that my Harry isn't being 'considered' for the 'role' of that 'brother' as well.

"Ah, the wand." Ingegärd stated via Bridgette, "The trickiest one of them all. As the true meaning of the wand is still hotly debated." She stated.

"How so?" Hermione asked.

"There are those who take the meaning of the wand in the most literal sense, much like many do with the stone. Thus, they mean it to be magical power or duelling prowess." She explained.

"However, there are those like my family who consider it to have a different meaning. More along the lines of 'conflict resolution' and once again NOT in the literal sense."

The look on Hermione's face brought a smile to Ingegärd as we could all almost hear her question before she asked it.

"Think about what 'conflict' means." She told us, "Other than a physical battle."

"It means a meeting of opposing ideas or ideology. Not necessarily a battle per se."

"My family believes that the 'true' owner of the wand gifted to the older 'brother' will be more of a diplomat than a warrior. Although their skills in that department will most certainly not be lacking." She explained.

"Who do you think will be that 'brother' this time," I asked her.

"I do not know." She stated simply, "He isn't here today. In fact, I think he is a long way away from here today."

"That's a relief," I stated under my breath (or so I thought) as I saw Ingegärd smiling at me.

"Your concern for your chosen mate is admirable, young lioness." She told me, "It will stand you both in good stead for the trials yet to come." She stated cryptically. But it was also clear that she wasn't going to expand on her statement anytime soon.

To try and draw some more information from her, I asked a question of my own.

"If the 'true' hallows are not the objects, but those that wield them. Does this mean that the whole 'master of death' thing is just artistic license with the retelling of the story?"

"Nein". Was the immediate answer which we didn't need to be translated.

"There is no single 'master of death'." We were told, "However, the stories told of the feats of the 'three brothers' working in concert are enough to make you think that it is possible."

"Imagine you are facing a foe who can; sneak past any defence, unite all your enemies and direct them against you, turn your allies into foes. Then to top it all off pack a significant magical 'punch' that can be directed against you." She asked us.

"It would seem like you are indeed facing Death himself. Wouldn't it"?

"It certainly not a situation that I would like to find myself in," Shelly remarked with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Tatsächlich" Ingegärd remarked with a smirk on her face as Natascha translated for us, "Indeed."

"Now I'm thinking you understand where the whole 'master of death' side of this story came from." Natascha translated for us with a thoughtful look in her eyes. Ingegärd regarded us all for a moment before she launched into a story that Natascha quickly translated for us.

"The true story of the three brothers is nothing like the one written down by Beetle the bard."

"The three brothers were not out travelling when they 'met death' while making a bridge to cross a river. No, they were at the vanguard of an army that had sworn itself to the destruction of a Dark Lord who was threatening the land at that time."

"The trail of destruction that they caused across the countryside as they did battle against the Dark Lords forces was unheard of at the time. It is said that the tears of the families of the fallen were enough to swell all the rivers in Eastern Europe."

"After the Dark Lord was destroyed, all of the brothers simply went back to their own lives as though nothing had happened. To the people of that time, it was as though they either died or turned invisible."

Ingegärd was observing our reactions as we processed her words. She waited until she had our attention before finishing.

"They didn't understand that the three brothers didn't want to be powerful or to rule over others. No, the only thing the three brothers craved was the simple pleasures of home, hearth, and family. All throughout the ages, this has been the most common trait of the 'three brothers' every time that they have appeared in history." She explained to us, as she watched out faces closely. After watching us for a time, she continued on with Bridgette translating for us.

"Indeed, one of the best tests to apply to someone who you think might be one of the three brothers; is to find an extremely powerful magic user, who doesn't want to rule over others." She stated as her eyes locked with mine, and then Gabrielle's.

The cold that I felt in the pit of my stomach was instant and painful in a way that I hadn't felt before. Or since if I was honest with myself. I looked over to Gabrielle, and I could see a similar look on her face to the one that I was sure was on my own.

Shelly and Fireball were also looking quite concerned. However, unlike myself or Gabrielle, I could see that Shelly's mind was already working on ideas and strategies to contend with this new information. A quick glance to Hermione showed that she was shocked at this news, but also angry that her friend Harry was once again being dragged into events against his wishes.

"What advice would you give to the three brothers? If you could?" Shelley asked Ingegärd with a calculating look in her eye.

Ingegärd began to reply with a stream of quite heated German before Shelly stopped her. "I didn't say that you would interfere with the Foretelling." She stated quite calmly, "I just asked, 'if you could', what advice would you offer them?"

This seemed to calm Ingegärd down, and she thought for several moments, before answering.

Looking at me, she spoke, "I'd advise him to make peace with his past, and to unburden himself of it by talking with his bonded about it." She said (with Bridgette translating for us). However, as she spoke, it wasn't her normal voice, it was as though another was speaking at the same time as her. Someone who had infinitely more power than a mere mortal could ever hope to contain, or control. Her eyes also came alive and held mine in a way that I'd never experienced before. It was a strange feeling, it was not as though she was trying to read my thoughts, but more like she was imploring me to give serious thought and consideration to what she was telling me.

I found that I could not but help to take her words seriously, and that even know I can still recall with absolute clarity her words and the intent behind them. Indeed, I was giving so much thought to them that I almost jumped out of my seat when she spoke again.

"Unless he can reconcile his past, with his present, he will NEVER be able to control his TRUE and FULL powers when he comes into them." She stated, still staring into me, "For someone who doesn't know and accept themselves as they truly are, cannot possibly hope to embrace who

they are meant to be fully. Nor can they hope to find the path that will enable them to reach that goal."

When she finished speaking, she simply got up and left. Leaving the rest of us stunned into silence.

As she walked away, I heard Gabrielle mutter, "Sensationnel…"

"I know, right." I replied, "But how am I supposed to help Harry to achieve all that?" I asked her.

"'Arry?" Gabrielle asked me with a puzzled look on her face. "She was talking to me about Dave, not 'Arry." She replied with a slightly confused note in her voice.

Before I could respond, however, Hermione quickly stated, "I think she was talking to both of you."

Her statement caused all of us to stop what we were about to say and focus on her.

"Didn't you hear how her voice was different?" Hermione asked us. "It not only sounded different; it felt like nothing I've ever experienced before." She told us, as her mind went into 'Hermione mode' as I like to think of it.

"As she was talking, I glanced around at you all, and while I did, I could see her out of the corner of my eye. Each time it looked like she was focused on whoever it was that I was looking at." She explained.

"I think we have been given advice from the Mother herself," Bridgette exclaimed with a look of wonder on her face.

"Nein" Natascha stated firmly, as Shelly and Fireball agreed with her. "I've been present with the Mother has spoken, and it feels different to what we just experienced." She advised us.

"The Mother?" Hermione asked, "Who is this 'Mother'?"

Natascha looked at Hermione and then me with a slightly quizzical look, before glancing to Fleur and Gabrielle to see that while they were a little puzzled, it was as though they had guessed the answer but didn't want to give voice to their thoughts.

Natascha turned back to Hermione and me, she regarded us both for a moment before merely smiling and us and stated, "Why Mother Magic of course."