Chapter One hundred and Thirty-Nine: The Deathly Hallows

Ollivander and Luna were being taken care of in Shell Cottage, where Bill lived with Fleur. Harry apologized to them for disturbing their peace, but Bill said that since he was involved in the mission he'd been prepared from the start to help the weakened prisoners recover.

Much like the warehouse where Bellatrix was held prisoner, the cottage had been placed under the Fidelius Charm, with Bill himself as the Secret-Keeper.

"How does that work?" Daphne asked. "I always thought that the Secret-Keeper couldn't reside within the secret. Otherwise, why would Harry's parents have needed to use Wormtail? Either of them could've been the Secret-Keeper, right?"

Bill nodded. "Normally, yes. The Secret-Keeper's presence within the area covered by the charm will gradually erode it. Neither the warehouse nor the cottage are meant to stay hidden indefinitely, especially because other people do visit it and are in on the secret, which is already a weakening factor in and of itself.

"Grimmauld Place is the same, but the effect is mitigated by the fact that since Dumbledore's death, there are many Secret-Keepers, most of whom don't reside within the house. The charm on it is eroding by the five of you living there, but very slowly. The Charm on this cottage will last maybe a year to a year-and-a-half. Given the rate at which things are going…by then we'll either need to flee abroad, or hope You-Know-Who has been defeated for good."

"But since Harry's parents didn't know Riddle would be beaten, their protection had to endure longer? Too bad they chose Wormtail to keep the secret, then…" Daphne muttered.

She went upstairs to join Harry and the others to question Ollivander. "Mr. Ollivander, I'm sorry to disturb you," Harry said when they entered the room.

"My dear boy…" Ollivander said, "You rescued us. I thought we would die in that place. I can never thank you…never thank you enough."

"We were glad to do it," Harry said. "Mr. Ollivander, we need your help."

"Anything," Ollivander said.

"Is You-Know-Who looking for a wand?" Harry asked.

Ollivander paled. "How do you know…?"

"He wanted you to tell him how to overcome the connection between our wands," Harry said.

"He- he tortured me," Ollivander said. "The Cruciatus Curse…you must understand that I had to tell him what I knew…"

Harry nodded solemnly. "I do, Mr. Ollivander. You told him using someone else's wand would solve the problem, didn't you?"

Ollivander was paling more by the second. Soon, he'd become translucent.

"But it didn't work," Harry went on. "My wand still destroyed the wand he'd borrowed. Do you know why that is?"

Ollivander shook his head. "No. I have no explanation for what your wand did that night. The connection between the cores is rare, but this was a unique occurrence," he said softly.

"So instead, he focused on the legends around unbeatable wands," Harry said.

Ollivander nodded very slowly. "Only one wand, I think…" he muttered.

"Do you believe such a thing exists?" Hermione asked, surprised.

Ollivander nodded. "Oh, yes. The trail of the Elder Wand is bloody and easy to follow throughout history. It possesses certain traits that those learned in wandlore can easily recognize."

"And whoever kills the previous owner becomes the new owner of the wand?" Harry asked.

"Subtle rules govern wand ownership," Ollivander said. "Wand and wizard usually share a close bond. Using another's wand, or one that is incompatible, will produce lesser effects than one that matches its wielder — recall how long it took for you to find a wand that matched you!

"But there are wands that are more fickle than others. Wands which above all else desire their masters to be powerful. These wands will shift their allegiance entirely to the one who defeats their previous wielder.

"Whether the Elder Wand must pass by murder, I do not know — though it is unlikely, as Gregorovitch survived having it taken, and it was never even claimed the wand had lost its power in subsequent rumors — but it is certainly a wand that will serve the one who defeats its former true master."

He paused for a moment, and then went on, "The Dark Lord has always been happy with the wand I made him — yew and phoenix feather, thirteen-and-a-half inches — until he discovered the connection of the twin cores.

"Now he seeks a more powerful wand as the only way to beat yours, and thus he made me tell him everything I knew about the wand variously known as the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick, and the Elder Wand. And now, he desires it not only to defeat you, but because he believes it will make him truly unbeatable."

"And will it?" Harry asked.

"The owner of the Elder Wand must always fear attack," Ollivander said, "but the idea of the Dark Lord in possession of the Deathstick is, I admit, formidable."

"And you told him where to find it?"

Ollivander nodded miserably. "There was a rumor that the wandmaker Gregorovitch had it. I believe he started it himself. You can see how it would have boosted his business, that he was studying and duplicating the qualities of the Elder Wand…but it was stolen from him, long before you were born. It was never conclusively proven who took it…"

"Who were the suspects?" Harry asked.

"Countless," Ollivander said. "There was a wizard called Karl Becker who claimed he possessed the wand and was widely believed for a short time, but as I recall he was killed in a duel, making it unlikely…

"There was Fyodor Belyaev, a dangerous warlock from Russia, but as far as I know not many people truly believed he had the wand as he rarely chose to duel and preferred assassinating people…

"And there was a persistent rumor that the Elder Wand was in the possession of Gellert Grindelwald. It is, of course, not difficult to guess why that rumor would exist among wandmakers. He lived in the right time and the right area to have claimed it, and the atrocities he committed, the power he wielded… But the rumors vanished soon after his defeat. After all, had he possessed the Elder Wand…how could he have lost to Dumbledore?"

Harry, however, had paled. "I understand…" he said softly.

And Daphne thought she knew what Harry had realized, and felt a heavy dread in the pit of her stomach.

"He tortured me," Ollivander said frightfully, misinterpreting the change in Harry's expression. "The Cruciatus Curse…I had to tell him…"

"I understand, Mr. Ollivander," Harry said, friendlier this time. "Please get some rest. You've helped us a lot."

Ollivander still looked frightened when they closed the door of the bedroom behind them.

"Well," Harry said ruefully. "I guess we know who the old man was that Riddle was threatening…"

"Grindelwald," Daphne said softly.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. And even though Grindelwald didn't tell Riddle where the wand was…I think he can guess. He'll probably be on his way there even now."

"You mean…?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Dumbledore had the Elder Wand," Harry said.

"But then…we have to get to Hogwarts," Ron said. "We have to get it before Riddle does!"

Harry shook his head. "It's too late. The moment I realized, I looked into his mind. His anger, his rage at the raid at Malfoy Manor hasn't receded yet. He's on his way to Hogwarts already. He'll get the Elder Wand…but not everything is lost yet."

"What are you talking about? If Riddle has the wand, he'll be close to unstoppable," Ron said. "Even Ollivander said he'd be formidable with it."

Harry smiled faintly. "Yes, but think back to what else he said. The Elder Wand obeys the one who defeats its former owner. Dumbledore was disarmed before he died. By Malfoy. And guess who I offhandedly Disarmed in the manor?"

"So does that mean that you are the true owner of the Elder Wand now? Even though you've never even touched it?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged. "I think I am, but who knows? It certainly isn't Riddle, even if he takes it from Dumbledore's grave. It might also be Snape, I suppose, since he's the one who killed Dumbledore…Maybe Riddle will do him in for us, if so…"

And at that moment, Daphne realized that Dumbledore had probably sought to break the wand's power entirely by arranging his death with Snape beforehand. Snape killing Dumbledore wouldn't count as a defeat, so the wand would never have been able to have a real master ever again…if that was how it worked in the first place.

It might well have been the plan, but if Malfoy had truly 'beaten' Dumbledore by Disarming him, and that was enough…then indeed, Harry would be the true master of the Elder Wand. But, true master or not, would that extend far enough that it wouldn't harm Harry? She hoped it wouldn't have to be tested. The image of her vision flashed across her mind briefly, but she pushed it back.

"You know, if you want to discuss secret plans, maybe the hallway isn't the best place," a soft voice behind them said. Daphne turned around and saw Luna standing there, still pale and gaunt, but already looking far better than she'd done the day they rescued her from Malfoy Manor.

"Well," Harry said uncomfortably, "you didn't hear anything that was really secret. I guess we've gotten a bit too used to being on our own."

"I didn't mean to overhear you, either, but sometimes things just work out that way," Luna said. "Were you talking about the Deathly Hallows?"

"The…what?" Harry asked, looking at his friends for support.

"The Deathly Hallows," Luna repeated. "The Elder Wand is one of them. The others are the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility. Together, the person possessing them is the Master of Death."

"Wait, is that referring to the Tale of the Three Brothers?" Ginny asked.

Luna nodded. "Yes! The Peverell brothers, according to Daddy. He's been trying to find the Hallows. He'll be interested to hear that Professor Dumbledore had one, I'm sure…"

"I've heard the name Peverell before somewhere," Harry said.

"It's a very old family long extinct in the male line," Daphne said. "They might still have descendants, though, they'd just be called differently. I don't know if any of the Peverells ever ran into Death, though…"

"No…I think it had something to with…with Riddle!" Harry said with a start. "Marvolo Gaunt mentioned it in the memory. The ring…he said the stone of the ring had the Peverell family crest on it, that they were descended from them…"

"But that would mean Riddle is descended both from Slytherin and one of these Peverell brothers?" Ron said incredulously.

"He might," Luna said. "Only Antioch, the eldest brother and the original owner of the Elder Wand, had no children. Cadmus, who had the Resurrection Stone, did, and so, of course, did Ignotus, who had the Cloak."

"Luna," Harry said, "how does the Cloak of Invisibility in the story of the Three Brothers differ from…other invisibility cloaks? Because there are others out there, right?"

"Yes, but the Hallow is far better," Luna said. "It cannot be Summoned, for one thing, and won't get damaged, no matter how old it gets or what spells are fired at it, because they'll just pass straight through. The enchantment will also never wear off, unlike on other cloaks."

Harry stared at her blankly, as did the others. Luna's description sounded eerily like Harry's cloak, which had belonged to his father. Harry seemed to have reached a decision.

"Alright…Luna, do you think you would recognize a Hallow if you saw one?" he asked.

Luna looked at him with an intrigued expression. "Maybe. Daddy did tell me a lot about them. Why?"

Harry reached under his shirt and pulled out the Cloak of Invisibility, which he handed to Luna. "This cloak used to belong to my father," he said. "And I think it's been in the family for a while before that. And no matter what sort of things we've done while wearing it…it never got damaged. I never stopped to think about it, but…"

"You think it's a Hallow?" Hermione asked skeptically.

Ron, however, seemed to agree with Harry. "Well, think about it," he said. "What Harry said is true, isn't it? It's not exactly new, this cloak, but it's pristine. And if Harry's dad was anything like Fred and George, and with Sirius for a best mate, I doubt it's been used in risk-free endeavors."

Luna studied the smooth, silvery material closely. Daphne had no idea what exactly she was looking for, but she'd hardly ever seen Luna looking this serious.

"Where did your father's family come from?" she asked.

"Er, I was born in Godric's Hollow…I think my dad's family was from there, too, but I…I don't really know, actually," Harry said, looking a bit confused. "Why?"

Luna looked at him. "Because Ignotus Peverell was born in Godric's Hollow, and he died there, too. The story doesn't say exactly what became of his family, but according to Daddy, many people believe that they remained there, and that the Cloak might still be found there. If your family is from there, and you got the cloak from your father…it might really be a Hallow, I think," she said. She handed the cloak back to Harry.

"So then, if two of the three exist…what happened to the stone?" Ron asked.

"The ring!" Harry said, his eyes widening. "If that ring belonged to the Peverell family, then maybe the stone on the ring was the Resurrection Stone!"

"Harry, you can't bring back the dead," Hermione said, though she looked sympathetic. Harry shook his head.

"I know, I know, but it might summon their shades, like what happened to me in the graveyard…they weren't alive, but they knew what had happened to them, they could talk, they helped me get away from Riddle…and maybe they'd be able to give advice, too…Dumbledore had the ring and he knew he was going to die because we told him…so might have given the ring to me…only he couldn't do it openly because the Ministry would ask questions, so he'd have to hide it…the Snitch! He hid the Resurrection Stone in the Snitch!" Harry said.

"Did he even know the ring was the Resurrection Stone?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded fervently. "He must've done. On that picture in Skeeter's book he signed his name with that symbol that was above the Tale of the Three Brothers in Beedle's book. And that was the symbol Luna's dad was wearing at the wedding, too," he said.

"Yes, that was the symbol of the Hallows," Luna confirmed. "People wear it to show they're on the Quest, so they can help each other along."

"But…does that mean you're the Master of Death, Harry?" Ginny asked. "I mean…if you've got the Stone in the Snitch, and you've always had the Cloak, and the Wand is technically, though not physically yours…"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I certainly don't feel like I'm the Master of Death." He looked at Luna. "Do you know what being 'Master of Death' means?" he asked.

Luna shook her head. "No. As far as I know, no one has ever united all the Hallows before. Maybe you need to have them at the same time for it to work? Or maybe you are immortal, and you just don't know it yet."

"It'd sure come in handy," Ron said with a grin.

"Yeah, but I'd rather not test it, if it's all the same to you," Harry said. "Until Riddle's gone, I'm going to assume I'm just as mortal as everyone else is, just for safety."

"You'd better," Ginny said sternly.

Harry grinned at her, and then looked at Luna. "Thank you for telling us all of that, Luna," he said.

"You're welcome, Harry," she said happily. "But if you don't mind, could you move aside? I was actually trying to get back to my room…"

"Oh, right, sorry…"

They clumsily made some space in the hallway to let Luna pass, and then headed back downstairs to thank Bill once more before they went back to Grimmauld Place, where Harry pulled out the Snitch he'd gotten from Dumbledore from his Mokeskin pouch and studied it. The cryptic line 'I open at the close' was still visible on it.

He pressed it to his lips and said, "I'm the owner of all the Hallows now."

Nothing happened.

"I'm the Master of Death," Harry tried.

Again, nothing happened.

"Maybe that's just not what it means," Hermione said.

Harry sighed. "I guess not," he said. "I was hoping…that maybe Dumbledore would've left me the Stone so he could tell us his plan and what he expects from us. Or maybe even how to get into the Lestranges' vault in Gringotts without getting killed by a horde of angry goblins."

"It wasn't a bad thought, though," Ginny said.

"I'd see Dumbledore doing something like that," Daphne agreed.

"So how are we going to get into that vault?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed. "I don't know, but it's probably not going to be fun…"

And so, a couple of chapters before the end, Harry finally finds out about the Hallows. It's time to move onto the endgame. I think there will be maybe four or five chapters left to come before the story ends. It might even end on the last day of the year. We'll see, I suppose.