A/N: Thanks, Nathan and Vanessa, for helping and the Beta.

Chapter 66: The Final Vault

Harry, Albus, and Minerva were back in the antechamber between the three Peverell vaults. Minerva was examining something on the floor, Albus seemed to be examining a spot on his robes, and Harry was examining the night's events, for it had been a very, very long night so far. And after all the stressful dealings, and all of his concerns about Albus finding the stone, it was extremely clear that all three of them were done and done with the stone and the third vault.

So they stood around for a bit, and the first one to speak was Minerva.

"So, are we going to go into the fourth vault or what?"

"What? What fourth vault?" Harry asked.

"Remember—when we first came down here, we read a letter from Peverell. I can't remember what it says exactly…Oh—let's just go look."

Harry shrugged, interested, and held out the cloak for his two friends. They all awkwardly put it on, and crouched low (Albus, especially), and entered Ignotus's vault. Once inside, Minerva made a beeline to the desk and opened the letter that lay on the top. She scanned down …

"…Blah blah blah, Hallows are the keys, blah blah…oh! Here it is. 'In thine entry, thou has likely notice'ed the fourth gyte inne the roome. It is a porte to our shayred family inheritance. Our dysagreement centred arounde who would inherette it upon our deaths. As a compromyse, we hath decided that it shalt be open to whomsoever comes across all three of our legacys. Thou need'est to master all three Halowes to entyr. Mine brothers have perished and thyr Hallowes hath vanished, so I fyre itte wilt be seal'ed foreveremore upon my deathe.'"

"I forgot about that," said Harry. "Wow, we could go there right now. We have all three Hallows with us."

"It's possible that nobody's been there since the Peverells themselves lived," said Minerva.

"Yeah, probably. We might be able to tell when we get there. There might be letters or something…Does it say anything about how to get in?"

"No…it just says you need to master all three Hallows. We have all three. Maybe we have to open all three doors at once."

"Good idea," said Harry. "But did you see a door?"

"The floor," said Albus, his voice a little raspier than usual. Harry and Minerva both realized that that was the first time he'd spoken since they were in the other vault.

"I'm sorry?" asked Minerva.

"The entrance is through the floor," said Albus.

Harry and Minerva thought about it for a moment.

"Okay, I guess that sounds right," said Harry. "Let's go back outside."

So they ducked back under the invisibility cloak and were soon back out in the antechamber.

"So, what do you recon? We should each take a Hallow and stand over here…"

Harry went over to the big Deathly Hallows symbol on the floor and stood on one of the corners of the triangle. Minerva and Albus each gravitated to one of the other corners of the triangle. They each had a Hallow.

"Now, Albus, you cast Alohomora with the wand, Minerva, you…you use the stone, and I'll go under the—"

But before any of them could do anything, the floor beneath them started sinking.

"Oh!" Minerva exclaimed in surprise. She stumbled toward the center of the symbol, thrown off balance by the movement. Harry and Albus both moved towards the center of the symbol instinctually, as well, looking all around and above them. The only part of the floor that was sinking was the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, like a big triangular elevator. Soon, the rest of the floor rose above eye level and showed no sign of stopping. In fact, it was accelerating. Before they knew it, the triangle of light above was only the size of a postage stamp, and they kept descending.

"Lumos," muttered Albus, and his wand tip lit.

Finally, when the light above was hardly distinguishable as a triangle, it was so far away, something appeared at the bottom of one of the walls—something made of wood.

And as they kept descending, it quickly grew into a grand set of double doors with ornately carved wood. When the floor of the symbol sank to the level of the bottom of the doors, it stopped descending.

"You reckon it's through there?" asked Harry.

"Well, where else would it be, Crockett?" Minerva rapped her knuckles on one of the doors. "Knock knock."

They all looked at the great, carved, wooden doors. They looked very familiar to Harry, and he looked at Albus to ask if it was… and Albus was looking right back at him with that same expression of astonished recognition, but before either of them could voice their realization, Minerva had gone ahead and pushed them open.

And there it was, like both Harry and Albus had known as soon as they looked at the doors, the grand Entry Hall of Hogwarts.

"What? No way," said Minerva. "The Peverell family lived at the Hogwarts castle?"

Albus was smiling and his eyes were twinkling in amusement. Harry laughed out loud.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from the Peverell family," reasoned Minerva, leading the way inside, looking around in awe. The doors swung shut behind them just as the great clock chimed. It was one in the morning.

"I wonder—this means that one of the four Hogwarts founders may have been a master of death," said Albus. "And if that is so, who of the four?"

Minerva and Harry looked at each other.

"Gryffindor," they said together.

"His stuff was in the vault," said Harry.

Albus hummed in thought. "Perhaps. There may be clues elsewhere. I will consult Hogwarts, A History."

"Surely there are some journals of Gryffindor's in your vault," said Minerva to Harry. "Those might help."

"Probably," said Harry, "but don't call me Shirley."

"Are we sure that this is, actually, the Hogwarts castle?" asked Minerva.

"Yes," said both Harry and Albus. They looked at each other, and Harry knew they were feeling the same thing—a certainty that they could feel the consciousness of the castle that they each knew as home. It wasn't a trick or a mistake.

Albus looked away.

All three of them stood in the Entry Hall, looking up and around as if they were seeing it for the first time. Each one was lost in thought, trying to think about how all of it was historically possible.

Finally, Albus spoke. "I would invite you both back to my office for a cup of tea and a research party, but I'm afraid I would fall asleep on you," he said. "In light of this conclusion, I may have to wish you both goodnight."

"Yeah, I'm knackered," said Harry, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Well, goodnight, then?" said Minerva.

They all said their goodnights. Minerva and Albus drifted off towards their rooms, and Harry teleported back to his tower.

He undressed slowly, not really thinking about much. He cleaned his glasses, for they seemed to have accumulated some of the combined filth of the Chamber of Secrets and Nurmengard. He brushed his teeth, put on pajamas, and climbed into bed.

The second he closed his eyes, he was flying over fields and roads—hoping, just hoping he wouldn't be too late to save Albus. And he finally saw the Gaunt Shack and teleported inside, only to find Albus cold and lifeless.

He opened his eyes, sat up, and shook his head violently, trying to get the images out. He lay back down again and shut his eyes once more.

His imagination took him back to Nurmengard…he was waiting outside Grindelwald's cell for Albus to knock. The knock came, and Harry teleported inside.

And there was Gellert Gindelwald standing over Albus's body. There was blood everywhere. Grindelwald grinned crazily at Harry, then bent to pull the Elder Wand from Albus's dead fingers before hopping out an open window.

"Agh!" Harry cried out. What was wrong with his imagination? Why couldn't he re-live something happy and relaxing like kissing Albus!

He closed his eyes and tried to do just that…but as soon as they kissed in Harry's imagination, Albus transformed into Tom Riddle and began pulling at Harry's clothes and—

Harry violently threw off his covers and got out of bed. He shook himself all over and decided that a walk would do him some good, after all.

He pulled on a bathrobe and put on a pair of slippers before levitating himself down through his trapdoor and out of his tower (it was so nice to be able to do that again!). He shuffled slowly through corridors and down stairs until he found himself in the basement of the castle where the portrait of the fruit bowl hung, the entrance to the kitchens. Maybe he should eat something, he thought.

Just when he reached out to tickle the pear, he heard someone behind him.

He spun around to see Minerva shuffling down the hall, dressed in a tartan dressing gown (which showed considerably more leg than the one she wore in the future).

"What are you doing down here, Crockett?" she asked.

"Couldn't sleep," said Harry. "You?"

"The same," she said. "I thought a walk, a cup of tea and a biscuit would do me good. Every time I close my eyes, Riddle's there waiting for me with his lips all puckered and…ugh!"

"You too, huh?"

Minerva grimaced.

"Mind if I…"

"Not at all. I could use the company, I guess," said Harry.

Harry reached out and tickled the pear. It giggled and laughed, and finally turned into a door knob, which Harry turned and used to pull the painting-door open.

The kitchens were fairly quiet and mostly deserted. Nonetheless, a house elf greeted them and showed them to a small table where they could sip their tea and eat their biscuits. Neither of them really said anything.

A few minutes after they sat down, the portrait door opened again. They both looked up to see Albus walk in wearing a pair of pajamas that matched his eyes, a satin nightcap, and a silky dressing gown.

"Couldn't sleep?" asked Minerva as soon as Albus spotted them.

"Have some tea," said Harry.

Albus smiled, and the three of them sat together sipping tea until the breakfast rush began, and the house elves kicked them out.