It quickly became clear that neither Hermione or Draco was as well as they wanted the others to believe. Hermione began by insisting that she could walk across the hall on her own. However, before she could even reach the door to her small room, she was exhausted, and Ron had to scoop her up to keep her from falling. In the second room Draco was clearly struggling to keep his breathing even after attempting, and failing, to push himself up in bed. Harry told him to stop trying as Ron gently laid Hermione across from him.

"I need to know more about the Deathly Hallows," Harry started as soon as everyone was settled. "I know that Dumbledore must have left that book as a clue for us. He meant for us to find out about them. What if he meant for me to find them all and become master of death?"

"Harry," Hermione's voice was hesitant, "What if it's all just a story?"

"But his cloak is real!" Ron exclaimed. "Why shouldn't the others be too?"

"Xenophilius isn't exactly a trustworthy source," Draco said. He grimaced as the effort jarred his wound. "Look at who he turned us into. And don't forget about Nargles and whatever."

"I know," Harry said. "But I really think he just did that because he was scared. He might believe in some crazy things, but what if this one's actually true?"

"Wouldn't Dumbledore have been more clear if he wanted you to go after the Hallows?" Hermione asked. "I know he was so vague about the Horcruxes, but at least he told you outright about them. I think he would have done more than give me a book with a mark if he really thought it was important."

"I don't know if I even knew Dumbledore at all," Harry said. "I've been thinking about it ever since I saw his eulogy. There's so much he never told me."

Ron nodded. "Bill's got that awful book Rita Skeeter wrote. He says some of it's pretty ridiculous, but most of it is true. There's so much in there that none of us ever knew."

Hermione sighed. "Be careful what you look for Harry. Sometimes stories are just stories. And sometimes things are a lot more dangerous than people think."

"But finding out about it can't hurt," Harry said. "Especially if there really is a powerful wand like in the story. Maybe that could help me defeat You-Know-Who."

"Xenophilius did say that one has been traced through history," Ron said.

"Ollivander would know," Draco whispered. Harry glanced at him; Fleur had muttered something about watching him for internal bleeding. "That's probably why he was in the Manor. He could already be looking for it."

Harry nodded. "That's a good point. I'll ask him about it." He looked from Draco to Hermione. "I think you two need to rest. Ron and I'll get out of your way." Hermione smiled gratefully as Ron picked her up and returned her to her own room.

Harry pulled something out from beside his bed.

"My mother's wand," Draco said softly, his eyes fixed on the thing in Harry's hand.

"I was thinking of giving it to Luna, if Mr. Ollivander says it's safe," Harry said. "Unless you don't want me to. It's yours, by rights."

Draco turned away. "I don't want it. I don't want anything of theirs. If Luna wants it she can have it."

Harry met Ron in the hall. Silently they crept downstairs, being careful not to disturb Fleur. They found Mr. Ollivander alone in the living room, reading a book.

Harry cleared his throat as he stepped forward. "Mr. Ollivander?" Could we speak to you for a few minutes?"

The wandmaker looked up and patted the sofa beside him. "Of course! Come in boys. I haven't had the chance to thank you yet for rescuing me." Harry and Ron sat down on a loveseat across from him. "How are your friends?"

"They're not great," Harry answered. "It's going to be a while before either of them can do much. Fleur thinks that the knife cut open one of Draco's kidneys."

"That's unfortunate. I saw many evil things locked in that dungeon, but the idea that they would hurt their own son astounds me."

"I was wondering," Harry said, changing the subject, "If you could tell me about this wand?"

Mr. Ollivander reached out his hand and took the wand from Harry. "This is the wand of Narcissa Malfoy," he said. "A fine wand, though its use has been less than wholesome lately." He handed it back.

"Would it work for Luna?" Harry asked. "I was thinking of giving it to her, since she lost hers."

"It is still loyal to its original owner, I believe. But if you want you could give it to Luna. It will work well enough until she can obtain a replacement."

Harry nodded. "Can a wand's loyalty change?"

"It certainly can. It generally depends on the manner in which it was taken. If a wand is won from its owner, it can become loyal to its new owner."

"Are there any wands in particular that have passed like that, from wizard to wizard?" Harry asked.

"You are talking about the Elder Wand, or the Deathstick,"Ollivander replied, his voice hesitant. "You-Know-Who wanted to know about that as well. I'm afraid that I told him far too much.'

'There are stories, of a wand that has passed from wizard to wizard through death. It pops up throughout history, and in every story it is rumoured to be a wand of great power. But I'm afraid that I don't know much more. It was rumoured to be in the possession of Gregorovitch, but it almost certainly is not any longer." He looked from Harry to Ron. "I'm afraid that that's all I know, though it is certainly less that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named knows. I'm very sorry that I couldn't tell you more."

Harry forced himself to smile. "Thank you Mr. Ollivander. Knowing that the wand is real will be a great help." He and Ron stood up to leave.

The weeks passed torturously slowly at Shell Cottage. Mr. Ollivander and Luna left the morning after Harry spoke to the wandmaker. Hermione and Draco were far too weak to move out of their rooms, leaving Harry and Ron to wander the confines of the fidelius charm and debate their next moves. The nights were punctuated with screams as they relived the events at Malfoy Manor.

Harry's scar hurt. He saw flashes of Voldemort's mind more often than ever. Finally, after everything he had been through, he found that he could block it out. But he often chose not to, instead allowing himself to succumb to the pain, hoping to gain the briefest glimpse, the smallest clue as to what to do next.

It was in this way that he saw the old man, shrivelled and locked in the top of a tower prison.

He told Draco about what he had seen. "You-Know-Who glided right in, through this tiny slit of a window. The old man sat there and laughed at him. He said 'I know what you've come for. It will never be yours'."

Draco rubbed his hand across his face. "That sounds like Nuremgard prison," he said. "Wait…" He pulled a book out from under his pillow. Harry glanced at the cover.

"The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. Why are you reading Skeeter's book?"

Draco shrugged. "I figured I might find something useful. The old man you just described, it could've been Grindelwald."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Grindelwald," Draco repeated. He gave Harry a disappointed look. "Don't tell me you've never heard of him." Harry shook his head.

"Raised by muggles, remember?"

"You've had seven years to learn about the wizarding world! Don't you ever read?"

"No, he doesn't," Hermione called from the doorway. She had improved a good deal in the last week, and was finally starting to move around again. "What were you saying about Grindelwald?"

"I think You-Know-Who went to talk to him," Draco said. "Harry just described it to me and it sounded like Nuremgard prison."

"How was asking about the Elder Wand," Harry added. "Grindelwald knew what he wanted, but he didn't have it."

"You said that you saw Him questioning Gregorovitch about it ages ago, right?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded. "Gregorovitch said he used to have it, but it was stolen from him." What if it was stolen by Grindelwald?"

"But Grindelwald has been locked up for years," Hermione said. "Who knows where his wand would be by now?"

Draco smiled, an excited smile that lit up the room. "He's been locked up since he lost a duel with Dumbledore! If Dumbledore beat him and took his wand, then it would be loyal to him!" He shook the book excitedly. "It's all right here. Grindelwald and Dumbledore were friends when they were our age. It could've been Dumbledore's all along!" His smile was quickly replaced by a wince as the book slipped through his fingers and fell to the floor.

Harry nodded slowly as he reached down to retrieve the book. "So, if it was Dumbledore's when he died… is it loyal to Snape now?"

Hermione shook her head slowly. "Dumbledore's wand was buried with him, wasn't it? What does that mean?"

Harry gasped and doubled over in pain. A shock of sheer joy ran through him. Suddenly he was looking down at a white tomb. It rose up from the ground and slid open to reveal Dumbledore's body, perfectly preserved. Harry smiled and laughed, cold and high-pitched. He reached down and plucked the wand from Dumbledore's cold hand. Her turned it over and examined it before pointing it at the sky. The tip of the wand let out a stream of white light that crackled and pulsed as it rose into the air.

Suddenly Harry was back at Shell Cottage, curled into a ball on the floor. Two sets of eyes were looking down at him.

"He has it," Harry gasped out. His scar was still burning fiercely, causing the edges of his vision to fade into blackness. "He has the elder wand. It was Dumbledore's the whole time." He gasped again and gave into the darkness.

When Harry awoke he was lying in bed, surrounded by his friends. They all had concerned looks on their faces.

"Are you okay mate?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "He has it. You-Know-Who has the elder wand. It was Dumbledore's all along. He took it from his tomb, just now."

Draco ran his hand through his hair. He was sitting up, his legs swung over the edge of his bed and one hand tucked protectively over the wound in his side.

"Well that's not good," Ron said. Hermione glared at him.

Harry shook his head, deep in thought. "You know, I actually think it's okay," he said finally. Ron and Draco looked at him in confusion. "I don't think Dumbledore wanted me to have it. If he did, he would have said something. He wanted me to go after the Horcruxes. That's why he told me about them, but not the Hallows."

Hermione nodded. "I agree. Dumbledore was a great wizard. If he thought you needed the wand he would have given it to you."

Draco shrugged. "Well, either way it's too late to do anything about it now."


Hello! I've had some trouble with posting the last couple of chapters. If you're following this story, can you let me know whether you receive a notification about this update? Thanks, and enjoy the story!