The Elder Wand

As breakfast wound down on the thirtieth of October Albus stood up from his seat at the Head Table and made his way towards Harry. As Harry watched his approach he noticed that there was something different about the way Albus was carrying himself. His head was still held as high as ever but there was a glint in his eye that conveyed a sense of anticipation and the set of his jaw told Harry that his old friend and mentor was determined to complete his mission. As Albus strode down the length of the Gryffindor House Table Harry noticed that the old wizard's gate conveyed a sense of power that Harry had only seen once before, when Dumbledore had stormed into the fake Moody's office after the third task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Harry looked up as Albus approached. "Come," Albus said simply as he passed.

Scrambling to his feet Harry jogged to catch up with the headmaster. When they reached his office Albus sat down behind his desk and, as Harry seated himself in his customary chair, withdrew and lovingly inspected his wand. "Tell me, Harry," Albus said as he laid his wand on his desk, "in all of our dueling sessions last spring, how many times did you disarm me?"

Harry looked up curiously. The twinkle in his mentor's eyes was particularly bright and Harry could tell that Albus was excited about something. Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, a couple dozen I guess, why?"

Leaning back in his chair, leaving his wand exposed and unattended on his desk, Albus asked, "Tell me, Harry, how much do you know about wand lore?"

"Wand lore?" Harry asked.

Sitting up again Albus smiled then stood up and began walking absentmindedly around his office, occasionally inspecting the odd trinket or reading the occasional book title. Harry could not help but notice that he had once again left his wand on his desk. "As Mr. Olivander is so fond of saying, the wand chooses the wizard, Harry. In an ideal world, a world free of our human weaknesses, that would most likely be the extent of it. In the real world where ego, greed and our many other failings drive us to distraction, however, there are such things as duels. Some, such as those between friends and students and their mentors, are friendly. Others, such as those between rival factions in any conflict can be quite deadly. One of the regularities in wand lore holds that whenever one witch or wizard disarms another the victor will have earned the right to use the vanquished witch or wizard's wand as their own."

For a moment Harry was shocked and couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then something occurred to him that Albus seemed to have overlooked. "But you have disarmed me just as many times as I have disarmed you …"

Albus turned around and smiled. "Ah, yes. A most curious development if I may say so. In all of my reading, Harry, the only explanation I have been able to find is that our wands will work equally well for both of us. It is unusual for two people so far apart in age as we are to share wands but it is not unheard of. I would like you to take my wan into battle with you tomorrow, as a second wand if nothing else."

Harry's mouth fell slightly open. "You want me to use your wand, sir?"

Albus nodded, a warm smile spread across his face. I know you really don't even need a wand, Harry, but the magical properties within these wands will make it easier for you, helping you to conserve your energy for the final battle."

Harry thought about what Albus had said for some time before asking, "But won't that leave you defenseless?"

Albus laughed out loud, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Oh, I will be far from defenseless, Harry. Besides, I will be down in the chamber, with Mark and the other students, serving as chaperone."

Harry leaned back in his chair and laughed. Something about the way Albus had said it and the image of him in the newly furnished Chamber of Secrets chaperoning 160 students while the other teachers, the house elves, centaurs, a contingent of high elves, several companies of wood elves, a handful of students and the people of Hogsmeade defended the village and the school struck him as amusing. The thoughts of battle were not funny in the least but Albus' future predicament made him laugh.

Smiling softly Albus returned to his desk and sat down. "Before you accept this offer I think you should know something of its history."

Harry nodded and looked over at his friend and mentor, curious as to what could be so special about his wand that it required a recitation of its history. "Are you familiar with the story of The Three Brothers?" Albus asked.

When Harry shook his head Albus smiled knowingly. "The story of The Three Brothers is an old legend in the Wizarding world. While most are of the opinion that it is little more than a fanciful fairy tail there are a few, like myself, who believe that every legend holds a kernel of truth worthy investigation. The legend of The Three Brothers is one such story.

"As the story goes, one evening, along about dusk, three brothers came to a river the needed to cross to reach their destination. The problem was that the river was wide and swift and deep. While the brothers could swim they knew that they were no match for the river's raging currents. The brothers were also gifted in the magical arts so, after some discussion, conjured a bridge so that they could cross the river without further delay.

"When they were halfway across a specter, Death, rose up and confronted them. This river had claimed many lives and Death was upset that these three brothers had outwitted the river. For their ingenuity, however, Death decided to reward them for their efforts. In this way, he reasoned, he would get the true measure of the brothers who had beaten his river. When he approached the first and oldest brother and asked his desire the brother said that he would have an unbeatable wand so that no one could beat him in a duel. To fulfill this request Death went to the far shore and fashioned an unbeatable wand from the branch of a nearby tree. With his new wand in hand the oldest brother crossed to the far side of the bridge.

When Death approached the second, middle, brother and asked his desire this brother requested a means to bring those who had passed back from the dead. As before, Death went to the far shore. Picking up a small stone he transformed it into what has come to be known as The Resurrection Stone. Returning to the center of the bridge he presented it to the second brother explaining that all he had to do was turn it over in the palm of his hand three times and the ghosts of those who had passed would appear.

When Death asked the third, the youngest and most humble if the three brothers what he would have this brother requested an invisibility cloak so that he could hide from Death. Death was startled by this request but as he had promised one gift to each of the three brothers took off his invisibility cloak and handed it to the third brother."

Albus paused for a moment. "According to the legend, the oldest brother went to a neighboring village a few days later and challenged a wizard he had a grudge against to a duel. With an unbeatable wand he naturally won. The sad part is that he bragged about having an unbeatable wand. That night a rival snuck into his bedchamber and stole the wand. As a measure of his contempt for this brother, he slit the man's throat as he slept. Legend has it that the history of this wand, The Elder Wand, has been a particularly bloody one. According to legend, since the wand cannot be beaten it must pass from owner to owner through death. I know that part of the legend not to be true. It does, however, have a particularly bloody history.

"The second brother went home and used the stone to resurrect the ghost of the young woman he would have married had she not died an untimely death. He was sad, however, because they could visit but could not touch. In his grief he killed himself so that he could be with her.

"The third brother, the one with the invisibility cloak, lived a long, happy and prosperous life. When he was an old man he passed the cloak on to his son. When he died he went to meet Death and thanked him for the gift because it had give him the time he needed to enjoy a long and fruitful life."

When Albus finished his story he stood up and started pacing around the room again. "According to the legend surrounding the legend, if a person were to possess all three of these items they would be immune to death and would life forever. I do not know how accurate this second legend is because no one has been in possession of all three of these items at the same time. I can, however, say that both you and I have had all three of them in our possession at different times."

Harry looked up curiously and was about to say something when Albus held up his hand for silence and cut him off. "The charms on most invisibility cloaks, Harry, will last a few years at best. What is curious about your cloak, however, is that the charms have not worn off in at least a century. I knew your father, your father's father and his father and grandfather. Each of them has had that cloak and it has worked equally well for all of them. On the night of the attack I had it in my possession because I was studying it to see if I could discover its secrets. Alas, Harry, the charms seem to be permanent, woven into the fabric of the cloth itself if you will. And, therefore, unless I am very much mistaken, you are in possession of Death's invisibility cloak."

Harry's mouth fell slightly open but he didn't say anything.

"The Resurrection Stone has been lost and found several times throughout history, the most recent person to find it was a Mr. Peverell, the great grandfather of Marvolo Gaunt. Peverell believed the legend of The Three Brothers and scoured the country for the stone since it would be the hardest to find. When he did find it he had it mounted on a heavy golden ring."

Harry gasped, "You mean …"

Albus nodded. "Yes, Harry. The stone in the ring you destroyed was The Resurrection Stone. Again, if I am not sadly mistaken, one of the reasons it made so much noise when you destroyed it was because, not only were you destroying a horcrux but you were destroying one of Death's three gifts as well."

"What happened to the wand, sir?"

Albus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The Elder Wand is currently lying on my desk waiting to serve its next master."

Harry looked at the wand on Albus' desk, a look of disbelief in his eyes. "But … but … Albus, if it is an unbeatable wand how did you get it? And even more importantly, how was I able to disarm you?"

Albus closed and tiredly rubbed his eyes. With a sigh he returned to his desk and sat down. "This has been weighing on my mind for decades, Harry. What most people don't know is that Gellert Grindelwald and I were very good friends before the turn of the century. At the time he was the only one who could stimulate my imagination. I don't mean to brag, but I really was quite brilliant and Gellert was the first person I had ever met who could keep up with me."

Harry thought he saw a wistful look cross Albus' face and before he could stop himself asked, "Did you love him, sir?"

Albus looked over at Harry, a ferocious glint in his eyes, and for a moment Harry feared he may attack. But then, with a sight, the look was gone and Albus sat back in his chair, his shoulders slumped in resignation. Moments later Albus looked up and nodded his head. "Yes, Harry, I did. I loved him and I thought he loved me; but then he went his way and I went mine. I was emotionally devastated for several years until Elizabeth found me and brought me back to life."

Glancing up at one of the portraits, all of whom were watching him with interest, Albus turned the subject back to the history of his wand. "Gellert and I both believed that the story of The Three Brothers held a kernel of truth within its tale so we set out to explore the world and do a little investigating.

"Gellert had herd that a wand maker who lived outside a small village in Bulgaria claimed to have The Elder Wand in his workshop. Of course no one believed the wandmaker because, at the time, it was a popular claim used to boost sales. Gellert, however, felt it worth investigating so, while the wandmaker was in town Gellert broke into his shop and began his search. As a wandmaker the old man's shop was littered with many fine wands. It took Gellert some time to find it but he did, indeed, find The Elder Wand.

"He found it as the old man was opening his shop after returning from the village. Gellert jumped out a window as the wandmaker opened the door to his shop. We met up a week later and began searching for the stone and cloak. As time went on Gellert became frustrated at our lack of progress. We got into an argument and a duel ensued. The participants in this duel were Gellert, Aberforth, myself and Ariana, Aberforth's and my younger sister. In the confusion …" Albus paused as his voice broke and a tear leaked out of the corner of his eye. "No one really knows how it happened but in the confusion Ariana died.

"Gellert left. Despite his kindnesses, I fear that Aberforth has never really forgiven me for Ariana's death. After her funeral Aberforth broke my nose and I left. I needed to be alone. I needed some time to think.

"It was almost a year later that Elizabeth found me, hold up in a cave in the highlands. It took some time but she was able to nurse me back to emotional health. I started teaching a few years later and, except for the two years I spent fighting Gellert and his forces, this school has been my life."

Harry waited in polite silence for Albus to regain his composure then asked, "If Gellert had the wand, how did you get it?"

Albus was silent for several seconds before looking up and nodding his head as if telling himself that the time had come for the truth to come out. "That was Elizabeth's doing," he said. "The war in Europe had been raging for four, almost five, years when Elizabeth finally convinced me that if I truly loved Gellert I would stop him. It took me almost two years to reach him and when I did we dueled. No one was around to see it, but it was most definitely a duel. I still don't know how I disarmed him but I did.

"Gellert is now in a maximum security prison on the continent. I still visit him upon occasion because I still care about him but …"

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Albus." Walking over to the desk he looked down at the wand. Extending his hand he silently summoned it and it leapt into his hand. The energies flowing from the wand felt old, almost ancient. Harry knew he could use the wand but it somehow felt wrong, almost as if he knew that if he used it too often the residual energies of its former masters would begin affecting his personal energies. He made up his mind, then and there, that he would use it to defend Hogwarts on Halloween but that after that, if he lived, he would return it to Albus and that he would never use it again.

After inspecting the wand with an unpracticed yet critical eye he looked up at Albus and, with a twisted grin, said, "I'll use it upon your request, Albus, because we are going to need every advantage tomorrow but I don't like leaving you without a wand and somehow the energies just don't feel right to me."

Albus steepled his fingers and gazed at Harry for several seconds before responding. "Perhaps the elder wand has finally met its match. Most witches and wizards would dearly wish to have an unbeatable wand, but you are apparently more sensitive to a wand's energies than most. All I ask is that you use it to defend the school. If you do not wish to use it after that then I will not ask you to touch it again."

Harry grinned. "Thank you," he said.

Pocketing the wand Harry turned and left the room. He, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny and Luna had been given the day off so that they could make final preparations for tomorrow's confrontations. The rest of the students would be told of their plans at dinner tonight and the portkeys were set to activate at 9:00 P.M. They would have nine hours to get into position and prepare the defenses.

Author's Note:

As you can probably guess, I am trying to incorporate various elements of books six and seven in this story as well as the revelation J. K. R. made about Dumbledore a few weeks ago. The goal is not to shy away from "canon" but to incorporate enough of it into this story to make it "believable.

I am afraid the next update will not take place until the next three chapters have been completed (probably a week or two) because if I don't post all three of them at once the possibility exists that I will receive quite a bit of hate mail. Please know, however, that the next three chapters are not going to be the end of this story. My goal is to wind up somewhere close to where J. K. R. ended her story, which means that I am going to be including several intermediary chapters. There will, of course, be a few changes because I, for example, am not going to kill off either Remus or Tonks.

Please be patient with me and know that my goal is still to have this story finished by the end of December 2007.

Thanks,

Brent