Chapter 158

The Deathly Hallows Uncovered

Note from J.M. Jackson: Sorry this wasn't uploaded yesterday, fanfiction had some weird site issues that didn't let me upload. Enjoy.

Now, four weeks had passed since the birth, and Lily still felt the excitement of being a godmother to Minnie and James. They were adorable, as was baby Lily, and she relished the chance to be spending time with them.

On a practical note, however, she knew she couldn't let Remus, Sirius, or Viktor go on any mission or assignment, not now the babies had been born. She refused to let them be separated from the kids.

The two had reacted to her decision how she expected them to do so; telling her they weren't sitting on the sidelines, but eventually submitting to Lily's logic. She promised she'd keep them updated, of course, which placated them a little.

Still, as she sat in the living room, she looked at Hermione and Crouch, who had summoned her, Ron, Draco, Ginny, Lavender, Pansy, Fleur, Sirius, Remus, and Viktor to the living room. She didn't say why Viktor was there, but she suspected there would be an answer.

"Okay, you've got us all curious now Hermione, so what's going on?" Lily asked. She held up the book that she had been left by Dumbledore.

"Remember what we learnt from Merlin about the three brothers?" Hermione asked. Lily nodded.

"Yeah, the Deathly Hallows," Lily agreed.

"Well, I was thinking about the book itself, and why Dumbledore gave it to me. I mean, we know about the story now, but there had to be another reason, or something else that we're missing about it," Hermione said. "So, I started researching your family line, Lily, and the rest of the possible lines of the brothers. What I found wasn't exactly great news, but at the same time, it did give me some idea of where to look."

"Well, we know I'm descended from Ignotus," Lily said. "That's how I got the cloak, passed down the family."

"Yeah, and we know more about the Hallows thanks to Merlin. I've been doing some research on them as well, and there's a lot of myths and stories about them," Hermione said. "The first thing I need to check, which is why I wanted Viktor here, to confirm something, is about the symbol of the Hallows. Viktor, do you recognise this symbol?" Hermione drew the symbol of the Hallows on a whiteboard. Lily saw Viktor stiffen, and his jaw clench.

"Yes," he confirmed after a few moments. "That is the symbol of Grindelwald."

"Wait, the dark wizard Grindelwald?" Ron asked. Viktor looked at him and nodded.

"It is carved into a wall at Durmstrang, or vas vhilst Karkaroff was there," Viktor said. Lily knew he had to be angry; he only reverted to his deep accent when he was furious about something. "Some idiots put it on their books, bags, and uniforms, thinking it vould be funny, and a shock. I, and others like me who lost family to Grindelwald, taught them the folly of their ways."

"You mentioned that once," Lily said kindly. "Your grandfather was killed by him, wasn't he?"

"He vas," Viktor confirmed. "You say that is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows?"

"It is," Hermione confirmed.

"Which means Grindelwald knew, and wanted the Hallows for himself," Lily surmised. "It strains credulity to think of it as a coincidence."

"Agreed," Sirius said, frowning. "No way in hell did he not know. But we know he couldn't have succeeded, but if he was searching for them, maybe there's a way we can track his movements? It might give us a clue."

"I thought of the same thing, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out much," Hermione replied. "I did think of contacting someone abroad to see if they could question Grindelwald, as he was put in Nuremburg, the prison he built for his enemies."

"There wouldn't be many who would do such a thing, though I suspect if we can explain why, they might be willing to, though we'd need to be careful," Remus said.

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible," Crouch said. "Hermione and I had been speaking about this before. I have a few contacts. A few weeks ago, Nuremburg was attacked, and Grindelwald was killed. It was being kept quiet, but my contact told me that it was Riddle."

"Bloody hell. You mean that bastard is ahead of us?" Ron asked. "Wait, I didn't think he wanted the Hallows, from what we learnt from Merlin."

"Maybe we should go back and visit Merlin again?" Lavender suggested. "He might have some suggestions?"

"Couldn't hurt at this point," Crouch agreed. "We can get there easily enough, now we know where he is and how to get there."

"Alright. How many of us should go?" Lily asked.

"I think it should be myself, Lily, Ron, Ginny, Draco, and Mr. Crouch. We can tell everyone else what we find out when we get back," Hermione said.

"Alright, let's get going then," Draco said, standing up. "Not gonna lie, I'm ready to be doing something."

"Thank you for coming Viktor, and helping," Hermione smiled at her friend.

"It vas not a problem. I vish I could have done more," Viktor replied.

"You helped us a lot. Now we have a new direction to head to, whilst we're planning to find a way into Gringotts," Lily said.

"I know Minister Scrimgeour is working on that, so we'll deal with that when we get back," Crouch said. "One problem at a time, after all."

"I must admit, I did not expect to see you all back so soon," Merlin's spirit spoke, as the group sat down. Hermione explained their suspicions, and what they needed help with.

"Yes, that does make sense. If Voldemort wanted to have power, then he would want the most powerful wand to exist, especially since he knows he can't fight you, Lily, without a different wand, one more powerful than any normal one," Merlin agreed.

"So, he went to Grindelwald to find what he knew about the Elder Wand. I mean, I can't imagine it being too much, otherwise he'd have been undefeatable, wouldn't he?" Ron asked.

"Actually, he was considered undefeatable until Dumbledore beat him. But he was powerful, more than most," Draco said. "I studied him a lot in history; my father used him as an example of how to take defeat from victory. He was winning, but he let Dumbledore beat him."

"There's so much we don't know about that fight," Lily said. "We already think we have two of the Hallows, though we can't get to the stone if it's in the snitch."

"Which leaves just the Elder Wand," Merlin surmised. "There is much about the Elder Wand we do not know. It was created after my death, and I have studied some of Hallow Lore since you last came here."

"You're able to research whilst here?" Ron asked, impressed.

"I have my resources. A helpful House Elf called Winky has been assisting me," Merlin said. "And I am thankful, Bartemius, for you allowing her to help me."

"It was a pleasure. She has been enjoying the work; she's always enjoyed research," Crouch replied, smiling at the elderly spirit. "Were you able to find anything useful?"

"I found many stories based on the Hallows, and whilst it did take me more time than I would have liked, I did manage to track down some diaries of people who were claimed to have the Elder Wand. Eventually, I was able to find out that there was a wand maker called Gregorovitch that claimed to have the Elder Wand," Merlin explained.

"Wait, I know that name," Lily frowned, thinking for a moment. "Viktor. A few years ago, at the start of the Triwizard tournament, Rita did a piece about each contestant, and his said he got his wand from Gregorovitch."

"Very likely; he was considered one of the best, after Ollivander," Merlin told them. "He was killed not too long ago, though again that isn't highly publicised."

"Let me guess; Voldemort?" Ginny asked angrily.

"As far as I know, yes," Merlin confirmed. "Which means he was able to track where the Elder Wand went."

"Where, though?" Lily asked. "We need to find it quickly."

"I have my belief, though whilst I can't confirm them, I do believe them to be accurate," Merlin said. "I believe that Gregorovitch lost the Elder Wand years ago, when he was a younger man. He had boasted to many that he was studying the Elder Wand, and many believed it because his wands were considered extraordinary."

"But he stopped boasting?" Hermione asked.

"After a time, yes," Merlin confirmed. "The people I have had Winky speak to was able to confirm those details to me."

"So, someone stole it," Lily said. "Do you know who?"

"Not definitively, but I suspect," Merlin said, looking at them. "That it was Grindelwald."

"You think Grindelwald had the Elder Wand?" Lily asked.

"I do," Merlin agreed. "And I suspect that was how he was so powerful. He believed in the Hallows, but he could only find one. However, that was enough since it was a powerful wand, and there were none who could fight against him," Merlin said.

"Except one," a female voice said from behind them. Everyone turned around, holding their wands, as they came face to face with Minerva and Nagini.

"Sorry to surprise you like this," Nagini said. "But Viktor returned and told us where you were going, and why. I knew you'd need me," she added. Crouch growled softly.

"I should have thought of asking you; of course you'd know," Crouch said bitterly, and Lily knew he was angry with himself. "You were there, weren't you?"

"I was," Nagini confirmed. "I remember speaking with Albus and Newt after the war, and after everything that went on. It was… a difficult time, for all of us."

"You're not wrong," Minerva agreed softly.

"What happened?" Lily asked kindly, as Hermione conjured two new chairs for the new arrivals.

"There aren't many people who know the truth of what happened, or why Albus didn't fight Grindelwald right away," Nagini said. "You see, many years ago, Albus, when he was younger, was friends with Grindelwald. At one point, and this might be difficult to accept, but at one point, Albus felt that he and Grindelwald would make excellent rulers of the Muggle World, thinking that they needed guidance. He wasn't wanting to take over for any cruel reason, but he had seen the wars they were in, and the course mankind was taking, and he was horrified. He didn't want the world to be destroyed, and he and Grindelwald seemed to work well together."

"Wait, hold on, you're speaking about Albus Dumbledore? The man who felt everyone's choice was the most important thing they had?" Crouch asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Minerva confirmed. "When he was younger, he had some… foolish ideas, and he told me that himself. Of course, he regretted that way of thinking later in life, but when he was younger, he said that it was right to take over, for the greater good. That was something he always believed in; leading by example and showing the muggles that they were too dangerous."

"I don't… I mean, he never…" Lily felt a cold chill run down her back as she thought of the times when she and Dumbledore had spoken, when they'd been opening up to one another. She had loved him and respected him. What happened to him? How could he be someone like that?

"Lily, you need to know one thing; Albus never wanted to harm people. Every plan he ever made was to help the innocent and those who couldn't help themselves. He didn't trust the muggles, especially given how they were in a World War in 1912, and then again in 1945. Seers in our world foresaw the wars coming, but too many didn't believe it, or want to believe it," Minerva explained. "Sadly, Albus did, and he was preparing a way to make a peaceful takeover of the muggle world."

"When was that?" Lily managed to find her voice after about a minute.

"He was friends with Grindelwald after he graduated from Hogwarts. They met at Albus's mother's funeral. You see, Kendra Dumbledore was close with Bathilda Bagshot, and Grindelwald was her nephew, and was staying with her at the time," Minerva explained. Lily blinked a few times, looking at her as she put a few things together from what she had been told by Dumbledore.

"Wait… he told me about his original plans to go travelling with Elphias Doge, but he couldn't after his mother died. He needed to stay home to look after his brother and sister, but she died sometime later," Lily said.

"That was his plans, yes," Minerva agreed. "However, as you said, he wasn't able to do so."

"Then he met Grindelwald," Hermione said calmly. "Knowing Dumbledore, I'd bet anything that Grindelwald was the one who suggested taking over."

"Very likely," Nagini agreed. "He tried to influence taking over the International Confederation of Wizards, and if it wasn't for Albus, he would have done so."

"So, he tried to do things legally, but failed," Lily surmised. "Can you tell us more about what happened?"

Nagini began to explain everything as best she could, discussing Newt Scamander, his No-Maj (Or Muggle, as the British term was) friend Jacob, and how they were recruited by Dumbledore to fight Grindelwald.

By the time she had finished her story, everyone was silent, with their mouths slightly agape. It took a few minutes for anyone to speak.

"But… how was… how did…" Lily struggled, before finding her wording. "How could he even have made any kind of agreement with Grindelwald?"

"I can answer that, but it's not an answer you're going to like, I'm afraid Lily," Minerva said. Lily looked into her eyes, and in that moment, she understood exactly what had driven Dumbledore.

"Love," Lily said softly.

"Lily?" Draco asked.

"Love," Lily repeated, a little louder. "He loved Grindelwald when they were younger. He went along with it because he loved him."

"Yes," Minerva confirmed. "He loved Grindelwald, even after he defeated the man."

"Wait… Dumbledore was in love… with a maniac?" Draco asked.

"Like Voldemort, I'm sure he sounded caring and logical when they were younger," Merlin said.

"Yeah, and when you fall in love, you can't really control it. You want to be with the person, and make them happy," Lily said. "Poor Dumbledore. It had to be hard for him to fight Grindelwald."

"It was," Minerva said. "Albus never told me who he loved, but I knew. I always knew; he and I were close friends, and we spoke all the time. His friendship sustained me during some very dark days."

"And his teachings helped me. I don't know if he was right in what he planned for me, but I'm here now, and I'm on the right path," Lily said.

"I definitely don't agree with what he did, making the choices he did, but in the end, it has led us here. We've all lost people we love and care about, and we've all had to sacrifice something. I know that we're going to win though, because despite everything Mouldy Shorts has done, there is one thing that we need to remember; we're still here, and we're still fighting," Sirius said. Lily grinned; when Sirius wanted to make a speech, he really made the speech.

"Speaking of which, we should start making plans for getting into Gringotts," Lily said. "Though we need to know where to start looking."

"I'd suggest we start looking in Lestrange's vault. When he made the Horcruxes, she was his most trusted lieutenant," Crouch said.

"That makes sense. What do you think we'll be looking for?" Ron asked.

"From everything we've learned, I'd say we're likely looking for Hufflepuff's Goblet," Hermione replied.

"We've also got something else we need to do," Nagini said. "I've been trying to sort through some of the memories of when I was his Snake, and I think he's keeping prisoners at the Malfoy Manor, important prisoners."

"Like Ollivander?" Lily asked.

"I think so," Nagini said. "The longer I've been in my human form, the less I'm able to remember most of my time in my cursed form, but I keep getting flashes of memories."

"Well, let's take that as a positive thing, so you won't have to remember what he made you do, but at the same time, we need to get Ollivander out. He'll be able to help us find a way to stop Voldemort," Lily said. "We also need to… need… to…."

"Lily?" Sirius asked, frowning, looking at the look on her face.

"We're too late," Lily said. "I know where the Elder Wand is… and so does Voldemort."

"How do you know?" Sirius asked.

"Because I know what would have happened," Lily said, her eyes widened. "After defeating Grindelwald, he'd have taken it so no one else could use it against other people."

"Wait, you don't think…" Sirius's voice trailed off, as Ginny summoned Fawkes and spoke quickly to him. Lily watched as Fawkes disappeared.

"I do," Lily said numbly. "Dumbledore had it, and it was buried with him," she added, as Fawkes returned, looking at Ginny. Lily looked at her, and the look on Ginny's face told her everything she needed to know, and as she spoke up, her voice was full of fear.

"We're too late."

As Lord and Lady Voldemort stood in front of Dumbledore's grave, they both smirked as they waved their wands, causing the top of the coffin to fly off, revealing the dead body of Dumbledore, with his arms folded onto his chest, holding his wand.

"Finally, the Elder Wand is ours," Lady Voldemort said, smiling. "Potter will never be able to defeat us."

"Now we have this, we shall begin the next phase of our plan," Lord Voldemort said. "I believe we can use the power of this wand to help us locate Potter and destroy him and his friends," he added, as he reached out and took the wand from Dumbledore's body. Both Voldemort's laughed as they left the area, flying upwards into the night sky; they had beaten Potter, and now they had the Elder Wand, nothing would stop them from taking over the world.