The Elder Wand
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and all the characters in it belong to J.K. Rowling. This story is a work of imagination and is directed solely at readers of this website. No infringement of any rights is intended and no criticism of J.K. Rowling or her work should be considered to be stated or implied.
Author's note: thanks to those of you who have posted reviews and for those who are just reading along, let me know what you think. All comments are useful.
Part 7. The Hallows' maker
As soon as Harry got back to Hogwarts he went straight to the library. Sure enough, he found Hermione seated at a table in an otherwise deserted room, surrounded by a pile of ancient looking books. She was sucking on the end of her quill and reading intently, with a familiar thoughtful expression on her face. Harry felt a great sense of tenderness as he studied the slender but determined figure that had hardly left his side over the past seven years.
Hermione looked up as Harry crossed to the table and pulled out the chair opposite her with a loud creak.
"Harry…what are you doing here? I thought that you were staying at the Burrow."
"Have you turned anything up?" Harry asked, ignoring her question.
"Not really," Hermione answered with a sigh. "Most of the references to the Deathly Hallows just direct me to the children's story from Beedle the Bard, although there are a few books where it mentions that some people believe that the Hallows really exist. I even came across one account that purports to trace the early owners of the Elder Wand and describes their fates. There is a fair bit of information about the Peverell family and I found genealogy tables tracing the Potters back to Ignotus Peverell and the Gaunts back to Cadmus Peverell. Evidently, the Peverells were a very well-known and prominent family in and around Godric's Hollow, but there is nothing to suggest that they were at all unusual in terms of their magical abilities. I have located one reference that speculates about the Peverell brothers being the original owners of the Hallows. Presumably, that is where Dumbledore and Grindelwald got the idea from, or someplace like it. When we spoke to him, Xenophilius also seemed to be well aware of the connection between the Hallows and the Peverell brothers, so I suppose that it's common knowledge amongst those who take an interest in such things."
"Look Hermione, I might have an idea that could be better than looking at books," Harry interrupted excitedly before Hermione could recite any more information. "Can you remember the dates for Ignotus Peverell that we saw on his headstone back in the graveyard at Godric's Hollow?"
"Well, I think that it said that he died in 1291," Hermione recalled, her brow creasing with the effort.
"That's what I thought," Harry said enthusiastically. "Well, Hogwarts was founded, what…about 1,000 years ago, right? That means that it had been in existence a long time before Ignotus lived. So, I'm reasoning that there will have been a headmaster or headmistress at Hogwarts at that time and that means that there should be a portrait of them somewhere. Now, if the Peverells were such a famous family and they did create the Hallows, it might have been known about in the elite magical circles of the time and those circles should certainly have included the head of Hogwarts, don't you think?"
Hermione was impressed by Harry's reasoning and sat stunned as she completed his thought process, inwardly castigating herself for not making the same connection.
"You mean that if we could find that portrait, it might be able to give us some information about the Hallows that we won't be able to find anywhere else."
"It's a long shot, I know," Harry said more calmly now, "but it's worth a try, don't you think?"
"It certainly is, but I'm sure that the portraits in the Headmaster's study don't go back that far. The older ones might be held in store somewhere though," Hermione added thoughtfully.
"Well, let's go and ask Dumbledore."
Hermione, however, had pushed her chair back and was heading towards the bookshelves behind them, her footsteps intruding loudly on the silence of their surroundings.
"Fine, but first let's check in 'Hogwarts - a history' to see who the head was at that time."
She went straight to the correct place on the library shelves and pulled down the heavy, well-thumbed book that was one of her particular favourites. Bringing it back to their table and resuming her seat she opened the book carefully and flipped through a few pages until she found the information that she was looking for.
"1245 to 1283, the Headmaster of Hogwarts was one Anticious Magister."
She gasped.
"You'll never believe this! He came from Godric's Hollow. So, he must have known the Peverells really well. This is perfect Harry!" she exclaimed joyfully as she leapt to her feet, pushing her chair noisily out of the way, and headed for the door, leaving opened books strewn all over the desk and Harry trailing behind, trying desperately to catch up.
Dumbledore's portrait was able to confirm that indeed there wasn't enough room on the walls of the Headmaster's study to display all of the portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts since its foundation. The earliest portraits were housed in an historical archive chamber that was situated way in the depths of the castle, and which Dumbledore admitted few people visited or were even aware of. In fact, he confessed rather sheepishly that he had only been down to the archive twice during his whole tenure as headmaster. The key to the chamber, a rather large and ungainly object made from tarnished brass, was kept in the bottom drawer of the Headmaster's desk and after some ferreting around, while Dumbledore's portrait grew increasingly agitated, it was finally unearthed by Hermione.
Harry and Hermione made their way along the deserted corridors and down the seemingly unending stairways that lead them to their destination, far down beneath the upper works of the castle. Eventually, descending the final and longest stairway, they reached a tunnel-like corridor that seemed to be hewn from the natural stone upon which the castle stood. The short corridor was cold, dank and pitch black but the smooth, even floor was easily traversed, guided by the light from their wands. At the end of the corridor was a large wooden door made from rough planks of darkened oak. The door was approximately oblong in shape and the matching wooden doorframe was curved on one side to fit the contours of the walls and ceiling. A pair of heavy, black-painted metal hinges held the door in place and a matching round metal door knob was positioned on the opposite side, above a similarly decorated keyhole. Harry inserted the key into the lock and turned it stiffly, grimacing with the effort as the underused mechanism resisted. Using both hands, he turned the large door knob a fraction and by bracing one foot against the doorframe he was able to slowly pull the heavy door open, with a high-pitched squeal of protest.
The room that they entered was warmer than the corridor and, although the air smelt musty, it seemed surprisingly dry. It was almost square in shape, with a high ceiling and, in contrast to the corridor, both the walls and the ceiling were covered with an uneven coat of plaster that had been painted in a dull grey, which had only become darker with the layers of grime that had accumulated over the years. The floor was a continuation of the natural stone of the corridor. Empty metal brackets, designed to hold flaming torches, were dotted along the walls at roughly chest height, while the edges of the room were lined with a variety of ancient wooden tables and cupboards upon and in which a variety of relics were displayed or stored. All of the surfaces were covered with a deep layer of dust and cobwebs hung down from the ceiling, draping the four upper corners of the room. Hermione sneezed loudly as the weak flow of air, formed by the difference in temperature on either side of the open door, caused a cloud of fine dust to rise up and envelope them. Positioned around the walls was a row of portraits, each set in an ornate, carved golden frame and, as Harry and Hermione shone the light from their wands around the room, muffled cries of protest and alarm came from their subjects.
The pair walked slowly along, as close to the walls as they could get, examining the inscription beneath each portrait until Hermione triumphantly announced, "Here it is. 'Anticious Magister. Headmaster 1245-83'.
They both shone their lights directly at the portrait, which showed a kindly-looking wizard with long, white hair, a matching drooping moustache, a rather pointed nose and twinkling pale blue eyes. He was resplendent in deep blue robes, patterned with silver, a matching tall, pointed hat perched precariously on his head. The subject of their attention blinked as the light hit him and he raised one hand to shield his eyes.
"Merlin's beard…a light! There hasn't been a light down here for an age," he said in a surprisingly deep voice that seemed to belong to a much larger and more rotund wizard.
"Put it out. Some of us were sleeping," a grumpy voice shouted from a portrait nearby.
"Oh, you're always sleeping," Anticious retorted. "That's all most of us can do down here, unless we're fortunate enough to have a portrait that is actually on display somewhere else…perhaps even somewhere with windows," he added rather wistfully.
"Sorry," Harry said in a muted tone, reaching awkwardly across the table in front of him to unhook Anticious' portrait from the wall.
"Anticious, we would like to have a word with you if we may. Let's move you over here, where we won't disturb the others so much."
Anticious, who had been a very sociable fellow during his life and was therefore overjoyed at the notion of making some new acquaintances, beamed at the prospect.
"Certainly, my dear boy. It's been years since I've moved. I don't think that I can even remember what this side of the room looks like. Now, who might you be and what on earth do you want?"
Harry carried the portrait to a table that was positioned just inside the door, where there were no other portraits in the immediate vicinity. He propped it up against the wall and he and Hermione perched, with some difficulty, on the edge of the table, turning stiffly at the waist so that they could look directly at Anticious.
"You won't know me," Harry began, "but my name is Harry Potter and this is my close friend, Hermione Granger."
Hermione's ears pricked up at Harry's use of the word 'close' and she found that she was sitting up slightly straighter than before.
"Well, I'm a descendant of Ignotus Peverell and my father passed the Cloak of Invisibility, one of the Deathly Hallows, on to me," Harry continued.
"The Deathly Hallows?" Anticious queried. "They were just called the Hallows in my day."
"That's because now, most wizards don't believe that the Hallows actually exist. There's a morality tale for wizard children that claims that the Hallows were presented to three brothers as a reward for cheating 'Death'. However, we know that the Hallows are real and we believe that they were made by the three Peverell brothers - Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus." Harry explained, before pausing briefly to gather his thoughts.
"You must have known the Peverells…or at least known of them. Do you have any knowledge about how they managed to create the Hallows, as it must have involved some very complex and unusual magic?"
Anticious had been listening intently and smiled at Harry's question.
"You are quite correct that I knew the Peverells - after all I lived in Godric's Hollow until I came to teach at Hogwarts - and it is true that they owned the Hallows, but they didn't create them. No, that would have been quite beyond their abilities. Let me explain." Anticious took a deep breath composing himself for a lengthy narrative.
"I believe that things are different now, but in my day Wizards and Muggles often lived in the same communities and it was quite common for Muggles to be tied to some of the oldest wizard families as servants or even slaves. The Peverells were a very wealthy and powerful family and they had many Muggle servants. At the time that the grandfather of the three brothers was the head of the family, there was also a Squib - a girl. She came from a pureblood wizard family who were so ashamed by her lack of magic that they sold her into servitude with the Peverells. This Squib married one of their Muggle servants and became pregnant by him. Unfortunately, however, the father was killed in a hunting accident before the child -a boy - was born. The Squib named her baby Factoris and it was quite clear from a very young age that, although he was a Mudblood, the child had a quite exceptional magical talent. His mother was so grief stricken by the death of her husband that she seemed to waste away and died while still very young, even for a Squib, and so Factoris was brought up by the Peverells. Since both his father and mother had been bound to the family in servitude, he was also considered to be their property. Factoris became a favourite of the Peverell brothers' father, who made him his personal servant. He was a great traveller and took Factoris everywhere with him. When Factoris was approaching middle age, the two of them spent a great deal of time in Africa. Now, Africa is the home of the most ancient magic in the world and it is believed that, while he was there, Factoris was able to delve into the very secrets of life and death and the magic that can be used to influence destiny. In any event, he came back from Africa as an even more accomplished wizard than before, but he was still tied by a magical contract of servitude to the Peverell family and they refused to release him from it because he was so useful to them. Soon after they returned from Africa, Factoris' master died and his allegiance was therefore transferred to the eldest of the three brothers, Antioch Peverell, who became head of the family. It is believed that Factoris was not particularly pleased by this, since Antioch was still a young man and very conceited, but he had no choice other than to endure this new state of affairs. Anyway, this situation continued for many years as the brothers matured and, largely due to the abilities of Factoris, even though the two eldest brothers, Antioch and Cadmus, were only concerned with their own pleasures, the family estate still thrived. Then, when Factoris was an old man, he became withdrawn and preoccupied and he started to spend many hours each day in a workshop that he had at the back of his cottage. Eventually, he presented Antioch with the three Hallows. He told Antioch that these three items would make him Master of Death. But Antioch just thought that this was the raving of an old man whose mind was becoming weak and, since he had a great love of duelling, he was only really interested in the Elder Wand. Therefore, when his brother Cadmus asked if he could have the Resurrection Stone for himself, Antioch gave it to him willingly and, so that his younger brother, Ignotus, wouldn't feel slighted, he gave the Cloak of Invisibility to him. That is the story of how the three Hallows were created and how they came to be separated."
"But why did he need three Hallows. I can see that the Resurrection Stone has a link with life and death, but what have the Elder Wand and Invisibility Cloak got to do with it," Harry asked after a time.
"Ah well, three is a very important number where matters of life and death are concerned," Anticious replied instantly. "There are three distinct elements that are involved in destiny…"
Hermione, who had an excellent memory, suddenly recalled a favourite book that she had read many times as a child.
"You mean like the Three Fates from Greek mythology; the Moirai - Clotho, Lechesis and Atropos?" she interrupted.
"Exactly," Anticious exclaimed with appreciation. "We have different names for them of course, but each of the three Hallows represents one of those goddesses. Clotho - the spinner - makes the threads of destiny and starts the process of life - she is represented by the Resurrection Stone; Lachesis - the measurer - controls the length of the thread - how long we will remain hidden from death - she is represented by the Cloak of Invisibility; and Atropos - the cutter, the undefeatable - cuts the threads - she is represented by the Elder Wand. So, the magic that Factoris employed was woven around these ancient concepts and, for this reason, whoever is the rightful owner of all three of the Hallows can control death itself. Unfortunately, as Antioch split up the Hallows, he never became the true Master of Death and we all know what happened to him."
"And, do you believe that all of this is true?" Hermione asked sceptically. "I've never come across a mention of Factoris in any reference to the Peverells."
"Believe! I know that it is true. I was there, young lady," Anticious replied indignantly, before continuing in a more conciliatory tone. "I am not surprised that there is no mention of Factoris in any historical works. Although he was well known by people locally, the Peverells did not exactly advertise the fact that much of their latter renown resulted from the abilities of one of their servants. In fact, they kept it as quiet as possible."
Hermione looked at Harry and frowned, seemingly unconvinced. Harry just shrugged.
"Thank you Anticious," he said graciously. "You've been very helpful. Can we come back and talk to you again once we've had time to think about what you've told us?"
"Certainly, we get so few visitors nowadays that it will be my pleasure." The old man positively glowed as Harry carefully picked the portrait up once more and hung it back in place.
Harry gestured silently to Hermione and the pair left the chamber closing and locking the door quietly behind them, almost with an air of reverence.
"Who was that you were talking to?" asked the figure in the portrait to the immediate right of Anticious, after they had gone.
This was the portrait of the headmaster who had succeeded Anticious at Hogwarts, who just happened to be his younger brother, Sequis Magister. Sequis had taught at Hogwarts under his brother, before succeeding him as headmaster when he died. However, he had originally remained in Godric's Hollow for a time after Anticious had left to take up a teaching position at Hogwarts and therefore he knew just as much about the history of the Hallows and the Peverell family as his brother did.
"It was a very pleasant young couple. Harry and Gaynor, I think that they said their names were," Anticious replied cheerfully. "It's all right for you, Sequis; you have that other portrait up in the corridor outside of the Headmaster's study, so that you can keep in contact with the outside world. I have to stay cooped up in here all of the time."
His brother did not appear to be particularly impressed by this argument and continued to question him, sounding far more serious.
"I couldn't help noticing that you were talking about the Hallows. Why didn't you tell them the real reason that Factoris made them?"
"Well, for one thing, they didn't ask," Anticious responded defensively. "In any case, I've never believed that nonsense anyway," he scoffed. "Why? Do you think that it might be important?"