Master of Death

The start of the Final Battle

~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ CHAPTER XXVII ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~

Dumbledore tore through his limited collection of priceless tomes and grimoires as he thought frantically of what this power shift had meant. His connection to Magic felt... detached, like how an amputee claims they can sometimes feel the missing limb. He had tested his magic and it was still there, but there was something not right! He read and read until he found something, it was an old story, a silly tale made up by a mad ancestor of his about seeing the child of the Gods. Please if there were such things living today, he would have had one under his control, at his beck and call! However it stood out. He checked the date of it, it was well before the Founders Time. He began reading it and as he did, he realized it was the Tale of the Three brothers, but much different from the Beetle the Bard's version!

He read it, it seemed his ancestor was a traveling companion to the three Brothers, nothing more than a servant really, but he was there when they had built the bridge and they encountered Death! He had witnessed Death creating the Deathly Hallows. The Wand, the Stone and the Cloak. After getting their gifts, the brothers decided to part ways to try and give Death a bit of a merry chase. His ancestor had followed the Eldest since one brother Apparated away, the other had donned the Cloak and he could not find him, not even when he scryed for him! So he followed the eldest, who indeed dueled another with him he had a quarrel.

However unlike the tale where he boasted of his greatness and told all about his wand, he simply ate quietly, drank some tea and ignored the revelry taking place after his victory. His ancestor had to goad him to drink just a little wine, which he spiked with some belladonna He wasn't sure how much to use and it looked as if he was unaffected, but eventually he seemed to grow a bit drunk and sleepy and thus went to bed. Antioch, the eldest, was rather strong, both magically and physically so a little poisoning would not kill him. However as he slept off the attempt on his life, his ancestor snuck in and slit his throat feeling the connection from the Wand to himself snap into place and he fled to find the other brothers.

He eventually found Camdas, who unlike the story, successfully resurrected his beloved, using a ritual to bind her soul back to her body. They had been happily married for a year and some months. He could not find a way to get to Cadmus alone so he waited instead for him to leave his young bride and snuck in to murder her, while making it seem like suicide. Cadmus upon his return was devastated. He tried to revive her, tried to call her back, but her spirit would not come. In his grief he flung the Stone away, which had set into a ring and after finding some rope, joined her in hanging side by side, his last moment of life allowing him to grab her hand in his.

His ancestor had gleefully claimed the second Hallow. However no matter where he searched, he could not find Ignotus. The damned Cloak was impossible to track and he could not see through it like he could other such charms to make one unseen, a Dumbledore gift. His ancestor died a good 20 years before Ignotus' death, having been careless and slain for the Wand and Stone, that person gifted the Stone to his bride to be and some years later lost the Wand in an Honor Duel. After that the records got more spotty over time until finally the Gaunts had the Stone and the Potters had the Cloak.

He sat there stunned, one of his ancestors had been close to being the Master of Death! One would think he would be elated, however Dumbledore let out a bestial bellow of rage, cursing and screaming. He actually kicked his feet in his chair while beating his fists on his desk like a child having a tantrum! It was a most unbecoming sight! He jumps up and paces, trying to think. The story had caught his attention, but what did it have to do with him here now? What significance--