mirrorball

chapter sixteen

"Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?" Harry interrupted again. 

"So he can sneak up on people," said Ron. "Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking . . . sorry Hermione."

"'In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination. The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible. That very night, another wizard crept upon the older brother as he lay wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so Death took the first brother for his own. Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and he turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own. But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life.'" 

Hermione closed the book. It was a moment or two before Xenophilius seemed to realize that she had stopped reading, then he withdrew his gaze from the window and said, "Well, there you are." 

"Sorry?" said Clara, sounding confused. 

"Those are the Deathly Hallows," said Xenophilius. He picked up a quill from a packed table at his elbow, and pulled a torn piece of parchment from between more books. "The Elder Wand," he said, and he drew a straight vertical line upon the parchment. "The Resurrection Stone," he said, and he added a circle on top of the line. "The Cloak of Invisibility," he finished, enclosing both the line and circle in a triangle, to make the symbol that so intrigued the group. 

"Together," he said, "the Deathly Hallows." 

"But there's no mention of the words 'Deathly Hallows' in the story," said Hermione. 

"Well, of course not," said Xenophilius, maddeningly smug. "That is a children's tale, told to amuse rather than to instruct. Those of us who understand these matters, however, recognize that the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death."T here was a short silence in which Xenophilius glanced out of the window. Already the sun was low in the sky. "Luna ought to have enough Plimpies soon," he said quietly. 

"When you say 'master of Death'— " said Ron. 

"Master," said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. "Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer." 

"But then . . . do you mean . . . " said Hermione slowly, and Clara could tell that she was trying to keep any trace of skepticism out of her voice, "that you believe these objects— these Hallows— actually exist?" 

Xenophilius raised his eyebrows again. "Well, of course." 

"But," said Hermione, and Clara could hear her restraint starting to crack, "Mr. Lovegood, how can you possibly believe—?" 

"Luna has told me all about you, young lady," said Xenophilius. "You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded. Not unlike Clara" he added, rather joyfully for Clara's liking. She frowned but kept her mouth shut. Hadn't she always been supportive of Luna's strange creatures and beliefs? She couldn't remember even expressing her opinions on them, not in front of Luna at least. Who was Xenophilius to call her closed-minded when she had spent so much of her early years at Hogwarts defending Luna to anyone who called her crazy?