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The Legacy of the Elder Wand
Where is it Now?
In the past 10 years, the Elder Wand’s legend has come to life more so than ever before. The rumors surrounding this fabled magical article are numerous beyond count, and as far spread as those regarding The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter is the supposed current master of the Elder Wand, also known throughout history as the Deathstick or the Wand of Destiny, among others. No one knows for sure where the Elder Wand came from, its beginnings are steeped in folklore and mystery.
Some wizards believe the Elder Wand to be the wand mentioned in The Tale of the Three Brothers from the fabled Tales of Beedle the Bard. Within that tale, the three brothers were given gifts from Death himself, one of which was a wand more powerful than any in existence, forged from the branch of an Elder tree. The other two brothers were given the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility. The three brothers of the tale are speculated to be none other than the famed Peverell Brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus, from Godric’s Hollow. Antioch is said to have been possessor of the Elder Wand, Cadmus, the Resurrection Stone, and Ignotus, the Cloak of Invisibility. The three items together formed the Deathly Hallows and if united would make the owner of all three the Master of Death, Whether these three brothers were really given these items by Death cannot be confirmed. A more likely explanation, perhaps, could be that the Peverells were three great wizards who created these powerful objects, but history does not give us any hints as to what is the truth.
The Elder Wand is supposed to give its master undue magical power and prowess. Though skeptics may scoff at the idea that such a wand exists, its bloody path can be clearly traced through history. Names said to have at one time possessed this object include Emeric the Evil and his murderer, Egbert the Egregious; Godelot, who died in his own cellar after his son, Hereward took the wand from him; Barbabas Deverill who was killed by Loxias, and finally Arcus or Livius. History is unclear as to which of the two really defeated Loxias and who took the wand. Within this lineage, there are gaps of time in which the Elder Wand fades from view, and yet it always seems to resurface. After Arcus and Livius, the trail of the Elder Wand appeared to have gone cold.
However, at the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, many witnesses heard Harry Potter’s account of the most recent possessors of the Elder Wand. The renowned wandmaker Gregorovitch had the Elder Wand stolen from him by Grindelwald, the most feared dark wizard of all time before He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Upon winning the famous duel between him and Grindelwald, Dumbledore became the next master of the Elder Wand. It lay quiet in his possession for many years, even for some months after his death. As it was Snape who killed Dumbledore, those who knew of the Elder Wand’s whereabouts supposed that the wand’s loyalty must have been passed on to Snape. Hence, when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named murdered Snape, it was assumed that he had become the wand’s new master.
However, The Boy Who Lived challenged the belief of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter explained that it had never been necessary to kill to possess the Elder Wand, despite its murderous history. Since the wand is such a desirable object, it aroused such passions among witches and wizards that the necessity to kill had long since become a part of its legend. The true master of the Elder Wand after Albus Dumbledore had actually been Draco Malfoy, who had supposedly disarmed Dumbledore shortly before his death. When Snape killed Dumbledore, the wand had already changed ownership. Harry Potter further explained that Dumbledore and Snape had allegedly planned his death months earlier, and so Snape did not in fact defeat him. In a turn of mind-boggling events, Mr. Potter became the supposed present master of the Elder Wand. How he managed to claim mastery over Draco without killing him is a mystery (Fun Fact: Draco Malfoy is the only known past owner who wasn’t killed in the linage of the Elder Wand). Nonetheless, with the numerous accounts from witnesses at the Battle of Hogwarts for evidence, it cannot be denied that Harry Potter was, at that point in time, master of the Elder Wand, due to the wand’s refusal to kill him in the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Some wizards believe the Elder Wand to be the wand mentioned in The Tale of the Three Brothers from the fabled Tales of Beedle the Bard. Within that tale, the three brothers were given gifts from Death himself, one of which was a wand more powerful than any in existence, forged from the branch of an Elder tree. The other two brothers were given the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility. The three brothers of the tale are speculated to be none other than the famed Peverell Brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus, from Godric’s Hollow. Antioch is said to have been possessor of the Elder Wand, Cadmus, the Resurrection Stone, and Ignotus, the Cloak of Invisibility. The three items together formed the Deathly Hallows and if united would make the owner of all three the Master of Death, Whether these three brothers were really given these items by Death cannot be confirmed. A more likely explanation, perhaps, could be that the Peverells were three great wizards who created these powerful objects, but history does not give us any hints as to what is the truth.
The Elder Wand is supposed to give its master undue magical power and prowess. Though skeptics may scoff at the idea that such a wand exists, its bloody path can be clearly traced through history. Names said to have at one time possessed this object include Emeric the Evil and his murderer, Egbert the Egregious; Godelot, who died in his own cellar after his son, Hereward took the wand from him; Barbabas Deverill who was killed by Loxias, and finally Arcus or Livius. History is unclear as to which of the two really defeated Loxias and who took the wand. Within this lineage, there are gaps of time in which the Elder Wand fades from view, and yet it always seems to resurface. After Arcus and Livius, the trail of the Elder Wand appeared to have gone cold.
However, at the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, many witnesses heard Harry Potter’s account of the most recent possessors of the Elder Wand. The renowned wandmaker Gregorovitch had the Elder Wand stolen from him by Grindelwald, the most feared dark wizard of all time before He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Upon winning the famous duel between him and Grindelwald, Dumbledore became the next master of the Elder Wand. It lay quiet in his possession for many years, even for some months after his death. As it was Snape who killed Dumbledore, those who knew of the Elder Wand’s whereabouts supposed that the wand’s loyalty must have been passed on to Snape. Hence, when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named murdered Snape, it was assumed that he had become the wand’s new master.
However, The Boy Who Lived challenged the belief of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter explained that it had never been necessary to kill to possess the Elder Wand, despite its murderous history. Since the wand is such a desirable object, it aroused such passions among witches and wizards that the necessity to kill had long since become a part of its legend. The true master of the Elder Wand after Albus Dumbledore had actually been Draco Malfoy, who had supposedly disarmed Dumbledore shortly before his death. When Snape killed Dumbledore, the wand had already changed ownership. Harry Potter further explained that Dumbledore and Snape had allegedly planned his death months earlier, and so Snape did not in fact defeat him. In a turn of mind-boggling events, Mr. Potter became the supposed present master of the Elder Wand. How he managed to claim mastery over Draco without killing him is a mystery (Fun Fact: Draco Malfoy is the only known past owner who wasn’t killed in the linage of the Elder Wand). Nonetheless, with the numerous accounts from witnesses at the Battle of Hogwarts for evidence, it cannot be denied that Harry Potter was, at that point in time, master of the Elder Wand, due to the wand’s refusal to kill him in the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
This last known act of the wand also follows the legacy of another mystery, as it was not the first time Harry Potter proved himself to be The Boy Who Lived. Earlier that night during the Battle of Hogwarts, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had made another attempt to kill Potter in the Forbidden Forest, that time with no attempt to defend himself. According to rumours among the portraits of Hogwarts Castle, Potter was also overheard speaking to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore in the Headmaster’s office after the battle and said that he ‘dropped it [the thing hidden in the Snitch] in the Forest. I don’t know where’. What was the thing hidden in the Snitch? Albus Dumbledore was a known believer in the Hallows, and left the Snitch from Harry Potter’s first Quidditch match to him in his Will. Is it possible that the thing in the Snitch was none other than the Resurrection Stone itself, which would explain at least one of Potter’s survivals in the face of the Unforgivable Killing Curse? It is also common knowledge that The Boy Who Lived is the owner of an invisibility cloak. It is possible, then, that Harry Potter was able to conquer He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as the Master of Death.
The question still remains, where is the Elder Wand now? Sources close to Harry Potter have confirmed that the wand Potter uses daily is the one he purchased from Ollivander’s on his eleventh birthday. It is of course possible that Harry Potter has since been defeated for the ownership of the Wand of Destiny, but his reputation as the The Boy Who Lived, possibly the Master of Death, and between 1996 and 1998 as The Chosen One indicate that this is unlikely. Assuming Harry Potter remains the master of the wand, where would he keep it? Amid the many possibilities of the location of the Elder Wand, two names in particular are consistently repeated. Hogwarts is certainly a possibility; Harry Potter could have hidden the Deathstick anywhere from a special place within Gryffindor Tower to somewhere in the Headmaster’s office, as well as within any other of the castle’s many secrets. The other majorly speculated location of the Elder Wand is Gringotts Wizarding Bank, in Harry Potter’s own vault. As breaking into the bank is virtually impossible, this is also a very likely place to keep this most powerful wand. Many believe Gringotts and Hogwarts to be the two safest places in the world for something you wanted to hide.
Before publication, the Prophet attempted to reach out to those who might have knowledge on the present location of the Elder Wand, including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, members of Dumbledore’s Army, and members of the Order of the Phoenix. All were unable or refused to comment on the Elder Wand’s present whereabouts. Nevertheless, we all know that whatever Harry Potter did with the Elder Wand, he must have done so honouring the legacy of his beloved Headmaster, being Dumbledore’s man through and through.
The question still remains, where is the Elder Wand now? Sources close to Harry Potter have confirmed that the wand Potter uses daily is the one he purchased from Ollivander’s on his eleventh birthday. It is of course possible that Harry Potter has since been defeated for the ownership of the Wand of Destiny, but his reputation as the The Boy Who Lived, possibly the Master of Death, and between 1996 and 1998 as The Chosen One indicate that this is unlikely. Assuming Harry Potter remains the master of the wand, where would he keep it? Amid the many possibilities of the location of the Elder Wand, two names in particular are consistently repeated. Hogwarts is certainly a possibility; Harry Potter could have hidden the Deathstick anywhere from a special place within Gryffindor Tower to somewhere in the Headmaster’s office, as well as within any other of the castle’s many secrets. The other majorly speculated location of the Elder Wand is Gringotts Wizarding Bank, in Harry Potter’s own vault. As breaking into the bank is virtually impossible, this is also a very likely place to keep this most powerful wand. Many believe Gringotts and Hogwarts to be the two safest places in the world for something you wanted to hide.
Before publication, the Prophet attempted to reach out to those who might have knowledge on the present location of the Elder Wand, including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, members of Dumbledore’s Army, and members of the Order of the Phoenix. All were unable or refused to comment on the Elder Wand’s present whereabouts. Nevertheless, we all know that whatever Harry Potter did with the Elder Wand, he must have done so honouring the legacy of his beloved Headmaster, being Dumbledore’s man through and through.