The Deathly Hallows

At this moment, in his eyes—

Harry and Dumbledore were no longer hostile visitors but honored guests bringing glory to the Department of Mysteries.

He admitted he had begun to covet the Deathly Hallows.

Those legendary artifacts from myth—what magical researcher could resist?

Harry was slightly disgusted by his sudden enthusiasm and frowned. "Go find me a small animal."

"A small animal?" Keynes blinked, not quite catching on.

Harry nodded. "Something lively. Preferably not a cat, dog, or owl. And not too small either."

Those three animals were too close to him.

Keynes let out a long breath. All his newfound enthusiasm drained away. He gritted his teeth and glared at Harry.

Such a picky request…

Cats and dogs—common and easy to get—were ruled out.

Owls—staples for most wizards—were also banned.

Too small? That eliminated frogs, snakes, lizards, and other reptiles.

Wizards didn't exactly keep a wide variety of animals. With the common options ruled out, what else could he even offer?

But then… it hit him. Wasn't this the perfect chance to earn Potter's favor?

Keynes scrambled around for half an hour before finally contacting the Magical Creatures Department and borrowing a thestral from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

"Mr. Potter, will this do?" Keynes dragged the creature over, face red from exertion.

"Perfect," Harry nodded, waving to the beast. "Come."

The thestral had a temper and kicked out at Keynes, nearly knocking him over.

"Come," Harry said again, his voice colder.

The thestral snorted and met Harry's vertical pupils. It hesitated. Under Harry's increasingly icy stare, it reluctantly stepped forward, lowering its head.

"In a moment, walk straight into that." Harry pointed at the stone arch and the fluttering veil.

The thestral looked at it, fear quickly giving way to yearning. It snorted and pawed at the ground, clearly eager.

Harry yanked the reins, smacked it on the head. "Wake up. I didn't say go yet."

The thestral whimpered.

Harry covered it with the Invisibility Cloak, tying it down securely. He fastened another rope around its neck, then carefully adjusted the cloak until the thestral was completely covered.

He patted its neck. "Go on."

Clip-clop. The thestral walked up the stone platform, passed through the veil… and vanished.

The sound of hooves stopped.

The veil rippled gently, as if stirred by a breeze.

Ten minutes passed.

Harry yanked on the rope—heavily weighted, as if resisting. He inhaled deeply and pulled hard. It gave a little, but something behind the veil tugged back just as forcefully.

Dumbledore joined in, transfiguring the surrounding steps into arms that helped Harry pull.

Keynes tried the same, but his magic failed to alter the enchanted surroundings. He clenched his teeth in frustration and ran forward to grab the rope physically instead.

Harry glanced at him.

Magic? Useless. Strength? Also useless.

With Dumbledore's help, Harry caught a breath, drew his wand again, and conjured two massive hands to grip the rope.

Keynes, not wanting to be left out, kept pulling too.

Bit by bit…

Finally, the rope came free. The thestral tumbled backward, spooked and panicked, the Invisibility Cloak slipping off as it landed near the base of the platform.

Harry caught it with a Levitation Charm and set it down gently.

Keynes stared in disbelief as the thestral urinated and staggered around in terror.

But it was alive. It had come back from behind the veil.

"It's alive…" Keynes breathed, stunned.

This had been tried before—ropes, creatures, even people—but nothing had ever returned. The rope would always come loose as if whatever went in had been digested. But now…

He looked down at the Invisibility Cloak.

That had to be it—the variable. The Deathly Hallows.

Dumbledore flicked his wand, the cloak flew back into his hands. "Shall we try now?"

Harry didn't respond. He stared at the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's hand.

Dumbledore followed his gaze.

Keynes felt something itching in his brain. Something just on the edge of realization. He couldn't quite reach it—but the thought of Grindelwald, and the Hallows symbol, loomed large.

Harry turned back to the thestral, cast Legilimens to read its memories.

Even the dumbest beast had memory. And thestrals were far from dumb.

Everything was clear until it crossed the veil—then darkness. Confusion. A gray fog.

"Just as I expected," Harry muttered. He cast a Sleeping Charm and let it rest. "Each Hallow plays a part."

"The Cloak lets us pass safely—we've proven that."

"The Elder Wand…" He looked at Dumbledore, who gripped it tightly. "Maybe it helps deal with something inside. I'm not sure yet."

"And the Resurrection Stone… it's the marker. A beacon between the living and the dead. That world is not for the living."

Harry drew the Hallows symbol in the air: triangle, circle, line.

"A tremendous discovery," Dumbledore whispered.

Keynes trembled. The veil's secret, at last?

"I'll call Pomona," Dumbledore conjured a silver phoenix that flew off toward Hogwarts.

Keynes burned with anticipation. He wanted to ask, to know more—but he could only pace nervously beside them.

Ten minutes later, Professor Sprout arrived in a rush.

"Albus, you wanted the Resurrection Stone?"

"I did," Harry answered quietly.

Sprout frowned and pulled out a pouch. "Harry, I trust you, but this—this worries me."

"I just want to step beyond the veil briefly."

She froze. "That's… the veil of death, isn't it?"

Harry held up the cloak. "And the Hallows were made to defy death, weren't they?"

Sprout gave him a hard look. "Promise me."

"I promise, Professor."

She looked to Dumbledore. He nodded.

"Alright," she sighed, "but only if you promise to come back safe. I'd rather have you ruin my greenhouse like a Weasley than never come back."

----------

Powerstones?

For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates