Devil Doesn't Bargain

The Stone

"Dung, darling, would you get that please?" The oily little man jumped up from his seat and scrambled to the window where an owl was waiting. He quickly untied the twine and brought over a folded piece of parchment. Narcissa gave him a tight smile and snatched the paper out of his hands.

Flying with the lions, now.

Could use a snake.

-L.B.

Narcissa grinned and tossed the parchment into the blazing fireplace. She waved over Mundungus for a spare quill and wrote a quick reply.

It's about time.

-The Snake

Once Mundungus attached her note to the owl and closed the window, she excused him for the night. She was quite capable of making her own tea, and she'd rather be alone. Constant company was stifling.

She rolled out her shoulders. It had been a long day. After returning to the estate (which was unmappable, of course), Narcissa had immediately got to work. She needed to send messages to both Severus and Minerva and read this week's reports. There hadn't been an attack on muggles in too long, so she assumed one was brewing. Now that she was in contact with the Granger girl, she was sure to receive a heads-up even sooner. She did so love being informed in a timely manner. It was glorious.

If there was indeed an attack coming, she'd need to organize her people quickly and send them out in teams. After losing a few in Austria, they also needed to be retrained. Seeing her stack of correspondences, Narcissa's eyes lit up when they spotted a dark glittering ink. She'd know that handwriting anywhere. She gracefully sliced open the envelope.

Lovely Cissa,

Remember how we discussed the odd conversation I had with Draco a few months ago? He was so fascinated by the Hallows, and even weeks afterward I could not let it go. So, you know me, I did some research. Of course, we all know the story of the Three Brothers and their respective gifts. Draco, at the time, was really only interested in the wand. As he failed to return for more information, I assume Draco has found it.

In addition to it, later, my Theodore tried to innocently ask me about the Cloak of Invisibility. I swear, he just assumes because I'm old I have no common sense. Theo would never care for this topic on his own, which means it must be tied to Draco. So this leaves the Resurrection Stone. No one knows of its whereabouts, and there is even less literature on it than the other two Hallows. So I find myself wondering...where would it be? I do not know the answer to this question, but I also find myself wondering: who would desire to be a Master of Death? Obviously, it is the dark lord currently, but what about before?

It is all speculation, but then I began to wonder why the dark lord would need the Hallows in the first place. He is the most powerful wizard of the age, he has an army, and he is trying to track down and kill a child. Eventually, Potter's luck will run out, and the dark lord will find him. Why isn't that enough? Who would have convinced him that this was not enough?

The only answer I could come up with was Albus Dumbledore. He's long gone, that's true enough, but he was the only wizard that truly threatened the dark lord. We can all say it is due to age and experience, but it really doesn't matter what we believe. It matters what the dark lord believes. What if the dark lord believed Albus to be the holder of all of the Hallows at some point, and that this was how Dumbledore continued to threaten him? What if even after Dumbledore's death, he wasn't satisfied, and he grew manic with desire for the Hallows, to continue to best Albus even in the grave?

You may think these are just the crazed ravings of an old man, and perhaps they are. But I'd rather tell someone of my theories than keep them to myself.