Grindelwald carried the invisible Dumbledore in his arms, with Jon following closely behind.
They traced the white line along the floor until they reached the darkest room at the very top of the tower.
Grindelwald carefully laid the "invisible" Dumbledore onto his stone bed, draped a tattered blanket over him, and finally placed the fingernail-sized stone atop the blanket.
Jon watched Dumbledore intently… though he could see nothing at all, he suddenly sensed, deep down, a faint wisp of soul energy coming from beneath the Invisibility Cloak.
It was incredibly weak, yet unmistakably familiar—the soul of Albus Dumbledore.
"Sit, Hart!" Grindelwald said, panting heavily as he lowered himself onto the cold stone floor.
Jon sat down across from him without hesitation.
After resting for a moment, Grindelwald slowly spoke. "Hart… you've heard the story of the three brothers, haven't you?"
...
"Of course."
Jon nodded.
"Death bestowed three gifts upon the brothers: the most powerful wand in the world, a stone with the power to bring back the dead, and a cloak that could conceal everything. But the wizard who obtained the most powerful wand was murdered in his sleep, his throat slit. The stone that could revive the dead could not truly restore life—it only summoned illusory spirits, leaving its owner trapped in sorrow. Only the wizard who possessed the cloak that could conceal everything evaded Death for many years and ultimately died of old age…"
After a brief pause, Jon continued, "But that's just a legend. After all, there are no gods."
"Yes," Grindelwald said solemnly. "There are no gods. And even if there were, they would merely be slightly more powerful wizards…"
"…However," he added with quiet certainty, "I have always believed one thing: every legend has a historical origin."
Jon lowered his head, listening intently..
"In true history, the three brothers did indeed exist—Antioch Peverell, Cadmus Peverell, and Ignotus Peverell. They lived more than thirteen hundred years ago," Grindelwald said slowly.
"The eldest brother, Antioch Peverell, was an extraordinarily powerful wizard and an exceptional wandmaker. Using two materials considered highly taboo in the wizarding world—elder wood and Thestral hair—he crafted a wand of immense power. That wand was capable of touching the soul itself. This meant that after its owner's death, it could absorb the owner's power through the soul that leaked away…"
"The Elder Wand?"
Jon asked softly.
"Exactly. The Elder Wand grows stronger and stronger," Grindelwald replied, casting a casual glance at the elder wand beside Dumbledore. "By the time it came into my hands, it had already accumulated the power of at least twenty outstanding wizards."
"And the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak?" Jon asked.
"With Antioch's help, the second brother, Cadmus, and the youngest, Ignotus, also used the Elder Wand to create two artifacts," Grindelwald continued. "One was a stone capable of summoning and controlling spirits, and the other was an Invisibility Cloak capable of concealing the soul itself."
"But then, just as in the legend, disaster struck. After a duel, Antioch let slip the truth about possessing the Elder Wand while drunk. That very night, another wizard slit his throat in his sleep and stole the wand…"
"…Enraged by his brother's death, Cadmus used the Resurrection Stone to summon countless spirits in an attempt to take revenge. But the murderer had already fled Britain. Cadmus neither avenged his brother nor recovered the Elder Wand. Blinded by vengeance, he lost his sanity entirely. In his search for his enemy, he slaughtered countless Muggles and wizards along the way, turning them into spirits enslaved to his will…"
"And then?" Jon frowned, recalling the legend.
"He was stopped by his fiancée," Grindelwald said quietly. "Cadmus Peverell's betrothed, Catherine Slytherin, knew he was completely mad—beyond saving. So she poisoned him with a potion. After that, she hid the root of all this tragedy, the Resurrection Stone, forever—said to be in a place no one could ever find."
"After Cadmus Peverell's massacre, the youngest brother, Ignotus Peverell—the sole survivor—could no longer live peacefully in the wizarding world," Grindelwald continued. "Unlike his two brothers, Ignotus was not an exceptionally powerful wizard. Left with no other choice, he went into seclusion and vanished from the wizarding world."
"From what little I know of Ignotus, he had no male heirs. His Invisibility Cloak was likely passed down to his granddaughter, Iolanthe Peverell. Later, Iolanthe married Hardwin Linfred. Beyond that, I don't know."
"Linfred?"
Jon frowned slightly. The name rang a bell from A History of Magic. He asked softly, "Linfred of Stinchcombe?"
"Judging by the timeline, it should have been the son of Linfred of Stinchcombe," Grindelwald explained.
Jon's brow furrowed as everything began to fall into place.
Linfred of Stinchcombe—the pioneer of Potions, the inventor of many early magical brews…
According to legend, he lived in a village called Stinchcombe. To outsiders, he seemed careless and absent-minded. Yet his kindness and willingness to help made him well liked.
His Muggle neighbors often sought him out for cures, unaware that his treatments for chicken pox and ague were, in fact, magical.
Everyone regarded him as a harmless, lovable old fellow who enjoyed tending the curious plants in his garden at a leisurely pace. And so they gave him an affectionate nickname—
"The Potter."
Grindelwald paused to catch his breath, then concluded, "The truth of history has long been hidden within legends. Those who search patiently will always find something."
...
After hearing the full story of the three brothers, Jon asked once more, "Then… what is the connection between the Deathly Hallows and mastering death?"
"What follows is only my conjecture—though my guesses are usually accurate," Grindelwald said seriously. "Antioch and Cadmus Peverell were among the most powerful wizards of their era. They created the three Deathly Hallows precisely to avoid death."
"Cadmus's mad pursuit of his brother's killer stemmed from that very goal. Once the Elder Wand was reclaimed, the two brothers could use the Deathly Hallows to resurrect their elder brother with ease…"
"The Invisibility Cloak can conceal and protect the soul. Even after death, it can preserve the final remnant of a wizard's soul from dissipating completely. The Resurrection Stone can reconstruct a soul based on memory. Combined with the fragment protected by the Invisibility Cloak, it can restore the soul to wholeness…"
Grindelwald's voice suddenly faltered.
"As for the Elder Wand… although I once possessed it, I never truly understood its role. I can only speculate that whatever it does… is the most crucial part."
"Maybe I know," Jon said slowly.
"What?" Grindelwald looked at him in surprise. He had been doubtful at first, but recalling how this boy—so young—had already found two Deathly Hallows lost for over a thousand years, a spark of hope stirred within him.
For Jon, the final lingering effect of Felix Felicis was taking hold.
Guided by the voice in his mind, Jon picked up the Elder Wand beside Dumbledore and pointed it toward the wizard lying on the stone bed…
...
The world fell utterly silent.
Gellert Grindelwald vanished…
Nurmengard Tower vanished…
Not a single sound remained.
Jon found himself lying within a mist unlike any he had ever seen before.
His surroundings were not obscured by the mist—rather, it was as though the mist had not yet had time to form the world around him. The floor beneath him was blank, a simple plane capable only of bearing weight.
With some effort, he stood up and looked around.
If he had to describe where he was now,
There was only one way to put it—
"King's Cross Station."