2,811Chapter 52: Summer Sun
A/N: Due to the unreliability of FFN over the past couple of years, I have decided that once I have completely finished posting this story here, I shall be moving solely to AO3 for posting new content going forward.
All of my stories that are posted here will remain in their present state, I will not be deleting anything. And I will check the site periodically to see new reviews and PMs. But I shall not be posting any new chapters or stories to this site once Elfish is complete. This includes BWLIOT and Harry Headlines at Glastonbury, both of which are still in progress.
Apologies to anyone who loves my work but hates AO3. However, FFN has just become too unstable to be a reliable place to post as a writer. I'll still be reading things here, but the backend issues are too numerous for me to ignore any longer.
To be 100% clear, Elfish Welfare will be posted to completion here. I have several chapters undergoing beta reading that will be posted on schedule.
Friday, 28th July 1995.
Remus looked on proudly as Harry inspected the lodgings that had been prepared.
What had begun as a simple idea back when the two had been stuck back at home due to the portkey situation had finally grown into a real and tangible place. Somewhere house-elves could find respite from overly demanding or spiteful masters. A rest stop made specially for their needs.
Most of the delay in creating the site had been finding a suitable location to begin construction.
House-elves had unique requirements. Their bodies absorbed ambient magic, normally that of the family they served. But if they were kept in a highly-charged location, such as places like Hogwarts, they would simply pull that magic out of the air. If they stayed in an area that was too magically charged for too long without any way to discharge that magic, it could have negative effects as well.
So the search had begun for a location that had higher than normal ambient magic, but that wasn't overly so. That meant avoiding any of the known magical sites, even ones that had fallen out of favour. Nor could it reside on or too near any of the major ley lines running through the country. The search had taken even longer as Sirius had been of little help with the task, as he was too busy fretting over Harry. Not that Remus didn't, but as their primary tutor for the past six years, Remus knew all too well just how capable the pair were.
It had taken almost six weeks from the formation of the idea for Remus to locate this area.
Tucked away in rural Carmarthenshire, it was far enough away from the major ley lines in the south of Britain. And yet the space held a special magic all of its own. Not only being a few hundred miles from the birthplace of Merlin himself but many of the most famous writers and poets from this corner of the world had been inspired by the landscape around them. Creating fantasy worlds out of the mere memory of these verdant hills.
The land they now occupied had been easy enough to acquire. The Potters' centuries of accumulated wealth had seen to that. Preparing it for habitation had taken far longer.
With most of the area being a series of rolling hills, building structures of the size they had intended had proven tricky at first. The area was very open in places, allowing a clear line of sight in many directions from the tops of the other nearby hills, allowing any random wanderers to see into the wide expansive valleys. Making it tricky to build what they would need. So instead, Remus had found inspiration in some of the stories that had been inspired by the very hills they planned to build in.
The spells required to keep it properly protected were numerous and tasking. It had taken a lot of man and goblin hours to prepare the site before they could even begin construction. Delicate barrier spells to divert attention away from the area. Subtle distractions to prevent determined looky-lous from getting too close. Fresh new trees were grown all around the outer limits, helping to block whatever the magic alone could not conceal. All of which had to be done with the utmost caution given the complete lack of the protections they were forging.
But when they had begun to build, they had built down. Without the dwarves' and goblins' help, constructing the sprawling series of tunnels and rooms into the hillsides would have been exhausting. While they did not delve deeply, the tunnels and caverns that they needed required a delicate and precise excavation, lest the hills above collapse inward before the real construction could begin.
Yet now, at long last, it was complete.
"I love it," Harry said, turning back to face Remus.
The beaming smile across his face as he inspected the rooms was reward enough for the efforts that Remus had made. His own years of roughing it had allowed him to ensure that the facilities would feel like heaven compared to what some of the elves were enduring at home.
If he wasn't presently living in the Manor, and all the beds and benches were custom-made to be elf-sized, he might have considered moving in himself. The doors and passageways were large enough for a full-grown man to walk with ease, except perhaps Rubeus Hagrid. But the facilities themselves were all designed to be elf-height.
"It's magnificent, Remus," Hermione added, returning to Harry's side from the next room. "Everything I could have ever pictured a Hobbit hole to be. I take it that was part of the inspiration?"
Remus smiled at the girl. He knew that she would identify the link almost immediately. The Tolkien books were well known to be among the pair's favourite reading material. And their copies had seen many a session under the Granger Oak.
"Partially." He replied. "Though some of it is for purpose rather than feel. The wooden supports and walls allow for better control of the flow of magic through the structure. Same with the clay utensils. There is little metal involved, but what is, has been prepared extensively by the dwarves or goblins. Their help was invaluable."
Remus watched as Harry sat on one of the tiny beds, his knees coming up higher than usual on the low-slung object as he pulled open the bedside drawer. Hundreds of these rooms now filled the miles of hills inside the enclave.
"Slightly ironic, given their intense antagonism towards each other in the stories of your source material," Harry added cheekily.
"Well, they don't enjoy working together much in the real world either." Remus acknowledged. Managing the two subterranean races had been a significant part of the challenge involved. "Thankfully your family has a lot of ways to convince them to behave. And they're all shiny, gold and about yay big."
He held up a galleon that had been sitting in his pocket and the two teens smirked at his cheek. As one of the two remaining Marauders, it was his job to ensure they didn't get too many over on him.
Harry turned away from him and glanced at the other figure in the room. One who had remained silent so far.
"What do you think, Pops?"
The head of the Potter elves was standing nearby, but he had his eyes closed. It was as if he was listening to something, but the tunnels were nearly silent now that construction had finally finished. There were no sounds of life as yet, given that no one was presently using the space. The elf slowly turned his head from side to side, eyes firmly shut before springing open and locking on Harry.
"Mistress was right. It is magnificent." Pops said. "Pops can feel the magic flowing down the corridor and into the room. It is… invigorating."
All three smiled at the elf as he basked in the energy flowing into the room.
"So you think it will help them?" Hermione asked, once again looking worried as she often did when she considered the plight of the house-elves. She had managed to avoid Lily's knee-jerk instinct to find a way to free them all from their slavery, thanks to being introduced to the Potter elves first, but she still wanted to improve their lot.
Pops nodded rapidly, sending his ears flapping. "Yes, mistress. Any elf brought here will be unable to feel bad for long. But it is not so strong as to make me feel ill."
Hermione beamed, turning her smile to Remus. While he had never had children of his own, helping to raise these two had left him with a sense of pride in their accomplishments. Even though he had been the one to manage the works for them, this enclave was a child of their minds. And their joy at seeing it come to fruition left him feeling that pride once more.
Barely halfway through their teens, the two had already created something that might well endure for generations to come. Giving an entire race somewhere safe they can call home. One day, he hoped that those suffering from his affliction might have such a refuge.
But those were thoughts for another day. "Shall we see the more fun stuff?" Remus asked.
The bright faces he saw were reply enough and he gestured out the doorway. This tour was going to take a while.
ϟ
Sunday, 30th July 1995.
Hermione was still feeling the high of the day's festivities.
Usually, the Grangers liked having a nice little gathering at home for such events. Just her, Harry, Crookshanks, Hedwig and her parents for most of the time she had known Harry. Neither of the children had ever really clicked with the rest of their peers in primary school. So had never really had anyone else they wished to invite around for something so personal as birthdays.
Now though, since visiting Hogwarts this year, their friend group had grown considerably.
It was somewhat strange seeing the Manor Gardens so full of life. There were always little magical creatures of one sort or another wending their way between the plants most days. Some were extremely rare or even thought extinct in the wider magical world. But seeing a bunch of people was a different feeling entirely.
She was snuggled into Harry's arm under their favourite tree. Same as they always were when they were outside just enjoying the day. The lovely cake they had all just consumed slowly digesting as she relaxed in the arms of the most important person in her world.
Nearest to them both was little Luna. She was feeding crumbs from a second slice of the overly enormous cake to an assortment of the tiny creatures that filled the gardens and woods of this little bubble. Even as close as she was, it was nearly impossible for Hermione to see the miniscule Golden Snidget that was hovering delicately just above her friend's lap. Though she could hear the furious high-pitched beating of the bird's tiny wings as it held its ball-shaped body in the air.
Despite the early hour, a couple of Mooncalves had also joined the wee girl. One of them had gotten so comfortable with Luna that it was leaning on her shoulder, much as Hermione often did with Harry. And Hermione was still surprised at how kind the Knarls were here. If Luna had tried feeding them like this out in the wild, then Harry's gardens would be in need of serious repairs. They were usually such suspicious creatures.
Hermione wasn't sure if it was the safety they had always known being inside of the bubble in which the Potters lived, or just Luna's natural affinity for animals that was to blame there. Luna even had a juvenile Occamy perched in a nearby tree watching her handling the other creatures. One who wouldn't even let Hermione or her mother anywhere near it for the past few years.
Hermione was fascinated by the girl's deft hand with animals. And how she didn't seem remotely surprised by the way that they acted around her. At times, Hermione even wondered if it had been the natural ease that had allowed her to capture their hearts so easily and make her their friend. Although that begged the question of why others had seen fit to bully her for her habits instead.
She quickly shook off the darker thoughts, rapidly enough that even Harry did not move behind her. Instead, Hermione moved onto thinking about the next nearest group of their friends.
The birthday boy, Neville, was seated at the large table surrounded by most of the others who had attended. Both of the Patil twins and Parvati's friend Lavender who had come with them were on either side of him. Little Ginny Weasley was perched opposite him, seated next to Fleur's little sister Gaby. While Susan and their other closer friends from their own house filled the rest of the spaces.
They all watched cautiously as he nursed the odd cactus-shaped plant throbbing in its tiny pot. A gift from the boy's great-uncle, it differed from a cactus in that instead of spines, it bore tiny little boils up and down its surface.
After the first incident where one of Ginny's older twin brothers had prodded it too hard, all the children now knew not to prod the strangely throbbing plant. Though it had been amusing seeing Nym cackling with laughter at her friends as they stood there coated in the strange, thin stinksap while their father shook his head and helped to clean them off.
But it was mostly Neville's glowing face as he softly crooned to the small plant that Hermione was enjoying. Apparently, the plant was extremely rare. The area in which it was found was already mostly harsh desert climate, but in the past decade, it had also become volatile in a more human manner. With several bloody wars raging amongst the muggle populations of the region.
Hermione thought it interesting that Neville's great-uncle had endured those dangers to retrieve such a special gift for their friend. Despite the story of his earlier mishandling of Neville's earliest accidental magic, it seemed the man truly cared for the boy. Just in his own, unusual fashion.
Her eyes shifted away from the small gaggle by Neville, drifting over to where the now-cleaned Weasley twins were chattering away with Nym's group of friends at the other end of the large table. It was there that the other two former Champions could be seen. Viktor and Fleur sat opposite Nym and Cedric as they discussed matters too softly for Hermione to hear at this distance.
The pair of male twins at the table had not allowed their earlier snafu to dampen their spirits and were once again showing off some new invention to the gathered young adults. Their friend Lee offered himself up as a guinea pig for the demonstrations, changing into a variety of odd human-sized animal shapes. Or sprouting some new facial features.
Nym was matching his efforts at the latter, using her innate ability to copy the changes, much to the amusement of the others around the table. The only one present that Hermione did not know all that well was Cedric's new girlfriend, seated on his other side. All she knew of Cho was that she was in Ravenclaw. But she had seemed nice enough, and was presently more interested in her own little conversation with Tamsin Applebee, Nym's only female attendee from Hogwarts. It seemed that Harry's cousin was a bit of a tomboy. But Hermione knew that a couple of the elder girl's female friends had prior holiday commitments that had prevented them from attending as well.
Last, but not least, was the gathering of adults that had chosen to mostly leave all the children to their own devices.
Most obvious of all was the massive painting that Remus had commissioned shortly after Hermione had first learned she was magical. The entire Potter family was in it, bar any who might have slipped away as the party had mellowed after the food. It had been brought out onto the lawn for the first time, supported by a pair of small saplings at either end.
Hermione was surprised the small trees were strong enough to hold it, given how immensely long the painting was in order to fit the entire painted family, but somehow they were managing. She made a note to ensure that both trees were unharmed after the events died down and everyone headed home.
At one end of the painting, Harry's parents were presently engaged in a heated conversation with both the enormous Hagrid and Madame Bones. It was nice to see that Hagrid had ceased crying over, and apologizing to, the Potters. While Madame Bones had attended solely to bring along her niece, she had stuck around once she saw the place. And had spent most of the day chatting with the deceased Potters on and off. A rare opportunity given the only portrait ever made of the pair resided here at the Manor.
Hermione did not know what they were discussing, but Lily did not seem upset at all, so she trusted that it wasn't anything they needed to worry about.
Down from them was a far more interesting sight. The cheery balding man who had brought the three Weasley children was still grilling Hermione's father about all things muggle. How their appliances functioned. What tele was? How the Underground worked without magic. A significant portion of the Potters had gathered around them and were also listening in intently.
Her father was holding his own in the conversation, as he had all day long so far. Hermione had even heard him turning the conversation around at times, quizzing the wizard on how magic was used in many scenarios. The cultural exchange often had an audience as it had peaked and ebbed. But it was the one discussion that had continued virtually uninterrupted all day long. Except for Arthur pausing to clean off or warn his wayward sons if they became a little too rowdy.
Professor Moody had been invited to attend, as a thank you for his assistance in destroying the Diadem. But the man had declined. It seemed he intended to enjoy his few weeks of freedom from the students of Hogwarts during the holidays. The ones that couldn't pop in on him unannounced at least.
At the farthest end of the painting were the final two figures. Hermione's mother and the tall blonde willowy woman who had brought Luna to the Manor. Pandora had that same ethereal manner about her as her daughter, and even when engaged fully in conversation with her back to the girl, always seemed aware of her daughter at every moment.
It was as if the two were in some sort of sync as they moved about. Hermione was left to wonder if it was the result of one of the spells that Pandora had created before the accident had spurred her to give up that career or just an innate nature the two shared as mother and daughter.
Hermione always knew where her mother was at any given moment as well. At least when she was within the bounds of the wards that protected both the Manor and their home. She had long ago learned the feeling of the thin wisps of magic that resided in her mother's body. Far too sparse for her mother to ever cast magic, but enough that she could use some potions without difficulty, though she could not hope to brew them. But even with her incredible awareness, she didn't feel like it came close to the way that Luna and her mother were entwined.
Her musing was broken by a soft pair of lips catching the skin just under her ear. Hermione closed her eyes and let the warmth in them penetrate deep into her skin.
"You never can turn off that mind of yours, can you," Harry whispered into her ear.
Hermione smiled and turned to face her boyfriend. He looked happy. Not that he didn't normally. Harry was a very happy person most of the time. He had a family that loved him. All the books one could ever want to read. Friends that clicked with them in ways they never had in their youth. This wonderful little haven from the worries of the world. And her, tucked in his arms.
"Why would I ever do that? There is always something new to learn." She replied before leaning in and kissing him softly.
Harry moaned into her, his joy palpable in the kiss as a tingle ran through her in return.
"Hmmm, why indeed." He sighed, pressing her body tighter into his chest. "Should we join the others?"
Her eyes flicked back over to the table, Neville in particular. He was studying the mysterious plant in detail and the group around him still seemed just as interested as he was.
"Only if you want to. I say let the birthday boy enjoy being the centre of attention today."
She could feel Harry nodding against her shoulder. Her hair must have almost encased his head as he sat behind her and she tried to shift it out of his face but he simply burrowed back into it as she moved. It made her smile that Harry so loved her wild and uncontrollable locks. Before they had met, she had hated her hair. It never behaved. Over the years it had become much more manageable, but it was still unruly and bushy. But Harry never let her fall back into the mindset of her youth. It was part of her, and that alone made it special to him. He playfully blew over her neck, the hair in the way waving in the stream of air and tickling her neck.
"Stop that." She said with a smile, turning further in his arms so she was seated across his lap rather than tucked between his legs as she had been for some time now.
It made it a lot easier to see his face here. He was practically glowing. The joy he felt was a part of her too these days, but it wasn't often you could see the delight radiating from his very skin. Days like this were his greatest desire. A gathering of family and friends. No worries or troubles to manage. Sure, there was danger outside this little bubble, growing stronger every day. But they did not let its darkness penetrate here.
They would deal with that in its time. Today was about celebration.
Hermione smiled as she leaned in and pecked Harry on the lips again before she snuggled deeper into his arms and let her eyes drift back over to Luna under the nearby tree.
She had somehow coaxed the Occamy down out of the tree and it was now coiled in her lap as she ran two fingers down its feathered spine. The colourful creature shivered happily at the touch, ignoring the tiny Snidget whirling around its head.
"How is she so good with them?" She asked, drawing Harry's attention to the girl as well.
"Talent." He replied, watching Luna silently along with her.
Even Harry couldn't get near the Snidgets in the woods. The tiny creatures would zoom away at his approach. Hermione did not doubt that he could catch them if he ever so desired, but he was usually more content to just watch nature unfold in front of him. To enjoy the world around him in its default state, without imposing his will upon it.
The Knarls and Occamies weren't quite as skittish, but they certainly never curled up in his lap and allowed him to feed them. And most of them refused to sit still at all for Hermione. Not even the few techniques that Mr Scamander had taught her had helped there. And yet, they seemed almost drawn to Luna.
Hermione had to admit she was a little jealous of the other girl.
But dwelling on her own shortcomings was paused once again as Luna raised her hand to stroke the underside of the mooncalf's long neck, and Hermione caught sight of the other oddity about today.
Normally at a birthday party, the one whose birthday it was received gifts from the people attending. Rather than passing a gift out to each of their attendees instead. But Harry never seemed to do things normally, despite his desire to be as normal as possible.
Around Luna's wrist was a small bracelet. Made of delicate goblin silver, each of the partygoers now had one just like it. Each one had cost a small fortune to produce, but was custom-made for the personality of each of their friends as well.
The trinkets that Harry had given each of them were portkeys, designed to carry the bearer and their direct blood relatives to safety. Harry was worried that Riddle would target his friends once he realized that Harry himself was beyond his reach. History had proven that unless they chose to leave the Manor, there was no way for Riddle to penetrate it.
Hermione had to admit that so far they had been lucky. Most of Riddle's actions had been simple raids. He was searching for supplies. Wands, potion ingredients, additional manpower. The casualties had been low, but they would not remain so for much longer. With each raid, their enemy's power grew.
"Stop it," Harry said, nuzzling her neck again. "Today is not for dwelling."
Hermione shivered as his words tickled her neck, her eyes fluttering at the feeling. "I can't help it."
"I can see that." He replied, holding her firmly against his chest. "Everyone we care about is protected. They'll either come here or to the goblins if something goes wrong. I even gave Neville a set for his parents, in case Lestrange gets the idea to go and finish the job. Riddle won't touch them. I sw…"
"Don't!" Hermione chastised him softly before he could finish the word. "I know what you mean, but we've learned our lesson about swearing. We'll do our best."
He smiled at her. "Exactly. And our best is on every wrist or neck in this little bubble. If Riddle harms any of them, I'll kill him."
"I want to do more than kill him, Harry. I want to find a way to destroy his soul for good." Hermione said simply.
She had already done significant reading towards such a goal, but it was difficult to find such magic. Corruption of souls was considered dark magic and the Potters weren't much for that kind of thing. But if anyone had earned such a fate, it was Tom Riddle. His wake of destruction was wide and only growing. If it were even possible to destroy what remained of a soul so mangled by the soul's own actions.
Harry sighed against her and seemed to think quietly for a moment. He had already tried to dissuade her from such an action. And she couldn't help but smile at that. Even after all the damage Riddle had done to him personally, Harry was such an innately good person that he felt death was all the punishment that the monster needed. To no longer be an active threat to those he loved was as far as he was willing to take matters.
But Hermione knew that she had somewhat of a vindictive streak in her. People who hurt those she loved needed proper punishment. Sirius and Remus had not been the greatest of influences when it came to this particular part of her nature. When she learned what they had done to the people who had sent some of the nastier post, she wasn't disgusted as she was supposed to be. Most of those on the receiving end had truly earned such behaviour. And the Marauders tended to encourage her vindictive nature.
Not that she had a problem with this aspect of herself. Hermione would defend her family and friends. And if that defence wasn't enough, sometimes she had to search for alternative options.
Her thoughts were broken once more as Harry stood, carrying her up with him as he did.
"Ah, Harry!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around him to prevent herself from falling.
Harry just smirked at her in response. "I told you to stop dwelling, but you can't seem to do so while we're sitting here all alone. So we're going over there and we're going to talk to our guests until your brain can switch off. Or at least change focus for a while. Deal?"
She glared at him for half a moment before she could no longer pretend that she was mad at him. Harry was right. This was a birthday party and she was spending her time worrying about wars and souls.
"Deal," she replied, blushing softly as Harry lowered her legs to the ground and gave her a firm hug.
Harry leaned in and gave her a soft peck on the lips, stilling her mind for a moment before he pulled back and took her hand softly in his own.
"Let's go party." He said, winking as he turned towards the others.
Hermione smiled but she followed, happy to allow her friends to take her focus for the rest of the day.
ϟ
Wednesday, 2nd August 1995.
Albus reclined in his tall-backed chair and rubbed his sore neck.
It was on days like these that he wished there was a better way to use a pensieve. Leaning over for hours at a time burying one's face in the surface could be quite painful. Especially at his age.
However, this was the only way to refresh himself on all that was Tom Marvolo Riddle. A lifetime observed from the outside. A hundred different people had provided Albus with memories of the future Dark Lord from throughout his life. From fellow Hogwarts students to prospective employers to people on the street. There were even several of Albus's memories in the batches he had been reviewing.
Albus sighed as the picture of Riddle became clear once more. A cruel man, even when they first met. Eleven years old and already very talented with his magic, but using it to hurt and control others. While he had never been able to track down any of Tom's contemporaries from his days in the orphanage after the fact, he had seen enough in the minds of the other children when he had visited Wool's that he should have known what Riddle would become. Albus was ashamed that he had not been more vigilant back then. Perhaps he could have corrected the boy's course, but he was too busy dealing with, and then mourning, his lover.
Inevitably, thinking about Grindelwald during such work led Albus to muse on the similarities between Gellert and Tom. Both were extremely charming, able to easily turn minds to their cause. Yet still able to cover their true intentions underneath at all times. Both were uncommonly talented with their magic. They had both done incredible works. Things that would have seen them go down in history in a good way had their contributions been less selfish.
It also horrified Albus to admit that he had felt something for both of them. The similarities had led to him seeing so much of his once lover in the young boy. That in itself disturbed him as he was decades older than the boy. Never again in his many years of teaching had he ever felt so inclined towards a student.
After all that Riddle had done in the intervening years, any former affection Albus had held for the teen had long since crumbled to dust. Pulverized by the depravity the man had wrought in this world. But the memories he had been exploring bore its flavour nonetheless. And it left Albus feeling disgusted with himself anew.
It would seem that Albus Dumbledore had a type, and he hated it. Perhaps that was why he had never again tried to find love in this world.
He shook his head, further stretching his neck and trying to clear such thoughts. They were not helpful in his present endeavour. The mistakes of his youth could not be undone now. Nor would they prove useful in better understanding the mind of Tom Riddle.
This was about studying the possible places Riddle might consider a place of safety. For a moment, Albus had considered that Tom may have concealed one within the building in which he had grown up. But his mindless destruction of what once was Wool's proved he had no attachment to the location. More deaths that Albus had been unable to prevent.
He was also attempting to divine what Riddle would have considered worthy to house his soul. What the man would have used as the vessels for his remaining Horcruxes. Another failing of Albus's.
When he had learned of such despicable magic in his mid-forties, he had done all he could to remove any information about Horcruxes from the world. He had spent months in the Hogwarts library finding anything that even mentioned the term and removing those tomes.
Belamy, who had taken over from cranky old Agnes, had been livid at his invasion into the man's domain, reporting his removals to the Headmaster. Thankfully Dippet had taken that role shortly before Albus had begun his efforts, and the man always had a soft spot for Albus. Letting him do most of his work without oversight.
Unfortunately, Gellert's mischief had arisen during this time as well and pulled Albus's attention away from the crusade. It was possible, well more like certain, that he had missed something in his attempts to crush the knowledge from the world.
And so Riddle had found the answer he sought. And Horace, in his well-meaning mindlessness, had filled in the blanks. After his brief meeting with Harry, Horace had gone into hiding from both sides. He no longer trusted Albus after he had stood by and allowed the boy to force him into revealing his shame. Of course, should Riddle find him, his fate would be far worse than being reminded of the reality of a war he could have prevented. But there was little Albus could do to prevent that now.
Albus rolled his head once more on his shoulders, helping to clear the dull aches away. Dwelling on such things was not going to help them in this endeavour. He picked up his wand, truly his own now.
He stared at the glistening black surface of the ebony wand as he considered it. While he had purchased the wand in his eleventh year from Gerbold, Albus knew that the man had not been the one to manufacture it. The wand had spent over a century sitting in Ollivander's awaiting his arrival, the old man had told him.
Highly suited to Transfiguration and all manner of combat magic, there was another trait of the dark wood that had made it rather squirrely in his hands if he deigned to use it during the past fifty years. A trait that should have clued Albus into his distraction. Ebony's perfect match was to one who would hold fast to their beliefs. Who would not be swayed lightly from their purpose, no matter the external pressure.
For the longest time, Albus had told others that his purpose was the enlightenment of young minds, but he had allowed the Deathly Hallows to consume him for a third time. Falling away from his purpose.
Gerbold had also stressed that ebony was happiest in the hands of those who had the courage to be themselves. Those who were comfortable being an outsider or non-conformist. In his early years, that had certainly been Albus Dumbledore. He had used this wand to do incredible things. And terrible, as it had aided him as he helped Gellert pave the way for the trouble the man would bathe the world in. But had also seen him praised for his talents during his NEWTs.
These factors had all helped influence the wand into resisting his attempts to master the Hallows. So Albus had tucked the wand away. Putting it aside and embracing the Elder Wand instead. A wand that had ever so happily pulled him deeper into the grip of those ancient trinkets and the trembling descent into trying to break the Veil.
Albus smiled at the black and silver wand. Loyal as it had ever been, it felt right in his hands once again. Young Mr Potter had succeeded where Albus, and everyone else, had failed so many times. The boy had met the challenge of the Hallows and he had won. Resisting their siren call.
Better than that, he had destroyed them.
While he had not been present for it, Albus knew that the boy had shattered the Wand for good. There was no longer any call to use it in his mind. Albus was free of that ever-present companion at last. For it truly had been so, longer than any other thing in his life save the wand now in his grip once more.
If Harry Potter could do something so incredible, then Albus could endure some physical discomfort to aid the boy in seeking the final Horcruxes.
Albus swirled the wand tip over the pensieve and the memories within shifted once more. The surface of the magical portal shimmered before a face appeared. The deep sneer of a middle-aged man, at the time though he was older than Albus now if he even still lived, glared out at him. Tom's once employer, this particular memory dealt not with the boy himself, but his mother. Caractacus had concealed much from Albus when they spoke through the years, but Albus had eventually managed to acquire these intact memories from the man at quite a price.
Perhaps they would hold the key he was searching for and he could finally rest his weary neck.
But, for now, Albus placed his wand on the desk and lowered his face into the magical pool once again.