Chapter 292: The Fourth Hallow

Disclaimer: 

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 292: The Fourth Hallow

Xenos got serious. "Over my many years of research, I have found references pointing to a fourth Deathly Hallow several times, but they were nothing more than speculations, rumors, or legends, even more so than the other three."

"But?..." Harry assumed that Xenos wouldn't have come here if rumors were all he had.

Xenos reached into his robes and pulled out a small tome with a black leather cover and something written on the top.

"A diary?" Daphne spoke her first impression.

Harry had to agree with her. By the looks of the book, it very much resembled a certain diary he was very familiar with. The name on the cover became clearer after Xenos held it in his palms. "A.N.P?"

"Anthony Nathaniel… Peverell," Xenos revealed.

"Was that one of the Three Brothers from the tale? I don't remember if the names were actually mentioned," Daphne commented.

"No, but this Anthony was the direct descendant of the youngest brother, the one who was given the Cloak of Invisibility." Xenos glanced at Harry. "It was, in fact, him who was responsible for the cloak ending up in the Potter family."

"Really? Does it say the how and why?" Harry asked.

"You'll have a chance to read it in a moment, but first… there is something else you need to see." He opened the diary around the middle.

"At this point, the Peverell family was in decline. Anthony was one of its latest members and the current Lord of the house. The first half of the diary entries are very mundane and just describe the many struggles he had as the Lord. But then, on the night of his 30th birthday, he received the visit of a mysterious figure."

"A mysterious figure…" Daphne repeated.

"You don't mean…" Harry could only think of one particular figure.

Xenos nodded. "It is as you think. The description given here matches perfectly with the one previously mentioned by his ancestors… during their brief encounter with Death."

"Death in person came to visit him?" Daphne asked.

"He never uses that name directly. He wrote that someone wearing a black cloak that covered his entire body knocked on his door at night, claiming to be an old family friend."

"Does it say what this individual looked like? You know… beneath the cloak," Daphne asked.

"The description was kept vague and simple, not delving into details. I do believe this was done on purpose, perhaps for fear of punishment if he were to say too much…."

"Okay, let's leave the description aside. What did this individual want from Lord Peverell?"

"From what he wrote, the visit was brief. This black-cloaked person inquired about Lord Peverell's ancestors and about the cloak left in his family's care. Before leaving, he gave Anthony Peverell a box and requested that he and his family safeguard this box until the person meant for it finally appeared. He also left a warning to him, to never open the box or try to look inside. For whoever did so… would suffer a terrible punishment."

"What happened then?" Daphne said with interest.

"He put the box in the safest place he could think of… his family vault. And then waited for this person meant for the box, but… that never happened."

"And he never tried to open it? I would have been too curious," Harry said.

"Not everyone is so reckless," Daphne added.

"He never did…" Xenos answered. "That visit left Lord Peverell truly scared and paranoid. Even his writing became different after that day."

"So this box could still be at the Peverell vault?" Daphne asked.

"That is what I believe, yes. If that was something left by Death for someone in particular, I doubt anyone else would be capable of touching it without suffering a terrible fate," Xenos said.

After hearing the whole story, Harry recalled something important.

"But how can you be so sure that this mysterious individual was actually Death, and that the box left behind was a fourth Deathly Hallow that no one had ever claimed?" Daphne felt that he was jumping to conclusions.

"I think you may be right," Harry said all of a sudden.

"Thanks, I think th-"

"No, I meant him." Harry interrupted Daphne and pointed at Xenos. "Around two years ago, I visited my family vaults and saw the one belonging to the Peverell family."

"You saw the Peverell vault?" Daphne exclaimed. Only a few knew about that vault which remained untouched for centuries at the bottom of Gringotts' underground caves.

"I didn't just see it. When I got closer… I felt something, some sort of connection, but it was very faint," Harry explained.

"Like what you felt from the other Hallows?" Xenos asked.

"I think so… it's hard to be sure. This was much earlier."

"Right, you were yet to awaken properly as the Master of Death. I'm sure the connection will be much stronger now," Xenos said.

"You think that box was left for Harry," Daphne realized what Xenos was implying.

"I believe it was left for whoever was chosen by the other three Deathly Hallows… it just didn't happen until now."

"I guess we could make a trip to the vaults and check," Harry suggested.

"And have you thought about how to open the Peverell vault? Because I assume you don't have the keys," Daphne said.

"I do have the key, actually." Harry said.

This surprised both Xenos and Daphne.

"Why would you have the key to the Peverell Vault?" Daphne asked.

"A few years ago, when I visited my family vault...we found it there, in a small box, hidden behind a wall. It was very weird." Harry admitted.

"I knew it!. This must be fate!" Xenos got exited.

"But those old vaults don't work with just keys. You need to be part of the family bloodline…" Harry frowned. "So we are still going to need a Peverell to open it for us."

"That family went extinct centuries ago…" Daphne said.

"We don't have to look for anyone." Xenos proclaimed before moving his eyes to Harry. "We have a Peverell descendant right here."

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